A bit brave

68 years ago. In it together. The Archbishop of Canterbury recently spoke of his depression and his use of anti-depressants to help his condition. More and more people are being open about their struggles with mental ill-health but we still have a long way to go particularly for men. Men in high positions or famous people being honest about how they cope with depression or anxiety is really helpful to everyone else. If the environment we live in is alien to being open about our problems, then we can’t move forward and ordinary men or women will continue to bottle things up and not ask for help. I have spoken to men who have had enormous help from their employers and others who have had their life made a misery. It is difficult for some people to be sympathetic and there are those who see mental ill-health as a weakness. This is not helped by some politicians and newspapers who label those who need financial help to survive a life plagued by mental illness. It is hard to be em...

Stepping up. Matt Haig, in his book ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’, writes about a situation when his partner is going to the hospital with her mother, leaving him at home to wait for someone to arrive. He is anxious about this and is suffering from separation anxiety. He argues about being left behind but there comes a vital moment when he realises that he must and will stay. I can identify with this feeling and on many occasions, there has come a precise time when the need to be brave is more powerful than the anxiety. I expect that many people suffering from anxiety have these moments and for me,  u nlike overt acts of bravery, many of these moments are lost and not recognised for what they are. ‘A bit brave.’ When every fibre of your body is telling you to run away, just standing your ground or even taking a step forward is an immense but unacknowledged act of defiance and bravery.

Reflecting on Bravery I have lived long enough to understand that the face a person presents to the world is not always a true reflection of what is felt inside. We all have our heroes and there are many examples of brave people or actions. Having completed the book, ‘Life of Roy’ and been fortunate to have it published I am left reflecting on the concept of bravery. ‘Life of Roy’ is both funny and moving. Roy lost his first leg aged six years and his second leg at twenty-one. He had little schooling and walked with artificial legs, refusing to use a wheelchair until he was forty-six. Roy had a full and happy life, made his own decisions and helped those less fortunate than himself. Everyone would regard Roy as a brave man and marvel at how he managed his disability. He lived in an age where there was no counselling provided for the traumatic events he went through, and this makes his story all the more remarkable. This book will make you laugh and move you. ‘Life of Roy’, as t...