I have recently been reading a book called “Through Corridors of Light: Poems of Consolation in Time of Illness” (you can buy it at Amazon UK if you like) which includes lots of poems about illness, some with a spiritual element and some not, and which I would heartily recommend. I would definitely check out […]
I Am An Extremist
February 27, 2013 by 2 Comments
I am a person of extremes. It remains debatable whether that is due to my bipolar disorder, or to some facet of my own personality. As it happens, my mother is also an extreme sort of person. For both of us, it is easy to fall into an “all-or-nothing” mentality. I either do not bother […]
Making Time
January 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I wrote once about the amount of time mental illness takes from us, about the waste of our time and resources that our ill-health can bring. Mental illness can cause us to feel like we are wasting our time, being idle, not making the most of our opportunities. I urged that we think of our […]
8 Ways You Can Help When Someone is Mentally Ill
October 29, 2012 by 5 Comments
Perhaps your friend, relative or someone else you know is having an episode of mental illness. Mental illness affects 1 in 4 people in the course of a year. Chances are that you know someone who is, or has been mentally ill. So what do you do when you find out? Firstly, it is really, […]
“It’s Ok, You Can’t Help It”
October 24, 2012 by 2 Comments
Remembering a comment my mother made some time ago when I was depressed has made me think a little. She said, “We didn’t know whether you were ill, or just being unpleasant.” It led me to question how much responsibility I really bear for my behaviour when I am ill. It is true that my […]
Joy Comes in the Morning
September 1, 2012 by 1 Comment
I have always loved the line in Psalm 30: “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (v5b KJV) This particular verse has brought me much comfort, and also caused me some conflict. I have experienced plenty of weeping when depression has brought me low, and for me it is generally […]
My ESA Story
June 6, 2012 by 9 Comments
Tomorrow I shall be at court, having my appeal heard against the decision not to award me ESA. ESA, for those who do not know, is Employment & Support Allowance, and is a benefit given to those deemed too sick to work. I have bipolar disorder, and for the past ten years that I have […]
Truthfulness About Myself
May 7, 2012 by 3 Comments
As a Christian I serve the one called The Truth, Jesus. As a human I too often fail to tell and see the truth about myself. As a person with a mental health problem I have trouble seeing truth from the lies told by illness about myself. I speak, now, from a position of wellness […]
God in Crisis
April 3, 2012 by 3 Comments
The first time I went through a mental health crisis I was not a Christian. I had played with the idea before, sometimes styling myself as a Christian on the internet, but it was not very serious, I’m afraid. I had too many hang-ups, largely concerned with fundamentalist Christianity, for me to take Christ seriously. […]
Believer's Brain 