Good morning.

No, this is not a complex ramble about Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) but how a complicated emotion can be soothed by peaceful means.

First of all the narrative:

I woke a few weeks ago about 7.45 am feeling unsettled and a little anxious. You probably know the feeling. I followed my usual routine; loo, glass of water, dressed and out. In a few minutes I had gone from warm comfortable bed to cold bright daylight.

I went on one of my favourite local walks. Quietness reigned (it was school half term). During the next 20 minutes I met 2 other people. The first made no utterance, the second with dog exchanged brief   pleasantries.

I turned homewards to pass close to the local community building. I noticed a little way off a man cleaning the glass on the front of two outside notice boards. Shall I take a slight detour and approach him? Why not. The following conversation ensued;

 Me:   That looks like a dirty job.

 C*:    Oh, not too bad, all part of caretakers* duties.

 Me:    I’m visiting the hall tonight for the bowling clubs AGM.

 C:      Oh yes you are in room 16.

Me:    Is that the large room at the back?

C   :   Yes I will show you.

So we went into the building and I went into room 16. He explained the furniture would be rearranged before our meeting started. The room had been booked from 7pm to 10.15pm. I said I expected it would finish well before then.

I thanked the caretaker, said my farewells and left the building. He said I may see him later around 7pm.

How did I feel walking home? I felt a lot less anxious than when I woke about an hour earlier. I felt uplifted and ready to face the day. I had been reminded of two important lessons for people with poor MH.

1.  Go outside and be active. No need for strenuous exercise. Just walk and let your senses take over. See it, breath it, hear it and feel it.

2.  Make human connections. Extremely difficult to feel very low if you are engaging with others. I had never met this man before but he willingly made our connection possible and we enjoyed our brief time together.

What lessons have you learnt about successful management of MH issues?

Teg

A Moodscope member.