SPARE A THOUGHT....

Stress as a word is used frequently within social circles, working environments and on most Premier League football pitches.

It is a word that most of us say at least once each day. We’ve come to accept its use, almost as easily as we accept friends into our homes. Does this mean it is now more readily acceptable within society?

Possibly. Possibly not.

However stress, and more specifically anxiety, will at some point in our lives, affect 1 in 6 of us! Those figures are somewhat shocking – that means that one person within my close group of friends (There are 6 of us, for those of you reading that aren’t so quick with the math) will be affected by anxiety, panic attacks or depression at some point in their lives.

I recently read an article within the ForgePress, which featured a weeks worth of diary entries of a person suffering from anxiety and depression. To say that this person was suffering from a debilitating illness would be ignorant on my part. They were not just suffering from a debilitating illness, but a crippling one.

They spoke of not being able to eat, sleep, socialise, have sex, concentrate, at times move, or to go about the most basic, primal, routines that we all do everyday and take for granted, for example, brushing their teeth and having breakfast.

These poignant diaries made me think, quite a lot actually. Although these problems are identified under the umbrella term “Mental Health Issues”, are people now more accepting of such “issues”?

Partly yes and partly no.

Although there seems to be less of stigma attached to those suffering from anxiety – at one point in time they would have been deemed “mentals” and told to get on with it– more can still be done to educate those non-sufferers on how they can support those suffering from it, or even simply what anxiety is, what causes it and how it can be treated.

Organisations such as Anxiety UK have been set up to help those suffering and gratitude needs to indeed be paid to such organisations and their representatives for challenging head on a condition that is probably best described as an uphill race for those unfortunate enough to be suffering.

Most people will overcome the condition and go on to live happy, fulfilled lives. Often treatment is delivered in the form of Anti-Depressant drugs (which control the effects of panic attacks and help to manage the chemical imbalance in the brain which causes anxiety) & CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) sessions.

We often hear of money being raised for cancer charities, obesity and the like, yet rarely do we hear of money being raise/donated to anxiety and mental health charities – and this needs to change. The NHS in the UK has only a limited budget and more can be done to help those who are affected.

Don’t forget, according to Anxiety UK, 13% of the population will, at some point in their lives, develop a form of anxiety.

Not that I’m wishing it on anyone, but as Mystic Meg used to say: it could be you!

I’m aware I’ve used the word suffering far too often in this blog, I feel it is the most appropriate word to use, given that I’ve witnessed first hand the effects of anxiety and depression within a close friend and let me assure you, it isn’t pleasant.

Far too many people use the term “depressed” when in actual fact they simply mean they’re feeling a bit rubbish. This needs to stop. It trivialises depression and makes it harder for those actually suffering from depression to be taken seriously.

Thankfully there are increasing numbers of people who do understand and are more understanding of anxiety, panic and depression. This needs to continue if we are ever to win the battle with one of the least understood, yet most serious illnesses that plagues increasing numbers of us in society.

If you're suffering from anxiety, panic or depression, look on the following websites for advice:

http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/

http://www.nopanic.org.uk/

"...Why Aye Man..."

Being at University in Sheffield, I’m often given stick* for my Geordie accent. I’m also often told that the song Newcastle United run out onto the pitch to at St James’ Park, sounds like the sort of music that would feature in a soft porn movie on digital TV Channel 46....

I definitely and rather obviously, do not agree with this.

I do wonder though, have any of those that do give me stick* ever been up North and seen Newcastle upon Tyne?


They really should, as Newcastle is a reet canny* place. Drive a further 13 miles north of Newcastle, and what people often don’t realise, is that will put you in the heart of Northumberland – a diverse county that offers new towns, modern shopping precincts, while also offering sandy beaches that stretch for miles, forests, reservoirs, valleys – to name but a few. It is still incredibly rural.

Don’t worry, you won’t find me saying “Oh Newcastle is a faraway land, filled with magic and wonder. It makes hearts pound, it is filled with wonderful people and is a land of great mystic prosper. It has beaches of gold, rivers of silver blah, blah, blah….” because that would be a blatant lie.

To get started, let me ask you this, how many famous people do you know that are from the North East? Ant & Dec don’t count as everyone knows them.

How many? Three, possibly four and maybe even five at a push?

Let me enlighten you with a few names you’re most likely to know. Ant & Dec, Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer, Steve Bruce, Mark Knopfler, Cheryl Tweedy/Cole, Jimmy Nail, Tim Healy, Catherine Cookson, Denise Welch, Jackie Milburn, Sting, Eric Idle, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, Chris Rea, Ross Noble, Ridley Scott, Jill Halfpenny, Roy Chubby Brown, Robson Green, Bobby & Jack Charlton, George Stephenson, Rowan Atkinson, Ian La Frenais, Bryan Ferry, Hank Marvin, Wendy Craig and Kevin Whately.

Give or take a few of those names, there is an awful lot of talent that started from Northern roots.

Newcastle city centre is a sight in itself. Not only do we have a mix of old and new, but it’s done in such a way that people are proud of it. Walk down across the Tyne Bridge and onto Newcastle’s quayside and you’ll see The Sage. A venue that was built using Lottery foundation money and is now home to classical music performance groups from around the region, as well as further afield. It really does look magnificent. Nestled on the banks of the Gateshead side of the River Tyne (or the Big River as Jimmy Nail sings), it can literally be seen for miles – much like the Angel of the North, another landmark that receives visitors from afar all the time. Finally, Newcastle looks cool. It is still rural enough that the Town Moor (Massive fields in the city centre owned by farmers) still even has cows that continue to live on it.

One final landmark to mention, other than the palatial St James’ Park of course, is the infamous Tyne Bridge. It is an exact replica of the one in Sydney, Australia and even features prominently on the label of a bottle of Dog (Newcastle Brown Ale).

Enough of landmarks. The nightlife in Newcastle is fantastic. I’m biased, but everyone I know who has been on a night out there has also said the same thing. Why is this, after all most of the bars and clubs are similar to those of other big cities? I can only think it’s the Geordie people who make it what it is – a quality destination with a vibrant, cosmopolitan nightlife that continues to both impress and win awards nationally. I know of no other city where one minute you can be in a Hip Hop/R & B club and then the next be down looking over the River Tyne while sipping cocktails in class company.

Then in the morning in an effort to shrug off the hangover you can go for a walk along Northumberland’s coast – even feeling the sand in between your toes if you take your shoes and socks off (although you’ve got to watch for the odd needle or two, as you’re in the North East, not the Costa del Sol) - at multiple destinations, including Whitely Bay, South Shields or Seaton Sluice. I’d recommend Seaton Sluice as the “chippy” there is great.

The scenery, the people, the architecture are all so fantastic that TV and Films have been set here including: Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Goal!, Purely Belter, Billy Elliot and Our Friends in the North (which featured a very young pre 007 Daniel Craig). How many other cities throughout England, minus London, can stake such a claim?

We have a football team which, although going through a turbulent patch at the moment, is remembered most notably for the years when Newcastle United went by another name: Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers. We even almost bagged a win in the Premiership back in 1996. Those days are still looked fondly upon by every single member of the toon army – ever hopeful of a nostalgic comeback, much to the amusement of our rivals. We don’t care though, we love our team, or as Bobby Robson poignantly puts it: “Like the people of Newcastle, I bleed Black and White.”

Why do Geordies love where they come from and their football team so much?

Snubbing Manchester United for Newcastle was a precarious move, but Shearer pinpointed the exact answer to the question in saying: “The lure of playing for my home town club in the black and white shirt with the number nine shirt just proved too much and probably everyone outside Newcastle will find that hard to understand, but if you ask a Geordie who has been brought up in Newcastle kicking a ball around in a black and white shirt all his life to go back and play for them, then they will understand just as I did.”

Newcastle United is possibly one of the only clubs in the Premier League that has an Ex-manager who also attempted pop superstardom back in 1979 with the release of a hit single that reached 31 in the charts. Hit it KK!

Newcastle United have regular support of 52,000 Geordies week in and week out and there are scores more ready to step up should they get the chance to. Looking back at the list of famous Geordies, a few have them have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to play for and even manage Newcastle United.

Howay* the lads!

But why is Newcastle so special?

People such as Kevin Keegan, Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer and even Joe Kinnear are often quoted as saying there is something special about Newcastle and how fantastic its people are. Since moving away to Sheffield I’ve figured out exactly what it is.

It’s where I come from – it’s my home...



Laern Yarsel Geordie:
*Stick = having jokes made towards one
*Reet Canny = Right Good
*Howay = Come On