Mental health - What worked and what didn't
When I was diagnosed with mild depression, I was referred to the wellbeing service at Mariner House. I was offered telephone counselling first, but due to the waiting time, I was referred to the wellbeing workshops. They suggested ways to change the way I felt by changing my behaviour. Whilst these may have been good ideas, they don't work without practice and during my depression i didn't want to change what I did - I needed support to do this. I started telephone counselling, but this didn't work for me as I tended to be looking out of the window, while the counsellor did most of the talking. It did, however, give me the confidence to tell the counsellor how I felt and I was referred to face-to-face counselling. Whilst this worked better, there were no distractions, it wasn't successful in the time allowed. I was therefore referred to paid counselling. This was again unsuccessful as the counsellor, in my judgement, had more problems than I and couldn't form a relationship with me.. By good fortune, through work I was doing with Suffolk Family Carers, I had the opportunity to attend an 8-week course of mindfulness. Each session comprised practice of mindfulness exercises led by an experienced exponent. I was with a group of 10 - 12 other, some of whom were more affected by their problems. Being in the session with others meant that I had to practice what was being taught and I found that very encouraging. Being with others with similar problems was a further benefit that I did not expect as we would share our experiences and feelings. Sometimes a member would respond with a way of dealing with life that helped. This aspect of the sessions - mutual aid and support, coupled with the practice of mindfulness, cured my depression. Indeed, I have felt much happier and positive about my life ever since. As an offshoot of this course, I have joined a mindfulness group. The people are all "graduates" of the mindfulness courses run by the same leader, so we still share some of the issues. Again we are able to share our experience , strength and hopes with one another in the group setting, which provides the necessary impetus to keep going and to continue practising mindfulness. I believe these courses are no longer available and everything is now "on-line", which misses the crucial element of recovery from depression which is to get out and meet other people in a similar situation. This reduces the feeling of loneliness and isolation which depression can bring. It is time away from the home situation, which might be the source of the depression, as it was for me. I am very grateful to Suffolk Family Carers and our leader for releasing me from my depression in such a positive way. i don't think an "on-line" solution would work for me as there would be nothing to make me try or do it. When I am with others, there is a certain amount of peer pressure, plus the leader may have had his own difficulties (ours had been suicidal before he found mindfulness) and therefore able to give encouragement and explanation of why it works. Sorry it's so long, but I'm a great believer in the success of how mindfulness helped and continues to help me. I would want the same or similar sessions to be available to others.