Death Cafe Projects are Livelier Than You Would Think (#3/115)

A 'Death Cafe', the place you can go if you are dying to talk about the morbid facts of death. 

The idea came from Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz who opened 'Café Mortal' in 2004. This was the first ever pop up cafe where groups met up to talk about death. After being founded over ten years ago, Crettaz has since set up hundreds of cafes across Switzerland.

The trend of talking about death soon caught on with over two thousand lively cafes popping up around the globe since the movement first began. 

There is yet to be a permanent death cafe, however, Jon Underwood UK 'death specialist' has worked throughout his career to develop a series of projects surrounding the idea of the acceptance of death. After being inspired by the work of Crettaz, Jon started his own death cafe in his home in 2010 with the help of his mother, psychotherapist Sue Barksy Reid. 

Jon Underwood explained, "We don't want to shove death down people's throats."

"We just want to create an environment where talking about death is natural and comfortable."

Jon has gone onto inspire others across the world, in countries such as the US, Germany and New Zealand. 

Health Councilor for widowed women Audrey Pellicano, hosts death cafes in New York. Having worked as a grief councilor for several years she recognized the benefits of sharing grievances and how de-stigmatizing death allows for people to become accepting of their own life ending. 

Death cafes are for most still an unknown intriguing concept, however they are increasingly common. Next month Manchester, Darlington, Hampstead and Brighton will all play host to death cafes. 

You can find out where the nearest cafes to you are on their website!

Insomnia: The Awakening Truth.

Calling yourself an insomniac may be a commonly phrased way of explaining the lack of sleep you get from time to time. However for some it is a reality, a condition that controls peoples lives.

It is reported that three in ten Britons suffer from insomnia- a condition that can be medically defined as a persistent disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep or both, despite the opportunity for adequate sleep. Thus leading sufferers' feeling unrefreshed, which takes a toll on the ability to function during the day.

Causes of insomnia can be due to stress anxiety, drug use and depression, furthermore, experts now say that it is a hereditary condition.

Unlike short term unblissful bouts of sleep, chronic insomnia can effect the relationships of those surrounding the sufferer. 

Everyone has had an experience of sleep deficiency of which results in mood swings, uneasiness and an inability to concentrate. But it is becoming a more common struggle to a large amount of people due to the desirable internet. Those who are over actively comprising their sleep to satisfy their technological cravings are allowing their bodies to become subject to a regular unscheduled sleep patterns. Before more modern times forcing your body to relax and ease itself into a comforting sleep was an easier process. But now with the internet at large our sleep is forever being threatened. 

The internet allows us to break down any sense of a routine, (especially for teenagers,) leading to drowsiness during the day and unmanageable alerted states in the more unsociable early hours of the morning. We are only leading ourselves as a technologically advanced world astray to to the natural inner workings of our body clocks.

Insomniacs help yourselves. Tune out of your headphones. Shut down your devices and allow your body to reiterate how blissful the luxury of an undisturbed good nights sleep really is!