Tag Archives: panic attacks

End The Stigma Of Mental Health With #itaffectsme

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endstigmaofmentalhealth

I am always on the lookout for amazing things, and what could be more amazing than ending the stigma of mental illness? Laura Darrall has created a social media campaign for mental health awareness called #itaffectsme. It is a great campaign and I hope you can get behind it. Here is what Laura has to say: #itaffectsme is going globally viral with the aim of ending the stigma that surrounds mental health and to get Mental Health Education onto the school curriculum. It has celebrities like Tony Gardner and Antonia Laura Thomas already backing it and has reached America, Pakistan, Australia, Canada, Holland and Italy.

We need to get Mental Health Education on the curriculum to give our children a future where they too are unafraid to speak out and ask for help. We teach sex education, physical education so why not Mental Health Education. We teach them the symptoms of chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhoea, so why not OCD, depression and anxiety? 1 in 4 people suffer from mental illness that is 25% of the world’s population. It is staggering and we need to arm our children with knowledge, with compassion and build a world for them where the word “stigma” is extinct.

The idea for #itaffectsme first came to me after I came out the other side of a mental breakdown, six months of panic attacks, anxiety, OCD and depression. I was sat on the edge of my bed and for the first time in months I felt clarity of thought and a fire in my belly and I knew that I had to use it to make a change, to make people unafraid to speak out and to put an end to stigma. But I had no idea how, so I said a prayer, looked over at my desk, spotted the post-its and then it was like a light bulb switched on in my brain, a real Eureka moment, and it has snowballed from there.

I am so overwhelmed and thrilled with the response. If I can get just one person who is suffering to speak out and ask for help then it is worth every single tear I ever shed last year.

If anyone is suffering and is too afraid to speak out, I would say this: Take it ten seconds at a time and do not fear. Help is out there and only by talking and sharing can we find it. And you will come out the other side. You don’t know who else you may help by sharing your own sufferings and surely the one good thing that can come out of suffering is to help someone else when they experience it too. If we share our mental illnesses with people, they can be strong for us when we cannot. And people want to help, they want to hold your hand if you give them the chance. So do, talk to them and give them that chance.

If I could say one thing to my pre-treatment self it would be, “This is temporary”. Because when you are in the pits of mental illness, in a panic attack, an OCD spike, a black hole of depression, it feels like it will never end. But it will, and if you speak out and seek help you will find tools to help you combat it if and when it returns. I know that one day I may find myself attacked by mental illness again but I know that when and if that day comes I will be ready for it, fully armoured and unafraid.
itaffectsme

To take part just take a selfie with a post-it note on the forehead with #itaffectsme written on it, upload it to social media with the link to the Mind donation page, donate and then share.

#itaffectsme is simply the statement the mental illness affects every single one of us, whether directly or indirectly and the selfie is to put faces to it, to stop people being embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. Mental illness has no prejudices about who it affects so we should have no prejudices about it.

www.itaffectsme.co.uk

 

Overcoming Anxiety: Reassuring ways to break free from stress and worry and lead a calmer life By Gill Hasson

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Overcoming Anxiety- Reassuring ways to break free from stress and worry and lead a calmer life By Gill Hasson

Anxiety is on the rise and even those lucky enough not to have anxiety will tend to worry. This book is great. It is all inclusive, it covers the aspects of anxiety to help you understand your own anxiety and anxiety in general. Part two then allows you to manage your anxiety. It gives you the tools to change the way you think, use mindfulness to help, use solution-based problem solving and boost your confidence. It even gives advice on finding help and support from other people. I found this book fascinating. I liked how it tells you to write down your anxieties and find recurring anxieties and then tackle them head on. I also loved the advice of surrounding yourself with ‘radiators’, people who spread warmth and positivity. Rather than drains who only take away energy and resources. There are brilliant tools and advice that really works.  In my opinion, this book is essential for anyone with anxiety.

 

New book explains how to identify and manage anxiety

 

Anxiety is recognised as one of the most prevalent mental health problems in the UK, with financial issues, welfare of family members, work stress and fear of unemployment some of the most common contributing factors.

 

For those who experience occasional anxiety or have a diagnosable disorder, Overcoming Anxiety is a new book that provides practical strategies and techniques to help manage or overcome worries and concerns.

 

Written by bestselling personal development author Gill Hasson, the book begins by explaining what anxiety is and how it can present itself, including panic attacks, phobias, OCD & IBS. It goes on to explain how readers can manage both the cognitive and physical aspects of anxiety and identify activities they can do to help them switch off from worrying.

 

Overcoming Anxiety highlights the importance of reaching out and connecting with other people, outlining what family and friends can do to help. Hasson stresses the significance of having positive people around,  explaining that “how other people respond to you can make quite a difference to how you feel about yourself- to your confidence, self-esteem and your ability to manage anxious thoughts and feelings.”

 

Throughout the book, there are quotes and examples from people who have experienced anxiety. Plus, exercises, activities, tips, strategies and techniques for readers to try.

 

“What is crucial is that you learn and develop a range of techniques and strategies that work for you” writes Hasson“and keep at it.”

 

About the author:

Gill Hasson is the author of the international bestsellers Mindfulness: Be mindful. Live in the moment , How To Deal With Difficult People: Smart Tactics for Overcoming the Problem People in Your Life and Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions to make a positive impact on your life and career.

 

She is a teacher, trainer and writer. She has 20 years’ experience in the area of personal development. Her expertise is in the areas of confidence and self-esteem, communication skills, assertiveness and resilience.

 

Gill delivers teaching and training for educational organisations, voluntary and business organisations and the public sector.

 

Gill’s particular interest and motivation is in helping people to realize their potential, to live their best life!

 

Overcoming Anxiety: Reassuring Ways to Break Free from Stress and Worry and Lead a Calmer Life

 

 

Jemma Kidd opens up about her panic attacks.

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Model, Business Woman and Make-up Artist Jemma Kidd Speaks Out About Her Crippling Anxiety, Panic Attacks And The Man Who ‘Transformed’ Her Life.

A national magazine today broke the story that Jemma Kidd has kept secret for most of her adult life. The celebrity Make-up Artist and sister of model Jodie Kidd (who also suffered from panic attacks and anxiety) would appear to the public and the majority of people that know her to have led a charmed and carefree life. Today, she revealed that crippling anxiety and panic attacks plagued her throughout her twenties until she and her sister came across Charles Linden and his program for anxiety disorder recovery.

“The attacks are so random and debilitating that you become fearful of the fear that they bring. You start to anticipate them and find yourself doing anything to avoid them. I stopped driving on my own. I manipulated my life so that when I had to go somewhere, I had someone with me. I couldn’t go into the supermarket or anywhere crowded. If I was going to stay at someone’s house for the weekend, I would be anxious for about ten days before and would insist on knowing how close they lived to a hospital. The symptoms were so real that I believed I could have a heart attack at any time,” Jemma states.

Jemma went online and came across the website of Charles Linden, 42, a former TV producer from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, who suffered from chronic anxiety for more than seven years and subsequently developed his own method of treating anxiety, panic attacks, phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder. “I bought his book and CD and read his story, which was 50 times worse than mine, and it made me realise that I could do something to help myself. Within days, I was feeling better,” says Jemma.

Jemma has since met Charles and agreed to work with him at his residential anxiety recovery retreats in Worcestershire. “I have been on one myself and seen how transformational his work is.”

Since curing himself in 1998, Charles and the team at The Linden Centre have helped over 139,000 anxiety sufferers internationally. Of Jemma’s recovery, Charles comments: “Jemma and her sister Jodie are a fantastic example of how the method works to put people back in control of their lives. We are very excited to have Jemma on board encouraging other sufferers to start their recovery asap.

“We at The Linden Centre are so proud to have guided tens of thousands of anxiety sufferers through the program, which shows them how to make changes in their lives to affect the way the mind perceives its environment – which in turn, switches of the anxiety response in humans. It really is very simple.”

On Tuesday 25th January, Charles will be hosting a one-off live webchat at www.charles-linden.com/webcast . Between 7pm and 9pm GMT, Charles is encouraging sufferers and carers to log on and ask him anything in relation to Anxiety Disorders and The Linden Method.

Anyone who would like to find out more can also contact The Linden Method support centre and speak to one of their advisers on 01562 742 004 Monday- Friday 9am – 5pm.

Full story was in The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine 23rd Jan 2011.