Mental Health Awareness in the Digital Age

Something I would like to emphasize is that social media can be used for good. Despite it being a vice for many to spread hate, propaganda and quite rightly utter bull, a plethora of goodness is also out there.

Matt Haig; successful author of books including Reasons to Stay Alive, How to Stop Time, and several children’s books is someone who openly discusses his experience with depression and the wider scope of mental health on social media.

Here are some recent examples of his tweets that I  would like to share;

On developing a stronger understanding: “Mental health is not a niche subject for a few depressed people. Mental health is everyone. Mental health is what we all have. It is our minds. And understanding what impacts our mental health would lead to happier lives and societies. There is nothing more important.”– 24/05/18

On taking care of your mental health in the digital age:

“Got called ‘fragile’ for deleting a tweet. Yeah, I am. Men can be. People can be. It’s okay to use social media the way you need to use it. Delete tweets, press mute, unfollow, edit, block, step away, leave, whatever you have to do for your mental health.” – 27/05/18

On the severity of stress:

“A third of people have felt suicidal in the last year due to stress. It’s time we took stress as seriously as diet and exercise.” -14/05/18

To read more on this go to https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/14/three-in-four-britons-felt-overwhelmed-by-stress-survey-reveals?CMP=share_btn_tw 

On mental health as a valid excuse: “The common idea people ‘use’ their mental health as an excuse for things is a bad one. There are far more times you see someone acting ‘normal’ and silently struggling to do so than you hear the inner context for a behaviour. Listen without prejudice, as George Michael said.” – 28/05/18

On it getting better: “Last time I was in the Balearics I nearly threw myself off a cliff. This time I go running along them. This time is better.”  – 28/05/18

On living with anxiety: “Anxiety isn’t weakness. Living with anxiety, turning up and doing stuff with anxiety, takes a strength most will never know. A trip to the supermarket can mean you defeat more monsters than in The Odyssey. It’s not WHAT you do. It’s what you OVERCOME to do it.” – 26/05/18

It is people like Matt Haig that I think we should be thankful for in what can at times feel like a neverending cacophony of pings, updates and notifications. It can be easy to lose focus and direction amongst the sheer amount of digital traffic. How do we ensure we only see content that we can identify with, seek enjoyment out of and find comfort in? And furthermore, content that can help contribute to a better-informed society about issues such as mental health? We need to be mindful of what we allow ourselves to see on social media. Which I digress, unwanted posts at times are often unavoidable, but when action can be taken to filter out toxicity and filter in positivity; action should be taken.

For more from Matt Haig, check out the following links;

‘ Happy’ – Fearne Cotton’s podcast episode featuring Matt Haig (available on Spotify)

Follow Matt Haig on Twitter

‘Books Save Lives with Matt Haig’ – Waterstones Article

‘Notes on a Nervous Planet’ – Haig’s new book on mental health in the digital age (available for pre-order)

I also can’t recommend enough his books; Reasons to Stay Alive and How to Stop Time

Thank you for reading!

Is Technology Changing The Way We Think?

Our relationships with technology in the information age is something extraordinary. It is something which would have been incomprehensible in the minds of human beings 50 years ago. We are essentially walking around with supercomputers in our pockets. But these tiny devices that can give us information from all over the world are so much more than coding and hardware. As astonishing and advanced as I’m sure the physical making of smartphones are, it is much more the content that is flowing through our devices that is interesting to think about. They are an outlet through which we perceive anything and everything, from our best friends birthday party we unfortunately couldn’t attend via pictures on social media, to the biography of some wise old prodigy from the 16th century, or how to bake the perfect cheesecake, to name a few examples. We can get the information to anything at the click of a button and time and space limitations are superseded by the immediacy of it all.  With all this, it can be questioned as to whether our increased access to information in the digital age is making us as a population smarter, or lazier? Think about it, we are having to use less energy and effort to go about finding things. Public libraries were often the only way to find resources and you’d have to travel at least some distance to get that information. It’s actually quite hard to imagine as someone who’s practically grown up with the internet. Moreover, has our ability to comprehend and navigate through information become more efficient? Flicking through social media feeds and search engines is something we do every day. Wading through reams of content which is either done with intent or often mindlessly. But the significant thing is that we’re at both the receiving and the giving end of an abundance of information all the time. With this in mind, are we overwhelming our brains with content? Or as a consequence, are our brains adapting to suit the demand of living in a ubiquitous technological environment?

Exploring New Words

Widening my vocabulary is something I am often in pursuit of, as a means to aid me in my writing, both academically and in general. After all, there are so many words in existence: why not make a conscious effort to use more of them? So, I set myself a little bit of a task and chose five words that were unfamiliar to me, and composed an example sentence in which they could be used in.

Abubble

[uh-buhb-uh l], adjective.

Definition:  characterised by intense enthusiasm or activity, or bubbling, as while cooking or boiling.

Example Sentence: Abubble with pride, the young athlete stepped onto the podium.

Instauration

[in-staw-rey-shuh n], noun.

Definition: renewal; restoration; renovation; repair or, an act of instituting something i.e an establishment.

Example Sentence: The instauration of the printing press by Gutenberg in the 15th -century can be seen as revolutionary, as it enabled books to be produced on a much wider scale.

Imbue

[im-byoo], verb.

(used with object), imbued, imbuing.

Definition: to impregnate or inspire, as with feelings, opinions, etc or, to saturate or impregnate with moisture, colour, etc.

Example Sentence: You would think a mystery of such complexity would imbue the detective with motivation to begin solving the crime, but something else was evidently of higher importance.

Ineffable

[in-ef-uh-buh l], adjective.

Definition: incapable of being expressed or described in words or, not to be spoken because of its sacredness.

Example Sentence: As it was ineffable in nature, The Book of Eastwatch was kept securely hidden.

Constellate

[kon-stuh-leyt], verb.

(used with or without object), constellated, constellating.

Definition: to cluster together, as stars in a constellation.

Example: Suddenly all her thoughts constellated together like the greatest epiphany she could have ever imagined.

 

 Thank you for reading!

 

All definitions were taken from Dictionary.com, however, all example sentences are of my own creation.

Netflix Recommendations

A brief insight into what I’ve been watching;

Stranger Things

You’ve most probably heard of, if not watched Stranger Things. It’s arguably one of the most popular TV shows to not just come out of Netflix, but also generally in recent years. If you’re into science fiction and find the idea of an alternate universe existing that is like our own but not, then this one is for you. Complete with pop cultural references to the 80’s, need I encourage you more…

Gilmore Girls

A heart-warming series focusing on Lorelei and Rory Gilmore, who are not just mother and daughter, but also best friends. If you’re looking for characters to fall in love with and something light-hearted to watch, the Gilmore Girls are for you.

The Crown

Series one was good, but series two, even better. A telling series all about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the people around her through to modern-day times. A fascinating watch. And made all the better with Claire Foy playing Queen Elizabeth II, who I think takes on the role fabulously.

A- Typical

My curiosity drove me to start watching this series, as I find it interesting to see how things like autism are represented through the media. The series focuses on 18-year-old Sam, who is on the autistic spectrum and ready for romance. A heartfelt and thought-provoking watch.

Thank you for reading! 

Let me know your recommendations in the comments below!

The Cacophony of Ignorance: A Short Story

‘Don’t you think it’s exceptional?’ Pete was sat at an almost full coffee bar when he asked this question. And when I say asked, I mean he more like yelled it for the whole of the coffee house to hear, and it was certainly loud enough to prevent the young man on his right from hearing what his business associate was saying on the other end of the phone.

No one answered Pete, so he yelled it again. This time with an even bigger grin on his face, in his attempt at creating a friendly exterior, despite his loud tone. ‘I SAID, DON’T YOU THINK IT’S EXCEPTIONAL?’

The customers probably thought he was high, or drunk from the night before. And again, no one answered. Maybe it was because he didn’t have the cleanest shirt on, and his hair was kind of muffled from when he removed his beanie hat just before he entered the building. Maybe he wasn’t being bold enough, people these days tended to be so engrossed in their mobile phones, they’d rather walk into a lampost than look up. Or maybe his volume was simply no match for the endless whirs created by the coffee machine, the blending of crushed ice, the constant line of voices ordering an array of different types of coffee, most from rushing commuters. Pete’s question was perhaps not a strong contender for the cacophony of his coffee-infused surroundings.

When he was almost out of hope of receiving a response, a girl, who appeared to be no more than ten years old, approached Pete. She asked if she could try on his beanie hat, and Pete obliged. She then opened her mustard coloured drawstring bag, and pulled out a collection of items; an mp3 player and earphones, a pair of earmuffs and a pair of woolen mittens. Pete perplexedly stared at the girl, baffled as to why she had come across to him. She put the earphones in, pressed play and ensured the mp3 player was at a sufficient volume.Next she put on her ear muffs and woolen mittens, and then began to look at Pete expectantly. ‘Hi, can I help you?’ Pete was obtaining a much more soft and quieter tone of voice now. Did she hear him? Pete remembered she had her earphones in, so probably not. He began to look around awkwardly, where where her parents anyway? Then suddenly she stepped on a bar stool as to match Pete in height, being less than five foot tall herself, and placed her hands over her ears. They were now staring right at each other.

Frozen in a state of confusion, Pete didn’t say anything nor did he attempt to move. The girl then said,’I want to hear your question, kind sir.’ So Pete once again said it, although half-heartedly as she surely couldn’t hear him anyway under her music, his beanie hat and her earmuffs.

‘Do you want to know what I think is exceptional? That even though I have music playing in my ears at what is probably an unhealthy amount of decibels, and ear muffs on, that I still heard exactly what you just said? No one in here was listening to you, nor were they going to acknowledge you either because these people are not in this moment, they’re ahead. They’re too busy worrying about getting to work on time, worrying about taking an ‘Instagram worthy’ photo of their coffee, worrying about what they’re going to cook their kids for tea. Thinking ahead,don’t you see kind sir? It’s always ahead’

And in that moment the girl vanished.

Pete walked out of the coffee house and hoped that his pursuit of finding communication would be fulfilled elsewhere.

 

 

This post was inspired by the Daily Prompt: Exceptional 

 

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams: Initial Thoughts

After seeing numerous advertisements for the first episode titled “The Hood Maker”, and seeing that Richard Madden who you may well know as Robb Stark from Game of Thrones was playing the male lead in it, I decided to give it a go.

I recognised Philip K. Dick as the author of The Man in the High Castle (a book I still haven’t got round to reading) and from seeing his name lurking around in the Science Fiction section at Waterstones, so I was interested to see what Electric Dreams would be like.

To summarise, Electric Dreams is a 10 part anthology series, based on short stories written by Philip K. Dick, with each episode focusing on a different story. The first episode which aired last night at 9PM on Channel 4, was based on the story titled “The Hood Maker”, which was originally published in an American fantasy and science fiction magazine in June 1955, which looked like this;

The first episode starred Richard Madden as Agent Ross and Holliday Grainger as Honor. The original story was adapted by Matthew Graham (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes) for Channel 4’s televised version, and so does as expected appear to differ from the original. Anyway, the plot basically takes on an ‘us vs them’ concept, which I admit is quite commonly found in the sci-fi genre. The narrative follows Agent Ross in the fight against the hood maker, who first appears when a man is seen wearing the hood in a protest against an Anti- Immunity Bill. The significant thing about wearing the hood is that it prevents the characters with telepathy (also known as Teeps) from reading their minds, while wearing it. Honor, one of the Teeps, is utilised by the state and becomes Ross’s sidekick in figuring out what the Hood Makers are plotting. But with this, we also learn that the Teeps are conspiring and relationships are tested between Ross and Honor when a unexpected twist is revealed.

The Hood Maker definitely reminded me of Humans, which also aired on Channel 4, with the whole humans versus ‘the others’ concept. But that didn’t hinder my enjoyment, and i’m definitely looking forward to next week’s episode “The Impossible Planet”.

I would also like to read the original of The Hood Maker, so I can look further into how it differs from the TV version, (one that I know of being that the original hoods were actually more like metallic headbands) and to see if the endings are different.

Anyway, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts on Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams so far!

                                                                             🙂

If We Were Having Coffee I’d Say…

That it’s raining right now and we couldn’t have picked a cosier time to drink our coffee.

That I hope you’re well, and that I don’t know about you but i’m feeling super content right now, as coffee shops are one of my favourite places to be.

That you don’t have to do things purely for the sake of saying that you’ve done it.

That the future near and far makes you feel anxious, just like it does me too. But we’ll both be okay.

That we should always try and think of the future through a curious lense, because the world is full of unfathomable amounts of possibilities and we really shouldn’t disregard that.

That I hope you’re enjoying your coffee, and that i’m happy I went with my usual choice of an ordinary latte and not a Chai latte in my attempt at being autumnal, because that was way too sickly last time.

That we shouldn’t focus on things we simply can’t change, because it’s not time wisely spent.

That I hope you’ve had a great summer, because I’ve possibly had one of the best ones yet. Filled with adventure, valuable time spent with family and friends, fulfillment through writing blog posts, reading some really great novels and invaluable time spent on my own which has allowed me to learn more about myself.

And lastly, you really should make time for those you love.

 

 

 

Thank you for reading!

🙂

 

The Three Ws: Bookish Questions

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On A World of Words.

And these three W’s that the title has so ambiguously referenced are three book related questions;

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I’m not sure how I feel about it thus far, as I only started reading it last night. But it seems pretty gripping. It’s something I’ve had on my TBR pile for a long time so at least i’ve finally got round to it! My mum reckons it is something you definitely have to concentrate on whilst reading it, so I guess no reading it when i’m half asleep!

Recently Finished:

One Day by David Nicholls. I absolutely loved this book! So much so, I’m going as far as to say it’s one of my favourites! I completely fell in love with the two characters, Emma and Dexter who the story is centered around. The book is basically separated into yearly accounts spanning across twenty years on the same day of 15th July. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you give this one a read!

Next read:

So i’ve got three books that I know I want to read in the near future and these include;  The Order of the Pheonix by J.K Rowling, Step Back Into Time by Ali McNamara and Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story by Bernadette Murphy.  So it’ll be one of them that I will be reading next.

 

 

Thank you for reading! I do enjoy doing these smaller, question and answer style posts but I’ll certainly be writing more in-depth posts like in the style of my Conceptions of Freedom post again soon!

🙂

 

The Game of Thrones Tag

So, I have yet again not actually been tagged in this but i’m a GOT enthusiast to say the least, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Here’s the tag which I found originally: http://www.taniamichele.com/2015/06/a-game-of-thrones-tag.html?m=1 

1.How did you discover the series?

I think it’s actually my Dad who first mentioned it to me. But that was few years ago when I was way to young to watch the series, (I was probably about 13/14 i’m guessing). But it’s actually my sister, and two of my close friends who got me into the show really.

2.Who is your favourite house, other than the Starks and Lannisters?

House Mormont. One reason being Lyanna Mormont who is an absolute badass and a gem for female representation. But also because of Jorah Mormont. I’ve loved him from the start.

3.Who is your favourite character from House Stark?

This is quite a tricky one, as Stark is actually my favourite house. But probably Arya, she’s another good one for female representation, and she’s just a badass let’s face it, yes she’s murdered quite a lot of people but this is Game of Thrones were talking about, not Downton Abbey.

4.Who is your favourite character from House Lannister?

Tyrion! My love for his character has grown throughout the seasons. He has many admirable characteristics; he’s quick-witted, humorous, clever, and unlike the rest of the Lannisters, he has a strong moral compass.

5.Who is your favourite character?

Okay i’m simply not even going to try and pick one favourite, that’s just not going to happen. So here are my favourites; Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, Ned Stark,  Jorah Mormont, Davos Seaworth,  Brienne of Tarth and of course, Tyrion Lannister.

6.Who is your least favourite character?

I’m going to go for the standard answer here and say Joffrey Baratheon. Of course Ramsey Bolton was a horrible person too, but Ramsey was more love to hate, whereas Joffrey it’s just full blown hate with me.

7.What are your thoughts on the series?

I freaking LOVE IT! A couple of years ago I wouldn’t have imagined myself calling Game of Thrones my favourite TV show, let alone watching it. But I can’t personally think of anything else out there that consumes my brain so much. It’s just top of the game in my eyes.

8. If you could be one of the characters, who you would you be and why?

I’m not quite sure specifically, but I think I’d like to be a wildling for a bit, you know just try it out for a couple of days or so. Speak all broad Northern and wear fluffy clothing.

9.What is your favourite episode/season?

I’m going to go with the latest season, season seven. It’s the first season I’ve watched as it’s aired, week by week, and I think that’s actually added to the enjoyment of it. Not to forget the fact that this season has been consecutively outstanding!

10.What House would you be in?

I feel like I resonate with House Stark more than any others, and I’ve said this from watching the first season. I love the sigil of the grey direwolf and the fact that Winterfell is in the North, as I’m actually Northern myself, which makes me love the house even more.

11.What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming season?

~Spoiler alert! Stop reading now if you haven’t watched the newest season!!

• Jon Snow / Aegon Targaryen finding out his true identity
• Finding out where this leaves the relationship between Jon & Daenerys
• Watching Cersei (hopefully) get her comeuppance
• Seeing the aftermath of the destruction caused in the last episode by the army of the dead, they’ve destroyed the wall, so what happens now?
• And actually seeing who sits on the IRON THRONE at the end of it all!!

Thank you for reading!

Feel free to do this tag yourself! I therefore tag anyone who wants to do it!

🙂

Growing Up

“… And these children that you spit on

as they try to change their worlds

are immune to your consultations.

They’re quite aware

of what they’re going through…” ~ David Bowie

Being a teenager is challenging. The number of subliminal messages and expectancies placed upon young people are countless. Even though most of these ‘so -called’ messages don’t appear to be harmful at first glance, speaking from individual experience, they certainly are.

One of these messages which causes a lot of problems during teenage years, is the need to fit in. Follow the trends, use the same words as everyone else, dress the same, refrain from speaking up in class to avoid being labelled a ‘nerd’, undergo underage drinking just because everyone else is doing it. Peer pressure is something that we can get so caught up in, and it can be distracting from the precious years we have to be young and experiment with who we are. It’s all a part of growing up, it should be fun filled with wonderful experiences, good and bad. But I do however think retrospectively, that learning how you want to spend your time, (including saying no, and sometimes saying yes to things out of your comfort zone) is integral to discovering things about yourself as a person. It’s important to be aware of your limits.

I sometimes feel as though there’s this predetermined path set to follow in society. Go to school, and then onto University, get a job and then what, eternal happiness? But, of course life isn’t as linear as that. Life is like being on a never-ending roller coaster, it has its ups, it has its downs, and you often don’t know what the hell is going on.

Furthermore, individual expression isn’t something that you should hide away inside of you where no one else can see it. Because we’re all unique in our own way, and I believe you’re given a voice and mind for a reason, and to hide away and try to be something you’re not, well you’re only cheating yourself really. Life is beautiful. So go out and chase whatever it is you want and express your personality whether it be through your quirky choice of clothes or the words you use. We need to make a change and encourage others to start embracing who they are, and work towards the world being a more accepting place. After all, as Sean McCabe said,”You will never influence the world by trying to be like it.”

One thing i’ve also come to realise is that a way to feel free, is to be undeniably yourself. Whilst this is probably one of the hardest things to do, because I don’t know about anyone else but as much as you may want to be yourself at times, there’s always that voice is your head talking you out of it, telling you to act a certain way, say a certain thing to adapt to the person or situation you are around/in. But with the right mindset and persistence, and keeping focused on doing things you enjoy as well as surrounding yourself with the right people, it does get easier.

Lastly, a little bit of advice from me for those hard times when things are getting on top of you;

Think of yourself as an individual, and know that it is okay to prioritise yourself over others. Allow yourself time on your own to work on feeling comfortable in your own skin.

During anxious times view yourself as a single star in an endless cosmos, acknowledge the immensity of the universe, and know that you are merely a speck of dust within it.

This way of thinking often reminds me that my problems are not as big as I think they are, and that they will pass, much like day passes into night and sapling turns into tree. Life keeps going.

 

 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post!

🙂