It’s the first of three days off for me which, followed by the weekend, gives a nice five day break. This is the school half-term holiday week so I’ve always tried to take at least a few days off.
Today is World Mental Health Day, a day for mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.
Although it is widely recognised that (in the UK) 1 in 4 people will experience some form of mental health issue each year, the stigma surrounding it is still so great as to stop people seeking help.
I didn’t really explain part of what I meant when I wrote:
“And that’s what I want to separate: the role itself from what it means to you as a person and what it allows you to be.”
Liked: The way blogging was intended to work…
And, hopefully, how it can be again.
While I have been exploring my thoughts around depression in recent months a couple of posts stood out as I tried to catch up on my RSS feeds.
Firstly, in stark contrast, Austin Kleon posted “Notice when you are happy” in which, via a passage from Kurt Vonnegut, he reminds us to acknowledge when things are good.
I did something today that I don’t normally do.
My job is predominantly reactionary requiring fast response times so the tendancy is to get stuck in situ. If I leave the building it’s only ever to grab a sandwich which I’ll then eat at my desk.
Two years ago today I quoted Ben Thompson of Stratechery saying that, rather than try to hide it, Apple went out of its way to emphasise the presence of the notch despite it being controversial.
Liked: Shhhh… – Patrick Rhone
Exquisite, evocative.
Liked: Bad reasons not to blog – Colin Devroe…
So much truth here.
Liked: Some Changes – On my Om…
Om Malik, long time blogger and critical thinker, has also been re-evaluating what blogging means to him (again) and has gone back to his roots:
Yesterday was the anniversary of my decision to step back from the blog, a reflection of my realisation/admittance that things weren’t good on the mental health front.
It’s been a rollercoaster year.
The poem “The Stream” was an illustration that depression is often contextual.
We’re currently on holiday and the stream in the poem is in one of my favourite places: The Trough of Bowland, a jewel hidden within the wider Forest of Bowland area of natural beauty.
This past week I have deliberately and drastically reduced my phone usage; there have even been times when I haven’t carried it.
It felt strange at first but then it became liberating.
I’m on holiday this week so posts are likely to be a bit thin on the ground. I’ll be having quite a digital free few days.
Liked: My IndieWeb story, Part 1: Jumping in the Deep End…
“I hope it presents both some technical aspects of the IndieWeb but more so introduces how the IndieWeb experience is personal and is shaped by each individual.”
It’s raining for the first time in what seems forever but I don’t reach for my umbrella; it’s refreshing, a gift, makes me feel alive.
Liked: Let’s repurpose simpleton – James Shelley…
“I think we should repurpose the word ‘simpleton’ into something that isn’t so pejorative. There’s something to be said for circumventing the needlessly complicated. And to consider oneself a simpleton reflects a healthy sense of skepticism about the comprehensiveness of one’s knowledge.”
I started reading one of my birthday presents “The Story of Philosophy: A History of Western Thought” on the way to work this morning and was instantly struck by the following passage in the introduction:
Liked: In Praise of Email | Dan Cohen…
“Despite, or perhaps because of, its early inception, email avoided many of the worst aspects of our modern media environment.”