There have been times throughout my life where I have had to have some help with my mental health. This has being for various reasons as well as my health challenges and developments.
Some of you are aware of all of them, some of you are not aware of some of them, some of them may come as a complete surprise to you.
But the fact is I’m lucky that I have had the support I have throughout my life.
I’ve always been a big supporter of keeping mental health talk on the table, it’s a topic that we should not shy away from but it is something that we should all be looking out for in our friends and family. Last night I was part of a suicide prevention training course, a topic very close to my heart, offered by Grassroots, Mind, NHS and KCC, and it prompted me to share some information in case it helps anyone.
We all have mental health, just for some of us it’s more positive and for some of us it’s more negative.
As we grow older we start to learn our coping mechanisms. Some of these are positive:
we go to the gym
we go for a run
we cuddle the dog
we have a bath…
Sometimes these coping mechanisms are negative:
we drink too much
we smoke
we overeat
we under eat…
Stress is the reason behind many mental health challenges and we are currently living in a time where we haven’t experienced stress levels like it (probably). We’re currently living in the world where we have fear, anger, frustration and loneliness.
Whether you live alone or live with your family we’re all still experiencing some form of isolation or overcrowding.
The usual water cooler moments are not happening in the office, the playing in the playground at school is not happening for the children, we can’t pop to the pub and blow off steam.
We worry about contracting COVID-19 and passing it on to those we love. We worry about getting sick, going to hospital, dying. This puts us off going to our GP for things we are worried about that are not covid related. In fact cancer death rates are up due to these factors. Imagine knowing there is something wrong and being to scared to act on it. The alternative is much scarier.
Death has never been so highlighted since the last physical war (WW2 in UK, for me and mine this would probably be the Gulf War, but still not quite so close to home). For the majority of us we’ve never had to face our mortality in such a way as we are now and it will have a lasting effect on us.
Hopefully for many of us this will be for the positives, where we can appreciate the small things in life and have learnt to reconnect with our families and friends again.
For many, the lasting effects will be negative and they will need to have their voices heard.
Should you or anyone you know need some support or help please reach out for it.
As mentioned, last night my training workshop gave me some tools to help people and as suicide is something that’s very close to my heart, should I be able to help one person through what I’ve learned then I will be grateful to Mind.
One proactive thing I can do today is share the contact details that they gave me should you need them yourself or to pass on to anybody else. I’ve been in dark places before and I’ve managed to pull myself out. Sometimes by myself, sometimes with the help of antidepressants. Each time though I have had the support of those I love and I have shared my thoughts and feelings with them. Sometimes it’s been easier to share my thoughts and feelings with somebody not connected to me. Either way I’m lucky that I’ve been able to speak to people.
It is time to change. It is time to talk.
#TIMETOCHANGE #TIMETOTALK #WORLDCANCERDAY
Talking to someone about how you feel can often be very useful. If you feel unable to talk to someone you know there are many organisations able to help:
Samaritans – for everyone. Call 116 123 or e-mail jo@samaritans.org
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men. Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight
every day or visit the web-chat page
Papyrus – for people under 35. Call 0800 068 41 41 – Mon to Fri 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 5pm. You can also text 07786 209697 or e-mail pat@papyrus-uk.org
Childline – for children and young people under 19. Call 0800 1111 – this number won’t show up on your phone bill.
The Mix – for under 25s experiencing any painful emotions or are in crisis. Call 0808 808 4994. FREE crisis messenger text service provides 24/7 support across the UK. Text THEMIX to 85258. For 1-1 online chat support visit https://www.themix.org.uk
The Silver Line – for older people. Call 08004 708090
Call your GP – ask for an emergency appointment.
Call 111 out of hours – they will help you find the support and help you need.
Contact your Mental Health Crisis Team – if you have one.
Contact Single Point Of Access if you live in Kent and Medway and are not currently receiving care and treatment from your Community Mental Health Team – Call 0800 783 9111 or text 07860 022819
If you have seriously harmed yourself – for example, by taking a drug overdose – call 999 for an ambulance or go straight to A&E. Or, ask someone else to call 999 or take you to A&E.
The Hope Café – A crisis café resource offering support in Maidstone Fridays 5-9pm and
Sundays 1-5pm. Contact Mid Kent Mind 01622 692383 or e-mail mindhelp@mmkmind.org.uk
The Solace Café – A crisis café resource offering support in Sevenoaks Thursdays 5-9pm and
Saturdays 5-9pm. Contact West Kent Mind 01732 356630 or e-mail: solacecafe@westkentmind.org.uk
Ashford Wellbeing Café – Offering support to help prevent mental health crisis point
Fridays and Saturdays in Ashford 6-10pm. Call 01622 692383 or e-mail: mindhelp@mmkmind.org.uk
Sunlight Wellbeing Café in Gillingham – Offering activities and support to promote positive mentalhealth Friday 6-9pm, Sat 3.30-6.30pm and Sun 1-4pm. Call 01634 581511
or e-mail: info@sunlighttrust.org.uk.
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