Every body’s different…

I feel that society today lacks body positivity and because of this body image and self confidence in females and males isn’t improving. It’s not something people often speak openly about but it’s so important that people realise every body is different and you have yours and you have to love it!  The Olympics has set off social media in a negative twist of comments on the sizes of some of the athletes, for example I was reading an article about a Mexican gymnast who wasn’t a size 8…. She has muscles she is physically fit and she was bloody amazing at what she did. People are so fast to judge if they see girls or boys on TV who don’t have the ‘perfect’ body and its just ridiculous, if you live life expecting to look like the people you see in the media you will die miserable. Do what makes you happy and live your life your way in your body! 

 
Body positivity is a cure! I went through a stage of thinking that I’m the only person whose recovered from anorexia and gone from a size 6 to a size 8/10 with a bit more shape… When you’ve lived with an eating disorder you truly believe you are fat all the time and you lose all self confidence. The idea of body positivity can be a life saver to more people than you could ever imagine. I went from a girl who wanted to die and was well on the way to ruining my body permenetly. 
Body positivity is something that I struggle massively with now everything else is a lot easier but I can’t get out my head that some days I’m disgusting and I’m fat. However, when body positivity is in front of me and I read something uplifting or I meet someone who shares love for bo-Po that girl who I used to becompletely vanishes and I realise how far I’ve come and how much you need to love the body that you have as it’s the only one you’ll ever get! 

On the bad days you have to fight the thoughts of negativity and push through with the body positivity because let’s be honest the world needs a hell of a lot more of it 💪🏼

I also think that the term ‘REAL WOMAN’ is so ridiculous, why should women be labelled as anything you can be tall and skinny naturally you can be curvy and tall you can be small and curvy who cares? Stop labelling women’s shapes and bringing young girls up to believe they will never be exactly what perfect is when it doesn’t even exist!! 

I think it’s one of the most difficult things to love yourself and then help other people to as well when we live in a society that frowns upon anything that even hints at self love. Sometimes you go out and you’re hit by so much diet culture and fake images that you think body positivity will never ever take over but start by stop telling yourself that you will start your life and be happy once you’ve lost half a stone, a stone, two stone. You’re already living your life you don’t need numbers on a scale to live it. 

When you’ve lived with something like body dysmorphia you constantly believe that once you hit that target weight you will be happy, but your not you always feel like you could do better. It’s a horrible cycle that is awful to be stuck .losing weight to try and achieve the perfect body will not make you happy, please just do whatever makes you happy and enjoy your life how you want to live it. Exercise for fun and eat healthy food that you actually enjoy! 

Body positivity for life 💪🏼❤️

Understanding Depression…

Even people who haven’t suffered any form of depression benefit from having an understanding of this condition that is surrounded by so much stigma. It’s been proved that 9 out of 10 people who suffer from this condition have faced discrimination and been stigmatised as a result.

There’s a huge difference between saying you ‘feel depressed’ because you’re sad and actually suffering from depression. Depression is the most common mental health disorder in the UK.

Depression shows itself in many different ways, but it typically interferes with a person’s ability to function, feel pleasure or take an interest in things. It is a very real illness, and symptoms often include anxiety, feelings of helplessness, disrupted sleep patterns and a bleak outlook on life. Unfortunately the lack of understanding of this condition often isolates the person suffering resulting in loss of friendships, relationships breaking down and distancing themselves from everyday social situations that others find completely normal.

If you have a loved one who suffers from this awful condition there’s a lot you should know before you judge and before you let your frustrations take over, it’s definitely easier said than done. Sometimes the person suffering doesn’t even know how to feel or how to cope with their own emotions so if they can’t explain to you how they feel it’s not a lie. Never tell someone to just ‘get over’ how the feel or to just ‘cheer up’ if it was simple like that it would not affect peoples lives the way it does.

Rather than telling someone these things, or to ‘just go out and keep busy’ or ‘do something productive’ consider taking a more emotional approach, make them feel wanted, often depression controls the mind to make the person believe they’re unwanted, a burden and some what unloved.  Avoid giving advice,  keep the conversation chatty, discuss what you can do to help, and try and understand exactly what they’re struggling with, you may not understand but trying will provide a lot more comfort to the sufferer.

Depression can affect anyone, there’s no specific reason why and there’s no point trying to figure it out. The idea of feeling like a burden  often encourages the sufferer to push away those around them who are trying their best to love them through it all, don’t take this personally if it happens, it’s easier said than done yes, but depression is a mental condition don’t forget so the mind can get swamped with negative thoughts that doesn’t mean the person you love means what they say or do. Stick around and help them find themselves again, it’s the most amazing feeling in the world to see someone come through the dark clouds and be themselves again.

There is no shame in being on medication for depression or anxiety, at least that person is on their way to recovery. When people refer to said medication as ‘happy pills’ etc it comes across as a joke especially from those who don’t know the true extent of the illness.

The feeling of being overwhelmed is a daily emotion for someone suffering with depression, this experience is incredibly exhausting, and again it’s something so simple that people unaware of the illness take for granted and struggle to comprehend about the condition. Being alone is a common demand yet it’s not always what the person truly wants, they will want their own space often to collect their thoughts however try and be there in whatever way you can something simple like going for a walk, or a drive. Routine is something that becomes a huge element, organise to spend time with them in advance even something little it gives them something to look forward too.

It’s always darkest before the dawn..

One of my favourite sayings as I believe it’s true in different contexts.

“I know it feels like your world is ending. I know it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. And right now, you might want to go back to bed, hide under the covers for eternity and hope that you never come out again. But know this, one day you will have a tiny glimmer inside of you. You will know when this day comes. You will finally understand the saying “it’s always darkest before the dawn” and you will finally feel the one thing that you haven’t for so many years – hope.

I know it doesn’t feel like that right now, but you deserve all of the sunshine in the world. And one day, it will be yours. So try your hardest to keep your chin up, smile at the pain, and laugh at the sorrow. Because one day the storm will end, the sun will rise, and you will be happy.”

here’s to 2015

This blog is going to keep me amused for 2015 I hope! As i approach turning 24, i’m finishing my second year of university and continuing to battle the lifestyle issues of most 20-something girls! If it’s not the struggles of keeping in shape and eating healthy, it’s trying to keep in touch with friends who are all over the place now and maintaining good relationships with the family when i’m away from home.

so far my 2015 has felt a lot like this….

The thought of being half way through my degree is terrifying, and at the age of 23 and 6 months I’m continuously stuck in the thoughts of ‘what am I doing with my life’. My degree is in Television and Radio Production and I study and live in Salford, Manchester. On some days I love it and couldn’t imagine not being here and other days I miss home in Cheshire, just seeing countryside and not hearing a siren every 30 seconds… There’s so much pressure on young people to get a career and work hard but sometimes you might not be happy, so what’s the point spending day in day out doing something that makes you absolutely miserable? I worked in hospitality for 5 years full time, and yeah the money was alright but I hated everything else. I think when you get stuck into such a routine like that time passes and you just get used to being fed up of not having much social life! & that’s exactly why I moved to Manchester to do my degree at Media City (not just to spy on famous people honest).

Anyway! i’ve started this blog to get me through the quiet times and share lots of lovely things with people online. I have such a passion for literature so I will share lists of favourite books and current reads! I also want to offer advice and support to anyone suffering with an Eating Disorder or Mental Illness as I have myself recovered from anorexia when I was younger and I have a deep understanding of these issues that many young people face without knowing how to deal with it.

Please feel free to get in touch with me! The blog will be quite light hearted also hopefully 20-something ladies can relate to a lot of my posts! xx