BeyondNow - Suicide Safety Planning

Had a post from beyondblue show up on my Facebook page a few minutes ago. It could be something a few around here could find very useful.

"Today we’re proud to share our Australian-first suicide safety planning app, BeyondNow.

Safety planning is exactly what it sounds like – creating a plan to stay safe during those really difficult moments. The BeyondNow app makes this suicide prevention tool even more valuable by putting your plan in your pocket – you’ll always have it on hand if you need it. It can be hard to think clearly when you’re in a suicidal crisis or having thoughts or feelings about suicide. Having all your warning signs, coping strategies, reasons for living and support listed in one place means you can focus on working through the steps until you feel safe. We hope that you and your loved ones will never need this app. But if you do, we hope it can guide you through the tough times.

You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play."

You can find our more on the BeyondNow web page.

I haven't looked at it fully myself but it looks good & perhaps it can be used for other types of crisis or distress too. Hopefully this is something that will help when we need it most.

Take care all.

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

Internal Acceptance Movement!

I ran across this site the other day for the Internal Acceptance Movement (I. A.M.). It was started by a young woman, Daniell Koepke, and has the simple motto of You exist, and therefore, you matter. I'll let her describe about it in her own words:

I came up with the idea while I was in treatment for an eating disorder in the summer of 2009. My initial goal was to spread eating disorder awareness and promote body positivity.

After creating a space on Tumblr, I decided that I wanted the I. A.M. to encompass something more broad — I wanted the blog focus on helping people heal from any struggle; to offer encouragement and validation; to remind people that they aren’t alone and that the things they struggle with don’t have to be a source of shame; to provide self-care tips and coping skills; and to offer hope that things can and will get better. 

Daniell is studying psychology with the goal of becoming a therapist. I think she will make a great one. Her own writings & thoughts have some great insights and are full of encouragement & support for all. Highly recommended.

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

Supporting a friend with a mental illness.

The daughter of a Facebook friend of mine posted a fantastic little piece on supporting someone close to you who has a mental illness. While it specifies depression and anxiety, what it says covers so much more. I just thought I would share it here.

Take care, stay safe.

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

Mental Health In The Workplace

Came across this article today on news.com.au dealing with mental health in the workplace. Looks like it's part of a recent series called Minds at Work. The series is being written in partnership with Australian mental health support organisation beyondblue.

Sadly this and associated articles seem to be hidden away a bit. I could only find them by using the search function. There seems to be no easy way to access them. To make it a little easier you can find the links here.

The articles also link to a website called Heads Up. This site is for both employers & employees and deals with mental health within the work environment. For employers there is information about creating a mental health friendly workplace. For employees there is information about your mental health and how to interact with your employer. And for everyone it also covers working with someone who has a mental illness.

Some good stuff there for people dealing with mental health issues in the workplace.

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

Is there a better way to respond to a mental health crisis?

This item from the Sane Australia blog discusses a different approach to handling a crisis using a Scandinavian approach called Open Dialogue. This method uses the patients current support network including family & friends as a central part of dealing with a crisis. The idea seems to be for the professionals to support, strengthen & increase the role of the patients own network in the treatment & recovery process. Everyone, including the patient, is involved in discussions about the issue, helping to create a much better care & recovery plan.

It sounds like an interesting approach and may help many people. It can make the recovery process much better, provide ongoing care and support and even reduce the chance of a re-occurrence of the crisis. Definitely worth a look I think.

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

While not a new article, The Roads To Wellness over at Sane Australia provides some good information, ideas & tips for those dealing with mental health issues. It doesn't matter if you've only just started dealing with your illness, have been battling with it for years or just want to know more it's a great read.

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

Dealing with having bipolar isn't easy. Not only do we have our issues, we have to face the stigma & misinformation that exists in the world. Often dealing with this extra burden of trying to make sure those around you know what's real about it and what's not is both exhausting and stressful.

Over at The Glass House Girls Norah Mann recently made a guest post, I'm Not Crazy. I'm Bipolar. In the article she talks about her life, living with bipolar & dealing with the stigma that surrounds it. If you live with bipolar or know someone who does I encourage you to read it.

So why did I write this? Because you need to know, everyone needs to know, and hopefully it will help those living with the illness. But the main reason I wrote this was to tell you that those with Bipolar are not crazy. It’s time to end the stigma surrounding Bipolar, understand it, accept it and respect it. - Norah Mann

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

Happy to say that Suzie Grogan mentioned to me on Facebook the other day that there is going to be a reissue of Dandelions and Bad Hair Days! This is great to hear. I was so honored to be a part of this & hoping this release is even more successful than the original.

Great work Suzie!







The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.

Back with the music, at least it's a start for now!

Everybody Hurts - something that we can hear a lot from people that don't always understand what's going on in our lives. Doesn't help much. But to me this great song is more about fighting on, never giving up or letting your emotions overwhelm you.

I liked this one when it was released, but it was only as I spiraled deeper & deeper down that it's true meaning  became clear to me.

The information contained in this blog can not be considered medical advice. These are only my own thoughts, feelings & ideas. If you or someone you know are having problems with mental illness please seek qualified medical advice.