The Voices in my head

Years ago I went with a friend to see Ruby Wax’s play Losing it, it blew my mind. A few years later, when I moved back to South Africa, I discovered it was playing in Cape Town and to this day, almost 8 years later it still plays on my mind.

The world of social media is showing all sorts of perfect lives but actually, suicide rates have increased and real face to face connections, that we humans are wired for, have diminished.

Outside appearances and looking like we ‘have it all’ is only playing a role in our own deception. In this TED talk Eleanor Longden was told NORMAL people do not hear voices, they do not have an inner world. Resulting in her mistrusting people, fearing everything and avoiding life.

As Eleanor so beautifully articulates, we are better off with cancer than a mental health illness.

I was also struck by her comment on people that harmed her vs helped her. There were some that never gave up on her, those are the ones that helped her see that recoving is possible and can even be inevitable. Those were the people that didn’t just try to save her but they also helped her empower AND save herself.

Today Elenor says her “voices were an insight” – I think they are for all of us, we just need to be still enough and connected with ourselves enough to hear them. And if you ever get the chance to hear Ruby Wax speak please do not hesitate.