We recently moved to St Kitts (more about this later!) and were warmly welcomed to the Caribbean by two very intense hurricanes, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.  In the lead up to the hurricanes the media headlines were, as you would expect, attention grabbing ( “super storm”, “the beast”, “deadly” , “catastrophic”)  creating a lot of anxiety for those of us about to be faced with two of the strongest hurricanes of the season.  As I reflect on my experience of these hurricanes it got me thinking: ‘how can we get through not just physical weather-based storms, but the storms of life with our mental well-being intact?’

What my experience of being faced with “the beast” (Hurricane Irma) and “another deadly storm” (Hurricane Maria) has taught me is that whilst the world around you may feed your fear, create confusion and leave you mentally exhausted, you are not powerless, you can take certain steps to ensure you get through the storm without being mentally battered so that you can effectively deal with the run-up, the storm itself and then its aftermath.

 What the hurricanes taught me can be summarised with four p’s:

•           Planning and Preparation
•           Perspectives
•           Perseverance
•           Perfecting

Planning and Preparation

Atlantic hurricanes are interesting, we see the storms coming. Like many other storms, they don’t just appear out of nowhere. They  start weeks in advance on the west coast of Africa as tiny little weather systems that seem insignificant, but if we take a closer look we see the tell-tale signs that something  is brewing.  When we look at the storms of life, many of them do appear out of nowhere but a significant number are like hurricanes, they don’t just materialise out of nowhere, if we look at the signs we can tell something is wrong.

This means we can plan and prepare for many storms. We can take some time to understand what is approaching us. We can go deep, go beyond the headlines of “deadly” and “the beast” and come up with a prediction of what this hurricane is going to do, where is it likely to go and then plan and prepare – am I going to evacuate and avoid the situation or am I going to ride it out and confront it head on?

Evacuation is, at times, the best option. The storm is so deadly that really there is nothing else you can do but carry out a risk assessment and say: ‘Well, I need to get out of the way.’ You avoid getting hurt personally, but those nearest and dearest may get caught in the storm and its aftermath and you’ll have to help them pick up the pieces.

Riding it out and confronting the storm head on is a hard one as you have to make a judgement as to which storms to confront, but this option gives you the best opportunity for personal growth and strengthening your character. For success with this option you can’t just hope for the best, you have to plan and this starts with deep understanding. Do you understand the storm and how it got here? Do you know all the possible paths the storm could take and all the possible outcomes? What might the aftermath look like? Who will get hit by the storm? Who are the vulnerable people?  Once you have an understanding then the planning and preparation starts. With hurricanes, there are clear preparation procedures to help the public get through the storm, for example: stock up on enough  drinking water and non-perishable foods to last 1-2 weeks;  have enough additional water for personal hygiene matters; if you’re on medication have enough medication for about a month; make sure your house has good hurricane protection features (hurricane shutters) etc.

We too have to come up with a plan for whatever problem we face, this involves putting our emotions aside and being very logical, asking some key questions and coming up with the right plan to deal with our personal storm.

The benefit of planning is that it takes away the fear and anxiety of the unknown. We’re not swayed by what everyone says, we’ve done our analysis and we know what needs to be done. We have some peace of mind.

Perspectives

Another lesson that Hurricanes Irma and Maria taught me was the power of speaking to people who have been through a few storms of their own and come through victoriously.  Sometimes we forget that we are not the first to weather the storm and we certainly won’t be the last. What’s their secret? How do they navigate storms so well? – planning and preparation.

As we tried to prepare for the hurricanes, it was the little tips from those who had been there before that really helped:

The neighbour who said: “fill up the bath with water, this way you have lots of water to flush the toilet, brush your teeth, wash up dishes and have a wash – the water company may have to turn off the water for days .” – very practical tip

The real estate agent who said: “don’t panic, these storms are not as bad as they say, you’ll be fine” – very reassuring

The insurance broker: “fill up the car with gas, fill up the washing machine with water (you can never have enough water) and pray, God will take you through” – very practical and a reminder that God is in control.

The family friend: “make sure all your devices are charged and your phone is topped up with enough money so you can make contact should you need help” – another practical tip

When we’re faced with a storm, getting different perspectives from trusted people who have been through a few storms is invaluable.

Perseverance

Hurricanes are long! It feels like they’ll never end. From the time the weather starts to deteriorate to the end of the storm takes about 24 hours. It feels like a lifetime! Imagine 24 hours of extremely strong winds and rain. It’s scary and it’s tough mentally.

How do you get through the actual storm? You have to persevere.  Persevering through a hurricane means: taking care of yourself (you have to eat, sleep and relax); keeping occupied so the storm doesn’t consume you, taking stock (Is our plan working? Do we have everything we need? Is everyone in my household ok?); making good use of the calm periods and appreciating the moment (strange as it may seem, some parts of the storm can be enjoyable or can provide time for personal reflection)

Perfecting

After the hurricane, there is plenty of time to evaluate what worked well and what didn’t and you can use this information to perfect your approach to the next storm.  Don’t ride the storm in vain; let it be a learning experience so that it makes you stronger next time.

Hurricane Lee is just around the corner and we pray that it by-passes the Caribbean, but if it doesn’t we now feel equipped to ride it out, although it’ll be very draining after two hurricanes in two weeks!

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Message from The Lake Foundation:

The Lake Foundation recognises that St Kitts was spared the full force of Hurricanes Irma and Maria whilst other islands were directly hit. Our thoughts and prayers are with those islands who have sadly lost so much and we have donated supplies to the Salvation Army to help with the relief effort. This article doesn’t aim to trivialise the experience of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria but aims to encourage reflection on life’s emotional storms.

We encourage everyone to make a donation to the Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria relief efforts particularly to efforts being made to rebuild the British Virgin Islands, Barbuda, Dominica and St Martin who were hit directly by the hurricanes and sustained significant damage.

 

 

In this blog we hear from the creators of a new tool to improve the wellbeing of children and adults.

Being ‘switched on’ 24/7 to all kinds of connected technology and social media such as Snapchat and Instagram, is now the norm especially for young adults and many children. It seems almost as vital as breathing. But with the increasing publicity showing the huge rise in anxiety and stress levels in these same groups, maybe it’s time to look at some alternative ways of connecting well, that can help to reduce some of this excess stress and anxiety.

More and more studies are showing that getting into the habit of taking ‘down time’ for yourself each day can lead to some unexpected ‘connections’ especially when combined with a few simple effective daily practices, among them: daily gratitude and random acts of kindness. These have been found to:

• nurture positive qualities,
• improve your emotional intelligence which can improve relationships,
• improve performance,
• reduce excess stress and so help to
• support emotional well-being.

These daily practices are used by thousands of people worldwide every day from top sports personalities, business professionals, senior citizens to children.

‘My Time to S.U.R.B.* A Journal to Nurture Balance’ is a guided daily journal created to introduce older children and young adults, to these same simple, effective practices to make connections in unexpected ways not only with others but with themselves too. It combines these practices with inspirational quotes and also captures the benefits that studies have found come from daily journal writing – memory improvement, self- discipline, learning to focus on goals and some aspects of mindfulness.

“My Time to S.U.R.B” has been piloted by children and adults over the last couple of months and the feedback has been very positive:

“My daughter took part in the pilot of this journal and having read through it I decided to follow along as well. We found that it helped us to connect with each other more also when my daughter chose to share some of her thoughts from her pages, I understood much better the pressures she has been feeling from the need to perform well in school exams, sports and at home”– Di, South London.

“I think the booklet would be a very useful tool for adolescents and older children in primary schools. It would help them focus on something positive and recognise strengths and qualities that they can nurture while being more inclusive and respectful of others (and let’s face it this society needs a bit of that at the moment).” – Luisa, Lead School Counsellor, North London.

“It has helped me to try to listen more to my mum and sometimes think what I can do to help someone else” – Kai, London.

“After using the journal for just the first couple of weeks I find myself giving more thought to the kind of person I want to become and how I can help myself to become that person. I also love the feature of quotes throughout the journal” – Katy, Essex

We hope the journal will encourage older children and young people to help create balance in their lives through using simple, effective practices.

For further information please contact Nina at: johnsm2643@gmail.com or telephone: 07900 215 914. Alternatively you can visit their website here

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Sources: The Observe (Guardian) ; University of Toronto; Harvard Health Publications

In the UK, it is estimated that 10% of people suffer from claustrophobia (including our founder) which is a type of anxiety disorder where a person has a fear of confined spaces – such as lifts, tunnels, underground trains, small rooms etc. It tends to develop as a result of a one-off trauma and causes people  a great deal of anxiety when they are confronted with confined spaces, or even the thought of a confined space.

This type of phobia, like many phobias, seems to go largely unnoticed, but this week London Underground recognised the plight of many claustrophobia  sufferers by creating a new London Underground Map for passengers with this condition.

The new map highlights the locations where the underground trains are in a tunnel and pinpoints routes that can be taken to avoid long stretches of tunnels. Although the London Underground train system is called “The Underground,”  55% of this transport system is tunnel-free and not underground. This means that claustrophobia sufferers who have avoided the Underground completely can now use the new map to plan a route that is tunnel free.

The UK charity, Anxiety UK, welcomed this move by London Underground saying:

“For those with anxiety conditions such as panic attacks and claustrophobia, we know that travel by the underground can be problematic and challenging. This new map is an excellent resource for those wishing to avoid journeys where there are tunnels; serving as a great pre-journey planning aid and increasing access to public transport. I sincerely hope that the map will encourage those with claustrophobia and/or panic attacks who have previously avoided this form of public transport out of fear, to re-consider their use of the Tube.”  

You can download this new map here: https://tfl.gov.uk/tubetunnelmap and if you have claustrophobia or any other anxiety disorder visit Anxiety UK’s website for more information and support.

In today’s blog we hear from Natasha Rego, the founder of Chateez who discusses the inspiration behind her organisation and what they hope to achieve.

Before I discuss Chateez in detail, I’d like to explain the inspiration behind it and the problem it hopes to solve.

The problem

Social media sites like Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp tend to dominate the way a lot of us communicate these days – and these sites are particularly popular among teenagers.

Now, social media can have several benefits. For instance, research shows that younger people are more at ease talking to their peers on their smart phones via social media than they are in a face-to-face setting, and it can help build stronger relationships, too.

However, social media can also pose a major problem: it is a further barrier to the way we communicate, especially among younger people.

The solution?

As a youth worker, I couldn’t fail to notice the growing trend for young people to be practically glued to their phones checking their social media accounts, which made communicating with them effectively a real challenge.

It became apparent to me that I needed to find a fresh way to spark conversation and engage with the young people I worked with. And It occurred to me that there’s one language teenagers are familiar with from their extensive use of social media: the emoji. With plenty of input of the young people I worked with, the concept of Chateez cards was born

What is Chateez?

Chateez cards are a modern twist on the flashcard. Every card features an emoji, which is designed to spark conversation and to encourage people to open up about their feelings. They have been designed to be visually appealing, and they are also versatile and flexible, which gives them a broad range of uses.

Best of all, Chateez cards achieve what I intended: they make talking so much easier, and they’ve certainly proved to be a conversation starter among many of those who have used them.

As I’ve previously explained, young people were the primary inspiration behind the cards, but they are just as suitable for use with children and adults. And I’ve received awesome feedback from a diverse range of users, including child psychologists, mental health charities, parents and fellow youth workers.

The key benefits of Chateez cards

• They spark conversation, providing young people with the opportunity to talk about how they are really feeling.
• They break down barriers, while using a common ‘language’ that is well-known to most of us – emojis.
• They can be used to diffuse conflict/situations peacefully by encouraging conversation.
• They are engaging and help to create a comfortable setting, which makes talking easier.

Thanks for reading my blog if you’d like to find out more about us please visit our website  or link up with us on Social Media (Twitter and Facebook)

 

Last weekend, we attended the Black Women’s Conference. This is an annual event organised by The Black Women’s Forum that  aims to provide a safe space to share, empower and engage with women of African,  Asian, Arab and Caribbean descent living in the UK. It provides a forum for open, honest discussion on issues affecting black women.

This year’s conference was the fifth anniversary of the event and the theme of the conference was ‘Celebrating the Achievements of Women of Colour.’ The  program included panel discussions in the morning followed by workshops in the afternoon.

The panel discussions consisted of speakers from a variety of fields with the first panel focusing on black women in the creative and education industry and the second panel focused on black women in sports and business.  You can find out about all the speakers here

We were really inspired by all the speakers who took part in the panel discussions  and it was interesting to note that the message of the importance of our health and wellbeing was a theme that recurred in almost every presentation.

Black women in the business world face a lot of barriers and challenges which were clearly illustrated by the speakers as they shared their stories of racism and sexism. This core barrier of racism has led to loss of opportunity, difficulties in securing investment, daily battles with “the system”, lack of career progression and so much more.  Fighting these inequalities every single day is tough, affects our wellbeing and can thus impact both our physical and mental health.

We applaud the honesty of Imriel Morgan, the Chief Executive of the Shout Out Network and co-host of Melanin Millennials who spoke with passion about the pioneering work that she’s doing in the podcasting world and the challenges she has faced. This has included difficulties getting her podcast onto well-known platforms which lack diversity and seem not to embrace black podcasts and organising the first ever black podcasting festival. Imriel spoke of the frustrations of not being able to access investment despite being an award-winning podcast and then very movingly tried to fight back tears as she told us that being a black female Chief Executive is really tough. Imriel opened up and was very honest about her experience with depression saying “the struggle is real” and spoke about being on anti-depressants.

We have to do something about this. We have to make sure that black business women have all the support that they need to fight these battles and get through them with their physical and mental health intact. One solution that was discussed throughout the day was the need for black women to come together to form supportive networks so that women have a support system and don’t feel alone in the corporate world.

We feel there is much to do in this area and will explore what we can do as a charity to support black business women.

In today’s blog post our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, discusses depression and very powerfully shares her personal experience with us. Get involved in the discussion and please do leave a comment below for Stacey.

Today’s blog post comes in somewhat of a sombre note. The topic we’ll be discussing is mental health, but more specifically depression. Many see this as simply a word, unable to comprehend the intensity of such a thing. Some, ​however, have experienced the feelings of hopelessness and darkness that come with this condition. Depression, whatever that may look like is real, you may not be able to understand it but it’s there lurking in the background. Coming from an African family but also a Christian one, my perception of mental health has always been an interesting one; and when I had depression as a child my mother was not quite convinced. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you, my experience of depression and my mother’s perception of it and what we have both learned from the experience.

The World Health Organization defines mental health ‘as a state of well-being; of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ Going on from this, depression can be understood as a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. This typically affects how you think, feel and behave. This could lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. This topic has always been of great importance to me not only because I’ve experienced this, but as a society, I feel like it’s so easy to focus on the outward appearance. If you’re smiling, then everything must be ok – surely. If you ask someone how they’re doing and they reply with, ‘I’m fine’, then all must be well. I have found that in the past this has not been the case at all. Anyone who has been around me for an extended period of time will know that I have a tendency to frequently ask the questions – How are you feeling? What are you thinking? How do you feel about that? And no, this is not because I’m a maniac who wants to get inside your head. It’s because I know it’s far too easy to hide your negative emotions and to some, in the end, this does become destructive.

I experienced depression from the age of 11 until the age of 20. I know I don’t have the condition anymore as I don’t have that persistent feeling of sadness. Although I do realise that depression does not have an expiry date, everyone does experience it differently. This post is not about telling you how we all experience the condition but rather encouraging you all to not be so eager when it comes to labelling or formulating certain medical conditions. One size does not fit all. During this period, I experienced intense feelings of loneliness, rejection and just overall darkness. The interesting thing however is that though I have always had my family around me, but that didn’t matter at the time. I was mostly inwardly focused, focusing on my own feelings – exaggerating my feelings of negativity and isolating and marginalising my positive emotions. They did not matter. I would always focus on the negative. This would be accompanied by 3 am phone calls to family members about how everything I did in my life was so wrong. The more than occasional bursts of tears would follow and just general misery. Although I was deep in the pits of depression I never did seek professional help. I didn’t want to be labelled as damaged or different. This was, of course, to do with the stigma of depression in society. I can talk about it now because I can look back at that time and think wow. I’m glad I went through that because it made me a stronger person and I’m able to empathise with people with mental health issues. It also brought my mother and me​ together. Here is what she had to say:

‘When you had depression, honestly, I felt helpless. I didn’t know what to do. I was always worried about what you were going to do as you were quite unpredictable. The only thing I could do was pray for you and answer those 3 am phone calls. Although you do mean everything to me, I had to understand that there was only so much I could for you. At the beginning, it was incredibly difficult as I just thought you were being dramatic and didn’t want to be put into certain social situations. After a while, though I learned to listen to you and from there we just had to work through it together.’

To describe depression as being a rough journey would be an understatement. It’s not easy. Some people have to seek medical help for it whereas others do not. Everyone is different. Families and cultures deal with it differently. The key thing that helped me during this time was having a strong support network – made of family and friends. What are your views on mental health? Comment down below or on our Facebook page and let’s open up the discussion.

See you soon x

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The Lake Foundation would like to say a big thank you to Stacey for sharing her experience with depression, we hope that through her experience you have gained some insight into this condition.

For more information about depression you can visit Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and Croydon Drop In  

Last Saturday, our cycling club decided to do something a bit different – combine cycling with another activity.  We opted for a visit to the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham.

We started our session with a 30 minute ride from our starting point in Elmer’s End and took a very picturesque route to Monks Orchard Road in Beckenham, where the museum is located.

Upon arrival we were welcomed by very friendly staff who gave us a quick overview of the museum, the current exhibitions (The human influencing machine and the Art of Louis Wain), upcoming events and their collection of work, and we then proceeded upstairs to visit the main collection.

During our visit we learnt that the museum was formally opened in 2015. It explores the history of mental healthcare and treatment, looks at the use of art as therapy and provides insight into the former patients at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.

The Bethlem Royal Hospital first opened its doors in 1247 and is the UK’s first psychiatric institution. The museum takes visitors on a journey that explores the hospital’s history and the history of mental health in general. The museum covers how mental health is labelled, diagnosis, patient narratives, physical restraints, medical treatment and more. There is also an interesting collection of artwork from patients which, during their stay in hospital, would have provided them with the opportunity to address their battle with mental ill-health and express how they feel. This collection of artwork gave us an informative and touching look at how mental health conditions affect patients.

One set of artwork that stood out for us were the two pieces created by William Kurelek .  His first painting, ‘The Maze’, which he painted whilst in hospital, conveys how he felt in the lead-up to and during his battle with clinical depression and other emotional problems.  Whilst his second painting  reveals his state of mind after recovery (the paintings are shown below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found the museum to be very engaging with good use of a range of media to powerfully take us through the world of mental health. There were audio recordings of patient stories, paintings, hospital record books, samples from a padded room and a short film that allowed us to reflect on where we should draw the line between freedom and restraint.

Another interesting feature was the Human Influencing Machine exhibit. This was based on the paranoid delusions of James Tilly Matthews, a former patient of Bethlem Royal Hospital who believed that influencing machines were being used by those in power and that one of these machines had been placed in or near the hospital with bad intentions against him.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Bethlem Museum which ended with a nice stop at their cafe for a warm drink to prepare us for our ride back to Croydon. We highly recommended visiting the museum and will definitely be returning as they do organise a number of interesting events.

OpenMinds is a new not-for-profit, specialist mental health organisation based in Croydon which makes recovering from a mental health difficulty the main focus of their work. Their core values are recovering, advocacy and changing mindset.

OpenMinds will be hosting their launch event on Tuesday 22^nd November at the Croydon Voluntary Action Resource Centre, 82 London Road, CR0 2TB from 5pm to 8pm.

The purpose of this event is to promote the work of OpenMinds’ floating support service, but more importantly, to stimulate conversations that will challenge and facilitate change in mindsets, with the goal of reducing stigma and discrimination in mental health service and provision.

All are welcome to attend and for more information please contact: info@openmindssocialcare.co.uk or you can find out more about OpenMinds by downloading their brochure below.

 

Recently we came across a web series called Shrink which is set in London and explores both the mental and physical symptoms of depression. It tackles the fact that depression affects people of all walks of life and highlights that people are affected differently.

The main character in this really interesting web series is cognitive behaviour therapist Natasha Charlton who, as well as having to support her patients, has to deal with her own secret mental health issue.

Episodes are 8-17 minutes long and in each episode we’re introduced to a new patient of Natasha’s.  Through their stories we learn how experiences like childhood abuse,  university life, parent expectations, unemployment, workplace bullying, work stress and body image  can all have a significant impact on our mental health.  Shrink also tackles the stigma associated with mental ill-health, the lengths that people will go to to hide their condition, the destructive ways that people may deal with mental health issues and the discrimination that exists.

So far there has been one series of Shrink and season two will be starting soon with the creators stating that they will be touching on topical issues like Brexit and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In the UK, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem each year and despite the fact that mental health issues are very common those affected still feel very isolated with there being an unease to discuss mental health.

When we look at the black community, statistics suggest that the African-Caribbean community are more likely to be diagnosed with severe mental illness and are 3-5 times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Looking specifically at depression, a condition that features highly in Shrink, we know that 2.6% of the UK’s population are affected by depression.

Depression is described as a mood disorder where those affected feel persistently sad and lose interest in day-to-day activities and hobbies. It’s not the kind of sadness that people can just “get over” but needs some form of strategy to overcome. There are different types of depression such as major depression, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder, seasonal defective disorder and postnatal depression, just to name a few. If you or anyone you know may be experiencing depression, please to reach out to your GP or a charity like Mind for some support, do not suffer in silence.

We applaud the makers of Shrink for using drama to raise awareness of depression and other mental health issues. Drama is a powerful way to highlight health issues and another organisation, Know My Mind, has used drama, with their play ‘So You Think I am Crazy’, to tackle the challenges black people face in the UK mental health system.

We found Shrink to be very interesting and look forward to watching the second series.  You can watch the first season of Shrink here

 

Today is World Mental Health Day and this year’s theme is psychological first aid and the support people can provide to those in distress.

Watch our video clips below to learn what you can do support someone with a mental health challenge.

Abi Begho, Founder of The Lake Foundation

Abi Begho- from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Baffour Ababio, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

About Me: Baffour Ababio

Baffour WMHD-_2 from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Know What Support Services Are Available

Baffour WMHD- from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

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Reach Out and Be Inclusive

Baffour WMHD-_1 from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Olivia Haltman, Accredited Integrative Humanistic Counsellor and EMDR Therapist

About Me: Olivia Haltman

Olivia WHMD Intro from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Be Informed

Olivia WHMD_1 from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Don’t Give Up

Olivia WHMD_2 from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Ask if They’re OK

Olivia WHMD_3 from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Janet McNish,  Counsellor and Trainer

About Me: Janet McNish

Janet #wmhd Intro from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Take Care of Yourself

Janet WMHD from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

 

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Remember the Good Times

Janet WMHD_1 from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

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In Conclusion: Validate their experience and provide a listening ear

JanetOliviaBaffour WMHD from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.