Thursday - Rest Day

Welcome back!

Today has been my rest day. I'm not sure if others find this but I find it incredibly difficult to run and then do a full days work. I seriously admire (and again envy) those who do!

If you have read yesterdays post you will be aware that I completed a 4 mile run in 59 mins however I then did a full day at work (3pm-11pm shift). By mid afternoon I was literally fighting to keep my eyes open. To save myself from getting my wrists slapped at work, I've decided that I will not go for a run tomorrow before work. Instead I'll go out Saturday lunchtime with the possibility of a complete change of route. Maybe up to the coast - it will certainly be cooler!

The forecast for the weekend looks excellent, in terms of the fact we will be having a few friends round it's perfect. Though from a running perspective, I think I'd rather it was a bit cooler (I know - strike me down with a wet fish!!). Still, it's all part of the experience isn't it.

In the news this week Steven Fry has been open about his attempt at suicide last year due to suffering from Bipolar Disorder. Did you know that Bipolar affects 1 in 100 people in the UK according to the finding of the Royal College of Psychiatrists?  There is a stigma attached with Bipolar, until about a year or two ago I knew very little about it. It's a chemical reaction in the brain which can cause you to go from extreme euphoria to severe depression, borderline suicidal in some cases. This can be controlled by medication.

Other statistics include:

Anxiety will affect 10% of the population
20% of people will become depressed at some point of their lives
OCD affects 2%
As many as one in every ten people will suffer from personality disorder (though for some it won't be severe)

I quote the above from an article on the bbc.co.uk/science website.

It's quite surprising really. You don't think about the fact that so many of the people you cross paths with on a daily basis could be living with or struggling with mental health issues.

Mind are a charity who strive for better mental health, and Steven Fry is their president.

As you follow my journey I will continue to share my ups and downs. My downs mainly being my catastrophic sense of balance and my ups being my weekly achievements and records.

I hope to see you again soon!

Thanks for reading!
Chrissy