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...

   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...

A good sleep routine is very important, many people suffer from insomnia or indeed sleep too much. Lack of sleep or not being able to achieve the right quota of sleep one needs for a prolonged period of time (or for some just a few nights of restless sleep) can effect our body, mind and soul. Sleep is an important aid to our wellbeing and one which needs more awareness. I must add the amount of sleep we need varies from person to person depending on the stage of life, work and life commitments etc. Some may need only a few hours sleep and feel rested while others may need a full 8-10 hours quota of sleep. Insomnia is a common early warning sign of depression in many people. In a 2007 study of 10,000 people, those with insomnia were five times as likely to develop depression as those without. Sleep deprivation can also affect our memory, hand eye co-ordination, and our ability to judge our own performance accurately. For example If you’re chronically sleep deprived, you may think you...

Hope lies at the foundation of recovery, even the smallest amount of hope and belief helps along the recovery process. Hope is a very powerful word which can hold a lot of meaning. However very often when feeling unwell feelings of hopelessness can consume a person and they may hold little belief that they can feel better and that life circumstances can and will improve. With the right education, treatment, knowledge and care it is possible to step out of the darkness into recovery, Hope means different things to different people, below are some quotes and saying's from different people about what hope and belief means to them. It is hope that gives life meaning, And is based on the prospect of being one day to turn the actual world into a possible one that looks better" ~ Francois Jacob "Hope dances in the puddles waiting for the sun to come out" - Author Unknown "The natural flight of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope ...

A poem about the highs and lows of Bipolar and reaching stability. If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead. Hypo/mania is a special place, life is just fantastically great. I am the life and soul of the party, laughing and joking whole-heartedly. Others dance with me to my infectious tune, everything in life feels bright, warm, and sunny I hope this doesn't end any time soon. I sing a cheerful song as I soar through the sky my bipolar wings are helping me fly very high. I fly for days, weeks and sometimes months without much rest, I feel that I can stand this test. Mania joins me and comes along for the ride flying with me by my side. The sun is too bright and I can't see what is within my sight. As I reach my peak all of a sudden everything looks bleak, my wings become weak. Adrenalin leaves my side I am not enjoying this ride. The storm replaces the sun, I am in trouble but its only just begun...

What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness helps to control worrisome, self - defeating thoughts and negative thinking, to help our attention span and increase quality of concentration through simple breathing and meditation practices. Mindfulness exercises are about living in the present moment to reduce stress and anxiety, by spending more time present to ourselves and our surroundings. Where does Mindfulness originate from? Mindfulness is based on Buddhist philosophy, however it is not a religion nor are religious belief's necessary to its practise. Please note that although many people benefit from mindfulness techniques it can trigger dissociation for people who are susceptible to it, professional advice should be sought before using mindfulness if you suffer with dissociation. A step by step guide to Mindfulness: There are many mindfulness techniques to choose from, there may be some exercises you can do and some you can not do, you may find in time that you are able to u...

Before I embarked on my recovery journey the questions who am I? Where does my personality begin and my mental health illness end? used to haunt me daily. I had lived with being symptomatic for nearly all of my life with not much stability in between. My likes and dislikes, my views and outlook on life changed more rapidly than most due to depression, anxiety, mania, mixed states, emotional dysregulation, negative judgements from others, stigma and discrimination, dissociation and paranoia, I was living in no man's land. It is common to have a lack of identity when living with a mental health illness, especially for those like me who has lived with a mental illness for many years, having a lack of identity is also a symptom of Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder. Although many people lack a sense of identity it does not mean that they are unable to discover and find the person who they are, who they always have been hidden amongst the mist of their mental health illness. H...

Alongside the correct treatment and many other self-help techniques having a positive mental attitude has helped along my recovery. However I understand all to well that sometimes when we are feeling unwell we can feel as if this is impossible to do. When I used to hear others go on and on about how people who live with a mental health disorder need to be more positive, and I was unable to think positively at all, it used to make me feel as if I were a weak person which used to trigger me further. I knew I had to start thinking positively to step in to recovery but was unable to do so. I became trapped. I wrote the following when I was unable to have a positive mental attitude, I also have written below how I learnt to break free, which led to my recovery. "The guilt and tears set in this morning and everything looked pointless. The birds were singing their usual songs, but their tunes were not the same. The sun was warm on my skin, but all I noticed were the dark clouds i...

Trigger warning. An honest account about the social stigma I have encountered, self stigma and how I broke free. If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead. When I was diagnosed with mental illness I was very lucky to have people around me who did not stigmatise me, who saw me as me and not my diagnosis. However when I stepped out of my comfort zone and into society I was hit with the stigma of mental health illness which many people have to battle with from time to time. As soon as some people and I am talking about people in the health care system as well (not all I must add) knew I had mental illness they did not see a human being standing before them who was very similar to them. All they saw were the differences, to them I was a walking talking diagnosis. I may as well of developed horns or an extra head. As soon as they were aware of my diagnosis which is Bipolar Disorder, Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder and A...

Mental health illness does not discriminate however many people still stigmatise and discriminate those who are affected by it. Mental illness is not a sign of weakness, it is not something to be ashamed of, nor does it only target specific groups of people. It effects people of all ages, educational and income levels and cultures. Lets have a look at what stigma is, how it can effect us and how we can cope with it. What is mental illness stigma? Mental illness stigma is when people hold negative judgemental beliefs against people who live with a mental health illness. They are often stereotyped into groups and defined by their mental health diagnosis. Many people stigmatise others because of preconditioned ideas and by certain . ignorant media hype. Stigma often leads to discrimination and can isolate many people How can stigma effect us? Stigma can drastically effect and distort one's views, there is substantial evidence to support the findings that stigma associated with...

If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead.  Since the mid-1980s the term mental health recovery is becoming more and more popular and is widely used amongst mental health professionals and those who live with a mental health disorder. Many people assume those who use the word recovery mean they are symptom free, cured or have recovered this is also known as clinical recovery. Whilst this may be true for some, for many mental health recovery means improved quality of life, being able to live a full, happy life whilst learning to live with ongoing symptoms, this is often referred to as personal recovery.  Personal recovery is a unique process for each individual as in life we all have different needs, dreams and aspirations. For me recovery is an ongoing process with which I take small steps rather than leaps and strides in order to keep my balance; a journey not a final destination. Being in recovery means I am ...