I want to talk about mental health

It has been a strange weekend. We were invited to a birthday meal for a close friend on Saturday night, however my wife was in tears ahead of going as she was nervous about the occasion.

She was worried about her outfit, worried about being able to sit at a table for a long period of time, worried about not being able to hear people at the table, worried about not being able to eat. She hates not being the same sociable person she once was. She physically cannot do the same as the rest of use when out. And she also knows she will pay for any social situation the next day. And that was borne out – she was very tired on Sunday, though did manage to meet some different friends for a while. She thus managed two social events in 24 hours, which will do alot for her mental well being.

However the bigger news had happened earlier on Saturday, with a sad call to tell me that my sisters boyfriend had killed himself. My sister had been the unfortunate person to find him. Even a day later, I have no idea how to process the news, and am in a state of shock. I cannot fathom what my sister is going through right now.

I have mentioned mental health on a few occasions, and touched on my own personal battles at times. The events of this weekend go to show that you can never know what is going on behind someones eyes, their outward appearance may be fine, but their head may be in a totally different place. I have said before that you need to talk and let someone know if that is you, and if you suspect someone you know is having a hard time, try to talk to them, offer them a helping hand or even a shoulder to cry on. I have friends I talk to regularly, but also friends that know that sometimes all I need is a coffee in peace.

There are also organisations that can take you call. The Samaritans are always there – https://www.samaritans.org/ – with qualified phone operatives who will take your call and chat with you. Other charities help deal with mental health such as https://www.mind.org.uk/. The people who work for these charities do amazing work helping people.

There are also various forums and groups that you can contact, and my other post with information for carers will soon have some on there. One other thing I have found has been the support that can be found on Twitter – ahead of our night out on Saturday, I received lots of encouraging messages from people I have never met or heard from before. I can be found there on http://www.twitter.com/mywifehascance1.

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