Depression in Cricket

Article in today's Daily Telegraph gives sympathetic coverage to Michael Yardy, the England cricketer, and his fight with depression.  I have no doubt that there will be some in the sport who will tell him to pull himself together and get on with it but I am glad that he does seem to be getting the support he needs.

You can read the full article here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/8459510/Michael-Yardys-battle-with-depression-should-act-as-a-warning-to-administrators-says-Englands-Matt-Prior.html

I'm Sorry If I Got Angry

I would describe myself as passionate - others would say 'volatile' or 'hot headed' if they are being kind.  I've always known I had a short fuse and could easily blow up and despite years of trying I've never managed to keep my temper totally under control. Yesterday I suddenly realised that getting angry is just another part of my depression.  You see depression isn't just being down in the dumps, it's when your emotions control you instead of you controlling them. I live on a rollercoaster which can make me happy or sad for no apparent reason and having a short fuse is just another part of that.

What I’m not doing is trying to excuse my behaviour nor am I saying that to be angry is wrong.  Starting with the second one anger is not sin; God gets angry so it must be OK; what does matter is what we get angry about.  God doesn’t get angry about just anything but about injustice and sin so it’s OK for us to get angry when other people are treated badly. However we shouldn’t get angry about anything that annoys us as it could well be us who are in the wrong.  I get angry about things for both the right and wrong reason but the real problem for me is that I ‘explode’ rather easily.  Unfortunately this is just part of the illness called depression and so while it can be controlled to an extent I will always be rather volatile.  All I can do is to apologise afterwards when I’ve calmed down and hope that most people will realise that it isn’t me going ‘off on one’ but my illness.

If I’ve ‘blown up’ at you for no apparent reason I’m sorry.  I don’t like being like this but I have to put up with it and I hope you will give me a bit of leeway and accept me for what I am.  You see the other side of the coin is that the very volatility that make me ‘go bang’ also enables me to be aware and sensitive to other people feelings and I don’t want to lose that as it’s a gift from God.

The Ozone Layer

Did anyone else notice this article?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12969167

When I read it my I immediately thought "Of course" but that's because I'm old.  What I mean is I have noticed in my lifetime that it has become easier to get sunburnt! I know that I burn very easily but it even allowing for that it does seem to me that it takes less time for anyone to burn and we all have to use a lot more sunscreen (or as it used to be called "sun tan lotion") these days.  If the damage to the ozone layer is in the northern hemisphere as well as in the south this would go some way to explaining what I've noticed.

I must go as I have to find my sunhat before I carry our winter duvet to the launderette to be cleaned.