Here in the UK, from the 10th to 16th of May, we come together to share experiences and knowledge for Mental Health Awareness Week. Social media becomes swamped with positive quotes and reminders to friends that our message boxes are open if they need to talk. There’s a rise in videos and graphics of sad people and text such as, ‘it’s okay to feel blue’ or ‘reach out for help.’ Mental Health Awareness week is a great effort. It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to open up and speak out. But… Year after year, I find myself asking the same question about the campaigns, graphics, videos and pr ..read more

Mental Health ‘Influencers’ have been around since the early days of YouTube; promoting positive mentality, sharing tips and tricks on how to cope and being a friend that you always needed. Whilst those positive auras came in abundance, unfortunately, for every good egg, there was a bad one. Nowadays, we’re more protected by internet laws and regulations. Many websites and providers have started to ban pro-mental illness content and misleading information is being flagged and removed before it has a chance to do too much damage. That being said, some information and trolls still make it throug ..read more

Diets and meal replacements are everywhere; from the TV to magazine racks, it’s like each celebrity is taking their turn in trying to sell us the next wonder shake or fitness video. Slimming down and counting calories is almost normalised in our society today, with most people having trialled a slimming subscription or tried calorie counting to keep track of their intake. Despite this, obesity rates in the UK continue to grow. An NHS statistic report saw that in 2018, 67% of men and 60% of women were classed as overweight or obese, when measured by their BMI (Body Mass Index.) Is it any wonder ..read more

I’m not smart enough. I’m not pretty enough. I’m not skinny enough. I’m not rich enough. I’m not successful enough. I’m not liked enough. I’m not fulfilled enough. I’m not worth enough. We’re all a little bit guilty of comparing ourselves to others, especially with the rise in use of social media platforms in the recent years. Putting social media to the side however, we live in a society where most people are competing to have the newest car, the biggest house and the most beautiful or defined body and face. What is that doing to our mental health? Nothing beneficial. Due to the attitude we ..read more

Whether you’re someone that cringes and shrivels up when someone mentions masturbation (or ‘wank’, ‘play’, ‘fumble’) or you turn your nose up when someone suggests buying a dildo, vibrator or flesh-light; you’re part of the thousands of people out there that feel uncomfortable talking about your own pleasure and exploring yourself. Or if you’re someone who is comfortable talking about sexual wellbeing, join the club! Sexual wellbeing is a taboo topic of conversation, exactly like mental health. I get the same glares and stares carrying an ‘Ann Summers’ shopping bag down the high street as I do ..read more

We are all aware that the NHS here in the U.K. is poorly funded. We also know that Mental Health Services are equally poorly funded and rarely prioritised, leading to a lack of face-to-face facilities, long waiting lists and a large number of people going without help when they need it most. My experience with the transition from (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) CAMHS to AMHS (Adult Mental Health Services) was not the best, because there was no transition. I attended a usual appointment with my CAMHS case worker; we talked like we normally did, but I was then told in the last ten ..read more

There are a lot of factors that contribute to why stigma towards mental health and mental illness is still prevalent within society. Whether it’s misrepresentation in television programmes and movies, the prioritisation of negatively focussed mental health news broadcasts or lack of time and funding put into teaching the younger generations about mental health. There are endless reasons to why stigma, discrimination and ignorance still exists. One of those reasons and contributing factors is the way we talk about mental health and mental illness, from the terms and phrases we use to the stereo ..read more

As tattoos continue to gain popularity, there are a growing number of articles out there written by mental health advocates, explaining how tattooing over their self-harm scars have given them a new sense of confidence. When you google tattoos and self-harm scars, the images and designs are in abundance; from small butterflies and quotes, to the beginnings of a sleeve or full sleeves. I started planning my tattoos when I turned 16, desperately looking for designs big enough to cover the worst scars. Looking back, I’m glad I started my search early, because my way of thinking has completely cha ..read more

Before writing this article, I tried to do some research to see other people’s recommendations and insights into finances and mental health/mental illness. I was surprised at the lack of content. One of the main areas that I support people with in my current job is to budget and manage their finances. Drawing on my own experience with mental illness, I know why. I know how hard it is to stay financially stable and prioritise when you’re mental health is low/high. Online shopping is dangerous… I’m looking at you Amazon Prime… Despite the lack of content out there on the interwebs, financial sta ..read more

I begged my parents for a dog for many, many years. Like most children, I wanted a pet because they were cute and fluffy, bouncing bundles of fun. I lacked the understanding that pets took up a lot of time, money and responsibility. I’m glad my parents said no. Now, a dog mum to a bundle of fluff called Bear, I really know what it takes to look after an animal. If he came into my life any earlier, I would have given up and held my hands up, admitting “I’m not ready for this.” However, because I built up my responsibility with smaller and less needy living things, I knew I had gotten to the poi ..read more