Thoughts of a Depressive Diplomatist

As some of you know, I am supporting Movember, the annual effort to raise funds and awareness for men's health issues.  The focus is on prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health issues.

It's the latter which I've had issues with, and is the the reason I support Movember - particularly this year, when we're all feeling issues of isolation.

Movember have shared some notes on mental health and suicide prevention here.  What I'd like to flag is ALEC.

ALEC is a mnemonic which provides a model for 'talking to your mates about mental health'.  It's a handly primer for raising this difficult issue with anyone you might be concerned with

A - Ask.  Ask how they are feeling.  "You don't seem yourself lately - are you OK?"  Be prepared for the answer "I'm fine" and to bring up the reason you ask.  If you've noticed something in particular (they've been withdrawn, haven't been as active on social media, etc) it's worth mentioning.  

L - Listen.  Having asked the question, give the person the chance to answer and pay attention to the reply.  Odds are that you're not going to solve the problems that they raise, but it will help them to share them with someone else.  Ask follow-up questions that might help the person to focus on what's at the root of the issue.  "That's can't be easy.  How long have you felt that way?"

E - Encourage.   Encourage action.  Help them focus on things that might help.  Have they felt like this in the past?  If so, was there anything that helped then?  It might help to get back into a routine despite lockdown - patterns of sleep are particularly important.  Are there other people that they trust and who they can talk to?  Is it time to talk to a doctor?

C - Check-In.  Having had the initial conversation, keep in touch and follow-up with prompts if necessary.

And before anyone asks, "I'm fine".  I've found winter lockdown more difficult than the one earlier in the year (which, I must admit to quite enjoying), but my mental state is OK.  

I'm getting out of the house most days and am in contact with people through social media.  As those who follow the blog know, I'm getting quite a lot of on-line RPG gaming done.  Like a lot of gamers, I've really discovered the benefits of Discord, Zoom, et al this year.  I'm getting more oportunities for gaming now than ever before.  And as we all know, gaming is good for mental health.  Of course, I miss sitting down at a table and playing face-to-face, but I've made contact with a lot of new people and do really enjoy the sessions I take part in.

Thank you for reading this.  If anyone wants to contribute to my Movember fundraiser, you can do so here.

 

Movember is a fundraising campaign focussing on men's health (mental health, prostate cancer and testicular cancer).  Each November people sign up to raise funds by growing facial hair, doing a spot of topiary or more traditional methods.  It's a great cause and - let's face it - this November is going to be harder on our mental health than usually.  That's why I'm supporting it.

You can donate on my findraising page here.  You don't need a Mo to help!

I was going less for the dodgy '80s landlord look and more for Sean Connery.

Some rather good things are happening.

One of Gary's figures

Bloggers for Charity

As I mentioned the other day +Gary Amos has kindly donated some very nicely painted figures to BfC and is organising a charity auction.  The details are here.  The auction is running from today until Thursday 10 Oct.

Wargames and Walking Charity Raffle

Over at Wargames and Walking the annual raffle in aid of the Royal British Legion is about to begin.  There are no details on how to enter yet, but the interim list of sponsors is impressive.  One to support.

Movember

I'm awaiting news on whether my nephew and his mates at doing anything for Movember, as they did last year, but he is tweeting that's he shaved last night...  I'll update you.

Courtesy of Mr Pickle and the Junkshop Quartet.  For more on Movember, see here.

November is Movember - a campaign encouraging the growing of moustaches during the month to raise awareness of prostate cancer and other male health initiatives.  "Movember aims to fulfil its vision of having an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health, by continuing to spark conversation and spread awareness of men’s health each year."

The movement started in Melbourne, Australia (where else!), in 2004 and is now world-wide. 

The rules are simple:

Once registered at movember.com each Mo Bro must begin the 1st of Movember with a clean shaven face. For the entire month each Mo Bro must grow and groom a moustache. There is to be no joining of the mo to the sideburns (that’s considered a beard), there’s to be no joining of the handlebars to the chin (that’s considered a goatee) and each Mo Bro must conduct himself like a true gentleman.

Sam

The funds raised in the UK are directed to programmes run directly by Movember and their men’s health partners, Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research - elsewhere the causes include battling depression, which as we know is a major male health issue.

I'm not taking part, but I'm supporting Sam King and his team, who are.  This is a good cause - find out more about the UK campaign here (or use Google to find something country-specific) and please do consider making a donation.