A few of my favourite things...

As you may have noticed by now, my blog can feature some seemingly random things from time to time. Sure, I talk about mental health, in the socio-economic context, the medical context, and from my own personal point of view. Occasionally, you’ll see scattered amongst those posts little to-dos on crafting. Maybe a review of a product, or a tv show.

The thing is, I’m quite preoccupied with mental health. My depression plays such a huge role in my life. But then there are these other things I also obsess over.

My appearance, Doctor Who, Feminism and strong female role models, Books, Comic Book inspired films and tv shows, music reviews, nail varnish....

Basically, everything makes it onto my blog. And that’s because everything has an impact on our mental health.

You see, mental health is a much broader term than how most people use it. Mental health is something we all have, whether battling a mental illness or not. It's your general state of feeling; your emotional well being. Proactively protecting and enriching your mental health can actually prevent mental illness from occurring.

• Getting out of the house to enjoy a night at the theatre makes my blog because it’s challenging my social anxiety, it’s taking time out to unwind, and it’s reminding me that I have so much to look forward to in life.
• Binge watching a tv show on Netflix helps me take my mind off of whatever is bugging me this week. 
• Finding skincare products that help my acne is a boost for my self esteem.

Mental health is about the little things. I say that a lot, but it truly is. It’s important to have things we all enjoy, can fan girl over, and can dislike in equal measure.

So, here are a few of my favourite things you’ll probably see popping up on the blog from time to time and why...

Acne – I have so many breakouts so days I don’t want to leave the house. So if make-up or skincare products are offering a solution to my low confidence, I’ll take it.

Book Reviews – You can’t beat the escapism you get in a good book. I don’t just want to share how cultural I am with you, but I want you to experience the same joy afforded to me when I read about dinosaurs/Jane Eyre/mental health...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – This was my favourite tv show as a youngster, and Buffy has a ridiculous amount of themes from empowered women to defeating your demons.

Captain America – I believe in Captain America and what he stands for. Guess you know what side I’m taking in the Civil War, heh?

Crafting – I love to be creative and feel like I can make positive contributions. Keeping busy also acts as a distraction from negative thoughts.

Dating – I know nothing about dating. Which is why I talk about it a lot.

Depression – There are many downsides to living with a mental illness diagnosis. There’s maybe one upside, and that’s been being able to talk about it.

Doctor Who – You know that episode when the Doctor and Amy meet Van Gogh? That’s the greatest depiction of mental illness I’ve ever seen on TV.

Equality – What’s more beautiful than seeing everyone having the same rights as the majority? Since May 23rd 2015 I can tell you that nothing is or ever will be.

Favourites – Every month I share my favourites; the little things that brought me joy and helped me get through the previous 4 weeks.

Feminism – It’s about equality with people of the opposite sex, but it’s also about women respecting women. Some more of that please.

Fitness - There are soooo many benefits to upping your fitness and exercise game.

Make-up – If you’re going to make me look AND feel better about myself, then I will write about you.

Memoirs – You can’t move forward in life without looking back.

Mindfulness  – Because I think that for a fad, it works.

Music – There are songs that get you through tough days, and there are songs that every time you play you feel empowered/emotional/not alone.

My Mood – It’s important to recognise when you’re having a crap day. But, it’s also nice to celebrate the good. I’ll tell you all about my days.

Nail Varnish – 6 months ago my nails were a mess and I was embarrassed to hold a hand rail on the Luas. Nail biting is just one of the things I’ve learnt to overcome from my anxiety. So I will celebrate by owning the most awesome collection of nail varnishes, okay?

Netflix – It’s the greatest distraction tool that’s ever been created. But also for relaxing and increasing your knowledge of the world with its ridiculous amount of quality documentaries.

Psoriasis – I have a rather noticeable skin condition that is notoriously difficult to live with.

Response to an article – Maybe it’s from the 3 years of my Arts degree, but I love taking an article from the Guardian, a government policy doc, or whatever else, and tearing it apart in the point of view of someone with a mental illness.

Self Care – an important topic when it comes to mental health. It’s about proactively looking after ourselves and rewarding ourselves to prevent stress, anxiety and burn out.

The Gaslight Anthem & Tegan and Sara – Ever feel like a band just gets you? Well, lucky me because I have two of them. They know how it feels to be hurt, down and out, and how to pick yourself back up.

Volunteering – I believe in giving back to the community, and it’s something that’s become a huge part in my mental health story.