Blink - The Mental Health Campaign

Sadness is a valid emotion that everyone should and does feel at appropriate times in their lives. Depression is a mental illness.

Following on from hearing about your heart wrenching stories, having to wait months for help. We thought this diagram was rather (sadly) accurate ­¤śŗ­¤ś¼

Hi blinkers, to help build our case for why weŌĆÖre needed - How long have you spent on NHS waiting lists to access any kind of mental health treatment?

Dying by suicide is not selfish. It is a truly horrible outcome of a fatal mental illness. Thank you Fiona Jackson for your brilliant words.
This blog post may be triggering as it discusses suicide and personal experiences.

Hi guys! WeŌĆÖve been thinking about a recent post where so much wonderful support and advice was given to an anonymous blinker - you guys are AMAZING ­¤śĆ
We were wondering, if we added a Closed Group for blinkers to this page - would you use it to give and receive advice and support? No one outside of the blink page would be able to see your posts.

The eternal inner conflict. Wanting to do something but just not having the energy. ­¤ōĘHow Do You Adult?

Hello 'blinkers'.
We've had a message from a fellow blinker, who needs your help!
They'd like to ask if:
... "Anyone has any experience of withdrawing from Lorazepam and Diazepam, struggling at the moment and any advice would be useful"
So, can anyone offer any advice please?
If you'd rather message us privately to share, rather than posting public, feel free to DM us :)
Lets help a fellow blinker out :)
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Another relatable illustration from howdoyouadult.
Why is so much of our energy used thinking about things that would be much better to accept as is and deal with that way? We donŌĆÖt think this is just true of those with mental illness, this is something that most can relate to.
How do you guys stop obsessing over the things you canŌĆÖt control??

Sometimes it feels like we never really learn how to deal with the emotions inside us. Anyone else ever feel like this? What can we do to help us ŌĆśget back on the bikeŌĆÖ ?
­¤ōĘ Mushroom Movie

Hey Blinkers - so weŌĆÖd like to know if our posts are too regular, not enough or just right :)
We want to provide decent content, but donŌĆÖt want to spam your feeds.
Let us know ­¤Öī­¤Å╗­¤æĆ

Following from last week's blog post, Lucie Llewellyn has shared her experiences of her daughter's health anxiety.
Sharing a story like this can be quite emotionally draining, as can reading and connecting with other peoples' stories.
But we relate to stories, not statistics. Stories are powerful things that inspire understanding and change. And we thank Lucie for sharing hers.
... If you have ideas for a blog or would like to contribute your own - please comment or message us privately.
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Trigger warning ŌÜĀ’ĖÅ, some may find reading this article distressing. But we wanted to share it because itŌĆÖs a Raw, Brave and Honest about the NHS mental health service. We can certainly relate to it anyway.
However, please donŌĆÖt let this article stop you from seeking help, if you have not done so already ­¤śś
TL:DR - NHS cannot handle the amount of people with mental illnesses, and this is why Blink has been Born...

We thought this was a rather educational diagram! @howdoyouadult

Hello Blinkers ­¤æĆ(what we like to call our supporters), if we provided free peer to peer group support meetings, facilitated by a professional, would you go?

Our latest blog is up.
Worry, nerves, anxiety - a normal part of life for most, but a crippling everyday reality for those with anxiety disorders.
Thank you Lucie Llewellyn for your input. Lucie's full story will be published on our blog shortly.
... If you would like to contribute to our blog, or have ideas on topics we could address, let us know in the comments or send us a message!
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A lot of us going through mental ill health can find humour about our traumas or conditions to be insensitive. For others it can be a cathartic release and a way to connect with others going through the same thing as them.
While we don't wish to be too controversial, we wanted to share a bit of dark humour.
Please let us know, do you find quotes like this triggering and insensitive, or amusing? Why? What makes a joke about mental illness 'okay' ?

Oh my days!!! 4K likes in 4 weeks - and so much engagement, love and support from you all ŌØż’ĖÅ.
WeŌĆÖre so excited to be building our community, thank you to everyone whoŌĆÖs liked, commented and shared our posts.
We literally couldnŌĆÖt do this without you.
... ­¤Öī­¤Å╗­¤ÖÅ­¤æī­¤ÜĆ­¤ī¤­¤Ģ║­¤Å╝­¤Æā­¤ÅŠ­ ¤Æ¬­¤Å╗­¤ż»­¤Åģ­¤Äē­¤ÄŖ
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Remember to look after yourself! No one can do everything at once, and trying to can often lead to mental ill health and feelings of failure.
How do you make sure youŌĆÖre pacing yourself? Do you fall into the trap of needing to do everything?

Our blog posts aim to tackle subjects that other mental health blogs may not address clearly. So far we feel this is going well, but is there anything you want us to write about in more detail?
Comment below or message us with ideas - or if you would like to write a guest post!
[cartoon by Natalie Dee]

Please read: Since we started this page we've had an overwhelming positive response to our cause and dozens of private messages from people seeking further support, due to the lack of mental health provisions in their area.
It's a sad state of affairs when within days of this page being created we are getting inundated with requests for help.
While our overall aim is to provide support, we are at our very early stages and still setting up the structure. So I am afraid at thi...s time we cannot help individuals in need. We will of course let you know when we can!
Our service should also not be used in times of crisis or in an emergency. We don't want to put a downer on things, and still need you to help spread our cause, but we also need to be transparent, as we know how important accessing the correct mental health services is.
If you are having a mental health crisis or emergency, please go to A&E or if this is not possible dial 999.
While we are setting up fully, here are some other excellent mental health and other organisations that may be able to help you:
Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/ - Call 116 123 (24 hours a day) PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide https://www.papyrus-uk.org/ - 0800 068 41 41 SANE Mental Health Charity http://www.sane.org.uk/what_we_do/support /helpline - 0300 304 7000 https://www.thecalmzone.net/ - 0800 58 58 58 (nationwide) 0808 802 58 58 (london) 0808 802 58 58
This list is not exhaustive and there may be others you can help.
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What an amazing idea !! Such help is so much needed ! People supporting people because time matters ŌÖĪ

I agree with Katherine Wood. Can just tell Blink is going to be very special and will be doing all i possibly can to support.

For Mike and Sara...

Brilliant work

Brilliant initiative pity nhs couldnŌĆÖt stop throwing money at useless ideas and support this

Blown away!! Amazing ’┐Į times couldn't have required such an organisation!

Faith I feel in this and behind it all the way am I

Blink is going to be something special, I can just tell. I urge you to show your support in whatever way you can. Mike is an excellent campaigner and I am sure he will drive Blink forward in lots of positive ways that we can't yet imagine!

What an amazing idea !! Such help is so much needed ! People supporting people because time matters ŌÖĪ

I agree with Katherine Wood. Can just tell Blink is going to be very special and will be doing all i possibly can to support.

For Mike and Sara...

Brilliant work

Brilliant initiative pity nhs couldnŌĆÖt stop throwing money at useless ideas and support this

Blown away!! Amazing ’┐Į times couldn't have required such an organisation!

Faith I feel in this and behind it all the way am I

Blink is going to be something special, I can just tell. I urge you to show your support in whatever way you can. Mike is an excellent campaigner and I am sure he will drive Blink forward in lots of positive ways that we can't yet imagine!