For those who’ve been willing to read the letters I fumble together over the years, making it to the bottom of what are increasingly becoming time consuming bodies of text, you’ll know mental health is a topic, a subject, a series of linked experiences I can talk in depth about. Stigmas are being overcome, however, all aspects of Mental Health are complex, our ability to create coping mechanisms & disassociate their symptoms numerous
I can only speak from personal experience. For myself. I hope in doing so, somebody out there, be it someone I’ve met or never will, resonates with the words strung together, enabling them to have that first conversation, seeking professional help or becoming more aware of themselves
This years theme is nature & if it wasn’t already obvious with the sea of riding and running related imagery, its where I find part of my identity, where I feel myself, where I’m able to find inner calm
I’m currently reading @whitepeak_ruth’s book Grounded, my mind on a little self discovery. My relationship with trails & wild spaces has radically altered in some respects over the past 15 months. Performance has moved to presence, others experiences ahead of my own
If you feel safe to, I will always encourage leaving the walls of the house, to take in the sites, smells & textures that exist in our natural, unfiltered environment. To break away from constant notifications, visual digital inputs & replace these with those that can take you back to moments of your life you cherish in an instance. Uncoupling your mind from the inbox
Now you’ll know I think every day should be Mental Health Awareness Day and really it should be or is, for a growing number. We need to look after ourselves and if we have others we are caring/looking out for, we need to be in a good place first, in order to truly help others.
If you or anyone else you know needs to speak to someone (in the UK) here are some links below.
Resources & Help:
@myblackdog_co – 7 days a week chat with volunteers with lived mental health experiences
@samaritanscharity – crisis line, if you are need of help
@mindblmk – MK, Beds, Luton support
@mindcharity – National of the above
James Mackeddie 
Nicely stated, right to your point without a lot of fluff words. Especially with such an important subject
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thank you, no expert or trained person with all the lingo. My own lived experiences & professional help I’ve seeked for my education
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I’ve dealt with my mental health status my entire life, sometimes very badly but in recent years quite well. I think that the only thing that’s ever steered me in the right direction has been the influence of people’s individual experiences, just like you’ve shared
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Finding people you can identify with and understand without needing to ask make things a lot easier in my experience. I’ve a long history & it’s only in the last few years, a long period after receiving progressional help, growing as a person after and having time to better understand myself can I say with some confidence, I know what’s good for me and I’m proud for being who I am. We learn a lot from the bad times & the good times show us things can be better
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My little girl life shaped too much of me and it took a long time taking that apart and reshaping it.
Your last sentence 👍
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thank you for sharing and if you are referencing your own childhood, its why my trauma, confusion and problems were created.
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Yes, I was. I apologize for my awkward communication. 😂 must be the subject and clearly significant.
There is then and element of understanding one another then. I always appreciate finding connection. Glad I stumbled upon you
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There is no need to apologise. After all, we are talking in the open as such, words carry weight and it’s better to be cautious, than over share to the masses. It’s good to connect
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