Diary of thoughts: It's ok to ask for help
Wednesday 9th of November, I had to make the call and get a third party view of my mental health
This is a thank you to everyone out there helping others to improve mental health.
From feeling positive, to feeling hopeless, mental health is a vast chasm of opportunities, problems and secrecy. Only ‘you’ can really tell what’s going on inside your head. How do you weigh up what’s going on with your emotions and feelings? Only yesterday I had to pick up the phone to a professional to talk about my situation.
I felt like my head was full of cold porridge and my chest was full of wire wool. In other words, I felt like shit. Short days, travel disruption and negative thoughts took their toll. It’s time to pick myself up and look forward to things I enjoy, like writing the Woz Report and watching sport.
I felt like my head was full of cold porridge and my chest was full of wire wool. In other words, I felt like shit.
I often talk about finding balance. Too much of one thing can have a negative effect on your physical or mental wellbeing. I love writing, but sometimes I Ignore the signs to stop, or do something different. In some cases, a rest is as good as writing an article.
To understand what’s going on inside you, we must understand that our thoughts, physical sensations and behaviours are linked to our emotions, known as the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) cycle. People suffering from anxiety spend a lot of time worrying and the more time they spend about worrying, the less time they have to identify what is real.
Back to the beginning of a long mental health journey
In 2013 I did not recognise myself. Confused and worried and I reached out to a medical professional to discuss my mental health concerns. A psychiatrist diagnosed me with moderate-to-severe-depression and general-anxiety disorder. Yikes. That all sounds scary, and at the time it was. CBT and motivation eventually lead me through my ordeal and the pathway to recovery.
Depression is thought to affect 322 million people worldwide, and it is estimated that 3.6% of people will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. - silvercloud
During my recovery I learned coping techniques. I’ve also learned there are many ways to meditate, and one method I use is to listen to a good audio book or podcast. Sometimes we all need a bit of reassurance from a professional - but finding the courage is often the barrier to recovery.
My ordeal changed my life, because at the end of the road-to-recovery I yearned to learn new skills through adult education. Regaining self-esteem was such a relief. I experienced the Kubler-Ross change curve, but during the acceptance phase I regained my confidence to such an extent, I briefly looked for confrontation. At the time, it felt good to challenge the chain of command.
The final phase of the Kubler-Ross change curve is meaning, and I found some. In 2014, I attended college to complete a Level 7 Extended Diploma in Leadership and Change Management, before attending university to complete a Master’s degree.
I thought I had all the tools needed to deal with any relapse, that was until this week. Reaching out to professional gave me perspective. Work-life balance is crucial, but I don’t seem to have that balance right now. Making adjustments is part of life, and it’s time to suck it up and get on with it.
It’s good to maintain a sense of humour. It’s that time of the year when we remember the millions of people of who gave their lives so we can enjoy our freedom. I’m reading Spike Milligan’s Adolf Hitler, my role in his downfall. There are many comical passages in Spike’s book, and I can relate to some of them. I haven’t laughed so much for a long time - I know you are not with us, but thank you Spike Milligan.
The mental health triangle
Hello line managers, this next paragraph is written for you. I’m a big believer in the Mental Health Triangle (MHT). The tree elements are time, motivation and empathy, here’s a brief summary of each.
Time - Fixing mental health problems does not happen over night. It takes time, the first side of the MHT. Some people will naturally take longer than others to find a pathway to a peaceful mind.
Motivation - You can have all the time in the world to recover from a mental health ordeal, but you need the motivation to do it. In 2013/14, during my pathway to recovery, I realised I needed to meet the mental health team halfway. Motivation doesn’t come naturally for everyone, especially if a person has had been through a terrible ordeal.
Empathy - Having empathy with a member of your team will go a long way to building trust and giving them the confidence they need to getting out of a rut.
There are concessions to finding the right job and the right place to live. I realise that, and my focus is dealing with the crazy commute. I’m not the only person in the South East of England dealing with miles of roadworks, protestors and rail strikes. Thank you for reading the Woz Report, why not share it?
The mental health chat channel
It’s good to talk, so why not head over to the Woz Report chat channel?
Wishing you All the Best John!
Enjoy your articles👍