In support of Children’s Mental Health Week, Birkenhead School welcomed speaker, Jeremy Thomas, to talk to pupils, staff and parents about good mental health.
Jeremy’s aim is to ‘normalise the subject of mental illness and take the prejudice out of the old perception’ and his talk was based around his own experiences with ill mental health, namely his battle with manic depression or, bipolar.
As a survivor of mental illness, Jeremy is a great believer that ‘prevention is better than cure’ and during his talks he put together a ‘tool kit’ that had real relevance to his audience, to help better prepare them for ensuring their own mental health or that of those around them.
The talk started with a focus on what mental health/sanity is and Jeremy spoke about how it is all about balance; reacting to things in a balanced way and knowing when judgment is impaired. This is an essential topic that needs to be discussed, and with figures such as 1 in 10 suffering from a depressive disorder in their lifetime and 1 in 100 being a bipolar sufferer, it’s a subject that can’t wait.
Jeremy started by talking about the trauma that had triggered his illness and went on to detail his own personal experiences of living with bipolar, discussing his rollercoaster, up-and-down experiences, which only came to an end when he finally excepted that he had a long-term condition but, more importantly, that he could do something about it.
The long process of recovery kicked off and the positive life changes that Jeremy made started to have an impact and he was soon backed to write a book, detailing all of his experiences.
Jeremy travelled to the Greek island of Patmos, the island of Revelation, with the thought that his book would take 3-5 months to write. After 3-5 years working on the book, ‘Taking Leave’ was finished. It was at this point that Jeremy spoke of the positives that came out of this book: meeting his wife, discovering the benefits of writing things down and the offer to be co-producer of a documentary with Stephen Fry, all about manic depression, which went on to win an Emmy.
Jeremy’s talk was a fascinating insight into real experiences with mental health and contained valuable tips and ‘tools’ to help keep mentally fit. It’s crucial that we keep talking openly and honestly about mental health and Jeremy’s talk is making great headway in ensuring this happens.
For more information on Jeremy, please visit his website, http://jeremythomastalks.co.uk/.
Tool Kit to Keep Mentally Fit:
- Learn to say ‘no’ and take care of your mind - “be the boss of your own washing machine”
- Routine is important – “plan ahead and be organised”
- Recognise what you have to be grateful for, “a grateful head will sleep better”
- Sleep is hugely important, “our body needs time to reboot and restore”
- Exercise – “gets oxygen and endorphins into our brains and wards off depression and anxiety”
- Breathing – take at least 10 minutes out of the start of everyday to clear your mind and focus on what’s important
- Manual tasks – help to keep the mind busy and focussed on something else, rather than feeling down
- Stick to a list of 3 – once these tasks have been completed, then add another 3. This helps stop stress and procrastinating
- Common sense – think about what’s right for you when making choices
- Get anger out – anger can lead to depression. “It’s helpful to remember that anger is often based on fear – fear that one is losing control”
- Write things down – "don't panic, keep swimming" - get things off your chest and out of your mind by writing them down. It’s also important to write down how you’re feeling, when you’re at your best and worst, as this can then be taken to a doctor to help ensure a correct diagnosis
- Self-esteem – this is something that takes time to build up, don’t beat yourself up or allow others to. “Good self-esteem means you don’t cheat, bully, lie, you stick up for yourself and others and you don’t feel shame or embarrassment.” Value yourself! Talk to someone you trust about how you feel.