☀️ are you suicidal? ☀️

ok so I recently came across this video on YouTube and since watching it, I’ve wanted to do a post about it. I think it’s absolutely incredible and this was the sort of thing that I would have loved to have watched whilst I was at my lowest as it’s very useful! The concept of talking to someone whom may be suicidal for either a few minutes or a few hours can be so effective and all it takes is three simple words: “are you ok?”. I have stayed up a number of times to try and prevent people from hurting themselves and even if it’s just for one night – I feel I’ve done my part in helping them. 

This video is basically a “pick me up” for when you may be feeling suicidal or know someone with suicidal thoughts. It’s put together so well and you can tell a lot of effort and thought has gone into it. The girl who speaks throughout the video, Kayla Shelton ensures viewers that things will get better and that you CAN do it. 

Don’t make a permanent decision the solution for a temporary problem. Things may seem really difficult right now but just stand back, breathe and try and tackle whatever it is you’re dealing with in small chunks, rather than throwing yourself in the deep end. 

Video link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pIucYgW-3cw

You can do it I believe in you – stay strong ☀️

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☀️ “I won’t go without a fight” ☀️

Hey everyone, I hope you’re all doing well! I’ve been quiet for a few months due to my AS exams at the time and being pre-occupied with work. During that time, it’s been a series of high and lows – thankfully mainly highs! I’ve managed to reduce both my fluoxetine and quetiapine levels which is such a huge achievement for me after being on them for many years, so fingers crossed it’s a step in the right direction. I also received my AS results. Overall I was pleased with them, a bit disappointed with a particular subject but onwards and upwards! 

You’re probably reading this thinking “how on earth is this going to help me?” But the purpose of this post is to make people realise that there IS light at the end of the tunnel. As many sufferers of mental illness’ would know, coming off of your medication would be a dream come true, to finally be able to say “I made it” and that all being well will be the case for me soon. It’s been a battle every single day. 

Going from self harming up to 3/4 times a day to being clean for over a year is just such a remarkable achievement. 

I don’t believe I’ll wake up one day and my depression will all of a sudden be gone as that’s just not how it works. But I’m aiming to gain control of it, as well as my anxiety. My panic attacks have been less frequent and less severe minus one or two, but have been dealt with and I know how to control them now. This post has been my outlet in a way, as I just wanted to highlight everything I’ve achieved as I find it more effective than reflecting on the negatives. 

I feel like this post has been poorly worded but the message I am trying to get across is “don’t give up” and for you to realise that your mental illness does not define you! When you feel your illness is being a pain, fight back but twice as hard! Kick your illness in the butt and show it who’s the boss! 👊🏻💪🏻

I hope this has motivated/helped someone in a way. Stay strong – you can do it! ☀️

☀️ time to talk ☀️

Mental health charity “Time To Change” are urging people to take five minutes out of their day to talk about mental health and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses.

1 in 4 people suffer with a mental illness every year – it’s more common than what people realise yet we still may be reserved from opening up about our illnesses. Time To Change have made today, 5th February “Time To Talk” day in aim to break the silence. You don’t need to be an expert to help some one who’s suffering, just offer your support and open ears. You don’t have to suffer in silence.

Many celebrities have opened up about their experiences and struggles with mental health including; Mind charity ambassador’s Denise Welch and The Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge (was Sandford). Celebrities are urging others to open up about their struggles and to raise awareness for the realism of mental health.

Mental health is equally as important and serious as physical illnesses. You don’t tell someone with a broken leg to “just walk” so why is it acceptable to tell someone with depression to “just smile” or for someone with insomnia to “just take some sleeping tablets”. It’s days like today that are made to make people aware of how hard it is to deal with these illnesses daily and that there is not a “quick fix”. It takes commitment and perseverance to go around recovering from an illness.

For more information about Time to Talk visit: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/timetotalkday

Together we can end the stigma towards mental health. Stay strong ☀️

☀️ express yourself ☀️

Self expression is important in every day life. Without it, we wouldn’t have art, music and movies. Think of a world without self expression. Boring right? How is it that you express yourself? Maybe through the clothes you wear, or the way you style your hair! Sometimes it’s hard to express yourself. You may be shy or worried of being judged. But I can assure you that you are an amazing person and you should be scared to show off your assets.

If you’re unsure of how to express yourself, there are many things you can try below:

• don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect – nobody is perfect that’s just the way it is, so don’t waste your time thriving for something unreachable. You are amazing just the way you are.

• start writing a journal or a diary – create a journal filled with sketches, doodles, photographs or maybe your own poetry. Make it your own personal scrapbook, or perhaps diary entries to document your thoughts and feelings. It may be hard to open up to people so writing things down is also a good way to unload and let off steam.

• experiment more – want to try out a new sport or new make up style? Try it! You never know unless you try. Be more spontaneous and live in the moment you may find that you like it! Even if you don’t, there are plenty of other things for you to try out, it’s a big world so embrace it.

• find a favourite place / place that inspires you: Find a place that is quiet and feels private to you, such as, the outdoors or maybe a favourite room or a town you can visit.

• relax: get away from the troubles of the outside world and have some you time. Forget about every priority you have and just enjoy the peace with yourself.

• research: open up a dictionary and find new words that describe you or how you feel. E.g. Pessimistic – A tendency to have the most unhopeful view. Optimistic – A tendency to have the most hopeful view.

• join a group of some sort: this can be anything: an art class, a sports team or even a support group. Meet new people and engage with others.

• write: You don’t need to be a writer to use writing as a means of self-expression! Write poems, short stories or perhaps a monologue to describe your particular mood. Just let the words flow and see where they take you.

There are so many more things you can do to express yourself these are just a few. How many more can you think of? Keep smiling and stay strong ☀️

☀️ bullying and its effects ☀️

one thing I cannot stand in this world is bullying. No matter what form, bullying IS bullying. Nowadays people try and label their harsh comments as “banter” or that it’s just a “joke” but if your words hurt someone that isn’t at all funny. Saying “it’s just banter” isn’t a valid excuse for being a vile human being.

Bullying over the internet or anonymously does not make it ok. Hiding behind a screen will not make you look smart or clever, it just makes you look sad for finding flaws in another because you can’t accept your own. Bullying can lead to alcohol and drug abuse, self destruction including self harm and suicide. Think before you speak or type. You never know what goes on behind closed doors with that person so don’t be too quick to judge – you having a bit of “banter” could be the thing that pushes them over the edge.

People need to be more aware of the effects of bullying. How would you feel if you found out that the person you were making fun of killed themselves? Knowing that you contributed to their suicide. That may just be one life gone, but think about how that one person will have affected their friends and family. Words can kill.

If you are currently being bullied – speak up. It can be daunting and you may not want to be known as a “snitch” but if someone is making you feel worthless something needs to be done! Tell a friend, a family member, a teacher, a colleague anyone you can trust. The sooner you act upon it the easier it may be to put an end to it. If you have dealt with bullying, urge others to open up too. Don’t let the bullies win. You are strong and the bully is weak.
Stay strong ☀️

For more help and advice visit:
http://www.bullying.co.uk
http://www.childline.org.uk/Explore/Bullying/Pages/Bullying.aspx
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying-and-cyberbullying/

☀️ hallucinations + voices ☀️

Hallucinations are when someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that don’t exist outside of their mind – for example outsiders won’t be able to see/hear them etc. They are common in people with schizophrenia, and are usually experienced as hearing voices.

Hallucinations can be frightening as they may be unexpected or unwanted, but there’s usually a cause. They can occur as a result of:
• Taking idrugs or alcohol
• Mental illness such as schizophrenia, depression or dementia
• Conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease
• Loss of vision

Hallucinations can make you feel nervous, paranoid and frightened, so it’s important to be with someone you can trust. Hallucinations can also occur as a result of extreme tiredness or recent bereavement.

Hearing voices is a well recognised symptom of depression and schizophrenia but it can also be unrelated to mental health. The experience of hearing voices is usually distressing but it’s not always negative. Some people who hear voices are able to live with them and get used to them or may consider them a part of their life. It is common for recently bereaved people to hear the voices of their loved one. Sometimes these voices can be your own negative thoughts and words.

People have many different experiences of hearing voices. Here are some examples:

• It’s quite common to hear your name called when there is no-one with you.
• You may look round to see where the voice came from, and wonder why you heard it, but if nothing else happens you will probably just shrug it off as ‘just one of those things’.
• You may hear or see things as you are falling asleep.
• You may experience the voices as being in your head, or you may feel that they are coming from outside and heard through your ears like other sounds.
• You may believe that you are hearing other people’s thoughts.
• The voices may be louder or more frequent if you are feeling stressed.
• You may experience unkind and threatening voices that tell you to do dangerous or unacceptable things or try to control you.
• You may hear a kind supportive voice.
• Sometimes there may be more than one voice and they may talk or argue with each other.

Why may you hear voices?

Hunger – you may hear voices if you are very hungry, or if you have anorexia nervosa and/or are starving yourself.

Physical illness – if you have a high temperature, and have become delirious, you may hear voices, and see or say strange things.

Abuse or bullying – if you have experienced abuse, you may hear the voice of the person who abused you, undermining you and ordering you to harm yourself or to do things you know to be wrong. This is especially so if you experienced the abuse in childhood, at an age when you had not learned the coping skills you needed to protect yourself, or you were never given any chance to learn such skills.

Voices become a problem not so much because you hear them, but because of your relationship with them. If you are hearing voices or experience any other types of hallucination it is important to tell someone who can help and can provide medication if possible. It is completely normal to hear & see such things – you’re not alone! Stay strong ☀️

☀️ sleep problems ☀️

We all go suffer with sleep problems from time to time but these issues can go on for weeks, months or years – having an impact on your every day life. It can also affect your mood, energy levels and your concentration span. It can also affect your relationships, social life and your ability to carry out usual day to day tasks. If your sleep problems are affecting you daily, you may be at a high risk for a sleep problem. Here is a list of the most common sleep problems:

Insomnia: insomnia is a sleep disorder where you may find yourself struggling to get to sleep or the ability to stay asleep. Insomnia is found to be more common in women and is more likely to occur with age. The most common symptoms of insomnia are: waking up during the night, waking up early and finding it difficult to function during the day. Stress and anxiety is a common cause of this sleep disorder but depression and schizophrenia can also cause it. There are several things you can do to help with this and these are:
• avoiding caffeine later in the day.
• avoiding heavy meals late at night.
• setting regular meals at appropriate times.
• use thick curtains and earphones to block out any external light or noise that may disturb your sleep.

To treat insomnia your GP may suggest sleeping pills, CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and perhaps keeping a sleep diary (usually up to around 2 weeks) for them to get a better understanding of your sleep patterns.

Sleepwalking: sleep walking, as common as it can be is a disorder that causes people to walk whilst they sleep. The person may also carry out activities such as tidying or washing up. Sleepwalking usually happens when the person is going from the deep state of sleep to a lighter or awake state. The sleepwalker can’t respond during the event and usually doesn’t remember it, they may also speak and not make any sense when they do so. Sleepwalking is common in children between the ages of 4 and 8 but adults can suffer too. A cause of sleepwalking may be that it is in your family, especially if you are a twin. You may also suffer with this disorder if you’re stressed, drunk or take prescribed drugs that help manage your sleep.

Nightmares & Terrors: Nightmares are intense dreams that cause you to wake up, sometimes leaving you feeling very scared. They are often related to events or experiences in your life. Night terrors are like nightmares, but they occur during deep sleep. Night terrors cause a deep sense of fear, an increase in your heart rate and sweating. You may also scream, shout or cry in your sleep. Often, people find it difficult to wake up from a night terror and afterwards have little or no memory of what has happened. Nightmares and night terrors can affect the quality of your sleep, and cause general anxiety about falling asleep that may lead to the sleeping disorder insomnia.

I hope this helps someone who may have issues sleeping and may explain why that is! Don’t forget to look after yourself and to get an early night to feel refreshed the next day. Stay strong ☀️

☀️ it’s okay to cry ☀️

Sometimes there’s nothing like a good cry to make you feel better. Crying is a natural way to reduce emotional stress levels. Things may build up over time and you just need a good cry to release those emotions in order to start to feel better and handle the stress more effectively.

Having a breakdown is absolutely normal. Emotional expression acknowledges the feelings you’re having and it means that you are just simply human! Crying also lowers blood pressure and pulse rate. Sometimes we cry and we can’t explain what the cause is, but a lot of the time it’s a sign that something is hurting you and that you are seeking help. It’s important to know what that is so you can deal with it. If crying doesn’t necessarily help you feel better afterwards there are things you can do and say to prevent yourself from crying. Try calming yourself down. Self-instruction is important here, tell yourself you are not going to cry and remind yourself that you are a strong and healthy person and you can let your emotions out later if need be.

Take a deep breath and let it all out – stay strong ☀️

☀️ motivation ☀️

Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated. But once motivated, you’re well on your way! There are many reasons to get motivated but I’m focusing this blog on motivating yourself and others to recover.

Only you can defeat this illness. You have to be prepared and willing to fight as the illness will fight back! You have to be strong and determined and I have every inch of faith in you. Recovery is possible and more importantly – YOU deserve to recover! Think of a happier and healthier life. You have many choices in life, make the right one. Be less self destructive and more self constructive (if that makes any sense)

You may also need motivation to complete deadlines/school work etc – of course your mental well being comes before grades that goes without saying but think of your future. It’s important that you take time out to study and focus on your education.

Maybe it’s motivation to eat healthier? We’re all guilty of the occasional binge! Maybe to cut down on the amount of sugar you intake?

Whatever it is, you are capable of it and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You can do anything if you put your mind to it! It can be hard to get that motivation but once you find something you want to achieve it makes you hungry to accomplish it.

Stay strong ☀️

☀️ your weight is just a number ☀️

Apologies for my breaks in blogging but I will be blogging daily again. Tonight’s blog is exactly what’s in the title. Your weight is just a number and it does not define you.

We’re all different. We all have different builds and that’s ok. It’s ok to be under/over weight as long as you are happy and comfortable in your own skin! What’s not ok is body shaming. Unfortunately some people think it’s ok to pick on others for their size – which is completely wrong. Skinny shaming is just as bad as fat shaming and I fail to see why some people in society think either is acceptable. You never know what that individual has gone through. Maybe that girl you called a “skinny bitch” is desperately trying to put on weight. Maybe that “fat cow” lost a loved one and turned to food for comfort? You never know what people have been through so don’t be too quick to judge.

Your weight does not define your self worth. Don’t let numbers rule your life – it’s really not worth it. Calories only exist if you count them! Learning to accept yourself is more important than trying to change yourself.

Stay strong ☀️