Poison, rum, lime, $45,000 and movement..

Man said that his uncle - 60+ years - drank poison for the third time. "De man like poison.. he put a shot of rum in de poison.. we kerry he public .. but when he hear he gun get charge $45,000 - he get away.. couple day after.. he come by me fuh lime.. he seh dat rum, lime and pepper does help get over de poison.. he had to go back to [private].. dem nah gun charge he $45000 but he mussee had to pay nuff million dollar ..man wife seh she sick and he chirren nah a do nuttin.. "

No anecdote of whether any social worker intervened at any time from public or private hospital. 

Another man said... 'dem gah fuh stop show Indian picture.. all ah dem a kill dem self'.. I tried to explain that things change and now people don't kill themselves as much in Indian pictures.. and then in 'My name is Khan'.. Kajol tells Shah Rukh "I will kill myself if you don't take him out" ..

Every reported suicide in Guyana usually drives a series of lamentations of what can be done etc, but it is not so easy given that there are so many reasons, causes, internal and external .. and as with everything else, the partisan politics are invoked. If people are stressed out by poverty and other forms of violence, then the poverty and violence situation  has to change too at some point.

This last week has been rough. The body pains have been crazy.. triggered I think by multiple stresses - and while detachment and mindfulness are good, it has been difficult. I did not realise that I was taking on the Diwali janjhat so much even as I could make light of it. There are other stressors.  Body pains also make the body feel heavy and the mind less likely to work. I was determined not to take any medication for the pain but to try to find ways of fixing the pain.  The anxieties are also there about all kinds of things.. so all have to be managed.

I came across this interesting site about Men's depression and there is an important discussion about physical activity and movement.. thinking movement even if you do not have the energy to do anything.  I like to exercise alone, but I remember when I used to run, that there were one or two people who I could run with when feeling at my lowest.. the presence being encouragement rather than intrusion. They did not know that I was feeling low.

In addition to all the well meaning counselling centres and clinics, I wonder if in all the conversations, that there are also places apart from gyms where there could be communal kind of physical activity.  I remember a 10pm yoga session in Emancipation Park in Kingston Jamaica. I do not know if the Government would hire as part of a wellness programme, some wellness facilitators in different communities to help not only the 'expert sports' but the other persons who want to move.

A young man surprised me by asking about where to go to do meditation - I suggested the Raja Yoga Centre but he lived too far from the place.

There are a few places which have physical yoga classes. I liked the classes when I had attended but the discipline of the timing got to me.. even though routine is important in managing depression.

People have been shouting that 'tell someone' and 'reach out; and things like that. It is not easy to do that especially if the people who are being reached out to really are not able to hear another litany of woes.

So maybe an alternative could be.. let's go for a long walk, let's go plant some trees, clean a tomb in a cemetery, go for a yoga class or something like that. I know the Wellness gaff  is seen to be a bit flaky, white people-y, middle classy.. kind of thing.. and I have no idea how it could be demystified and provide alternatives say as rum, lime and pepper.


We have to try though, to work on wellness.. especially in the hard times.