As a child, I did not look like what most people picture as a kid with ADHD. I was shy and quiet. In school, I would daydream, only partially listening to my second-grade teacher drone on about long division. That year, my teacher told my mother that, when she made eye contact with me, she got a “flat affect”. Then, in the summer of 1990, my stepfather was diagnosed with a brain...
Five years ago, at around 8.15pm in February, my eldest daughter, Abi, suddenly complained she felt ill and woozy. Within 45 minutes she had collapsed on our bed with me and her dad with her. Her younger sister and brother were in their bedrooms, listening to us scream, cry and panic as we watched her fade away before our eyes. It was the most terrifying night of our lives. Abi had suffered a...
My grandfather passed away this morning. It didn’t come as a shock; he was in and out of hospital over the last few months after being diagnosed with throat cancer. Nethertheless, it was a difficult thing to hear. My sister called me on my way into work. I could tell she had been crying from her voice, and from this, I expected the worst. As she explained what had happened, I remember not...
Three months ago, Counselling Directory team member Ellen shared her experience. After writing her feelings down in ‘a personal story: grief and loss’, Ellen found that it helped manage a lot of the sadness that was unexpectedly taking over her life. Nearly three months later, a lot has changed. Losing a loved one is a tragedy, but life goes on and you have to learn to manage the...
-1530194780.jpeg "A personal story: grief and loss")
"Last week, I had the sad news of my grandfather collapsing. I was back at my parents when we heard and while my dad was in the hospital with him, me and my brother were sat waiting for news, but not feeling too worried. My grandad was 79 years old. He was relatively healthy, witty, sarcastic and a man with many stories to share. We never expected the sudden sadness that would visit our family....
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