Wednesday 31 January 2018

A Beginners Guide To Talking About Mental Health | Time To Talk Day 2018

A Beginners Guide To Talking About Mental Health | Time To Talk Day 2018 depression anxiety support help OCD mental health

A lot of people are scared of talking about their feelings or emotions. This is particularly apparent in British culture. So heaven forbid anyone talks about mental health/ illness. Depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, eating disorders or suicide are things to be talked about behind the closed doors of a sterile counsellors room with the obligatory box of issues, dead plant and some peculiar looking piece of art which I'm sure is meant to calm you but does anything but. 

Wrong. This is the wrong attitude to have. Talking about mental health should be as common as talking about the weather. Which for us Brits should be pretty bloody common. But we don't. We have this stiff upper lip which needs to change.

This Thursday (1st February) is the charity's Time to Change, Time to Talk Day, in which they encourage and spread awareness of the importance of talking about mental health. Everyone can and should get involved with this incredibly important day. Whether you are at school, uni or work, you can get involved and spread awareness. If it's too late to organise an event for the big day, don't worry you can still encourage the people around you in your local community or friendship circle to start talking about mental health. Whether you talk to one person or 100- nothing is too big or too small. However, everything you do is important.

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Monday 29 January 2018

3 Films To Stop And Make You Think

3 Films To Stop And Make You Think

I love watching films, but it isn't something which I talk about a lot on my blog. I have really diverse film tastes. I love everything from Disney to horror. Although, saying that it is very rare that you would ever catch me watching a romance film because Ewwww...

I'm not overly fussy with what I look for in the films I watch. Good characters, interesting plot are obviously fundamentally important. However, something that really stands out to me in films is if the film makes me think. I like films which cover key social issues or debates. I think when it comes to films there are two main categories; films you watch mindlessly and films you actually watch. I know that doesn't really make much sense, but it's kinda hard to explain what I mean. 

Sometimes I want to watch a comedy or a kids movie just because I can. I need something in the background to drain out the deafening silence.But sometimes I want to expand my knowledge on a certain topic. I want to learn, and sometimes a textbook just won't cut it. Excellent acting and visual representation make for better understanding sometimes. For me, it doesn't matter what the topic is as long as it makes me stop and think. Today I thought I would round up five of my favourite 'stop and think films' covering a diverse range of subjects.

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Wednesday 24 January 2018

Jewellery With a Conscience | Kuma Jewellery

Jewellery With a Conscience | Kuma Jewellery

I don't know about you guys, but I love finding unique shops that sell beautiful gifts, where you can tell they focus on quality over quantity. What with globalisation these days, it is becoming harder and harder to find this kind of handcrafted, bespoke gifts in a market of mass-produced goods which although are cheap and accessible, lack that personality and individuality. 

I'm always on the lookout for this kind of shop because I'm always about supporting the little guys, so when Kuma got in touch with me, I was so excited. Kuma is a jewellery and accessory brand where every item is handmade, in Estonia. For me, this is such a bonus. I'm always trying to shop more ethically. So knowing that these beautiful pieces are all handmade excites me greatly. 

To add to that, all of Kuma's jewellery is made from vegan leather, which is great for animals but also means that you get to wear stunning jewellery with a strong and durable base. They also use no animal products or by-products in the production process or packaging, which gets a big thumbs up from me. 

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Tuesday 23 January 2018

COMPETITION: LET THERE BE LIGHT WITH URBAN COTTAGE INDUSTRIES


You guys know I love photography, so when I heard that Urban Cottages Industries had an amazing new competition that could set you up with everything you need to take your photography to the next level, I, of course, jumped at the chance. Urban cottages Industries are running a #LetThereBeLight competition and the winner will receive £500 worth of camera equipment.

How cool is that? I know that I could really do with some new equipment. The focuses of the competition are on the photography themes – playing with light. To enter, all you have to do is snap some beautiful photography and publish your own “Let There Be Light” blog post containing two images – one showcasing natural light and one showcasing artificial light. All you have to do is make sure your blog post includes a follow link to urbancottageindustries.com

You can then enter your blog post via social media, including @urbancottageind and #LetThereBeLight in your post, or enter via email (urbancottageindustries@yoma.co.uk), including a link to your post and your name and email address. See here for full T&Cs. The competition closes on the 31st January 2018. 

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Monday 22 January 2018

Supporting Your Favourite Charities Is Easier Than You Think

Supporting Your Favourite Charities Is Easier Than You Think donate the change Sane mental health

I definitely don't donate to charity as much as I should or as much as I would like to. I think a lot of people, including myself take charities for granted. We just expect them to be there and help us when we are in need. What we forget is how reliant they are on donations and support from the general public. 

I will happily put a spare bit of change in a charity pot when I have the chance, but I don't do it enough. I also don't have the income to set aside an amount of money that goes straight to a chosen charity each month. Don't get me wrong, I love a good browse in a charity shop, but I don't always find something which I'm after nor do I always find the time to go to charity shops. 

There is a lot of reasons or even excuses we can come up with for why we don't donate to charity as much as we would like to. I'm no different. But what if you could give to charity everytime you go shopping? Or what about having a set amount which you decide from each purchase that goes to your chosen charity? And maybe even get rewards for doing your bit to support the charity you love? Well, you no longer have to think because it has become a reality. 

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Monday 15 January 2018

My Harry Potter Collection (2018)

You guys know I love Harry Potter. I don't even know if love is the right word, I think borderline obsessed sums me up pretty well. I can't get enough of Harry Potter and Harry Potter merchandise. 

From the cheap Primark bits to the expensive Warner brothers studio tour collectables I've definitely got my fair share. Some may even say too much. I'm a Slytherin. Which is why a lot of the stuff you are about to see is Slytherin themed #housepride. I've tried my best to mention where everything is from but if I have missed something off and you want to know where it is from, let me know! 

I've kept this introduction short and sweet because I'm pretty sure this is going to be the longest post in my blog history. I've spilt everything into categories too so if there is one category you are particularly interested in over another, you can skip to that one. Aren't I kind? 

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Monday 8 January 2018

Let's Talk About Winter Foot Care

Let's Talk About Winter Foot Care Flexitol footcream beauty blogger UK

I'm not one to give much tender loving care to my feet any time of the year, let alone in winter time although it could be argued that it is even more important during this time of the year. I can't be the only one who totally forgets to look after their feet? Like, out of sight out of mind, that is my excuse anyway.

However, one of my new years' resolutions is to get back into my skin care. Not just for the winter months but for all year around. Sometimes I forget that it is not just my mind that needs love it's my body and skin too. I'm always preaching the importance of self-care which don't get me wrong is so important but looking after your skin is so important as well, which is why I made it one of my new years' resolutions. 

We are all familiar with how hard it is to keep new years' resolutions. I can't lie, I'm as bad as keeping them as the next bad. That being said, I think this year is going to be different. Flexitol* sent me a couple of their foot care products to try, and I was literally over the moon because for once in my life I think I may be able to keep a new years' resolution. 

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Monday 1 January 2018

My 2018 Goals

My 2018 Goals lifestyle blogger new year

At the end of 2017, I was looking through my old blog posts which I never do, can I just say. I came across my reflecting on 2016 post which was a really nice trip down memory lane. At the end of that post, I had written myself some goals for 2017. There are no prizes for guessing who wrote these goals and totally forgot about that they even existed. Yep, it was me. The nice thing was that I actually achieved all those goals in 2017. How cool is that?

Goal posts are somewhat overdone in the blogging community, especially at the start of the year. They are not original and don't make for particularly fun reads, well in my opinion they don't. This is why I haven't done them on my blog in a while. But since finding my old goals and looking back at them, realising how much I have achieved, I want to do a goals post for 2018.

My blog is like a scrapbook. An online scrapbook that is shared with thousands of people but a scrapbook nonetheless. It documents my progress, the highs and lows of this good old thing called life. Which is why I'm doing this post today so I can look back at what I have achieved and be proud of myself. Or least that is the plan anyway. After all, I blog for myself, not anyone else. 

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