NoPanic

Author: Michelle

  • If you haven’t experienced anxiety as an illness, please read this

    By Lucy Nichol

    This was originally a thread I posted on Twitter one night about the reality of anxiety as an illness (hence the strange snippet like style!)

    I don’t know what a heart attack feels like. But I’ve had palpitations. I don’t know what a broken leg feels like. But I’ve had a sprain.

    Please don’t assume you know what an anxiety disorder feels like when you’ve had fleeting anxious thoughts.

    So many people talk about anxiety these days. And we live in an anxious society. So you’d be forgiven for thinking  it’s just a response to life. Isn’t that what we all deal with day to day?

    Thing is, an anxiety disorder isn’t often relative to life. Traumatic experiences can be a trigger, but anxiety disorders are not always driven by trauma.

    Anybody can experience an anxiety disorder. It doesn’t make you a weak or nervous person.

    In fact, many anxious people are so terrified of being taken advantage of that they’re the last people you want to mess with! Don’t underestimate us nervy types – our nervous energy is driving our strength as well as our weakness.

    But you can’t see it can you? Not like with a broken leg or a rash. And as anxiety as a feeling is something we have all felt from time to time – you’d also be forgiven for thinking that you know what it feels like.

    But anxiety as an illness isn’t just a bit of worry about buying a new house, taking an exam or giving a speech.

    Anxiety as an illness can create terrifying panic attacks. Where in that moment, you genuinely believe you are close to death. You HAVE to wake your husband because you’re scared nobody will find your lifeless body until morning.

    You’re desperate to escape your body and your mind but terrified of not being in control of them. Your limbs are tingling, your stomach empties its entire contents in a matter of seconds and your heart is pounding erratically.

    You were once the life and soul of the party, but never felt a part of it. All those eyes despising you, hating you, pitying the sheer pathetic nature of you. So you downed the drinks and snorted the false confidence. It helped for a matter of hours. Then you were close to death again – in your head, of course.

    Even your friends spend time with you out of pity. You know they’re thinking you’re not on the same level as a kind, intelligent or interesting human being. And your colleagues know you’re a fraud. An imposter. Each and every day you put on that front but you know you’re not good enough.

    Christ – even your therapist knows you’re a fraud. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just a weak, failed, personality.

    Then the next day you’re weird and scary and insane.

    Either way – you’re feeling too boring or too crazy for your therapist and you KNOW they can’t wait for you to finish up your 6 sessions.

    Your brain is a mashed up mess of chaos. You can’t sleep. Your restlessness is so severe and you can’t sit never mind lie. You awake early. And the first thing that hits you is catastrophe. And your brain speeds back up and you sit almost catatonic because everything’s so fast you’ve not idea how to keep up. So you cry.

    Then there’s a lump. A rash. A bone that you never knew existed. And the end is close again.

    But nobody retweeted this – what does that mean? My friends and colleagues saw this – they’ll call me an attention seeker. Why did I do it? Why did I share this?

    I shared this because I need you to know, that it isn’t attention seeking. It isn’t fun. And it’s highly inconvenient for me, never mind you. I don’t want this anxious fool on my back.

    And when I’m recovering, it doesn’t mean I’m 100% well. It’s a journey I am on. I just don’t wear any signposts that say I’m a mile from being well again.

    We know it’s not sexy, we know it’s not endearing. We didn’t ask for it. We only ask that you try to understand. We’re not weak. And we don’t want sympathy. We just want understanding.

    Lucy has written a book on mental health stereotypes and stigma called A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes. Order your copy here 

  • Beating Panic Disorder When You’re On a Date

    A Guest Blog by Cassie Steele

    “In panic, time stops: past, present and future exist as a single overwhelming force. You then, perversely,want time to appear to run forwards because the ‘future’ is the only place you can see an escape from this intolerable overload of feeling”- Sebastian Faulks, Engleby

    In his emotion-packed novel, ‘Engelby’ author Sebastian Faulks sums up how hard it can be to do normal things like date, work, or make new friends, when panic hits. An attack can happen during the most inopportune moments… when we are seated at a table, about to enter a movie or in the middle of a concert, for example. When it strikes, we can feel like we are spiralling out of control. There is hope, of course, because anxiety is nothing more than an illusion that we are in danger. With a little help, we can simply ‘ride the wave of panic’ and ask our partner to help us breathe and perhaps even turn a disastrous moment into a humorous one.

    Just the Way You Are

    When you go on a date, the person sitting opposite you or joining you for a fun sporting adventure, film, theatrical performance etc. should be, above all, someone you trust. If you have strong or frequent panic attacks, it is important to let them know about the nature of anxiety; the way it ‘tricks’ your body and mind into believing you are in imminent danger, all the little changes it provokes – including the tensing up of muscles, fast breathing, and heart palpitations. They should know about the ‘fight or flight’ response, and the fact that anxiety is not imagined; it truly can cause pain and discomfort, especially when one is hyperventilating. They should be aware that you know what is happening to you, and that there is a way to ‘ride’ through a panic attack. As someone who cares about you, your date can benefit from learning the things that work (essentially abdominal breathing techniques) so they can join you while you inhale and exhale, if panic sets is.

    Reducing the Surprise Factor

    You can surprise your date with a romantic outing, picnic or dinner but you can calm your own nerves by planning well for your date. Book in advance so you don’t find that the romantic restaurant you’ve been eyeing is full for the night. Read up on how to pair specific dishes with wine, checking out the restaurant’s online menu first and doing a little research on some of their bottles. Make sure the car is clean and your outfit is chosen and pressed. Organisation will help you feel like you are just ‘slipping into’ the date, without having to worry about a myriad of last-minute details.

    Join a Local Support Group

    It is important to build a social circle among people who understand and support you. By joining a local support group, you can meet others who may also have anxiety; after all, it is one of the two most common mental conditions affecting people of all ages in the UK. Being with someone who understands exactly how overpowering a panic attack can feel can really take off the heat and foster a sense of acceptance.

    Dating is always a little stressful, but it can be immensely rewarding if you are open and honest with your date and if you work on a friendship before going on an official ‘date’. Anxiety is very common; when discussing your own condition with a prospective date, you may be surprised to learn that they, too, have experienced it at some point in their lives. Keep a sense of humour around the topic, prepare well, and remember that if a panic attack should arise, your date should serve as a help rather than hindrance. Ask them breathe with you and when the panic subsides (which it will) you can continue to enjoy a fabulous date under the stars, by a candlelit dinner, or in the middle of a concert hall.

    Photo by Nathan Walker on Unsplash

  • Announcing Our Newest Patron!

    Natasha Devon

    Photographer: Ethan Cole

    I was ten years old when I had my first panic attack. I was freewheeling down a hill on my bike, when I suddenly found I was gasping for air and I fell into a ditch full of stinging nettles.

    There were a lot of things going on for me, emotionally, at that time. My brother, Joe, had been born extremely premature and just ten months after my other brother, Ethan. For eight years I’d been an only child and suddenly I had two siblings, one of whom was very poorly. My brothers are two of my favourite people on Earth, now, but at the time it was an almighty gear change.

    Shortly after Joe was born, my cousin Chloë, who was only a year younger than me, died of cancer. When you’re a child you don’t tend to think of anything you’re experiencing as being ‘abnormal’, so I didn’t consider the impact that spending so much of my time at the hospital, visiting the Special Care Baby Unit to see Joe and cancer ward to spend time with Chloë, was having on me. With hindsight, I can see that this, along with the fact that I was the only person in my year at primary school who got into a highly-sought after secondary and all the other girls in my class decided to stop talking to me, meant I was a prime contender for some sort of anxiety. It was a perfect storm.

    Photographer: Ethan Cole

    Unfortunately, this was all happening in 1991, in much less enlightened times, so my doctor wrongly diagnosed me with asthma. As it turned out, I didn’t get a diagnosis of Panic Disorder until I was 31 and in the intervening two decades I developed all kinds of toxic coping strategies, including an eating disorder which spanned over seven years.

    For a long time, before I knew what anxiety was and the impact it can have, I just thought I was less good at dealing with life than other people. Now, having received the correct diagnosis and embarked on recovery, I don’t see Panic Disorder as radically different from having, for example, diabetes. Of course, I have to be aware of my mental illness and take steps to manage it, but it doesn’t define who I am. It’s just an element of my life, as opposed to something which dictates every element of it.

    Through a combination of medication, therapy and lifestyle changes, I’ve found a balance which means that now, instead of having two or three panic attacks a week I have two or three a year.

    A key component in my recovery was finding a community of people who understood what anxiety is like and that I wasn’t being a ‘Drama Queen’. Today, the people that I connected with when I was at crisis point remain some of my closest friends.

    That’s why I’m so proud to announce today that I have become a patron for No Panic. As well as providing vital information and support, No Panic represents a supportive network of people who get it. I’m delighted to be able to lend my platform and voice to such an important and necessary cause.

    Photographer: Ethan Cole

    If you are reading this and feelings of anxiety or panic seem overwhelming, know that you aren’t alone. You aren’t ‘weak’ – your symptoms are the result of very real chemical phenomenon happening in your brain and body. Know also that, with the right support, they can be managed and overcome. There is such a thing as a happy and fulfilling life with anxiety.

    www.natashadevon.com

  • Personifying my illness makes it less frightening

    By Lucy Nichol

    As someone with arachnophobia severe enough to make me dance like an incompetent Northern Soul fan whenever Incy Wincy makes a move on me, the advice I was given by a friend many years ago proved invaluable:

    “If you see a spider, imagine it in a disco dress – it won’t seem so scary any more”
    Of course, it’s not bullet proof. Sometimes, no matter how elaborate the sequinned ra-ra skirt and disco lights I conjure up in my mind, the arachnid fiend still gets the better of me.

    But it helps a little.

    If there was a magic cure for anxiety I wouldn’t be writing this. There’s not. But several years ago, when my therapist said my behaviour reminded her of that of a meerkat, anxiety felt a little less dark and gloomy.

    Whenever I hit Google to confirm whether or not I had a sinister illness, or waded through traffic reports to check my loved ones’ cars were not crushed in a pile-up on the M1 (they weren’t even due to travel on the M1), I pictured my anxiety as a meerkat – a cute furry thing standing on hind legs and on the lookout for danger.

    My therapist said my life must be ‘exhausting’ being constantly on the lookout for danger. And at the time it was. I was desperately trying to protect the desert burrow from sandstorms even though the weather report promised sunshine.

    But I have lived through the 80s, when Michael Fish got it wrong and that peaceful day in 1987 turned into a devastating hurricane.

    SO I KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN.

    That’s the nature of anxiety. Even when all around is calm, the brain frantically goes into ‘what if’ mode. And you beat yourself up about it. Another therapist described my mind as working like a conspiracy theorist. No matter what the odds were, if I couldn’t find definitive evidence proving my theory wrong then I believed that the worst could probably happen.

    But beating yourself up about it makes the anxiety worse. It ups your levels of internalised stigma (or self-stigma and shame), which intensifies negative feelings.

    But you can’t despise a cute little meerkat can you? You think ’ah, bless, them, always on the lookout. They’re only trying to protect their loved ones and their home.′

    And really, that’s what my anxiety was doing. It didn’t hate me. It wasn’t a dark demon trying to choreograph my downfall. It was just a little meerkat who had lost its way, its sense of judgement and its ability to administer self-care.

    Of course, if a meerkat has lost its way, its family will no doubt rally round to try and help. It needs to take breaks from its lookout post. It needs calm and mindfulness. It needs to sleep in its burrow and play in the sunshine and devour its favourite buffet of scorpion, locust and fruit.

    But to do that it needs to like itself. Love itself even. And it won’t if it’s forever angry at itself.

    So I learnt to empathise with the meerkat in my brain. And instead of feeding it a constant diet of Google, social media and alcohol, I tamed its over excitability somewhat with exercise, good food and iPhone breaks.

    I’m no angel of perfection. I still let its over-protectiveness prevail at times. But I’m aware, I try harder than I used to and I take my meds every day. It’s now far better behaved than it used to be – even though it does freak out from time to time.

    Sometimes, it even morphs into a happy, over-excited spaniel. I know this because one of my closest friends, Tom, summed me up when we first met by saying:

    “You’re like a spaniel – you’re just one full fat coke away from licking someone.”

    I don’t think that playful spaniel would exist if the over-reactive meerkat didn’t. I think they kind of depend on one another to survive.

    So the idea that with anxiety comes some of my more positive traits also allows me to make peace with it. I can’t let it run riot, but I don’t have to hate it. And I don’t need to make it vanish forever. I just need to make peace with it.

  • No Panic! Getting your head around anxiety

    Ruth Cooper-Dickson

    I am often asked what it is like to live with anxiety and panic attacks. Those who know me well know that I am self-aware, I know how to look after myself and I do the right things to take care of me. As much as I have learned to live with the fact that sometimes my anxiety will hit me no matter what is happening in my life, I do also believe that it is down to my brain chemistry at that particular time.

    I spent the whole of February this year in a funk. It was the first time in a very long time I had felt both severely anxious and depressed. I remember one Thursday I could not get out of bed and, at the time, I do not know how I did. Looking back, I realise it was through extreme sheer will that I managed to get out of bed, get dressed and out of the door.

    That is the major downside of running your own business; there is no-one to pick up the slack if you are unwell. I remember wanting it all to go away. I remember thinking “if I lie here and shut my eyes then nobody will find me or look for me”. I had pretty dark thoughts and felt lost.

    I couldn’t shake off the feelings of numbness combined with panic, like ants crawling all over me. Many people during this time would not have understood what was happening to me for I was still posting messages on social media for work. The well-trained eye of my close friend, Claire, prompted her to message me to say “something feels off, you aren’t OK are you?” Claire also lives with anxiety and can spot the early warning signs in me a mile off.

    I would have found this period hard had it not been for both of my sisters. For two weeks they checked in with me on most days – not in an “are you OK?” kind of way, but to let me know they were there for me. I know I must have been in a bad way because on the day of my RADA course, my Mum messaged to ask if I was in a good head space. The power of a network is an integral part of the recovery process and I am fortunate to have a supportive family who understand anxiety and depression. I appreciate not everyone does.

    For those of us living with anxiety, often one of the ways we deal with it is by cancelling our plans. We cannot cope with social situations. In February I cancelled a weekend date with a new love interest – it wasn’t going to happen given how I was feeling! I also cancelled a business dinner with my accountant and catch-ups with two friends. The list goes on. Even now, I still use the excuse that I am too busy or work is too stressful. I haven’t yet found a way yet to be comfortable telling everyone that it is because of my mental health. I am working on but it shows the stigma is still attached to mental health, even for someone who, like me, is very open.

    My old friend the panic attack returned for the first time in February this year. On the day it happened I was having major cognitive distortions such as obsessive thoughts about leaving the tap running and flooding the house. Ironically, the panic attack happened as I was on my way to Hyde Park take part in a Mental Health Mates walk – of all the things!

    Anxiety is common and is often left undiagnosed. In 2013 there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK. Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain, with 7.8% of people meeting the criteria for diagnosis. Statistics show women experience anxiety more than men do and often this is because women can appear to be more comfortable talking through their issues and seeking support.

    Anxiety has affected my life and I have managed it at work for two decades. It is time for me to help and educate other people. I have only just begun to understand my experiences and have started to seek professional help in the last three years. Reflecting on the statistics, it is important to educate organisations how best they can support their employees living with anxiety. I also want to offer a “lightbulb moment” to anyone who has been living their life through avoidance and utilising unhelpful coping strategies. I want people to understand they do not have to feel this way on a daily basis and that professional help and support is out there for them to access.

    No Panic is a national anxiety charity that has been running for 25 years. We have partnered with No Panic to create a one-hour session for people to learn and understand more about anxiety and panic attacks. Anxiety and anxiety disorders are often seen by many as being at the ‘acceptable’ end of the spectrum of mental ill health conditions. Those of us living with these mental health conditions know they can be debilitating and life-changing.

    “We see this as a great opportunity [to] bring greater awareness to organisations. To help them spot the signs of anxiety within their teams. To know where they can go for help and resources. We are looking forward to facilitating the discussion on anxiety within the workplace”. Michelle D’Ambrosio, No Panic.

    The one-hour session is for all employees. When you book the session 20% of the revenue will go to No Panic as a charitable donation to support and sustain the charity and the amazing work they do helping the public. This includes a crisis helpline for both adults and young people.

    Are you ready to create further awareness and promote education about a common mental health condition? One which many of your employees will need support for?

    Download the outline of the session here and to book your workshop please email info@champsconsult.com.

  • Man up, Man down

    A great deal is being written, said and more importantly, done pertaining to Mental Well-being of late.
    Long may it continue. In fact, it has become (or becoming) acceptable to admit that anyone of us is struggling with life.

    Take for example, “modern day man” who could not be any different from that of 20 years ago, because “back in the day” men in particular, did not show feelings because men were not supposed to have them.

    Depression? Get over it.
    Anxiety? You’re weak.
    Feeling down? Man up.
    Man up!!
    Man up??
    Keep it hidden, suppress the feelings and suppress the fears.
    He’s okay on the outside. Everyone thinks he’s happy because he’s successful and everyone thinks he’s successful because he’s happy.
    He’s not waving, he’s drowning.
    Can’t tell his work colleagues as he’s “not allowed to feel how he really feels”.
    That’s not part of the deal.
    He cheers everyone up, he makes them laugh and besides, “he’s got more bounce than Zebedee”.
    We don’t want a Robert we want “Fun Time Bobby”.
    Tears of a Clown.
    He’s angry about yesterday and he’s worried about tomorrow.
    When the only release and relief he gets, is when he climbs into bed at night, pulls the covers over his head…another day over, another day to face…
    He’s not waving, he’s drowning.
    What he needs is a drink that will cheer him up.
    Just have one and go home to the wife and kids.
    Have a “skinful” and go home to the wife and kids.
    It doesn’t matter. Let the drink do the work.
    He’ll feel better and all his worries will dissipate.
    He won’t, they don’t.
    He’ll go to bed with the same issues and awake the next day with those same issues. Snakes and ladders of the highest order and he keeps landing on those snakes.
    Got to face the world again.
    Life is just a series of daily negotiations.
    Puts on his mask, its okay, he’s okay, he can do this…
    Nobody need know. He’s not waving he’s drowning.

    It’s like a game of Blink. Someone finally speaks bravely into the silence and its okay. It’s okay to admit you have a problem and you need a bit of help. A problem shared is a problem halved. It’s a start and it’s true.

    For each complex problem, the solution is surprisingly simple. Speaking bravely into the silence is the starting point. A long journey, a painful journey awaits but a shared journey. Surrender to win. Speak bravely into the silence. 1:4 adults suffer with a Mental Health issue. Look around your workplace. Do the Maths.

    When you next speak to someone, ask them how they are? And mean it. Someone you know is struggling with life right this moment and needs a bit of help. Your help. Help you can easily give. You could even save a life.

    Thanks for reading. Darren

  • Living with Social Anxiety: My Story

    I have lived with my anxiety disorder for most of my life, but it really started at aged 15, when I was so acutely anxious I had to take six weeks off school during my GCSE year. I was suffering from an agitated depression, an episode that left me reeling. I was so young and so unwell. It was partly triggered by stressful life events but what I didn’t know at that time was that my anxiety and depression was part of a wider illness- bipolar disorder.

    After several episodes of depression and mania, I was hospitalised at aged 16 at the Priory North London and diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder. Bipolar is a mood disorder where you fluctuate between episodes of depression, hypomania (a lesser manic state) or mania. It can run in families and can be triggered by life events. I am now 29, so have lived with this for almost 14 years.

    I was hospitalised due to a severe depression that featured psychosis, where your mind loses touch with reality and can cause bad anxiety. I had delusions- false beliefs about the world and a lot of fear. Luckily, I recovered after four months of treatment, left and started taking regular medication which began to help, however, the anxiety seemed to be ever present.

    As I had been so ill as a teenager with a whole host of symptoms due to my bipolar, I developed social anxiety and panic attacks. I was desperate to fit in and appear ‘normal’ as most teenagers are. I felt different, I was facing life with a chronic illness. There was so much uncertainty, they couldn’t just scan my brain to see what was going on. Taking medication was trial and error for me, some worked and some didn’t. The same with therapies.

    The social anxiety was about feeling judged by other people, because I was judging myself wrongly for what had happened during my episodes. It impacted my self esteem- I felt low about myself and didn’t know why I had been given this illness and why it caused me so much embarrassment and shame at the time. There was a stigma back in 2004, that has lessened today

    My social anxiety manifested a few years after I had left hospital. I began to fear attending parties, dates and social events with friends, in case I was judged negatively. As a teenager, there was a lot of stigma from other teenagers about my illness. This made me feel depleted, sad and angry. I didn’t choose my brain chemistry- so why were they spreading false rumours about me and making me feel worthless? It was a difficult time for me. I did also have a lot of love and support.

    However, my heart would race and the event eg a birthday party in a club or bar, would trigger an absolute state of panic. What if I looked awful/ wore the wrong clothes? What if everyone was judging me when I got there and thinking badly of me? I often would cancel on friends and not attend, for fear of having to show up, however I felt. I felt so vulnerable and I didn’t want anyone to see it.

    Part of the anxiety was because when you have bipolar episodes of mania and depression (particularly mania) it leaves you feeling ashamed of your behaviour. For me there was a certain sense of shame, especially with the manic episodes. However, I knew it wasn’t my true personality and I could not control my brain chemistry at the time it happened. Yet, my subconscious mind continued to trigger panic in social situations.

    I was lucky and am still lucky to have a group of very supportive friends (and family) who helped me to get out more, through exposure therapy. My Mum or Dad would take me out in the car, or friends would come to the house and coax me slowly out into the world again. Exposure therapy, moving slowly to expose myself to the feared situations is so helpful to me, even today.

    Aged 20, I began my first course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for the anxiety. I worked out with my therapist what the limiting beliefs holding me back were- fear of judgement, fear of being exposed negatively (as my illness made me feel so out of control) and I was asked to keep thought records of my negative thoughts at the time of a panic attack.

    For me, panic attacks manifested themselves as feeling clammy, sick, tight chest, overwhelming negative thoughts about a situation and the fight or flight desire to run away and cancel the arrangement, removing myself from the feared trigger. Although the CBT did not stop the anxiety and panic, it gave me some tools at the time to understand it.

    Over the years, I have completed three courses of CBT with a psychologist and another therapist, until I gave up on it, because my anxiety was so emotionally rooted and based in the subconscious that the cognitive approach was not working. For me a combination of the following helps.

    Firstly, talking therapy about any past traumas (psychodynamic) with my current therapist is so helpful and makes me feel so grounded and safe. Secondly, when very stressed, I find meditation, particularly the Yoga Nidra meditation or apps like Headspace so helpful for breathing. Taking deep breaths can help relieve stress. Thirdly, exposure therapy is key to recovery. I find the more I go out accompanied, the more I feel able to do- it’s a slow process but helpful.

    In 2014, after ten years out of hospital, I was hospitalised for a severe manic episode with psychosis. This hospitalisation caused a lot of trauma and anxiety and in hospital, I found art therapy incredibly helpful. Making a picture, collage or painting focused and calmed my mind. Even colouring in a book helped me to filter out the stress of being in hospital and kept my mind calm. I suppose this is a form of mindfulness too and I still love art today.

    I very much support the work of No Panic and am so thrilled to write here. Since 2016, I have made a really good recovery from my bipolar and am now stable on medication. My anxiety is still there but I now have a career writing freelance for Metro Online, Happiful Magazine, Glamour and mental health charities such as Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and Time to Change. I have also written my mental health blog www.beurownlight.com, which is about my journey with bipolar and anxiety and those of others. It is currently nominated for a UK Blog Award.

    Just know that if you currently experience anxiety and panic attacks, whatever triggers it- there will be something out there to help you- whether its therapy, medication, mindfulness, exercise, meditation, art or exposure to the feared situation in small does. You are not alone.

    Blog by Eleanor Segall

  • Rushing Towards Failure? On Mental Illness and Time Management

    A Guest Blog by Alex

    The key to success is remaining motivated and giving everything your best shot. Things have to be done not only right but also in a timely fashion. Thus, a big part of our lives is spent on learning what the best ways to achieve such performances are. But how can you manage your time and stay productive when you’re mentally ill?

    Losing Time on Mental Illness

    Staying constantly productive all through the week is challenging enough when you’re healthy. Imagine how difficult it can be for someone who has to deal with a disorder of the mind simultaneously. If that is your case, then you might feel like our illness is draining you professionally and making you lose precious time.

    For example, people struggling with borderline schizophrenia might experience a warped sense of reality, which extends to how they perceive the passage of time. Similarly, patients suffering from clinical depression won’t even notice when a day goes by. This is different from regular procrastination due to the serious underlying issue behind it.

    How to Combat the Issue

    Studies show that people struggling with mental health issues who work in places that offer them special health benefits for their disorder have higher chances of combating their problems and becoming productive again. But how can you get back in the game when you’re not being given any preferential treatment?

    Well, the process won’t be easy, but you can succeed if you manage to gather up enough ambition for it. First and foremost, you need to set some professional goals, or even just daily ones at first. Don’t push your limits too hard from the start; instead, be kind to yourself and remember to breathe every occasionally.

    Another way to stay organized when your grasp on temporal matters is weakened is to come up with a preset table for your daily activities. This can help even if you’re not currently employed anywhere, so don’t be afraid to act. Depending on the nature of your occupation, you can go about this in two ways.

    If you find yourself doing basically the same things daily, you can devise a universal hourly chart organized by day of the week. But if your activities vary a lot, setting a to-do list for each day is the perfect solution. Complete it with time frames to achieve the best possible results.

    If you’re not sure you can handle a full day’s work, start off slow with a few small chores, then increase their amount and difficulty level gradually. Effective time management during a bout of mental illness is all about pushing your limits and becoming a better you, but you also need to know how far you can bend and not crack.

    What If I Fail?

    Unfortunately, failure is also an option here. Pressuring yourself to follow a schedule can worsen your condition. Due to this, it’s recommended that you do this under strict medical supervision only. And even so, you might not succeed at first. There are no set guidelines when it comes to coping with a disorder of the mind, there’s only the hope for a better tomorrow.

    Thus, you need to overcome this and try again. Together with your therapist, you will find a solution that works for you in the end. Remember that treating such a condition doesn’t happen after a set recipe. This is true for everything starting with medication and ending with this type of life improvement techniques.

    Coming to terms with your failure in this situation will be even harder due to your illness. Try not to take it personally and don’t let it become an extra reason for you to spiral back into your disorder. Instead, see it as an opportunity to become even more productive. Use this learning experience positively and constructively, and favorable results will come eventually.

    Conclusion

    In all honesty, your mental illness will most likely cause you to lose track of your true self. Still, by choosing to be successful, you are enabling yourself to become more effective in your daily activities. It won’t be easy at first, but the important thing is not to give up on the goals that you set for yourself.

    Pushing to become more organized is also beneficial in this situation. However, don’t be alarmed if you fail. There is a chance of this happening at first, so it’s essential to bounce back from it and try again.

    Image Source: Unsplash.com

  • Children’s Mental Health Week

    It’s Children’s Mental Health Week, so we want to highlight how some ways you can help your child’s mental health.Our booklet on Children's Phobias and Anxieties

    Check out our booklet on Children’s Phobias and Anxieties.

    What should you look out for? To start with a persistent avoidance of certain situations or people. Signs of sudden laboured or fast breathing in reaction to a situation or circumstance. Nervous shaking or dizziness. These are just some of the symptoms or reactions you can have from having an anxiety disorder or an anxious reaction to a situation. Now some anxiety is normal but frequent anxiety is not. But do keep in mind it is the anxiety that is and isn’t normal not the child. You can read more about anxiety symptoms anxiety symptoms here. If your child is showing anxiety symptoms talk to them about it and find out how they feel and think about them.

    So what can you do to get help if you see that your child needs it? First of all get advice, you can get advice from our youth helpline on 0330 606 1174. You can also get advice by emailing us on membership@nopanic.org.uk or by going to our Facebook Page and messaging us.

    The next things you can do is to work on basic coping strategies like a muscle relaxation technique and a breathing exercise. Then you may want to consider whether cognitive behavioural therapy would be necessary or wanted by your child and if it would work with them. We can help with that too.

    If you would like to know more about our youth services you can visit our youth section of the shop or you can phone our youth helpline on 0330 606 1174.

  • PIP & Mental Health Claimants

    I felt like my mental health was irrelevant. I was made to feel like I was being a burden to the system.

    Quote from A BBC News Article on PIP from a claimant called Vicky.

    This shocking statement is the current state of our disabled person’s benefits system. We’ve heard this echoed by others that are in contact with No Panic. The assessment and reassessment process is complicated and can be traumatizing for the claimants. Even more so now that a great deal of mental health claimants have to go to appeal and even tribunal to get the correct decision that they need to live a suitable life and any suitable care.

    Disabled People Treatment

    So the question rightly asked is: Is this how to treat disabled people?

    You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

    Serious Neuroses can be classified under the substantial and long term mental impairment. Therefore discriminating against you on grounds of your mental health is not legal. This was part of the basis for the high court case on PIP, which resulted in all 1.6 million PIP claims having to be reassessed. We hope the high court case and the new reassessments mean that people with mental ill health and neuroses will be more fairly treated and not have to utter statements like Vicky’s.