Christmas is stressful for mental health sufferers

~ Vickyw
  • . Person alone on Christmas day

This time of year is supposed to Christmas is stressful for mental health suffers leaving many of us feeling emotional and overwhelmed.

For most of us, this time of the year is about being merry and enjoying parties and drinks with friends and family.

However, it’s not always so fun for those who suffer from mental health issues.

Many people find that being surrounded by too many people can feel anxious.

I hate Christmas shopping because I rush around shops trying to buy things and I get annoyed when I can’t find what I want and often just pick up something random off the shelves.

I also hate queuing because it makes me panicky.

By queuing I mean more than one other person at the till. I don’t have the patience for this.

I need to get into a place, get what I want, and get out before I explode.

Lucky for me, I started my Christmas shopping online back in October, and I had only brought a few things from one shop a few weeks ago.

At least I don’t have the whole Christmas panic buy, and I don’t have a lot of people to buy for.

I don’t have friends to meet up with or Christmas parties to go to either because I work for myself and the only people I see are my family and the staff at the leisure centre I go to almost every day.

I don’t miss the parties because I used to panic about what to wear and I would look too fat in a dress.

I also hate big parties (depending on what mood I’m in).

I could be singing and dancing on chairs, or I would try to hide from everyone at the bar.

As I work for myself, my brain is always ticking, and if I miss even one day of exercise, I go crazy thinking I’m going to gain weight.

A poll by the Samaritans shows that “Nearly half of people questioned in a poll for Samaritans said they hide their real feelings at Christmas to keep other people happy.

The poll also showed that many more women feel they have to put on a brave face than men.”

This year there are mental health helplines open on Christmas Day, so if you or someone you know is struggling let them know that the Samaritans and SANE are open every day.

You could end up saving someone’s life. That’s the best present you can give as Christmas is stressful for mental health sufferers out there.

The best Christmas gift for mental health suffers is to let them know that you are there for them no matter what.

I’m already failing blogmas and vlogmas

~ Vickyw

Failing vlogmas logo

We are just five days into December, and I’m already failing blogmas and vlogmas, and not even a spending spree can hide my disappointment.

I had big plans for December until the lightning bolt hit; everything started falling apart and going wrong for me.

More work came in and came back to me, and I couldn’t keep up with a video, a blog post, gym sessions, swimming, and organising Christmas and other personal things.

I’ve had a really busy few days, and it’s only the beginning of December.

It doesn’t stop there either as I’m off to my sister’s later in the week, which means that I will miss my gym and swim sessions.

Tomorrow starts with some cardio in the gym and in the afternoon I have the pain clinic, so fingers crossed that there might be a solution to my back pain, although I’ve had the pain for so long it’s affecting my exercise and slowing me down.

After the hospital, I then plan to go swimming, and then I have to try to write a blog post and pack before having an early night to travel to my sister’s in Exeter early Thursday morning.

I plan to come back to Cornwall next Monday evening, and I will be filming, blogging, going to the gym, and swimming until the following Sunday and then traveling back to Exeter with my mum because we are going to surprise the kids with a Christmas train trip.

We booked the trip a few months ago as we usually book the Santa Buckfastleigh trip but decided to try something different this year.

The kids wanted to go on the Polar Express, however, unfortunately, the organisers lost the rights to use the name, and they have now called the trip “The train to Christmas Town.”

I have to return to Cornwall with mum on Tuesday the 19th so that she can go to work on Wednesday.

I will then return again to Exeter on the Saturday before Christmas. Mum and Dad will join me at my sister’s in Exeter on Christmas Day and will travel back on Boxing day, and I will be going to London on the 28th and 29th and returning for the New Year.

I’m not sure I will be able to keep up with vlogmas and blogmas and my strict fitness regime, and I’m feeling disappointed as I hate failing things.

I’ve been thinking about my future and doing my master’s. However, I’m also disappointed because I thought I’d be in a more stable place in my life to finally take up the offer.

I have decided to concentrate on both Digital Classic and the Looneychickblog for now.

The Looneychick blog has been voted 4th in the top 10 Vuelio mental health blogs; I hope to get the first spot next year.

So my blog needs to improve. I want to go back to two blog posts a week next year on both blogs as well as pass the Google Developer mobile app development course.

I started the course and ended up having problems with downloading GitHub

. I haven’t decided on what software to use when editing videos because for some reason iMovies won’t update on my Mac.

I’m going to try PowerPoint and Arc.

I have purchased a new camera the Canon SX730 HS because I needed a camera with a screen to vlog with and my iPhone only has an 8 GB memory.

Fingers crossed I can get time to look at it let alone video and edit!

Let me know if you are or have failed with blogmas and vlogmas?

Cornwall needs a mental health hospital

~ Vickyw

A prison

Cornwall needs a mental health hospital as many people with learning disabilities and mental illnesses are placed in unsuitable prisons with the nearest women’s prison in Gloucestershire.

Andrea Coomber, the director of Justice, told the Guardian: “The criminal justice system is not suitably designed to accommodate people with mental health or learning difficulties.

There are still fundamental problems with the criminal justice system’s response to vulnerability, and too few people receive reasonable adjustments to enable them to effectively participate in their defense.”

The majority of women who offend are sent to a prison hundreds of miles from where they live, leaving them vulnerable and more likely to offend as they don’t have any support.

Women are also sent to prison for lesser crimes such as theft or assault.

Out of the women who are sent to prison, 30% according to statistics had a previous psychiatric admission before they entered prison.

A more recent study found that 25% of women and 15% of men in prison reported symptoms indicative of psychosis.

The rate among the general public is about 4%.

26% of women and 16% of men said they had received treatment for a mental health problem in the year before custody.

Personality disorders are particularly prevalent among people in prison with 57% of female sentenced prisoners have a personality disorder.

That’s more than half.

46% of women prisoners reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lives.

This is more than twice the rate of male prisoners (21%) and higher than in the general UK population amongst whom around 6% report having ever attempted suicide.

The statistics clearly show that women would certainly benefit more from being housed in a mental health hospital with therapies and education instead of being put to work in a prison.

Why should anyone be punished for having a mental illness?

Mark Day, head of policy and communications for The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) said: “Simply building more prisons and filling them up with people who are often severely mentally ill, as a result of prison they lose contact with their children and their families.

“It’s not the solution certainly to women’s offending.”

Do you think that Cornwall needs a mental health hospital and that women prisoners with mental health issues should be sent to a hospital instead?

If you or a loved one is in prison or has been to prison and they have a mental illness let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, or you can join in the discussions on our social media pages.

Mental Health news and updates

~ Vickyw

George Ezra on stage

This week’s mental health news features stories on a Labour MP who reveals that a suicidal 10-year-old was denied mental health help four times and a musician who collects donations for mental health charity Mind at his concerts.

Labour Mp reveals that a 10-year-old suicidal child who was denied mental health treatment four times because he hadn’t attempted suicide; he didn’t meet their criteria for help.

Care Quality Commission inspector Dr Paul Lelliot, giving evidence to the cross-party committee on child and adult mental health service provision, said: “Many services were forced to come up with their thresholds for treatment as they do not have adequate resources”.

He added: “Many units miss both their own applied targets for waiting times, as well as the NHS statutory 18-week target”.

“What we hear from them is that it’s very often staffing levels that they take to be an issue,” he added: “We also find them managing very long waits by raising the threshold for taking young people on.

They will apply criteria and turn away referrals that don’t meet it.

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, told the committee she had experienced families “pouring through the door” to talk about mental health since taking on the role nearly three years ago.

She added that she was “shocked” when teenagers as young as 13 told her they knew they would have to attempt suicide before they received any help.

Barbara Keeley, Labour’s shadow minister for mental health, said the situation was a result of government cuts to mental health services.

“The scandal of children being turned away from mental health treatment because they don’t meet thresholds of mental ill-health is a direct cause of the Tory government’s failure to protect mental health budgets,” she told Huffington Post UK.

Adult mental health isn’t much better, either. I contacted my GP about going back on the mental health team after being released without a diagnosis late last year. I attended an appointment back in May this year and saw a mental health assessor and a student.

I was told that I would hear back within a week either way only to attend an appointment with my GP last month who told me that the mental health lady I saw was leaving and that my notes had gone missing.

I’m still waiting now to see if they are going to give me a proper diagnosis and any more help.

George Ezra collects money for mental health charity “Mind” at his concerts

Musician George Ezra told NME that he is no exemption from mental health and that he has started raising money for the charity “Mind” at his concerts.

After addressing his battles with anxiety on recent single ‘Don’t Matter Now‘, the singer-songwriter will be playing a special London charity show at London’s Union Chapel next month in aid of the charity the mental health charity MIND.

He also revealed that when he went on tour earlier this year, he decided to test run collecting for the charity at his shows.

The donations made by fans blew him away. They managed to raise over two grand in two weeks!

He said: “Since then I’ve been plotting different ways to help the charity, and the upcoming show felt like the perfect way to end the year with MIND. I will, of course, continue to collect at shows too.”

A budget for mental health

The final budget of the year is about to be announced but is it a budget for mental health?

At the beginning of the year, the Government showed promise when they made some much-needed commitments to boost mental health service spending and support.

To deliver the NHS’s Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published last year, the Government pledged that an extra £1 billion would be spent on mental health services by 2020/21. And second, it has pledged to spend £1.4 billion spread over five years (2015-2020) to improve children and young people’s mental health services.

A Budget for better mental health would make sure that schools had the right help and support to build children’s emotional health and wellbeing – from training teachers to be more confident talking about mental health to providing counselling and other support services when students (or staff) need them.

It would ensure people with mental health difficulties who are unable to work and have to claim benefits had enough money coming in to live. And it would invest urgently in mental health support throughout the criminal justice system, including prisons and probation.

The Looneychick Vlog has finally launched

The Looneychick has finally plucked up the courage to vlog after kick-starting the YouTube channel at the beginning of November.

We hope that this channel will educate and inform people about mental health matters by giving you a glimpse of what it’s like to live with mental health.

We also hope that it will end the stigma and encourage people to see the person and not the illness, no matter how challenging and frightening life gets.

Remember to subscribe to The Looneychick Vlogs by smashing that button.

If you have any mental health news and updates that you would like to share with us comment below, email admin@looneychickblog.co.uk or take part in our discussions on our social media channels.

The things I still struggle with

~ Vickyw

Things I'm struggling with tags

It’s been over four years since my mental health took a turn for the worse and there are things that I still struggle with that I’d hoped to have found easier by now.

Large black clouds and demons still control specific dark thoughts that I want to leave me alone, but they won’t, and I don’t think they will ever disappear, so I have to accept that despite being on anti-depressants on and off for 4-years, I may never be drug-free.

Staying sober

The urge to drink myself into oblivion still haunts me, and there are certain times when I want to forget and dance around the room with a few friends and a few glasses of vino.

I sometimes forget that I no longer have friends who I can call on when I want a chat or go out with. I lost them all due to this undiagnosed mental health disorder.

Staying sober is a struggle.

However I’m now a lot fitter, I have saved a lot of money now I’m not drinking.

Lack of interaction with colleagues

I used to love team meetings when you would contribute something useful to your work colleagues, and you would also learn something from them that you never knew before.

Working alone can get lonely, with no one to discuss ideas with or brainstorm with.

However, I know it’s not the same, but there are always Facebook groups for bloggers and vloggers that I can share tips and advice with.

The problem is I struggle to make and maintain both personal and professional relationships.

Therefore I may have to accept the fact that I can’t work with people again.

I’m also often so hyperactive that no one can concentrate and I become a bit of a distraction.

Grans death

Last week was the 8th anniversary of my Gran’s death, and one of the things that haunt me, and I still struggle with today is the very last words she said to me.

Her last words were “Please don’t leave me because I will have no one to talk to”, yet I left and never saw her again.

I remember the last time I saw Gran alive in August 2009.

It was late summer and mum, and I had gone up to see Gran and Grandad. I was staying in Aldershot with my Dad’s parents and Mum, and I had popped over for the day to see them.

I invited both my aunts out with Gran, mum, and I to the farm shop in Old Windsor, only one of my aunts came with my eldest cousin, the other aunt and her family never came because they were busy celebrating my uncle’s 50th birthday.

Mum and I wheeled Gran out in the Wheelchair up the shops to meet up with my aunt and cousin.

We went to the park then to the farm shop for a drink. When we came back, Gran never wanted to go inside; she wanted to sit out in the sun.

I managed to take a few photos on my mobile phone, and I’m glad I did.

Looking back, it felt as if Gran never wanted to go inside because she didn’t want the day to end.

After all, it would be the last time that she would see her eldest daughter, her middle daughter, her eldest grandson, and granddaughter.

I can’t even put flowers on the grave because I live four and a half hours away.

My manic behaviours

I have tried to curve these by literally trying to wear myself out from excess exercise.

I use to virtually clock watch and struggle to sleep.

I have improved slightly due to 3 hours of training daily.

I go to HIIT sessions twice a week go to the gym five times a week, and go swimming for an hour a day six to seven times a week.

I joined Una Leisure back in September as I’m on a mission to lose weight and get fitter.

My manic behaviours can cause me to become sarcastic, irritable, and overexcited. These behaviours last weeks at a time.

Staying focused

I’m trying to stay focused, and I currently have a plan in place.

However, this can be difficult when I go on a tangent by failing to do tasks.

I’m easily distracted, and I often procrastinate.

Making decisions

I never used to struggle with making decisions.

One of the most significant decisions I need to make is whether I should work towards my master’s.

I’m considering doing the postgraduate certificate and seeing how I get on. This will cost me £2000

I purchased some new fantastic gym gear

~ Vickyw

I decided to invest in some new fantastic gym gear as I have put on a lot of weight and I want to feel more comfortable in what I work out in.

I was looking around in Superdry, and I noticed a gym top in the sale for £8.99.

My mum was with me and persuaded me to buy it, and I’m glad I did because it’s a quick-drying top which means it dry’s quicker than regular tops.

I was sent an email from Nike about their sale, and I wouldn’t usually bother looking because I’m trying to save money, however, for some reason, I decided to have a quick browse and realised that I should invest in some new gym gear.

I needed some trainer socks, so I purchased some, and I also noticed some Dri-Fit Nike trousers which were in the sale for £20. Nike Dri-FIT is a high-performance fabric that moves sweat away from the body and to the fabric surface.

Dri-FIT technology is used in a variety of Nike products.

Since I’m currently going to the gym at least five times a week and I’m going to HIIT twice a week, I finally had an excuse to cheer myself up and buy some new gym gear.

After the Nike order arrived, I found the Nike trouser bottoms are fitted but comfortable, but the sizes are a bit strange.

I ordered a 12-14 which is a medium, and I’m usually a size 12 in trousers.

I would order a size bigger to be on the safe side.

The trainer socks are comfortable and Dry-Fit, however, I wore one pair for one day, and the stitching has come apart at the seams.

I was a bit annoyed about this because they cost £7 in the sale for three pairs and I wouldn’t have been happy if I paid the full price.

I was wearing my 10-year-old New Balance trainers that I purchased on my very first trip to New York and noticed that they weren’t that comfortable to wear during my HIIT sessions as I found them too hard.

After a discussion with my HIIT trainer, I decided to have a look and order some Nike HIIT training shoes that are specifically designed for training and gym work.

I found a pair in the sale on Sports Direct and even with the expensive £4.99 postage it worked out cheaper than anywhere else.

Have you ordered any new fantastic gym gear recently? Let us know your favourite purchases in the comments below or tell us on our social networking channels.

November goals for the Looneychick Blog

~ Vickyw

November goals sign

I can’t believe that it’s just seven weeks until Christmas so here are some November goals for the Looneychick.

Recently I’ve been feeling a little flat and unmotivated, so I’m writing this blog post to help me get my November goals up and running.

The Looneychick Vlogs YouTube channel

I’ve launched a new YouTube channel which I will be talking about products that I have received from companies asking me to try them out and I will talk about my goals and how I’m feeling.

My goal is to gain a few subscribers this month and upload at least once a week. Check out my channel and subscribe.

Bipolar group
I haven’t been to the Bipolar Group in Penzance for months because of the ridiculous amount of traffic in the summer, and I don’t go when the weather is terrible although I should make more of an effort.

When the roads are busy, I hate going out because lots of people on the roads make my anxiety worse.

The bipolar group has been one of the only positive outlets in my life over the past few years so I would like to achieve another November goal by popping in and catching up with the group who only meet once a month.

Valued Lives
I mentioned ‘Valued Lives’ in one of my previous blog posts, and I’m hoping to become involved by supporting Cornwall’s first-ever mental health hub.

‘Valued Lives’ are looking for volunteers to start training this month If you are interested call 01209 484495.

If you haven’t already had a chance, check out Crowdfunder and help win yourself a chance of 3 days in Iceland to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

Vlogmas

Last December I took part in blogmas and blogged 24 days in a row on two blogs.

This year I have decided to vlog for 24 days on the Looneychickblog and blog for 24 days on my other blog Digital Classic.

I’m hoping that a mixture of video and writing will help me create better online content on both blogs.

Keep up with my fitness

Keeping up with my fitness regime is one of the most essential November goals for me.

I’m finally back doing HIIT sessions twice a week after two weeks off because my fitness trainer cracked his collarbone during a rugby match.

I’m delighted that he’s back and I’m also planning to spend 5 to 6 days a week at the gym and swimming.

Another big November goal of mine is to lose weight.

I’ve lost a little bit, although I can and will lose more so my trainer, and I are planning to look at my diet and see where I can make more positive changes.

Christmas presents
Yes, I know it’s only November.

However, I like to look out for bargains, especially during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

As an Amazon Prime member, the Black Friday sale starts next week for me, and I have a few items on my wishlist that I’m planning to buy for the right price.

If you have any questions on the above or you would like to share your November goals with us, please comment in the section below or join in the discussions on our social media pages.

Halloween and negative impact on mental health

~ Vickyw

ghosts hanging on trees

Today is Halloween, however, you may be surprised to hear that it can have a negative impact on mental health.

For those of us who suffer from mental health problems, it’s not always fun when our psychological health is stigmatised by people who are looking to dress up and make fun of our illnesses.

Don’t try to glamorise mental health by dressing up as a Psycho killer or a doctor in a white coat isn’t the same as a killer monster or a bloodsucking vampire.

Mental health and fear still need a lot more research and people still need educating on the subject because even in 2017 many people still see mental health sufferers as freaks who are dangerous to society and who can’t be trusted.

You can have a fantastic night without glamorising mental health or stigmatise it.

Just spare a little thought for those of us who have mental illness and can’t escape from it.

We have to deal with enough stigma without being seen as a scary joke.

Many of us who have mental illness see monsters and scary images on a daily basis.

You wouldn’t shave your head and go out dressed as a cancer patient, so please don’t dress up as someone who is suffering from mental issues.

It’s hurtful, stupid, and not at all funny.

Halloween should be a fun time of year.

There are lots of fun characters that you can dress up as without making fun of mental health such as ‘mental patient’ and ‘Psycho ward’.

What’s even more disturbing is the fact that people are hosting parties with themes that include Asylum Creek and hanging things from trees without realising or recalling that someone who drives by every day had a son or daughter who died by suicide.

In 2016, NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness) in the US received many comments about protests over Halloween stigma.

Most individuals and families affected by mental illness agree with them, with many finding many Halloween costumes hurtful and insensitive towards individuals who are either mental health sufferers or have loved ones who also have mental wellbeing issues.

Many of us who struggle with mental illness see monsters and scary images on a daily basis.

Let us know your thoughts on Halloween costumes and its negative impact on mental health below in the comments section or on our social media channels.

Valued Lives raise money

~ Vickyw

Valued Lives has set up a crowdfunding campaign to help raise money for mental health.

The CEO of Valued Lives sent me an email about Crowdfunding for a community health hub and an emergency crisis response unit in Cornwall.

Valued Lives logo

The Cornish charity is a new non-profit organisation, who supports people who have mental ill-health to lead fulfilling lives in the community.

I’m backing this idea because currently there is no help available in Cornwall unless you have money.

I’ve been pushed from pillar to post between Outlook Southwest and the Mental Health team, who have lost my notes and have not contacted me since I had an assessment in May.

I’ve lost faith in the NHS mental health services and with Cornwall having the third-highest suicide rates in the country help should be available.

Celebrities and the Royals love to talk, but how many hubs in the UK have they opened and funded with their own money?

This is the reason why Valued Lives has turned to crowdfunding for support.

Shoni Haswell CEO of Valued Lives said: “We will be able to respond to people out of hours, at their home or our crisis cafe.

We will reduce hospitalisations, and promote a quicker and fuller recovery.

We will also support those close to the person to learn how better to support them, and understand how mental health affects their loved one.”

The purpose of the Crowdfunder is to enable Valued Lives to open a Hub in Redruth and begin offering services.

The charity will also need to purchase furniture and equipment and recruit their first full wellbeing team.

The Hub will provide an open door for information and advice, a crisis cafe that will provide emergency support, and will offer access to our wellbeing recovery programmes.

We have also placed a stretch fund on our target so that they can give a three month trial for a 24-hour face to face emergency crisis response service, which will cover the UK.

This service will respond quickly, tackling the need for people to go to A&E, or be placed into inpatient care, and reduce suicide rates across the county.

You can donate to the CrowdFunding campaign or visit their Facebook or Twitter pages.

The aim is to raise £25,000 in 25 days.

The campaign will finish at 1 pm on November 11th.

One in four people suffer from mental health, and the chances are that you will have a family member, colleague, friend, or associate with mental health even if they haven’t told you.

Being charged in Crown Court for the first time

~ Vickyw

Guilty as charged court sign

I never thought I’d see the day when I was being charged in Crown Court, but life is unfair sometimes, and that’s just the way it goes.

On Monday, February 15th, 2016 I was to be charged in the Crown Court for committing a crime I was unaware of because of my mental illness.

Luckily this was half term week, so the court was quiet and not full of reporters.

All my life I wanted to be happy living in a big house, drive a flash car, and have a good job where money was no issue.

Instead, I’m a criminal on benefits, no family or friends, not being able to hold down a job as well as a mental and now physical illness.

Guess what?

This is because I tried to help an insecure alcoholic and drug addict who became paranoid and accused me of stalking her and canceling her wedding which was all thrown out at court; however, the police (Pigs) wouldn’t let the phone call that I made go when I was in a manic state.

I pleaded guilty to Perverting the Course of Justice because my solicitors couldn’t be bothered to fight it and I also had to plead guilty to battery assault all risk also being charged with ABH.

I was assaulted by a police officer who was winding me up during my arrest.

Another office got hurt in the process, and they accused me of punching her.

This was, of course, another corrupt police lie, and I only pleaded guilty because my solicitor and barrister wanted the case over as quickly as possible and a trial probably would have tipped me over the edge.

I walked into the courtroom, and it was very intimidating, but there was no one watching in the public gallery.

I had to stay in a locked glass room with a guard.

During the brief, the judge said that I wouldn’t receive a further penalty if I were to plead guilty to a lesser charge that day.

I was then told I had half an hour to decide on whether to plead guilty to something I didn’t do.

The initial charge was assault with intent and resisting arrest, and I was told in the court chambers that the nasty (pigs) had added another charge of ABH to the indictment.

I was also told that I could go to prison on that day unless I pleaded guilty to a charge or a lesser charge.

I felt set up and even had a go at my barrister for agreeing to some of the things that the prosecution wanted.

I went back into the glass cave and was again locked in with a guard. As I stood up to plead guilty to a lesser charge, I still thought this was unfair.

The judge refused some of the prosecution demands including compensation for the cop who got injured.

I was sentenced to 15 days of rehabilitation with a prison sentence of 15 months suspended for two years.

I thought this was incredibly high but was told that this was because I wasn’t able to do community service due to a bulging disc on the left-hand side of my back, which was done by one of the arresting officers who kicked me in the back and kicked our radiator.

I even had to sign a restraining order preventing me from contacting the druggie who reported me for stalking her which I was and still am angry to this day.

I could never forgive that person, and I don’t want anything to do with them for taking the piss out of me and for ruining my life.

Have you or a loved one ever experienced something similar?

If yes, email admin@looneychickblog.co.uk or comment on one of our social media channels.

This blog post has been sent in by a reader and names have been changed and altered to protect identities.