I get so many messages from people who are desperate for help, people who are anxious, having panic attacks and feeling like they can’t find the answers they need.
There is a huge gap in the care of this nation. People are falling between the cracks and our NHS cannot cope.
Whether you are scared of anaphylaxis, struggling to cope in topical steroid withdrawal or trying to find ways to support your loved one through allergies, asthma, eczema or TSW, you are not alone.
I wanted to create a resource that held all the things I share with people when the reach out because for every person asking or help there are probably thousands out there who are too frightened to speak out.
It’s hard when I need support and time out too
It’s also exhausting for me, and added trauma to hear over and over how difficult people are finding life and how hard it is to find help and support for many.
Please don’t feel you can’t contact me, my email is always open and I try to reply to all messages via email and DMs on social media. But sometimes I need to take a step back, off social media and to protect my own often fragile sanity!
This is my calling, it’s my job now. I thrive on helping others, but I just need to get the balance right. So this resource is here for when I’m not around. It will keep growing and become a place to find the help you need.
So here are my collected resources and advice for anyone desperate for help. This is a work in progress and I will be adding to this in the coming months. If you have any resources you think I should add please let me know in the comments section.
Bullying
- The Anti-Bullying Alliance – Runs Anti-Bullying Week in November and tackles the behaviours that leads to bullying. anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
- Respect me (Scotland’s anti bullying network – An independent charity that supports anti-bullying work in schools, offering training, consultancy and publications to help. https://respectme.org.uk/
- Anti-Bullying Pro – Part of the charity The Diana Award, a legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales, they help young people and professionals stand up to bullying. antibullyingpro.com
Anxiety and panic attacks
Here are a few places you can go for podcasts, to hear people discussing anxiety, mindfulness etc.
- The Calmer You by Chloe Brotheridge – A brilliant podcast to gently help you find a calmer way of living. Chloe has expert guests on her podcast and offers free resources on her website calmer-you.com
- The Anxiety Guy – Gives a man’s perspective and is also a good listen. Bite- sized episodes to help you manage this natural emotion.
- Owning it by Caroline Foran – Anxiety Podcast delves into the murky world of anxiety and helps you climb back out. It’s normal, it’s okay and it’s possible to live with it.
- Some other anxiety podcasts you could listen to include The Overwhelmed Brain, Headspace and Untangle.
Mental health support
There are loads of charities out there who might be able to offer you free advice. Check them out and give them a call or an email.
- Anxiety UK – A charity that focuses on helping people living with anxiety. anxietyuk.org.uk
- Healthy Minds – NHS Self-Referral – Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), available free through the NHS by self-referral. Google Healthy Minds and your area and your local group will come up.
- Mental Health Foundation – You can visit their website to find loads of resources, advice and help on anything to do with mental health. mentalhealth.org.uk
- Mind – The mental health charity. mind.org.uk
- National Health Service (NHS) – Call 111 if you don’t have a doctor and are not registered. This free helpline is available 24 hours a day and will be able to give you advice on where to get help. nhs.uk/conditions/anaphylaxis
- Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) – If you are unhappy or unsatisfied with the support and guidance you’ve received from your doctor or specialist, contact PALS. nhs.uk/pals
There are also lots of different kinds of therapy that you could try and not all of them work for everyone. Do some research and you’ll probably find you’re drawn to one particular type. e.g Cognitive behavioural therapy, parts based family trauma therapy, rapid healing regression hypnosis, psychoanalytic therapy , art therapy, writing therapy and more. Visit the Healthline website for an explanation of the Different types of therapy available.
Do you feel suicidal?
If you feel like you really can’t go on as things are, please, please find someone to talk to. Whether it’s a family member, friend, your GP, a trusted teacher or a therapist, talk to someone. It can be really hard taking that first step, but once you’ve talked about how you feel it can be easier to ask for and get the help you need, because talking about things makes you accountable. Your friend or GP, whoever you spoke to will hopefully make sure you do take steps to improve your mental health and wellbeing.
Samaritans – If you feel you have no one to talk to and can’t go to your doctor, there is always the Samaritans who offer emotional support. They are always there at the end of the phone to listen to you 24 hours a day. samaritans.org
Image: Photo by christopher lemercier on Unsplash
Topical Steroid Withdrawal
Please refer to my TSW – Frequently Asked Questions
Advice for carers
If you are caring for someone with anaphylaxis or chronic eczema, here are some blog and resources that might help you:
- 20 tips for being an eczema or TSW advocate
- 20 tips for being an allergy advocate
- 10 tips for caring for someone in topical steroid withdrawal
You may also find the following useful
- Anaphylaxis: The Essential Guide: An Action Plan For Living With Life-Threatening Allergies
- The Shape of Skin – eczema poetry covering childhood, trauma, shame, guilt and finding love for your skin.
- Anxiety and Post Traumatic stress with and without allergies
- 10 tips for dealing with rage and anger
Hi Ruth,
Thank you for doing so much for others when you are going through so much tough stuff yourself. I am a fellow chronic allergy sufferer so feel everyone elses pain here, but instead of food, my severe allergy is to all perfumes so I have terrible asthma, total nasal obstruction from my Turbinates reaction to it, and permanent really itchy hives from scalp to foot as people reek of it everywhere you go in public. I never hide indoors as I live alone and that would destroy my mental health completely, but like everyone else with allergies, every day is hard to get through when you are struggling for every breath and can never get any sleep because a battery of antihistamine won’t touch the manic itching from the hives.. Only wanted to say thank you for the great job you are doing and if you see anything new on the market that might be worth trying for chemical allergy can you include it in your blog as I would be really grateful.
Sending love
Ruth
Hi Ruth, gosh yes chemicals are a nightmare, because everyone seems to think it’s better if they all smell of fake chemicals rather than their normal body odour. If you’re clean and wash your clothes regularly there should really be no need for this. I’m not as bad as you but my senses activate immediately when there is a waft of perfume, I automatically move away and have had reactions in shops where they pump out some kind of noxious odours. It’s a nightmare, I can only imagine. Thanks so much for your comment. Don’t think much is going to change re perfumes any time soon but I keep on urging people to go natural wherever I can. Are you alright with any essential oils at all? I’m actually thinking of asking my yoga teacher to find a healthy alternative to the incense sticks she burns all the time. I’m OK with them but if I’m very near them I can feel my airways objecting. It really is horrible as others just don’t get it. Living alone myself I understand the need for human contact, you can’t live your life at home in a bubble.
I also strongly believe that we are better off without the perfumes and that they contribute to cancer and other illnesses. Our bodies are super hyper vigilant and are keeping us away from this harmful stuff. Check our my latest blog which might give some hope… though it won’t solve the problem forever. More blogs coming soon on nasal breathing too. get your breathing tip top and under control and it will help you a lot I think.