I wrote this on the last night of my tour of performing Sane New World. I could give out a little "whoop" but I'm extremely sad at endings even though I should know that everything ends and that there are always new beginnings after the endings but I don't see that part. (I'm a glass completely empty kind of person.) Even though there have been terrible travels on this tour (tonight I got on the wrong train, got off at the wrong stop, stood hunched alone in freezing cold, waiting for a bus (no heating) to take me somewhere recognizable where I begged someone in the parking lot for a lift to my theatre and luckily, they took pity), I loved doing my show.

So, I'm opening at the Arts Theatre London, on January 19th for a month in the West End. How happy will I be to be in one place for a month? Please come to see me, I don't want to be standing there talking to air.

The theatre is allowing me to do walk-in meetings where the public are invited to come free to sessions on mindfulness. These will happen three times - on 27th January, 3rd February and 10th February from 2-4pm. There will be access to the theatre from 1.30pm. During the sessions you can meet with a team of experts from the charity Sane to get your questions answered and to get help if need be . I'll also have great speakers (for instance, Peter Fonegy, head of the Anna Freud Centre and an expert on mindfulness for kids in schools). My job will be serving cookies and tea.

I've had walk-in centres before - during a run I did in the West End about five years ago and it was fantastic to behold. People were so grateful and relieved to at last make contact with someone who could offer help and an understanding of what they were going through. I remember, there was a woman at the first meeting who said she didn't want to live anymore and by week five she had a gang of friends around her as a support group and you could visibly see her come out of her misery.

After my show closes on February 13th, I'm going to start my walk-in centres in earnest, by piloting them in conjunction with Marks and Spencers who are supporting the scheme as part of their community programme 'Spark Something Good', which is backed by the charity Mind. They are signatories of Time to Change meaning they're dedicated to stopping the stigma and discrimination against any employees who have mental health problems

It has always been my dream to have these centres where you can meet your people and therefore feel less isolated. These meetings aren't necessarily for those with mental illness but for those who feel they're on the cusp of burning out or simply going up the ladder of 'stressdom'. Meeting other people in the same boat is almost half the cure. We are all so ashamed that we have vulnerabilities, all thinking we should be so strong and on top of things. This is so exciting for me to offer these centres; I know if we want to stop the stigma that there is strength in numbers.

Walk in Clinics at the ARTS THEATRE - no booking required
Please note that the first February date has been changed to 5th February due to a funeral.
6-7 Great Newport St, London WC2H 7JB
2 - 4pm 
January 27 2016
February 5 2016
February 10 2016

Ruby's new book - A Mindfulness Guide For The Frazzled - will be published in January 2016. Be the first to find out more here. Don't miss out on the last chance to see her Sane New World show - at the Arts Theatre in London, Jan 19 - Feb 13 2016.
Follow Ruby Wax on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RubyWax

Some great questions here - thank you all so much for sending them in.  Don't forget, you can ask me anything over on twitter by sending me a tweet @RubyWax with #AskRuby

 
@MichaelKhalsa
@Rubywax What helps you when depression hits? #AskRuby xx
 
Realizing that depression has really hit and not pretending its not there and will just go away if I stay busy enough or distract myself enough.  Then indulge myself till it passes.
 
@DepressiveDiary
@Rubywax #AskRuby Are you ever ashamed of your depression and if so, how do you challenge that?
 
Yes, when I think the suffering that’s going on in the world, I’m ashamed because I’m not under siege nor is anyone firing guns at me.  I keep saying it’s 1 in 4 and depression doesn’t care who it gets no matter how privileged or safe.
 
@gem82running
@Rubywax How can I avoid passing on my anxiety and depression to my future children? PS Loved your show, been 3 times so far #AskRuby
 
Thanks for being nice about my show.  Depression isn’t something you pass like a virus. If someone has five kids, not all of them get it or get passed the mental illness parcel. It’s Russian roulette when it comes to who inherits what and whether it’s nature or nuture.  If you stay awake to their needs and aware of your syndrome then the offspring stands more of a chance for a better life. Love makes up for quite a lot of potential emotional problems.
 
@MichelleRey75
@Rubywax #AskRuby  what are you thoughts on the use of mobile phones around young children and early childhood brain development
 
I don’t know, I’m not an expert in the field but I know if I didn’t have a mobile I wouldn’t have survived.
 
@jays_ben
How does a relationship survive depression? #AskRuby

Only if you have a ‘loving you no matter what’ partner.If they don’t get it and think you might be just too lazy to pull yourself together, it won’t survive.  It’s a tragedy but it’s true some people can’t take watching indefinable mental suffering and feeling helpless, they abandon the ship.
 
@advantardeodus
What degree of stigma do you think there is around mental health in the UK/Internationally? What should the government be doing? #AskRuby

Changing laws so people with mental illness can’t be stigmatised. It should be illegal.
 
@advantardeodus
@Rubywax Hi. What are your opinions on Mind and Rethink? Thoughts about upcoming Psychedelic therapy? Best book recommendations? #AskRuby
 
We should kiss the helm of Mind and Rethink, without those charities there would be mayhem in the streets; they give advice and tell you how to get help….what’s not to like?
I always thought psychedelics were good for your health.  If you’re going to be out of your mind you might as well go for the real thing.
 
@dgtlghst
@Rubywax What do you do on those days where you don't feel like you can get out of bed? #AskRuby
 
I don’t get out of bed.
 
@wilkesy5
@Rubywax how does touring impact on your mental health? Do you find it more difficult to manage your depression on the road? #askruby
 
I love being on a train; my happiest moments are when I don’t have to give face time to anyone and be able to focus in on my writing as scenery whizzes by and once in awhile I see a cow – bliss.
 
@mikebythepond
@Rubywax #AskRuby can I come round to your's for egg and chips please? Don't mind oven readies

No, I don’t do chips; never have.  An egg I can make - I’m not completely useless.
 
 @davco72
#askruby  Love your book. What's your top tip to stop the brain running wild thinking about  scenarios that will never happen?
 
For me doing mindfulness is the control tower but everyone has to find their own means of curbing rumination, which is the devil and leads no where, only down.
 
@ScienceCaroline
@Rubywax #askruby Did (or do) you ever worry that achieving emotional control via mindfulness might take the edge off being funny? after all, seeing the world differently is part of what makes a person funny. Emotional calm = less funny??!
 
Mindfulness just cuts out the fat so I’m not thinking about my dry cleaning or buying another towel when I’m trying to write a funny line.  It gives you edge; doesn’t take it off.
 
@Lucymdancer
@Rubywax #askruby what do you think is the biggest misconception about the practice of #mindfulness and ur suggestion for overcoming it?
 
That you lose your edge and that your mind is supposed to empty and go blank. (It goes blank when you die that’s the only time)
 
@HollHox
@Rubywax What advice would u give fellow creatives who struggle when low & don't know how to keep going / see a future with it? #AskRuby

I can’t give advice, when you’re that low it only pisses you off when people say, “It will pass” but the truth is it will pass.
 
@akapeachie
@Rubywax I'd love some tips on how to apply mindfulness while busy looking after a toddler! #AskRuby
 
Read my next book out in January, “Mindfulness Guide For the Frazzled” it gives all that advice and more on just about everything.