First published 15 October 2020

“We are all in the same boat…!”

Way back in March I heard this phrase a lot.  Not long after I started to get a wee bit annoyed as I felt this wasn’t true.  And it became a bit of a bug bear of mine to be put in this ‘bucket’ where ‘we are all feeling down right miserable’.  In April, Damian Barr posted a short poem on twitter discussing this very thing:

“… We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. 

Your ship can be shipwrecked and mine might not be.

Or vice versa….”

There are so many more analogies that can be drawn from this imagery. Are we all in our boats alone? Can we lash our boats together and help each other navigate the storm? Have we dropped anchor? Have we run aground? The list of options is as endless as the situations we find ourselves in.  I personally feel as if I’m part of a wee group of boats and together we are helping each other through this turbulent sea. And there is sunshine and calm seas up ahead!

Sunday was World Mental Health day and as I questioned on social media – have you got your support network around you? Even if you are normally the one to support other people, please take a moment to take stock of your support network – are they helping you to stay afloat too?  If the answer is yes, that’s fantastic.  If it’s not as supportive as you would like, please do reach out for a chat or a session. And just to mix my modes of transport…. as they say in the safety briefings on aeroplanes (although it’s been a while…) make sure you put on your life vest before helping others!

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Be Kind to yourself, and I’ll hopefully see you soon