Charlotte Dawson – you will be missed
Sometimes, especially if people are wanting you to kill yourself, and you’re somebody who has previously tried to end your life, it’s very, very easy to feel like that’s exactly what you want to do. Charlotte Dawson – Sixty Minutes 2012.
In all the footage you find of her, Charlotte Dawson appears very brave and courageous – something that adds to the shock of today’s news.
Time and time again Charlotte Dawson appeared as strong as her message. Her intentions in campaigning against bullying, among other things, were so good. She was a role model! She may not have done everything right, but the way she kept getting back up, her strength, her courage … she was a positive figure to aspire to.
But today Charlotte lost her battle with depression. Is it another bullycide? The public may never know.
I didn’t know her personally, but we had something in common: campaigning against bullying and that is why I want to dedicate this post to her.
Charlotte Dawson was a model and television presenter who in recent times had a very public battle with Twitter trolls, some of whom she exposed. You just need to watch this to see for yourself that they were absolutely no match for her – she lived a lavish lifestyle in Woolloomooloo which, despite her struggles, she managed to maintain. Along with the brave front she held together, that’s a massive credit to her!
In this interview she appears so strong about her circumstances, you’d never pick her for having such a horrific battle with depression behind the scenes. And this is exactly why we need to be so careful with what we say to other people. Everyone has their own battles and demons they’re fighting. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago I blogged about being Being conscious of our words and how they affect others and this scenario is exactly why. Bullying is not ok and perhaps Charlotte’s Twitter trolls need to take a long hard look in the mirror before they post again!
Depression affects 1 in 4 four people and by 2020 it will be the world’s second largest killer.
Charlotte leaves us with her messages of hope and strength for those who suffer from depression and a book called Air Kiss and Tell – a very raw biography about her life. Check out this YouTube clip for more: The truth about Charlotte Dawson.
Charlotte Dawson – you may not have felt like much in your final moments – but you will be missed.
In 2012 I wrote a blog about Being proactive against bullying, with solutions – one being to start an online support network where those suffering at the hands of cyber bullies can get instant assistance from someone qualified. Or even unqualified! The idea of having Lifeline online.
“If you’re going to express those points of view, you should do it with a face and a name so you can be accountable,” Charlotte Dawson was quoted saying in an interview with in September 2012 following her Twitter attack that landed her in hospital following an attempted suicide.
Domestic Violence organisation, 1800 RESPECT, has recently introduced a similar functionality on their website where people can go online for direct assistance. We need that for anti-bullying and if anyone has the skills to put it together, I would be more than happy to team up, share ideas and start building it to make it happen.
In the meantime, if you are in crisis or are struggling with depression, please contact Lifeline for assistance: 13 11 14.
Related articles:
Charlotte Dawson found dead
TV celebrity Charlotte Dawson found dead at her Sydney home
Charlotte Dawson found dead in Woolloomooloo home
All about laughter therapy
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. Victor Hugo
According to the Humour Foundation, Monday, 1 April 2013 was National Smile Day. National Smile Day is the annual fundraising day to raise awareness and support for Clown Doctors in the local community. Did you miss it? It’s not too late to show your support and participate – the entire month of April marks Smile Month at Clown Doctors and Commonwealth Bank.
From October, there will be an increase in Clown Doctors visiting children in hospital around Australia – with the aim of reaching 10,000 more children each year. Clown Doctors currently visit 21 hospitals around the country drawing with them the inspiration that laughter is still the best medicine.
More information about the Humour Foundation’s Smile Month is available here.
To celebrate Smile Month, Happiness Weekly is looking into laughter therapy and how it can help you!
Laughing is the simplest, easiest and cheapest stress management there is. In fact, all humans, apes, and surprisingly dogs and rats, have the ability to laugh from birth. As the name suggests, laughter therapy is about laughing to get a particular result – usually to make us feel better in some way, but it can also relieve pain, reduce blood pressure and decrease stress.
There are various types of laughter therapy including laughter yoga (laughing out loud until it does become funny), laughter groups (sharing jokes, funny props, watching humorous videos), and Clown Doctors (who visit sick children in hospital). Generally one type of laughter therapy will appeal more than the others depending on your condition and circumstances.
When laughter is spontaneous and in response to something we think is funny, we get a better result than if it is forced. Understanding a joke increases happy hormones and endorphins, but it also lifts a weight off the brain. Having said that, it doesn’t matter how or why you laugh, because the mind responds in the same way – whether it’s real or fake. Having a bad day? Stand in front of the mirror and smile at yourself – eventually you will feel better.
Laughter Yoga Groups involved a group of people coming together to make the noise of laughter until it generates its own hilarity. The sessions include breathing, ho-ho-hoing and producing different laughs (with bizzare names such as: one metre, silent, cocktail and lion). Although it can be intimidating to start, laughing in a group is contagious.
Laughter groups are slightly more difficult to find but can help with pain management and weight loss. It encourages participants to take part using funny toys, props, jokes and fancy clothes. By attending a laughter group you will learn to laugh at yourself more easily and to treat life less seriously as a way to reduce stress.
Clown Doctors are recognised as the most important and useful form of laughter therapy. Sick children in hospital are “treated” with “doses of fun” to help them deal with laughter, fear, pain and anxiety. Clown Doctors have professional training within the Humour Foundation to offer high level skills in the midst of serious hospitals and illness, often making frightening hospital equipment and procedures into a parody.
Laughter is a great workout as it uses most of your body – including the heart and lungs. It breaks down barriers, makes you feel relaxed and encourages positive communication and enables smoother problem solving.
Without being crude, what is the funniest joke you know?
Laughter is the best medicine
When you laugh,
you change,
and when you change,
the whole world changes.
Dr Madan Kataria
Children laugh approximate four hundred times a day, while an adult will only laugh fifteen times a day, research has shown.
There are three major areas that sharing a laugh with a friend or colleague can benefit us: socially, mentally and physically.
Social benefits of laughter
– Strengthens relationships
– Attracts others to us
– Encourages spontaneity
– Builds rapport
– Enhances teamwork
– Defuses conflict
– Increases intimacy.
Dr Robert Provine Ph.D., (a neuroscientist who wrote Laughter: A Scientific Investigation (Penguin Books, 2001) said the health benefits of laughing may be a result of the social support it stimulates.
Mental benefits of laughter
– Reduces stress and anxiety
– Improves mood
– Enhances resilience
– Promotes wellbeing
– Boosts memory and alertness
– Increases happiness
– Shifts perspective.
Laughter yoga, also known as laughter therapy, has been introduced to enhance wellbeing amongst groups of people socially, in prisons, amongst patients, corporate clients etc. Dr Madan Kataria (an Indian physician from Mumbai) started the laughter club in a park on 13 March 1995 with five people. Today, laughter yoga is a worldwide phenomenon with more than 6000 social laughter clubs in over 60 countries including Australia, USA, China, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa. Dr Kataria believes “If laughter cannot solve your problems, it will definitely DISSOLVE your problems; so that you can think clearly what to do about them”.
Physical benefits of laughter
– Prevents heart disease
– Boosts immunity
– Lowers stress hormones
– Decreases pain
– Relaxes muscles
– Triggers the release of endorphins
– Exercises the diaphragm
– Reduces blood pressure
– Contracts the abs for a good work out🙂
Being happy is the best cure of all diseases. According to Dr Hunter “Patch” Adams, laughter boosts the immune system and helps the body fight off disease, cancer cells as well as viral, bacterial and other infections.
Dr Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga, says laughter should not be left to chance: commit to it and go for it.
Tips for laughing everyday
– Watch a comedy (funny movie or TV show)
– Search YouTube for funny clips (don’t forget to share them with your friends)
– Go to a comedy club
– Read jokes online
– Seek out funny people to socialise with
– Share a good joke or a funny story
– Join a “laughter yoga” class
– Goof around with children
– Do something silly
– Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke)
– Ask your friends what’s the funniest thing to happen to them recently
– Follow the laughter and don’t be afraid to ask ‘What is so funny?’ – more often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humour you find in it.
Some laughing facts
– Speakers laugh more than listeners
– Men are more attracted to women who laugh heartily in their presence
– Lucky for women – we laugh 126% more than men
– When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy
– Laughing 100 times roughly equals 15 minutes on an exercise bike
– Studies have pinpointed 18 different kinds of smiles. The most common is the smile of enjoyment
– You have to smile nearly a quarter of a million times to make one wrinkle
– 15 minutes of laughter equals the benefit of 2 hours sleep
– One good belly laugh burns off 3 1/2 calories
– Laughing for 15 seconds adds 2 days to your lifespan
– The Chinese laugh more than any other culture in the world
– According to study by Dr. Michael Titze, a German Psychologist, in the 50’s people use to laugh an average of 18 minutes a day. Today, that’s down to four to six minutes a day.