I'm still alive!

Apologies for the long absence.  Life has been a little hectic, with Christmas parties, the third anniversary of my 21st birthday recently and the short arrival of Christmas.  I may not be able to post much up until February as my husband and I move out of Londinium to the Garden of England in January.

If that is the case I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2014.

How to stay happy and healthy during winter

 The long, winter nights can bring on a lull in all of us, whether we suffer from a mental illness (especially Seasonal Affective Disorder – or SAD) or not.  I become quite apprehensive of the winter months when autumn sets in, more so because of the short days rather than the miserable weather and cold that comes with it. 

The reason why the long nights affect our mood is because when it becomes dark our brain produces a hormone called melatonin, which makes us sleepy.   When sunlight hits our eyes this triggers the production of melatonin to lessen, to make us more energetic.  This is why you may feel sluggish and tired by six or seven in the evening in December.  There are other theories as to why peoples’ moods are affected and why people suffer from SAD, like the over production of melatonin and disruption in our body clocks.

If you feel that the long nights are affecting you, whether it’s your mood, sleep or overall health, then the following tips can help you to elevate the symptoms.

• Wake as the sun rises.  It’s important to get as much sunlight as possible.  If you are a particular late riser then it may be beneficial to wake up earlier, even if it’s by an hour or two.  The sun rises around eight in the morning during December.
• Keep active.  Even if it’s laborious housework, a stroll to town or gentle exercises at home, exercise releases endorphins which are known as a ‘happy hormone’.  This will make you feel generally better about yourself, as well as giving you more energy.
• Purchase a light box.  Light boxes emit a light wave similar to the sun that helps to reduce the production of melatonin.  Depending on the manufacturer and instructions from health professionals a session of thirty minutes a day is enough to help relieve symptoms.  Bear in mind that there are debates whether light therapy does work.
• Eat healthily.  It is easy to munch on mince pies and chocolates, especially around the festive season, but it is important to maintain a healthy diet.  Consume the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals, especially fruit and vegetables.  Alcohol should be avoided, or at least reduced, as it is a natural depressant.
• Go out during midday.  Midday is when the sun is at its highest and strongest.  Having a twenty minute walk outside will expose you to enough sunlight to help reduce the production of melatonin. 
• Take breaks outside.  If you work inside, especially during the small hours of sunlight, then ensure that you take some of your break outside to expose yourself to sunlight.  Same reason as above.

If you start to feel worthless, guilty, tearful, difficulty concentrating, irritable, have sleeping problems, eating problems, and so on then please see your doctor as you could be suffering from depression.  Once recognised it can be treated.

We Still Need to Talk - Report and petition from We Need to Talk campaign

We Need To Talk is a coalition campaign for better access for talking therapies for those who need it.  Mental health charities, Royal colleges, service providers and professional organisations have come together with a common belief that talking therapies are effective for treating mental illnesses.

Recently, the campaign published the report We Still Need To Talk.  It explains how people feel regarding the current state of referral, waiting time and quality of talking therapies under the NHS and how beneficial talking therapies are.  It reveals shocking statistics, like ‘One in five people with severe mental illness are waiting more than a year to get psychological therapies’ and ‘58 per cent of people weren’t offered choice in the type of therapies they received’.  Whilst the NHS provides a choice of treatment and place of treatment for patients with physical illnesses this is still not happening with those receiving treatment for mental illness, one survey responder saying ‘We were referred to a bi-weekly full day group therapy programme almost 50 miles away from home. This is not do-able.’

I am a firm believer that increasing the availability of talking therapies would greatly help those to stay or to return to work.  A better mental health means less days off sick and better productivity.  The report showed these statistics:

‘In 2008, it was estimated that £1 billion in economic benefits could be achieved each year by extending NICE-recommended treatments to all those with depression, with treatment costs vastly outweighed by higher government revenues and reduced welfare payments, as well as wider social benefits.’

                www.rethink.org/media/869903/We_still_need_to_talk.pdf, p10

I urge people to read the report (link below) and to sign the petition to introduce a waiting time for talking therapies – from time of referral – to 28 days, or sooner in serious circumstances.  It is appalling that the NHS has no target or maximum waiting time for talking therapy or treatment for those with a mental illness.  With an introduction to a target or maximum waiting time treatment for those who desperately need it will become more available, having a much lesser effect on peoples’ personal lives and employment, as well as avoiding the risk of developing a serious, and more long term, mental illness.

Report: http://www.rethink.org/media/869903/We_still_need_to_talk.pdf

Petition: http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=32&ea.campaign.id=24068

*All statistics and information gained from the We Still Need to Talk report.