Support services and abandonment – Can recovery happen if interventions start with an end?

***TRIGGER WARNING*** This post talks in detail about the current wait times for NHS care, as well as mental health treatments and physical health pathways. The post will touch on suicidal thoughts and the effect of delays in crisis care. Please only read on if you feel strong enough. You can find more information on mental healthContinue reading “Support services and abandonment – Can recovery happen if interventions start with an end?”

Life in a breakdown – my hidden realities of mental illness

****Trigger warning – this post will talk about depression, anxiety, self harm and suicidal thoughts. Please only read on if you feel safe and strong enough to do so. If you need help then my dedicated mental health and suicide prevention support line page has in-depth information with places to call or visit online thatContinue reading “Life in a breakdown – my hidden realities of mental illness”

Chronic pain – the drugs don’t work

They just make you worse. You know the song, but imagine living it. Imagine relying on medication that isn’t effective when all you want it to do is allow you to get to the toilet without pain. For those of us living with chronic pain, this is the norm. Trial and error of prescription medicationContinue reading “Chronic pain – the drugs don’t work”

Wanted : friend

I think I’m having my first real creative crisis. It’s come from nowhere. 2022 arrived and there seemed to be a world of ideas, projects and opportunities for me to think about. My partner is the one who deserves the credit for everything I’m about to pour out on this post. I was telling himContinue reading “Wanted : friend”

Selected for Childrens Mental Health Week

It’s always a wonderful thing to have a successful Short Story that wins or gets selected for a competition. In the Secret Attic Weekly Write last week (week 5) my story was the first selected entry, and I was absolutely thrilled. The story itself, including the difficult content and the timeframe of submission, was probablyContinue reading “Selected for Childrens Mental Health Week”

Isolation – the lonliness pandemic

Before I steam in to this post, I need to acknowledge the serious reality of lonliness for some people and make it clear that I’m not trying to pull the ‘woe is me’ card. Although I feel lonliness and am basically isolated, I’m acutely aware there are others suffering and alone in a far moreContinue reading “Isolation – the lonliness pandemic”

In memory…

For the first time, I’m going to use this blog in a very self-indulgent way, but it’s going to help me cope this year with the grief train that starts on this day annually and plagues me until December. In no way do I expect anyone to read on, but if you chose to doContinue reading “In memory…”