World Book Night will take place on 23rd April and I for one, am very excited! 19% of readers say that reading stops them from feeling lonely. Regular readers for pleasure have report fewer feelings of stress and depression than non-readers, and stronger feelings of relaxation from reading than from watching television or engaging with technology. Adults who read for just 30 minutes a week are 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction. I am fairly new to the reading scene myself. I started picking up books again in 2022 and I have not looked back! I love the feeling of getting lost ..read more

It has been a little quiet here at SeeTheUniverse lately… that is because I have been super busy planning our wedding and Saturday was the big day! Me and Gemma stayed up until 2am putting together the favours and decorating the wedding venue…I was surprisingly very calm! Before I knew it, I was waking up on my wedding day; everyone was rushing around and doing last minute venue touches, we all sipped Prosecco and sang to cheesy songs at the top of our lungs whilst getting prepped and pampered. I had the most perfect, unplanned, Grey’s Anatomy moment (those who know me will know how obsessed I ..read more

This month is Boost Your Self Esteem Month! I felt that it was appropriate to bring back our well-being workshops… but this time I have done them a little differently. Instead of doing Instagram lives or zoom meetings, I have created three well-being workshop booklets for you to use. You can read them online or you can print them and write on them if you prefer… and… THEY ARE COMPLETELY FREE! Please be on the look out for the links; the first one is already linked in our Instagram bio and on our Facebook page. Once all three have been completed, I will be creating a new post here which will li ..read more

This years theme: ‘My voice matters!’ This year, we want to focus on empowering children and young people by providing them with the tools that they need in order to express themselves in a healthy manner. We want them to feel comfortable talking about their thoughts, feelings and experiences as well as voicing what they want in terms in terms of their education and upbringing. We want them to have a say. The Important of Listening to Children and Young People: When we listen to children and young people, we are validating their emotions and experiences. This validation empowers them to trust ..read more

As the policeman pulled back the sheet, she knew immediately who was to blame. She stared at the pale, battered and bruised body of Maisie Porter, laid out on the table in front of her. 17-year-old Maisie, who only 6 days ago was full of life, laughter and love. How could he have done this to her? Why did he do this to her? She knew it was his handy work, she had protected him the last time… but could she really protect him for this? ‘Yes, that is Maisie’, her eyes began to fill and her thoughts came thick and fast. How is she supposed to tell her best friend that the body they dragged from th ..read more

Many parents with mental health conditions are able to give their children safe and loving care without them being negatively impacted in any way. However there are some parents who may need additional support for their mental health, this can come from friends, family, neighbours and/or medical professionals, and there is no shame in this. There are many mental health conditions that people may be experiencing. Some of the most common are: Depression Anxiety Bipolar Schizophrenia Eating Disorders Personality Disorders Each mental health condition can vary in severity and their symptoms may ..read more

Today is ‘Brew Monday’, also often referred to as ‘Blue Monday!’ Blue Monday is the third Monday in January and is believed to be the most depressing day of the year. However, many of us know that a calendar alone cannot determine ones mood… therefore Blue Monday is a myth. This is where The Samaritans stepped in. They decided to use this well-known myth and change it up! They re-named the day ‘Brew Monday’ and the purpose of this day it to encourage people to sit and talk to one another about how they are feeling, things they may be struggling with, things that are going well in their lives a ..read more

For many of us, January can be the hardest (and seemingly the longest) month of the year. With the weather often being miserable, the festive period coming to an end, work beginning again and watching people talk about their ‘Dry January’ attempts and New Year Resolutions… it can all get a little crazy and overwhelming. If you have had a busy Christmas and New Year with friends and family, sometimes January can feel a little lonely. While some of us may welcome the peace and quiet, others may be finding it hard to readjust to going back to being alone and having to face reality again. However ..read more

I never really set any New Year Resolutions, but I often do go into the new year with a couple of hopes for what is to come… here are my hopes for 2024. Firstly… I have my wedding dress fitting in January, so I am hoping that this will go as smoothly as possible. I also need to have one of the bridesmaid dresses altered and order my flower girl dresses! Then it will be the Stag Do and Hen Party! I just hope both of these are super fun and memorable and that nothing too crazy and/or embarrassing happens… Then, before we know it, it will be our wedding day and I simply hope that it is all that w ..read more

2023 has been wild yet wonderful. Definitely a busy, hectic and in some places challenging… but I would not change anything about it! Here are my 2023 highlights! January: We had a really chilled out and relaxing January, with not much going on besides work and celebrating many family birthdays! February: This month started off with a really fun and crazy night out for Beths birthday. The two of us went to Liverpool for a drag show… which ended with Beth dressed like a nun and wearing a strap-on… February was also the start of our wedding venue hunt, with many wedding shows, fairs and open day ..read more