UK

  • Reviews Elsewhere – A Treasure Box for Creating Trauma-Informed Organizations, by Karen Treisman

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    I think this is something many of us would agree with, the people in our organizations have all been through trauma, some in more ways than others. Trying to simply go on as if nothing has happened is a disservice to the human beings in your organization, no matter what type of organization we are talking about. Taking some time to recognize what has happened and how we go forward from there is an important step. It sounds like this “Treasure Box” may help us all do exactly that.

  • Get Some Help with a Free Mind Plan

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    It’s being offered by the NHS in the UK. Basically, the idea is simple, answer five quick questions about how you’re sleeping, stress, anxiety, etc. and they’ll put together some resources that might help.

    Of course, they will also suggest getting some professional help, and more formal resources and those kinds of suggestions should not be taken lightly, but I took the survey, and the things they offered me were things like plans to physically move more, sleep aids, and a mental health app that might help with some of my issues.

  • Sharing – 5 Crucial Mental Health Tips for Bloggers

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Whenever anyone asks me about blogging, especially about child abuse and mental health, I tell them that they need to decide two things, and always stick to them.

    1. Decide what you will share about your own story, and what is off the table. Don’t share so much of yourself that you wind up becoming overwhelmed and find yourself dealing with the fallout. Remember, once you share it, you no longer control how other people respond. If you’re not ready for that, there’s no shame in it. Just know before you start.

    2. The second one, is to decide what you’re willing and able, to give to your readers. This is the hardest one, as the article below mentions:

  • Is Music Helping You Get Through?

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Speaking, again, for myself, when I get frustrated with world events, work, or whatever might be irritating me beyond belief at the moment, a good bit of loud music can help me express that and just get it out of my system so that I can then continue on with my life. I find myself getting more and more irritable if I haven’t found a way to express the frustration that I may be feeling at any particular time until it eventually shows up in maybe ways I would rather it doesn’t. So, when I find myself getting more and more frustrated, out come the headphones, and a little punk rock, until I feel better. 

    And, really, there is a lot to be frustrated about in the world right now, let alone our individual lives. If some loud music helps me deal with that, so be it. So, let’s at least fill our lives with some music. It certainly can’t hurt. 

    What impact does music have on your own emotional well-being? Have you thought about the role it could play in self-care?

  • Sharing – 5 Amazing Benefits of Blogging about Mental Health

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I’ve had people refer to me as someone who is surprisingly self-aware. I don’t really think of myself that way, but what I do know is that reading and writing about mental health topics, as well as my own experience in therapy, provides me with constant reminders about the importance of mental health, and how that information either resonates with me, or doesn’t, and why.

    I don’t think our current culture really encourages that kind of behavior. We are encouraged to be busy, productive, constantly hustling and then showing it off on social media. Self-reflection? Ha! No time for that.

    But there should be time for that. Without knowing ourselves, how can we even start to care for our own mental health?

  • Sharing – Small Talk With A Stranger Can Still Save Lives, Says Samaritans

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I’ve talked about this a little bit, but maybe not in detail. When I was really struggling, I can’t necessarily say that someone starting a conversation with me made the difference that day. I don’t think I was self-aware enough to know that. What I do know, however, is that being seen makes a huge difference. In my depression, I did not want to be seen. I wanted to fade away. That was the driver behind my desire, to simply not be here. To disconnect from everything in order to disconnect from the pain I was in. Small connections helped me understand what I was giving up, and why I might want to rethink that.