Yet again I couldn’t get myself in gear to write my piece for Mental Health Awareness Week – but here we are anyway. The theme this year was loneliness. Something many have faced over the past few years of lockdowns – but which is by no means a phenomenon reserved to pandemics. What is loneliness?Continue reading “All by myself”
Tag Archives: Anxiety
God grant me the serenity
The world is a lot right now isn’t it? Maybe it always is. Always has been. Just some have the privilege at different times to not be affected by, or even notice the turmoil that tears lives apart on distant shores. But the last two hundred years have brought us ever closer together, news andContinue reading “God grant me the serenity”
Recovery – Uncovering – Discovery
What is recovery? What does it mean to recover? It depends what we are recovering from of course. And what we are trying to recover. People who are seeking to break free from addiction often talk about being “in recovery”. It’s not a destination, it’s a journey. Is it possible to say one is noContinue reading “Recovery – Uncovering – Discovery”
What do you mean I’m not perfect?
People seemed to like my painting last month so here’s April’s effort – the Packhorse Bridge and Wavy steps in my home tome Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. I thought I’d use this painting as a jumping off point on some thoughts around mental health. I was showing it to my mum the other day,Continue reading “What do you mean I’m not perfect?”
Where do you live?
Dwelling. It’s an interesting word. It means the home itself, but also what we do in it. It also means something else. To dwell upon something. To linger thinking on something, to cogitate, ruminate. In an effort not to ruminate upon the troubles, large and small which afflict us these days, I have been paintingContinue reading “Where do you live?”
What is wrong with me?
It’s a question I’ve asked myself many times. It’s a question that most people who experience mental health difficulties ask themselves. Especially in the early days. When maybe they don’t realise what’s going on. It’s not just a mental illness thing. There are so many people living with experiences, symptoms, they don’t understand. That weContinue reading “What is wrong with me?”
Another Week Begins
When did this lockdown begin for you? Some people have been staying home for longer than others – the official order to stay home coming 7 days ago, after a week of gradually tightening measures. People with underlying health conditions or over 70 are self isolating, others social distancing, allowed out only for exercise, toContinue reading “Another Week Begins”
Nothing is Normal. Everything is Normal.
Every conversation I am having is starting with something on the lines of “isn’t everything very strange”. Many of us, across the world, find our world has been turned upside down. Lockdown. Social Distancing. Isolation. Those of us who are having to continue working, continue going out there (sometimes to the most hazardous situations –Continue reading “Nothing is Normal. Everything is Normal.”
Children’s Mental Health Week. A rant.
I hear a lot of comments as I do the rounds of my training, a lot of thoughts and opinions, pre-judgements about mental health. Some thoughtful, insightful, some stigmatised/stigmatising, offensive and downright wrong. That’s ok. People come to learn about mental health, I want them to air their thoughts and preconceptions so we can discussContinue reading “Children’s Mental Health Week. A rant.”
Cause of Death – not just suicide we need to worry about.
I was just checking to see if there were any updated statistics yet on the number of suicides in the UK – not yet. I wanted to see if last year’s slight reduction was the beginning of a trend or just a blip. Anyway – I found myself perusing the figures, and also those forContinue reading “Cause of Death – not just suicide we need to worry about.”