Mental health is being discussed more and more in the mainstream in recent years, and the discussion has widened so that it’s not only for people who have “serious problems.” More and more people are beginning to realise that you don’t need to have a diagnosed mental health condition in Read more…
The thing about mental health is that it’s not just a case of “one and done.” In my experience, you don’t get depression, get it fixed and then go on your merry way. For those of us who have experienced any sort of mental health problem, however large or small, Read more…
Often when I ask this question, people will respond with answers such as “an evening watching Netflix with a big tub of ice cream” or “a bottle of wine after dinner.” Those things are nice, and they definitely have their place – but I don’t think they’re necessarily self care. Read more…
It’s the weekend, a time when many of us breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to relaxing. A couple of days without the school run, the commute, college, work, whatever. But how many of us do actually make the time to really relax and recharge our batteries over Read more…
Finding “me time” as a single mum can be tricky; there’s always something that needs to be done, and it can be hard to prioritise self care over housework or the myriad other things on that endless to-do list. It’s important to take time for yourself each day though. When Read more…
Self care is often the hardest thing to do in any given situation. And it has a lot to do with boundaries – which is where I tend to struggle. Self care seems to be the latest phrase, doesn’t it? Marketers use it to encourage us to buy bubble bath Read more…
I’ll let you in on a little secret… but you mustn’t tell anyone. I have never liked my body. The closest I got to even tolerating it was when I was pregnant. Knowing that I was supposed to have a big belly, I embraced tight clothing for the first time in my Read more…
As a single parent, it can be hard to find – or to justify finding – time for myself. Being self employed adds another layer to that because whenever I do have some down time, there are always at least fifty things I could or should be doing for my Read more…
“Self care” is one of those terms that’s used a lot these days. The whole wellbeing thing is big at the moment, and growing by the day. But a lot of parents don’t really have the spare time for something as decadent as self care; single parents even more so. Read more…
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week this week. I’ve written a lot in the past about my own mental health struggles, but the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year is about “Surviving or Thriving” so I thought it would be good to talk about the difference, and how I Read more…
When I had a breakdown in 2010, I wasn’t honest – not with myself, and definitely not with the people around me. I didn’t really understand that I was depressed; it felt more like something had snapped irreparably deep inside of my head, and I tried my best to hide Read more…