Aspire for Mental Health

World kindness day! ❤️

Everybody is going through difficult times, now more than ever. The impact of the pandemic is huge and varied - we have all experienced it differently but we have all experienced it and it has impacted our lives in a variety of ways!

If we could all be kind to each other wouldn’t that be wonderful, however, kindness starts with you! Be kind to and have compassion for yourself, and the rest will follow! ❤️

Six things your friend with depression wants you to know…

“Learning to treat yourself with love and respect is the highest gift you can give yourself. Surely you deserve your own love and kindness?”

How to take better care of Yourself Most of us don't know how to take better care of ourselves. As a child, we may not have been taught the importance of self care. Therefore, as an adult, we may have far more compassion and patience for strangers, our friends and our loved ones, than we do for our own self. We compliment

It all starts and ends with you, be kind and compassionate to yourself always! ❤️

Time to change your attitude? 🤔

I absolutely love this! ❤️

What can you do to support a friend or family member on a bad day?

A really good post from Lisa at Amazing Coaching ❤️

Do you know who you REALLY are? Who are you really? Do you know who you really are - Your true authentic self? When you were born When you came into this world, you knew your power. You knew that you were good enough, worthy, loveable and so much more. You also knew that if you wanted to bring something into your experience, you

Investing in yourself and your self healing journey is the best investment you will ever make! 🙌🏻❤️

It’s ok not to be ok - everybody - men and women! And it’s good to talk!

These are not my words, but I have come across them and feel more people should read them! At a time where we are remembering Caroline Flack, a year on, but also accusing Megan Markle of lying, attention seeking and bringing it on herself, I feel compelled to share:

“I didn't know much about Caroline Flack when she was alive. I am not much of a TV watcher. But I do know a few things about mental health, and because I too have stood up on that ledge, I wanted to say them.

Su***de is not the easy way out. It's not cowardly. It's not a crime that you can "commit". It's a cause of death. It's the weapon used by depression to murder you. It's the final, exhausted defeat of someone who has fought their own mind each day. It is the tragedy of a human life that believes that others would be better off without it.

It's well-meaning to tell people to reach out. It's nice to say that you are always listening. It's a lovely gesture to say that your door is always open and your kettle can be on in thirty seconds. These things come from a good place, I know that.

What I need you to understand is that a seriously depressed person has already convinced themselves that they are a burden: not just to you, but to the world.
They think that you are busy (you are!)
They think that you have enough on your plate.
They think you just tolerate them, rather than actually like or welcome them.
They probably aren't going to reach out. So that's on you. On us. You have to do the reaching out. You go and make them a brew at their house. You offer to take them to Aldi. You ask them to meet you for lunch. Just...show that you have that person in your mind - you wouldn't believe how much it helps.

The last time I was seriously low, it was so easy to become utterly convinced that I had been forgotten because I wasn't going out or being seen or reminding people that I existed. To get a text, even, or to be tagged in a stupid meme, was a reminder that someone had thought of me. No, it didn't fix my depression. But it did help me tread water just that little bit longer.

The tabloid press are gutter sewage, for many reasons, but well-meaning folk wanting the government to step in are missing the point, I feel.

First, if you trust this government (any government) to regulate the press without using that power for its own ends, you're being either brave or naive.
That said, don't get me started on the media asking WHY DID THE CPS PROSECUTE HER. These things are driven by evidence, as they should be. I hope if you ever need to report a violent or violating crime, they act based on the evidence and not on whether the media will like it.

Second, these "journalists" are driven by the market. If there wasn't demand for trashy stories about our fellow humans, for schadenfreude, for the sense of superiority we get from seeing a "famous" person struggle, then it wouldn't be published.
Let's look at ourselves too.

And in a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind; be more kind, my friends. Try to be more kind.”

I am really pleased to see BBC EastEnders show, what I hope to be, an authentic storyline with somebody who is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

It’s so sad to still see so many portrayals of schizophrenia as dangerous, when in most cases the person at most ‘danger’ is the person with schizophrenia themselves.

EastEnders have already touched on a couple of stereotypes/myths including this one about it being dangerous with Lola asking the question and also the myth about it being a split personality disorder as Isaac brings this up a couple of times mocking his friend who believed that is what it is (as do many people including myself until I completed the MHFA course a couple of years ago).

There is still so much awful stigma and discrimination around Schizophrenia so it is great that they are raising much needed awareness. I hope so much that the storyline continues in a positive light and shows how a diagnosis of schizophrenia does not have to define your life and you can still have a very meaningful and enjoyable life if you can manage it well and there is lots of help and support available to do this.

Mental health is a part of us all and mental illnesses do not have to destroy our lives - self help and understanding our own mind and body along with the right help and support can be the ‘magic cure’ you are looking for!

Recovery means different things to different people but it is always possible!

We must always have hope!

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/schizophrenia/about-schizophrenia/

🤩 Happy Friday! 🤩

Be kind and stay kind!

This includes being kind to yourself! ❤️

A little reminder for us all, including myself...

❤️🌈

Be kind to your mind! ❤️

Keep hold of that hope! ❤️

Don’t give up, keep holding on, the brighter days are coming! 💫

EVERY MIND MATTERS ‼️

“The campaign encourages people to get a free NHS-approved Mind Plan from the Every Mind Matters website. By answering 5 simple questions, adults will get a personalised action plan with practical tips to help them deal with stress and anxiety, boost their mood, sleep better and feel more in control.”

New Every Mind Matters campaign The new campaign launches to support the nation’s mental health, as half of adults say they are more worried during this current lockdown than in March 2020.

Charlie Mackesy ❤️

❤️❤️❤️

Long post but please read! ❤️

I absolutely love this song and I wanted to share it because I’m so concerned about the mental health crisis we are currently in and will no doubt continue to grow! The song talks about well meaning people’s efforts to try and safe somebody’s life but if you listen to the words it’s demonstrating the way we tend to always ‘know best’ and know all the answers about what people should and shouldn’t do - based on our own opinions.

There’s some people that will tell you that if you are struggling then you need to reach out and there are some people that will say how can you reach out if you don’t even realise there is a problem or you don’t know who to reach out to!? And therefore people need to ‘reach in’ and offer support.

And that right there is the problem!

Read it again!

We expect people to reach out during a mental health crisis but because of all the stigma and lack of understanding - people still struggle to recognise there is even a mental health issue and even if they do - how do they know who to trust, who can help them, who will provide genuine support, who will know what to do or say?? Who will UNDERSTAND?

But equally, how can we shame others for not ‘reaching in’ when they are not aware of the signs and symptoms and have a general lack of understanding around mental health? When they don’t know how to respond and what to say? And also, during these very difficult times - everybody is struggling in some way, shape or form - can we really expect them to know when somebody else needs support as if they are some sort of mind reader who has no problems of their own?

The simple rule is to be kind, accepting and understanding to everybody you meet. Understand that everybody is facing different circumstances and whilst you may not understand other people’s circumstances - understand that nobody is finding this easy and we are all only human - so be kind and considerate always!

But also - LISTEN - listening to somebody without judgement or opinion and without trying to fix all the problems the way you think they need fixing. Sometimes a little rant could turn into a deep conversation where you may learn more about what somebody is going through - but they will only open up if you give them the time, security and genuine care and interest.

*Listen WITHOUT interrupting and trying to demonstrate that you have been there, done that and got the picture like it’s some sort of competition
*Listen with your ears and your body language and demonstrate that you are there for them and you genuinely care
*Let the person get everything off their chest and talk through their thoughts and feelings - give them your time and comfort
*Empathise - understand and accept that it must be difficult for them, show them that you understand that they are struggling and you want to support them
*Remind them that they are not alone and that they are loved and supported and are valuable to this world. Reinforce that they are worthy of happiness, love and support
*Remind them that mental health issues are extremely common, now more than ever
*Do NOT ridicule them, belittle them or make them feel as though their problem is nothing and they are being silly. Comments such as ‘well at least you aren’t...’ or ‘ # # has it much worse than you’ or ‘it’s not worth being upset about’ or ‘come on, it’s not as bad as you think’ are not helpful no matter how much you think they are
*Help them to find what help and support is available - but don’t tell them what to do or give ‘advice’ based on your own thoughts and feelings. The best listener will help the talker to find their own solutions

If you are concerned about the person being in danger of taking their own life, please help them! If you feel that they are not an immediate threat to themselves then encourage and even accompany them to find professional help, help them research and even help them with practical tasks that may be contributing to the problem or are too difficult to manage.

If you are fearful that they are in immediate danger of themselves or have already done something to put themselves in danger please call 999. Other options are Samaritans on 116 123 or their mental health crisis team if they have one. But if in doubt - call 999.

Don’t be afraid to ask somebody if they are having suicidal thoughts, and don’t be afraid to if the first answer wasn’t convincing or you have doubts!

If you are struggling, feeling alone, depressed, excessive sadness, helpless, hopeless, like you can’t carry on or you don’t understand how you are feeling, please try to talk to somebody - you don’t have to know what to say and they don’t have to say anything back - just somebody who can let you let it all out.

Or call the Samaritans on 116 123.

You can also arrange an appointment with your GP or use IAPT to start a referral process for some professional help and support. Please do not do this alone!

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/free-therapy-or-counselling

PLEASE LETS TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDAL THOUGHTS - THEY ARE NOT ‘TABOO’ SUBJECTS!!

We have got to be in this together! We have to support each other! We have to survive these last few months and reach that light at the end of the tunnel! We have to live, love and laugh again! ❤️

The Fray - How to Save a Life (New Video Version) The Fray's official music video for "How To Save a Life" Listen to The Fray: https://TheFray.lnk.to/listenYDSubscribe to The Fray’s official YouTube channel:...

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