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10th October 2022

ali davenport

soul survival guide

writer, poet &

soul-searcher

depression and despair soul survival guide

world mental health day 2022

smiles.png

It’s World Mental Health Day 2022.

These are all photos of me from the last year. Such a smiley person. Such joie de vivre.

What if I told you that I’ve had some really difficult times with my mental health?

Those smiles aren’t put on. I’m a shiny person. I’m life-embracing.

But I struggle. And it’s been this way for over forty years.

In some ways, this last year has been the most challenging. But also the most transformative. When I started writing poetry again in the heart of the pandemic, I felt an unearthing in myself. I’ve found my way to a path that’s encouraging me to push through my walls; to shift the rubble and old debris.

I’m learning how little conventional healthcare has served me. It's about self-managing and functioning, not flowing and thriving.

Stuff keeps coming up that’s making me confront old patterns, old ways. It feels overwhelming at times but I don’t want to bury myself back down.

I’m pushing through with a roar.

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