Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) 2019

Today (13th May) is the start of mental health awareness week. This year there seems to be more of a focus on this in the media than in previous years. I first heard about MHAW when, as part of my art course in 2017, I was tasked with the job of creating a poster to support the event. The finished posters were to be displayed in and around the local community. I chose to paint something that boldly represented the highs and lows that come from living with a MH diagnosis. For me it related to my Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) but it also painted a similar picture for those diagnosed with Bipolar and other mental health conditions that frequently lead to anxiety and depressive symptoms. The statement on my poster 'Be with me when I am up...Stay with me when I am down' relates to the general desire for people to stand by their friends even at their lowest points rather than being present only when things are 'good'. I personally prefer to be alone when I am struggling so for me, it relates more to my hope that people will still be there after those times have passed and also be understanding of the reason why I have taken time out and hidden myself away. The theme for MHAW 2017 was 'Surviving or Thriving'. Since then I would say I have moved out of survival mode and am beginning to thrive, but it hasn't been easy and I have faced many challenges along the way. Early days...

I loved painting this piece of art as it required great patience and accuracy. It was very therapeutic but interestingly I found it far easier painting the 'happy' colours. I came to the conclusion that labouring over the black, blues and greys put quite a strain on my mood, far more than one might expect and so I was glad to get it finished in the end. It was displayed at two locations in Newport: Chantry House (IOW NHS Trust, Commmunity Mental Health), and Quay House (www.richmondfellowship.org.uk). I am very proud that it has been on permanent display since October 2017 at The Wow! Women's Centre (@wowiowwightdash) in Newport, along with two other paintings of mine.