Stories

Job Hunting and Your Mental Health I have had a rollercoaster year when it comes to my career, and I know many people have lost jobs due to the pandemic and find themselves searching for work. When you have poor…

The Transition: Becoming Charlotte The Journey: A Blog/Diary Story of a pre-transition transition When one of my best friends asked me if I would be interested in writing a blog about my experience for LGBTQIA+ history month, at first I…

Isolation and Loneliness Isolation. It’s a word that we hear so often at Dorset Mind when people speak to us about their mental health.   And it’s been a huge problem in all our lives these past years. One of the hardest challenges we faced in lockdown was the lack of…

‘Distract or Deal With’ The Power of Anxious Thoughts CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) taught me about the impact of anxious thoughts.   Throughout years of suffering with crippling anxiety, my family and friends would always tell me to just ‘distract my mind.’ I would throw myself into a variety…

The Stigma Around Self-Injury Trigger Warning: There are multiple references to self-injurious behaviours throughout this blog, which some people might find disturbing. If you need support, contact your GP or in a crisis, call 999 or The Samaritans at 116…

Putting ALGEE into Practise Mental Health First Aid and ALGEE Enrolling on training courses to gain knowledge and new skills is something I have always enjoyed. After all, ‘learning’ is one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing and taking part…

Sunlight and Your Wellbeing Many people are aware that soaking up the sun can have benefits for both physical and mental health, but not everyone knows how sunlight improves our wellbeing. Here are some of the key factors that explain…

Empty Nest Syndrome - One Year On The Guardian released an article last week about empty nest syndrome, quoting the following headlines: “Terrible emptiness: parents struggle with children leaving home” “Survey of parents of first-year students found 98% felt extreme…

Empty Nest Syndrome Last week my youngest son received the news that he had achieved the grades he needs to take up his place at university. All his hard work has finally paid off and he is now about to embark on…

How Has Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' Been Tested During Covid-19? The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a dramatic series of changes in life. Things we took for granted a few months ago have been tested and challenged ever since. With life pauses, as it has done, it…