Mental Health and Boating

[Stourbridgeguy]

I have a mental health issue was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia 3 years ago at the age of 43. This resulted in me having to give up my career, which ironicley was in Mental Health. Since I was diagnosed I have tried various jobs, from running a pub (too stressfull), to working in a wharehouse. I have had to move house and return to live near family. My social life is just getting back on its feet, have always informed people I have met that I have a problem, I have found that they are understanding if I get into self distruct mode.

 

Ok you have the background now to the question in hand, yes the canals help me. If I get the downers, I phone my sister who lives just outside of Kidderminster, tell her I am on my way. Get on the canal at Merry Hill on the Dudley no 1, walk down the nine locks, as soon as I get past the stables I am more relaxed. I enjoy all aspects that this walk gives me from the industrial buildings to the social deprivation that this length of canal reveals. Then on to the Stourbridge 16, I always take time out at Dodfords Wharf to have sit and refelct on what might have been and always have a fag here

 

As soon as I pass under Wordsley bridge the old glass work buildings and their loading bays that are level with the water, it never ceases to amaze me how such buildings have been left to detiorate when there is so much history to be preserved. I then look forward to the greenery of the Staffordshire countryside that begins to open up before me, with the River Stour following the canal (or is it the other way round). This length of the canal gives me solitude, I know that I will not hear any traffic noise untill I get to Stourton Bridge. By the time I reach Stourton I am so chilled out I have more or less forgotten why I started this journey, maybe it is being next to nature, or there is so much to see.

 

The last time I did this treck I had a lovley suprise when I reached Stourton Junction on the Staffs & Worcs, there was a group of traveling entertainers playing Classical Folk Music on the tow path. It was so restfull the natural ampitheratre that Stourton Junction provides brought tears to my eyes, the way the music traveled over the water was just magical. I could have stayed here all afternoon but Gladys my Cocker decided that she wanted to contine the walk. So with regret I had to leave that magical moment that has been engraved in my memory for all time. I could still hear the music as I passed Stewpony Lock.

 

Now the Staffs & Worcs is my favourite part of my journey, I am amazed by the way that the canal is cut through the sandstone and after removing sandstone at my sisters house I know how hard it is to cut. This part of the journey gets me to the Vine Pub at Kinver where I stop for a light refreshment of a couple of pints, a packet of crisps and a bottle of water for the dog. A tip for folks walking the dog on a long walk, I carry a zip lock polythene bag which I roll over into a dish shape and fill with water for the dog, when it is time to carry on the bag is closed up and back in my pocket wet side in so my pocket remains dry. Onwards on the S&W towards the end of my journey at the Lo it is during this last part of the walk that I reflect on what made me start this epic walk of just over 18 miles and taking 7 hours, the things that were drivin me to distraction have been worked out, the things that were in my head have either been sorted or deemed to be not so important as I thought they were, things to be delt with, things to be left to their own devices but more than anything I am relaxed. It is with alittle regret that I have to leave the canal at the Lock Pub at Wolverleyto complete the last 2 miles of my walk to my sisters to get a lift home.

 

Sorry if this has gone on a bit but once I started to write I had memories flooding back and felt so uplifted I felt that I had to share. In conclution a big yes the canals lift my spirits and help me cope with everyday life.

 

Brightest Blessings

 

Dave

[morrisminor]

To all that have posted with their stories, I now realise that I am not the only one that has/had a 'problem', it can feel lonely

 

Your definately not alone mate, although yes it does feel like it sometimes, hope your well on the road to recovery.

 

I was surrounded by psychotic people abusing narcotics and was more upset by that than anything else

 

Shocking but true, I was told family members smuggle the drugs in.

 

There is a line of thought that says substance users may have a mental health issue beforehand but because the system hasn't scooped them up they self medicate with what is available in order to relieve the paranoia, voices, depression etc etc etc.

Just a thought, I'm not saying it is always the case

 

This is also true, but they may never suffer any problem until it is triggered by something ie drug abuse.

 

It's horrifying to hear that someone can be sectioned and then find themselves in a less protective environment than before. Secure wards are not necessarily the sanctuary we would all expect .... nay demand

 

The worse place I`ve ever been in, and I felt like I`d been sectioned aswell because I didn`t want to leave him on his own.

 

Now that he's out ........... does he have a CPN (community psychiatric nurse)? But most importantly a CARE PLAN

 

We have various teams of people visiting and they all seem very dedicated and caring and will hopefully restore my faith in the mental health system.

 

Good luck to you zenataomm and more power to your elbow for getting involved in helping sufferers.

[Melders]

I'm of the opinion that calm canal life, or at least a spell of it, can help some who are suffering from the astounding and shocking effects of the chemical inbalance that stress and anxiety can cause in the body and the old noggin.

 

Also, it might be worth bearing in mind that in this modern life we now lead , many man made chemicals are getting into our bodies that really shouldn't be in the same room as us.

As well as huge doses, minute amounts of nasty chemicals can have some very disturbing physical and mind altering effects on peeps..... including the boaters dreaded enemy - carbon monoxide!

 

For many of those who are suffering from some forms of mental health hiccups - take heart, you're not a nutcase ....it / you can often be made better. It can just sometimes take time, with the help of experts - and understanding family and friends, in getting your/the 'chemical mix' back to normal tickover mode.

[BlueStringPudding]

Something else that's surprisingly bad for you, and can really affect people without being diagnosed by doctors is electromagnetic radiation. For those in the know it's a common cause of insomnia and stress. We sleep next to electrical equipment (alarm clocks, lamps, mobile phone chargers, tv's in bedrooms etc, frequently left plugged in all night) and think nothing of it. But all that 240v circuitry running around our homes gives off electromagnetic radiation which some people are very sensitve too.

 

As a terrible insomniac since a kid, I've done a fair bit of research into this. I can't help but wonder whether the fact that I sleep soooo well on the boat is the reduced electromagnetic radiation. We've only got 12v electrics and that's minimal. (Lights and one socket plus water pump). We fair very well with that.

[Christine]

Ah ha! wot you need is a galvanic isolator twixt you and your bed post......back on topic......But you are so right. I sleep incredibly well on a boat - never do at home - get up, make a cuppa, read, radio - sleep - bit of surfing etc. On a boat it's 10.00pm (latest) to 7.00am straight through. Mind you, holidaying with Cap'n Tim is blooming knackering.

[Debby]

Both of us have, at various times of our lives, suffered from severe depression. Since moving to Macclesfield a year ago we have both found the canal to be an absolute life saver. Twice we have nealy had to move away due to w**k - both times it was the thought of leaving the Macc that stopped us. We find there is nothing better than a long walk along the towpath to get rid of the worries, pressures and stresses of life.

 

It'll be a long time till we can afford our own boat, and another year or so before we can even have a hire boat holiday. In the meantime we walk along the towpath most days with the dog, de-stressing and dreaming. So if you're passing through Macclesfield and see two people (and an elderly dog) gazing at you and your boat with extreme longing in our eyes, it'll be us. Give us a wave.

[blackrose]

For those who live aboard it think it cuts boat ways. I agree with what many of you have said and for me there are few places I'd rather be than on my boat, but I also think living on a boat can be a mental (and physical) challenge, especially if you really cut the ties to land and continuously cruise. This rootless way of life with all one's worldly posessions inside a floating tube can lead to feelings of both liberation and vulnerability.

 

I've lived abroad for much of my adult life, starting off backpaking and ending up living in the Far East for a decade, and I heard it said several times by other expats that this lifestyle consciously or subconsciously often attracted people who didn't fit in to their own societies very well. I wonder if for many liveaboard boaters it's a similar situation?

[denkirk]

Many thanks for the nice comments to my post, I'm quite chuffed really, I didn't know if I made sense or was a mile off being sensible. As for the posts regarding insomnia, I never ever sleep better than when I'm on the boat, at home I toss and turn all night, on the boat I'm zonked out as if I've been hit with a hammer! I'm not sure as to why this is, but you've given me some interesting points to consider, the electromagnetic theory is very believeable and one I'd not considered, the slight movement of the boat that relates to some pre-birth movement is another I've herd, the quiet, the solitude, the escapism. Truth be told, who cares? it works and that's enough for me.

 

I also had to take early retirement from work due to injury and the boat for us as been our lifesaver, without it I dread to think where we'd be! Life's good on the cut, our pace, more or less our rules, nice folk, decent friends, we love it and it's saved our sanity many times. Are there any mental health organisations that have boats? and if not why not?

 

To you all who've posted with frankness and honestly about your life and it's problems I applaud you and wish you well, let's see a day when mental health has no stigma but is seen as an illness with cures. If I can be of any help to anyone who needs a day out in Lancashire next spring give me a pm or a post, what's the use of keeping the answer to ourselves if we can help each other lead happier lives?

 

Denis.

[blackrose]

Many thanks for the nice comments to my post, I'm quite chuffed really, I didn't know if I made sense or was a mile off being sensible. As for the posts regarding insomnia, I never ever sleep better than when I'm on the boat, at home I toss and turn all night, on the boat I'm zonked out as if I've been hit with a hammer! I'm not sure as to why this is, but you've given me some interesting points to consider, the electromagnetic theory is very believeable and one I'd not considered, the slight movement of the boat that relates to some pre-birth movement is another I've herd, the quiet, the solitude, the escapism. Truth be told, who cares? it works and that's enough for me.

 

It might be as simple as more fresh air - many people have similar experiences of sleeping much better in a tent.

[Tony Brooks]

Dear all, I was sorry to see a previous thread close that drifted in to a discussion of Mental Health Related issues. (tho the reasons for its closure were very correct).

 

I feel the subject, Mental Health, is worthy of a fuller discussion. I would hope however that it does not degrade to name calling or relate to any individual's circumstances, and would ask the Moderators to monitor its content.

 

Although I have never been diagnosed with any formal mental health issue, I like so many on this forum have to acknowledge the sense of well being that boat owership and cruising the system has given me. Indeed, I would suggest that some people are drawn or recommended to boat ownership as a form of de,stressing or self medication.

 

The term, "getting out of the rat race" is often heard. Obviously there are people who have opted out of society and "hermitized" themselves canal side. However it is not these folk that I see as central to the discussion,,,,

 

But would like to ask fellow members how they feel the canal lifestyle has helped them. Hopefully this thread will then become yet another resource on which members can draw. (so lets be sensible with this one guys).

 

 

All I can say is that if I had not been able to buy the boat and "get away" for a weekend a month I think I may well have topped myself or drunk myself into oblivion. The boat provided the prospect of far better days ahead if I could only get there.

 

In the time leading up to the boat purchase my employers (a large FE College) were placing all sorts of demands upon me (and all the other lecturing staff) and setting targets. They also supported and encouraged all sorts of "underlings" to set targets and make demands. Unfortunately they forgot to monitor the time staff needed to work to stand any chance of meeting the targets etc, and appeared to think the staff could do it all without any more resources and support. Even when I proved to them that I was working very close to a 70 hour week on a 12 days on, two days off basis they were still unable to comprehend the results of their actions. (remember FE staff do not get overtime!).

 

Many staff took the line of least resistance and ignored it all, but it was the students who suffered and I went into FE to help students, not destroy their chances in life. I found the constant tension between the demands of the job and the very proper demands of my family impossible to resolve, so I started "relaxing with a bottle of wine" at weekends - and the two and so on. At least I slept well on a Friday night!.

 

Having bought the boat my employer suddenly discovered that I had knowledge that they could exploit and which they did not know about. However the exploiting of this knowledge showed me a whole new set of people, many of who do need the sort of help I can give/sell. This knowledge allowed me to plan an earlier then originally planned retirement from full time work and the boating kept me sane for the last few years before I retired.

 

Now I am busier than never, working part time in FE, but not getting hassled because my managers see me as doing them a favour and also running courses for boaters and giving helps and advice.

 

By and large boaters are lovely people with an age profile that means common courtesy is the norm. I do get wound up now and again, but a day or so on the boat sorts it all out - even if it stays tied up.

 

Tony Brooks

[barroca grande]

I'm feeling a little down at the moment and this thread has made me a bit tearful!! I am a self employed accountant bookkeeper and work at various sites as well as at home and lately it feels as if everyone wants a piece of me (including boyfriend who has got his leg back in a full length pot and needs looking after for the second time this year) until there is nothing left for me. Luckily one of the owners on our shareboat is not using their week so I have been able to book a weekend on the boat all by myself. A little bit of time for me. Not actually spent any time on the boat solo apart from half a day so it will be interesting to see whether it is what I expect it to be. I am pretty sure it will as I love being alone at the back steering. I am the sort of person who needs to have time alone anyway just to keep me sane and since boyfriend has effectively been living with me since March, 2007 has been very short of alone time.

 

I particularly look forward to being able to decide when or where to stop without it being a committee decision. Bliss. And yes we both sleep brilliantly on board. 10pm? more like 9pm after a long day in the fresh air.

 

I think any sort of travel with no destination is good for the soul. No pressure.

 

Recently read a book called 'tuk tuk to the road' where two girls (one of whom had mental problems) drive a pink tuk tuk from bankok to UK to raise money for Mind. They had quite an adventure.

 

Last night at my aunts 80th birthday party my mum had an episode that required calling an ambulance after various tests they decided not to take her in. I thought it was a stroke but they assure me that it wasn't. She seems okay now but it certainly brought it home to me our own mortality. She and I are agreed that neither of us want to live a half life. All or nothing.

 

So roll on 2008 my boat starts being built then - it has got to be a better year.

 

Smile - even if you are feeling down the action of smiling helps you feel better.

 

So

[NB Willawaw]

Cheer up Bobcat

 

Solo boating is wunnerful...

[Mr Baites]

looks like amt onli one wots ok on eer bura wer born ont boat ya see thas probliy Wye meks ya a difrent kinda person ya see likea jipsi wot can r eedt fuwtur n that a can do alsorts yano

[Bones]

i was told once that "boating was perfect for a tired and weary mind", and i think that sums it up entirely.

 

Something I love about boating life, especially with my boat, is that there is ALWAYS something to do. Plenty to occupy the hands, the head and the heart. Not only that but nature is beautiful and boating provides a way of seeing a world that is beautiful and is part of our daily life. Often there simply isn't time to be meloncholy, or angry or down. Boating life provides a distraction, and boaters themselves are such an ecelectic mix that they are accepting of the individual and of our privacy.

 

I don't think I would ever recommend living on a boat as a cure to mental health issues, but I think it really can be a godsend to many people, and not just those with MH issues. People will always talk to you at the lock, and for many people having a 'hello' is a godsend.

 

The other element of boating I have discovered is that you have to swallow your pride and dependence and ask for help, which you will always get, and in turn people will ask for your help - this is what Community is all about, and the boater community is still alive, unlike many land dwelling communities.

[pagan witch]

I had a pretty rough time a few years ago. Wife of 14 years told me to sod off - came out of the blue. I had a plan to end it all but then . . . .

 

I was immensly lucky and met the wonderfull lady that for some obscure reason best known to herself has decided that I'm worth hanging around with. Together we bought our boat and have never been happier. We are surrounded by a great bunch of people on the marina and have an extended family of boaters who we share a few moments with as we pass on our assorted travels.

 

I always likened depression to sitting on a beach with your back to the sea. Sometimes the waves of depression are so far away as to be barely heard, sometimes the tide comes in and the 'noise' is louder and every once in a while a freak wave gets up and your arse gets wet - problem is you never know when the freak 'wave' is on its' way.

 

All of this lead me to consider my approach to life and hence my Wych followings. Each to their own but I have found that the boating world allows me the opportunity to do something nice for someone just about every day, and it seems to me this always comes around. I accept that other faith systems have similar viewpoints and I do of course respect these - like I say, each to their own.

[Teadaemon]

Something else that's surprisingly bad for you, and can really affect people without being diagnosed by doctors is electromagnetic radiation. For those in the know it's a common cause of insomnia and stress. We sleep next to electrical equipment (alarm clocks, lamps, mobile phone chargers, tv's in bedrooms etc, frequently left plugged in all night) and think nothing of it. But all that 240v circuitry running around our homes gives off electromagnetic radiation which some people are very sensitve too.

 

As a terrible insomniac since a kid, I've done a fair bit of research into this. I can't help but wonder whether the fact that I sleep soooo well on the boat is the reduced electromagnetic radiation. We've only got 12v electrics and that's minimal. (Lights and one socket plus water pump). We fair very well with that.

 

Sorry, but whatever's causing your insomnia, it's highly unlikely to be electromagnetic radiation, that's a story made up by people wanting to sell useless junk, and perpetuated by people who're looking for something to blame because they feel unwell and can't find a cause. Here is an excellent paper I found on the subject of electrosensitivity (specifically sensitivity to mobile 'phones). The conclusions reached were as follows:

 

"Short-term exposure to a typical GSM base station-like signal did not affect well-being or physiological functions in sensitive or control individuals. Sensitive individuals reported elevated levels of arousal when exposed to a UMTS signal. Further analysis, however, indicated that this difference was likely to be due to the effect of order of exposure rather than the exposure itself."

[blackrose]

Sorry, but whatever's causing your insomnia, it's highly unlikely to be electromagnetic radiation, that's a story made up by people wanting to sell useless junk, and perpetuated by people who're looking for something to blame because they feel unwell and can't find a cause. Here is an excellent paper I found on the subject of electrosensitivity (specifically sensitivity to mobile 'phones). The conclusions reached were as follows:

 

"Short-term exposure to a typical GSM base station-like signal did not affect well-being or physiological functions in sensitive or control individuals. Sensitive individuals reported elevated levels of arousal when exposed to a UMTS signal. Further analysis, however, indicated that this difference was likely to be due to the effect of order of exposure rather than the exposure itself."

 

I haven't read the paper but I've got to agree. When I was working at Imperial College London, I met a fellow researcher who was in the middle of the UK's largest and longest study on the effects of electromagnetic radiation. As a big user of telecoms devices, his research was based on the the police force. Although the study still had some time to run, he told me at the time that there was no firm evidence of any health effects, so it's quite wrong to say that it's bad for you based on heresay without proper scientific evidence.

[pagan witch]

As I live on my boat I'd like to add to the electromagnetic discusssion by practical pointers.

 

When we are marina based (most of the time) we are on a mains hook up. Down each side of the boat, tacked under the gunwale is a mains lead. The mains lead down the corridor side of the boat is, when we are at the marina fed direct from the shore line. The line that runs the other side parallels our double bed and whilst we are shore based it too is fed from the shore line by plugging its end into a socket on the corridor side (it is in effect a long spread out extension lead). We therefor have 2 mains 'spurs' rather than a ring main.

 

All the 12v stuff remains unchanged whether we are at the marina or out cruising.

 

When we are out cruising we unplug the spur that runs down the bed side of the boat and plug it into an inverter. As we have full sized domestic fridge freezer on board this is always on whilst we are cruising - even overnight as we have a 440 Ah domestic bank. This means that the mains nearest to us is on whether we are at marina or out cruising.

 

When at the marina (and therefore at work all day) I often wake up half way through the night - sometimes so awake that I get up for a few hours and get some 'office' work done (I am general Manager of a driving instructor school with 100 instructors to look after).

 

HOWEVER - and thankyou for bearing with me on this . . . . As soon as we get away from 'home' - even if it is less than an hour away to our favourite overnight spot I sleep like a log.

 

Therefore I am more inclined to believe that it is the lack of stress, general good humour, fresh air and slow pace that does the job rather than the lack of any electromagnetic field as the only difference we have whilst cruising is the corridor side mains line not being live (but the one beside our bed reamains so).

[blackrose]

I am more inclined to believe that it is the lack of stress, general good humour, fresh air and slow pace that does the job rather than the lack of any electromagnetic field.

 

I think you are probably right.

[sleeper]

For the princely sum of £20 upwards you can buy(from the net) a gadget called an EMF meter(electromagnetic fields meter) which measures EMF fields given off from things; theres lots of pages on the net that will tell you about possible health concerns of high readings etc. (I'm talking from everything with electricity in it, not necessarily mobile phones). There are lots of pages on the net about the possible side effect of such things, including overhead power lines and the frequency of leukaemia in people living near these power sources.

 

Its an interesting comment though about us all sleeping right next to power cables running down gunwales and its one I had not considered!. Thank you for bringing this up.

[pagan witch]

Its an interesting comment though about us all sleeping right next to power cables running down gunwales and its one I had not considered!. Thank you for bringing this up.

 

I think that unless you make a concious decision when planning the installation it would be hard to incorporate mains without running it close to you - after all we only have 7 ft max to play with.

 

I have often wondered about the field around an electric blanket, many of which now are used all night.

 

I have a very open mind to all such things, yet despite this use a mobile phone lots (I have a 1,200 minute contract & that of course doesn't include incomings). Have seen some very interesting articles on what can happen to water molecules under certain conditions but don't know enough to make an informed comment other than . . .

 

We as humans are nowhere near as smart as we may like to think we are - we know very little. The average Brit now couldn't survive a few days in the wilderness yet we are surrounded by all manner of edible things. Most of us can't even start a fire. Smart eh ?

[Teadaemon]

For the princely sum of £20 upwards you can buy(from the net) a gadget called an EMF meter(electromagnetic fields meter) which measures EMF fields given off from things; theres lots of pages on the net that will tell you about possible health concerns of high readings etc. (I'm talking from everything with electricity in it, not necessarily mobile phones). There are lots of pages on the net about the possible side effect of such things, including overhead power lines and the frequency of leukaemia in people living near these power sources.

 

Its an interesting comment though about us all sleeping right next to power cables running down gunwales and its one I had not considered!. Thank you for bringing this up.

 

You know what, I already have several devices that can detect electromagnetic waves and give me audible warning that they're present - radio receivers.

 

Yes I admit there's a lot of pages on the 'net claiming a link between electromagnetic waves and a wide variety of symptoms, but that doesn't mean there's any truth in their claims (which is not to say that people aren't experiencing symptoms, just that those symptoms aren't caused by electromagnetic radiation). All the peer-reviewed research I've seen suggests that people aren't affected in any way by electromagnetic radiation unless they're moving within a magnetic field strong enough to induce significant current within their body (like that generated by some of the more powerful MRI machines in existence, which can be in the order of 10-12 Tesla).

[sleeper]

Yes I admit there's a lot of pages on the 'net claiming a link between electromagnetic waves and a wide variety of symptoms, but that doesn't mean there's any truth in their claims.

 

 

Similarly it doesn't totally rule it out as total tosh though does it?

Can you say hand on heart there is absolutely no way EMF can cause illness or side effects? Can you show me undeniable proof?

[Barry]

its intersting and its a debate but we are in danger of losing the tone of this thread which is one of the specific benefits of boating - lets not lose that rare precious tone by involving ourselves in discussions about the scientific proofs of this and that

 

We all know how good boating is good for lots of people, especially those who find solace and comfort in it - we don't need scientific proof of that and its that we are talking about

 

Come on guys - go with the flow - its lovely

[Keeping Up]

Can you say hand on heart there is absolutely no way EMF can cause illness or side effects? Can you show me undeniable proof?

Unfortunately whilst if there is such a link, it could possibly be proved, if there is no such link its absence can never be proved. For that reason the most fanciful of connections will always be postulated, unfortunately obscuring the ones which are genuinely harmful.