Up close and personal 2
Hey everyone, I hope you’re all well today. This is the second of my new style blog. Thanks to Emma, from folk features, who inspired me, and also David, my IT man, to try it out. So thank you both.
I’m hoping that the answers from my guests, will help in some way, so let’s get started.
Today, my second guest is going to be my IT man David, I hope I haven’t driven him too mad with all my computer needs 😊
This is David answer to my question thanks you for reading have a great end to the week and great weekend.
6 Responses
Dear John
I am pleased at the way this Blog turned out. The format is quite effective.
Wishing you a good weekend when it arrives.
KR
David
** “Given the stigma surrounding mental health struggles, do you believe that sharing personal stories, like John Durrant’s, could inadvertently perpetuate the idea that mental illness is a ‘struggle’ that one must ‘overcome’ alone, rather than a treatable health condition? How can we ensure our narratives promote healing and support, not isolation and stigma?
hey there, we our all unique and individual and i look at living with my illness not as my illness if that make sense every mental health illness treat us differently. but i also find lived experience really helpful from has i can learn something from anyone on how to manage my illness for the better hope this helps
Dear Billiardspace
There is no “I” in struggle.
The history of an individual’s lived experience can help others understand their illness thus propagating hope and understanding.
Since understanding = peace, without exposing the cause and effect of stigma how are the stigma generation areas of community going to understand?
John Durrant’s story is certainly good for me to hear, and he has come along way since I first heard him speak publicly.
I was at that “Hearts and Minds” meeting in Bungay a few years back, and co-facilitated it. I got to read one of my poems and felt good afterwards. Healing for some is telling one’s story.
To reiterate John’s comment. If this site helps someone then that is it’s intention.
I hope billiardspace that if it has not helped you it also has not put you out.
Sometimes if you cannot help, you should also consider…Not hindering.
Thank you for the comment and for John, giving me the opportunity to respond.
KR
David
Dear Billiardspace.com
Thank you for querying John’s struggle with health.
In the UK, one cannot rely on the safety net of the state in such health matters and must seek help from peers (equals) whom often have understanding born out of similar health concerns.
We tend to operate by telling our stories which others can relate to.
This is quite a slow process. However, it is safe. The clinical approach can also be slow as we wait for appointments and live in between clinician contact.
It is my belief that within the individual is the answer to solve their own individual health concern.
However, the health concerns are often cyclic moving from crisis to crisis. or dip to dip. Each time, though, we learn with resilience to make it back to the even state which for me is my preferred modus operandi. less smiling and more observing of decent human contact.
I am conscious of John’s health concern and understanding of his need to share, also, of some of his learning challenges. I know of his love of Pepsi Max which I think is more of a need than a want as drinking it I think makes him feel better. For me it is chocolate. The sugar content of chocolate means I need to process it carefully without too much chocolate being consumed.
Your last question. It is John’s responsibility to learn from his exposure of his story to the world. He needs to manage his narrative to promote and heal … He is responsible for putting his truth out there.
He is a good person and promotes people that are also struggling, they also need to have a vehicle to expose their story and allow others to learn about where stigma comes from. IT is normally not from within where we feel stigma from without that it is >made< and thrust upon those with an MH diagnosis.
We need to explore these stigma generation techniques which can be a unconscious reaction from the community trying to make itself better or at least feel good. So what about stigma being caused by a reaction we learn too readily from an early age. With this many people on the planet I think it is an outmoded method of conscience relief by the "well" in the community.
Hmmmmm. I do think that this comment is on the wrong Blog entry. I am answering because it is on a Blog Entry associated with me.
I wish all that read this more understanding where understanding equals peace.
KR
David
The photo is of a beacon.
When lit a message is sent to other towns.
And it shows Lowestoft as a way point in a person’s journey.
I hope John’s Living with Mental Health site is a beacon too.