(NB: This piece was started on World Mental Health Day, and completed the day after...it's just taken me till now to get it on here...)
My mental health was really crappy yesterday, and the irony of it being World Mental Health Day was not lost on me! My anxiety was through the roof from the moment I woke up, and I found it almost impossible to get going or to motivate myself to do anything. My usual default is to get everything done on high speed auto pilot, and I know I am capable of being highly productive and self motivated. But recently I have been unable to be that same conscientious person that I have become known as. Yesterday’s anxiety did lessen slightly as I somehow made it through each job I had to do, but it eventually culminated in my need to re-do the cleaning my boyfriend had already done in an attempt to help me by doing some of the things that I usually force myself to do. But no, it wasn’t good enough. I had to clean more, make it more perfect, burn more calories, punish myself more. More, more, more… My chest hurt and it felt like I was having a heart attack. I was starving and my stomach was cramping, but I couldn’t relax enough to eat or to get the pains to stop; not until I knew that the hairs that my boyfriend had just moulted from having a shower and getting changed, had all been eliminated. And then I felt bad for not trusting him or appreciating his help; for making him feel scared to shower- or even move- in his own home. This manic cleaning spree also meant that I had less time to sit down and write, which I consider an act of self care; something I could really have done with yesterday! But the anxiety took over and nothing but obsessive cleaning would make it go away. This recent increase in my anxiety has me worried for several reasons: If I am incapable of completing even the simplest of daily tasks without crippling anxiety; if I am scared to go to work, no matter what that job is; if I cannot bring myself to get out of bed; how will I ever be able to live and work to the best of my ability? How will I make myself credible to any potential employer, let alone as an entrepreneur, supporting others as well as myself? This is why I cannot wait for my appointment with my local mental health team next week, where I will finally (hopefully) be getting the support I need- whatever that may be. All day yesterday, I scrolled through Twitter, wanting to post something profound to mark World Mental Health Day. But it had all been said so powerfully, and by so many others, what could I possibly add? I didn’t want to just re-hash the same old messages that are repeated so often we become immune to them. And, if I am brutally honest, I am still scared of who will see that I am struggling with my mental health right now, as opposed to it being something I have been ‘cured’ of and is safely in my past. I am worried that it will somehow come back to haunt me. Oh, the conflict of wanting to raise awareness of mental health, and to decrease the stigma surrounding it, whilst still fearing that this very same stigma will make others think the worst of me and further limit my life. But if we don’t talk about it - the reality of it- and be honest about what’s going on right here, right now- how will we ever make it ‘OK not to be OK’? If I judge myself for struggling with my mental health, how can I expect other people not to do the same? We need to remember that we all have mental health- just as we all have physical health. Therefore, we will all have times when our mental health is crappy, just as there will be times when we feel physically crappy. Also, the symptoms of mental ill health will vary between individuals, just as symptoms of physical ill health will vary. One person may be prone to earaches, while another tends to get a lot of migraines. I happen to get severe anxiety, while other people get really, really depressed. And then there are chronic physical conditions such as diabetes and asthma, and chronic mental illnesses such as eating disorders and OCD. It’s all the same but different, just as all humans are the same but different. We all get ill, but we can all get well too. And we all have our own preferred ways of staying well; eating a balanced diet, practising yoga, walking regularly, listening to music, limiting alcohol, mindfulness, creative activities…all of these things improve both physical and mental health. For example, writing this has made me feel better. Just the act of expressing myself, getting my thoughts out of my poorly brain, and being honest about who I really am and what I am going through has made me feel ‘heard’ and accepted. And even if that is not the case and no-one ever reads this, or if I am seen by some as ‘weak’ or ‘unsafe’ because I have admitted to having current mental health issues, at least I have expressed myself and eased my anxiety- for now. (NB: It is actually scientifically proven that, not only can writing about your feelings improve your mental health, but being honest in general also alleviates symptoms of stress and anxiety.) So there you have it: Be honest, and open up- even if it is just to yourself. Maybe you can help others to do the same. Maybe, one day, we won’t need a dedicated awareness day to talk about health: the good, the bad and the crappy.
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(This is an extended version of a ‘confession’ I shared today with the very supportive Calmer Community facebook group, who champion the importance of health and wellbeing for entrepreneurs, and challenge the stereotype of the glamorous lifestyle often assumed to go along with running (or attempting to run) your own business.)
Mixed feelings this #WellbeingWednesday. I don’t ‘do’ self care. I feel guilty if I allow myself to stop or slow down. I am afraid that, if I stop, I will never start again. Much like my fear that, if I stop counting calories and forcing myself to exercise everyday, I will become a fat, lazy failure. To me, I am already ‘a failed anorexic’ as I know I will never feel ‘thin enough’- but isn’t that exactly the definition of eating disordered thinking?! Anyway, I had planned to get up three hours earlier than I actually did today. I wanted to do a workout or go for a run, clean the flat and THEN go to my day job, so that my evening would be free to focus on my own writing, the online course I have just started, and to work on my business. But I was exhausted, and I slept in and, as a consequence, have felt guilty and lazy all day, and nothing has seemed to go right since. I tried to go for a run this afternoon, but it was so windy I could barely move. I have cleaned the flat, but nothing feels clean. Even though I know I needed the extra sleep, and I know I have done my best, I still feel like today has been a failure and I haven’t really ‘achieved’ anything. So I felt I needed to 'confess' what I perceive as a 'failure', and the only place I felt I could do that this morning was the Calmer Community facebook page. This group was set up to encourage entrepreneurs to lead more balanced lifestyles, whilst still pursuing their personal and professional goals. It acknowledges the pressure that so many of us- regardless of our employment status- put on ourselves to do more and appear more ‘successful’ than is even possible. The cliché of the entrepreneur (or anyone really) who gets up, works out, drinks a green smoothie and writes a blog post before everyone else has even hit the snooze button, is really highly irritating to those of us who just don’t have those energy levels- whether that is because their physical or mental health is suffering, or just because they are human! Basically, the wellbeing and sanity of people trying to 'do it all' is often overlooked, because it is assumed they are coping. And I guess I just wanted to highlight that, although it may sound exciting to be pursuing my ‘dream career’, using my writing to express myself and to support others to do the same; although it may appear that I ‘like being busy’ (I don’t by the way, I just don’t have a choice!); that I am actually not coping very well at all. Oh, and that it’s OK not to be OK- in fact, it’s kind of normal! I appreciate this may never be read but, if I've learnt anything from my work as a writing for wellbeing enthusiast, it's that getting it all out, and the potential for my words to be 'heard' by others, is where the magic lies. So I am practicing what I preach. And at least I have now achieved one thing today- a new blog post- and all because I used my writing to process my feelings, reached out to others for support and shared my experience honestly. So maybe I CAN do this self care thing after all… I first heard about the All Party Parliamentary report, ‘Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing’ whilst listening back to the recordings of the keynote speeches and debates from the Culture, Health and Wellbeing International Conference which was held in Bristol in June this year. The Right Honourable Lord Howarth spoke about the key recommendations cited in the report and told the delegates that the report would be published on 19th July 2017. I was listening to this keynote speech on the 12th July and was relieved it was only a week away. Even through my headphones, via YouTube, I could feel the excitement of potential fizzing in the conference hall.
Needless to say, a week later, my Twitter feed exploded, and I could hardly contain myself on social media that evening- sharing and liking and re-tweeting about the report, despite the fact that the majority of my friends and family would have no clue what I was banging on about, or how important this news was: not only for me and my various career paths, but potentially to society as a whole. Many of us don’t need a report to tell us what we already know: that creativity, arts and culture can improve our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing in so many ways I won’t even try to go into them all here. James Pennebaker proved this with his expressive writing experiments back in the 1970’s, and Art, Dance and Music Therapy are already widely used in hospitals, care homes, schools and other settings to supplement more mainstream interventions. But so far the arts have been just that: supplementary. They are considered a luxury rather than a necessity, accessible only by the privileged few who are wealthy enough, or live close enough to, funded projects. Only this week I was reading an article shared by Ty Newydd Creative Writing Centre where poet Kim Moore defended the centre against a recent report that claimed that creative writing retreats, such as those run buy Ty Newydd, were primarily for ‘retired hobbyists’. This is another example of society viewing creativity as something indulgent that only people with lots of time and money can afford- and deserve- to participate in. What the ‘Creative Health’ report has done is bring together all the evidence that has been building up since Pennebaker’s research, and even from way before then (why do we think were so many war poets? How else could they make sense of the horrors around them? And I’m pretty sure there is evidence that human beings have been using art to improve their lives since the Stone Age), and brought it into mainstream consideration. The report includes several case studies of projects taking place all over the UK today that prove, in both qualitative AND quantitative ways, that being involved in creative, artistic or cultural activities, improves health and wellbeing for ALL people, regardless of their age, socio-economic background, ethnicity, or any other characteristic. And the really clever thing about the report? It’s not asking the government (whoever that may be at any given time) for any more money. In fact it is saying that, by following their recommendations, they could even SAVE money! It is just asking for a shift in the way we think about the arts, and for policy makers, healthcare providers, politicians, practitioners and the general public to finally embrace the full potential and power of creative pursuits- for the many, not the few. For people like me who are just trying to break into the field of Creative Writing for Wellbeing, it means that there could potentially be more support (financial, social and practical) for this industry. It means there could be more opportunities available for practitioners using writing within a health or social care context. It means my timing could be just right. And for people suffering from both physical and mental issues (the entire population basically), it means that there could be an alternative way of improving their health and wellbeing that is neither invasive nor expensive, and is confidently ‘prescribed’ by their GP or other medical professional. In fact, no ‘prescription’ is needed. Anyone can pick up a pen, pencil or paintbrush; put on their dancing shoes; sing their heart out. Anytime, any place; alone or with company. Creativity is the ultimate self-help technique. Many people believe that, if creativity was a drug, it would have been bottled, branded and sold years ago, as the miracle cure we have all been waiting for. The ‘Creative Health’ report has given us a recipe to follow to make this ‘drug’ available to everyone, as a cure in its own right, and, as a Writing for Wellbeing enthusiast, I am perfectly placed to be a part of this exciting new era. I have been thinking about the benefits of writing for others versus writing for myself.
For most of my life I have only really written for myself, as a therapeutic tool and to make sense of my thoughts, feelings and experiences. I would occasionally branch out into 'commissioned' work for relatives for birthdays, anniversaries etc, but ultimately, writing has always been- at least partially- a personal act of self development and self care. When considering where to go with my writing next then, it seems only logical that I take my skills and passion for creative writing, combine them with my interest and enthusiasm for psychology and mental health, and start working towards facilitating Creative Writing for Wellbeing Workshops. That, dear reader, is my next grand plan. Writing for Therapeutic Purposes/Wellbeing Workshops in a variety of settings- starting with my local library and the existing mental health support groups I facilitate, and maybe even testing out some sessions on the kids sown at the local youth club; everyone can benefit from the positive effects of writing, and I want to make sure that everyone does. |
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