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increasing awareness and understanding of depression
A panic attack is the last thing I am thinking about today. I am sitting on a train – just about to send a message to my husband saying “I did it! I’m on the train!” Getting on a train is a big deal for me you see and I am just about to congratulate myself…
In autumn 2011, I was off work with depression. My over-active mind was tormenting me at night and turning me into a zombie in the daytime. I found I needed to get out of the house as often as possible for a change of scenery, even if only for five or ten minutes. A positive…
Much like the feeling you get when paperwork is mounting and needs to be completed, a long to-do list can evoke anxious feelings. It doesn’t seem fair really. You make a great decision, which is to clear your head a little by jotting everyday tasks onto paper, then it feels like it’s haunting you. It’s an…
We’re able to feel empathy and compassion for those who are in physical pain, even if we’ve not experienced that exact physical pain ourselves. We can appreciate that a broken leg must hurt like hell, that childbirth must be excruciating and we can even muster up compassion for those who are heartbroken – despite not…
In April of 2016, I was asked to be a speaker at TEDxBrum. [Photo Credit: Jonathan Cherry] To begin with, I switched into self-sabotage mode with really strong feelings of not being good enough. I felt like an imposter in what was such an incredible line-up and as though I stood out like a sore thumb among…
As a student, the summer holidays can be daunting. The long weeks can stretch out in front of us and feel endless. Everyone around us seems happy, and the sun is shining so it can feel like we have no excuse not to be happy! We might have left a support system behind when returning…
Depression comes with a variety of symptoms, which vary for person to person. Although it’s not often talked about, many people who suffer from depression struggle with urges to self-harm. Obviously, hurting yourself isn’t desirable or healthy – but knowing this doesn’t help keep the scary thoughts at bay. Self-harming urges can be extremely powerful, and it takes…
There are few things more horrendous than complicated, overwhelming paperwork. A perfectly well person will still regard it with an eye-roll and a curse word, and couldn’t be less enthused about having to spend time extracting details, working out jargon and signing this-box-but-not-that-box. For someone who’s depressed, these tasks seem insurmountable. For someone who’s anxious,…
There is a well-established connection between depression and chronic pain. Depression itself can have physical and often painful symptoms. It can also change our brain’s sensitivity to painful stimuli and make it harder for us to cope with pain. On the other side of the scale, the daily battles and exhaustion of living with chronic…
Some call it a fog. Others may refer to it as a black dog or even a darkness that takes hold. No matter what words are used to describe depression, the fact remains, there is no mistaking it. But what if one day it took on human form, and arrived on your doorstep? What if…
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