Be Heard Podcast

<p>My journey to managing my mental illness… </p><p>May is mental health awareness month.</p><p>I want to tell my story, what being mentally ill feels like and why its not always easy to get help and recover to the point where you can cope with your daily life. </p><p>Recovery isn’t linear this is my story to getting help with my Mental Health. </p><p>If you are struggling here are a few resources: </p><p>- Call your GP. </p><p>- <a href="https://www.mind.org.uk/">https://www.mind.org.uk/</a> </p><p>- <a href="https://www.samaritans.org/wales/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/">https://www.samaritans.org/wales/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/</a> </p><p>- <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/">https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/</a> </p><p>- <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/">https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/</a> </p><p>Rebecca </p><p>Neurodivergent and Proud</p>

<p>My journey to getting help… May is mental health awareness month. I want to tell my story, what being mentally ill feels like and why its not always easy to get help and recover to the point where you can cope with your daily life. Recovery isn’t linear this is my story to getting help with my Mental Health. If you are struggling here are a few resources: </p><p>- Call your GP. </p><p>- <a href="https://www.mind.org.uk/">https://www.mind.org.uk/</a> </p><p>- <a href="https://www.samaritans.org/wales/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/">https://www.samaritans.org/wales/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/</a> </p><p>- <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/">https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/</a> </p><p>- <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/">https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/</a> </p><p>Rebecca </p><p>Neurodivergent and Proud</p>

<p>“To ‘mask’ or to ‘camouflage’ means to hide or disguise parts of oneself in order to better fit in with those around you. It is an unconscious strategy all humans develop whilst growing up in order to connect with those around us.” -Dr Hannah Belcher. My journey to understanding what is masking, what does it mean to me, to learn how to drop that mask for my mental health. As well as accepting the benefits.</p>

Late Stage Diagnosis...It isn't easy... Late-stage diagnosis is becoming more and more common, as awareness of neurodivergence increases: 700,000 autistic people in the UK are autistic. 7 in 10 autistic children and young Adults said school would be better if more teachers understood autism. 4 men to every 1 woman are diagnosed with autism. For me when I started the accepting my diagnosis, I felt like I had to grieve for my former self. There are five stages for grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

<p>Communication can be one of the most confusing things to many neurodivergent individuals. It isn't as simple as we would like it to be. For over 18 years I thought the only way people communicate by the words they spoke... I was wrong... <a href="https://beheardcommunications.com/communication-it-s-not-just-words">https://beheardcommunications.com/communication-it-s-not-just-words</a> #communication #lifeskills #autsim #neurodivergent</p>