As I gradually return to face to face work, I’m remembering the pros and cons of training to a room of real life humans. Most of the cons are to do with travel and the amount of energy it takes to get places and then train for two long days. So I was delighted toContinue reading “LGBTQ+ Mental Health – Working with Happy Valley Pride”
Tag Archives: depression
All by myself
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”
It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to
It was my birthday last week. I wasn’t in a good place. I had had one of those months where my hormones play havoc with my state of mind, but it dragged on longer than usual. I found myself lying there debating if I was depressed. I mean, yes. I was feeling depressed, sad, low.Continue reading “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to”
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”
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?”
6 months in – mental health and the pandemic
I keep hearing people talk about the mental health impact of the pandemic. But as with seemingly everything else in life, people are polarised about it. There are the people who think the impact of lockdown is too great, the separation and financial concern too unbearable – and there are those whose anxiety is skyrocketingContinue reading “6 months in – mental health and the pandemic”
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.”
Holding on to this Wonderful Life
CW/TW Suicidal ideation I don’t get to spend Christmas at home every year, we alternate, as do many people, between parents and in-laws and home. So far I think we’ve spent only two here together, and we’re trying to develop some traditions. Every year Hebden Bridge Picture House plays “It’s A Wonderful Life” on ChristmasContinue reading “Holding on to this Wonderful Life”
The power of negative/positive thinking
If it were possible, I’d have titled this piece “The power of positive negative thinking” – with the strikethrough. Or vice versa. If I called it “The power of positive thinking” – a good number would switch off. There’s a lot of that stuff about these days, positive psychology, Law of Attraction, etc. A lotContinue reading “The power of negative/positive thinking”