- WISER Newsletter
- Posts
- C********* is Key
Hi friends, it’s Michael here!
I want to share something different in today’s newsletter.
Tomorrow September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day, so I want to share a reflection on my mental health journey and a couple of encouragements.
But before I do, consider this a content warning. I am not sharing any detail about my experience with suicide, but I respect that this is a sensitive topic.
As a part of developing wisdom includes developing self-awareness, I trust that you will be able to decide for yourself if it is wise to read this week’s newsletter.
If you’d rather not read this week’s issue, feel free to check out one from the archive! Here’s a particularly encouraging one:
Now let’s get WISER together!
🎭 The Masks We Wear
This year marked 10 years since my initial depression diagnosis.
It’s been a turbulent journey; one with many wins and what felt like losses.
But it’s not always been obvious to those around me when I have been going through a rough patch.
The reason for this is because for many people that are going through a challenging time, they try to put on a brave face or pretend that everything is okay.
There’s a number of reasons why someone might do this.
It could an attempt to not draw attention to themselves, to act how they wish to feel or because they don’t want to “bring the mood down” for those around them.
For me, it was (and sometimes still is) a bit of all of the above, but I am fortunate to have a support network where I can be myself, even when I don’t feel my best.
Fortunately most of my loved ones know an important lesson…
❤️ Compassion is Key
You will never fully know what someone is going through.
It’s becoming increasingly important to be compassionate in all circumstances because you will never fully know what someone is carrying.
Did you know that suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the United Kingdom? (NHS England)
This is despite the fact that they are less likely, compared to women, to experience suicidal thoughts and to attempt suicide. (Samaritans)
Compassion, despite not knowing what someone is going through, can make a HUGE difference when someone is contemplating ending their own life.
I can testify to how the love that I experienced from my family and friends helped to keep me safe when I was experiencing challenging thoughts.
You can be that difference for someone in your life too.
👁️ Perspective is Power
I am conscious that you reading this could be going through a tough patch yourself.
Even though I cannot directly relate to your experience, I know that hearing these encouragements can be frustrating to hear.
But allow me to leave you with an encouragement that I learned to find solace in when things felt heavy.
There were times when I was unable to find the enjoyment in anything. Knowing that feeling wasn’t going to last forever brought peace in those moments.
Nothing lasts forever.
If you’re going through a tough time, know that the tough time won’t last forever.
You can and will do this.
If you have been impacted by what you have read or need to speak with someone, please consider accessing these services:
Samaritans (UK)
Lifeline (USA)
Open Counselling (International)
Alternatively, to search for service in your country, click here.
✍️ Journal Prompts
• Is there anyone in my life that I could be more compassionate to?
• How could I be more compassionate?
Consider journaling through the above questions yourself.
👍 Recommendations
We usually use this section to recommend books, videos or articles that compliment this week’s newsletter content.
Today I want to use this week’s recommendations section to share some feel-good content instead!
1️⃣ First up: Beau Miles.
Beau is simply a delight. He shares wholesome content on YouTube doing such challenges as walking 90km to work, planting 1,440 trees in a day and finding enough money at roundabouts to pay for a date.
If you fancy watching a quirky gentleman share his unique experiences, you can watch another favourite here:
2️⃣ The second recommendation is a game that I play with my wife everyday: Framed.
It’s the Wordle of films. You have to try and guess what movie it is, based on 6 frames from the movie.
It’s a little bit of light-hearted fun each day.
To play today’s Framed, click here:
🤔 What did you think of this week’s newsletter?👇 Your feedback helps us to create the best newsletter possible. |
Do you enjoy this newsletter? If so, please share it with someone! Forward this to a friend, or share it on social media!
If you’ve just received this as a forwarded email, subscribe here:
😊 Thank You!
Thanks for checking out this issue of the WISER Newsletter. If you have any feedback, we would love to hear it!
Simply reply to this email, and we will get back to you.
Alternatively, just DM us on social media. You can find us here:
Catch you in the next issue!
Thanks,
Michael and Zac!
If you are interested in starting your own newsletter, consider using beehiiv to make it happen.
Using our link helps us to continue to deliver the WISER Newsletter for free.
Start your newsletter for free here:
