All posts by Sophie

Keep moving forward ... :)
Anxiety, Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, Depression, Men - Depression & Suicide, Suicidal Ideation & Suicide, Videos

Why we need to talk about male suicide

Steph Slack – TEDx Talks

THE QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ASK ABOUT MALE SUICIDE

Steph believes talking saves lives. Having lost her uncle to suicide and supported close friends through suicidal ideation, her aim is to raise awareness of suicide prevention and help people to feel confident and comfortable in conversations about suicide.

Excerpt from TEDx Talks

What would happen if we all went home and had conversations with the men in our lives about what they’re feeling and thinking? The answer to solving today’s male suicide crisis may be simply listening to the men in our lives.

At some point in your life you’ll probably be touched by male* suicide. It’s now the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK with 12 men taking their own lives every day.

In her challenging TEDx talk, Steph Slack shares her personal story of how losing her uncle to suicide caused her to question how we react to men who experience suicidal thoughts.

Steph asks: what if we stop seeing having suicidal thoughts as something unusual, change our stereotypical expectations of men and instead, support men who have the courage to be vulnerable with us?

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or are in crisis, in the UK Samaritans operate a 24/7 helpline on 116 123 or CALM operate a helpline 5pm to midnight for men on 0800 585858.

https://tedxfolkestone.com/the-questions-we-need-to-ask-about-male-suicide/

Anxiety, Articles, Depression, Men - Depression & Suicide, Suicidal Ideation & Suicide

Why more men than women die by suicide

pic credit: Nik Shiliahin on Unsplash

An article By Helene Schumacher 18th March 2019 on BBC

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190313-why-more-men-kill-themselves-than-women

EXCERPTS “…In the UK, the male suicide rate is its lowest since 1981 – 15.5 deaths per 100,000. But suicide is still the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45. And a marked gender split remains. For UK women, the rate is a third of men’s: 4.9 suicides per 100,000.

It’s the same in many other countries. Compared to women, men are three times more likely to die by suicide in Australia, 3.5 times more likely in the US and more than four times more likely in Russia and Argentina. WHO’s data show that nearly 40% of countries have more than 15 suicide deaths per 100,000 men; only 1.5% show a rate that high for women.”

Men are more likely to die of suicide than women. – This reality bothers me so much,

We, both men and women, together as a community must do something about it.

If you’re a man and you struggle , please join our FB group. It’s a small online community of amazing, compassionate people.

I am also going to start a section on our resource library WorkWithTheBrainYouHave dot com for men, depression, & suicide.

You are not alone 🤗

🌻 Sophie 💗

Pictures

Yep, sounds about right 😁

Pic credit : serenasugarcube

Remember to take a deep breath, unclench and stretch your muscles, and relax your mind from time to time throughout the day.

Yes things can be stressful, but things always have a way of working out 🤗

🌻 Sophie 💕

Pictures

You can’t pour from an empty cup

pic credit: twitter starbucks

I want to dedicate today for those strong, courageous, compassionate individuals who have a loved one with mental illness and at many times be their support person.

For those kind souls who are caring for a loved one who struggles with brain condition / mental illness ❤️

Remember to take care of yourself ❤️ 🤗
You have to put on your oxygen mask first –

selflove #selfcare #mentalhealthsupport #mentalhealth #mentalillness #caregiver #depressionsupport #depression #suicide #suicidalthoughts #bekind #starbucks

Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, Pictures

Today is March 30th, the World Bipolar Day.

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

If you have Bipolar, please know that you are not alone. Having Bipolar can be hard (I’m having mixed episode as I’m writing this 😐), but it is manageable. Remember to be kind to yourself. And remember, no matter how difficult an episode is, it WILL last. Stay calm, take care of yourself, and wait until the storm ⛈pass. And the storm ☔️ WILL pass, my dear friends ❤️.

Hugs 🤗,

🌻 Sophie 💗

PS. World Bipolar Day is an international collaboration to bring awareness to those living with bipolar disorders and to fight the social stigma surrounding it. World Bipolar Day is celebrated each year on March 30, the birthday of artist Vincent Van Gogh who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after his death. Source: Embark Behavioral Health. Check out the link, it has a clear, easy to understand explanation about Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2.