My 2022 review Hello! Honestly, I cannot believe I’m sitting here writing my 2022 review. It feels like just five minutes ago we welcome 2022. Yet here we are, again. It’s been one hell of a year with many ups and down, but looking back at it I can see there were so many ups. 2022 has been filled with lots of fun. I’ve not blogged much this year because I’ve been so busy living! So, here’s what I’ve been up to…   January January didn’t get off to the best of starts. If you read my 2021 review, then you’ll know I didn’t have the highest of hopes for this year! The year started with my gr ..read more

The Ups and Downs of Anxiety Hello! It’s been a little while since I blogged. When I think of blogging, it’s bittersweet. This was a safe space for me to document my mental health recovery. Now I feel (somewhat) recovered, I don’t want to spend every day thinking and writing about my mental health. However, I hate leaving it behind, as it meant so much to me. I’m in a bit of a predicament about what to do with it… But I suppose it’s here for me to document the ups and the downs of anxiety. And let me tell you, there’s plenty! Anyway, you may wonder where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to sinc ..read more

Anxiety and a dentist appointment For most people, dentist appointments are a regular occurrence. For me, I’ve not been to the dentist for about 5 years due to my anxiety. Back in July, I made it to my first check-up. December 2020 I started anti-depressants and because of the side effects, I chipped a filling. I was incredibly anxious about it, as I in no way felt able to go to the dentist to get it fixed. So, let me tell you about my anxiety and a dentist appointment.   Fast forward a year and in early 2022 I realised it was something I needed to do. Not just for my tooth, but for my a ..read more

Testing the boundaries of my anxiety Back in April, we planned a visit to Brighton. It was technically for Peanut’s first birthday, but it was more of an excuse to go out for the day. However, we got there, and it was raining so badly we came straight home. We decided to book a day off to try again. So much planning had gone into this day, so when the news of a heatwave hit, I was really upset. We knew there was no way we could risk taking Peanut with us. Instead, we dropped him with my grandparents for a day of annoying Ted and being fed lots of yummy treats.   The drive there Some day ..read more

An Anxious Jubilee Weekend Usually, I dread bank holidays. It’s nice to have time off work, but going out seems almost impossible. I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful area of England. However, it also means that on a nice day off, it feels as though the entire country is coming to visit. Pre-pandemic, we tried going out one May bank holiday and got stuck in the most awful traffic jam. After about an hour of waiting, I had to walk to the next exit so my dad could pick me up. I had a terrible panic attack, and it’s made me anxious to get in the car ever since. Post-lockdown only added to thi ..read more

I almost had my cervical screening For anyone that’s had a cervical screening, I think we can all agree they’re unpleasant. They’re one of life’s necessary evils. Knowing that I needed to have mine, I tried to ignore my anxiety, and booked in an appointment. Sit tight, grab some popcorn, as I tell you about how I almost had my cervical screening (whilst incidentally discussing the failures of the NHS). Getting the letter… As soon as the letter came through the door, I felt my anxiety spike. How has it been 3 years since my last one?! (You can read about that here) Rather than worrying about i ..read more

Stopping the contraceptive pill and my mental health So, how was stopping the contraceptive pill and the effect on my mental health? Over the last few years, I’ve had a few different physical issues that I’ve ignored. They don’t quite seem bad enough to go to the doctors and so I’ve just ignored them. About a year and a half ago, I booked an appointment with the nurse to discuss my pill. After explaining my problems to her, she switched me over to the mini-pill. I lasted just under 6 months before I asked to go back to the combined. My problems had continued with the additional bonus of endles ..read more

Good and bad mental health days Nothing’s perfect all the time. Life is all about the good and bad mental health days. However, for me I put a lot of pressure on myself to not have bad days. In my eyes, I’ve failed myself if I have a bad day. It’s a silly mindset and one I want to change, but it’s just so difficult. Why do I feel this way? After a rubbish weekend, I was talking to my boyfriend about how I feel when I have a ‘bad’ day. This weekend, I’d felt physically unwell and hadn’t pushed myself to go out and do things. My boyfriend reminded me it’s okay to have weekends where we do nothi ..read more

What to do when you’re feeling a little depressed *Based on what I do* What do you do when you’re feeling a little depressed? Sometimes it can be really difficult to pull yourself out of that headspace. Instead, spiralling into the deeper depths of depression can be the easier option. I’ve titled this ‘what to do when you’re feeling a little depressed’ because I think there comes a point where you cross a line where few external things will help how you’re feeling (although it’s definitely still worth a try if you feel you can!). This post is solely based on my own experiences and what others ..read more

The middle ground between bad and good mental health Recovery from mental health illnesses can be seen as being black and white. You’re ill and then one day you cross that line into being well. However, I’m realising that’s not the case. I’m not ill, but I’m not well. But maybe that sentence alone means I am still ill. I feel as though I’m in a grey area with my mental health. Not quite ill enough to reach out for help, but not quite well enough to be living my life. I’ve reached the middle ground between bad and good mental health. Now what do I do? Usually blog posts tend to just flow for m ..read more