support

From the time spent with Arthur, our rescue Lurcher, I know only too well the joy and benefits that owning a dog can have. Our guest, Will, here shares some of the benefits having a four-legged friend can have with regard to our mental health which is based upon his excellent 12-part article written for Dog Owner.

Mental health issues can affect anyone – it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do for a living. It can be hard to talk about our mental health with those closest to us, and the fear of being judged or labelled as something we are not (lazy, entitled, high strung) is often enough to deter us from fully sharing the way we feel. However, many of us have our dogs, or the option to visit one.

They offer the love, a listening ear when we need it and can benefit a myriad of mental health issues.

[Read more…]

Our guest, Gemma Luton shares her thoughts and considerations with regard to embarking upon a relationship if you, or your potential partner, lives with a mental health issue or illness. [Read more…]

Resident guest author, Tim, gives his unique perspective on our differences, commonality and the importance of community.

Sometimes I need to be part of a community of folk just like me.

Only, since I am unique, and so is he, so is she, so are you, and so, most assuredly, is my M2F transgender cousin, and my other cousin who is camp as a row of tents and a nasty homophobic bigot, I have no idea what you and I have in common. And do I have anything in common with that list of folk? [Read more…]

We ask ‘What is Bipolar Disorder?’ Our guest author, a writer and blogger from the UK explains.

My History and a Little History

Whilst in my early twenties, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder, a psychiatric mood disorder. Females like myself, generally begin presenting with symptoms in their early twenties, whilst males a little earlier, usually during late adolescence. However, though I may have presented with symptoms of mania in my twenties, I had been dealing with severe depression since I was fourteen years old. [Read more…]

Whether to say anything at all, and if so, ‘What, how and when?’, are common thoughts. [Read more…]

You look after others but who looks after you? I have written earlier in the series about carers and the need for them to be their best, so they can give their best. This blog is for providers of other professional services, and for whom neglecting to keep their emotional stability in check may ultimately affect their own wellbeing!

Let’s target some service providers, in no particular order, as they say: [Read more…]

Congratulations! How proud are you? Your wonderful offspring are about to start college or uni; or recommence term and you could not be more pleased. All those years of cajoling them to do their homework and gain great grades have finally paid off!

So, that’s ‘you’ as parents sorted then! How are the kids – the students feeling? [Read more…]

Are you ready for the fight? Who are your supporters? Who’s in your corner when you have a fight on your hands?

With the boxing metaphor, your ‘seconds’ are those in your corner who have your interests, success, and welfare in mind. They are there to help you prepare for a future fight, they are there during a fight and are there after the fight. [Read more…]

Many engage and embrace the challenges of life, work, and play each and every day. We may bemoan our lot at times (that’s only natural) but we get on with it and do what needs to be done.

This works well and it is only when we are challenged beyond ‘normal’ limits that we are pushed further. Our minds and bodies are resilient however and we may sustain the level of effort required for significant periods, years even. This is however, not to be confused with coping as we understand it.

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Do you ask for help? It’s all very well asking for help, but then I’m admitting:

• Others can cope
• Others are smarter
• I’ve failed
• I’m less than

Really? And what if any of the above was true? Might any of those statements be permanent? [Read more…]