With lockdown restrictions easing, it feels good to be getting back to life. Back to living rather than existing.
Seeing friends and family again, planning adventures, visiting the hair salon, all things once taken for granted, now more appreciated than ever before.
I’m off on a week of annual leave. My plans include catching up with friends and family, a visit to Conwy Castle and celebration of my 35th birthday.
It is time to make plans for the future as well. I’ve just signed up to a level 2 Counselling course.
I use counselling skills everyday at work, but haven’t got any qualifications in counselling, so I thought it was time I rectified this.
Robin Williams, the Actor & Comedian recently committed suicide after suffering from severe depression undiagnosed Dementia with Lewy bodies (see Blog Correction: Robin Williams’ Cause of Death). Like people around the world, I was shocked and saddened by the news.
Here’s a brilliant Tribute video to Robin Williams; that’s just 1 minute long:
1 in 4 people will suffer from poor mental health at a least one point in their lives. And it is said that poor mental health runs in families. When I’ve talking about poor mental health, I’m thinking about the following conditions: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bipolar, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders and suicidal thoughts.
I have suffered from poor mental health in the past. Looking at my close circle of family and friends, I know that most of them have as well. Yes to varying degrees of severity, but their poor mental health has effected their life. So I think the 1 in 4 statistic must be at best conservative. Yet there’s still a stigma attached to mental health, which seems to make it a taboo topic of conversation.
It’s time that things changed. We should talk about mental health. We should know how to look after our own mental health and how to best support our loved ones that are experiencing poor mental health. Too many people die because of their poor mental health. Robin Williams was one of these too many people.
If you are experiencing an episode of poor mental health, two useful websites are: Mind and SANE. If you are feeling suicidal please visit your nearest A&E Department for crisis support, before putting your thoughts into action.
Take care,
Antony
Edited: Monday 5th February 2024 at 07:00.
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Saturday 16 August 2014
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Antony Simpson - Author, Blogger, Nurse & Witch.
Author of eight books.
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