What makes me happy?

A few days back I posted the results of an artwork project with Birchensale Middle School where the children were asked what made them happy. Going back through the art created by the children last year made me think a little more about what makes me happy (something I thought a lot about over the summer while recovering from what the health professionals dub a 'depressive episode'). I thought if you'd allow me to indulge myself - and perhaps make you think about it too! - I'd share some of my thoughts:

My support network:
How often do we hear those words banded about? Especially when talking about mental health. But really and truly, having friends and family around me is something I valued more than anything else when I was poorly and they got me through some pretty bad days. It's horrible to think some people don't have that love there surrounding them (or perhaps just can't see it because of their illness). I guess that was part of the reason for being involved in a charitable organisation - if attending an MHAG meeting, getting to know our members, reading stuff we write on various social media outlets or being able to access some services through MHAG helps people feel they have a support network there then we've done what we set out to do!

Writing:
As many people know, I'm a journalist by trade so writing is something I do every single day. When I was younger I wrote copious amounts of short stories, poems, letters etc - filling up numerous notebooks or typing away on the computer for hours. Over the years as the pressures of being an adult with all the associated responsibilities grew, I lost that desire to sit down and write somewhere along the way (having time to do it is always an issue too!). On the first day I went into Hillcrest I decided my recovery project would be to complete a journal for 100 days. I took this as an opportunity not only to document what life was like on a mental health ward and immediately after being discharged, but also to delve back into my life and the important episodes - good and bad - which had shaped it. I would whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone! Or if you're not a fan of writing, perhaps something else creative which you can take some time out of the daily grind of life to complete?

Learning how to relax:
Many people, myself included, are guilty of living at 100mph - constantly rushing around and doing something. I know especially when I'm unwell I'm prone to cover up any signs of the illness by taking on more and more and making myself busy all the time. When I first knew I was becoming more unwell, I was in the midst of planning our first Wellbeing Week while launching a new paper at work and training for the Birmingham Half Marathon. Most people would have got to the end of that hectic period and sat down for a little rest - not me. I kept on at that pace for months before my mind (and my body) was screaming at me to stop and essentially gradually I shut down bit by bit until I wasn't functioning at all.
The first day in Hillcrest was probably the first time I'd sat and done absolutely nothing (except for some sudoku, reading and writing) for about a year. When I got out I found some Youtube videos about muscle relaxation and guided meditation and used those to get back on track with my sleeping. It's not easy and I'm by no means an expert but I definitely try and carve out a little time for myself each week - whether it's just to scroll absentmindedly through Twitter for a while or have an early night. Sometimes if you're so busy rushing through it and forget to stop and look around you, you miss all the good things which are actually happening!

MHAG:
Myself and vice-chair Beccy often joke MHAG is our baby but being involved in it since its inception - from those very early chats between the two of us wondering if we could get some interested people together to talk about mental health, to today when I get to meet with all sorts of people and chat about the issue and help organise fund-raisers and awareness-raising events - is without doubt one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
Many people tell me trying to run MHAG alongside holding down a full-time job is too stressful and I should consider giving it up but I truly believe I wouldn't be as happy without it. It gives me a huge sense of pride to look at how it's grown and a feeling of excitement thinking about where we could take it in the future. Every single meeting, I still marvel at the fact people have come together to talk about mental health and there are so many motivated, intelligent, compassionate, creative, wonderful people who call themselves MHAG members!
So a little thank you from me to everyone here. Without getting too gushy (I have a real tendency to!) I truly admire every single person who's had the courage to come and share their experiences with us, I truly respect all of the members who give up their free time to make MHAG happen and I truly have made friends with some of the most fantastic people you could hope to meet through this little organisation which has come so far in the last two years.

Thank you,
Harriet.