IN TROUBLE, NEED HELP?

This is a help guide I quickly put together for all you that are in need. Unfortunately it is only limited to the London area, but I am sure that there's a similar organisations in bigger cities that can provide useful information.

If you don't have a place to live or a place for tonight, you should seek help at Shelter www.shelter.org.uk. They have a main office in the Old Street and they can find you a place for a night and give you an advice or call them for free: 0845 458 4590

Another organisation that can help you is Crisis. They provide free courses and workshops !You can study music production, photography, pilates, yoga, they have a plumbing workshop etc. Also they provide a tea and biscuits and free advice on whatever issue. Free internet, free phonecalls, CV writing workshops. You don't have to be homeless to go there, although it is mainly for people in need, it's also for general public and people on low income, it's for everyone that seeks education but can't afford it. It's good for the motivation too when your spirit is low. I can't tell how awesome this place is. www.crisis.org.uk

Right next to Crisis, there's a place in Wentwoth street where you can take a shower and also you can use the washing machine. They have a tea and some food there as well. I forgot the name of the place but if you go to Crisis they will tell you. Get there early to avoid the queue.

You can get a free phone calls from the Homeless Center in Bethnal Green. They also provide an advice and they have a plenty of useful leaflets with even more informations to take with you! They are open 5 days a week, 9.30-4pm, 62 Roman Road, Bethnal Green. 020 73647474. Sometimes heartbreaking, seeing so many mothers with babies and little families there but after a while you get used to it.

Another place I want to mention here is the London Buddhist Centre in Bethnal Green. That is the first place I felt that people were honest. Also they accept you for who you are without judging you. Truly unique place!

They do a drop-in meditation classes but also courses. They do the courses in mindfulness based on CBT therapy (Cognitive behavioural therapy) to prevent depression and addiction. Now I want to talk about the depression a bit. The depression is a very common condition. No you're NOT weird or a bad person for being depressed! Even animals can be depressed. It is a normal "illness" like having a flu and you should feel NO shame. Sometimes you're depressed even without realising it. With the depression you can lose the perspective and everything can be distorted. Some common symptoms are: Anger and/or irritability, persistent sadness, the feeling of being "empty", and anxious, changes in sleep patterns (insomnia, in particular during the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping which is also known as hypersomnia), loss of interest in everyday activities, appetite or weight changes (a significant weight gain or loss), irritability or restlessness, loss of energy, concentration problems, feeling worthless or ignored etc. It can be very subtle or very strong if so you should seek the professional help immediately! It is crucial that you deal with the problems. You can get these courses for free if you're a citizen of Tower of Hamlets and you're on low income! They also do courses to help you with chronic pain.

If you're ill (not seriously), eventhough NHS is free, sometimes you still have to pay for additional treatment like osteopathy, dentist etc. In that case, you should try to visit the college hospitals. Very often you can get a treatment for free, such as osteopathy, acupuncture etc. Talk to your GP. If you need to do an exercise as part of your rehabilitation but can't afford it then classes at Crisis (mentioned above) will be the starting point.

All this is lived through and it is my experience. There's so many issues that I haven't addressed but I hope this will serve as a basic guide, I am sure that you can find more informations on issues that concern you at these places or many libraries. It is important that you understand that there's a help available to you and you're NOT alone. But sometimes it’s hard to find a help when you don’t know where to look for it. That's the reason I wrote this guide. Sometimes you can't escape the feeling of isolation and annihilation, while walking their streets and staring at their billboards, that this world works in favour of the most privileged ones and that they are the only ones that deserve a good education and good health care. This is not true. We all deserve a good education and good health care. The less fortunate just have to fight for it every fucking day. As Joe Strummer said: "The struggle is all you've got" so I'm saying: Keep it up!