Tag Archives: tom brake

“I’ve got the headache from hell.”

“I’m full of the cold”

“I feel incredibly anxious today”

“My stomach is killing me.”

One of these is not like the others.

We are generally pretty comfortable about sharing when we’re feeling physically unwell, but not so if we are feeling mentally unwell.

I’m not going to lie, I have found these last few months really difficult. I’ve often felt overwhelmed and anxious. In fact, earlier in the Summer, I thought my mental health was going to collapse completely.

The last thing I was expecting from my campaigning trip to Brecon and Radnorshire was to come back feeling restored, refreshed and energised.

I’m not better, though. More days than not, I feel anxious.

And just like many people with physical ill health, I go to work and edit this site and go about my daily life.

The Winter months are generally more difficult than the Summer ones. A fall on ice quarter of a century ago has cast a very long shadow. Going outside when it’s snowy and icy is so exhausting that I’m often fit for nothing by the time I get where I’m going. I have to get used to operating on empty and living in a near permanent state of high anxiety.

And when people diminish what that is like, and laugh about it, it makes life so much more difficult. When people tell you to pull yourself together, they have absolutely no idea how much you are already doing that.

I also think that it is getting easier to talk about things like Anxiety and Depression. Try and say you are suffering from Psychosis and you will often realise very quickly that stigma is thriving.

So that’s my take on World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme is suicide prevention, in particular the acronym WAIT, as Christine Jardine describes:

Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay2019 👇 pic.twitter.com/ciGsYPkzTb

— Christine Jardine 🔶 (@cajardineMP) October 10, 2019

Alex Cole-Hamilton mentions the importance of listening:

You matter. So much. It may not seem like it sometimes, but you matter. Talk to each other and make time to listen. #WorldMentalHealthDay

— Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP🔶🇺🇦 (@agcolehamilton) October 10, 2019

Jo talked of the importance of being able to talk openly:

Mental health can impact all of us. On #WorldMentalHealthDay let’s end the stigma and make sure we talk about #mentalhealth openly, honestly so that we can help change people’s lives. https://t.co/Sbwi3g5TU9

— Jo Swinson (@joswinson) October 10, 2019

Jane Dodds has long championed measures to end loneliness and social isolation:

Today is #WorldMentalHeathDay and it’s important we focus on the little things we can do to support each other.

Loneliness is a growing epidemic, so make sure to check in with your friends, your neighbours and your family – because sometimes all we need is someone to talk to.

— Jane Dodds AS/MS 🔶🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@DoddsJane) October 10, 2019

Luisa Porritt and Layla Moran shared their struggles with Anxiety and Depression: