I was delighted to be invited along to chat to Ballisodare Women’s Shed about my mental health experience, and some of the things that helped me. I had a short chat with Terry about the Women’s Shed, and you can listen to the podcast to find out how you can join, and also about the difference in funding between Men’s and Women’s sheds – I do wonder about that, it seems very wrong to me. Apologies about the sound quality, as it was a very windy day. https://shows.acast.com/magnumladys-podcast/episodes/interview-with-terry-from-ballisodare-womens-shed If you are interested in joining the Ballisodare Women’s Shed you can find them on Facebook, or email: ballisodarewomensshed@gmail.com
Anyway, I’m off again! Firstly, thank you so much to Terry for inviting me along, and secondly thank you to all the members for their kindness, the tea and cakes were very welcome, and the chats were just lovely, also thank you for the card and chocolates, it’s very much appreciated.
I’m adding some of the things I spoke about here, in case they are of interest to others, and also the links to the organisations I mentioned.
Get your B12 checked. I went to see Siobhan O’Farrell Nutrition and she knew me before, so she knew that something was wrong with me. She went through my diet and advised lots of things and she told me to get my B12 levels checked, as B12 deficiency and depression are very closely linked. This test isn’t included in the standard blood test, so you have to ask for it. It turned out that I was severely lacking in B12, and I had to have injections. I went from having no energy whatsoever to climbing mountains at 4am!
Seek help. There are so many wonderful organisations out there. North West Stop offer free counselling and there are no waiting lists. I, myself went to four different counsellors before I found the right person for me. In my case there were issues from my childhood and there is the National Counselling Service on John Street, who deal with adults who have experienced trauma and abuse in childhood. You can refer yourself, or your GP can refer you.
Another amazing service that we have in Sligo is the Havin’ a Laugh charity, and they helped me so much. They provide life enhancing experiences for people who are going through therapy for mental health-related reasons. I contacted them and they asked me what I would like to do, at the time I didn’t really want to do anything, so they asked what I used to like to do, and I loved seaweed baths, they sent me a voucher and off I went. I also took the camera along with me, and I hadn’t taken photos for a very long time. I walked along the beach and started taking photos again, and it made me feel a bit more like my old self. I felt so grateful that someone outside my family cared about me and I wanted to give something back. As I missed going for coffee with people, I started a coffee morning to raise funds for the charity. Around 200 people turned up for the first one, which didn’t do my anxiety any good at all! That was back in 2017 and the monthly coffee mornings still continue on the first Monday of every month (unless it’s a bank holiday) and then they are on the second Monday. Anyone is welcome to attend and it’s on at The Riverside Hotel from 11am – 12 noon.
Something I discovered on my wellness journey was a love of art and painting, and I try to paint whenever I can. It really helps me to relax, even just the sound of the paintbrush on the canvas.
There are a couple of techniques that I’ve found to be very helpful. One is ‘little boxes’. I found things to be quite overwhelming if I think about everything I had to do, it’s like having bees buzzing around my head. So, I imagine I had compartments in my head – one for work, one for home, one for worries, one for whatever I happened to be doing at the time etc. I just deal with one box at a time, for example when I was at home the other boxes would be closed.
I also find that imagining all my worries and things I have to do are laid in front of me, and hovering above them helps me. I can look at the bigger picture and see if there’s anything that I can deal with in that moment, or if I can put it back in its box until later.
Through it all I continued to write, I find writing very therapeutic, and most of my story is on my blog. There’s a search button and you can search for mental health, depression, etc. and see the old posts if you’d like to read them.
I’m also a friend to myself now. I know what some of my triggers are, and I don’t force myself to do anything that I’m not comfortable with, like I would have done in the old days. I can feel my internal battery draining when I’m at events, or when I’m out and about, and I know when it’s time for me to leave and go home to recharge my battery. I also tell the ‘committee members’ in my head to be quiet, I don’t talk to myself in the negative ways that I would have done before.
If you are struggling, have a think about the things that you love, or something you’d like to try, it might help you. Sometimes it’s even as simple as trash TV or a soak in the bath. Just remember that although you might feel like the only person going through this you aren’t alone, and there is support and help.
Thanks so much to Terry and the Ballisodare Women’s Shed for such a lovely morning, it was a pleasure.
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