18 Apr

Posted at 11:48h in Mental health
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This morning I took two minutes to sit quietly in my chair before I started work. I close my eyes. I pay attention. A relentlessly joyful bird sings outside the window. The wind whispers down the chimney. The builders in the next street use a piece of equipment that makes a dull grinding noise and the traffic further afield brings a bass note to the song. My glasses rest on my nose. My hands are in my lap, fingers interlaced, one thumb on top of the other. The skin is warm and slightly dry. I scan my body looking for tension and remember...

22 Mar

Posted at 10:04h in Mental health
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On Monday I attended a workshop in London. The event was run by child psychiatrist Dr Sarah Vohra who (on top of her day job in the NHS) speaks and has written a book about mental health in children and young people. The event focused on dealing with anxiety, our own and our children's. I have used some of the content she shared at the event to inform this blog post. If you want to know more about Dr Sarah you can find her on Instagram here, and can pre-order her book here (our next month. I can't wait to...

13 Mar

Posted at 14:26h in Mental health
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Anxiety doesn't have a hold over me like it used to but it is still something I have to manage. Every now and then I experience weeks when anxiety hovers around, when the low-level buzz of it is ever-present. This can be because I have been too busy or not sleeping well, or because there is unexpected stress in my life. It can also be because I haven't been looking after myself very well and self-care has been neglected. It can be for no obvious reason at all. On these weeks I employ all the tactics I know to try and...

27 Feb

Posted at 19:24h in Mental health
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We met at 12:30 in my favourite cafe. The over-enthusiastic waiter delivered two plates of mushrooms on toast to our table, walking away with the tray spinning on his finger like a basket ball. I poured the tea. She told me about her recent trip to India to see her Uncle and her family weekend in Scotland. I filled her in on our few days in Anglesey. We talked about our work, what we were excited about and how we managed the boring but necessary tasks. I started to talk about what I wanted to do next, ideas tumbling out one after...

20 Feb

Posted at 10:41h in Mental health
6 Likes

Do you feel restless? Are you waiting for the next thing; the next job, or weekend, or night of unbroken sleep? Is your heart drumming it's fingers on the desk? Are you impatient? And how's your soul? Are you at peace? Do you know contentment? Can you experience quiet and rest? This weekend I spent time with my sister and my Mum. These two wonderful women are both very active people. They are energised by being do-ers. They do stuff. They get stuff done. And in the action of fulfilling these tasks they find satisfaction. For them it seems this active, busy life is life-bringing. In years gone by after some time...

11 Feb

Posted at 17:16h in Mental health
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I have never before selected a 'word for the year'. A word to orient my year around. But then a few weeks ago, I absent-mindedly scrolling through Instagram when a word chose me. I was not expecting it. I didn't go looking for it. This is my word: RESIST. And I believe learning to RESIST will be a big part of my year. I started January with gusto, and for one week after the kids went back to school I was proactive and purposeful. But then as quickly as my new-start-enthusiasm arrived, the bleakness of the month overtook me. It didn't even have the decency to announce itself, or creep up...

06 Feb

Posted at 11:03h in Mental health
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Today I am delighted to welcome Tim Grayburn to the blog. Tim Grayburn is a former advertising executive turned performance artist, actor and writer. He co-wrote and performed in his debut theatre show “Fake it til You Make it’ which focused on his own experience of depression. It went on to win ‘Best Theatre’ award at Perth & Adelaide 2015 Fringe festivals. The tour continued with further success in a sold out 4 week run during the Edinburgh 2015 Fringe winning the Herald Angel ‘Best Theatre’ award. He is the author of – ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ an autobiographical tale and exploration...

30 Jan

Posted at 10:43h in Mental health
9 Likes

Hi, I think it might be time to take stock. To think about the things that are tricky. The things you want to ignore and brush under the carpet. I say this because, as you well know, acknowledgement is the first step. You have to see it before you can do anything about it. And the truth is: You are not okay right now, and that is okay. Honestly, it is. You feel low. And that's okay. You don't have to be great all the time. You are allowed to have a bad week, or month. It doesnt necessarily mean another crash is on the way. (In fact this...

23 Jan

Posted at 11:10h in Mental health
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This week my friend Hannah has generously agreed to share some of her story on the blog. Hannah is in her 30s is married and has two children. She runs her own social media marketing business, you can find her at http://littleshout.org  She also suffers from ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am sure you will find her words both helpful and hope-filled. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME as some people call it, is an odd condition that not many medical people seem to know much about. At the moment, I’m in a good phase of health. While to some my life seems pretty restricted (I need to use...

09 Jan

Posted at 11:35h in Mental health
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To start, some truth: January can be hard. And if you are finding it hard, that does not make you weak. Because it can be hard. I feel this is worth repeating, let me make sure you know before you read any further: it is okay to be finding it hard. You are okay. So, Christmas is over, the decorations have been taken down and any post-holidays fog of wine and chocolate has lifted and been replaced by the stark reality that we are in a new year. 2018 is here. Everywhere there are adverts inviting me to become a 'new me' in this new year....