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Mental Health Matters

duh.







I firstly want to apologise for my lack of presence recently. As someone who endeavours to encourage and motivate others through mental health issues, it turns out I very seldom take my own advice. Basically, I've had a bit of a slump. Luckily, I'm getting out of it but I have a tendency to isolate myself a bit and avoid things until I know I'm in a mentally better space to deal with it.


Because of this, I wanted to make this blog post mainly oriented around anxiety and depression. I'll do a bit of info on each, how some people may experience and show signs of each and ways to help. This will be a generalisation as I couldn't possibly cover everything in

a single post.


This may be another long one, brace yourself.


So grab a mug of your favourite tea or hot chocolate with syrup and get cosy. I want to talk about just how fiercely important mental health is and the struggles that society is facing.


Let's start with the basics - What exactly IS mental health?


Mental health - noun

  1. a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.

  2. "all this pressure seems to be affecting his mental health"

Mental health covers all aspects of life from emotional, physiological and even social. There isn't a single part of our lives that wont be in some way affected by our mental health. How we think, feel and act are all influenced by our mental health.


Mental health is just as important as physical health.


Here are some crazy statistics:


In October 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed that 1 in 5 of the worlds children and adolescents suffered with a mental health issue and that about 50% of all mental disorders begin before the age of 14.



According to WHO, about 800,000 people die by suicide every single year.


Somebody dies from suicide every 40 seconds.


Suicide is the second largest cause of death for individuals aged between

15-39.


So, if you do suffer from depression or anxiety, I am absolutely sure that you can probably recognise the symptoms of these almost instantly. If you haven't been diagnosed but feel like some of these symptoms describe you, or if you feel you need help, please go and see your doctor. I'm no scientist.

Mental health issues tend to manifest themselves in some way or another. For a lot of people, they have the same symptoms, but every single person is different in the way they experience mental health. One size does not fit all. Some may take medication, some may not. Some may feel that exercise is the best course for depression, some may not even be able to get themselves out of bed. Some find it easier to talk about their emotions, some may have another outlet.

But depression can manifest itself as physical ailments as well as psychological. According to the NHS, theses are the most common symptoms of depression:


  • Continuous low mood or sadness

  • Feeling hopeless and helpless

  • Having low self-esteem feeling tearful

  • Feeling guilt-ridden

  • Feeling irritable and intolerant of others 

  • Having no motivation or interest in things

  • Finding it difficult to make decisions

  • Not getting any enjoyment out of life

  • Feeling anxious or worried constantly

  • Thoughts of self harm or suicide


There can also be physical signs such as:


  • Moving or speaking more slowly than usual 

  • changes in appetite or weight (usually decreased, but sometimes increased) 

  • constipation

  • Unexplained aches and pains

  • Lack of energy

  • Changes to your menstrual cycle

  • Disturbed sleep – for example, finding it difficult to fall asleep at night or waking up very early in the morning


And even social signs:


  • Avoiding contact with friends and taking part in fewer social activities

  • Neglecting your hobbies and interests

  • Having difficulties in your home, work or family life


Like I said before, these are from the NHS website, but they are also very generalised. For example, feeling suicidal is not what a lot of people think. Most people think that if you are suicidal, you're constantly walking around with a blade to your wrist waiting for something to push you over the edge and wanting to die, or the polar opposite where you just do it for attention with no intention of causing any injury at all. It's not. In a lot of cases, it is simply wanting to just stop existing. Just to take a break from everything. For all the hectic craziness to just stop.

With depression and anxiety, it is important to remember that not everyone experiences every single symptom. Some may present with one or two symptoms and some may have every single one. Anxiety is still anxiety.





Here is what the NHS says about the psychological symptoms of anxiety:


  • Restlessness

  • A sense of dread

  • Feeling constantly "on edge"

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Irritability


A lot of the time, anxiety will present itself as a whole host of physical symptoms. Here are just a few:


  • Dizziness

  • Tiredness

  • A noticeably strong, fast or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)

  • Muscle aches and tension

  • Trembling or shaking

  • Dry mouth

  • Excessive sweating

  • Shortness of breath

  • Feeling sick

  • Feeling sick

  • Headache

  • Pins and needles

  • Difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia)


A lot of things people are anxious about are link to their fears and phobia and can be set off (triggered) by small things. For example, if you have claustrophobia and a fear of small confined spaces, if you're in a situation where you may be confined to any smaller space for any reason, this can cause us to trigger and start to panic.

Similarly, if we are in a situation and we're unaware of what may set of off or start panic and anxiety, that can often make us worse as not knowing why your anxiety is happening, and so you feel you have no control over it and are unable to stop it.


As someone who is suffering with severe anxiety recently, I know how difficult it can be when you are in a situation and you don't know how to deal with it. There are tons of apps you can download and so many grounding techniques for when things get a little overwhelming. I did publish a blog post which features some of these apps and methods. Why not have a look and maybe one will help you. See the original post, Keep Calm and Carry On





I recently reconnected with an old school friend I have barely seen since we finished sixth form in 2012. We got talking all day yesterday and she managed to open up a bit about her concerns with her mental health. She knew about the blog and wanted to check and see if it was normal to feel the things she felt. I don't know if this is her invention or sourced elsewhere, but we were talking and she kept referring to anxiety and negative mental health as 'Becky', and kept using the phrase 'Becky the Bitch'. I asked her why she says that, she said "The basic idea is to essentially treat and refer to your brain as a friend. You wouldn't be friends with someone if they constantly put you down about yourself and your life and your skills and made you feel utterly rubbish." She said "You've got to tell your brain off. Tell them they're wrong and only want to see you suffer and they are wrong."

So if you have a rubbish day, blame that bitch, Becky.


So, ladles and jellyspoons, what I want you to take away from this post, is to essentially be on the look out for any signs that you or a loved one may need a little help. If it is someone else, don't bombard them, but let them know you are then for them if and when they need anything.

And if it is you who feels they need to reach out, I will leave a link to a list of Mental Health Helplines.

Otherwise, speak out to a friend or family member, speak out to anyone, you can go to the doctors, you can even leave me an email on my contact page. I will always respond. I promise you are not alone.



I hope Becky is good to you today.


Peace & love,

H.T.




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