Slow the Mind: Presentation by Simon Pollard

Slow the Mind: a Presentation by Simon Pollard

Simon is an outdoor event leader, speaker and author.  Last year he received a Kent Mental Health Wellbeing Award.  He is passionate about raising awareness and providing better information for mental health decisions.

He began by posing the question ‘What is anxiety?’ It comes from our inbuilt system for survival: flight, freeze or flight.  We still have that programming from the time of early man.  It is a normal response, but we don’t usually need the extreme reactions nowadays.

Examples of anxiety may be worrying about not sleeping or thinking that we have too many things to do.  Slowing down might help, thinking of happy memories from childhood, of walking the dog or being out in the fresh air.  These might be ways of releasing anxiety.

Simon went on to give his own experience.  As a young man he didn’t know how to manage his anxiety; such things were not talked about.  As a teenager alcohol helped to numb anxiety.  He was not good in groups and was often alone, whereas now he can talk easily to others.  Closed doors was also something he was afraid of: what was behind the door?

It was easy for him to become a functioning alcoholic, drinking four or five pints daily, sleeping, waking up.  That was his life at that time.  Then he met his current wife on 5^th November 2015 at an Award Evening, but he drank too much and lost the plot.  He hated himself for this, but she stuck around and they married on 3^rd February 2019.  He really wanted to address his drink problem but didn’t. It was only when his granddaughter was born and he held her in his arms that he knew he really  must give up alcohol, and he did.

 It took five years from first knowing he should give up alcohol to the day he actually did it.  Then he began to function more effectively and live a better life. Much of anxiety is fear about what others think of us but in reality, they are more concerned about themselves.  When younger he was desperate to fit in but now found that it didn’t really matter. He could wear what he wanted and be himself without fear.  We should be aware that we have a choice and don’t have to react to what we think others expect.

Simon referred to ordinary anxiety which is conscious, as we are aware of it and in control of what we think and do, and anxiety which has no external stimulus and may be a subconscious influence from childhood. Simon’s grandfather committed suicide: as a result of his experiences in the First World War he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress but at the time there was no understanding of or support for this.  His grandfather became an alcoholic and was prone to violence.  It is possible that Simon is managing his grandfather’s anxiety.  He is finding out more about his grandfather’s life and will be exploring this possibility in his next book.

A few years ago Simon undertook the 268 mile Pennine Way Challenge to raise funds for Slow the Mind and in particular, suicide prevention.  He had to face the challenge of walking all that way in the natural environment, often alone and facing any fears and anxieties which arose.  One night he woke up in his tent feeling cold and found that the zip on his sleeping bag had broken.  He tried to buy a new sleeping bag, but no one could take money over the phone or deliver to him.  He tried Barnard Castle and Darlington.  He then tried social media and a lady called Zoe said that she and her husband would deliver him a sleeping bag.  Simon had been allowed to pitch his tent in the grounds of the Langdon Bay Hotel and this was where they delivered the sleeping bag and wouldn’t take any payment for it.

The arrival of a large group of noisy Hells Angels who descended on the bar was another anxiety but Simon plucked up courage and took round a collecting box for Still the Mind.  They were impressed with what he was doing for mental health and were happy to support him.  The hotel also gave a donation.

That night Simon was warm in his sleeping bag and next morning was given a free breakfast in the hotel.  His final problem was to get back on the Pennine Way some miles distant. The son of the hotel owners’ offered to give him a lift and was very interested in what Simon was doing.  Despite the anxieties, Simon had collected £155 at the hotel which contributed to a total of nearly £4,000 which he raised through his Challenge.

 After mentioning that it is a short step from anxiety to depression then to suicide, Simon referred to the statistics regarding suicide.  There are 6,000 suicides each year in the UK, with a 6% rise annually, the largest number being men under 40.  Suicide is preventable but not enough is being done to prevent it.

What can we do?  To normalise the subject of suicide as we have done with cancer, so that it is something that can be talked about rather than something hidden or shameful would help.  Mamy people in danger of committing suicide may lack meaningful human contact.  Once a person has decided to commit suicide they may feel better so it is difficult to judge their risk.

Simon’s Slow the Mind team provide drop-in centres where people can attend without being judged.  They are fundraising for a bus which will be a safe space that could visit places like colleges, universities or prisons.  As well as stressing the importance of talking to others, Simon leads outdoor activities, including walks, which brings people into close proximity with nature and helps to still the mind.  He often gives presentations to raise awareness of mental health and the need to prevent suicide.  In time he hopes to expand his team by recruiting a clinical nurse for mental health.

To find out more visit:  www.simonpollard.uk