Just over a year ago and at the age of 22 I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, more commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is a chronic, criminally under-researched illness which affects an estimated 17 million people globally. As the identity and lifestyle I had no longer complemented my body’s limits, I am now in a process of rediscovering myself and finding love for my body alongside my condition.
Read MoreNow, I’m sure the concept of ‘Devil’s Bridge’ will be familiar to you in some shape or form. The tale of Billy Goats Gruff and The Troll Under the Bridge are staples within British folklore, and similar tales are shared within other world folklore such as Spain and Germany: there are even trails of this folklore to be found with Norse mythology too.
Read MoreDuring lockdown I tapped into my inner Mary Berry, and have realised that my baking journey was the symbolic indicator of my lockdown emotions and indeed my emotional kneads. I have experienced the highs of triple layer sponge cakes, the bitterness of lemon blondies, and burnt out feelings after accidentally setting the oven too high. Thankfully, there have been no soggy bottoms during lockdown, in any respect of the phrase.
Read More“In May 2020 the Epilepsy Society and their supporters were targeted on Twitter with flashing gifs designed to provoke seizures in epileptic people in the ‘worst ever bullying attack on Twitter’ aimed at the Society”
This article carefully explores the realities of living with epilepsy day-to-day, and how understanding its nuances can make society a much safer, and more inclusive, place.
Read MoreI was meant to have 5 siblings in total; however my eldest sister died when she was only a baby and my other brother died when he was 7, both from sickle cell disease. Now there are only 4 of us: my two older brothers and my sister. One of my brothers, Matthew, has been surviving with sickle cell ever since he was born: he is in his late 40s now and it has been difficult to watch him experience the enduring pain that goes along with it.
Read MoreI want and discuss the do’s of a dating method that 100 years ago would have been ridiculed, eye rolled upon and disbelieved. Dating apps and internet dating has undeniably become the ‘easier’ more accessible option. We now let our index fingers and thumbs decide our fate / next date. Sometimes we accidentally swipe who could be a great match back into cyber space.
Read MoreIn Romania, the Romani population constitutes one of its largest minorities. I cannot help but realise, while writing this sentence, how eerily similar the words Romanian and Romani are: it’s only 2 letters different, and for most people there is no research that goes into identifying which one is which one.
Read MoreFirstly, did you want lemonade in your life? Do you even like it? Doesn't the fizz go out of lemonade too, just like life can go flat? Also, why is there the expectation to make lemonade? Isn't that just an added pressure to the fact that you've been delivered a crate of lemons you didn't order to begin with?
Read MoreWhen I was younger, my brain could spiral into days of intense distress at the simplest of things. Accidentally kicking a pebble on the pavement would invoke an influx of intrusive thoughts, each of them coming with a huge amount of guilt and the certainty that consequences of this small action would be my fault.
Read MoreAs a black pharmacist it’s quite difficult to dissociate the virus from racism. BIPOC people statistically are dying at a greater rate at the hands of COVID and this is combined with direct negligence.
Read MoreMy profession also had to move online. I work as a life model; posing nude for art schools, universities and community groups, as well as facilitating my own life drawing class in Bristol, with a collective of life models (United Models Life Drawing).
Read MoreMy initial reaction, as an introvert, was glee: I was being told that I had to stay inside and work from home, which meant that I was saving money on transport, lunch, and events in the city centre. Plus, I could have more leisure time, something my 2-hour weekday commute did not easily allow. I also rarely get lonely, and I live with my partner anyway so I didn’t see the issue!
Read MoreWhen my Mum innocently pointed out I had little rosebuds, I shrunk into myself as best I could. I was around 13. I spent most of the next few years going about in baggy T shirts and bending myself inwards to try to hide my developing body, I was ashamed and embarrassed.
Read MoreThrough my parents’ divorce, I realised my mother was one of the strongest women I know. Fast forward some months after they had announced their legal separation and my mother and I were driving to the gym. She had been trying desperately to engage me in bonding activities and the gym was another to add to the list. As we pulled into the car park, she grasped my hand in between hers and, with tears forming in her eyes, whispered “please don’t hate me”. I paused, unsure how to respond and she continued “I’ve fallen in love…with a woman”.
Read MoreFor me, I have had my own close call. At nineteen, I entered the worst mental health crisis I have ever experienced. I was paranoid, hallucinating and very suicidal. I reached out for help from mental health services only to be told that “we don’t treat people with your diagnosis”, “we treat people with mental illnesses, not personality disorders”.
Read MoreIf you could visit anywhere in the world of fantasy – where would you go? Would you go down the rabbit hole to Wonderland or fly to Neverland? What about a visit to Mordor or a secret visit to Hogwarts? Perhaps you would visit Winnie the Pooh for a picnic in the Hundred Acre Woods? Just imagine the chance of visiting the Cave of Wonders and finding a genie in a lamp! The possibilities are endless although impossible to visit, your imagination can only take you so far after all – or so I thought.
Read MoreCisgendered ‘gender roles’, and indeed the performance of gender altogether, has formed the basis of the family unit for years. At its most basic, men are expected to be powerful, leading figures, while women must be subservient and completely charming.
Read MoreAs single mother to a little boy, I must confess that I have an addiction and I hope that it is one I will never be cured of. The awe and anticipation that travelling the world brings, plus all the lessons along the way, is a passion that I cannot escape and one that I am determined to pass onto my son.
Read MoreLike flares drifting through a dark sky, these little moments of goofiness light up the monotony of lockdown. It might be a daydreamy waltz around the kitchen while waiting for the kettle to boil, or tuneless yodelling floating from the bathroom while the shower runs.
Read MoreI’ve always thought of myself as a spontaneous person. One day when I was 17 I logged onto my UCAS account and rejected all my university offers (much to my mother’s despair) in favour of going to theatre school to study sound and lighting design.
Read More
