*First published during the more ‘severe’ lockdown conditions of the pandemic on the online forum for mental health stories: The OC87 Recovery Diaries. ‘There are no little things. Little things are the hinges of the universe.’ Fanny Fern In my first stay at a mental health institution, in 2013, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder […]
I sit here in my lounge, cats preening themselves before me, on a wonderfully melancholic rainy day, feeling at once utterly contented and confuddled by it, if only a smidge. It is a nice feeling to make my acquaintance. I feared I had lost it for a spell. But it has returned to me, quite […]
Where do I even begin? If I were John Irving, or Jeanette Winterson, or Angela Carter, or Haruki Murakami, I guess I’d begin with the perfect sentence. But the perfect sentence eludes me today. I am grateful for the day it is, at least I can say that much. Grey skies and rain. Not some […]
Many moons ago, I shared a piece on my blog by way of advice for the loved ones of those suffering from depression… But losing a friend to suicide recently brought with it some serious contemplation on the nature of mental health issues. The stigma. The secrecy. The shame. The cruel but oh so intimate […]
After my last breakdown and stay in a state mental hospital for four months, I moved to the sleepy little town of Port Alfred in South Africa and finally took the plunge to become a truly penniless writer and write to my heart’s content. And so it is that proudly this year saw the publishing […]