A guest contribution from John Harper, creator of @rizenow A year ago I decided I wanted to be part of working out how technology can help us and our mental health. The year before, I was diagnosed with moderate depression. It had been going on for a long time and I had no idea what […]
Archive | Stories
The day you’re admitted to a mental health facility is not the right time to be forced to quit smoking
A post from Dougie Pickering, Director of @voxScotland , national mental health service user led organisation in Scotland When is the right time… …not for giving up smoking, but perhaps being ‘forced’ to? After a great deal of service user consultation at local and national levels, including smokers and non-smokers, the answer seems to be: “not on […]
Do you have a right to smoke in hospital?
As of March 31 of this year, it is illegal to smoke anywhere on NHS grounds. We all know that smoking is bad for our health and most people have come to accept that it is banned in public places, but what about people who don’t get to choose where they go? People who are […]
100 years since the Glasgow rent strikes, my inspiration is Mary Barbour
At our last Mind Waves meeting, we talked about the people who inspire us in our lives. Our Community Correspondent John Dane has written this about one of his heroes, Mary Barbour, who lived in his native Govan. John is an active campaigner and has written about how he feels proud to stand up for […]
Everyone wants to be happy: what’s the magic recipe? #internationaldayofhappiness
Everyone wants to be happy, right? But you wouldn’t know it from the way we behave. Most of us just struggle to the end of each week. We’re more likely to be motivated by habit, or money, or status than the pursuit of happiness. In fact, many of us don’t think much about it until […]
What does anxiety look like?
A guest post from Marc from @ballofnerves , a picture book about anxiety In my work as a therapist I work a lot with people with anxiety problems. If you have never experienced anxiety problems before you’re likely to feel frightened, confused and at a loss as to how to make anxiety controllable. I say controllable […]
Permission to dream #sdsdream2015
Since April last year, people with mental health problems been entitled to have more of a say in their support. The Self-Directed Support Act gives you the right to choose what your life looks like and who is involved in supporting you. But it’s not always easy to figure out what you want from life. […]
What #oscar winner Birdman says about mental wellbeing
A review from our Community Correspondent Emily McCurrie @caminosmem 3/5 Rated 15 I saw this film before the Oscars and it hadn’t originally caught my eye, but my partner suggested it and after seeing the trailer I really liked the look of it. I’ve become a bit of superhero junkie of late but unfortunately was […]
What makes me feel free
A post from our Community Correspondent Donald Hosie I feel free when I am on horseback. The feeling of exhilaration when you are galloping through woodland is one of the best. You and the horse in harmony, acting as one. The horse trusts you to know where you are going and you trust the animal […]
What my art has taught me about myself
An audio clip from our Community Correspondent David Bradley It’s well known that art can help us to express our feelings. But for David, it’s more than that. When he looks at his paintings, he understands more about himself. He explains here. Transcript: I just think, how art has helped me. Life isn’t pefect, when […]