My other favourite speaker from today’s TEDxPerth was Tasha Broomhall and her talk about mental health – Are You Blooming? It was extremely personal for me, as my Mum suffered with terrible mental illness problems all the years I knew her; but Tasha deftly handled the subject, with some light hearted touches despite the serious subject matter. Here are my notes…
1/5 Aussie adults experience mental illness this year. Some are short term illnesses, some are long term, year after year.
48% of us will experience mental illness in our lifetimes. If it’s not you, then it’s your partner, your child, your best friend. It is part of all our lives.
You can’t diagnose it by looking at people. Examples include – substance use disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis. Most common mental illness is anxiety disorders. 14% experience it every year. We may call it “stress”. It can be debilitating, yet there is a lot of help out there. Too much shame and self stigma. People do not want to disclose.
To stay mentally well, check yourself out, and if you are not well, get help. It does not have to be everyone’s business, but it should be yours. Lifestyle balance used to be 8-8-8 hours of work, rest and play.
Bloom = things we believe in are the things we do
Find four. Four things a week that nurture you.
Wake up and review, not just on those two days a year.
Show compassion to others that experience distress; look after yourself and take charge.
For more: http://bloomingminds.com.au
Photo from Inhabitat.com
