8 Things not to say to someone who is dealing with anxiety.

Hey readers,

As an individual who suffers from anxiety for a number of years, I have had my fair share of experiences involving people saying things to me that is not really helpful when you're trying to deal with anxiety.

So here is my 10 popular comments people have said that should not be said to someone who is suffering from anxiety.

1. Trendy.

Social media is a great tool in raising awareness of mental health. The downside is that some people may not be genuine in saying they have a mental health condition. 

They may say they have mental health issues to help with social media engagement or as an excuse for behaviour. Sadly the genuine people who suffer from anxiety get tarnished with the same brush.  

I know people use Google to self-diagnosis and in some cases the may be genuine. It is OK to talk about anxiety because how else are we going to raise awareness.

I think most people who say they suffer from anxiety are genuine suffers but sadly only takes a bad apple to affect a community. I didn't talk about my mental health for a long time to anyone or the odd person who I trusted.

 It takes a lot of courage for people who genuinely suffer from mental health. Trust me I do not see it as trendy. It is an ongoing battle and something if I could wave a magic wand make it disappear.

Sadly I can't make my anxiety vanish away and therefore have to focus on managing it rather than focus on a way of getting rid of it. 

I still get feelings at times of being ashamed if I am honest maybe because of past experiences of people turning a blind eye or not willing to talk about it has had an influence on me.

I am learning like everyone that talking helps and if you do suffer from mental health conditions then do be afraid of speaking up snout how it affects you.

2. Get over it. 

The amount of times I have been told to simply just get over it is unreal. Yeah sure mate I'll just click my fingers and get over it. It takes a lot of hard work to manage anxiety and you don't really know what is going on so don't assume that someone can just get over it!

3. Everything will be fine.

I know when people say this they mean it with good intention. However, anxiety is a devious little bugger and can really make you believe what you are feeling is real. Sometimes just listening to the anxieties helps a lot more helpful to say.

4. Calm down.

There is nothing more infuriating than someone telling you to calm down when you're in the grips of anxiety. 

It almost feels like when someone says calm down like they are not taking your feelings seriously. If anything saying calm down just triggers me and makes me angry which is not good either.

5. It's all in your head.

Of course, it is in my head, anxiety occurs in the mind right? One thing is for sure it is real, though some of the thoughts are maybe questionable in regards to the truth in relation to how the anxiety makes me feel.

6. Your such a weirdo.

There is nothing more encouraging than someone knocking you for suffering from anxiety. Just because it is different from the way you think or act does not make it OK calling someone a weirdo.

7. Have a drink you will feel better.

OK having a drink can be a relaxant however, we all know too much alcohol is a depressant. If drinking alcohol becomes a regular coping mechanism for dealing with anxiety it can actually hinder your mental health. 

Once the effects of feeling relaxed and letting go wear off alcohol tend to cause more anxiety which defeats the point anyway.

8. Other people are suffering much worse conditions then you are. 

This does not really help to compare a person to another person. We are all different and on our own journeys. Comments like this make you feel rubbish and reduce the likelihood of wanting to talk to you again about how you feel.

Have you experienced any of these observations? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below.

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 28/06/2020

My mummy pet hates

Hey readers,

 With parenthood, nothing runs smoothly and somethings can quite frankly get on your goat. Nothing is perfect in parenthood it comes with its challenges so here are most irritating pet hates that annoy the crap out of me.

1. Repetition of questions.

I know it is lovely when your little one speaks and has an inquisitive mind showing that your little darling is into things. 

But let's face it there is only so many times you can answer the same question again and again and again and again before you secretly fantasy about quietness just for time to think without being smothered with the demand for answers!

2. Hearing my own voice.

What can I say my children as soon as they learnt the skill of selective hearing they get smart and used it to their advantage.

 It is so dame annoying hearing your own voice and trying to stay calm. For example, getting your children to school and encouraging them to get dressed when they so can't be arsed so they chose to ignore you instead. 

Not to mention if you have more then one child and hearing you say time and time again play nicely, stop jumping on your brother, for God sake just share the plastic jelly baby pot.

It is a totally minded field for me to understand the social rules of parenting and what to say or how much to say to other parents. What to get your sons to friend from school etc. 

 My son has not even started school yet and then it will even more social rules to deal with.

When having a baby you were entitled to watch several hours of crap TV in peace with hot teas.

 Now moving forward to the child age you may as well kiss goodbye to watching anything of your own during the day. 

With our home now with two children and their noise and demands, you miss your programme anyway so you may as well just watch another God dame episode of Talking Tom.

Songs that get stuck in your head - from the telly whether that Mighty Mike or Fireman Sam theme tune you will be stuck with it going round in your head all day long and find yourself humming along.

3. Getting under your feet.

I love my kids but at times they can get so frustrating as they have this ability to get under your feet when trying to do something. 

Alternatively, my eldest loves to try and block you from entering a room just for laugh. It doesn't matter whether your rushing around cleaning the flat to make it look half decent for visits it is more fun to stop mummy, yeah right!

4. Lego pieces.

 Lego pieces get everywhere and kill when standing on them. They are so painful and so small that they really should come with insurance.

5. Throwing food. 

Why, why, why do children have to  throw food about everywhere in places that are imaginable and find months later vom!

6. Meltdowns.

 I find it stressful in public to deal with meltdowns. Yes, this is typical child behaviour but so hard to deal with especially when your child is tired. 

There is no rational stance with your child when they hit meltdown mode so it can be really stressful to try to get them to calm down and then you need to calm down, just a nightmare really.

With both my sons trying to get them to share the tablet, drink felt tips, stickers you name it I guarantee there will be a squabble between my boys.

 It is so bloody hard work at times to constantly break up the battles but luckily the good outweigh the bad or else I would be locked up in the psychiatric ward.

What is your mummy pet hates? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X 

9 ways to wind down

Hey readers,

As a person who struggles to wind down, it is always good to find ways to help me switch off. 

I am quite an anxious person naturally, so therefore, at times I can neglect myself especially when the anxiety is getting to me. 

So here are my top 9 ways that have helped me destress in times of need. 

1. Technology.

Turn off the technology allows you that time to help switch off from all the noise that is going on. 

It gives you time to turn off the thoughts and help get your body naturally tired and not constantly wired.

2. Caffeine.

 Don't drink caffeine an hour before bed as caffeine is a known to stimulate your mind and the chances are you won't want to go to bed. Therefore resulting in reduced sleep which will impact your day. 

3. Temperature.

 Make sure you get the right temperature for your bedroom as this will help you feel more comfortable and ready to settle down for the night.

4. Reading. 

 Reading before bed is a fantastic way to help get you tired but also feel more relaxed.

5. Television.

In the evening before bed, if you are watching TV watch something that is calming. 

Try to avoid programmes which are thought-provoking and not a programme that will make you think or cause an emotional reaction because you don't want racing thoughts as it can prevent you from sleeping. 

This will likely waste timing thinking where you could have been sleeping.

6. Write it down.

 If you have any thoughts that seem to be repeating and stopping you from getting sleep a good technique is to have a notebook by your bed and write down your thoughts. 

If there are written down the thoughts this can help give you a clearer perspective. This will help settle you knowing that you have written down all your thoughts as a posed to keeping them in your head racing around and getting messy.

7. Bedtime routine.

 Having a bedtime routine can help settle you down ready for sleep as it trains your brain. Therefore making your body get in a rhythm so that will time it will naturally go into sleepy mode and wanting bed.

8. Music. 

Put some relaxing music on in your bedroom as this can create a calming environment and get you in the mood to chill out. 

9. Bath. 

 Having a bath is a great way to relax and soak the muscles after a long day.

What ways help you relax before bed? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X

A Boy Made Of Blocks by Keith Stuart (Review)

Hey readers,

Today I am sharing a review of A Boy Made Of Blocks by Keith Stuart. It is losing based on the author's relationship with his autistic son.

This book has a main theme of Alex who is the dad of his son, called Sam. Sam is a child who is diagnosed with high functioning autism so, he can communicate but to what extend no one is really sure.

Alex has been the main breadwinner, whilst his wife had to leave her job to cater to Sam's needs 24/7. 

Naturally, this seems to have caused a rift between Alex and Jody due to pressure, stress, confusion etc when raising an autistic child.

As we have found out further along in the book that communication between Alex and Jody was broken down, therefore, causing Jody to call time on their marriage, for now, it was deemed a trial separation.

On that Sunday Alex left the family home feeling devastated, so he moved into a friend's apartment which was a typical bachelor pad with all the mod cons including an Xbox.

Alex gets into a more depressing situation when the mangers at his job have changed and decided that they no longer need Alex as a mortgage adviser. Therefore Alex decided to take three-month redundancy deal that the company offered as an incentive.

This causes Alex to spirals into depression.

A new arrangement between Jody and Alex where on a Saturday Alex would look after Sam.

 Normally Alex and Sam would go to the park but this worried Alex particularly as Sam was hostile to other children and very scared of dogs. 

Their relationship is very basic and it is all new for both Sam and Alex where they are at the beginning of a journey if you will in finding out about one another.

Jody buys Sam an Xbox and then gets into the game Minecraft. Sam desperately wants his dad to join in. At first, Alex sees this of pain especially as Sam is constantly calling Alex to check every small development in the game.

There were issues that were concerning Alex around technology and whether it was good for Sam to spend such a long time on the Xbox. 

However, this game was a great distraction for Sam as he could totally escape all his worries, especially as he was getting bullied at school for being different. 

We find out later on in the book that it is quite clear that when dad does get involved playing Minecraft with Sam it sort of strengths communication and building a stronger relationship between father and son.

When Sam is not the centre of attention he is more open and thinks clearer without having to worry about talking and what to have to say. Rather, the communication flow is more natural between Sam and Alex. 

This has helped Alex understand his son better through the game and can be less jumping to ideas bur more empathetic to why Sam does the things he does. 

I find this such a  brilliant insight into knowing about Autism. Sometimes, you need to have some sort of physical activity that is about order and structure to help ease the anxiety for a person with autism and help the communication between two people.

There are obviously other branches of 'drama' if you will regarding Alex's brother who died due to a car incident when Alex was young. The theme around guilt, running away and facing up to things is a big topic at the end. 

His sister, mum and Alex all learn to face up to doubts and thoughts. With the main notion of communicating their worries can break down the tension and built back relationships instead of hiding for fear of the outcome. 

This can help the process of grief and move forward in all the individual's lives.

There are little nuggets of wisdom from Sam and we can learn a lot from Sam with making things simple outlook of the human race. Seeing them as objects and colours that need to fit together.

Overall, it is a heartwarming story and tells the tale of strangers almost rebuilding and strengthening the relationship between families. I love the fact that it is a personal account and feels real rather than just listening again and again to the rubbish of the professionals.

There is a new book after this one which I will definitely be reading in the future be as it would be lovely to hear the new developments of what has bee happening in Sam's life.

 Especially, as at the end of this book, Sam has moved to a new school that specialises in autism.

This book is definitely a must if your interested in autism or wants to hear about an autistic parent's point of view.

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 21/06/2020

5 life lessons I have learnt

Hey readers,

I thought today I would share with you the five top lessons that I have learnt so far in my life.

  1. Good people.

My first lesson is that there are more good people in the world than bad. I know shock horror I am sure the media would love to differ but then again it wouldn’t sell papers.

 Sometimes we can all get sucked into the doom and the gloom of bad news that we can forget that there are so many good people in this world. I think the below quote is spot on and something that we should all try and remember.

“At times the world may seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may in fact be the first steps of a journey.”

― Lemony Snicket

2. Sod’s Law.

The second lesson I have learnt is that Sod's Law will always kick your ass every single time. When you think you know what will happen in life then you can guarantee that something will pull that your feet at that moment in time.

 I suppose a classic example would be where is that bus when I am running late when normally it is bang on time!

3. Not all thoughts are true.

As a person who suffers from anxiety, you believe every thought and feel though that may not always be the case. Sometimes, our mind tricks us into thinking stuff even though it is not true.  

But remember that it is important to not always believe these thoughts, yes they seem real but always remember they are just thoughts and it is your choice to choose to believe in them or not.

4. Feelings.

Feelings can be good or they can bad. As I have mentioned before I am a person who suffers from anxiety and depression which can at times take me to dark places. 

It can be scary and feel like you are going to be stuck feeling this way forever. But rest assured as someone who has battled for a long time with mental health conditions feelings pass with time. 

Hold on to that thought when you are in a dark and scary place, you can and will get through this even if it takes time. Life is constantly moving and so will you.

5. A cup of tea.

The final lesson that I have learnt in my life is and one of the best cures for stressful situations is to have a cup of tea and toast like it is the best way to solves problems.  So, if I need time to think this is the one-stop solution to give me a chance to think clearer.

What lessons have you learnt in life? What do you think of mine? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below.

Cheers for reading X

Benefits of practising silence

Hey readers,

There is so much noise around us nowadays especially as we are at home more. The noise is everywhere from the TV, phone, tablet whatever there is a constant stream of information that wants to grab our attention.

Sometimes it can really get to me because of how easy it is to access and can get overwhelming. That is why it is important to learn the skill of taking ten minutes a day along in the quiet to just be without any distractions.

I have started doing this a few months ago and I will be honest at first I did find it really hard with having so many racing thoughts, it just didn’t feel comfortable, however, over time it gets easier with practice and you will be amazed at the benefits it can have on you.

I find taking time out each day to slow down is important as it really helps me appreciate the moment instead of constantly wanting to do the next thing. It gives me that time to just stop and breathe. I simply do nothing and it is really relaxing to just let go and take in the moment.

The way I like to incorporate my 10 minutes of silence a day is to lie on my bed as that is my favourite place to be. I turn everything off and close my eyes and let whatever comes into my head slip away. I forget about it if it is important it will come back to me. Just allowing the flow to come and go really helps give me a little bit fo calmness for that day.

I think it is a real skill to learn to be present and in the moment, even if it is just for a small percentage of the day. The world moves fast and it is too easy to get hooked into the chaos of it all. I really enjoy moments where I can just sit and be mindful, to feel whatever it is and just breathe. I am not massively into mindfulness but just sitting and breathing has helped greatly with learning to relax, which funny enough is something I am not very good at.

I have found it to help my anxiety and thoughts by training myself to not feed into them but focus on the sensory of the here and now. I am learning to let go of the anxiety and knowing that ten minutes of the day is mine to just be, relax and appreciate what is happening right here and right now. 

 I think just allowing myself permission of sorts to do this because I constantly feel that I have to be doing something or have not achieved anything. Sometimes, you can learn a lot more just being and reflecting rather than constantly on the go where you don’t appreciate things because your constantly wanting to move on to the next thing.

What are your thoughts on practising silence? Do you incorporate silence in your day? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Cheers for reading X

20 non-screen activities to do indoors.

Hey readers,

Bored at home with the kids and looking for something to d that will distract them enough to stop watching the screen. Look no further as I have 20 fun activities to do indoors when at home. 

  

1. Make a fort.

2. Do some potato art  - simply cut out shapes from the potato such as a star and then paint the potato shape and cover the sheet of paper.

3. Can't go wrong with reading a book.

4. Have a bath any old time, doesn't have to be in the evening but sure is a time killer and most kids enjoy the bath right?!

5. Do a jigsaw puzzle.

6. Make your own playdoh, really easy to do and the kids will love it.

7. Paint some stones and leave them out when you go out on a walk for someone else to enjoy.

8. Play a board game – my favourite is UNO.

9. Turn the radio on and do some dancing in your living room.

10. Make an indoor obstacle course indoors using objects in your home. You could use pillows, toys and cushions to help create a fun way to make an obstacle course.

11. Let your kid’s vacuum (oblivious depending on their age, don’t recommend giving a one-year-old) but kids absolutely love playing the adult role and teaching them to look after the place they live in.

12. Play some bubbles.

13. Make a card for family or friend. You don’t need much simply use paper and colour pens. People will love to receive something handmade as it is that personal touch.

14. Learn the Japanese origami which is the art of paper folding.

15. Make paper aeroplanes.

16. Try some coin rubbing art.

17. Plant some seeds – a couple of simple seeds to plant is mustard or crescent and you can just place them in an empty yoghurt pot and watch them grow.

18. Make some homemade ice lollies.

19. Make tape roads – all you will need is masking tape and put on the floor to create roads and roundabout. Then after kids then can use their cars on it.

20. Make some gratitude paper chains – done a post here on how to do it.

What things do to you do when indoors with your kids? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday Photo 14/06/2020

Reasons to love Youtube

Hey readers,

We are now in the internet age and where better place to explore than good old YouTube especially as we are spending more time at home due to the Coronavirus.

 I love YouTube I will be honest and it has saved many a boring day or dealing with the awkward questions my eldest asks me. 

Not to mention the vast amount of variety of video available on Youtube from tutorials and reviews on products to name a couple (though there are many more).

 I would otherwise be clueless with things that I know thanks tog good old Youtube so let's celebrate all things YouTube!

1. Cost.

Most of the videos that you can watch on Youtube are free apart from the premium level but let's face it most people don't opt for that service.

2.  24/7.

Youtube is accessible to anyone in the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

3. Variety.

On Youtube the variety of information is amazing. There is so much out there from tutorials to free films. You can even get 30-minute type shows so there is definitely something on Youtube for everyone to enjoy.

4. Knowledge. 

YouTube is a platform where you can get a lot of information to help with learning. For me personally, an obvious example where I have learnt something off Youtube is navigating around Blogger.

It has helped me tremendously as a blogger to help me feel more confident in working around the Blogger website. 

Also, you can take your time,  stop and pause. You can even come back and do little bits making it more manageable to fit around you and your needs.

5. Accessible for all. 

Anyone regardless of background or experience cam upload a video and there are little restrictions on what can post (apart from the obvious). Giving people the free rains over the material.

6. Unedited.

It can be unedited and what you see is what you get.  I will be honest I love really dodgy amateur videos just for the comedy purposes alone.

7.  Individual. 

You can learn about someone's life and get to know the vloggers better on a social level. Because the individual is doing the recording and you get a sense of authenticity. 

Vlogging world is very popular with people because it is not like traditional TV shows because it is about someone's life and they are recording it for you to view.

8. Playlists.

You can create your own playlist on Youtube tailored to your taste.  Remember in the 90s making mixtapes and the effort with stop and starting again with the tape recorder. 

Well, using personalised YouTube playlists is the modern way to tailor your needs. You can also pick the videos without the ads so playing right through without skipping even so often, win!

Do you relate to any of these positive aspects of liking Youtube? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X

Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes (book review)

Hey readers,

Today I am going to do a book review of Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes. It is an adult thriller fiction book.

The main plot is about a woman called Sarah who was married to Jim but he died in a car crash.

Sarah is struggling with debt in her home up in the Yorkshire Dales. She had a visit from a university friend of Sarah and Jim’s called Aiden. 

He needs a place to stay and Sarah offers him a room her home. He insists on paying rent which is an incentive as she really needs the money and the fact that she is struggling with loneliness.

Sarah and Aiden get friendly and after getting close after a night out at the local pub and the end of the night having sex together.

Over time feelings between Sarah and Aiden grow for each other.

There is one problem with the situation between Sarah and Aiden is that everyone other than Sarah knows that Aiden is a masseur and provides organisms for women as a job.

They have fallen out and it progresses that it is purely a job for him. He has been honest with every question Sarah says. However, over time Sarah accepts this and trusts him.

There is another friend called Sophie who is having relationship problems with her husband and gets to know a friend of Sarah's called Will.

Sophie and Will have a fling but Sophie wants to continue it further. However, this point will I'd obsessed.

He gets threatening towards Sarah because she had a one night stand a whole back causing him to blackmail Sarah.

Sarah has two older children called Louis and Kitty. Kitty is at university and comes to stay over the holidays at Sarah's.

Louis has fallen out with his mum due to his dad's death, blaming Sarah for not driving when the night his dad died.

Sophie at this point has told George about will and his obsessive behaviour. He tells her to vanish for a while to try and make it cool down. However, this only leads the will to lead on to darker plans.

I won't spoil the ending but with the weather turning for the worst with heavy snow and we find out the lengths people will go for the one they get attached too.

I loved Elizabeth Haynes previous work and so naturally was delighted to see another title that I had not read yet. I found the book a real page-turner and engaging. I like the fact that it wasn’t dragged out but there was enough balance for the beginning, middle and end section. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy a good thriller that keeps you guessing.

I give it 5 stars out of five.

Cheers for reading X

7 ways to be happy everyday.

Hey readers,

Sometimes we can forget to find the joy in the simplest of things and life can drag us down.

 But we can do something about that and gain some control back. I have got seven ways that aren't difficult to help find happiness in ordinary stuff. I hope you find this helpful.

1. Time out.

Take the time out of your day to do something that you love doing, whether it be listening to music, reading whatever it is do it make some time to do it! Even if it is just for ten minutes a day it will be worth it in the long term for your wellbeing because you are doing something for you and giving you some time for self-care.

2. Write it down.

 A good habit to take up is to write down something that you are thankful for each day. It doesn't have too big it could be as simple as hearing the birds. This is a way to train your brain to look at the positives in your life and appreciate the small things in life that you have access too. 

3. Outdoors.

Take yourself outside and connect with nature. Go for a walk and just be, take time to notice the environment that you are, look at the different flowers or trees, look up at the sky because we live in a beautiful world and it has a lot to offer.

4. Laugh.

As the saying goes laughter is the best medicine. Laughing produces chemicals in the brain to make you feel good naturally and laughing is also brilliant at offering healing properties as well.

5. Time out.

Take some time out of your day to be mindful and present. All you need to do is it and be and just stop with the business of the world.

 The world goes by so fast that you may miss out and just sitting and slowing down can really be beneficial to your health.

6. Kindness.

Do something for someone else and spread happiness on. Some suggestions are making a hot drink, taking time to listen to the person and what they are saying.

7. Positives.

Write down your feelings and work out how you can help reduce the negative and increase the positive. This allows you to understand and think about how you feel. 

It also gives you some control because you're acting on how your feeling and finding solutions to some problems if you can. 

Have I missed any techniques to help make you feel happy every day? What do you do that helps you find happiness? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 07/06/2020

Little Miss Muffet (A Paraody).

Little Miss Muffet went off in a fuffet,

Swearing and huffing the day away,

Along came a numpty,

Who tried to woe her,

Only to get slapped away.

Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon (book review).

Hey readers,

I love a book that you can lose yourself totally in and can't wait for every opportunity to sit and flick through the pages. 

This book did just that. It is a biography of Bryony Gordon who is a journalist for several years. She writes openly and honestly about her first-hand experience of living with OCD and clinical depression.

As a suffer from both clinical depression and OCD I felt I could really identify with how Bryony expressed her experiences clearly, how out of nowhere something triggered causing the panic and obsession. Almost like someone flicking on a switch.

I feel that this is an honest reflection of OCD. It is also not your typical cleaning OCD but a main focus on the thoughts and how they influence behaviour.

As a mother, I also found the area about motherhood particularly around pregnancy interesting and relatable. 

Especially when it is your first-time pregnancy can be very stressful. The early period of motherhood made me feel very paranoid especially with the debate about whether or not you should or should not take anti-depressants and the effect that it will have on your newborn.

I think it is an interesting observation mentioned in the book about the fact that Bryony comes from a middle-class family that was fairly stable with not a lot of trigger to cause mental illness. It goes to show that money can't pay for everything and that mental health affects all walks of life.  

The only good thinks about being wealthy is getting better care privately. The reason Bryony and her mum chose private over NHS is shockingly poor and a long waiting list to boot. 

Though she chats openly that it doesn't matter as you still have to work hard to get a good therapist that understands you to help with your recovery.

It is a brilliant account of how OCD can feed off you when you are mentally low such as being in an abusive relationship can trigger OCD behaviour.

Even if you don't suffer from OCD it is a fantastic way to help you understand better about the condition and help increase awareness for mental illness. Also how hard it is to find the right help and that if the Doctors dealt with it sooner then it would possibly be not as bad as the thoughts are not been long lasted for years as a way to cope with life stresses.

The best advice  Bryony concludes is cutting back on alcohol/exercise/eating healthy and just making sure that every area of your life is catered for can help reduce the OCD.

Bryony also reflects on her experience of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and the power of thought. 

 How CBT  worked for her and now accepts that slips happen, OCD thoughts will always be there but accepting them as just that but not taking them as the gospel is the biggest progress to live a better more fulfilled life.

A powerful message is that mental illness is not on the same level of importance of physical health. If you had a broken leg you would get it plastered. But mental health is still a taboo that is not talked about and at times shamed upon with stigma or being blasé with comments about being a bit OCD with putting clothing straight. 

It is much more than complex and intrusive than simply having things in a certain way.

Bryony set up a group called mental health mates where strangers meet up in London to walk and talk about mental illness.

There is no demand to change just a place to not feel so alone and isolated. I think it is a brilliant idea and I wish there were more groups around in the UK.

In my personal opinion, I think this is one of the best books I have read of a first account of living with OCD. It is not pretentious or glamorised,  just trying to get the message out that whatever background shit happens. 

It is great to help get the message about what it is really like to live with OCD. I definitely recommend it.

Cheers for reading X