Hello, April…

It's been a year, but I'm glad you're back. When March stays rather wintry, April is usually a good indication that spring has finally sprung. As much as I love romanticising longer nights, hot cocoa, and cosy blankets, I thrive when the sun is out. The weather forecast isn't looking great for the next week…

Anxiety: What is it, and how can you deal with it?

Though best to be diagnosed by a doctor for clarification, those who suffer from anxiety will be more than familiar with the symptoms. It isn't an occasional bout of nerves, nor a quirky personality type. Anxiety is a sometimes crippling mental illness that disrupts even the most basic aspects of day to day life. Several…

Nurturing your inner workaholic

To put it bluntly, I'm obsessed with working. My boyfriend is usually the first to tell me that he loves that I tend to be working on something, in some way, during every waking hour, but also that I need to chill out occasionally. At first, I thought he was being ridiculous, but every time…

Mindfulness for a Positive Mental Attitude

For those of you, like me, who struggle to maintain an optimistic outlook, life can feel especially tough at times. It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking that things are worse than they actually are, and ultimately filling you with dread in certain situations. For example, it’s a lot like when you have…

What not to say to a person with depression

If there's anything worse than feeling like you're alone in this world, it's those people who somehow think they're helping by backhandedly dismissing your problems. It's one thing to feel as if you have to suffer alone, but to have your feelings invalidated by those you may have confided in? Well, that's downright insulting. Many…

Writing anxiety, and what to do about it

If you're a writer, it's safe to say you've probably been there - the need to be productive, but the lack of motivation or ideas to begin. I have a love-hate relationship with writing the first few sentences of anything, especially if I'm itching to get something on paper before quite deciding what. I often…

Self-Harm: One Month Clean

**Today's post is going to be a little bit different, and with it, I should mention that some readers may be sensitive to the content. Take this as a preliminary trigger warning that this post talks about subjects such as self-harm and depression.** Today, it is March the 2nd; a month since the last time…

Woes of being a Winter baby

A mere few weeks ago today, I turned 23 years old. A ripe age; an age wherein everybody reminds me that I’m still so young, and I am, so why are birthdays so depressing? Early that Sunday morning, I woke up and checked my phone to find that I had been inundated with “happy birthday”…

An Ode to an Old Friend

If you’ve ever cried in a bathroom stall, wished he’d message sooner, danced too hard and loved even harder, stopped to photograph flowers, counted the stars in the sky, curled up in bed and listened to the seconds tick-tock by, clung to a book, found romance in tranquility and beauty in heartbreak, thought about running…

Relationships and mental health

I’m not exaggerating when I say I feel so damn lucky to have such an understanding boyfriend. As both of us suffer from generalised anxiety and clinical depression, as well as his dyspraxia and my bipolar, it’s safe to say that we’re both familiar with the topic of mental health. I never have to worry…