31 Oct

Posted at 17:06h in Mental health
0 Likes

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A few weeks ago I wrote a letter to my strong, exhausted friend. (You can read it here.) At so many points in my life I have been the person who needed to read that letter, and often still am. But I am re-learning how to live and a large part of this has involved re-discovering how to rest. I know rest is important, and yet I don't make it a priority. It gets squeezed out. I find myself exhausted, falling into bed either to sleep fitfully or to lie awake aware of all I still need to do but haven't managed to...

17 Oct

Posted at 17:25h in Mental health
5 Likes

Hi, my name is Elli and I'm a people pleaser. A recovering people pleaser. I want to make other people happy. Which always seemed like a good goal to have. But this well-intentioned aim got me into hot water. Back then. About ten years ago life was tiring. My girls were tiny and I was pregnant with my son. I had lots of friends and a brilliant husband who was very busy with work. I ran a small group in church which was made up of lots of fantastic women who were also in the same life stage as me. We were all tired all the time. We were always making...

04 Oct

Posted at 14:19h in Mental health
0 Likes

Not all the causes of anxiety can be rectified quickly or easily. I have found through personal (and often painful) experience, there are certain mindsets and patterns of behaviour that take months, or even years, to unpick. That may not sound very encouraging, especially if you are battling anxiety right now, in this moment. But fear not, there are some things you can do to lessen your anxiety here and now in the middle of your busy day, or stressful season. These are some practices that have worked for me: Breathing Slow. I know I often write about the importance of slowing your...

11 Sep

Posted at 17:44h in Mental health
0 Likes

Eight years ago I entered the cafe and waved to the woman I had arranged to meet. She was barely more than an acquaintance but I knew she had some experience of counselling people dealing with grief. I was hopeful she would be able to give me some wisdom about how to help my friend who was suffering. I grabbed my coffee and pushed aside the feeling of frustration that this was how I was going to be using my short amount of kid-free time. It had seemed like the right thing to do last week when I had made the arrangement. The...

08 Aug

Posted at 17:55h in Mental health
0 Likes

Yesterday as I was chopping a pepper for tea, I cut my finger. A small but deep incision in the tip of the third finger on my left hand. I put a plaster over it but it wouldn't stop bleeding. I tried to continue with the food prep but was soon stopped by the throbbing and the blood seeping out either side of the bandage. Thankfully I had someone who could take over, and a friend nearby with the know-how to re-bandage my cut. Beth took off my hastily applied band-aid and searched through the three half-empty first-aid kits in the drawer. She took...

26 Jun

Posted at 15:47h in Mental health
0 Likes

Being too busy is, for me, often the first step on the path to deteriorating mental health. I have made many changes to build a life where I am mentally healthy. One of the most important disciplines I have started to build is the practice of less. Less I always associated the idea of less with things being worse: less money, less time, less opportunity. This is not surprising, the world continually tells us we need more. We are shown and told in every media outlet how to get more: 8 ways to get more out of your day, 5 days to maximise productivity,...

23 May

Posted at 21:42h in Family
0 Likes

This isn't really a new blog post. It started as a letter to those who have subscribed to this blog, who I email most weeks. But after writing it and sending it to them I thought I would share it here too. It has been such a strange day. A day of conflicting emotions. A day where our nation has poured out sorrow and grief and anger...

31 Mar

Posted at 14:57h in Mental health
11 Likes

Anxiety is a beast and it has no manners. It never waited for me to get dressed or have my breakfast before it pounced. It sat on the end of my bed waiting for me to open my eyes, dictating to me how the day would start. As I lay in bed, adrenalin surged and I was instantly catapulted from peaceful sleep straight to panic-central. I awoke, heart-racing in terror. Before I had even begun, the day had slid out of control. This was my reality for a number of years. This fight defined most mornings. I was slowly changing my life from the inside out. I was putting in...