A mental health catch-up

It's Mental Health Awareness Week - let's discuss.

Given that last week’s newsletter was a doozy (read it here if you missed it), I’m paring it back today. It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, so I figured now is a better time than any to explore what that means to me.

I could turn this newsletter into a rant about corporate adoption of ‘mental health awareness’ as a box-ticking exercise, and I’ll try not to. But, I do want to touch on the fact that we are nowhere near a place where businesses are actively supporting employee mental health.

That may seem like a sweeping statement, and I truly believe that there are few exceptions to this statement, but I firmly believe that mental health is not yet a priority for businesses.

I don’t have a solution to this, but I can assure you that yoga class, lunchtime massages and free fruit is not it.

As a freelancer, I no longer have to deal with this bullshit approach to mental health management in the workplace - that’s not to say I am particularly great at it, either.

I’ve discussed my mental health numerous times on my blog, on Medium and on social media, so I won’t go into loads of detail but I will say that I have Generalised Anxiety, Panic Disorder, OCD and on-off-depression. I actively take medication, which manages the panic and OCD elements, and I have recently completed a year-long cycle of therapy following my Mam’s passing last year. So yeah, there’s a whistle-stop tour of my brain.

Everybody is different, but here are some things that help me:

• Reading

I read a lot. Fiction, non-fiction, blogs, articles, newsletters - I love it all. The written word is my favourite form of communication. Some MH highlights include:

Reasons To Stay Alive & The Humans by Matt Haig, the wonderful musings of gem higgins (especially Sit. Fucking. Still - seriously. Read this. Now.)

• Writing

Another obvious one, writing is great therapy for me. Whether it’s writing this newsletter this week, journalling, tweeting… it all acts as a great release during difficult times.

• Drawing

I find drawing can be a balancing game for me as I can be very self-critical and this can hold me back when it comes to just drawing for the sake of it. The lockdown has got me picking up pens and paper much more often, so that’s been great. No doodle in the newsletter from me this week though, as I don’t want it to become a chore.

• Music

There’s nothing quite as transportive as music. I actively listen to a lot of ‘study music’ while working, but recently I’ve been delving into some old and new favourites to add a little variety to my daily soundtrack.

• Talking to others

This is by far my worst one. For years, I didn’t tell anyone about my mental health struggles. Now, I am considerably better at chatting about anxiety, panic attacks and OCD. Depression is still a stickler for me. At its very core, depression makes me withdraw. I also don’t think it is as ‘widely understood’ as anxiety. I’ve written about this previously: Let’s face it… it’s just not cool to be depressed.

To cap this all off, the best advice I can give is to find something that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside and do it when you feel crap. For me, it’s watching The Office US, eating Bournville Buttons, cuddling Potter, reading epic fantasy, walking the dogs, listening to early 00s indie and colouring in. What’s yours?

Be alive. That is your supreme duty to the world.

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Last week, I said I read three books but I actually read four. The fourth was not on my Goodreads because it’s not out yet! My fiancé Craig Boyle has recently finished editing his first full-length novel, A Land of Tooth and Claw. I am likely biased but my, oh my, what an epic read. If you like fantasy, vampires, werewolves and dystopian fiction then you’ll love this. He’s making the finishing touches to the words, while I attempt to make a half-decent ebook cover. I’ll keep you up to date with the official release.

In terms of this week’s reading, I completed one book - My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. Pffffff. This was a toughie. Russell tells the story of a predatory teacher-student relationship over a 15 year period from the point of view of the student. It is very graphic at times and a difficult read, but well worth it.

I am also nearing the end of the first Mistborn Trilogy so that’s happening and I will likely share my thoughts on that next week.

I don’t really do anything else except work and read at the moment, so I have nothing else to add here…

May your Wednesday be short and your coffee be hot.

‘Til next week, you can find me on Twitter @ContentByTheSea.

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Enjoyed this? Read past issues:

13 May - The fantasy characters of lockdown

6 May - The Personal Brand has never been so personal

29 April - When the inspiration runs dry

22 April - One year on…

15 April - It’s a great time to be a generalist

8 April - Content creators are performing a national service