Because I had a depression, I started talking about how I was feeling while I was cutting hair... actually I kept thinking I should shut up, because I was so used to not talking about my feelings and I was embarrassed to tell people how I was feeling. But, to my surprise, people didn’t mind at all. In fact they started telling me how they were, and what was going on for them in their lives. And by the end of the haircut, interestingly we both felt better. So it was like a one on one self-help group situation.
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The most valuable thing is how the cards show that there isn't one single thing that helps me (or anyone), instead there are many that can help in all sorts of ways, and rather than being rigid and regimented, it's good to shake things up and throw anything and everything at the problem. There are some big themes in the cards: getting back in your body by doing physical things, connecting with others, doing creative work such as writing and speaking, along with common sense stuff such as going to bed early.
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In primary school I would often spend lunch time play on the bench sitting on my own - I would get high anxiety thinking about my mum working nights, being scared of going home to my dad, not wanting to play football because I was no good at it, wanting to play hopscotch with the girls but knowing that was not really where I belonged either and the boys would frown upon that... and one game of hopscotch was not worth a week of being teasing about it. Describing how I feel today is like how I used to feel sitting on that bench. I’m watching from afar, wanting to join in, but I’m too worried, and too scared to even look up, because I may look too fem, too ugly, too awkward, too short, and too unable.
Read MoreI often dream about being on a pitch and not being able to deliver, or not being chosen for a project because my work isn't good enough, so there has got to be some deeper levels of anxiety there that I'd prefer not to consciously acknowledge.
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