Monthly Archives: April 2016

#TOTW (x2) ‘#DAW2016’

Hey!

Much later than usual, but better late than never hopefully! As some of you may know, last week was Depression Awareness Week, so instead of having just one #TOTW I thought it would be an idea to share a couple of the links related to #DAW2016:

How Social Media Helps People With Depression, From Giving Them A Voice To Breaking Down Stigma

“…the more these stories are told, the less likely they are to happen.”

Both interesting articles and well worth checking out if you didn’t catch them last week! Feel free to #Shareandlearn!

Ben 🙂

 

#TOTW from 14-04-16 ‘#GettingOld’

Ciao!

A little later than usual, but I didn’t want to miss out on giving you all another opportunity to have a look at the topic of my #TOTW:

Just had my first free health check having attained the ripe old age of 40! Slight Vit D deficiency!

Last week I finally went for my *FREE* #NHSHealthCheck, all because my doctor happened to point out to me when I went to see him last year that I was now 40 – thanks Doc! Having said that though, forewarned is forearmed. All I had to do was go get some bloods taken a couple of weeks earlier and then I went back to get my blood pressure checked and to get the results of the blood tests. A slight deficiency of Vitamin D apparently, not uncommon at all in this country, and given the fact I spend up to 12 hours a day in an X-ray room its hardly surprising! Supplements purchased and thoughts (only thoughts at this stage) of returning to some form of exercise and that’s me sorted.

If you’re over 40 and haven’t yet taken advantage of this service, then go for it! I’m lucky enough to not visit the doctor all that often, so the opportunity to make sure things are ticking along nicely was in this instance a good thing. Some say 40 is the new 30; well, I feel better now than I did when I was 30, so…bring it on!

Take care of yourselves and be happy!

Ben 🙂

#TOTW (x9!) ‘That was the week that was…#AddictionWeek’

Evenin’ all!

Well, I have it easy this week as I don’t need to pick a tweet from the week, I’m simply going to list all 9 tweets related to my themed week – that being #AddictionWeek:

9. “You are unlikely to know that someone has a problem unless they tell you”

8. “Jenny’s life is by no means plain sailing but she is a world away from her past.”

7. “Video poker gained a reputation as the “crack cocaine” of ”

6. I recently bought the book this article is about – should be good! by  

5.”I turned £2,000 into £82,000 – then blew the lot in 10 minutes”

4. What do you know about to ? If like me, the answer is not a lot, then click here!

3. “ makes an appearance in so many parts of our lives…like many drugs, it’s addictive,”

2. “I didn’t think I was an addict.”

1. “We need a more radical approach that takes a more rounded view of the harms that drugs can cause.” #AddictionWeek  The war on drugs is turning people into addicts

It’s been rather a long time since I did a themed week, but I hope you’ve enjoyed reading some of the material i’ve put out there, I’ve certainly learned from what I’ve read, and I would be really happy if some of you have also done the same. I knew very little about addiction before this week, and I still know very little. However, I know a little bit more than I did. If you want to know more about the subject matter, then I hope that my tweets have may have at least given you somewhere to begin!

Thanks again for the likes and retweets! I already have a few other topics in mind for future themed weeks 🙂

So until next week…stay safe and be happy!

Ben 🙂

#TOTW from 31-03-16 ‘Domestic abuse/#CoercionandControl’

Evenin’ all!

This week I wanted to shed the spotlight once again on the topic of domestic violence, and so my #TOTW is:

Could this storyline help those suffering ?

I’m not an avid listener of The Archers, yet am aware that they are currently tackling the very serious issue of domestic violence, domestic abuse or coercion and control – just a few of the many terms used. Domestic abuse is not just about physical violence against a partner. It can also come in the form of sexual, psychological (verbal/emotional), financial or even religious/spiritual abuse. I knew next to nothing about the subject, other what i’ve seen on the news/read in the papers, until I had the opportunity last year to attend a one-day course on the subject through my work as a radiographer. I felt that having seen the result of such physical abuse in the course of my job, it would be good if I knew at least a little about how it comes about.

Do you know anything about domestic abuse, how it happens, or how it is that people stay with their abusive partners for so long? Would you know how to help a friend if they came to you and said they were a victim of domestic abuse? As I found out from just a one-day course, it doesn’t take much to equip yourself with some basic knowledge. It’s interesting, albeit upsetting, and who knows, even if you don’t need the knowledge personally in some way, you may be able to pass on some information that may be able to help someone find their way out of an abusive relationship.

As I said to a friend of mine just earlier today, it’s all about sharing and learning.

Stay safe and be happy folks…

Ben