SPOTLIGHT: Mental Well-being
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any of us with struggle with mental health at some stage in our lives. This can vary from stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue and anger. The mind, like the body, needs to be taken care of. Finding the right support is key to dealing with mental health and well-being. Mental health supports come in a variety of forms from mindfulness to journalling, exercising to hobbies, medication to counselling. Each of these supports have a variety of options also so it is important to find something that suits you and that helps. In this Spotlight, Amy Whelan, PWCF shares her experience of mental health, in life and during the pandemic. We would like to thank Amy for being so honest in sharing her story with us. We hope that this article will start a discussion on mental health and encourage anyone who may be struggling to seek help and support. Some readers may find this article triggering. Details of supports available can be found on pages 12 & 13.
My ‘journey’ with my mental health has been as unique as my history with CF, which I believe is no coincidence. Days that bring difficulty and discomfort become a part of our lives living with an invisible chronic illness. We are all aware of the physical impacts of CF, the symptoms, the flare-ups, the exacerbations and the dreaded progression. The impact doesn’t always stop there, my mental health has always been intertwined with my physical health, but it took the best part of a decade to figure that out. The more I began to understand about my own experience the more I came to realise the discussion around our mental health and emotional well-being was somewhat of an afterthought, something used to name and blame or more often than not, absent altogether. I like to believe we cannot help what we do not acknowledge. For me, recognizing where I found myself with my mental health and reaching out for the support I needed, changed everything. I promised myself in writing this I would be as honest as I could be. I hope through sharing our experiences it will benefit the way we talk and care for all aspects of our health. Looking back, my mental health was always giving me a sign that it was struggling. I have memories as early as five dealing with panic and anxiety with medical interventions. The depression came later in my teens, but it was always hidden under a blanket of anxiety. At 15 I went through a CF-related trauma that left lasting marks, I spent the year that followed in a haze. The remaining of my teen years were compounded by stress, of which nearly crushed me. I spent half of my time in education absent as I dealt with my complications of CF, the apprehension made sense. My acceptance to University brought a huge relief, I was told and believed that my ability to study independently would finally benefit me as I moved into third level education. As my journey would have it, instead this marked the beginning of the most difficult chapter I have had to face with my mental health.
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Spectrum / Winter 2020
