Today marks World Mental Health Day. Thousands of organisations and people all over the world are holding events, talks, running campaigns and making lots of noise about mental health. It’s an important day globally and nationally, where mental health is firmly on the news agenda across the media and social landscape.
But its also an important day on a personal level. Each of us is vulnerable to having a time of mental health crisis or need in our lives. And we all will need to both be a support for others, or get support ourselves at some stage. Mental health will affect everyone: directly or indirectly, at some point in our lives. So today, we’re taking some time to reflect on our own mental health journeys: how far we’ve come, and who else in our lives we’ve supported or leaned on in the past.
To mark World Mental Health Day, we’d like to share the top 5, most read stories on our site from over the past year. It has been another powerful year at A Lust for Life, with some incredibly inspiring, heartfelt personal accounts of loss, of hope, of change, and of struggle. We hope you get to read some or all of these, and share them with someone who you think might benefit from reading them today.
- My appeal to Ireland after devastation of losing my twin brother
- Depression – An open letter to someone struggling
- 21 good reasons to live alcohol free
- We Deserve Better: My Story Through Depression
- Change is Possible: Here’s How
If you’re looking for something a little longer to read, check out the recommendations in our A Lust for Life book club.
And as always, if you’d like to share your own personal story on A Lust for Life, just email us at editor@alustforlife.com.
Help information
If you need help please talk to friends, family, a GP, therapist or one of the free confidential helpline services. For a full list of national mental health services see yourmentalhealth.ie.
- Samaritans on their free confidential 24/7 helpline on 116-123, by emailing jo@samaritans.ie
- Pieta House National Suicide Helpline 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie – (suicide prevention, self-harm, bereavement) or text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply)
- Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
If living in Ireland you can find accredited therapists in your area here:
Support Our Campaign
We rely on the generosity of the public to fund our work and so far together we have achieved great things! Please do continue to support us so we can provide future generations in Ireland with the resources to recognise and talk about their emotions, and equip them to navigate the ever-changing world around them as they grow
