Mental Health – Fishpool Wanda Designs

Change, change and more change

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Originally a post written in late 2023 for publication, but inevitably life managed to run away with me. The blog will restart in full force with the aim to continue more regularly, thanks for reading.

As Greek philosopher Heraclitus once stated: “change is the only constant in life” I can wholeheartedly agree with this statement, if the last few months are anything to go by.

The last couple of months have included a house move, chasing a deposit repayment, moving of utilities and services to the new house, address redirections and many other parts of life admin that follow with such changes.

There has been exploring of the new area I have moved to and all it has to offer. Being closer to the sea and the shriek of seagulls means this North Londoner is well and truly south of the river! Having moved into a city from a lovely village has taking some adjusting. The gentle hum of traffic, sirens form various emergency vehicles and the unmistakeable hum of the HEMS and other agency helicopters.

On the plus side moving into a city the sheer choice of things to eat has meant that well-known home delivery services are tempting me with offers of food to be delivered to the door. Why would I not try these delights now that I have so much to choose from. I must admit it’s a bit of a struggle not to order constantly whilst trying to commit to a PT session each week and the agreed weight loss weekly. Oh well, at least the I have created a habit by having a PT session each week. I am sure the temptation of the food offerings will slowly ebb away.

Another of life’s pleasures is the amount of online and physical forms I have had to fill in for both changing addresses and progressing within my role in the NHS (not including being back to pen and paper at work, but will leave that for another day). Form filling is not new to me having changed roles with the NHS twice as part of my initial apprenticeship, but it’s still a shock when another form is required to be filled in. Admittedly, steps are being made to digitise the process, but its the age old problem I have encountered (even during my days in IT) is that many systems do not interact together so information is duplicated and triplicated and so on.

On the plus side my social diary has been really active in the last few months too. 7-course tasting menus, 50th anniversary charity celebrations, birthdays, socials in London, trips across counties and trips to the seaside. These have all helped recharge the batteries, test the liver and allowed me to visit various times on the clock, even when I am not working.

Starting in my new role in October is exciting, nerve wracking and something I am really looking forward to in equal measure. Its the next step in my progression with more responsibility, but means I have to leave the team I started my journey with. We have such a great dynamic in the team with such a caring and compassionate approach it really does feel a privilege to work with such lovely individuals (you know who you are). Outside of the immediate team I am always amazed and proud to work alongside such knowledgeable and motivated people on a daily basis, such a credit to the industry we work in.

Change is never going away as Heraclitus stated all those many moons ago. On reflection of the past couple of months for me personally I would say you have to embrace it. Being resilient may help but in some cases the change will happen even if you do not want it to. How you respond to it will be the difference. The range of feelings you will feel will vary. I liken it to the “rollercoaster of emotion” as I was once taught in a previous training session.

Whatever you are feeling, sharing it can sometimes be tough, but a great place to start. Talking or writing down these emotions and how they change over time may help. Everyone has been involved in some form of change either professionally or personally and have probably adapted uniquely each time. Trial and error is the only real way to find the way that works for you. The lucky ones in life may just ride the crest of the wave and will deal with any fallout without much intervention. Find what out what works for you and adapt it to each situation that may arise in the future.

More information is available via the links below:

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/mental-health-helplines/

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/

Clear/clean space, clear mind?

After hesitating for so long about starting my blog and publishing my first post last week, I am back with another one. My initial worries about posting evaporated away and led to a new feeling of worry about how people would interpret and react to my thoughts and feelings. As I watched the number of views increasing I became slightly un-nerved and worried that I have made a mistake in publishing my thoughts for the internet to absorb.

My apprehension turned into joy as I received messages from people I have worked with past and present that also led to some great discussions and ideas for future posts. It reaffirmed the idea that I have over a decade ago that this is something I have just put off without a real reason as to why.

Anyway, onto the topic of this post clear/clean space, clear mind. Now this will mean different things to many people, but I will explain what this means to me and how small changes can make a big difference.

I have found a quote that sums it up “Clutter isn’t just the stuff on the floor. It’s anything that gets between you and the life you want to be living” – Peter Walsh. I have tended to follow the rhythm of work, eat, sleep and repeat. Following a daily routine and feeling like a hamster on the wheel rapidly spinning around dealing with all that life throws at you.

Still feeling dizzy from the rapid rotation of life I found that my life was full of clutter. This clutter took form in both a physical and emotional way. I subconsciously accepted the clutter and felt a fleeting reaction of “I should probably sort that out” and then onto the wheel of rotation that is life.

The physical clutter was adding a subtle amount of stress that was slowly increasing by the minutest amount daily. Fortunately, before this became too much of a problem the season became Spring and the sun gave the extra boost that was needed. Out came my problem-management skills and everthing was tidied, sorted and cleaned.

The sense of achievement I felt afterwards took me by surprise. I felt a focus and drive I had not in a while that took hold and led me to sort out books, DVDs, and games that I have meant to sell, give away or take to charity. Several other tasks left outstanding have also been ticked off my list with this renewed energy and focus.

Strangely this feeling has continued into the new week. Don’t get me wrong I am happy it is still there, but from previous experience will start to dissipate. I am not sure whether the explanation for this feeling is that I have a clear mind or if it’s the healing properties and power of the sun.

I will leave you to decide if the quote below resonates with you. Setting yourself time and perhaps a goal of dealing with life’s clutter. Small steps and achievements could lead to improved mental health and well-being. I can certainly vouch for that after my recent de-cluttering success.

“If the stuff you own is not helping you create the life you want, then let it go” – Peter Walsh

An interesting website I found below about clutter with other useful links to other articles on the link to mental health and well-being.

https://www.verywellmind.com/decluttering-our-house-to-cleanse-our-minds-5101511#toc-how-to-remove-clutter-from-your-life

First post after over a decade…better late than never!

So the time has finally come to compose my first post on a blog that I had wanted to start for over a decade. My initial reluctance to create a post was one of fear of the comments I would receive and how my ramblings would be received.

Initially my WordPress page was created after receiving some news that a beloved family pet had died suddenly. The range of emotions I felt was hard to put into words. I felt that the best way was to deal with my feelings was to feel the stroke of keys under my fingers as I typed my thoughts, feelings and emotions into my computer.

Alas, this did not happen and I dealt with it in other ways that did not involve adding anything to my blog. The site was created back in 2012 and was left untouched for more than a decade.

Over a decade ago the world was embracing the 2012 Olympic Games. I was fortunate enough to be successful in the ticket ballot to watch mat wrestling in London. It was great to see the changes the nation went through with increased interest in all sports and showcasing the best that Great Britain has to offer.

Several colleagues I worked with at Tesco applied to be chauffeurs, games makers and other roles supporting the Olympic Games. People I knew from my time “treading the boards” on the Amateur Theatre scene were involved in the opening, closing ceremonies and being games makers. These memories would be once in a lifetime opportunities and frequent reminders would grace Facebook yearly. Smiles would be shared as well as stories being told about how there was such positivity in the the country and the world at the time.

Coming back to the sole purpose for my first post, dealing with loss. Having hesitated for over a decade I am pleased to admit that I need not have worried. Of course, the comments may change my mind but reflecting back on the year that was 2012 has brought many a smile to my face.

Reflection is a good tool to use that may trigger emotions and memories both sad, happy and everything in-between. It may also trigger the urge look at pictures, posts on social media and ultimately recounting stories with loved ones and friends. I would always advocate doing this and not leaving it for as long as I have to deal with life events of the past.

Support and help is always only a phone call away. Talking to friends and family is always encouraged or like I have (eventually) writing your thoughts and feelings into a diary or as I have a blog. There is no correct way but finding a way to pull together how an event makes you feel is a starting point. How you then process the emotions and deal with following stages should be tailored to suit your own needs.

From personal experience you can be referred to talking therapies that can support your journey. You will be exposed to a number of tools and a framework that will help you. It will require commitment and not every tool will work for you, but doing the little things and having small targets will really help you in the long run.

Use the link below for further information on various helplines and crisis contacts that can offer support to you.

https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/helplines-and-crisis-contacts

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