‘When I feel depression knocking on the door, I know how to turn it away’

Philip Morgan, 66, reframed his mindset after going through a series of health challenges, including silent strokes (caused by a frontal lobe lesion), a cancer diagnosis, and young-onset vascular dementia.

“Life seemed simply hopeless,” he says. “I can now however talk about good ways to overcome hopelessness”.

Once sceptical about alternative mind and body practices, “it was all a bit woo-woo to me”, Philip found that during his recovery he “desperately needed to engage with and practice mental wellbeing.” 

He focused on rewiring the paths in his brain that control automatic thought patterns and behaviours, otherwise known as increasing his neuroplasticity. Two of the small changes he made were to talk to strangers more, and practising gratitude. 

“I would hate to come over as that nutter you don’t want to sit next to on the train, it’s more about striking up a conversation with people I’ve held the door open for, that sort of thing.”

While undergoing radiotherapy treatment, Philip tried to look at the positives of his situation. “It’s wonderful that the hospital staff can do something for me and haven’t sent me home because my diagnosis is beyond treatment.”

Philip has also learned to adapt to the effects of vascular dementia, including short-term memory loss. “On my bad days, I wake up and don’t know where I am or what day it is.” 

He refers to his smartphone as “an extension of my brain” as it holds vital information, including his calendar events and a contact book with names and photographs. “I’ve got used to not panicking in the morning, but mentally putting all the pieces of the jigsaw together.”

Perhaps his greatest aid in life is his dog, Wilson, a “scruffy” black Scottish Terrier who shares in his conversations. “Wilson is a pal, and he knows exactly what’s going on, he gets annoyed with me and I get annoyed with him, but we understand each other really well.”