Finding light through the darkness

To mark World Mental Health Day today, Nadine O’Regan and Arlene Harris asked a number of individuals from different fields how they cope when they’re experiencing a tough time in their lives – and what they do to help lift their spirits

‘To catch the sun glinting on the waves. Where the colours constantly change, and the evening sun lights up the sea. The sights and sounds fill my senses, lifting my spirits, filling me again with a zest and enthusiasm to face the future’

John Boyne

When I was a child, I hated attending piano classes. I didn’t like the music, the teachers or the fact that it interfered with my half-day from school every Wednesday. Now that I’m an adult, I recognise that music has been one of the great gifts my father has given me. When I’m feeling low – and I’m not ashamed to say that I have a long history of depression and have taken ...