Back in January I posted a list of six things I’d quite like to do in 2017. So how did I get on?
1. Volunteer with Time to Change
ACHIEVED
Following on from previous volunteering experiences with mental health charity Time to Change, I had a fantastic time at Newcastle Pride in July. You can read how I got on, as well as the thoughts of others who took part, in my post What Is It Like to Volunteer with Time to Change?
If you’d like to get involved with Time to Change yourself in any capacity, check out their Champions page.
2. Visit a Pub
ACHIEVED
This might not seem a particularly challenging objective but I rarely visit pubs, apart from when my wife Pam and I are on holiday. I specifically wanted to visit Wylam Brewery at the Palace of Arts in Newcastle upon Tyne. I achieved this goal in May, finding that the place fully lived up to my hopes.
I visited two other pubs of note this year. The 15th-century Kirkstone Pass Inn on the A592 Kirkstone Pass road is the highest pub in Cumbria, and a rare delight boasting an extensive and delicious menu.
In November I accepted an invitation to speak at Talking FreEly’s second mental health event in Ely, Cambridgeshire. I travelled down the day before and stayed at the Nyton Guest House. I had a fabulous meal and a couple of pints at the Minster Tavern in the centre of town.
You can read about my visit to Ely in my blog post Community, Cake, and Conversation, and watch my talk here.
A former favourite and Britain’s highest pub, the Tan Hill Inn featured in a Christmas 2017 tv advert for Waitrose supermarket. The advert is pretty cool but the pub itself failed to deliver when Pam and I visited in May. We looked elsewhere when we were back in the area in October. The Pack Horse Inn in Keswick, and The Beehive Inn at Eamont Bridge near Penrith are both worth a visit.
3. Fundraise for a Mental Health Charity
ACHIEVED
I didn’t do as much as I had intended, but Fran and I again took part in the NAMI Maine Walk in October.
Fran did the walk in person in South Portland; I took an equivalent walk here in Newcastle.
4. See HTLT on a College or University Reading List
PARTIALLY ACHIEVED
Fran and I are keen to get our book High Tide, Low Tide: The Caring Friend’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder into libraries and onto the reading lists for relevant school, college, or university courses.
As far as we know, our book isn’t on any course reading lists yet. However, it is achieving recognition in the professional sector and various lists and libraries.
- One of our highlights was seeing High Tide, Low Tide reviewed in The Psychologist, journal of the British Psychological Society.
- Our book also featured in Abilities, Canada’s Lifestyle Magazine for people with disabilities, with a readership of about 60,000.
- High Tide, Low Tide was accepted into the Royal Society of Medicine Library, and is to be found in a growing number of libraries around the world.
- Our book was added to the Book Club and Counselling Students Book List at The Counsellors Cafe earlier this year, and to the Community Book List at MentalHealthHour.com.
- Our podcast interview with John Wilson is in the OnlineEvents resource library for professionals in the counselling, psychology, and caring sectors.
If you are involved with training courses or programs and feel our book could be relevant, we’d love to hear from you!
5. Bring My Weight Back under 180 Pounds
NOT ACHIEVED
In January 2017 my weight was hovering around 190 pounds.
As the graph shows, I’ve not achieved my target of 180 pounds (yet!) but I brought my weight down significantly and maintained for a good while between 184–186. Christmas has added a couple of pounds back, so I need to pay attention. I will carry this objective forward into 2018.
6. Complete a Mental Health Course
ACHIEVED
I completed the excellent free online Ally Training Course offered by NoStigmas. The three self-paced modules cover Self Care, Peer Support, and Advocacy and I was impressed by the content and presentation of the material. I recommend it to anyone interested in mental health support of oneself and others.
Did you set yourself any goals for 2017? How did you get on? I will post my Things I Would Quite Like to Do in 2018 list in the New Year.
Marty
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