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Mental Health

Why I Want Our Children To Have Emotional Intelligence?

Posted on April 24, 2018

As a society, we value intelligence. And once our children start school we want them to do well academically. We help them learn to read and we show them how to write their name. Evenings are spent practising spellings and times tables. Yet we rarely teach our children about emotional intelligence. From an early age, we shhh them when they cry. We tell our children to be quiet when they’re angry. And we often use negative language to describe their emotions. They’re…

About Time & Deciding to Lead A Slow Life

Posted on April 5, 2018

There are times in life when you have an epiphany. When the stars align and a series of events occur. These events make you stop in your tracks. Look inside yourself and take a deep breath. All of a sudden something that has just been out of sight comes into view. And the world makes sense. Now… this minute… as I write this post … is one of those times. About Time & Deciding To Lead A Slow Life The…

Mental Health

Antidepressants And Me – My Story of Taking Antidepressants

Posted on February 24, 2018

Trigger warning: this post mentions depression, anxiety, taking antidepressants, self-harm and attempted suicide. If you have personal experience of any of these then you may find this post distressing. Next year will be the twentieth anniversary of my diagnosis of depression. It will also mark almost twenty years of taking antidepressants. That is huge! It means that I’ve suffered from depression for the majority of my adult life. If you’ve read this blog before then you’ll know that I’m very…

Health & Welfare Mental Health

5 ways I’m Trying To Look After My Health

Posted on January 26, 2018

A photograph of a woman - 5 Ways that I'm Trying to Look After My Health - Mrs H's favourite things

This post could also have been called 5 ways I’m trying to become happier in my own skin. Because I’m not happy in my own skin at the moment. And when I look in the mirror and I don’t like the person I see staring back at me. I’m reminded of a line from one of my favourite songs: “It’s just that we stayed, too long In the same old sickly skin.” …

Baby Loss Mental Health Motherhood

The Grief Of Baby Loss

Posted on January 14, 2018

Our first baby was due on 14th January 2013. Although, I struggle to remember the due dates for the other babies I’ll always remember the day that our first baby was due to enter our lives. Sadly, that little boy or girl was never meant to be ours to hold. At 11 weeks pregnant, we discovered that the baby was dead. Their heartbeat had stopped when I was 6 weeks pregnant. When the midwife told me that the baby didn’t…

Mental Health Thoughts & Inspiration

When The Words Won’t Flow

Posted on January 5, 2018

A photograph of a woman with brown hair wearing a red plaid shirt and red lipstick - she is looking down and away from the camera - she looks pensive - When the words don't flow - talking to children about Depression and Anxiety - Mrs H's favourite things

Sometimes when I write about my depression the words just flow. It’s as if they were always there just waiting to be written down in black and white. On other occasions, I want to write but the words aren’t forthcoming. They won’t flow. Words are created and deleted. Sentences are written and rewritten. Paragraphs are formed and unformed. I can start a post about one thing and then it becomes about something completely different. For example, when I sat down to…

Mental Health

An Open Letter To The Girl Who Just Attempted Suicide

Posted on November 24, 2017

A moody photograph of a woman with brown hair standing and looking mournfully down to the ground. With one hand she is twirling a necklace - An Open Letter to the Girl Who Just Attempted Suicide - Mrs H's favourite things

Trigger warning: If you have personal experience of suicide or suicidal depression then you may find this post upsetting. If you’re currently struggling with suicidal thoughts and you’re in danger then please call 999 and request an ambulance immediately. My dear girl As I write this letter to you, I have tears pricking the back of my eyes. My heart hurts thinking of you lying in that hospital bed. Because last night you took an overdose. It was your fourth.…

Baby Loss Mental Health

Suffering from Prenatal Anxiety and Depression following recurrent miscarriage #PNDAW17

Posted on September 7, 2017

A photograph of a woman and her young son (he is about a year old) sitting on a wooden dragon in a park - she is looking down at him and he is smiling - but during her pregnancy with him she suffered from Prenatal Depression and Anxiety after experiencing recurrent miscarriage - Suffering from Prenatal Anxiety and Depression Following Recurrent Miscarriage #PNDAW17 - Mrs H's favourite things

This week is the second annual Pre and Postnatal Depression Awareness Week (#PNDAW17) run by the fantastic charity, the PANDAS Foundation. And this year the week is focused on raising awareness of prenatal mental health conditions. So I wanted to share my story of suffering from prenatal anxiety and depression after experiencing recurrent miscarriages. My story of Prenatal Anxiety and Depression At risk of Perinatal Depression and Anxiety Sadly, Mr H and I always knew that my pre-existing and long-term mental…