Hope

All through my mental health experience I have had a funny feeling that there is hope. Not all elements of a mental health experience can be a bed of roses. Ive experienced, anxiety, felt low, even had suicidal ideation. Which for the lay person is when you dont want to commit suicide, you dont have a plan but the thought has come to you. It may just be that you wish you were dead and believe me this thought can happen.We just dont speak about it enough, probubly because it is scary. sometimes having a mental health experience can be a real struggle. But I have always had a twinkle of hope just in the corner of my vision and I think no matter how small it is something that can and should be cultivated. The reason I cultivate this is that out of it comes ideas, coping mechanisms and a bit of umph! some times there is no hope to be found and rather than fight this I have found it useful to settle into it until a little inspiration hits. Another great resource when you get into a 'hopeless' situation is to tell someone. Im not talking about a random person, some people simply dont understand and this in itself is something that increased self advocacy will hopefully address. Tell someone you trust who understands. If you are isolated then use a service like Samaritans or dial SHOUT to 85258. There is always a new day, there is always a new minute or hour and if you can muster or even just consider this you may find that a glimmer of hope materialises.