Whilst you might be in a good place with your mental health or at least the support you have around you, others may not be. How do you choose to ignore something if you don’t know whether or not it’s real? Challenge him. He might not be worth it, but the people having to listen to his bullshit might be.
Have yourself a merry crafty Christmas
I've been very lucky to work with mental health charity, Mind, over the last few months and without doubt, one of the nicest projects I've picked up is Crafternoon. Mind's Crafternoon is a fundraising event whereby supporters sign up as 'hosts' and hold a Crafternoon with friends / colleagues / neighbours who all get together … Continue reading Have yourself a merry crafty Christmas
How should we talk about mental health in schools – Metro
Given I'm not the expert on this, I spoke to a couple of brilliant people who know what they are talking about for my latest Metro piece. Natasha Devon, MBE - an incredibly proactive mental health campaigner who writes for the Times Educational Supplement, and Claire Kelly, a director from the Mindfulness in Schools project. … Continue reading How should we talk about mental health in schools – Metro
5 ways I’m going to use mindfulness to improve my Christmas
This is my latest Metro UK piece - and very apt given how absolutely worn out I am right now after a challenging week! So I was pleasantly reminded of this advice that I wrote a few weeks back for Metro's Christmas lifestyle blogs. It involves wintry walks, mindful eating and the obligatory scented candle. … Continue reading 5 ways I’m going to use mindfulness to improve my Christmas
People are leaving hospital too soon – but is it acute inpatient care that they need?
I just wanted to share a link to a comment piece by the lovely Rachael Byrne, executive director of new models of care at Home Group. It's in response to the stats released by Mind last week about the numbers of people who feel they are leaving mental health hospital too soon. Rachael asks if … Continue reading People are leaving hospital too soon – but is it acute inpatient care that they need?
A series of unfortunate stereotypes – the book!
Hello lovely people! So I'm massively excited today to share my new book cover and links to pre order A series of unfortunate stereotypes - Naming and Shaming Mental Health Stigmas. Of course I don't name and shame people (just Piers Morgan and Katie Hopkins - but they don't count) but I do discuss the … Continue reading A series of unfortunate stereotypes – the book!
Anxiety relapse, google and catastrophe
Just wanted to share two recent pieces that I have written on anxiety for Metro UK. Have a read, share and do leave comments. Hope they're of use. When you have anxiety, it can be very easy to catastrophise every situation How an anxiety relapse makes you feel and what you can do about it
It’s behind you!
As part of my therapy, my counsellor asked me to write a metaphorical story about me, as a child, and my struggles. So this is a little story about anxiety and the upbeat parts of my personality that I wouldn't give away - the excitable parts. Would I swap my excitability if it would take … Continue reading It’s behind you!
Book Review: If They Could See Me Now Author: Denise Welch
I read this within 24 hours. As the first sentence in a review of a 350+ page book, that says quite a lot. I barely put it down - in fact, I think my copy will have my breakfast crumbs firmly embedded in the pages now... This is Denise's first novel - and I admit … Continue reading Book Review: If They Could See Me Now Author: Denise Welch
Stop using mental health as bait
We all love to boo a pantomime baddie, but that's usually because they're stealing a magic lamp or weaving destructive magic spells. We know it's all made up and we know they'll get their comeuppance. But yet again, Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan are enjoying the boos and hisses by taking their pantomime into real … Continue reading Stop using mental health as bait