Paralysed By Fear
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i wake
paralysed by fear
triggered
by nothing more than
light
sound
smell
and the obligation
to persist
forcing my eyes
to stay open
until it’s time
once again
to sleep
Exposing Inner Demons – An Uncut Example Of Writing Therapy
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I don’t know why, but I feel the need to write something down. And then to share it. So I guess you my dear reader are invited to take a journey into the stream of consciousness that is this piece…
Read MoreThere Is Something Spiritual About Cutting Your Hair
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There is something spiritual about cutting hair. A release, a letting go, a transformation, a potential for change. Yes, cutting my beard is a simple act, but it symbolic of a decision, to reaffirm myself and to choose to live…
Read MoreEmbracing Darkness To Better See The Light
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“There is suffering in this world. To live is to suffer.” – Buddha
There is no avoiding the fact that this chapter may come across as harsh to some readers. It will contain some suggestions that if taken on face value may seem offensive, insulting or uninformed. If you feel this way, please do continue reading to the end as I will hopefully clarify my position adequately, as well as potentially give you another tool to combat depression.
Read MoreOvercoming The Philosophical Arguments That Destroy Unguarded Minds
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There is a real risk that we will come across a line of reasoning or a thought process that makes us question our own existence, makes us doubt the point of living, or otherwise traps us into a downward spiral of mental affliction as we ruminate over the consequences of our newfound knowledge – a ‘Philosophical Trap’.
Read MoreCreate A Crisis Plan - It May Save Your Life
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“Hope for the best. Plan for the Worst.” – Lee Child
A crisis plan outlines what you would like to occur when you are going through a mental health emergency It acts as a trigger for action that when implemented, takes you through the steps necessary to get the help that you may need.
Meditation Is Not Simply “Clearing Your Mind”
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"Clearing the mind is practically impossible, and really not the goal of the meditation session. Rather the benefits come from calmly returning to the sensation of the breath..."
Read MoreThe Five Reasons Why People Won’t Believe You Are Mentally Ill
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If you share your mental illness with someone, you are asking them to imagine a condition they can only read about and can’t experience.
Really you are asking them to change the lens that they view the world by. To overlay upon their reality, one of your condition. They have to put that lens over every situation that they have ever lived through, every action both minor and major, every interpersonal interaction, as well as over their hopes and plans for the future.
Why BJJ Is The Best Martial Art For Combating Mental Illness
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A traumatic past left me with anxiety and depression issues as well as a significant amount of pent up rage. With no guidance of how to deal with it, I turned to punching a bag for relief. Luckily for me it started to work, and I fell in love with martial arts.
Eventually I came across BJJ and I was hooked - the social atmosphere, constant learning, physicality and the practicality in a self defence situation all combined to be one of the best treatments for my mental health issues...
Finding the Balance Between Mania and Creativity - Words from a Mentally Ill Writer
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It is 4am as I write this, I am slightly inebriated and my brain is buzzing. I have been up all night writing and I am still going. I can’t stop.
I must keep writing. When I get on a roll I can’t help it. Something comes over me and I must get it out. It is an affliction. This has happened before and will happen again...
Read MoreWhy Having a Child Isn’t as Bad as Everyone Says It’s Going to Be
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In the months leading up the birth of my first child, I noticed something strange occurring. Almost everyone that I told the news to had the same reaction. First, they congratulated me, then they proceeded to tell me endless stories of the horrors of childbirth and fatherhood.
They would share tales of sleepless nights, never ending inconsolable crying and the mountains upon mountains of poo that regularly explodes out of nappies.
All of this combined in my mind to create a storm of anxious rumination. As the pregnancy progressed, my mental health steadily declined. I would bounce between dissociation and anxiety with a dash of regret thrown in there.
This is the post that I wish was available to me during that time.
Read MoreWhy Mental Illness Does Not Excuse Your Behaviour Towards Others
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"People often excuse a behaviour if there are extenuating circumstances.
We tend to forgive, downplay or simply ignore it, because we realise that the person doing the behaviour is going through something significant and therefore are ‘not themselves’ at the moment..."
Read MoreWhy Men Commit Suicide More Than Women
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"Suicide is the leading cause of death for young men. So if you know a young male aged 15-25, chances are that they have contemplated it at some stage.
Make sure you are there for them and that they know it..."
Read MoreHow Writing Saved My Life
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"I don't know where to start other then by saying that writing saved my life, and I wanted to share that with you..."
Read MoreWhy Putting Yourself First is Not Selfish
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"People should look after themselves first. Now this is not a selfish idea either mind you, I believe that it is to the benefit of society as a whole, as well as in the best interests of the individual that would be the recipient of the sacrifice. Because if you don’t look after yourself, and you fall, how will that person get the help they need...?"
Read MoreThe Two Pieces Of Advice That Stopped Me Committing Suicide
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"Each time that I was close to following through, one thought kept coming to mind. It was so poignant that I couldn’t shake it ..."
Read MoreHow Antidepressants Saved My Life, But Didn’t Make It Worth Living
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Despite being great at keeping me alive antidepressants are certainly not ideal. Regardless of the type I tried, I faced the same issues. First were the debilitating side effects ...
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