Gum on My Shoe

When I’m happy, I walk. When I’m sad, or lonely or lost. When I’m hurting, or numb. When there’s too much to think about Or nothing on my mind. I walk. Walking has played an important role in my life for as long as I can remember. So much so that it was one of the first things I included in the wellness tools section of my Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) . It’s also made its way into my writing more often than I’d realised until I began writing this article. (The idea for this piece came to me whilst, wait for it, walking into work one morning a few weeks ago.) My family never owned a car, so when I was growing up in Liverpool if I wanted to go somewhere it was catch the bus or walk. From the age of eleven I walked thirty or forty minutes each way to and from school, lost in my thoughts about whatever was going on for me at the time. In my late teens I remember going for Sunday evening walks to West Derby village and back, a round trip of maybe an hour and a half at my ambli...

When did you start feeling like a fraud? Fran asked me that question recently. It’s not exactly that I feel a fraud. I’ve never passed myself off as other than I am or claimed knowledge and experience I don’t have. But I have used that knowledge and experience to involve myself in groups and activities intended for people with lived experience of mental illness, which I do not have. Maybe it’s more a case of impostor syndrome than fraud. According to Scientific American, “ Impostor Syndrome is a pervasive feeling of self-doubt, insecurity, or fraudulence despite often overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It strikes smart, successful individuals. It often rears its head after an especially notable accomplishment, like admission to a prestigious university, public acclaim, winning an award, or earning a promotion.” Putting smart and successful to one side, that description is a close fit for how I’ve been feeling, especially the university example. Last October I enrolled a...

By Julie A. Fast As friends of people with bipolar and schizoaffective disorder we want to be understanding and kind regarding the struggles people with serious mental illness face. But — and it is a very big BUT — there is a line to be drawn in terms of what you as a friend can handle, especially if the person’s symptoms are active. I see this from both sides. I have bipolar disorder and a psychotic disorder myself. I know what the symptoms can do to our minds, and ultimately how they can affect our friendships. I have lost or left many relationships with people who have untreated mental health symptoms. On one occasion a friend with schizoaffective disorder decided that I had stolen one of her ideas. She texted me at 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night and said: I am very upset with you! I just saw your latest blog post and you’re using my ideas in this post and this is not cool. I need you to take it down and print a retraction! Another time, a friend with bipolar one decid...

Back in September we announced our new creative partnership with Eliezer Tristan Publishing . The fruits of that partnership can now be revealed! Available in print and for Kindle , No One is Too Far Away: Notes from a Transatlantic Friendship showcases the very best of our blog posts and articles. “Friendship is a beautiful part of life and an important component of long-term wellness. When Martin Baker met Fran Houston online, he never imagined that they would develop a connection that transcends time zones and international boundaries. “In Notes from a Transatlantic Friendship , journal entries from Baker and Houston show us the deep-rooted value of intimate bonds and shared experiences. Through their writings, the authors demonstrate that mental illness needn’t be a barrier; indeed it can be the glue that holds people together.” No One is Too Far Away: Notes from a Transatlantic Friendship is available in print and for Kindle from Amazon ( COM | UK ) and in print from Ba...

Fran and I are delighted to introduce the new book by a dear friend of ours, Aimee Wilson. Aimee’s mental health blog I’m NOT Disordered has had huge success across the world, with numerous media appearances and collaborations. Recently published for Kindle, When All Is Said & Typed is a complete collection of articles from I’m NOT Disordered published between January 2013 and January 2019. The articles are arranged by chronological order in five topics: The Power of Writing, The Impact of the Media, The Devastation, The Progress, and The People. The book can be read as a self-help guide or as a source of inspiration as it leads the reader through Aimee’s journey from psychiatric hospitalization to recovery. When All Is Said & Typed is available for Kindle at Amazon.co.uk , Amazon.com , and in other regions. Foreword I’ve always loved writing so putting my everything into a book seemed like the natural next step. I remember when I was young, and I used to write...

Thursday February 7 2019 is #TimeToTalk Day , an annual event organised by Time to Change to focus attention on mental health. (Time to Change was formed in 2009 by MIND and Rethink Mental Illness , with the aim of reducing mental health-related stigma and discrimination.) Some feel that awareness campaigns trivialise the lived experience of people with serious mental illness, giving the impression that talking to someone or going for a walk can fix things, or take the place of professional treatment and support. I wholeheartedly agree that a chat with a friend or a breath of fresh air is never going to cure anyone. But I do believe—as the following quotation from Time to Change makes clear—there is much we can do to lessen the burden of isolation and misunderstanding. Conversations about mental health change lives. At the moment, too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, ashamed and worthless by other people’s reactions. But talking about mental h...

Check out our top posts for the past month. Posts are listed by number of page views they attracted during the month, most popular first. Our Top Posts of the Month (December 2018) Bloggers About Town: A Day out with Aimee Wilson Six Things I’d Quite Like to Do in 2019 My Mental Health 2018: Aligning It All My Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Exploring Bipolar Disorder and the Sister Diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder. Is My Friend or Sibling Underdiagnosed? The Things That I Want A New Friend To Know Complex Simplicity: The Art of Being Honest Some Things I’d like to Cultivate and Harvest This Year Five Fun Adventures to Enjoy with a Friend Who Has Bipolar Disorder Our most visited pages were: Contact Us Resources About Us Our book: High Tide Low Tide News and Appearances Testimonials