When they tell you you’ve had a nervous breakdown you become like an astronaut you find yourself drifting, pleading for someone to provide you with the right equipment
Power in Silence: ‘Northern Star’
Do true stories really have clean arcs with a beginning, middle and end? Or do our lives feel more like just a series of rooms, with open-ended ideas and unresolved tension?
You know that feeling? The one in your gut that is seemingly screaming at you? The one that, despite your best efforts, keeps reminding you that something is off?
She stood on the slime slick steps. Below her, the sea surged to grab her ankles. It was a deep green-grey colour with waves that rose and fell. Grasping the cold, metal handrails, she gulped short, panicked breaths
There have been many moments in my life where I’ve asked myself, “Would anyone miss me if I was gone?” I’ve struggled with my mental health for quite a long time
Before I start my story, I am offering a major TRIGGER WARNING for self harm to those who will be reading this. I also want to send out my sympathies to those who are suffering right now
I’ll never forget the day it happened. I was walking to my car from my friend’s apartment in the middle of the night getting ready to head back home. As I was walking, I heard little footsteps behind me
I spent two years fighting for inpatient treatment. Two years trying to get the specialized care I knew I needed because outpatient treatment just wasn’t working. It was like I was swimming against the current
What makes some of us so super sensitive? What makes us so critical of ourselves? Hence prone to such horrendous depression and potentially suicidal thoughts
During the recent Mental Health Awareness Month I was asked to give a couple of interviews to the press about my mental health and how it has impact me over the years and my involvement in mental health organisations
My artistic practice mainly consists of large-scale watercolour pieces, photography, and performance. In my practice, I examine the intimate relationships we form throughout our lives
How yoga helped me with addiction and anxiety
I was in the middle of an intense workout session at the gym when I felt light-headed and realized that my heart was racing – almost as though it was going to pound right out of the chest
People talk often about being depressed at Christmas, or around New Years. The forced jollity, the smiles and happy families can often just reinforce feelings of sadness, crappy relationships, or feeling numb and unable to enjoy life
I use mainly photography and overpainting to achieve what I need. They reflect the darkness that nips at my heels and allow me to process my feelings
Hugging my Gestalt Psychotherapist Goodbye I give you a candle In exchange for switching on my inner flame When I had no fuel Left Like a long legged Giraffe stuck in a hole No way to climb out
Picture this, circa July 2016 I’m in a London pub near Victoria Station. The pub is run by a friend of mine, an old boss in fact. But he’s not there. I’m sat at a table near an entrance. I’ve borrowed a phone charger. I’ve a pint of lager in front of me, I don’t even drink lager
‘After-thoughts – After-sharing’
That feeling of shame……….of fear………..of regret maybe……..after sharing something very personal. A redness to the cheeks. Thoughts of ‘Who is reading this?’ ‘What do they think of me now?’ ‘Maybe I should ask for this post to be taken down’
#SeeDiabetesDifferently – Living with a chronic illness
I am a person that always sees the glass half; a philosophy instilled in me by my parents when I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes (T1D) while on holiday
Living with an Anxiety Disorder
In 2015 I had no idea that I was going to face my toughest challenge of my life. One night while lying in bed I started to feel worried, I started focusing on that feeling. Was there something wrong?
Robbie is suffering; broken by a pain nobody ever saw… and he’s ready to give up. A Broken Light is Thomas’s third short film produced for exhibition and online publication. Through his current and recent work
Hello. My name is Lorna and I am writing to share with you some thoughts and feelings that I experience on a regular basis. I really wish this was not the case…….but it is…….and I think it is important to acknowledge it
Clearing the Air and Wellbeing
If you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you create a war inside. Something I have been doing most of my adult life I’m afraid. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I have mental health challenges
Suicide is not a dirty word. Nor is it a criminal act. It is the result of a fragile mind that can’t take any more pain. It is a terrifying, lonely, empty feeling that convinces the weary traveller that this is the only solution
From 15 Years Of Heroin Addiction To Author, Speaker And PhD
I used to think I knew a lot. I didn’t. I believed my own lies, weaving an imaginary world full of delusion, denial, and deceit
Denial, Stigma & A Girl Interrupted
If you find yourself in a position where you are doing all the right things, but you are still slipping, you are spiralling and you can’t stop it no matter what you seem to do, I want you to know that there is hope and there is more help
“I really loved the old you” Relationships and learning to love yourself after a bipolar diagnosis
“I really loved the old you” were his last words as he walked out my front door, moments after breaking up with me
The Natural healing power of the Sea, and what it has taught me in the last four months is what I want to share with you. Nature is a power above and beyond us. Before Christmas I decided to ditch my wetsuit
I want to bring you in to my life and story, to share with you some insight into your own strength. How can I know you are strong? How can I know you have it in you? Allow me a little of your time here and let me share my own story
Over the last four years I’ve struggled with my mental health.... my emotions, my appearance, my self pity and self worth, the whys and why not’s, the “who am I?”, the “where am I going?” and I wanted and needed to open up
I meditate in the mornings on a tree outside my bedroom window. I see sometimes one or two birds, magpies or blackbirds perched on the branches. All the branches twiggling out from one hoof thick log
Art making and creating an image have been with me since I was a toddler. I had my art space, art materials and I somehow understood I could use it as a container, a silent witness, my best friend
Working with Brazilian photographer Nayara Leite we worked on this project when we both lived in Queenstown, New Zealand. The series is called 'I am Seán' and contains 8 photos of me
This video contains 2 poems, one about depression and the other about manic. The 2 poems alternate between each other every 2 verses to mirror the changing shifts in mood one can experience with affected by bipolar disorder
Don’t be so morbid. That’s what I was told one time. Imagine going about your day to day life and then you notice something. A twinge, a sensation or some other indication that something could be wrong
My name is Henry and I’m nearly 68 years old, born and raised in Dublin in the Inchicore and Bluebell areas and the last 40 years in Tallaght. I started work on the weekend of my 14th birthday and worked since then
Living with someone who has mental health issues
I am a carer for my mother who has chronic depression. I had to live with this all my life. First time I realised it was a problem was when I was a teenager
Discovering the Physical illness, I had, was in fact Mental
I was fixated on the millions of tiny holes in the suspended ceiling tile of my office, I never noticed those holes before. It’s not the first time I was in this position
Not letting your illness own you
I have suffered from anxiety and depression for as long as I can remember, to the point where I remember having a panic attack in the school yard (I could not have been more than eight at this time)
Notes To Self: You are Something
You are something. You move mountains with your courage and the generosity that lies at the core of all you do. Your timid ways are not factions, to be moulded or manipulated by others, but are powerful torrents that move people
With gratitude, I sit in my kitchen this Sunday morning with peace in my mind, heart and soul. It hasn’t always been like that as it has been a long road and I work hard mostly daily in order to feel this way
In a sporting context, coaches and players will hone in on momentum as the foundation of success; work hard, get the results, winning becomes a habit. For me and the squad of players inside my head winning had become a habit
Grief was the price I paid for love
It was the best of days and it was the worst of days. Sunday 4th March 2018. My birthday. Turned 42, no biggie, but a day in which I felt really content and happy with the world, with my world
I never thought I would return to writing a blog, I thought it would be a little phase in my life that came and went. Then all of a sudden, my life took a turn and crumbled underneath me. Now, I feel this weird compulsion to tell my story
Having had the desire to share my own bipolar story for a while I think today is as good a day as any to finally put pen to paper, or in correction, put fingers to keyboard. In doing so I hope sharing my experience will educated people
SUICIDE: WHAT IS IT? A mother reflects on the loss of her son
I have written this after losing my son Matthew in August 2016 at the young age of 25. He spent the last 3 ½ years of his life in Australia, and he loved it
Dealing with childhood trauma, and how learning about Self Care truly changed my perspective in life
Growing up Anxiety was our normal. Both my mother and father suffered from it along with their own traumas
In 2014, I turned forty. I’d always envisaged I’d be a skinny, coiffured, solvent, non-smoking, possibly married with at least one dependant, employed, comfortable, happy, sex bomb
When I look at her now, I realise that the very same determination which almost destroyed her young life, has got her to where she is now – a beautifully vibrant 16 year old with the world at her feet
Have you ever had an itch that you just can't scratch? Like my own psychological plaster cast, Or have you faked a smile behind which envy hides, I've “always been the bridesmaid - never been the bride”
Life through Sunglasses: My First Experience with a Psychologist
I often ask for help. I look for it in family, friends and romantic partners. When all those options failed me, it was healthcare professionals’ turn
“Using warm and loving memories as fabric, I stitched together a comfort blanket”: Anxiety and Grief
I remember cutting the filters off my mum's cigarettes when I was a child
Some think motivational speakers are cringeworthy: but they were just the wakeup call I needed
In December of last year, I clicked on a motivational video while lazily scanning my Facebook feed
Jane McCormick is a visual artist based in Cavan, and recently exhibited Not Half Right in the University of Atypical Gallery in Belfast. The work in Not Half Right exhibition is a disjointed narrative of the artist chronically ill life
My wife and I had a miscarriage a few years back, and this is predominately how I came to have a better understanding of this very difficult subject. What upset me was I thought miscarriages were not that prominent
This is just my story, it’s a rare case but I just felt the need to share. I’ve heard a lot of other people are on SSRI’s too for depression and anxiety. It’s never something I hear other people really talk about
How to benefit from the power of common humanity
This is the story of how I recently overcame my feelings of wanting to lie low and nurse my stress by going into town and joining with the common humanity I found there
Over a year ago I fostered two little dogs who then became permanent little dogs. Lily and Tinkerbell were little old ladies who had been together their whole lives. Sadly last August Tinkerbell became gravely ill
Living with Tinnitus – How listening to my breath helped me deal with the 24/7 sound in...
I’m Niamh, a mum and creative director of my own design company that I started two decades ago
A quick search for mental health related hashtags on any social media platform will produce millions of results. On Instagram alone; #depression resulted in 16.2 million posts, #anxiety 9.3 million posts and #mentalhealth 7.2 million
At the core of it, I love art because my dad taught me. He passed away when I was nine but in those years he thought me so many important life lessons. I have applied each one of these lessons to art and that has made me whom I am
A lot has changed in my life over the last 5 years. On 3rd January 2014 my marriage ended. 17 days later my mother died and within 3 years on 12th January 2017 my father passed away
I am grateful: my mental health journey
The other day I posted on Instagram that I might share something in the topic of mental health. Anybody who is close to me, knows that I have had my ups and downs
Beacons of light along my path
Dear Reader, For a long time without really knowing it there was this unknown feeling inside me. It triggers every now and then and lingers in the shadows of my mind but I have been lucky enough to find ways to whisper back
A Legacy of strength: Saying goodbye to Uncle Harry
This time of year can be very hard especially when you've lost a loved one. Especially when you are out doing your Christmas shopping and you see something
I never disclosed the fact that I was suffering from anxiety and low mood but that’s because I didn’t feel you would understand. You certainly didn’t understand when I raised issues regarding my workload
If it is true, it should shout louder, yes? If it is false, to move towards it is to push against a wall? Guidelines for life when making decisions? Well I guess I am playing that out at the moment
I wrote this letter after the passing of my family dog, Sadie. It happened just one month ago and hit our family in ways we couldn’t have foreseen. In truth, we always knew Sadie was special, but it wasn’t cemented in our minds
A painting, like our personal identity, is composed by a series of layers that interact and influence one another. At the bottom lies the unconscious mind, the fundamental layer of our true self
I too thought I was invincible
Finding out I was pregnant with my 2nd baby came as a shock as my hubby and I were not “really trying” we were merely “waiting to see what happens”. Having suffered a miscarriage previously I feared reliving those months
This Is What Heroin Withdrawal Feels Like
It was the 10th of August 2013, and after fifteen years of chronic addiction, I had lost everything: my job, my mind, and every important relationship in my life
After hitting rock bottom I realized the only way was up!
The girl in the picture yeah that’s me. The girl that everyone thinks is bubbly and always laughing like she hasn’t a care in the world. But that’s wrong… I care too much
Adam O’Brien tells the story of losing his brother Eoin to suicide. He’s raising funds for Pieta House to mark his brother’s 30th birthday. All funds raised from this gig with go to Pieta House who do amazing work helping people
The greatest stigma I have encountered has come from within the mental health service itself
Based on my experience, the greatest obstacle facing anyone with depression is psychiatry
Becoming self-aware and the long term effects of anti-depressant medication on my mind
I am writing this in addition to a piece I previously wrote about mental health as I feel there is a bit more I should say
Its much easier than talking to someone
My mediums are primarily writing. Especially mental health. Then painting. Painting is new to me. I've a family full of artists but I never took it up until I lost someone
My name is Robert, and I draw sort of sketchy cartoons and write stories that are half set in the day-to-day world and half out of it. As someone who's on the autistic spectrum and has had mental health issues
“Sometimes You Just Do Not Have The Words”
My name is SJ and I paint to as a means of emotional expression and to support my mental health. I have always doodled, sketched and journelled
The Fandangoe Kid’s work is about creating platforms for open conversations about difficult and complex subject matters. Her work took this direction following the loss of almost all of her family in 2011
Thank you for listening so well when I was struggling. Thanks for allowing me to let my guard down and be fully human at a very vulnerable time, when I was confused and anxious and scared
There was never much choice for me about whether or not to disclose my mental health issues at work. I wanted to do it because it felt like the right thing to do. I had experience of trying to cover up and hide what was going on inside
Thank you for being so understanding. Thank you for giving me the support I required during this particularly difficult time. Thank you for remembering all the great work I had done for you before I got sick
It’s now four months since I first started cracking down the 13 year steel wall of agoraphobia that had became constructed around me. It’s been surreal and a whirlwind and a journey that was a very long time coming
Joe Caslin, behind the scenes of Waterford Walls
Joe Caslin’s incredible collaboration with A Lust for Life, Pieta House and Waterford Walls in Waterford to confront the stigma around mental health
Battling through the days, one day at a time
I've suffered from depression since I was 14. I can't exactly pinpoint where it all went wrong but I used to get in a lot of trouble with my teachers for 'being lazy' and not making an effort
Music, Mental Health & Minding Yourself: A Ramble
On 18th May, 2017, rock and roll lost one of its greats, Chris Cornell. To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Chris Cornell at this time
Lessons learned from grief on my dad’s 20 year anniversary
Firstly, I want to take this chance to tell you a little bit about my dad, Seanie. He died in a tragic car accident and passed away instantly. I was 9 when he died but I have always said that I feel grateful to have had those 9 years with him
Life is a mystery - there are no promises, no guarantees, and we really have no idea what the future holds. Most people are fortunate enough to have hope that the future has positivity, that there is even a chance of something good happening for them
15 Years Addicted to Heroin, 5 Years Addicted to Life – Here’s What’s Changed
“Throw out your conceited opinions, for it is impossible for a person to begin to learn what they think they already know” — Epictetus
We have a duality to ourselves, the us we show the world and the us we keep to ourselves. Though the paintings are not specifically about mental health, they are about the human condition and all it entails
I’m from a family of 7. Three girls, two boys. We were brought up in the country in a beautiful home with everything we could have ever wanted and parents that loved us beyond the moon
