I write about mental health, from my own perspective and more generally.
My journey is very personal but other people have chosen to take it very personally too and because there are people who would use what I write in a negative way, I feel the need for a layer of protection and for the time being I have chosen to make some of the mental health content of this blog private. Should you wish to read those posts please feel free to contact me here and we can chat.
One day there will be less stigma around the sharing of the mental health journey so many struggle with. We can but hope.
In all the months of therapy, that I have had, since I was referred for help after my breakdown and diagnosis of anxiety disorder in 2013, one theme has come up, again and again, with my therapist talking me through how I handle life, and the wishes and expectations of others and the effect it… Continue reading→
I came across an interesting article this week, about the effects of extreme sleep deprivation on new mothers and that this contributes to anxiety and post partum issues like post partum anxiety & depression. We fail new mothers, and despite this being obvious we still aren’t doing much to fix that. As someone who struggled… Continue reading→
And I won’t call you… Yup, that’s right. I am not being rude, or maybe I am, but I can explain. I have a reason. It probably isn’t logical to you, but it’s real for me. The problem is, is that I HATE talking on the phone. Truly, truly, I hate it. It brings out… Continue reading→
I am having a moment, I will probably have another moment or two, tonight, and tomorrow morning. It’s a parental anxiety moment, mainly a mix of anxiety and emotion. It’s a very silly little wobble, I know, but I can’t help it. My boy, my lovely boy, is going on his first school trip tomorrow,… Continue reading→
A blogger I admire, and follow, wrote a piece for the BBC, this week, about coping with Christmas when you are struggling with mental health issues. She writes very well, and is very honest about her own struggles with her mental health and is very active in campagining for awareness of mental health issues. Last… Continue reading→
(image source) Anxiety, be it long term, or short term, a temporary thing that strikes, or a mental condition that someone is struggling with, is not logical. I have always known this. Usually I can talk myself down, or be talked down, when something is pressing on my mind, sending it’s nasty little thoughts into… Continue reading→
(This is what the virus that causes most stomach bugs looks like. Fairly innocent and innocuous until it hits your system and makes you ill!) No one likes the stomach bug. No one enjoys when it lurches it’s nasty way into your system, and makes you ill, and spreads to your family. It’s unpleasant, and… Continue reading→
My name is Karen, and I am someone who struggles with anxiety. I got lost. I normally struggle on quietly, and cope, although those close to me, usually can tell when my coping mechanisms are cracking and failing. I have always been an anxious person, all of my life, for as long as I can… Continue reading→
Welcome to my Friday’s Rants from the Soap Box in my Living Room. A small space in the week where I can have a chunter about things that have made me twitch with annoyance or made me question if the world has gone mad or not…. I also linked up with MummyBarrow for her Ranty Friday. You… Continue reading→
I have written some basics on our sleep story, and our battle with Small Boy’s sleep issues, and struggling with sleep deprivation over the last 2 years, here and here. This piece is a more expanded version, I plan to discuss the effects sleep deprivation has had on me, LSH, our relationship, and what lack of sleep,… Continue reading→