Mrs Helicopter Writes

After the events in Manchester this week I’ve been thinking a lot about comparisons in life. At a time like this you can’t help but look for deeper meaning in the universe....and for me part of that is about comparing what I have with what others do. When scary events shake your sense of stability in the world… families and friends devastated for the rest of their lives for daring to go to concert and have fun…. It's inevitable to feel grateful for your life and the life of your loved ones. The horror and sadness you feel for the victims and their families and the gratitude and relief you feel for your babies/partners/siblings/parents/friends will be overwhelming. As the clichéd memes proclaim, you WILL want to hug your loved ones a little closer. So that’s a comparison. Obviously. A positive comparison, right? But, hang on. Aren’t we taught that "comparison is the thief of joy"? Cos according to good ol' Teddy Roosevelt it is! How can that make

This week we have World Mental Health Day, so I thought I’d write a bit about my experience of anxiety and panic attacks. I know that when I was in the height of my panic disorder it was a great comfort to me to talk to people who knew what I was going though. It’s a pretty unique ordeal and for fellow sufferers: I feel your pain. Or more specifically, your fear. And for those of you who have never had depression or anxiety, it can be quite difficult to understand how it feels. Why you can't just "pull yourself together" or "cheer up". Logic and common sense have absolutely no bearing on mental illness.  So if you have never been in receipt of the delight that is a panic / anxiety attack, let me attempt to describe what it feels like to the uninitiated: Imagine you’re just going about your day. You’re doing something fairly innocuous like sitting on the bus or doing the washing up. You’re not thinking about anything in particular, nothing sad or happy o