Disclaimer: I bought both of these books myself, I have not been paid to promote or recommend them, hugs x
Hi Honeys,
Hello and welcome to day seventeen of Blogtober. Over half way through already, can you believe it? I've been enjoying the challenge of posting each day, it's a lot of work but I've needed something to get me writing again.💖
Today's post is a little more personal honeys, so I hope you'll bear with me x
2020 Lock-downs and a hope for a more understanding world
I truly do hope that 2020 will be remembered as the year that many people were given a glimpse into how others live. Yes, we all stayed home during lock-down but there is such a difference between not being allowed to go outside during lock-down and not being able to go outside because of anxiety issues (such as panic attacks for instance or health/mobility problems.) Wouldn't it be wonderful if the lock-downs led to a greater understanding of how loneliness and isolation affect those confined to their homes constantly?
Speaking personally
A little personal information honeys. I lived with panic attacks for a long time and wouldn't wish them on the worst, most evil person in the entire world, ever. I was going to (try) to describe how they affected me, how I managed to learn the coping skills that (eventually) allowed me to (mostly) be able to get through the sheet of toughened glass someone installed across our front door. The one that let everybody come and go except me, but maybe that's a post for another day.
Is it still difficult to be outside at times? Absolutely! The world moves so quickly, it can be busy and noisy and overwhelming and maybe it will always be a challenge. It's a huge part of the reason my job was so important to me.
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I lost my job earlier this year because the osteoarthritis in my spine has worsened and this has affected my mobility. I've been finding that very difficult to deal with, so for now, I choose not to. I choose instead to focus on what I can do, what I can cope with today. I'll deal with tomorrow when it gets here.💗
There is an excellent page on MIND's website (more about them later) that covers panic attacks, you can find here, it says more than I can and says it far better.
The masks we wear
I've often wondered how many of us wear masks honeys? Not the cloth ones that keep trying to suffocate me (asthma, I know, I can't cut a break, can I 😊) I know that I certainly do. A dear work friend once confided in me, a few years ago, that her treasured niece was "really ill." It scared the pants off me (her niece is an angel, a truly lovely girl, inside and out and lives to help others) until she whispered to me that she had been diagnosed as bipolar. Her niece had been referred to another Doctor and she (and her Mum, also at the appointment) had been given a leaflet.
The look on her face when I said "is that all? she'll be fine!"and then explained how I'd been battling depression for almost twenty years (probably longer now that I look back over my life.) I also explained my best friend is bipolar and it doesn't stop her working, caring for her Mum, working her socks off at her Church and for her favourite charity. It also doesn't stop her from being the same, sweet, kind, funny, wonderful girl I met in college and who has been my best friend for nearly thirty years.
So much anxiety and upset could have been avoided for my lovely work friend and her sisters family, including her darling niece, if that doctor had taken a few minutes to reassure them, to tell them that bipolar is usually considered to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and only needs the right meds and support to manage it.
If only there was more awareness and less fear. Of course it's natural to fear a loss of control, and, thanks to horror movies and sensationalism in the media, there are so many horrible images indelibly stamped onto most peoples imaginations, that when they hear the words "mental illness" the first emotion to surface is often fear.
My dear work friend made me smile when she told me she couldn't imagine me being depressed at all because I smiled all the time.💖
We're not alone
There are so many wonderful organisations (MIND is among them) who work tirelessly to remove the stigma attached to mental illness and to raise awareness, to offer support and advice and to do what is most important, just to be there. To listen.
There will always be those who see the world in terms of "them" and "us" but imagine a world where the stigma of "being different" was removed. Where fear was replaced by understanding and compassion. How wonderful would that be?
We are, all of us, a collection of our life experiences honeys. Every experience, good or bad, leaves it's mark and helps make us who we are. Imagine a world where everyone is valued. Where nobody feels excluded or left behind or forgotten.
In these times of social media where everyone is connected it's so easy to feel as if you're completely alone, but we're not alone dear ones, no matter how hard our own brain tries to convince us that we are. Sometimes all we have to do is reach out, tell a friend, tell our doctor, tell a loved one that we need help or just that we need somebody to listen. We're not alone.
There is a wonderful ad running right now, made by the cosmetics company Maybelline, as part of their Brave Together campaign, that sums this up fabulously. I'm not ashamed to say it actually made me cry the first time I saw it. At the time of writing this, it can be watched here on the Loreal site. Please take a minute to watch it honeys? Thank you x
We all of us bring something to the world that nobody else can. We bring ourselves. We bring our uniqueness, our laugh, our smiles, our tears and our experiences. Everybody has value, everybody matters. x
What's an insomniac to do at 3am?
What are your thoughts, honeys, on the theory that you find things when you most need them?
I'm not a great sleeper. Sorry honeys, I actually just laughed out loud when I typed that last sentence. 😊 There are no words for how much of an understatement that is.😊 "Why don't you sleep Rosie? " I hear you say? Sometimes arthritis pain, sometimes I wake up and can't get back to sleep again, maybe I've just gotten out of the habit.😊
Well, anyway, any fellow insomniacs will understand the difficulties of filling those night-time hours when the rest of the house (Hubby and our furbaby Jade) are happily sleeping. One of my favourite ways to pass the time, other than watching a DVD (chances are my eyes will get tired and I'll nod off again) is to colour. Yep, just me, a colouring book, my baggie of pencils and I'm a happy wee Rosie💖
I found two books, published in aid of MIND, that not only let me indulge in my colouring but also have guided pages that suggested topics to write about, ask questions, have the prettiest pages full of quotes and even have pages with detailed instructions on different stretches to relax. So many activities and all of them presented in such a beautiful format too.
I adore the quotes and I keep thinking so many of them would look gorgeous framed and hanging around our home.💖
I wonder if the publishers have considered selling little prints of them or as a set of postcards even. I would happily buy a set and frame them.💗
MIND
MIND is a charity who, for over sixty years, have supported, advised and spoke up for those facing mental health challenges. They have a network of around 125 local community branches scattered across England and Wales. Royalties from the sale of these two books are to be donated to MIND to help them carry on their work. If you'd like to find out more about MIND I'll leave their link below honeys.
Links:
MIND: You can find the homepage here. and their page listing local branches across England and Wales can be found here.
Man Up: This is a charity who seek to take away the stigma felt by men who face mental health problems. Find them here.
The "Aye Feel" campaign by Young Scot is a wonderful site of information designed for younger Scots and can be found here.
MindWise: MindWise have been campaigning in Northern Ireland on mental health issues for over 50 years, you can find them here.
Mental Health Ireland: Mental Health Ireland was founded in 1966 and aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for all individuals and communities in Ireland. You can find them here.
Maybelline: The cosmetics company are running the Brave Together campaign which encourages us all to "raise a hand" You can find the home page for the campaign here honeys and there is a beautiful ad at the L'Oreal page here.
This has turned into a longer post than I thought it would be honeys, sorry about that. I hope you've had the best weekend and that you're looking forward to a fabulous week ahead. x
Thank you for keeping me company today honeys, till tomorrow, hugs always xx
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