Month: August 2018

Worth Living Ambassador & Official DJ Scratchley Q

Worth Living Top 10 Countdown – The Youth

Youth are the ones that help shape our future. Youth are today’s leaders. This week we are counting down songs for the youth. Enjoy! – Scratchley Q

10. Youth – Shawn Mendes ft. Khalid

9. O-O-H Child – Nina Simone

8. Paradise Child – Mr.Cheeks ft. Damian Marley & Jimmy Cozier

7. Beautiful Child Fleetwood Mac

6. Youth Without Youth – Metic

5. Youth – Foxes

4. Youth – Troye Sivan

3. The Youth – MGMT

2. Youth – Glass Animals

1. Oh Child – Robin Schulz ft. Piso 21

Worth Living Ambassador Beth Allen

Hello there, friends! How are you doing? This week’s video is all about our favourite Mental Health/Wellness apps. There’s no shortage of apps out there & it’s clear that many of them have helped the community A LOT!

Here’s the list of my fave FREE apps –

Calm Harm – https://twitter.com/calmharmapp

Aloe Bud – https://twitter.com/aloebud

Remente – https://twitter.com/rementecorp

Happy Not Perfect – https://twitter.com/HNPapp

If you fancy giving any of these apps a try do let me know how you get on with them! I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their favourite Mental Health/Wellness apps – if you use an app that wasn’t mentioned, do share your experiences in the comments! You never know who you could help.

Where ever you are with your Mental Health right now remember – YOU ARE ENOUGH. We’re all cheering for YOU.

Have a fantastic weekend friends & I will see you soon with another video!

Love Beth xox

Worth Living Ambassador & Official DJ Scratchley Q

Worth Living Top 10 Countdown – Highlights of Tomorrowland 2018 

Each year hundreds of thousands of people hope to get a ticket to Tomorrowland in Belgium. Those who are lucky enough to get a ticket, get to experience a time of their life. Filled by party goers and some of the best DJs in the world, here are a few of the Tomorrowland 2018 highlights. Enjoy! – Scratchley Q

10. San Holo

https://youtu.be/kk24oM4hrvU

9. Robin Schulz

https://youtu.be/NVn8RMtiA8A

8. Alan Walker

https://youtu.be/xVWs0ti0J90

7. Charlotte de Witte

https://youtu.be/mWvdsMwnGmM

6. Black Coffee

https://youtu.be/B3ObxaSCY9Y

5. Coone vs Hard Driver

https://youtu.be/1JbEqSSDx38

4. Afrojack

https://youtu.be/PR6DEZXgf-o

3. Alison Wonderland

https://youtu.be/3JuYkEk9HEw

2. Hardwell

https://youtu.be/5ZQjVrzcPs0

1. Nicky Romero

https://youtu.be/DxK7Fak5IpM

Worth Living Ambassador Jessie Fawcett

Hello, my name is Jessie and I’m a student attending Ryerson University to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. I am dedicated to being able to work in a juvenile detention centre in order to help aid youths who are struggling with their own lives. Mental health has always had a huge impact on my life and I’m finally starting to be able to share my story in hopes to help others who are also struggling with the same issues as well as shedding some light onto mental health.

The Realities of this Disease

You know, I often think to myself that I seem to be doing better and that complete recovery is possible. Unfortunately, I have once again found myself in a situation where the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be getting dimmer and dimmer. I know they always say to look on the bright side and that things will get better and to be positive. Sadly, it isn’t always quite clear to see when darkness overwhelms every aspect of your life.

There aren’t many people out there who truly understand the severity of this disease, depression I mean. And that is exactly what it is, a disease. There is an extreme misconception construing that depression is simply a personality flaw or people that tend to be more sensitive. I can assure you otherwise. Personality traits reflect a person’s characteristics of their emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. This is where the confusion comes in implying that depression is merely someone who is sad fairly frequently. Depression is a disease because it manifests in the way that it can literally take over a person’s life. It is so strong, in fact, that depending on the severity, it usually has a detrimental impact on a person’s day-to-day life. I for one can confirm this for you.

Every day is a constant battle. I am required to fight myself from the moment I awake in the morning until the second I fall asleep at night; and even then, it can continue to manifest itself into my subconscious by causing me to have frequent nightmares. I wake up exhausted and need to fight myself to get out of bed, get dressed, and go to work and to my classes. Then I fight myself throughout the day to eat. I fight myself on small details of the day such as thinking my coworkers hate me and that I am alone fighting this battle. I go home after work and fight myself to go out and do stuff instead of sitting in my room sleeping. I fight myself against the constant and excruciatingly agonizing thoughts that circulate my mind over and over again until I finally fall asleep. I don’t believe that a personality flaw is capable of causing so much constant torment.

Depression doesn’t only show itself through exhaustion or hunger, or lack of it. You can’t always see it through someone’s loss of interest or impulesivity. To be entirely truthful, you can’t always see it; and I don’t only mean that for the bystander. Sometimes it just comes out of nowhere and knocks the wind right out of you. It will suddenly just collapse on top of you like a bag of bricks. It will stare at you dead in the face then jump out at you, shattering every bone in your body with both fear and pain. Not only is the weight of the world on your shoulders but your bones are so broken that you feel as though you have nothing left to support yourself.

It hit me from out of nowhere.

It was a normal Thursday night. I was sitting in my room listening to music. I was fine. And then it was like a light switch was flipped. I got a sudden urge of sadness engulf me. With every breath I took, the despair just kept growing stronger and stronger. I was sobbing. I felt alone. I felt hopeless and that there was no point to keep on trying, that there was no point to keep on breathing. The thoughts that filled my head were dangerous to say the least. As the risk of danger kept increasing, the more frightened I became. I knew that if I didn’t act quickly that something bad was going to happen. I’m still unsure as to what triggered me. And so, I texted my friend explaining that I needed her to come to me because something was severely wrong. She arrived within ten minutes and brought me to her vehicle and started driving. I thought she was bringing me to the hospital and was going to have me forcibly admitted. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. We just kept driving and she made me explain to her what was going on through my head. But I had no idea what was going on in my head. My thoughts were going a million miles an hour. I made her pull over because I felt so unwell that I thought I would vomit. I didn’t want to live anymore and she knew that’s what I was trying to say. She tried her best to convince me of how much potential I have and how I could save other people’s lives in the future with my career choice. I didn’t see the relevance. I believed that there are thousands of other students out there learning the same things who can do it just as well if not better. She tried convincing me that that thought was completely wrong and that I matter but I was still blinded. She didn’t know what else to say. I was broken, I was devastated, I was confused, and I was angry. But so was she, angry. She wasn’t angry with me, she was angry with my disease. And that’s what she told me. She told me that I need to learn how to fight this disease in order to help others who are battling with it as well. She tried to convince me that I am not the problem, my disease is. She kept repeating how it’s the disease and not me. I think that is what stuck with me the most.

I have little control over the way my mind works. With a lot of hard work and the proper therapy, I can gain that control back. But the loss of control was a result of my disease. She is one of very few people helping me learn that. It is extremely touching because this person does not understand what it is like to live with this disease and yet still fights for me anyway and tries to learn how to deal with it,  both for her sake as well as mine.

So, what is the point of this post? Well, I really wanted to provide some strong messages regarding this disease. I keep on repeating this term because I need for more and more people to fully comprehend that this in fact is a DISEASE and is not a choice, it is not attention seeking, and it is most certainly not a personality defect. It can come from out of nowhere and hit you from behind. It can blindside you. It will attempt to suffocate you with all of its power and it will…if you let it. There is absolutely nothing easy about fighting this illness. I am still trying to figure out how to continue to do so. I am still trying to figure out how to keep living when my illness tries to convince me that there is no reason to.

I can’t give you a reason to keep fighting, to keep breathing, to keep living. But if there are people out there who are truly trying to show you your importance, then there must be a reason. Why would someone lie about such a thing? Find something beautiful to keep you going, to help you get out of bed in the morning.

I understand how letting people in and getting to know you is outstandingly terrifying and nearly impossible for some people, at least for me it is. But think of it this way: if you leave yourself open, you have more of a chance of getting hit and getting hurt. But if you leave yourself closed off, then you’re preventing yourself from feeling that you’re still alive. At least by feeling something you know that you’re still here, breathing, and surviving

Worth Living Ambassador Nikki Opara

My name is Nikki Opara, I am 22 years old and a recent psychology graduate from California State University Fullerton. I am a Mental Health/ Lifestyle Blogger, with a passion for fighting the stigma around mental illness and encouraging young teens to never give up. I hope to attend grad school someday and pursue my masters in macro social work and global practice. – Nikki ( Her Daring Thoughts ).

How Are You Here – Original Poem

I know what you are thinking, how are you here
How is someone like you barely making it through?
this is not supposed to be the reality
Your goal was to be dead by the end of twenty-seventeen
But you’re not. You are here. What does this mean?
I know what you are thinking, how are you here
How is someone like you barely making it through?
your pain is temporary
Look up and over the valley
This year. You are supposed to be here,
right here.
But..
I know what you are thinking, how are you here
How is someone like you barely making it through?
Don’t let the illness fool you
it’s the enemy in this game
depression, anxiety tries to spell weak with the letters of your name

Your mind has been running, and now your soul is confused
Now your heart is broken because it is woven within the two
You were not created to be torn for long
You were, you are, and forever will be created for a greater purpose
So You. Me. Us. Let’s be strong

I know what you are thinking, how are you here
How is someone like you barely making it through?
Believe it or not, there is a tiny hope within you
A little voice that reminds you life is worth holding on to
So let’s fight that lion in a cage battle, screaming but can’t be heard virus
Because my friend, the victory is yours and you will in soon time
have your answers.. Stay Alive.

Worth living Ambassador & Official DJ Scratchley Q

Worth Living Top 10 Countdown – Liberation

This week we cover the theme of liberation.

“As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Nelson Mandela

Enjoy this weeks countdown! – Scratchley Q

10. Liberty Walk – Miley Cyrus

9. Liberty – Journey

8. Liberty – Groenland

7. Liberty – Switchfoot

6. Freedom – Steve Angello ft. Pusha T

5. Liberated – DeJ Loaf ft. Leon Bridges

4. You Don’t Own Me – Grace ft. G-Eazy

3. Liberation – Liberation

2. Liberate – Eric Prydz

1. Liberation – Harold Van Lennep

Worth Living Ambassador Beth Allen Returns.

We have missed you. Please congratulate Beth on her winning the MHVlog Award!  Very well deserved.

A New Chapter – #MHBlogAwards & an emotional welcome back.

“It’s so good (& emotional!) to be back! How have you been?

This week’s video is a good ol’ catch up filling you in on my whereabouts & where we’re headed next as a community. I’m SO excited!

I’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to in the last 2 months. If you’ve been thriving or been challenged by your mental health remember you are ALWAYS moving forward. There are always better days ahead – my new motto after these past few weeks!

I will see you soon with another video – bye!” – Beth Allen

LET’S CHAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RealMissAnxiety

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/realmissanx

EMAIL: realmissanxiety@outlook.com

Do You Need  a Personal Directive?

We know that we like to watch what we like to watch.

We know that an afternoon walk can sometimes really help our day.

We know that we hate boiled greens but roasted is just fine.

We control our quality of life, our activities, our day.

When you are sick, this isn’t always the case. If we are sick for a long time, we may experience less and less control around our lives. This is why having something like a personal care directive is important.

When I practiced law, I saw too often the difficult and emotional circumstances that can arise when the proper paperwork is not followed and completed. This short blog post can help prevent that  for you, your family and friends.

What is a Personal Directive?

A Personal Directive is a document that sets out your future personal care decisions for when you are not mentally healthy enough to do so on your own. It is only effective when you are alive and while you are unable to speak on your own behalf.  A Personal Directive will cover health care treatment, nutrition, shelter, clothing, hygiene, recreation, comfort, and similar supports. It allows you to set out what you want and need for your future. You control your future today but only if you do it TODAY.

Please note that a Personal Directive does not cover financial decisions. Those are covered by an Enduring Power of Attorney (next blog post ).

Should you have a Personal Directive?

Everyone should have a Personal Directive.

We can lose our mental capability at any time, whether temporarily or permanently from illness or accident. A Personal Directive gives you the sole voice in determining your health care and treatment if that should occur. Take the time to ensure you control your future. Another reason to have a Personal Directive is that it helps your family and friends. It provides them at a difficult time for all with your personal instructions. No one will wonder what action to take. Your Personal Directive will remove that burden from them. All is clearly stated in the Personal Directive.

What completing a Personal Directive means to you

It gives you piece of mind. You will know that your future care and treatment will be carried out according to your wishes. That is a huge comfort to you.  Your loved ones will also appreciate that you have a Personal Directive.

How to obtain a Personal Directive?

Most provinces, states, and jurisdictions now have laws and regulations that state the requirements for a Personal Directive to ensure it is legally and properly completed. In Nova Scotia, my province, there is a Personal Directives Act. The government here provides 10 pages of suggestions and instructions together with a draft Personal Directive which are quite helpful. These may also be provided where you live.  

Get your own Personal Directive and off you go to a more certain future.

For more information or for help to complete your own Personal Directive, please feel free to email me at keith@worthliving.co

• Keith Anderson, LL.B., LL.M.