“You are not just here to fill space or be a background character in someone else’s movie. Consider this: nothing would be the same if you did not exist. Every place you have ever been and everyone you have ever spoken to would be different without you. We are all connected, and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us.”.

I can't take credit for writing this – it belongs to David Niven, the actor and soldier. He acted many different roles throughout his career but he was spot on with this one and it's made me think too. How many interactions with others that we have throughout our lives and the seasonality of some of those relationships – some will be passing comments from strangers we will never see again.

Yesterday I met a man who was really into gardening and we had a lovely chat about the subject as we walked our dogs, we barely spoke about our dogs (a first for me!).

I wanted to consider this as well, how many of us go through dark times in our heads, yet we turn up each day for ourselves, a different kind of soldier for a different kind of battle. Of course we acknowledge that there are terrible things going on in the world, which then makes us think... oh it could be far worse. But then we compare and play down what we are going through... but if we swapped heads with someone who has a relatively straightforward outlook on life and is content and happy, how would they cope being us and with what we are going through? 

That raises another topic for another blog I think. I mask quite a bit of the time, especially in my job. I am seeing just how much it takes out of me that I never realised and sometimes that transpires to the physical, not just the emotional.  And people may get the impression I am in control. Up to a point is the answer, but it's an exhausted and exhausting brain that I possess.

So back to why are we here? I used to rally at my mum and dad during teenage angst that I didn't ask to be born. Which is perfectly true. It's a decision made by others and then you just have to get on with it. Experiences can be thrown at you or chosen by you throughout your life and when you think about life and what is going on around us, then plus what is in our heads and added to that, physical/body issues, is it any wonder we struggle!? We must give ourselves credit and crucially, put our self care to a higher plane - I am only just discovering this. When I was younger, to put yourself more at the centre of your life was seen as selfish.

So, being a tangent queen, I come back to my original question. Why are we here? The fact that we keep turning up every day is testament to our strength, despite mental health challenges. We are all warriors in our own wars. However you might feel about yourself, you are important, you do matter and you have made an impact. So many people on here in Moodscope have made a difference to my life and my thinking and I haven't even met you. How powerful is that. So, thank you x

Liz

A Moodscope member