Once we get to 5 on the moodometer, I believe that we should start thinking about what we would like our ideal life to look like in 5 years. It is so much more productive to be focussing on what we do want, rather than what we don’t want.

There are probably 4 main components of this:

1. DO - What do I want to be doing?
2. BE - Which of my talents and character qualities do I want to be using?
3. WHO - Who do I want to be doing this with?
4. WHERE – do I want to be?

Over the last 6 months I’ve been doing a lot of reflection on this topic area. In December last year, I met Karynne Courts - www.valuesconnection.com.au - who for the last 10 years has been doing work with leaders to help them understand who their authentic self is, by having them complete a values inventory with them. I have also been doing a lot of work in the Positive Psychology space with the Virtues Inventory, which helps people to understand what their character strengths are. We had both also read very widely around the whole concept of helping people to discover a life of meaning. To cut a long story short, Karynne and I decided to run a pilot course of “Navigating a meaningful life by understanding your whYcode” with 15 people which ran over 8 weeks.

What is a whYcode?

We all have unique values, talents, qualities, and passions. Learning what these are isn’t always easy, and Karynne and I put our experience together to help people understand what is truly important to them. We face decisions every day – big and small – and we believe that when we face this “Y” (fork) in the road, that if you have good personal insight – i.e. understand your whYcode – this will help you make fast decisions that strengthen, rather than weaken you.

Career fulfilment is essential for our wellbeing

Having spent 12 years in recruiting and outplacement, I am aware of how few people work in a career that they would describe as fulfilling. When I did my original research for BACK FROM THE BRINK, I discovered that the 350 people I interviewed rated “fulfilling work” as the number 4 most effective strategy for overcoming depression – where “medication” was rated number 7.

The outcome of the pilot and shorter version I recently conducted in Chicago

Participants in the pilot course found it tremendously helpful to be able to identify their whYcode. For some people it was quite a surprise when they rediscovered what “lights their fire”.

Based on the feedback we received from the pilot course, Karynne and I further simplified the course which I presented at the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance conference in Chicago.

A prominent US mental health blogger, Marcia Purse, attended the conference and she wrote:

“The highest point of all was the last event - keynote speaker Graeme Cowan’s “How to Bounce Back and Thrive in Challenging Times.” In the near future I’ll start challenging all of you with some of the things he challenged the audience to do and think about”.

Understanding your whYcode is absolutely essential to being able to bounce back and thrive in challenging times.

What do you think contributes to meaning in life?

Are work and your community activities important to you? What have you found helpful to find meaning in your life? Please share your experience by commenting on the blog below.

A free overview of the course

On Tuesday May 25 from 6-8pm, I will be running a free overview of this seminar at the City Fringe Meditation Space in East Sydney (see link below).

http://www.meditationspace.com.au/meditation_space/Program_May_2010.html

If this is of interest to you, it is essential you confirm your place immediately online at the link above - as there are only a limited number of seats that can fit in the venue.

Address 99 Crown Street, East Sydney 2010

voice-box 02 8011 4995 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting                  end_of_the_skype_highlighting

email  eastsydney@au.bkwsu.org

Web  www.mediationspace.com.au

We are located at 99 Crown Street in East Sydney, next to the City Gym between Stanley and William Streets.

For those people interstate or overseas – if you would interested in attending a course such as this, or have any questions or comments please respond to the blog.

New corporate site launched

I have just completed a new site – www.GraemeCowan.com.au – which is for organisations that would like to use my services to speak or consult. If you know anyone who may be seeking someone to speak on how to bounce back and thrive from challenging times, please direct them there.

I look forward to your comments.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: meaningful life, meaningful work, overcoming depression, passions, strengths, values

I’ve just had some exciting news that “BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO: Helping your loved one overcome depression” has been named SANE’S 2009 BOOK OF THE YEAR which is very humbling and gratifying at the same time.

After the success of my first book, it quickly became apparent that the family members of those suffering with depression were often desperate themselves. This lead to me researching over 700 depression caregivers and their loved ones, to find out exactly what questions they wanted answered. I’m sure this was a major reason why the book was nominated. I would like to sincerely thank those who participated in the research and of course my parents, who had faith in me when I had lost faith in myself.

FROM SANE’s PRESS RELEASE

SANE Australia Executive Director Barbara Hocking says family members of people with mental illness play an enormous role in providing care and support for people living with depression, as well as other forms of mental illness.

‘Not only does Back From The Brink Too provide much-needed practical guidance for family carers and raise awareness of the key role they play in helping to manage mental illness, but it also works to reduce the isolation many families experience,’ Ms Hocking said.

‘We are delighted to present the SANE Book of the Year Award to Mr Cowan for his contribution to helping the community better understand the experience of mental illness and its impact on families and friends’

Graeme Cowan says of the Award, ‘I am honoured and humbled that SANE Australia has recognised my book. Only after recovering from my own depression did I come to understand the tremendous toll that my illness caused my family.  I would like to dedicate this award to my loved ones and the two million other Australians that support those living with depression and anxiety.’

END OF RELEASE

What is more gratifying than the award is regularly receiving letters and email from people saying that both books have been a tremendous help to them.

If you know someone who is trying to support a loved one with depression, you might consider forwarding this email to them.

Further details regarding the book (and purchasing facility can be found at: www.DepressionCarer.com )

I am heading off to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles on May 25 to meet with Literary Agents and two major US Depression organisations with a view to doing US versions of both books. The award couldn’t have come at a better time.

Kind Regards

Graeme

www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com

Tags: depression book, depression caregiver, depression carer, depression help, depression treatments, overcoming depression

I was very surprised when I did my original research for BFTB, that fulfilling work was rated as the fourth most effective strategy for overcoming/ managing depression. People with depression rated fulfilling work ahead of medication for example, which I’m sure would amaze many people.

FIFTEEN YEARS IN RECRUITMENT AND OUTPLACEMENT TOLD ME THIS WAS TRUE

When I reflected on the thousands of people I had tried to assist with their careers over those 15 years, I intuitively knew how important fulfilling work was to people’s mental health and self esteem.

If you look at the news section of my website - www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com - you’ll see that a number of stories have been published on this topic in the last week, due the the world financial crisis.

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU ARE 0-5 ON THE MOODOMETER

If you are depressed, and aren’t capable of working full time, I would strongly encourage you to consider voluntary work. When I was recovering I worked as a volunteer at Volunteering NSW (I know similar organisations exist everywhere).

One of my jobs was interviewing people to help identify which skills they would like to use and then finding charities near them, that would enable them to use those skills. I had the pleasure of watching how long term unemployed and people with a mental illness would grow in confidence when they had the opportunity to positively contribute to a charity. These roles aren’t nearly as pressurized as full time work, yet still offer the benefits of social contact and providing people with a sense of purpose.

Check out www.govolunteer.com.au and http://www.volunteer.com.au/?cid=sk:main:au:nav:vol  to get an idea of the wide array of roles available.

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU ARE 4-10 ON THE MOODOMETER BUT NOT ENJOYING YOUR WORK

My strong suggestion would be to do so form of assessment to help understand what skills you get most satisfaction out of using. There are many options out there but a really user friendly and practical one I have used myself is found at www.assessment.com- It is called a Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential (MAPP) You are asked to go through a questionnaire (takes about 15 minutes) and then you receive your report. There is a free version, but I found the best value one to cost about $US40. This report really resonated with me and gave me a great sense of career direction.

The report identifies your top 10 innately motivating skills but then importantly it then tells you which roles allow you to utilise them. How you go about transitioning to these new roles is too much to cover now, but knowing where you want to head is half the issue.

BLACK DOG INSTITUTE “MOOD DISORDERS IN THE WORKPLACE” WRITING COMPETITION

I have just been asked to be one of 3 judges to help assess the winners in the above competition. It is great this topic is getting some deserved profile. A book will follow on this subject, so keep an eye out for that.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this topic, please respond to this blog.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: anxiety in the workplace, black dog institute, depression, overcoming depression, stress, voluntary work, workplace stress

Last week we held the first of four web and phone based seminars on overcoming depression. It also differed from other courses on this topic as it was designed with both the depression sufferer and their caregiver in mind.

We had over 100 people participating from all over Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the USA which I was really very pleased with.

What really really works in overcoming depression

It was interesting running a session on this over the web as when you put depression into Google you get over 87,700,000 page impressions. Surely everyone can access anything they want to know. Unfortunately that is just the problem. Most people are so time poor and don’t know just where to start.

I also found this to be an issue when I was in the depths of my depression and just had a hunch that a session that covered 7 evidence based strategies shown to help beat depression would be valuable to some people.

From my perspective it was a little strange presenting to over 100 people without being able to see their response so I was very keen to do some market research after the event.

The information presented in the seminar was helpful

I was very pleased that 70% Strongly Agree and 30% Agreed with this statement.

There were suggestions made during the seminar that I could action this week.

Strongly Agree 60% Agree 40%

I was very pleased with this also as I truly believe that action is one of the main enemies of depression.

I found the telephone and web simulcast concept convenient

Strongly Agree 70% Agree 30%

It could be improved by:

Having more time for questions

Strongly agree 49% Agree 42%

One of the issues when people listened via the web is that they could not ask verbal questions. This was also compounded by me trying to cover too much in the first session. The technology does allow for written questions to be conveyed and based on the feedback, I have decided to cover the formal presentation in the first hour and then have 20 minutes of answering questions at the end.

All in all I was very pleased with this first attempt. Of course I will be very keen to get additional feedback after the end of the next 3 seminars but I am very hopeful that it will be a great medium for 2009 and beyond.

The next 3 sessions will cover:

Finding the right mental health professionals

Building a support network

Helping to prevent a crisis and sustaining the care

If anyone has any questions or comments regarding these seminars please respond to this blog or email me at graeme@IamBackFromTheBrink.com

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: beating depression, depression carer, depression phone and web seminar, depression sufferer, depression treatments, overcoming depression

Since the launch of BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO I have been able to research a number of visitors to my site to find out how I can further help the person suffering from depression and their caregiver.

The people that responded to the survey said that one of the things they would really value was the opportunity to participate in an anonymous telephone seminar on how the sufferer and their caregiver can work together to overcome depression.

I have come across some technology that enables the participants to either listen via their computer with speakers (using the internet) or by phone. It would also be possible to listen to a recording if you weren’t able to make the designated time. It will also be possible for me to answer questions raised before each seminar.

This type of format would allow me to share a much broader range of information than is possible in a book. In particular, with each point raised, I would like to share the perspective of both the person living with depression and the caregiver.

I have also come to realise that whilst some people like reading books, there are many others that would prefer to listen and watch.

Broadly speaking, I would see 4 seminars each being of around 60-90 minutes on a Tuesday night at 8pm, Sydney, Australia time. Each seminar will have accompanying materials

WEEK 1: WHAT REALLY, REALLY, WORKS IN MANAGING/ OVERCOMING DEPRESSION?

This will briefly outline the symptoms of depression but focus mainly on the evidence based strategies that are most effective for overcoming depression. I will outline a specific plan of action I recommend.

WEEK 2: FINDING THE RIGHT HELP FOR THE SUFFERER AND CAREGIVER

This week will show sufferers and carers how to find appropriate mental health professionals. It will include strategies to encourage the sufferer to seek help. It will also explain the mental health maze and how to access the right expertise. Getting the correct diagnosis and treatment is fundamental to recovery.

WEEK 3: BUILDING A SUPPORT NETWORK FOR THE SUFFERER AND CAREGIVER

Never have both parties been more in need of the care of family and friends. I will show how to build a plan brick by brick so both the sufferer and their caregiver can feel well supported. This support and cooperation is essential for implementing treatment strategies. Friendship is the special key to mental health.

WEEK 4: HELPING TO PREVENT A CRISIS AND SUSTAINING THE CARE

The taboo subject of self harm and suicide will be discussed from the perspective of the person living with depression and their loved ones. Strategies to help prevent a crisis occurring will be clearly explained. Recovery from depression is rarely a straight line and I will discuss what both parties can do when the road gets rocky. I will also outline some case studies of people who have been transformed by depression and gone on to lead very fulfilling lives.

There are of course costs involved in putting something like this on, but I plan to make Week 1 free so people can try before they buy.

The first seminar which will be on November 25^th, 2008.

If you have any questions or comments please respond to this blog.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Graeme Cowan

www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com

Tags: back from the brink too, depression caregivers, depression treatments, graeme cowan, overcoming depression

Thought Leaders Showcase

Last Thursday, I was one of 8 participants in a Thought Leaders Winter Showcase. This is an event put on for Speakers Bureaus and Convention Organisers. My presentation was on Brinkmanship: the art of turning adversity into opportunity. It was quite ironic that it was on July 24 - exactly 4 years after my last suicide attempt. If you had told me back then that I would be speaking so publicly about my depression I wouldn’t have believed you.

Brinkmanship

I have come to realise that we often see problems and adversity with our mind and opportunities with our hearts. How then do we begin to engage our hearts. When we are in the depths of depression this is very hard but I will try to describe my path out. I believe there are 5 principles of brinkmanship.

Step Back

After leaving hospital following a 9 week stay in November 2005 I attended an outpatient depression management course. In this course they encouraged us not to try to solve our whole life’s problems today, but to live in weekly compartments. We set goals, initially around exercise and contact with family and friends. When you are depressed, this is not something you feel like doing, but I decided to give it a go. Over a 4 month period my mood started to improve.

Experience the NOW

This is easy to understand intellectually, but so hard to live. A friend of mine had done a meditation course with the Brahma Kumaris and encouraged me to do the same. I did the course and immediately started seeing benefits. It was interesting, because when I was really depressed, I had tried meditating but without much success. I believe the exercise I had done before hand really helped to prepare me. I now start each day with 20 minutes of meditation and a 45 minute bush walk and this gets me off to a great start.

Reach Out

As my mood improved, I became involved with a 12 step support group called GROW. As I reached out to others, I found it also helped me. I began to reacquaint myself with old friends.

Value Yourself and Others

This is about caring for others and yourself. I started doing voluntary work which got me out of the house and really helped. When I began working on BFTB, this project became bigger than myself and served as motivation when I wasn’t feeling great.

Energise

Once your new mission evolves, the energy comes naturally - you seem to be in the flow.

I don’t want to trivialise depression, but the more I see it in perspective, the more I am convinced that there are many self help things that can be done to aid your own recovery.

SERVE

You’ll notice that the five principles form the acronym SERVE. I know that when I am depressed I become very self absorbed and that thinking about how my experience of adversity can help others is an important change in mindset that can often allow us to move forward.

This is a brief summary of my talk which I hope to be presenting on a much wider scale - particularly in the corporate sector.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: depression, depression treatments, overcoming depression

I thought I would share some wonderful news with you. There is a book by Jack Canfield called the “Aladdin Factor”. Basically it asserts that if you have wishes and dreams you should float them out there because it is remarkable what can happen. I have a very good example of that. I’ll try and keep a long story short:

An amazing journey

Earlier this year I had a call from a counsellor from Lifeline Cental in SA requesting to buy a couple of books. As I had previously received several emails from other Lifeline counsellors saying how helpful they had found the book, I decided to donate a box of 30 books. The counselling manager from the region, offered to help coordinate the written feedback from counsellors after they had read it. Overwhelmingly they agreed that it would be very helpful (see comments below).

A couple of nights after receiving that feedback from SA, I was giving a keynote address at a Lifeline fundraiser for h2h in Sydney. At the end of my speech, I mentioned briefly that it was my vision to find a sponsor to provide a copy of my book for every Lifeline TC. A couple approached me after my talk saying they would like to help on the condition that their involvement remained anonymous. After contacting a colleague overseas they were able to raise the necessary money for the 4200 books – truly inspirational.

What Lifeline TC’s had to say about BFTB

“I read it in two and a half days – I couldn’t put it down”

“It helped me understand the different forms depression can take and how they can affect people”

“The stories were full of hope – it is what clients need to hear”

“There are stories in there that everyone can relate to”

 Put 11.00am Tuesday September 9, 2008 @ The Blackdog Institute in your diary

I’m thrilled to confirm the launch day for BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO: Helping your loved one overcome depression. I am very excited by the potential of this book to touch many lives. An official invitation will follow soon but I just wanted to get the date in your diary.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: depression books, inspiration, overcoming depression

As some of you would know, I am also the leader of a GROW group. GROW is a 12 step support group for people with mental health issues - see www.grow.net.au . I remember being in my first group five years ago and thinking that I would never recover. Sure, some people may be able to overcome their depression, but they obviously don’t know how bad my depression is.

I am always reminded of those days when a new person comes for the first time who is really struggling. We had a person last night who had been in hospital for 9 months and was really struggling to come to terms with their future. My advice in this situation is always the same:

1. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself - just try setting weekly goals. Initially these goals should be around exercise (30 minutes 6 times per week) and contact with family and friends (2-3 visits per week) You should then schedule these activities and then live your life in day tight compartments.
2. Make sure you find a competent doctor and/or psychologist and follow their advice. 
3. If you aren’t currently working, explore voluntary work
4. Review these goals at the end of each week and set ones for the following week.

I would welcome your thoughts on this approach or you may have a different approach that works for you. I look forward to your post.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: , adversity, anxiety, depression, hopeless, mental health at work, overcoming depression, psychiatric hospital, stigma, stress

I have just finished writing “BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO: 7 Steps to help your loved one in overcoming depression”. It is quite an exhaustive process writing a book but I just felt so dedicated to the task by knowing how difficult it is to support someone with depression. As part of the process I interviewed over 200 carers and I was just struck with how difficult it is for them. Often they don’t feel they can discuss their situation with anyone and don’t really know where they can get help. I have found that there is quite a lot of help out there but it is very fragmented and difficult to find. Hopefully my book will go someway down the path of addressing this issue. What I also know is how important that support is for those living with depression. We need to act as a partnership to get the best result for both parties.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: , , depression, overcoming depression, support of loved ones

In Australia we have made considerable progress in increasing awareness of depression in society which is fantastic. I remember when I had my first really bad bout of depression 20 years ago I had no idea what depression was. I had been to university but never knew that this was a clinical condition. I felt such shame going to a psychiatric hospital that I insisted my wife tell work that I had a really bad “virus”. That whole episode was kept a close family secret for so long because of my shame.

Fast forward to today, and as highlighted previously, there has been some progress. Unfortunately, the discussion of mental illness at work is still largely taboo. When doing research for my book “Back From The Brink” I asked people if they had personally experienced depression. Sixty five percent said they had experienced strong or very strong stigma. To try and find out where that stigma occurred I asked people how comfortable they were discussing their depression with various people. 61% said they were comfortable talking with their General Practitioner, 50% with their partner, 41% with their close friends, 28% with family, and 9% yes 9% with work colleagues. So 9 out of 10 people with depression don’t feel comfortable discussing it with work colleagues.

With the World Health Organisation saying that depression is going to be the second most disabling condition facing the world by 2020 pretending that mental illness doesn’t happen at work in absolute lunacy for both individuals and the organisation.

I am in the final stages of preparing a free ebook called “Best Practice in Managing Mental Illness in the Workplace” where I have pulled together information from around the world and looked at some of the recent successes in this area. It will be launched on Wednesday when John Brogden speaks at an AIM forum about mental health in the workplace. It will also be discussed the same day at a forum for Equal Employment Opportunity professionals.

We have to start standing up and talking about these issues openly. I look forward to any comments.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: , anxiety, depression, hospital, mental health at work, overcoming depression, psychiatric, stigma, stress