Guest Blog: Cindy: A week of Facebook posts raising awareness of mental health illness and breaking the stigma

One of our regular likers from the FACEBOOK PAGE has sent us a message with copies of her posts raising the issue and awareness for mental health illness and to help break the stigma! She is such a champion for mental health issues. Thank you Cindy!


The views posted below are those of Cindy and are copied exactly as they were sent to me.. I know that not everyone will have the same thoughts and the same faith as Cindy, but these are things which she has found to help her. I am so glad that she sent us this so that we could share it with you all.  

Suzi

Monday

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. Many of you know, but for those who don't, I have Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression. I see a psychiatrist and a therapist and take medication. I'm not announcing this to get sympathy, but to let you know that it's real, it's ok to talk about it, and there is help and hope. If any of you or anyone you know is struggling with depression, I'm more than willing to talk or listen or share my experiences.

Tuesday

In honor of Mental Health Awareness week I'll be posting what I hope is helpful information at least once a day. I had suffered from Depression for a very long time before I was diagnosed. It was because I simply didn't know what the symptoms were. So, for your information, here they are: According to the National Institute of Mental Health and the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of depression may include the following:

- Crying spells for no apparent reason

- Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration

- Fatigue and decreased energy (even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort)

- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness (fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren't going right)

- Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism

- Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping

- Irritability, restlessness (pacing, hand-wringing, inability to sit still)

- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable

- Overeating or appetite loss

- Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment

- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings (feeling numb)

- Frequent thoughts of death, dying, or suicide

Wednesday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day:Talk about it.

Sometimes that may seem like the hardest thing to do, but I promise, it helps. It might take you a little while to find someone who is willing to listen without being judgmental, but they are out there. Besides friends and family, try church leaders or fellow members, a school counselor, or look for a support group. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a great organization and has support groups all over the country.

Thursday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day: Find music that you enjoy and listen to it often.

  I have always been a very musical person, and music has a powerful effect on me. I know it's not the same for everyone, but I think most people enjoy music to a certain extent. I use different types of music to get me through different struggles. 

- When I need to accomplish something around the house I listen to something upbeat that I can sing along to, usually County.

- When I'm paying bills, which stresses me out like crazy, I listen to classical cello music.

- When I can't sleep because my mind is in overdrive I listen to composers like Claude Debussy and Erik Satie. Some more contemporary composers (whose music is often found in movie scores) are John Barry and Phillip Glass. There pieces have simple melodies, slower tempos, and I am able to just let my mind relax and get lost in the music. I try to concentrate on the images it brings to mind and the feelings it stirs up. I listen to my "bedtime" playlist almost every night and it has been a great help. I also use it when I am just feeling overly emotional and need to calm down.

On the flip side, if you are the one doing the listening, remember that simply listening is more than likely what they need most. Unless they specifically ask for it, try not to offer solutions, ways to "fix" things, etc.

Friday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day: Give yourself credit for something good you've done every day.

Our own self-talk can be nothing but negative sometimes and we need to make a conscious effort to find the good. So give yourself a pat on the back if you got out of bed and got dressed today, or if you walked down the lane to the mailbox and back, of if you actually cooked supper for your family (that's a big one for me ;) Life is not all sadness and hopelessness, even when we feel like it is (because the imbalanced chemicals in our brains are telling us it is). We have the power to fight back, to talk back to our inner voices and say, "I am not a complete loser and failure because I loaded the dishwasher today, so THERE!" :)

Saturday

Cindy's Mental Health/Depression advise for the day: Laugh!

Easier said than done when you're depressed, but it is possible.Look up funny videos on-line, watch old SNL skits (Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley as Chippendale dancers never fails me ;) or pull out a favorite old comedy. A few of mine are What about Bob, Napoleon Dynamite, and The Princess Bride. Today I watched an episode of the new show Ben and Kate and was laughing out loud by the end. Great medicine!

This piece of advice is actually a two-fer. The second part is: allow yourself the time to do something just for you. When I'm depressed and I'm not getting things accomplished like I should be, I feel guilty doing anything myself, but it's important to not neglect yourself because if you do it will just worsen, or at least not improve the depression.

Sunday

This is the last day of Mental Health Awareness week, so this is my last, and perhaps most important, piece of advise: Have faith!

This may not apply to everyone, but I am a Christian, and having faith in a loving God is what makes the hardest times bearable. The many years I suffered from Depression but had yet to be diagnosed, I thought the reason I wasn't feeling the Holy Spirit in my life was because I just wasn't a good enough person. Turns out, Depression dulls your ability to feel much of anything at all. I often felt completely numb. I read a book that said that when you are deeply depressed, you have to really look for God's hand in your life because you're simply not going to feel it as much as you'd like. I have done that and it has made me so aware of all the many ways God blesses me. I may not feel it, but I can see and know it in my mind. He has blessed me with an amazing husband who is loving, patient, and supportive.  He blesses my by sending His Holy Spirit to others who then feel inspired to contact me and lend their support and understanding. This has happened over and over again these past few weeks and it always amazes me.He has blessed me with amazing friends who are willing to listen without judgment and offer up prayers for me. It comes down to this:

God is my Father in Heaven. He loves me more that my frail, mortal mind can comprehend. He knows me personally and is mindful of exactly what I struggle with; my pain, my fear, my worries, my inadequacies, my guilt; He knows it all. No matter how deeply depressed I may get; I know that He will NEVER forsake me. He will never leave me to face my trials alone. God loves each and every one of us like this, so I say, have faith.

World Mental Health Day 10th October 2012

 I can't actually believe it's been a whole year since I wrote one of these blog posts. They are probably my favourite ones to write as I like to celebrate on all the positives and amazing things which people who have diagnosed mental health conditions do.

So, why have a World Mental Health Day? Well this is what WHO (World Health Organisation) have to say about it...

World Mental Health Day raises public awareness about mental health issues. The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services. This year the theme for the day is “Depression: A Global Crisis”.
Depression affects more than 350 million people of all ages, in all communities, and is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. Although there are known effective treatments for depression, access to treatment is a problem in most countries and in some countries fewer than 10% of those who need it receive such treatment.
 Taken from  http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_mental_health_day/en/index.html

With our Facebook page having over 9600 likes now and our forum getting busier and busier we have seen just how global the struggles of those with mental health illness - in particular depression - really is. It's something that doesn't discriminate against colour, gender, sexuality, religious belief, age or anything else which can separate people. Sadly it is on the increase and the statistics now show that 1 in 3 people will at some point in their lifetime experience some form of mental health illness. Yet there is still such a stigma against mental health that it really doesn't make sense to me at all.

So many people hear the words "Mental Health Illness" and seem to write off those who have them or see "the label" rather than the person. On DealingWithDepression (both the forum and the Facebook Page ) we try really hard to see past the illness, past the sadness, past the feelings of emptiness and focus on the things that we CAN do!

This year I've asked for people to send me pictures, poems, extracts of writing etc for anything that they can do. The response has been amazing! I just hope I do everyone justice! You really are some amazingly talented people! I have been sent so many images, poems and songs that I just can't include them all even though I would love to, so I shall be trying to add more over the coming weeks to continue the celebration of talents and creativity which has been demonstrated through our members.

Some of our members have posted some of their talents on a thread on the facebook page, this is a list of some of them..

• Shane from Australia: "I make fishing rods, do glass etching, and calligraphy. Helps keep the black birds at bay"
•  Marybeth from USA: "Right now I'm in school to become a medical lab tech. Hopefully one day I can work for the national institute for mental health so I can help them in any way. "
•  Kathie from USA: "Been a writer of poetry for 27 + years!"
• Lisa: "I gave birth to twins at 38. Thats creative art in itself lol." 

Singer/Songwriters:

•  G. Smith with his demo Naked Feet:

• Giles Toller with Oxytocin Heart:

Crafters:

Knitting by JJ

 Sewers and soap makers such as Helen http://www.facebook.com/HarrietRoseSews 

Helen can be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarrietRoseSoaps

We have photographers who can be found here:
Coral who is a full time Mum and lives in Derbyshire:  http://www.facebook.com/CBPhotography.UK

This is far from extensive compilation of the talents of our members, just a few. Don't ever sell yourself short because you are diagnosed with depression or another mental health illness. You are just as important, special and talented as anyone else. Do not let their ignorance diminish your creativity and your abilities.

Do something to celebrate World Mental Health Day today. Blog about it, post or tweet about it on Facebook or twitter, or a forum somewhere. Help break that stigma. No matter where you live, no matter what you like/don't like, no matter what your age or any other factor in your life, don't let depression or mental health illness be what defines you, just something that you live and deal with. You CAN beat it. You CAN get better, you CAN work through it. Never feel you have less worth or that you are a failure  (something we hear really often on the forum and page) because you have a mental health illness. You are NOT a failure! Talk about how you are feeling, break the stigma! 

Guest Blog - The Power of Talking - Lisa from Victoria in Australia

I had this sent through to me, and it really touched me. I thank you Lisa for sharing your story of pain and yet you are still full of hope. What Lisa has to say and her message about the importance of talking is SO important. Whether you talk here, on Facebook, on our forum, or however else you feel comfortable, just do it. Make that decision today to talk to someone about how you really are feeling. 


Thank you Lisa, 
Suzi

Lisa's Story:

I never wanted to talk. I never thought it could help me. Turns out, I've just never given anyone the chance to listen.

I'll be honest, I'm still not great at voicing my thoughts, but after one scare, and a break down to my mother, it was all over red rover. I'd run out of options.

See, I always had a lack of self confidence, that with the sneaking grit of all mental illness, it quietly morphed into a depression/anxiety over my high school years.

Not really ready to face the world alone (and penniless) I opted for a gap year, hating practically every moment I had to smile and converse with a customer, or ask a colleague for help. How was it to know this would become a serious problem, that it wasn't me just it being a 'people person'?
In a sense this probably made the carpet slip from underneath me more than it would've ordinarily, had I not grown to (aside from my great family, and a small group of friends who were slipping further away by the month) completely despise my home town, for its people and also severe lack of ocean water, my happy place.

But alas I had taken on an interstate move to search for my dream ( I thought it was my dream, but then I wasn't sure, what if I wasn't good enough, what if I never got a job?

Frustration built with every not up to scratch mark, and mindset crept down and down with every time I was more than not up to scratch, or when I knew I was falling behind my classmates. No matter how many times you tell yourself not to compare yourself to others, there no helping but to think you should be better.

Not asking for help has always been a typical characteristic of mine, but the more trouble I have, the less confidence I have to ask. Then I dug myself too far into a hole far too big to escape from. And that's when it happened. Self harm in itself is often far more severe then what I attempted. But the principle is the same. we need help. it is all finally too much. I got scared, really, really scared.

It was a good time to realise that I could tell someone, that a I had a friend I could trust to understand, and look after me. Besides my parents, I'd never had that before. I'd have never realised how much my struggle was actually making my studies hard, and vice-versa. The big step had been taken and I applied, and was granted special consideration. I had counselling, sought to have medication reviewed and registered as a disability student. Within days it seemed like a support network had sprung up from the ground, something that I'd never previously been able to see.

I learnt something new.

People. Care.

There is still a massive uphill journey ahead. I am terrified of it. But at least I'm on that journey.