In 13 years of writing, I’ve seen a lot of external changes and in my personal life. But having already lost my mum, losing dad and now my twin, these are the biggest changes. The family dynamics have changed.

Mental health is another big change. It's at critical levels and it's not being addressed. Through my blog I address mental health. I am also now dealing with neuralgia that I think has got something to do with the brain injury I sustained before I was born. I will know more about that in June.

Brexit

Then in 2016, UK politicians called the Brexit referendum. And although the public didn't understand what Brexit meant, we now know we have been lied to, with Brexit biting back with vengeance. As a consequence of Brexit, the UK has now been thrust into a cost-of-living crisis which is mostly hitting the poor. Food prices have soured, energy bills are biting also, as we continue to struggle to find the money to put food on the table, to stay healthy, warm and to be able to pay our bills.

Brexit and its consequences

It’s hard to hear stories of elderly people trying to heat their homes, versus can’t afford to heat their homes. Source: theGuardian.com news headlines, 'I feel abandoned by the state: UK pensioners on the cost-of-living-crisis.' I've read about one elderly woman dying of hyperthermia because she was too afraid to put her heating on. Her mental health must have been in her boots. I cannot start to imagine how she must have felt before she died.

Although supermarket shelves aren’t all empty, (certain veg isles, and shelves are decreased, in certain cases empty) shoppers are reporting fresh supply issues with empty supermarket shelves. (Source: indepedent.co.uk) prices are extortionate because of Brexit. That's bad, but we're also being fed lies to cover the tracks of politicians who made decisions to leave the EU, its biggest trading partner.

Covid-19 Pandemic

But the pandemic has given us the biggest change. I continue to write about these issues, primarily because they are decisions that have affected my mental health. With the removal of masks, we are now living in a two tier society with people who can get into their lives, living their lives normally and/or choosing to mask up voluntarily, and those who are considered vulnerable who are struggling to go out and mix among friends and/or the wider population. The virus hasn't gone, it's waiting until we get comfortable enough, then it will strike and bite back. It's naive to think we can relax.

Conclusion

When the pandemic hit, the world took a ginormous mental health knock, to the point where mental health became a challenge and the world stopped thinking about it. Catapulted into flight and fight mode, it became every man for himself. But still, through the diary I continue to bring mental health to life. The CP Diary makes mental health palatable, relatable and digestible, so that at any point you can start to deal with your mental health.

There is nothing out of the ordinary about mental health. The name itself can spread concern, but mental health isn't like that. Mental health starts with an issue, an experience that lingers, a crossed word, a disagreement that needs to be addressed.

But what The CP Diary does is provide you with the truth on the facts out there, information that keeps you informed, prepared and safe. 13 years in, and with 13 years of blogs behind me, there is a lot of information to absorb and to take on board. Just give yourself time.

The CP Diary is not just for me, it's for anyone who would like to change their mental health for better health, for a better lifestyle... for us to be better people, living better lives.