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This week I left Designs in Mind, this is my story and I would love to share it with you... I had a breakdown on 3rd November 2010 which left me almost lifeless, not wanting to exist, feeling useless and worthless, wanting to hide away from everyone. It was awful for my husband to come home and find me shuddering in the corner of the bathroom with a knife in my hand. He took me to the doctors straight away who gave me some strong tranquilisers and started me on anti-depressa

So, I’m trying to write a blog about ‘personnel recovery’. No problem, easy, I’m a writer and word smith. Well this is harder than I thought. Several attempts have been made, over the past few hours. I suppose the easiest way to explore recovery is knowing its definition. According to the Oxford Dictionary 'recovery' is described as a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. So, regaining ourselves over time with plenty of tlc, not at the pace others think we

In April we put the call out for more stories to share as part of our #SmashingStigma Campaign. Throughout May we will be sharing blogs about 'Recovery', some from the studio and some from new found friends who have been inspired to tell their story and support our campaign. This guest blog and artwork is from Artist Lor Bird. I decided to contribute to Designs in Mind because I am passionate about stigma being reduced and I want to help others to not feel shame. Although I d

Recovery to me is an ongoing journey after suffering for 4 years with depression (diagnosed) and with a mood disorder. If I am honest it has probably been a lot longer . I have had ups and some very big downs. I feel recovery to me is work in progress. I don’t feel there will be a certain end date or light bulb moment when- jazz hands I AM CURED! That is not me being pessimistic that is me being realistic after living with this. People who don’t suffer say ‘are you better now

Because it took such a long time for my mental illness to be diagnosed, it was a long time before any recovery could begin. It was an extremely frightening and worrying time for both myself and members of my family, me suddenly becoming unwell put immense strain on some of my relationships. Lack of knowledge, confusion, anger, fear, all fueled the fire of my illness and how people behaved towards me. When I was finally referred to the mental health service and diagnosed with

In April we put the call out for more stories to share as part of our #SmashingStigma Campaign. Throughout May we will be sharing blogs about 'Recovery', some from the studio and some from friends who have been inspired to tell their story and support our campaign. This guest blog is from Lynda Jones. As a child I was in numerous children's and foster homes until finally I was adopted at 4 years old. No, not a "she lived happily ever after" ending. My adoptive mother both phy

If you would like to support our work then please donate on our #SmashingStigma campaign page Donate Now #MentalHealth #MentalHealthStigma #smashingstigma #OurStory #SocialEnterprise

Recovery Noun 1 a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. When you search for this word by definition - this is what comes up. It’s a funny word to me. It doesn’t sit well with me to say I have ‘recovered’ from episodes of depression and anxiety. It will mean different things to everyone, but personally I don’t call it ‘my recovery.’ And as for strength? I have been told I am ‘strong’ many times over, and I know that it’s meant as a compliment, but really - I

In April we put the call out for more stories to share as part of our #SmashingStigma Campaign. Throughout May we will be sharing blogs about 'Recovery', some from the studio and some from new found friends who have been inspired to tell their story and support our campaign. This guest blog is from Charlotte Underwood When you think of recovery, you think that eventually you will be cured and able to live out your life before the storm hit. I suppose it’s incorrect for us to

'Recovery' is a conversation that bubbles up in the studio every so often. It often pops up because it means so many different things to people and when life is hard, there can often be anxiety and frustration about what it means. We can have our own expectations of recovery, and then everyone else around us has a version for us. Matching these ideas up is the challenge. In 2017 we had a series of conversations to try and define the vision and aims of Designs in Mind - what