Reducing the stigma around mental health
by Kris Hi. My name Is Kris. I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have suffered deep depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Also there are times of social anxiety, mild Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and hyper vigilance. I haven’t always been like this. It was 5th October 2014 where my life Continue Reading
By Natalie Anyone who knows me will know that today was a big day. It doesn’t sound like much but here goes – I went into town by myself. Like I say, it really doesn’t sound like a big deal but given that I haven’t been able to do that for Continue Reading
By Lesley M I am not through my difficult times. I can’t even explain how I feel. But today has been a normal day and for that I am so thankful for a few hours of clarity. The word depression is so overused these days, it almost sounds insignificant. True Continue Reading
I think of my depression as a thief. It crept in when I least expected it and it took everything that was dear to me. But unlike a thief, it didn’t take a laptop, jewellery or money. It took away the things that made me who I was; my outgoing Continue Reading
One in 4 people will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their life and I want you to join me in pledging to do absolutely nothing about it. Quarter of the people you know will suffer at some point from depression, stress, anxiety or other mental illnesses, Continue Reading
I hate the phrase “Man up”. What’s that supposed to mean? Either stop being lady like and be strong cos that’s what men do, or if you are a man, you can’t be upset because men don’t do that
It is said that if you have depression, you are living in the past, and if you have anxiety, you are living in the future. Living in our heads so much is detrimental to mental wellbeing, and the chances are, if you have a mental health problem, you do enough of that already.
Mental and physical health are so often treated as two separate entities, when the reality is, one cannot exist without the other. If we are physically well, we are more able to stay mentally healthy. Physical wellbeing promotes recovery.
I was the last to know that something was wrong. I didn’t wake up one day feeling depressed.It crept up on me over weeks and months.
COUNSELLING My counsellor was based in a nearby GP’s surgery. He was mild mannered and kind. I cried in every session but felt a small sense of catharsis when our hour was up. He described a duality in my personality. A desire for closeness but a tendency to push people Continue Reading
PART 2: REACHING OUT BREAKDOWN Still I didn’t really talk to my husband. He took our son to nursery the next morning. I decided to ring in sick. I sat on the floor next to my bed sobbing uncontrollably. Then two weird things happened. First, my phone rang. I had Continue Reading
PART 1: THE BREAKDOWN ASKING FOR HELP It was June 2015. I knew it was coming. The warning signs were all there. I was angry, feeling easily overwhelmed, aggressive, making snap decisions/judgements, acting out at work, unable to prioritize tasks so becoming obsessive about irrelevant things, not sleeping, indulging in Continue Reading