Time to Talk for Time to Change Today is Time to Talk day. Once again the Time to Change campaign is encouraging people to take some time to break the silence that so often surrounds mental health problems and have a conversation with friends, family or colleagues. Or, in this case, the internet. #Take5toBlog So…
Tag: Anxiety
How Headspace helps (or why Giles Coren is wrong)
Techno smegma? Giles Coren just called mindfulness ‘cynical, capitalist, techno smegma’ in Time Out. Now while I know it’s not only Katie Hopkins who is paid to spout controversial and potentially damaging opinions and these things are usually best ignored, I still wanted to write something in reply. Since my Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy course in…
Overcoming barriers to accessing therapy – a post for the RSCPP
RSCPP connects people with local registered therapists. It also contains articles and resources about issues you might face and the types of therapy available. Of course, these are private therapists. And therapy isn’t cheap (although if you get the right help, it can be immensely valuable). Much of the work I have done in the past…
Five good things a day for World Mental Health Day and beyond..
Happy World Mental Health Day everyone! Looking after your mental health If you don’t have a diagnosed mental health issue then you’d be forgiven for thinking that World Mental Health day isn’t for you. But we all have mental health in the same way we all have physical health – and that mental health needs…
Social media, mental health and mindfulness
Exploring the potential damage that social media can cause; promoting unrealistic representations of daily life and encouraging us all to make unhealthy comparisons with our internal experience. It was only a few years ago that the idea that Facebook and other social networking sites could diminish happiness or affect wellbeing was still a relatively new…
What dogs can teach us about wellbeing and mindfulness
How my dog helps me remember to be mindful through acceptance, curiosity, living in the moment and pure joy. Be more dog? O2’s recently launched ‘Be more dog‘ campaign got me thinking. Their emphasis is on finding excitement and joie de vivre in a world too bored and their aim is to sell their services….
Managing depression and anxiety in relationships; early days and long term.
Tips and suggestions for managing depression and anxiety within relationships. A version of this article was published in the Summer 2013 edition of ONEinFOUR magazine. Managing mental health when meeting someone new; the early days of uncertainty and strong emotions. Four years ago I was pretty happy. I felt I was finally managing to keep all life’s…
Understanding mental trickery – notes from depression island…
The three tricks that a depressed mind can play on you – and how to overcome them. An ongoing balancing act I would describe managing depression as an ongoing balancing act. A lot of that is knowing and understanding how my thought processes work and what influences my mood. Alas, the mind is a tricksey…
Christmas, comparisons, media and mental health – thoughts on having a more realistic Christmas this year.
Internal comparisons Do you have an internal picture in your mind of how your life ‘should’ be? When you are feeling low, do you ever find yourself judging your experience as ‘not right’ and comparing it to how you feel you ‘should’ be feeling or what ‘should’ be happening? By this I mean thinking thoughts…
Finding a breathing space – eight weeks of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Over the past month I have been working on a series of posts for Mind about my experience of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). My own original post about Mindfulness – ‘Keeping the beast asleep’ is by far my most popular – and Mind are interested in how users of their services can develop resilience…
Writing my mind – some thoughts about the benefits and impacts of public and private journalling
Childhood diaries I’ve always used writing to know and to guide my mind in one way or another. Usually, this has taken the form of a diary or journal. In thinking about the part that writing has played in managing my mind, I had an interesting evening going through my old diaries and notebooks. The…
Mind the gap – GPs, antidepressants and mental health support for young people.
“I’m not going to give you another prescription” “What… but I need it.. (panics)” “Don’t worry, I was just testing to see if you really did still need them..and I think you do” GP in Fenham, Newcastle “Just take them when you feel you need to” – to me aged 17. GP in Cumbria “So,…