Dear @NiallHarbison ,
I’ve been following you and the incredible work you do for quite some time now, and I just wanted you to know that we hear you, we understand you, and we are behind you.
I think sometimes people only see what we achieve, the things we get done and the people or animals we help.
They don’t always see what’s happening behind the scenes. They don’t see the battles going on in our heads. We might physically stop for a few hours, but our minds don’t necessarily stop with us.
Your honesty about what you’re going through is incredibly powerful. You may not realise it, Nial, but you inspire me on some of my own darkest days. When I’m struggling with those days of downness, seeing what you do, the lives you change and the love you have for those dogs reminds me to keep going too.
The inspiration you give reaches so much further than you know. It reaches people like me, my charity, and so many others who are trying to make a difference in our own little corners of the world.
So while you’re busy reminding everyone else that it’s okay not to be okay, please remember that you’re allowed to have those days too. You don't always have to be the strong one.
Take the time you need. Keep using those tools, keep talking, keep walking, keep breathing and let the people around you carry a little of the weight when you need them to.
The work you do matters. You matter. And the spark you think you’ve lost is still there , sometimes it just gets buried under the fog for a while.
From one person trying to make a difference to another , thank you for everything you do, Nial 🧡
We’re all behind you. Keep going. The sun will rise again. 🌅🐾
I’ve been suffering from the worst depression for about 10 days now. Maybe a month really in total but it’s been a dark fog for 10 days. I’ve really had to dig so deep to try and get through it.
As deep as I did when I had to give up drinking and ended up in hospital. As deep as when Tina, Snoop, Jumbo and Derek died within a few months.
This wave of darkness has been especially bad. I’ve had to use all the tools I know. Breathing exercises. Walking alone. Talking to friends. It’s extra frustrating as I try to do everything right and it still keeps coming. As anybody who suffers knows the symptoms hitting me are…
🧠 Brain moving in slow motion. Thoughts are like molasses. Indecision. Lethargy etc.
😴 Incredibly poor sleep. Waking with anxiety 2-3 times a night.
😬 Small panic attacks where I can feel my heart thinking it might stop or explode.
😖 Extreme irritability. Even with my dogs and people and things I like.
I like to share it because I think it can help others. People will say I have a lot on my plate with hospital builds and the scope of what we are doing. But to be honest I know how hard it is for a mother trying to get 2 kids to school. A young chef (used to me) who is addicted to booze and doesn’t know who to tell. An elderly person with a life of anxiety and no social circle. Every type of person in every walk of life can suffer. Since I’ve shared it I get messages from executives, sports people, performers, celebs and some of the most outwardly confident people in life. It can hit anybody.
The 2 things I think about the most to try beat it are Tina and some of the dogs we’ve helped. Tina will get me through this tough phase and I’ll keep my promises to her. The other dogs in their homes with their wonderful humans show me why we do this. I need to get my spark back to help all those future dogs.
To those who support and send me messages and leave comments it helps more than you’ll ever know. One of these mornings the sun will rise and things will click back to normal. It always does.
Please look after yourselves and be kind to others as you never know what someone might be going through. ❤️
