Self care.

Songs to listen to: fallingforyou by The 1975 and My Boy by Billie Eilish

So I had lots of requests for a blog post on self care, which made me think, what does self care mean to me?

For me, self care means not doing college related work, having some down time and going out of my way to pamper myself. I make sure that my homework is put away and I feel truly zen. And I know lots of people will say that they don’t have the time for self care but the reality is that you have to make time for self care – go out of your way to feel calm and relaxed.

I was recently spoke to a friend who told me that she didn’t have time for self care in the evening but the truth is sometimes you need to timetable self care into your evening routine. Get all cosy in your comfy clothes, take a bath or a shower and moisturise those legs till they are super smooth.

You also don’t have to go out and buy a £15 face mask from Urban Outfitters or The Body Shop – you can go old school and DIY it at home! My personal favourite is a cinnamon and honey one, which you need:

  • 2 tablespoons of pure honey
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 wedge of fresh lemon
  • You need to combine the honey with the cinnamon and the juice of a lemon wedge into a small bowl. Cinnamon is known to reduce inflammation and lemon acid not only helps exfoliate your skin, but can minimise the appearance of dark spots, too. Just gently massage the mixture onto your face and leave on for about 15-20 minutes, then rinse off.

Let me know how you all get on!

Rose x

Darkness and Depression.

Songs to listen to: Someone like you by Adele and Youth by Daughter.

Darkness. Numbness. Staying in pyjamas all day. Isolation. Emptiness.

Those are some of the features of my depression.

Depression can hit at any time, anywhere and any place. It can be the people you least expect to be struggling who are the ones dealing with depression.

Sometimes I will have been having the best day yet as soon as I get home my depression comes over me like a wave and I instantly want to curl up in bed and cry. Other times I am at college and feel very anxious and low – I just want to come back to the comfort of my bed.

However, doing something other than being in bed really helps my mood and tasks such as going outside for a walk releases positive endorphins which in turn, boosts your mood.

Also, just talking to people about how you’re feeling. I’m usually not very good at talking to people about my feelings, but recently with the struggles I have been facing I have tried to be more open to my close friends and family and ask for support when I need it. Having someone there who you can rant too is so helpful and lifts the weight off your shoulders (thank you to all the people who listen to my crazy rants!)

I’ve been in therapy for nearly two years due to mental health, and over that time my therapist and I have come up with some tips and tricks to help when my depression hits and I thought I would share some of them with you… so when depression hits, my top three tips are:

  • 1. Surround yourself with people who make you happy
  • 2. Do the opposite of how you’re feeling (eg: if you want to crawl into bed – go for a walk or a run for you sporty lot!)
  • 3. Put on some music and have a dance party !!

    • Please enjoy a video of my recent dance party:

    I hope these ideas help & keep your eyes peeled for a new blog post on self care coming soon…

    Rose x

    Positivity and Friendship.

    Songs to listen to: Stronger than me by Amy Winehouse.

    This is Poppy, or as some of you know on Instagram @positively_poppy. She’s 17 and has suffered from mental health. She’s a warrior.

    Poppy’s Instagram shows real recovery from mental health, issues such as how the media distorts our image of a perfect body and her YouTube Vlogs (also @positively_poppy) breaks down some of the myths we have about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods.

    Her most recent Instagram posts have been on:

    1. Recovery can bring you amazing things
    2. A balanced diet
    3. Exercise doesn’t make you thin

    Instagram @positively_poppy (https://www.instagram.com/positively_poppy/)

    I’ve met many people through my recovery journey and made some incredible best friends through my inpatient stay in 2018 – friends who truly understand what you’re going through make every challenge, every meal plan completed and every recovery moment more special.

    I have those people to thank for getting me through the most difficult time in my life and bringing some enjoyment to those four walls!

    Some inpatient visitors and memories (I don’t have pictures of my gals but a very special mention to mim and lucee)

    I’ve known Poppy though the highs and lows of our recovery journey and she’s taught me a message that has resonated with me throughout my own recovery journey: there is always a bright side.

    And therefore my message on this blog post is simple:

    No matter how bad things are, get yourself friends who are positivity queens, surround yourself by happy people who make you feel happy and do happy things for yourself !!

    So my challenge to you this week is find three positive things in everyday

    Love Rose x

    Gaining Happiness.

    Songs to listen to: Smile by Lily Allen

    Throughout recovery from an eating disorder gaining back the weight you lost is inevitable.

    It’s something you have to do in order to gain your life back, whether you are made to do it in hospital or at home. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s easy, because I know it’s never going to be.

    Throughout my whole recovery, I was told by nurses and friends in hospital that they wished they had a ‘magic wand’ to make my situation and things better, but recently I have come to the realisation that I have the magic wand in my hand, I just need to have the determination to wave it. Everyone reading this, whether they are suffering from an eating disorder or not has the power to shape their own future.

    If you want recovery and freedom from your mind then you can have it. There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy – we just have to find and embrace them.

    You’re not just gaining back the weight and that recovery is not just based around weight gain.

    You’re gaining back:

    • Health
    • Strength
    • Happiness
    • Memories
    • Family & Friends
    • Your Future

  • I am going to end this blog post with a quote that I recently saw on Instagram while scrolling through my feed, which I believe sums up this post:

    Instagram @alwaysmargi

    Love Rose x

    Is the media telling us to ‘restrict’?

    Songs to listen to: Glorious by Macklemore & Warrior by Demi Lovato 

    Firstly, I hope that you (my lovely reader) had a calm, stress- free and enjoyable Christmas wherever you were and whoever you were with – I was with my family, I shut out my Anorexic thoughts as best I could and enjoyed myself. 

    This blog post is inspired by Chessie King’s most recent Instagram post which my sister sent to me: 

    Chessie King @ Instagram

    Especially after the chocolate and mince pie filled Christmas period (which I totally advocate), the media is suddenly filled with promoting ‘diet’ culture and ‘new year, new me’ posts filling our heads with ideas of dieting and restricting. The media doesn’t understand the impact that this has on people with mental health issues, and I am hoping some of you can relate to this post-Christmas blues. The media uses celebrity endorsements to promote their “weight loss pills” & “Burn 6kg in a day DVDs” and as young people especially are prone to following these celebrities and wanting to be like them, they buy into these fake products and fad diets. 

    However, just like Chessie says – just because you might have had more than usual:

    you DO NOT need to burn off those mince pies 

    you DO NOT need to go to the gym 

    you DO NOT need do a juice detox 

    you DO NOT need to do an extreme diet

    you DO NOT need to an extreme work out 

    you DO NOT need to count your calories 

    The whole idea of having ‘extra’ calories or more than the day before just traps you in a vicious cycle of narrowing down what you eat and limiting your food intake – I’ve been there – and trust me on this one, it doesn’t get you anywhere, except possibly a cold hospital room. Law makers need to recognise that diet and weight loss messages can and do make the struggle worse for the thousands of anorexics have every single day.

    If you have been set a meal plan by a dietician, follow it! If you are supposed to have three meals and snacks a day, just because your snack might be larger than yesterday, it doesn’t mean tomorrow you have to skip the snacks. And if you want that slice of Christmas cake – have it as nothing bad will happen to you.

    In my opinion, Christmas and New Year are one of happiest times of the year, you have a chance to relax with family and flourish, yet if this period is filled with thoughts of controlling food etc. you will never be able to grow

      

    So, all of this is good I hear you saying, but how do I put it into practice? Well, the biggest advice I can give you is unfollowing those celebrities and social media stars who promote diet culture. Unfollow people who negatively influence you on social media, or even take a social media break. 

    I hope this blog post helps anyone out there who is struggling.

    Love Rose x

    A hearty hello!

    So, I thought I would start with an introduction about me: my name is Rose, I am 18, currently studying for my A-Levels in Politics, History and English Literature.

    I have suffered from mental health issues since secondary school and I am currently undergoing treatment for Anorexia, Depression and Anxiety. I am passionate about spreading the word, promoting mental health and hopefully i can include any helpful tips and tricks along the way 🙂

    So let us begin…

    Love Rose