It’s that time of year when according to most Christmas songs it’s either going to be ‘The most wonderful time of the year’ or Everyone is ‘Simply having a wonderful Christmas time’

However we all know that this is simply not true for everyone – The build up to Christmas comes and awful things still happen, have happened or are happening and for some reason we skirt around it. A time to ‘forget’ about those whose Christmas they could just do without. Let alone the constant reminders that bombard us from practically every single piece of media we own.

This time of year can also be a painful reminder of all those who are no longer with us, for all the difficulties in life that have happened to come back and remind us about them.

And what do we do as a country – we shut down and are not available.

So I thought I would compile a list of organisations available nationwide who will be on call either online or by telephone, who you can contact when or if you feel you need to.

Remember if you are actively suicidal or or worried about someone who is actively suicidal then always call 999

SANEline

Elefriends

www.elefriends.org.uk

NHS

Remembering that all behaviour is a form of communication is so important. Body language can be facial expressions, shuffling about, body posture, using hands, looking down… etc. read this short blog to understand more!

http://thegirlwiththecurlyhair.co.uk/2016/08/07/communication-one-cannot-not-communicate

A great post in psychology today about how your emotional attachment styles can impact the relationships you develop through to adulthood and how it isn’t too late to seek support to explore this further.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-proof/201610/trust

I was reading this link about ADHD and anxiety here and felt that much of this also applied to many people with a diagnosis of autism.  I can fully understand the ‘messing up without knowing why’ because the world can be such a confusing place to be a part of when you have autism.  The rules are constantly changing and sometimes are not rules at all.  Opinions change like the wind and what may have been OK yesterday is not OK today.  It can lead to feelings of failure and isolation as it can prevent you from taking those risks again.

Counselling can really help with this as it can help rebuild and restore your sense of self and self esteem, help you understand that it is OK to be you and that others peoples thoughts feeling and opinions do not have to impact you.

We can look at why someone has reacted to you in a certain way and explore what the outcome was for you and learn different ways to respond, if that is what is needed or how to be able to accept that we cannot control how people will respond and learn to be OK with that to.

There are seldom many wrongs or rights when it comes to peoples personal opinions on things but there are morals and guidelines and learning to understand yourself and your own thoughts feeling and opinions is often a good place to start.

Laura Kerbey, Founder of Positive Autism Support and Training (who I work with) hosts a radio show on alternate Wednesdays (Surrey Hills Radio) aimed at those who are living with or caring for someone with special needs – Last week she had two guests, Clare a Special Needs teacher and Julia Daunt, an adult with PDA (pathological demand avoidance) – Here is the link if you would like to listen in to this informative and well presented show PDA Radio show

I write for a couple of well known blogs – Recently on one of them I started writing an A-Z of Emotional Wellbeing.  I thought I would share my Bringing us Together posts to provide insight and support about what emotional wellbeing looks like and how to achieve this even if you can only make tiny steps at the moment.

To start this of I am posting my A of the A-Z and I hope this helps you in some way.

Has your life been affected by PDA, do you experience the symptoms of PDA directly as an individual or indirectly as a family member?

Do you need support and advice to help you get through a tough time and learn new strategies to cope?  See my post on PDA written for Special Needs Jungle which contains numerous strategies (with the enormous help of Positive Autism Support and Training – Thank you) to support you and your family through what can be a very tough time.

Click here to be taken directly to the post!

Anxiety can be debilitating and looking for ways to feel less anxious can become all consuming. Please see the attached link regarding a post I wrote for Special Needs Jungle which give some top tips for reducing anxiety using mindfulness techniques. http://www.specialneedsjungle.com/mindfulness-how-can-it-help-with-mental-health-difficulties/

 

National Autistic Society www.autism.org A wealth of information to help support you or a loved one.

Action for Carers www.actionforcarers.org.uk  Our main aim is to raise awareness of carers’ needs and concerns throughout the county and to work in partnership with statutory services such as health care and social care teams to promote how best they can serve carers within Surrey.

Carers Support Service
 www.carerssupport.org.uk – Empowering carers to lead fulfilling lives.
Phone: 0300 028 8888

Cruse Bereavement Care www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk -
Phone: 0844 477 9400.

Lesbian and Gay Support www.llgs.org.uk Providing free & confidential support & information to lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgendered communities throughout the UK

Mencap www.mencap.org.uk We work in partnership with people with a learning disability, and all our services support people to live life as they choose.

Mind www.mind.org – We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.

Mindfull – www.mindfull.org – Are you feeling down, depressed or worried? Is your mind full of negative thoughts or questions? Do you want to talk about your mental health? If so, MindFull is the place for you!

NSPCC
 www.nspcc.org.uk – Children’s charity dedicated to ending child abuse and child cruelty. 
Phone: 0800 1111 for ChildLine for children
0808 800 5000 for adults concerned about a child.

Narcotics Anonymous
Phone: 0300 999 1212.
Website: www.ukna.org

Princess Royal Trust for Carers www.carers.org – A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.

Rape Crisis
Phone: 0808 802 9999.
Website: www.rapecrisis.org.uk

Refuge
Advice on dealing with domestic violence.
Phone: 0808 2000 247.
Website: www.refuge.org.uk

Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre
 Helpline:0808 802 9999.
Website: wwwrasasc.org.uk

Samaritans www.samaritans.org.uk – Confidential help for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. 
Phone: 08457 90 90 90. (24hr helpline)

SANE: www.sane.org.uk – Provides emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental illness. There are 3 ways to contact them: Phone, Email and Support Forum. They also provide an ‘out of hours’ helpline to anyone affected by mental illness, including friends, family and carers. It is open every day of the year from 6pm to 11pm 
Phone: 0845 767 8000

Together www.Together-uk.org – Together offer a wide variety of support to help people deal with the personal and practical impacts of mental health issues. The services we can provide range from one-to-one support in the community to supported accommodation and making sure people understand and are able to express their needs in their dealings with official bodies.

Victim Support
 Phone: 0845 30 30 900.
Wesite: www.victimsupport.org

Womens Aid – www.womensaid.org.uk Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse:

• psychological
• physical
• sexual
• financial
• emotional

Young Minds www.youngminds.org.uk – YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. Driven by their experiences we campaign, research and influence policy and practice.