Skip to main content

Mind The Gap

Hi! 

Welcome to my brand new blog. Recently I have been reflecting about the journey I have come on with my mental health issues, and how far I still have to go. I thought it may help me to share my story, and it may help someone else along the way.

But first... this is me!


This is me and my family. My husband and children are my whole world. They keep me sane! In my darkest moments they are what pull me through. In my moments of pure happiness, they are the cause.

My family have shared the majority of my journey, and unfortunately my mental health issues will affect them day-to-day no matter how much I try to keep it from them.




I want this blog to be a platform for mental health matters. I may, at times, go off on a tangent! However, I want to be able to share ways I have found to cope with my challenges, and explore new methods in the future. 

I have suffered with anxiety and depression since I was about 18. I didn't know what it was at the time, but it started around the time I left home and went to university. I was working, I had great friends, but I was lonely and this led to me isolating myself, and using alcohol to self-medicate.

Things came to a head in 2007 when I ended up in hospital following a drug and alcohol overdose. I remember being sat in the hospital, miles from home, and the nurse asking me if I wanted to phone anyone. I didn't. I had no-one to phone. I didn't want to become a burden to my family, and I was too embarrassed to tell any of my friends. I hit my low point that night, and it was only upon speaking to a CBT therapist the following day that I realised I had a medical problem. 

The weight lifted almost instantly. I was feeling this way for a reason, and there might be something I could do about it to feel better. 

The journey from then until now hasn't been easy. I have explored lots of routes and tried lots of things to feel 'better'. However until you know what 'better' means, it is difficult to get there. 

Fast forward to today, when I am more or less 'better'. On a day-to-day basis I feel fine. Obviously I still have the odd day or two where I feel low. However I have come to learn that the best thing for me to do is to try and get on with everything as much as possible. 

I have rambled enough for now, but I hope I have introduced you to my journey, and you know me a little bit better now!

Emily x


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Trendy' is a scary word!

For most of my life I have never really cared much about what I look like. Yes, I want to be slim and beautiful, but I have never invested much effort into making this happen. I have always worn what I feel comfortable in, done my hair and make up for a special occasion, and not paid much attention to what is 'trendy'. Over the last six months or so I have been questioning how what I look like can affect how I feel about myself. Now, I know you must be thinking, how self-centered, or self-involved does someone have to be to constantly be thinking about what they look like. I am not talking about big, significant changes, but rather little tweaks which can boost my confidence. I have always been an advocate of people (not just women) putting time and effort into looking perfect every day and applaud those who do; it is just not for me. Recently I have been making small changes to how I appear, not for the benefit of others, but to explore how this can affect my mood ...
Post a Comment
Read more

In The News

I was watching a news article the other day about how mental health issues are becoming more prominent in young people at university. The upheaval of moving away from home combined with the pressure of performing well academically were blamed, along with other factors. This news story really resonated with me as my time away at university was when I started to recognise that I had a mental health problem. I look back on the three years I was away from home with fondness. I made some great friends and had a wonderful time, as well as finding my independence. However, there is a black shadow which tarnishes my memories of this period, which was due to living with an undiagnosed mental health problem. According to the news story, 1 in 3 students suffer from mental health issues, and 1 in 10 admit to thinking about harming themselves in some way. At the University of Bristol, there have been four student suicides since September, which has led to them carrying out a review of thei...
Post a Comment
Read more