16 Mar

Posted at 11:49h in Mental health
0 Likes

I Do Not Have To Be Busy. I used to think I should be busy. That a full life, a diary packed with activity, was the best way to be. In my twenties I hadn’t given any thought to my capacity. I didn’t think I was trying to do too much, I was only doing what I thought was necessary to make a life of meaning. I didn’t say no. Ever. As a freelance director if someone offered me a job, I took it. If I was asked to help out at church, I said yes. If someone needed me to step in, to...

11 Feb

Posted at 15:35h in Faith, Mental health
1 Like

I want to tell you about the most dangerous question. And when I say dangerous I mean; difficult, contested, threatened but ultimately life-giving question. It is a question I have been asking myself for the past couple of years on a regular basis. I am ill-equipped to answer it. The question: What do you want? Or, as I ask myself, What do I want? This question shouldn't be hard. I know for lots of people it isn't. Most (not all admittedly, but most) men dont seem to struggle with this question. And I have numerous female friends who don't have to pause for a second before clearly...

21 Oct

Posted at 17:29h in Mental health
1 Like

2020 has been hard. This is news to exactly no one. We are worn out and anxious and living in a state of constant uncertainty. I don't have solutions to the big problems we are facing right now; I don't have a cure for Covid, or financial solutions to the crisis' faced by many businesses. I can't change the world, but I am realising there are ways I can help myself. 2020 has eroded our personal sense of wellbeing. Our mental health has been impacted. The consequences of home-working, lack of personal space and limits on our freedoms have left us feeling unfulfilled, despondent...

03 Mar

Posted at 12:04h in Mental health
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Journalling can be helpful. Newsflash. I know, I am about 100 years behind the curve. For a long time journalling was one of the things I should be doing, along with a daily quiet time, reading the Bible in a year (every year), making dinner from scratch every night, regular exercise and cutting out carbs. Somehow writing to process how I felt had made it into the 'duty' category and as such, when I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2009 along with lots of other shoulds, oughts and musts, I gave up the desire of being someone who...

25 Nov

Posted at 11:57h in Mental health
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It is possible to live most of your life asleep to the things that really matter. Modern life - life as we know it - works to prevent us from thinking deeply about anything.  The pace, the activity, the busyness, the screens, the hustle, the consuming and our ever-expanding expectations conspire to shrink our attention span and distract us from spending any time pondering the important stuff. We are numbed from the big questions: why are we here? who are we? what does it all matter anyway ? And if it is not the speed of life that prevents us, we can find ourselves actively...

16 Nov

Posted at 18:40h in Mental health
0 Likes

I love Christmas. I love the food and being together. I love decorating the house and buying gifts. I love the opportunity to celebrate. But. There is a but. All the expectations around what Christmas could or should be can make me anxious. Until a few years ago as December approached I would find myself starting to worry. Would everyone have a good time? Had I remembered everyone's presents? Did the house look festive enough? Pressure and stress built up as the list of non-negotiable (as I saw it at the time) events filled my diary. I would panic about the most bizarre things: would...

05 Oct

Posted at 17:22h in Mental health
4 Likes

Some things in this post may be triggering. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts please reach out to someone. If you don't know where to turn the Samaritans are a great place to start. This linkwill take you to a page where you will find various ways you can get in touch with them. Tuesday was World Suicide Prevention Day. All over social media and on the television and radio people were sharing stories, encouraging people to ask for help, and attempting to remove the stigma from losing a loved one to suicide, or being someone who deals with suicidal thoughts. I...

23 Jul

Posted at 12:44h in Mental health
3 Likes

A few weeks ago at one of my 'Talking About Anxiety' events, a woman asked a question. This question gets asked in one form or another at every event I run. We were talking about negative mindsets and how they affect our mental health. About how we need to learn to accept the truth that we are enough despite our (lack of) achievements or our (low) popularity or our (too large) dress size, despite our (lack of) wealth or our (poor) health or the (bad) behaviour of our children. Mostly (although not always) these days I manage to speak to my inner...

08 Jul

Posted at 12:53h in Mental health
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Travelling can make me anxious. New places, new food, new routines can all trip me into an anxious state, increasing my heart rate and temperature, distracting me and leaving me unable to relax. I have found this very frustrating. The time of the year when I am most looking to unwinding, often ends up being the very time I battle to retain my peace. But this year we went to Portugal for 12 days. And I was not anxious. I was a bit nervous about going: the flight, the drive to the hotel, what the accommodation would be like. But none of these...

16 May

Posted at 12:27h in Mental health
0 Likes

I had grand plans for how the video for this guided meditation would come together, but in the end it seemed appropriate to film it in my back garden on Tuesday after the school run. I didn't change my clothes or put on any more make-up. I simply filmed it with my phone and a little help from my 14 year old. It is about accepting my here-and-now body. Not waiting until I have lost weight or am wearing my best, most flattering clothes. Making and editing this video has been therapeutic. Aren't our bodies incredible? Hope you enjoy this video. https://vimeo.com/336531337...