Voice

What I want my friends to know about my social anxiety

Deanna Michelle

I’ve always been known as the shy girl; the quiet girl who was too shy to talk to new people. Growing up I was the little kid who stood behind my mother’s legs

Depression: Calling it by its proper name

Doris Murphy

I have depression. It has taken some 11 years to admit that. I’ve “had low mood”, “not felt great”, “not been myself”, “been low energy”, “been a bit allergic” many times. But this year, when I felt low for longer than usual

An ex-member of An Garda Síochána’s story – Post-Traumatic Stress, Bipolar and me

A Lust For Life Reader

Cast your memory back to the year 2000. Were you were dancing like a Maniac to DJ Mark McCabe’s tune, working in your first job after university

Thank you Jenny Greene and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for providing an escape from severe anxiety

Caitriona McMahon

Last weekend I attended my first music concert since developing Acute Anxiety Disorder some years ago

The first step: running toward mental health

Shauna Gold

In university, my boyfriend Samuel and all his friends raced bicycles. It was thrilling to be around them. At the time, I didn’t quite understand why; I couldn’t have put into words that what attracted me was their focus, their confidence

Sport is key in helping me manage my mental health

Rosa Shine

I’ve always enjoyed playing sports. Ever since I was 6 years old I’ve spent countless hours running around after a ball, either for soccer or Gaelic football

6 warning signs that your substance or alcohol abuse is getting out of control

Carl Towns

Though there’s nothing wrong with an occasional drink every now and then, there is a very thin line between enjoying some situations with alcohol or even drugs

Surviving childhood trauma and sexual abuse

Nick Groom

One of the most frequent questions I am asked when people contact our support group for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse is, “Will you tell me when I am better?”

For anyone with trauma – A practice that helped me un-numb my pain and release it

Philip Notaro

After working very intimately and personally with trauma over the past couple of years, I felt inspired to write a few words about this

The evolution of grief from losing my Dad at the age of 12

Louise O’Sullivan

Grief is like no other emotion I've felt because it isn't just one feeling. It's every feeling you can imagine, amplified. It can creep up on you some days in a quick burst

Knocked down by grief, I stood back up on a paddle board

Christina M Penney

Standing on Dollymount Beach in Dublin someone asked me, how did you start paddle boarding? I didn’t know what to say… Here is the real answer

Living outside the box – No longer breaking under the weight of my past

Lucie Kavanagh

When I was ten years old, someone I loved gave me a box. The box confused me. It was not a box for children. For one, it was far too heavy

Depression does not discriminate

Emma Norris

I was part of a loving and stable family. I was lucky to experience no trauma in my life. I was the captain of my school, club, and county. I was the leader of the Senior Concert Band. I was a young coach and referee

Therapy gave me understanding, but medication gave me control

Shane Ryan

With all of the great talk about Pieta House and breaking the mental health stigmas right now I thought it would be productive to write a brief piece about my experience

Surfing the Bipolar wave

Gavin T Murphy

After my last A Lust for Life article 10 upsides of Bipolar Disorder, I realised that I needed to examine the downsides too. However, this was not a dreary project as my main focus was to provide steps, hopes, and inspirations

When they found me that night, I had this note. I have rewritten it now, for you

Elaine Doyle

My boyfriend and I had just been to a gig in the O2 that night. It was his birthday and I had been granted a few hours leave after a few months in the hospital

Green Ribbon Month: I thought that I was made wrong because I couldn’t feel happiness

Zoe Forde

Zoe Alicia is an ambassador with See Change and is sharing her story in support of the Green Ribbon project

‘Someone will always care’ – Thank you to whoever left this note for me in a Dublin...

A Lust For Life Reader

Three years ago my life changed. I was just about to turn 30, had wonderful friends and family around me and a job I loved. But something just wasn’t right

No one in Ireland should have to wait 9 months to talk to someone

A Lust For Life Reader

As someone who has suffered from General Anxiety Disorder and depression for over 10 years (most of my adult life from the age of 19 to 30 years of age)

I nearly gave up on life but I’m so glad I didn’t

Keith Kelly

Being able to reflect on my life now from a place of good health and wellbeing I can see how I have often taken life for granted. I can see now that I was struggling with so many aspects of my life which I ignored

Finding a deeper understanding of my OCD as a result of reaching out for help

A Lust For Life Reader

From the outside I was your average male enjoyed sports, socialising and was doing well in work. On the inside, I was going through inner turmoil for many years

Even cancer roller-coaster journeys have silver linings

Liz Yeates

My breast cancer journey started back in September 2013. So as I write this article I am now ‘cancer free’ for almost 4 years

The deep loneliness of withdrawing from friends and family

David O'Connor

There has always been an air of simplicity about my presence in character. Despite the ambivertedness (qualities of both introversion and extroversion

A mindful journey with cancer – John’s story

Marie Keating Foundation

In June of 2016, John and his wife were looking forward to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary when he noticed a small growth on his forehead. Within three days, John was told that he had a rare form of melanoma

Accepting the duality of anxiety

Laura McMahon

My name is Laura McMahon. I am not someone famous but I am someone you know. I am anxiety and depression personified. I own mugs that have a better handle than I do on life

Tackling anxiety and my fear of hospitals

Caitriona McMahon

It’s 10.42am as I sit in the cafe area of the University Hospital Limerick. The place is buzzing between the rattling of trolleys and the hum of conversation. I sit with the exit door strategically in sight as I double check

How LifeRing meetings nourish me and truly empower my sobriety

A Lust For Life Reader

I’m someone like you. My life for many years revolved around having the craic. Being Irish, the craic always revolved around drink, and later drugs

How cycling can help with depression

Mick McLeish

Recently I was able to catch up with an old friend, and I told him that I’d started a bicycle blog. He was interested as cycling had played a significant part in shaping the person he is today

Dealing with mental illness and the financial consequences

Lucie Kavanagh

Illness doesn’t come cheap. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out whether or not you can relate it to personal experience

How I cope when struggling with anxiety and depression

Ellen Downey

Like so many others I have come through some extremely tough times in my life, moments where I felt I had only one option

5 valuable lessons I learned when recovering from cocaine addiction

Carl Towns

Going through addiction recovery has been up to this day the most challenging experience I’ve lived. It was also the most rewarding one

Above the blues – my mental health has made me who I am today

Kim Verity Lockyer

So, my story with mental health issues really began in first year. My parents started fighting a lot, I was becoming a teenager and school was a bit of a mess

3 things that helped save my life in an Adolescent Psychiatric Unit

A Lust For Life Reader

A Special, that's what you’re called when you are underage and admitted to an Adult Psychiatric Unit. I was 16 years old when this name was given to me first

You’re not sick are you? My conflict with weight, medication and choosing to be healthier

A Lust For Life Reader

A few years ago, I was walking around my local supermarket

Loss of desire

Deirdre Clohessy

It is hard explaining depression to people who have never experienced it. It is a debilitating illness with many faces and many factors, often far too many to name

The effort is the reward

David O'Connor

As children our musings to sport bind with wanting to be like our heroes. There's excitement in the idea of scoring goals and kicking points in front of big crowds

Accepting an Eating Disorder – A father’s perspective

John Morris

As a dad, it is often instinctive to try to “make things good”. To fix things, to make trouble go away

What not to say to someone with an eating disorder

Ruth McMonagle

Supporting someone with an eating disorder can be a bit of a minefield. What do you say? What do you not say?

Breaking misconceptions: The man in the mirror

A Lust For Life Reader

‘Why did you stop eating?’ my aunt once asked me, ‘Did you look in the mirror and see someone fat?’ Inside, I sigh

My journey of abuse, adversity and growth

A Lust For Life Reader

From four years of age, I was abused by my father. He was a controller and a bully. I have memories of beatings, sexual degradation, mind games, starvations

Dealing with my alcohol demons

Aoife Kane

My eyes flickered open and as I turned my head towards the windows, the shaft of light that broke through the curtains blinded me. I closed my eyes, felt the heaviness of my head as I tried to lift it off the pillow

The importance of bed-making

Jen Ronan

About a year ago, I bumped into a very dear friend one Saturday in the Milk Market (Hi Una). Now, for us and many other friends of mine, if you’re in the Milk Market in Limerick City of a bright Saturday morn

I chose life – Surviving alcoholism in a country that worships alcohol

Dee Nolan

As Homer Simpson once quoted: “Alcohol - the cause of, and the solution to all of life’s problems”. And what a wise quote for a simple cartoon man!

10 Upsides of Bipolar!

Gavin T Murphy

As I walked the road of recovery, I began to realise how Bipolar Disorder actually graced my life. Here I share my blessings with you

Grief and the aftermath

Lorraine Carey

My beautiful, youngest sister Von has been dead almost eighteen months now. Even reading that sentence still feels dreamlike, as if I'm reading someone else's words, but no, they're mine

Trust your gut – When I stopped looking for all the answers outside I found them within

Elizabeth Dunne

I’ve come to think of my gut as an internal navigation system. In the past two years mine has been more like a driving stick or an aggressive handbrake

I sprained my mental health

David O'Connor

I recently sprained my mental health, twisted it badly. I'm on crutches for a couple of weeks, possibly longer. "What happened?" they said

How living with someone with depression taught me the meaning of True Love

Karen Maloney

Christmas 2015, things got really tough. I came home from abroad to spend a couple of weeks with my family and friends over the holidays

The journey of a special needs mother – My road to acceptance

Sinead Tighe

The anticipation - will it be a boy or a girl, who will they look like, the dreams, the hopes, please God let everything be okay. I was ten days overdue expecting my second child

When it’s not the most wonderful time of the year

Nicola Hynds

I always loved Christmas as a child but like many people the novelty wore off as I grew into adulthood. Battling with Schizophrenia for years, especially in my early twenties

How sadness pushed me to be a better version of myself

Sarah Morgan

Give me a person who has lived all their life without pain and I will show you someone who is living a life deprived of self-discovery

Countless shades of grey – Is it okay to talk about sexual orientation as a mental health...

A Lust For Life Reader

Navigating the area of sexuality as a teenager with a traumatic history is anything but easy

Fu@k you eating disorder

Colette Murphy

When are you thin enough to have an eating disorder? How bad does it have to get? Well, let me make it easy for you, Don’t look at the size of your clothes; don’t body check

What do you do when you cry in the office?

A Lust For Life Reader

Can you shut the door? Is there a door to shut? Do you try to make it to the safety of a bathroom cubicle first? Are you loud? Is it muffled, silent sobbing?

My mental story

Doris Murphy

I am a strong advocate for mental health awareness. If I were to indulge in some self-evaluation, I would characterise myself as a friendly, cheerful, social butterfly

Bottling up my sadness, grief and emotion caused my anxiety to grow – No more

David Bourke

The days are warm and Kilkenny is bustling with a mixture of tourists and everyone on holidays from school or college

How writing down my thoughts helped me renew myself after my son’s suicide

Linda Allen

I remember receiving my first diary. It had a green plastic cover that felt smooth to the touch as it wrapped around the pages

Practice what you preach and step outside your comfort zone

Dr. Olivia Hurley

The morning of September 30th was different from any other morning I have ever experienced

1 year on from my cancer diagnosis – 11 powerful things I’ve learned

Aoife Moores

A year of your life to save your life…You hear that statement quite often at the beginning, just after you get the diagnosis

Anxiety – my greatest ally in life

Jenna Keane

Anxiety: It’s all about perspective. My anxiety made me quit my job. Most people will perceive this as a negative statement. Reactions such as “The poor girl, that’s awful” come to mind

The chaos and the calm

Gemma Hogan

When a tsunami of anxiety is washing over you, you wonder: “Why is this happening again?” A late morning turns into a missed day

If you are thinking of suicide, please talk to someone. It saved my life.

Robert MacDonald

I am a 31 year old man who has and does occasionally still suffer from depression. I would first start out by saying that I had a great childhood with a loving family

Self-destructive behaviour and distractions did not help my depression – Talking did

Deirdre Clohessy

Four years into my depression I could write a book on self-destructive behaviour, for now I suppose I’ll settle for an article!

Why ADHD is my super power

Ruari Fairbairns

Growing up on the Isle of Mull in Scotland was idyllic. The farm we lived on had over 6 miles of rugged coastline and more trees than you could ever build tree houses. As young boys we had no such things as TV

Feeling guilt because of your anxiety

Dearbhla Morrin

Have you ever felt guilty because you have let someone down? Better still, because you have let yourself down? Most people's answer will be yes. Now, imagine feeling this guilt because of something that is out of your control

My story as a teenager coping with self-harm and anxiety

A Lust For Life Reader

I’m 17 and have struggled with anxiety since first year. I was always a bit of a worrier, but in first year panic attacks and anxiety completely took over my life

Why I’m thankful for medication and the dangers of stopping without support

Sinéad O Callaghan

Let’s take a few minutes to talk about medication. Antidepressants can be a useful tool in the battle against depression

Baring my soles – Why I’m walking around the coast of Ireland barefoot

Eamonn Keaveney

Two and a half months ago I set off from my hometown of Claremorris in County Mayo on a trek that so far has taken me all around the southern edges of the country

Life lessons and out of body experiences: The Seoul International Marathon

Patrick Hyland

The usually chock-a-block streets were cleared for competition on that March morning, the deafening sound of beeping horns replaced by uplifting cheers from friendly onlookers

To live, I had no choice but to make friends with my depression

Jennifer Coleman

As I lift my head and say a silent prayer I hope beyond hope that God is listening. I'm not very religious and definitely only go to mass when it’s expected

I’m no longer ashamed of my depression – surviving it is a massive triumph

Deirdre Clohessy

I feel it’s time to share my story in the best way I know how and that’s writing it down. I write a lot but I have never had the courage to write about this topic out of fear of the judgement

You are so much more than your mental health diagnosis

A Lust For Life Reader

Now I knew why I had instinctively never told her about my own (Mental Health) diagnosis. In that moment though, it hit me that unless you’ve had your entirety summed up

When your high becomes your low: Life as a young footballer

Rory Kelly

I sat in the empty changing room. My kit was soaked through, boots and all. My body was aching like never before and there was a dull pain in my head

A Mum shares her story of postnatal depression – “You must take care of yourself.”

Ciara Traynor

When my son Jamie was born, I couldn’t believe the special day was finally here and I was finally a mother. I had wanted this moment for so long

Medication and Me – My journey with anti-depressants

Zoe Forde

It can be hard to admit to people that, five years on, I continue to take anti-depressants daily. It’s this whole notion of recovery. The ‘No more down days, No more pills’ recovery

My rollercoaster journey towards wellness, while living with M.E.

Claire Lynas

This is my story of my rollercoaster journey towards wellness, while living with a long term invisible illness and how a holistic approach helps me challenge M.E

People are still scared of mental ill-health in Ireland

A Lust For Life Reader

See Change, the National Stigma Reduction Partnership and many partner organisations are rolling out a month long national Green Ribbon Campaign to get people talking

Living through the heartbreak of losing our babies

A Lust For Life Reader

So wrote Alastair Down in his brilliant article in the Racing Post following Mouse Morris’ win in the Aintree Grand National with “Rule the World”

Healing from abuse

A Lust For Life Reader

Last year, while working in what I thought was the quintessential 'dream job' in the film and TV industry, something overcame me - I lost all hope, felt a constant anxiety looming over me, and was struggling to function

How breaking down can save you

Adam Coleman

At only 19 I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and more recently with an Anxiety Disorder. Breaking down recently was the best thing to happen to me: it made me stronger

I’ve lost an entire academic year to my battle with anxiety and depression

Zainab Boladale

My second year of college wasn’t supposed to go like this. This was not what I had imagined. This was the year I was supposed to improve on the previous year’s achievements

How I manage my anxiety

Louise O’Sullivan

As I begin writing this I question if I will truly be able to convey how difficult it is to manage anxiety. Until about three years ago the word anxiety didn't even feature much in my vocabulary, mainly because I didn't fully understand it

The reason I set up Taxiwatch.ie – On the outside I was smiling, on the inside I...

Derek Devoy

In 2010, life could not have been any better. I had built a new house, bought a new car and was working away happily. Then BANG! I was hit from behind by a drunk driver

Colm McCormack’s top 5 tips for training for the Beginner’s Ironmind Triathlon this July

Colm McCormack

It has been 5 months since I took part in the Ironmind documentary that aired on RTÉ 2

My story of healing from self harm

Eoghan McDermott

When I was 27 years old I was offered my dream job in London, which I accepted and went on to have the time of my life and make some friends that will be with me till we’re old and wrinkly

My struggle with peace of mind, before and after losing weight

Jane Harrison

I’m a little bit wacky, eccentric and unreliable and at least I’m the first to admit it. I’ve always been a circle trying to fit into a square box

Pandora’s box is depression

Louis McIntosh

Oh no, not another article about depression, I wish it would go away. Funnily enough so do a lot of us. But it won't. It's here to stay, this 21st Century disease, or could there be signs of similar dark phantoms in the psyche of our past?

Healing the pain of miscarriage

Ethna Quirke

September and November are months of celebration in our house. Both my sons were born in November and my daughter is a sunny September girl. But they are months of sadness too. Three years ago, I had my first miscarriage in my 13th week

My story of a visit to the college GP – Irish students deserve better mental health care

A Lust For Life Reader

Sitting outside my GP’s office I feel I am about to die. My heart is beating uncontrollably, my palms are sweating and the thoughts that circle my head are enough to drain my last morsel of energy

Healing anorexia and brushing out what’s under the carpet

Dara Maguire

I am 28 this year and have battled an eating disorder for the latter part of my teenage years and throughout my college life. Anorexia almost took my life away but thankfully I have reclaimed what is mine

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