My personal experience of living with social and generalised anxiety disorders, seasonal affective disorder, depression, fibromyalgia, joint hypermobility and undiagnosed complex PTSD, and my experience with counselling, therapies and self-help. Challenging the stigma and discrimination around mental illness through sharing of my lived experience. Proud to endorse the Mental Health Media Charter – further info here https://www.natashadevon.com/the-mental-health-media-charter
So it's been a couple weeks since I got diagnosed with both joint hypermobility and fibromyalgia, and my god, it hasn't been easy since then. Not just because of the reality of having two "bonus " illnesses to deal with either. I've had a fibro "flare" to deal with, which frankly, is fucking nasty. It's … Continue reading Fibro anxiety… shattered
So it's been a while. A few things have happened. I have started (have had 3 sessions so far) some therapy for my undiagnosed PTSD, called EMDR. EMDR is eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, and from what I've been told by my therapist, and from what I've researched myself, is basically allowing the brain to … Continue reading A few words
No one ever died from talking about mental health, but too many have from feeling like they couldn't talk.
Rather a grand title isn't it. True though. It's now the middle of November and we're tiptoeing into the wintery, dark months. Unfortunately for me, and a lot of other people, that means usually one thing. Season affective disorder comes knocking. Mine decided to finally officially join the table a couple of weeks ago, after … Continue reading Changing of the season
Well it's Thursday 10th October 2019. Another normal day you think. In fact it's a very important day - today is World Mental Health Day. A day to be aware of our own and others mental health. A day to show that mental health and mental illness are in fact different. Mental health is something … Continue reading World Mental Health Day 2019 – Me
So being female sometimes really sucks. You're just strolling along the path of life, la di dah and BAM. INCOMING. Hormones. One minute you're okay then the next you're crying because you burned toast, then you're enraged because your jacket keeps falling off the hanger. So much fun eh? Monthly or in my case whenever … Continue reading Up and down
So it's been a while since I last posted. Remember in around November when I embarked on solo travel abroad for the first time, and it pretty much all ended in tears? Or rather an anxiety induced meltdown caused by a combination of getting used to new medication, being in a completely different country , … Continue reading Hannover
As a bit of a follow on from my last post, and the part about my past, the last year has been, at least mental health wise, rather up and down. Anxiety isn't predictable as such, I can't tell if next Wednesday for example I'm going to have 'a bad anxiety day' far in advance … Continue reading History
So it's "Mental Health Awareness week" 2019 . I've been quiet for a while for various reasons,including a distinct lack of motivation and inspiration to post or write a post. I mentioned previously that I'd started some counselling. The first lot of counselling I paid for, and although it wasn't CBT , it was really … Continue reading Mental Health Awareness 2019
Been a while but I'm back again. Had an almost 'lightbulb' moment not long ago when I came across a Facebook post about something called "gaslighting". I don't know what made me read it but I had a sudden moment of realisation. Reading it, I realised this was likely what happened to me. That's kind … Continue reading Bulb 💡
Anxiety and Me 