And Breathe......

#5in5forMind Update – Postponed to 2022.

It’s been a big decision to make, but I have decided to postpone my marathon challenge until next year.

While the injury to my achilles is feeling better, it’s still not 100%, plus I have pain in my right hip and lower back as well now; while I’ve tried to convince myself otherwise, I’ve come to the conclusion that trying to run five consecutive marathons on a dodgy leg and hip seems a bit of a push, and probably a bit silly.

I’ve been out running and managed 21km with little pain or discomfort, it’s after the running that the aches and pains start. My concern is that if I push it I’m only going to cause more, long-term problems.

I’ve been watching quite a bit of sport over the past few months, especially the Olympics, and the general consensus when you hear injury stories is that the achilles is not to be trifled with, if it goes, then you’re in a world of trouble.

Is There a Mental Health Bandwagon?

The other day I was talking to someone about the work I do, and one of their first comments was along the lines of “A lot of people seem to be jumping on the mental health bandwagon”.

It wasn’t said in a negative, patronising way, I think it was more just a common phrase we use to describe things that are more prominent, especially in the media; but it made me think.

I looked up the phrase ‘Jumping on the Bandwagon’ on trusty old Google, and found the following definition:

“To join an activity that has become very popular or to change your opinion to one that has become very popular so that you can share in its success.” – Cambridge Dictionary

It’s something politicians do regularly if they think it will get them more votes so they can win an election.

If you look at this definition, it is easy to see why people may think that mental health is a bandwagon, especially because of some of the high-profile examples that have been in the media spotlight recently.

5 in5 for Mind – Challenge Update – Running Injury Blues.

Unfortunately (as some of you will already be aware), I’ve had to postpone my #5in5formind marathon challenge, again! This time it’s because of an injury to my achilles.

It’s been about a month now, and originally, I thought it was just my calf muscle, but as time went by it became evident that the problem was bigger than that. This is the first week that I’ve been able to run properly, managing 14km on Wednesday; the good news is that the achilles seems to be holding up nicely, which it needs to, because I’m running the Milton Keynes marathon on Sunday 27^th June!

The whole injury experience had a huge effect on my mood, much more than I thought it would. I knew that running was important to me because I’d struggled during lockdown, when there were restrictions on the number of times you could leave home.

Signs from the Universe, or Just Coincidence?

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
C. S. Lewis

The Universe wants the best for you, is probably one of the most challenging ideas we face; like many mantras the words and the ideas behind them look and sound simple, however in practice it seems a bit of a joke, especially when you’re struggling.

When you suffer emotionally and physically, it’s ridiculous to even think that these things are happening for a reason, especially for good, but maybe in some circumstances they are; maybe they’re trying to tell us we need to make a huge change in our life; the question is , ‘are we listening, are we paying attention to what the Universe or our body is telling us?

So, the Supplements do Work!

It may just be me, but sometimes I wonder if what I take for my anxiety and depression works? Currently, I’m taking natural supplements, but it was also the same when I was on Sertraline.

This last week showed me that what I am taking does work!

I normally take a daily dose of 200mg of 5-HTP, a Vitamin B Complex with Magnesium Ascorbate, and 15mg of Zinc Complex. I started taking these because I was getting some nasty side effects from the Sertraline and the Diazapan I was taking; the Sertraline gave me night terrors and the Diazapan just knocked me out.

Towards the end of last week, I ran out of all the supplements I take, and stupidly I thought I would be ok without them for a couple of days, just until I could get to the local health shop (I had to wait for them to order some in because they were out of stock).

What happened over those couple of days was spectacular to say the least; basically, I hit rock bottom like a lead weight dropped from a tall building!