Cassie Talks - Mental Health

  If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead.  Does the following seem familiar? "So many things to do and so little time to do it in and my mind is racing.  So many sounds, sights and smells to take in and it overloads my senses. Internal and external chatter all around me and I start to feel discombobulated. I rush about trying to get my daily activities achieved while trying to self-regulate. I have a headache, my hearts pacing, and anxiety starts to set in. The feelings of overwhelm are overtaking my soul as I scramble around trying to find a way out". If you can relate to one of my experiences I have just described, you may be struggling with feelings of overwhelm. Everyone from time to time feels overwhelmed, especially in this fast paced society we live in. However when living with neurological differences, a mental illness, going through difficult or stressful times, or indeed if you are a highly sensitive ...

  If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead.  Have you ever been negatively affected by someone who pretends to be a good person sometimes even godlike and innocent, presenting as  friendly, kind and caring, but when you get to know them they are actually the opposite often trying to cause damage, harm or take advantage of you for their own personal gain? If so you may have been bitten by the wolf in sheep's clothing and this blog post may be of some interest to you. I, like many others in society have been bitten by the wolf who presents in sheep's clothing many times. If the bite from a wolf doesn't heal properly the effects from their bite can be disastrous, causing mental health problems, low self esteem and loneliness. In our survival guide for life it is so important to be able to understand why these people present as a sheep, be able to spot a wolf in sheep's clothing, know how to heal the bite from t...

Let's talk glimmers!! If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead.  Recognising our glimmers can help us soothe our nervous systems, helping to take us out of the fight or flight mode that triggers cause whilst helping to improve our mood. But what are glimmers and how can they make us happier? The concept of glimmers is part of Polyvagal theory. Coined by behavioural neuroscientist Stephen Porges and introduced in 1995, A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger: Triggers are danger cues that make us feel threatened, leading us to fight, run away or freeze. They are things (e.g. memories, objects, people) that spark intense negative emotions. Whereas Glimmers are small moments that spark joy or peace, which can help cue our nervous system to feel safe and well in the world, calm or connected. This tends to feel good in our bodies, creating a gentle, warm shift within.  Often these micro-moments can happen without us really ...

  If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead.  Some people just don't understand mental health and mental illness and it's OK to not understand. However it isn't OK to judge or discriminate those who are affected by mental ill health. It is easy to judge and discriminate based on ignorance, it is more difficult to understand which is why there is so much stigma. Those who have poor mental health need kindness and empathy not judgement and discrimination. We need to remember 1 in 1 has mental health. That's right, we all have mental health which we need to look after. Our level of mental health and wellbeing can vary over the years and with the ups and downs of life. Sometimes like our physical health it can become unwell. Poor mental health can effect absolutely anyone. 1 in 4 people experience mental illness at some point in their lives. The World Health Organisation reports: 10% of children have a mental hea...

   A guide to understanding anxiety and panic attacks, symptoms and treatment, based on my experiences. If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead.  I have suffered with an anxiety disorder nearly all of my life, it started as a young child, in fact I was so young when it started that I can't remember life without it. Now then, when I start to talk about anxiety people who haven't suffered with an anxiety disorder do not always understand the severity of it, as occasional anxiety is a normal part of life which most of us have experienced. Everyone feels anxious now and then. Feeling anxious about challenging events and situations or feeling threatened is common and totally normal. I am not talking about occasional anxiety today, I am talking about high anxiety when the beast takes hold of you and pulls you down mentally and physically. Instead of just writing a generic blog post about anxiety and how to manage...

There are links to helplines at the bottom of this post. If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead. Mental health illness can affect men and woman alike. Men suffer from mental health problems at very similar rates to women, yet they are far less likely to seek professional  help and  they are also less likely to disclose a mental health problem to friends and family. Many men don’t feel comfortable discussing their emotions, there are many reason's for this: Society has wrongly taught our boy's to not express sadness during childhood, boy's don't cry or being told to man up  are common harmful phrases. This makes them believe that they aren't supposed to show their feelings, and so they grow up as men who don't express how they feel. Men are not taught how to express their emotions so don't know how to. Many people perceive that men are weak if they cry or admit to mental health distress, ...

Living with mental illness can be a very lonely experience, mental illness can isolate us in so many ways.  Stigma  and  self-stigma  can isolate us as can the illness itself as sometimes we can prefer to be alone because we either don't want to bother someone or the want to socialise just isn't there. I have isolated myself many a time and have been socially isolated too. When I talk about loneliness it doesn't necessarily mean being on your own as some people can live happy and fulfilling lives without much socialisation, however many people will find this a very lonely experience. You can also be in a crowded room with friends or loved ones and still feel lonely. So what do I mean by feeling lonely? Loneliness is a subjective experience of isolation, it is a mentally painful experience where you do not feel connected to the people around you and your basic needs are not being met. You may feel unloved, not worthwhile, even if others don’t share these views. You...

  Trigger warning. I have suffered with depression on and off for as long as I can remember, its a debilitating disorder that can negatively impact all aspects of my life. I have relapsed just recently and been feeling quite depressed. Depression can hold me hostage and silence me, it makes me feel ashamed and embarrassed about experiencing symptoms not many people admit to. Today I break free from the chains and will discuss the other side of depression no one talks about in hope that it will help people to know they are not alone. Every day living can seem like impossible tasks. I can go days without bathing or showering, brushing my teeth and my hair or even changing my clothes. Chores around the house build up and I can't even face going out to the bin in my garden to dispose of the rubbish. I have been called lazy when feeling like this, I am not lazy I am suffering terribly with depression. It's hard to explain to someone that has no clue what living with depressio...

It is easy to confuse Bipolar Disorder 2 with Borderline Personality Disorder -BPD (often known as Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder) as they are very similar. Differentiating between the two can be difficult even psychiatrists can find this tricky. However although they are very similar they are also very different too, and have different treatments.  Bipolar 2 disorder is characterised by extreme mood swings. These can range from highs (hypomania) to extreme lows (depression). Episodes of hypomania and depression often last for several weeks or months. Hypomania: Elevated mood, decreased need for  sleep (feels rested after only a couple of hours sleep), inflated self-esteem, racing thoughts, impulsivity, more talkative than normal or pressure to keep talking, distractibility. Depression: Fatigue, sleeping to much or to little, loss of interest, hopeless outlook, changes in appetite (eating too much or not enough),  suicidal ideation and...

Do you feel things more intensely than others? Are you easily overwhelmed by external and internal stimuli? Do you pick up on things that might go unnoticed to others? Do you need lots of alone time to cope with being highly sensitive? If you answered yes to these questions you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). I am an HSP,  I have always been hyper sensitive to other peoples emotions particularly others discomfort, noise and chaotic environments. I become overwhelmed when I have a lot to do and I do not like being under observation. When I meet you I study your face like an atlas, I make brief eye contact with you, the eyes are a window to our souls and I can find it overwhelming to make eye contact. I notice every micro-movement you make and if it doesn't marry up with what you are saying I find it hard to trust you. Your emotions stir up my emotions and I feel very deeply. If you are happy I am happy, if you are sad I feel sad and so on. As we are talking I become...

An open letter about mental illness and social stigma. Dear Society, I am sitting near the window watching the world go by, occasionally glaring at my laptop as I try to type this letter. It's not unusual these days for me to watch the world pass me by, you see I am not very well. I don't have the flu or a stomach bug, I don't have a broken leg or diabetes. I do however live with a serious illness, debilitating at times when I relapse, I live with mental illness.    Before I go any further I want to make it perfectly clear I am not writing this letter for attention, as many people would like to tell you I am attention seeking, this is not true. I know my feeling unwell is just a dent in the road, a mountain I need to climb and I am determined to reach the top. I know what I need to do to feel better. I am writing this letter to educate and raise awareness because even in this day and age there are many people who are not empathetic towards situations that they do not...

Challenging Stigma: Myths Vs Facts Myth: Mental Illness is not a real illness. Fact: Mental illness is just as real as a physical illness. Our mental health and our physical health are both important to our wellbeing, just because you can't see a mental illness, it doesn't mean that it does not exist. Mental illness causes great distress and is more than just the ups and down's of life. Mental illness is a real health problem with effective treatments. Myth: Mental illness will not affect me. Fact: The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports approximately 450 million people worldwide have experienced mental illness. Mental illness is more common than many people realise, you may not experience a mental illness yourself, but it’s very likely that a family member, friend, or colleague will experience mental health illness. Myth: Children do not suffer from mental illness Fact: Children can suffer from mental illness. Mental health problems are said ...

Depression is becoming more and more understood due to many factors such as the rise of people being affected by it or by knowing loved ones, family and friends who have had to battle with these symptoms, campaigns challenging the stigma and people openly talking about their illness. When hearing the word depression many people associate it with a clinical diagnosis such as bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder etc. Depression does not only affect people who have a clinical diagnosis. Situational depression can affect people who do not live with a clinical mental health illness too. Dr. Gronley Say's; Typically major stressors in life will bring on situational depression such as a divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, the economy or any factors that will negatively affect your life. Situational depression is always accompanied by traumatic events or stressful situations and will typically be short lived or continue with the presence of these events. SD can be...

Its been a number of years since I have been hypomanic and I have to say I miss it I really do. Feeling the warmth from hypomania was my reward for being depressed, all those months of viewing the world in many different shades of grey and then seeing it in vibrant colours through beautiful rose tinted glasses was amazing. I was so productive, sociable, outgoing, happy, elated and full of energy needing little sleep to recharge my battery, creative and confident. Woah there, I have to stop myself and really think about what I am grieving today as I have realised I am romanticising it. In reality my hypomania can turn nasty turning into full blown mania with psychosis, mixed episodes and then spiralling back down into depression. In fact I wouldn't wish Bipolar on my worst enemy so I am not advocating people quitting their medication so they become hypomanic. I am grieving the loss of the happy times though, and I know, I KNOW all too well that hypomania is deceptive and ho...