Tips for Mental Health

Today I am working on putting together a workshop on “Building an Emotional Well-Being First Aid Kit”.
As I was researching and putting together notes, I came across an article (I think it was a Reddit one but don’t quote me on that) listing tips submitted by their contributors on tips for mental health.
I have taken many of these tips and added my own insights to them. Many of these got me through the bad times of my depression and anxiety. Today, I still utilise many of them on a daily basis. (You know… because depression never really goes away).

Research project assistance required

I’m not sure if I’ve ever told you all that I am studying life coaching. I am studying through an accredited training organisation and working toward my diploma.
At the end of it all, I will have qualifications in life, business, executive and wellness coaching along with my NLP Practitioner’s certification.
I am LOVING it.
Of course, with having to go back to work (we need to eat and pay bills unfortunately) it’s going to be a little bit more pressure to get everything done.

Depression: Overheard this week

Although organisations such as The Black Dog Institute and Beyond Blue conduct extensive advertising programs, there is still so much ignorance out there in relation to depression and anxiety.
(I have grouped anxiety with depression because many of those who suffer depression also suffer from anxiety).
Having suffered depression for a number of years, and talking openly about it with others, it still baffles me the ignorance of people in society at large about these illnesses. Because they are illnesses. They are not a figment of our imaginations or ‘works of the devil’. There are many causes for both.
Not everything has a rational explanation (although there are many in society who would like to have something to blame).
Depression and anxiety are real to those who suffer them.

Following are some real life quotes taken from actual conversations that I have had with others and from the comments sections within newspaper articles on social media. The comments come from a cross section of those who suffer from anxiety and depression and those who have no idea what it is like.

Walking on Trampolines

Back in 2013 I posted a review on a book that I had read entitled “Walking on Trampolines”. At the time, I didn’t realise that it had only been published within Australia so if any of my followers who might have been interested in reading it were overseas, they wouldn’t have been able to find it.
Now it appears, that it has hit the shelves in the U.S. and Canada and Frances Whiting (the author) is a little beside herself with excitement. Remember my rant about a particular author? Well it wasn’t Frances (who I also follow on Facebook). Frances is witty, funny and real. I have read all of her books and I laugh quite often at her weekly newspaper column filled as it is with the witty observations of a wife, mother and dog owner living life in this mad world of ours.

Through my Lens – Life

Life has a habit of catching us off-guard when we least expect it. How we react to circumstances can also sometimes catch us off-guard.
And that is how my week began last Monday.
Suffice to say, the issues that arose were not with me. However I have not escaped unscathed as I have fought all week with the black dog as a result.
However, I am a fighter and I am strong. The dog will not drag me along after him whilst I hang gamely onto its leash in my attempts to reign him in.

I hate not being able to fix things

This morning I had to tell the Garden Gnome that I had received an email.
It was from a place he had jumped through hoops to gain employment with. He had turned up for an interview and been left standing at the main gate because there was a situation that needed dealing with and they had forgotten he was coming. They called and apologised and asked him to complete an application containing pages and pages of information about himself including everything relating to past medical issues.
It asked whether he had ever been treated for mental health issues.
He was honest.
We will never know for sure but we believe that this is what cost him the job.

Shut down, turn off

LRB (or Little River Band) sang these lyrics in the 70’s:

I wanna recharge my batteries
Leave me alone for awhile
We’ll set off again in the morning
On a wing and a prayer and a smile

Shut down, turn off until the morning light
Slow down, splash down, time to end the flight
Make way dream time, here comes another night

I’m pretty sure that these lyrics indicate that the singer wants to ‘shut down for the night’ and forget about what has happened through the day before tackling the following day with a ‘wing and a prayer and a smile’.
Makes sense to me and sounds like great advice. You know the whole ‘shutting down and turning off thing’ is something we could all benefit from.
And it’s a pretty cool song as well.

An open letter to those suffering from the loss of a loved one

Yesterday evening as I was cooking dinner, I had my iPad charging on the bench alongside my workspace. Whilst waiting for the vegetables to finish cooking, I flicked onto FB where I found a post from the Breakfast Team at my favourite radio station with  the shocking news that the husband of one of the announcers had committed suicide. Also mentioned was that he had been suffering depression for some time.