Green Mermaid Cottage

Exercise has always been a great help in managing my long term depression and anxiety issues.   I love my weekly pilates class, leisurely swimming in the sea in the summer, walking in nature and occasional horse riding lessons. I have also tried yoga, tai-chi and going to the gym over the years to vary my exercise routine and keep it interesting and challenging.  One activity that always remained a mystery to me was running.  I must admit that I never understood the appeal and that I looked upon all the lycra wearing runners in parks, on the seafront or on treadmills with a bit of puzzlement.  Where they really enjoying running around like hamsters in a wheel? Being all sweaty and often visibly out of breath on sunny days for everyone to see? none of that looked comfortable or enjoyable to me and I often found myself muttering ‘show off’ as they passed me by… To my surprise I made the decision in January this year to finally try that running thing.  I got...

( Trigger warning: this post discusses mental health issues, including suicidal ideation.)  Throughout my life I have had episodes of severe depression, anxiety and panic attacks. I   strongly suspect that I am neurodivergent as I struggle on a daily basic with noise, busy and crowded environments and using public transport. I regularly feel like I am the odd one out in social and work situations and struggle with relationships.  I am lucky to have a very supportive GP who helped me when I was at my lowest and who gave me access to counselling sessions and the appropriate medication. But I have also accepted that to stay well I needed to make several long term changes in my daily life and constantly work at maintaining my mental health.  Below are some of the activities that have helped me.  MY MENTAL HEALTH ROUTINE  Guided Meditation and  Mindfulness This is something that I started doing during the Covid lockdowns. I discovered YouTube guided medi...