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Why Practice Gratitude?
Gratitude is often a part of life that is missed out. We spend so much time and energy living life, getting through each day, surviving, that we can forget the things we have to be thankful for. No day is perfect, and it’s not always easy to find something to be grateful for. But by simply stopping for a moment and being thankful it can do wonders for your mood. Practicing gratitude isn’t necessarily about making you feel better about your life. I know when you are in the throws of mental illness, especially depression, it can feel like you have nothing good to offer. And no, gratitude is not…
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Why I’m Ditching New Year’s Resolutions
First of all, Happy New Year (and decade) to all you lovely people. I hope it brings you nothing but joy and happiness, and health. I’m here to talk to you about a very popular part of this time of year – New Year’s Resolutions. This post was maybe a better idea for before we’d rung in the New Year, but I needed a break with all the celebrations that were going on, so it wasn’t ready until now. New year’s resolutions are so popular, and I have nothing against anyone who has decided to make some this year (if you have please do share them in the comments below),…
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Brain fog made me do it
Brain fog is a very common symptom of any chronic illness, the fogginess of the mind clouding memory and cognitive functioning. It can make even the most clever individual feel rather silly, and it can make doing anything difficult. So, in an effort to explain what brain fog feels like, and to try and laugh at some of the things I have done, I have decided to reveal all in this post. All the things I’ve done as a result of brain fog. It is something that I’ve been struggling with a lot recently. My current job is great as it is not physically demanding, but it does drain my…
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Things not to say to someone suffering with a mental health condition.
I know this topic has been covered time and time again, but I still think it’s an important one to cover, and to keep talking about. There are so many comments, or misunderstandings, that can have a severely negative impact on people who struggle with their mental health – and it keeps happening. It can be exhausting trying to explain to people why these phrases are so unhelpful, but it’s so important. A lot of the time people do think they are really helping, or they think they know better. But there are so many better ways to support people who are struggling, and it’s not hard to do them.…
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Things depression makes difficult.
There are so many misconceptions about what living with depression is really like, and what struggles people like me face each day. Depression is actually a really difficult condition to understand when you haven’t experienced it yourself (not that I would ever want you to). We find things difficult that most people wouldn’t even think twice about. It can be very frustrating as we are often seen as lazy or like we aren’t tying hard enough simply because we find even the smallest of things very overwhelming. In an effort to help more people understand what we’re really dealing with, and raise more awareness of the true struggles of depression…
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My Simple 5 Step Evening Self-Care Routine
You will have heard me time and time again talk about how important self care is for your wellbeing. And I will never stop. But the most important part of it for me is my evening self-care routine. Self-care is essential, and I believe we should all be doing everything we can to look after ourselves. No matter how big or small, even the slightest bit of self-care can make all the difference. For someone who doesn’t have a lot of energy, I really cherish any self-care activities that are relatively easy and simple. There are lots of options out there, and I’m sure I will list them all at…
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Loneliness is a b****
Today I really wanted to talk about something that I don’t think people talk about enough when it comes to mental health (or chronic illness): loneliness. This is a huge symptom of mental health problems, and something that’s really affected me a lot lately. And it’s not just that we don’t always talk about it, but people who haven’t experienced it often don’t understand how truly lonely it can be. Not time to read now? Pin it for later: Loneliness in the mental health community is a big problem. Let me paint you a picture, a picture of my life: I live with my boyfriend, who is very lovely and…
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My Fitness Journey: Part 6. Taking a break for my mental health
Hi guys! It’s September now, and time for another long awaited update on my fitness journey – but one with a twist! For months now I have been working really hard to try and get myself in better shape, fitness-wise. I’ve been trying to eat better, exercise more, and just make my body stronger and hopefully get a bit more energy. Well after a pretty hell-ish month, I’ve basically undone any good I had built up previously and ended up feeling worse than ever. I have been eating more than I should, mostly bad things, to the point where my body has been screaming for something healthy. And, not surprisingly,…
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The week my mum disappeared
My mum likes to run away from her problems. She always has. Growing up she liked to run away from financial problems, or relationship breakdowns. But she never really did anything extreme because we were kids. Apart from when her marriage to my dad broke down and she took three under 3 year olds from London to Wales. But when me and my older brother finally flew the nest and went to Uni she upped and moved in with our Grandmother after the break up from her engagement. Or at least that’s my understanding of it. My younger brother who was 17 at the time was also moved, it disrupted…
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Self-care on an energy budget.
I love reading about self-care and the different things people do to help look after their minds, bodies and souls. I always leave feeling full to the brim with new ideas, over flowing with excitement about all the new fun and calming things I am going to do for myself. And then, I never do them. The fact of the matter is, as much as I love colouring, writing, reading, walking, dancing, socialising and all the other things people recommend, I rarely ever have the energy for them. I have so many plans in my head and none of them come to fruition. It’s a shame really, because when I…
