Why Should We Talk About Mental Health?

Here are 5 reasons why it's important to break the stigma around mental health.

'Mental Health Awareness' is becoming a popular term, with society shifting towards a more open and accepting stance on mental health. Social media has been a powerful platform for people to be able to share their experiences, learn about mental health conditions, and connect with others online, all behind the security of a screen.

Whilst we have come a long way since the days of repression, inhuman mental asylums, and bizarre and shocking diagnoses and treatments, we still have a long way to go. Shame, fear, anxiety, negative beliefs, and misinformation are just a few of the many roadblocks to openly and comfortably talking about what's going on in our minds and our bodies. The weight of historical baggage still hangs heavy upon our collective unconscious and feeds into our modern-day perception and education around mental health and...

C-PTSD Recovery: Deconstructing Fear.

In this post, I explore how fear shapes my experience of c-PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder). I argue that by acknowledging our deepest fears and phobias, and by recognising the role that they play in our everyday life (most especially in our interactions with ourselves and others), we can begin to break the subconscious cycle of trauma reactions, deconstructing, processing, and eventually recovering from the experience of trauma.

Flashbacks, dissociation, and panic attacks are perhaps the best-known symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and C-PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder). What lies at the heart of these conditions, as well as many other mental health conditions, is one of the most overwhelming human emotions: fear.

This post aims to dig a little deeper into my own experience of these symptoms, picking out some of my most prevalent fears which feed the cycle of withdrawal, avoidance, re-experiencing trauma, and suffering from...

How do you know if your child has been traumatised?

It could be losing a close friend or family member, or the separation of parents, or experiencing a broken home, or constant changes such as moving schools or houses, or emotional or physical abuse.

These are just a few examples of traumatic events that can leave an emotional mark that young people, like myself, can’t seem to shake off.

My personal experience of dealing with several traumatic events in my childhood and teens, was that I wish my parents had tried to understand what I was going through and done more to help me cope during this tumultuous time with their reassurance, support, and love.

I’m writing this blog to try to help you support your own child.

Signs of trauma:

Trauma comes from the immense hurt, grief and pain that a young person is holding onto from a certain distressing situation and is finding it difficult to move on. Each young person will cope with challenging life events differently, and what will traumatise one, will not have the same...