Tag Archives: mental health

“I want to die but I don’t want to die”

Posted on January 4, 2024 by florencejoy

I have heard the words spoken, “I want to die but I don’t want to die”, by an autistic young person. I have listened to thoughts around having a preoccupation with the idea of death and dying. And of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged actually-autistic, ASD, autism, autistic, autistic-diagnosis, early-diagnosis, mental health, suicide, suicide-prevention | Leave a comment

Just a little slump…

Posted on May 13, 2021 by florencejoy

The truth is that the last little while has felt good. I have felt good. I was much relieved to know that what I was experiencing after mum died was exactly what it should have been – grief – & … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged bereavement, Christianity, communion with God, faith, grief, healing, Let love in, loss, Love of the father, mental health, mental health awareness, open hearts, Opening up, relationship not religion, Self acceptance, unfolding | Leave a comment

Do Not Leave Me Here

Posted on October 8, 2020 by florencejoy

There are too many unknowns, Too many questions And too many variables. And I feel I can’t go on. So often I lose my sense of self I’m never sure I’ve had that sense Never had a strong sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in Poems | Tagged anxiety, belonging, community, connection, depression, grief, identity, meaning, mental health, purpose | Leave a comment

Stream of consciousness: lingering questions, temporary distractions, cracked conversations, fear & firsts. It’s okay not to be okay…

Posted on September 17, 2020 by florencejoy

I get it. Perhaps more now than ever. That need or temptation to numb the pain; of considering things that would help you escape what you are feeling, of allowing the pain to be felt and travelled through. I find … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged bereavement, death, faith, fear, grief, loss, mental health, motherhood, mothers, pain | Leave a comment

Even after…

Posted on September 4, 2020 by florencejoy

Mum’s death still hurts so much. It has now been eleven weeks since she died, suddenly and unexpectedly. We were not prepared. I have been busying myself with a to-do list at her house. There’s a long enough to-do list … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged anti-depressants, bereavement, death, family, grief, hope, loss, mental health, pain, therapy | Leave a comment

Mummy’s Sad Day – a short story

Posted on October 10, 2018 by florencejoy

Earlier in the year I wrote a short story for my children, to try to provide some comfort & explanation for a difficult season I was going through. I share it today for World Mental Health Day and hope it … Continue reading →

Posted in Poems, Ramblings | Tagged bereavement, Books about feelings, children, Children's counselling, Children's emotions, children's feelings, Children's mental health, Children's story, dealing with grief, dealing with loss, death, depression, family, family mental health, grief, losing someone, Losing something, loss, mental health, mum of three, mummy's sad, Mummy's sad day, parental mental health, parenting, Pastoral care, sadness, short story, stories for children, World mental health day, World Mental Health Day 2018, worldmentalhealthday, worldmentalhealthday2018, writing about grief | Leave a comment

With Love – On World Mental Health Day 2018

Posted on October 10, 2018 by florencejoy

I have experienced episodes of depression. Although they have, at times, felt random – as if they’ve come out of nowhere – I have learned that there is always a trigger for me, as well as a source. For me, my … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged anti-depressants, bereavement, brokenness, Christians and mental health, counselling, darkness, death, depression, despair, faith, grief, healing, hope, intimacy, intimacy with God, loss, Medication, melancholy, mental health, open heart, openness, pain, prayer, sadness, seasons of sadness, sharing, therapy, transparency, Trauma, Vulnerability, wholeness, World mental health day, World Mental Health Day 2018, worldmentalhealthday, worldmentalhealthday2018 | Leave a comment

God Calling / Draw Aside

Posted on May 16, 2018 by florencejoy

“Other times I sense that busyness & activity turn to drivenness & I lose my sense of ease & rest in the process: “the unforced rhythms of grace”, as The Message version so beautifully translates part of Matthew 11:20-30.

Sometimes our busyness & activity is actually avoidance.” Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged activity, Avoidance, avoiding God, avoiding intimacy, being brave, bravery, busyness, calling, Christianity, cup of tea, draw aside, driven state, drivenness, faith, God calling, God time, God's voice, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit within, ignoring God, ignoring God's call, ignoring God's voice, intimacy, intimacy with God, listening, me and God time, me time, mental health, mental health awareness, mental health awareness week, mental health awareness week 2018, Mental wellbeing, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, quiet time, rest, tea time, Two listeners, unforced rhythms of grace | Leave a comment

5 May 2015 – Quarterly update! Ed’s ‘Beast in the East’ run this Saturday, amongst other bits! :-

Posted on May 6, 2015 by florencejoy

Hi friends, I realise it has been about three months since our last update. Long gone are the days that you were receiving at least weekly updates – then fortnightly, then monthly – as the tumult continued with Toby. No … Continue reading →

Posted in Toby | Tagged abiding, anchor, cardiologist, children's health, cow's milk allergy, cow's milk protein allergy, cow's milk protein hypersensitivity, depressed, depression, development, developmental delay, developmental milestone, faith, family, family life, God's peace, God's presence, hope, identity, identity in Christ, longing, mental health, Neonatal Unit Consultant, paediatric gastroenterologist, parenting, peace, peace of Christ, physiotherapist, premature, premature baby, prematurity, pursuing God, SALT, satisfaction, Speech and Language Therapy, spirituality | Leave a comment

Depression (Part 5) – Light for each step…

Posted on March 9, 2015 by florencejoy

It’s been a little while since I’ve written about how my journey is unfolding. I think that is, in part, due to those days that I have felt so sapped of energy that there has been little left to put … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged abiding, antidepressants, Cageless Birds, comforter, counselling, counsellor, darkness, depression, enabler, faith, friendship, God's presence, grief, health, Holy Spirit, hope, hypothyroid, Invitation, Jonathan David Helser, journey, levothyroxine, light, love, Melissa Helser, mental health, Molly Skaggs, pain, patience, recovery, resting, SSRI, support, thyroxine, trust, trusting God, under active thyroid | Leave a comment

Depression (Part 4) – Love wants to absorb pain…

Posted on February 22, 2015 by florencejoy

Love wants to absorb pain. On Friday morning my son fell and hit his head against some shelves. I was in the next door room and I could tell from his cry that he was really hurting. I ran to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged Abba, abiding, anti-depressants, blue, community, confused, counselling, demotivated, depressed, depression, faith, fatigue, fear, feeling down, God, God's presence, healing, heartache, heaven, hope, hopelessness, illness, Jesus, joy, longing, low, mental health, mood, motherhood, pain, parenting, past wounds, personality, psychotherapy, sad, sharing, spirituality, stressed, suffering, the cross, tiredness, trusting God, Vulnerability, weakness, weariness, wholeness | Leave a comment

Depression (Part 3) – Am I depressed or aren’t I?! Do I need help or don’t I?!

Posted on February 13, 2015 by florencejoy

This is a minefield! I went to bed last night feeling all at sea. I have been doing so much thinking & sorting of threads & thoughts (or attempts at sorting) and I suppose the thing I feel as though … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged blue, confused, demotivated, depressed, depression, faith, fatigue, feeling down, low, mental health, mood, motherhood, parenting, stressed, tiredness | Leave a comment

Depression (Part 2) – So what now?

Posted on February 10, 2015 by florencejoy

The next day, on Thursday, I sent an email out to friends. I owed them an update on our son’s progress anyway and I thought I would let them know that I was in a bit of a ‘dip’ myself. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged anti-depressants, community, depression, faith, God, healing, health, heaven, home, hope, hopelessness, life, longing, love, marriage, mental health, pain, parenting, past wounds, personality, sharing, spirituality, stress, Vulnerability, weakness | Leave a comment

Depression (Part 1) – Isn’t it that simple?

Posted on February 7, 2015 by florencejoy

On Wednesday evening, Eddie asked me how I was. I didn’t know how to answer the question at first. I always feel so silly and self-conscious when I start talking about feeling ‘down’. When I get in to proper ol’ … Continue reading →