Sonia talks to students, parents and specialist teachers about their experiences in the education system, and what they think works best for children who learn differently. I was less impressed with the Boiler Theory and repetition of 'get out of your own way' (how??). Also, the anxious should keep in mind that Gordon’s list of worries in chapter five may give you new ideas for things to worry about. On the other hand, 'what other people think of you is none of your business' is a great point. I find that being an introvert helps with not caring about other people's perceptions (other than people I love). The same chapter raises the interesting question of self-acceptance and self-awareness. Gordon is adamant that you should accept yourself, not try to please others, and 'learn that a healthy relationship is one in which you love each other unconditionally'. This made me wonder to what extent self-acceptance is possible when mental illness stops you from seeing yourself clearly. What version of yourself are you accepting? Moreover, unconditional love and self-acceptance could conflict with the importance of boundaries, emphasised in the prior section. I'm a little uncomfortable with absolute self-acceptance: we live in a society and should be willing to see flaws in ourselves. This section could maybe do with a bit more nuance. Topics covered include how to navigate the system, the importance and limitations of getting a diagnosis, adult diagnoses and neurodiversity in education. Reading self-help books has always been hit and miss for me, because I’ve never really felt I could relate to the author describing their severe alcoholism or the doomed children that learn from all they do. This book was different, in that sense. Mental illness has led to some of the worst times of my life… but it has also led to some of the most brilliant. Bad things happen, but good things can come from them. And strange as it might sound, my mental health has been vastly improved by being mentally ill.’

The world as we knew it was finally ending, and the most bizarre thing had happened: I knew it was going to be OK. Or, more accurately, I knew it was going to be messy, uncertain, stressful, fraught, frightening, lonely, and overwhelmingly sad - but that it would still be OK. Mad Girl was full of engaging and sometimes witty extracts about dealing with poor mental health, and made for a relatable read as someone who somerimes suffer with poor mental health. As Armstrong argues, we should try to question our assumptions about different behaviours and the value judgements we place on them. He points out that when he is delivering lectures, some people with autism will walk around the room. Clearly, that is not the way that most of the stationary audience are behaving. “But why is it ‘abnormal’ to want to move and learn at the same time?”

PRODUCTS FOR CHANGE

but she also gets that insomnia is far more than ‘drinking a cup of cocoa’ (as I have, literally, had friends suggest - although she worded it more along the lines of being awake in the middle of the night, reading articles about insomnia on Google - and how they explicitly instruct NOT to read such articles while suffering insomnia. She questions if the people who wrote these articles ever really struggled with insomnia - which, I think, anybody who has ever really struggled with depression/insomnia has DEFINITELY questioned about ‘professionals’ AND friends, who give well-meaning advice). She understands that ‘meditation/mindfulness’ - though a common suggestion from well-intentioned friends, is useless when you are really struggling. She talks about meditation/mindfulness being great for maintaining well-being... but, really, if you are struggling to live another day, it’s more harm than good. She just gets it. Far more than I do. These may seem like academic disputes. Ultimately, many people with conditions like autism find that the term neurodiversity (and its contrast, neurotypical) is a useful and positive way of self-defining their identity and their community. There’s certainly a need to reduce the stigma. Well written, non-preachy book about mental health. Honest and completely relatable to my anxiety-riddled brain. Full of humour, facts and organisations/charities that can help whatever your situation.

In Aotearoa, we pride ourselves on our inclusive education system. But is that really the experience for kids who are Autistic, ADHD, Dyslexic or Gifted? Over two episodes we ask: Is our education system really meeting the needs of neurodivergent children, their families and the teachers that support them? This book won’t be for everybody - I don’t think I would have even liked it at all 18 months ago. But, for people who struggle with depression or anxiety, well, I think you will like it.

Megan’s proudest personal accomplishments are as a wife and mother. Megan, along with her husband Jake, are raising their two sons in Nashville, TN. Jake is a professional musician and when either of them travel, the entire family goes along. Their sons, Bronx and Shai, are always in tow and part of everything they do.

Mental illness has led to some of the worst times of my life...but it has also led to some of the most brilliant. Bad things happen, but good things can come from them. And strange as it might sound, my mental health has been vastly improved by being mentally ill.' Join Bryony for this exclusive event, as she offers a practical guide to mental health, building on her most recent publication, No Such Thing As Normal. By recognising those biases, we can then change the environment to cater for people’s different needs. Some progress is being made – UK supermarket chain Morrisons have introduced a weekly “quiet hour”, for instance, for autistic shoppers who struggle with music and noise. A number of other big supermarket chains are now trialling similar initiatives. The method involves a wireless EEG system that measures the electrical activity in the brain. EEG is a harmless and objective method which can provide crucial information on how these amazing brains process reading material. This will enable the development of a strengths-based reading support strategy specific for autistic learners.

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Gray believes that focusing on and celebrating the strengths of neurodivergent people - rather than the challenges - is one of the missing pieces of the puzzle. " The diagnostic criteria for these conditions is based on a deficit model. It looks at what people can’t do – not at what they can. My daughter Inez has the most incredible brain, she sees things in a way most people don’t. But none of her many diagnoses reflects that”.

It certainly got me thinking about mental health and how generalisable advice about it can reasonably be. The Anxiety Sisters' Survival Guide: Manage Worry, Panic, and Fear and Become Hopeful, Connected, and (Anxiously) Happy tried to cover every possible anxiety symptom and treatment option, which became quite overwhelming. By contrast, Gordon seeks to distil her own mental health struggles into lessons that are broad, hopeful, and universally applicable. This is more effective in some chapters than others, I think. I did wonder what audience she was writing for. Those who, like her, have been dealing with mental illness for years will have heard all this many times before, so perhaps it is directed at people experiencing mental health problems for the first time or wanting to support someone suffering from them. While the basic advice is not new, Gordon delivers it succinctly and well: sleep, breathe, eat, exercise, don't doomscroll, etc. She does not pretend that any of this is easy and has a whole chapter on asking for help. Usefully, this includes the NHS treatment pathways (in England, at least). OCD is largely thought of as an aversion to germs and excessive hand washing, but it’s far more complicated than that. Obsessive thoughts can be around almost anything, and the compulsive behaviour that accompanies it can be debilitating for the individual and their whānau.Live on stage, Bryony will be offering sensible, practical advice, covering subjects such as sleep, addiction, worry, medication, self-image, boundary setting, therapy, learned behaviour, mindfulness and, of course – as the founder of Mental Health Mates – the power of walking and talking. I loved Bryony Gordon's other book, Mad Girl, and rated it 4/5 ⭐ so it's safe to say I had high expectations for her latest book. But sadly, this one fell flat... It was a time of incredible sharing and exploration,” she says. “I was just so overwhelmed with all these senses that people had that we didn't even know about – people who couldn’t recognise faces, people with extraordinary synaesthesia. There are so many things in the mind that we never imagined. Megan’s passion is motivating others to approach life with an ‘I can do this!’ attitude. Her ability to share her story and encourage others to look at life through a new lens is only one of her tremendous gifts. The term has since been employed for many purposes – as a word for empowerment, a means for celebrating qualities some neurological conditions can bring, and as a term of identity. But Singer had never intended for it to be used to describe a particular condition. Instead, she meant to for it to be used in a more general sense, to describe the variety of all brains.