Originally published on A Lust For Life – a multi-award winning Irish mental health charity that inspires young people to be effective guardians of their own mind.

As a person with mental health challenges, I’d like to share a four-month adventure of embodying the signs of good mental health in my life. Check out which sign appeals to you!

Continue reading “My 7 signs of good mental health! (article)” →

Experiencing close connections with a wide variety of people/ channelling our unique qualities for greater friendship and creativity.

I am a member of a creative group that welcomes all kinds of honest expression. We are made up of very different personalities with hugely varied gifts and interests. We receive each other’s works with acceptance, openness and curiosity which is crucial for authentic sharing. Let me introduce you to the seven members:

Panda: An intuitive wonder, fierce confidence, mover and shaker, soft caramel heart, huge desires for glory and magnificence. Panda tends to surprise, be it with a killer poem, a whopping short film or an academic reflection that shakes your soul. She always leaves you longing for more.

Golden Retriever: A passionate presence, sees the best in people, astute, wide-eyed, fun-loving, an old soul, loves to smile with you. Goldie tends to see the world in colour and images. She can offer you a watercolour painting, a stunning translation from her native tongue, or just a look of sheer wonder.

Continue reading “Good relationships (‘hakuna matata’)” →

Taking risks to share in the life of others, even if it hurts or breaks our heart.

Tears flowed freely when I heard the news that my 89-year-old friend Peter was taken to intensive care, and I felt deeply sad when one of his friends told me he had died. I was lucky to have known this wonderful gardener and spiritual teacher during the later stage of his life. I became friends with him after responding to an invitation to help out in the grounds of a retreat centre. As we gardened, we easily slipped into deep conversation and I appreciated Peter’s gentle smile, contemplative wisdom and robust strength. Here I suggest three ways in which Peter showed me how to love:

Continue reading “Being loving” →

Eager and keen to get stuck into work, hobbies and projects.

Enthusiasm (from en “in” + theos “god”) is a spiritual dynamism that is in harmony with what ‘God’ does in us and what we do in ‘God’. It often involves letting go of our goals and expectations – as I was invited to do recently at a five-day retreat – and to acknowledge that all good, long-lasting ideas come from a wiser, compassionate source.

Continue reading “Enthusiasm” →

Gravitating towards the brighter side of life… especially in the winter season.

I love the fruit-coloured light as the sun begins to set, a feeling of deep down softly things, pointing me to turn away from navel-gazing, to ‘be still and know’.

A day of coffee and Santa music, the warm library as I worked on assignments, the park whose golden leaves shook my soul. Then back to study as my fingers on the keyboard ebbed and flowed, as the low-lying light touched my skin through the windows.

Continue reading “Positivity” →

People who I respect commented on my improved state of wellbeing and sensed a new energy within me.

I am no stranger to changes and challenges in mood, having lived with a mental health ‘condition’ for about ten years. At the same time, I like to think that a Spirit of love, compassion, kindness and truth has permeated my varied experiences – from depression and low mood to elation and groundlessness along with an intolerance for the ordinary emotions of life.

Two surprises have shifted things in a positive direction over the last few months. The first came from Dr Khan, a consultant psychiatrist at my local mental health service. He blasted me with tough love when he heard of my symptom of low mood, feeling three on a scale of ten a lot of the time. He said, “You should be married with a family, have a fulfilling job, and experience meaning and purpose in life.”

Continue reading “Open to surprises” →

1) Positivity: Gravitating towards the brighter side of life.
2) Good Relationships: Close connections with a wide variety of people.
3) Open to Surprises: Going with the unpredictable changes and challenges.
4) Happy with the Little Things: Finding delight and joy in ordinary life, be it the greenness of the grass or the taste of tea or coffee.
5) Enthusiasm: Eager and keen to get stuck into work, hobbies and projects.
6) Being Loving: Taking risks to share in the life of others, even if it hurts or breaks our heart.
7) Sense of Humour: Ready to burst out with a smile, laugh or joke including making fun of ourselves.

*I will expand on each of the signs over the coming weeks