This is a collaborative post. If you find yourself feeling sluggish or tired, one reason might be a lack of sleep or not getting a good night’s rest. This is important for your body because, without sleep, your body can’t perform at it’s best. So here are some tips on a good sleep routine to improve your health. Tips On A Good Sleep Routine To Improve Your Health Set A Trigger Part of the problem of getting to sleep is…
Deciding to have children is a tough decision at the best of times. Deciding to start a family when you have chronic depression and anxiety, and take regular medication is another thing altogether. Years ago, I read an article in The Guardian that discusses the July 2014 guidelines that were issued to GPs by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). These guidelines give doctors advice on how they should treat female patients who suffer from depression. In particular, it recommends that…
Trigger warning: this post mentions depression, anxiety, taking antidepressants, self-harm and attempted suicide. If you have personal experience of any of these then you may find this post distressing. Next year will be the twentieth anniversary of my diagnosis of depression. It will also mark almost twenty years of taking antidepressants. That is huge! It means that I’ve suffered from depression for the majority of my adult life. If you’ve read this blog before then you’ll know that I’m very…
Bathtime is an essential part of our bedtime routine. And it is now one of my favourite parts of the day. I love seeing my two children in the bath together laughing and giggling. The bath products that we use are an essential part of this sacred time. But both the children have different requirements of what they want at bathtime. Little Miss H wants bubbles and lots of them. And Little Mister H needs a mild shampoo that won’t…
I have a stalker. They've been a menacing presence in my life since I was 20. And since their appearance during my second year at university, there has been no escape. They've been every where I turned. Every where I looked. They threatened my life. And they filled me with self loathing and hatred. Setting me on a path to self destruction.…
I have to say it. I hate November. In my opinion, it is the hardest month of the year. And it is the month where I always struggle with my depression. I didn't always feel this way. As a child and a teenager I was indifferent to November. Nothing exciting happened. I spent the days waiting for December and the count down to Christmas. That all changed on Saturday, 23rd November 2002. That was the day that I made serious plans to take my life…
I have a love hate relationship with this time of year. I love taking walks in the woods and kicking fallen leaves. I love being able to snuggle up on the sofa on cooler nights. I love wearing jumpers, skirts, thick tights and boots. I hate that it is dark when Mr H wakes up in the mornings. I hate the lack of sunlight. I hate that it gets dark early in the evenings. Which means, I am dreading this weekend when the…