Depression can take on entirely different symptoms in each of us. We all experience depression differently, and each time it consumes us it can feel different from the last. When I’m in my auto-pilot, numb mode, it feels like the sensation of actually being trapped inside a giant balloon. It feels impossible to kick holes [...]
Ricky Gervais has again bravely chartered new territory in his latest dark sitcom, Afterlife. This time the subjects are suicide and humanity; Ricky has gone to admirable lengths to help start a conversation about self-harm, depression and suicide. The series tells the story of a husband who’s just lost his wife to cancer. Tony’s wife, [...]
Winston Churchill famously suffered with crippling bouts of depression. He was frequently confined to his bed, his energy depleted and his appetite lost. It was Churchill who likened the illness to a black dog. Since then, the expression has been used by the mental health charity, Sane, and their great work of depicting depression as [...]
When we’re deep in the well of sadness or depression, we often don’t feel like doing very much at all. We might find ourselves sitting on our sofas with nagging thoughts which flit from great pain to then great angst at all the things we need to do. The anxiety begins to pull at your [...]
My Nannie smelt lovely, layers of floral talcum powder, spearmint and Pears soap. Her bungalow was pristine - she was very much the homemaker. It smelt lovely, too, as did her baking and her much cherished garden. Staying with her was a real treat for the nose with the delicious aroma of homemade cakes and [...]
When we’re lost in pain, sadness, or depression, it’s really hard to distinguish our emotions. We often feel simply numb. For me, it’s as though I have a form of pins and needles that are all-consuming, and given the choice, there are many days when I’d simply like to stay in bed. However, like most [...]
I had numerous family losses in 2016. When I lost my mother in law, it felt like I was falling from the sky - without a parachute. When I lost my dog, it felt as though my body had crashed to the ground. When I lost my poor brother, it felt as though a giant [...]
It’s not relevant to detail what pains my heart. Our pain and sadness is unique to each one of us… And because we have a personal viewpoint, it can be challenging finding or talking to people about our experiences. It can cause us frustration even by imagining how a friend might react. How can someone [...]
When I watch television commercials depicting the perfect happy family meal, they have the opposite effect. They make me feel sad! I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that such cosy lighting, a glowing fireplace, and the fact that every member of the family is present is real... It just feels false! I [...]
It’s a weird idea to get your head around, but sometimes, we don’t feel quite as bad as we think we should. In a time of trauma or tragedy, we often expect ourselves to be uncontrollably sobbing and inconsolable all the time. But trauma doesn’t work like that. Sometimes, when something bad is going to [...]