As someone who has experience of both bad mental health and a mental illness, I’m all too aware of the way in which my own struggles could have affected those who support me. I’ve also had multiple romantic and platonic relationships with people experiencing mental health problems. So, I’ve got a good idea of the internal struggle that arises when you love someone and want to be there for them but know that it’s starting to take a toll on you.
Read MoreHowever, there are some signs that can warn you when it’s time to say goodbye to your current company. Here are some of them.
Read MoreThere are times when we long for the physical presence of someone who cares, is ready to listen and maybe offer a hug. The current situation with restrictions around Covid 19 has prevented many bereaved people from receiving the comfort they so dearly need. The Good Grief Festival has all the answers.
Read MoreEvery industry has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Usually, returning to work after a holiday, annual leave or even a long weekend can have an impact on your mental health and routine, so how are we supposed to prepare to return to the 9-5 seamlessly now?
Read MoreVegan and cruelty-free beauty is trendier than it’s ever been. The vegan cosmetics industry is predicted to be worth $20.8 billion by 2025, with millennials acting as the driving force, according to a report by Grand View Research. Yet despite these statistics, an alarmingly large group of us still don’t go vegan or cruelty-free when it comes to pampering ourselves. But why is this?
Read MoreYou don’t tell him how you can’t understand why you ‘forgot’ to revise for your GCSEs last summer, so only got 4 A’s when you were told you would get at least 9. That most days you physically freeze when the bus to college comes; your arm refuses to raise to stop the bus, so you watch it drive past your stop and disappear around the corner, then dejectedly walk home and watch Fresh Prince of Bel Air VHS’s all day, feeling really bad because you fucked up again. You care deep down, although your lecturers think you are a lost cause and there is talk of kicking you out of college.
Read MoreLiving in County Durham is a privilege in the way that there are so many different routes and walks nearby, particularly near my village which is an hour walk from Beamish woods. So, what has my experience with the ‘great’ outdoors been during lockdown?
Read MoreGardening has been a source of enjoyment, the joy it brings to the senses has meant I have experienced freedom from responsibilities in life.
Read MoreI always imagined that working from home would be the ultimate scenario. Snuggled on the sofa in my favourite pyjamas with a soft blanket slung over my shoulders, a hot cup of tea to my side and my laptop balanced on my knee firing off emails and getting everything ticked off from my work to-do list.
Read MoreOn the 23 March Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown. Pubs, restaurants, offices, non-essential shops, non-essential everything, closed. This included gyms. For the first time in 5 years I didn’t have a gym membership (well, I did, but couldn’t use it). For the first time in 3 years, my go-to stress relief wasn’t available for use. I struggled through home workouts. Zoom HIIT classes are not my thing.
Read MoreBEAT, an eating disorder charity, has claimed a 50% increase in calls to their helpline since the start of lockdown. The increased focus on being fit and healthy is affecting those who are already struggling. The rise in workout regimes and diet pill social media ads makes it impossible to get away from the so-called ‘ideal body’ we should be aiming for.
Read MoreAs a woman growing up, I’ve rarely felt empowered in my own body. Its shape, its strength, its power, its intricacies. I have felt its weight, its fat, its rolls, its appearance to the eye of other’s. I’ve rarely felt ownership, pride and confidence in its beauty and everything it does to keep me alive.
Read More‘How do you feel about the pandemic and lockdown?’ Horrendous. Awful. Frustrated. Emotional. Angry. Fed up. Bored. Drained. Upset. Scared. Disappointed. Worried. Lost. Stuck. Sad. Annoyed. Anxious.
Read MoreIt’s only through accepting and engaging with all the outright rage, anger, grief, sadness, disappointments or resentments that surface in our lives that it becomes truly possible to experience the depths of joy too.
Read MoreThe simple fact of the matter is, that there are implicit biases in the medical industry based on race and gender that directly affect the care that patients receive, this is not a statement; it is a fact. This has a devastating impact on patients, their loved ones and their communities.
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 MorePeriods are something unique to those of us who bear uteruses and ovaries, and the (mostly white) men who developed western medicine tried their hardest to brush over the fact that their wives and daughters, and half their patients, bled from the vagina every month or so, and that might be something that should be addressed.
Read MoreI love this saying. Instead of using phrases such as ‘inner demons’, I like to use ‘inner saboteur’ (IS). I first heard this whilst watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, as Ru often uses it to console queens when he spots they’re self-sabotaging and wants them to identify the root cause of why that may be. Our IS can represent lots of things - our doubts, our control, our lack of trust, our inner critique, our expectations, our limiting labels of ourselves and of course, our insecurities.
Read MoreCovid19 has caused disruption for everyone around the world, and has created an incredibly challenging time for humankind as a whole. The deadly virus and its affects have cost us greatly, and caused much chaos. But out of chaos, comes great change.
Read MoreIf we are honest with ourselves, particularly in these uncertain times, we all would say that we want more peace of mind, compassion, calmness, happiness, gratitude, intuition, relaxation, balance, courage, healing energy or to just be present with ourselves... Sounds good doesn’t it? And that’s exactly what meditation can offer.
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