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 ...

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...

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...