Tag: Personal

Adventure Time

This may be news to some of you, but I am an absolute sucker for cartoons; whether they’re made for children or adults. I’m a 26 year old, I swear 😉 but Adventure Time always holds a special place in my quirky little heart. It kept me company for a long time when I was at my most unwell. It cheered me up on my lower days. It made my imagination even more vivid + wild. And for that, I’m incredibly thankful. So here’s my current (and very colourful) collection of AT graphic novels/comics

Is there a particular TV show or film that is extra special to you? If so, what it is and why? ☺️ I’d love to hear from you guys!!

Adventure time, c’mon grab your friends… ❤️

Another spontaneous trip!

Hey hey bloggerinos 🙂

So you might recall one of my last posts: when I actually did something spontaneous. Shock horror, it happened again! This time me and le boyfriend headed off to Petersfield to mooch. We were greeted by an apparent summer festival going on which was a nice bonus! Lots of market stalls, music, a vintage car show. It was VERY busy and VERY warm but I didn’t feel anxious or overwhelmed; I soldiered on and didn’t get grumpy in the heat either.

After that, we decided to head to the coast as it would (hopefully) be cooler 🤞🏻 luckily, once we’d gotten through the traffic, Hayling Island actually had some sort of breeze. HALLELUJAH. We ate ice-cream on the beach. We people watched. We then stared in awe as an eery sea mist/fog started rolling in and we were pretty much certain it was the end of the world. I even heard someone say ‘I bet it’s because of Donald Trump’ 😂

This is becoming a habit now, people! And whilst I still love making plans etc, winging it is pretty cool too 😎

Until next time, folks.

Kelsey x

Something unusual happened

Watch out; there’s a positive progress post about to drop. Brace yourselves.

Yes. I did a thing. A thing that I have barely managed for YEARS.

I WENT OUT TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW 🤯😱🥳

I know. I’m just as shocked as you are right now. Mouth agape and everything. To most people this is just what a social life is, something normal that they don’t even register as a big deal. But for this little spoonie? This little spoonie who’s been ill for nearly NINE years? It’s hugeeeeeeee. I also haven’t crumbled into a heap with payback either *touches wood incessantly* 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 AND when you add into the mix that I’ve struggled with social anxiety since I was a teenager, it’s even more awesome. Both nights were fairly big group things; meals, pub, that sort of vibe. I didn’t freak out. I wasn’t nervous. I rarely felt self-conscious or worried that I wasn’t talking enough. I just let myself be me + enjoy it.

I hope you’ve done something lately that made you proud too!

Kelsey x

House Twenty8

Hello hello! I have reappeared in the world of blogging 🙂

I’m actually going to be posting about something that happened TODAY rather than leaving it forever and day before getting round to it. Proactive Kels this evening. As my mum had the day off work, we decided to utilise the girly time with a bit of fresh air and some good noms. The sunshine was glorious, if a wee bit on the hot side for little old me and my POTS ridden body. Much sweat. Many heartbeats. ANYWAY. I still enjoyed myself; just working with the hand I’ve been dealt in life.

On the agenda for lunch was somewhere we’ve actually been to before and really enjoyed. It’s called House Twenty8 and is an all vegetarian cafe with plenty of gluten free and vegan options as well. I went for my all-time favourite dish in there: the superfood salad. Beetroot, avocado, carrots, tomatoes, salad leaves and houmous (hummus?) 🥗 Seriously good and crazy healthy. I also had the H3 Immunity juice which consisted of: carrot, apple, lime, ginger and turmeric. Pretty warm and spicy! As for my mum, she chowed down on a veggie gluten free quiche and salad, whilst sipping on a banana, blueberry, strawberry, coconut milk and mixed seed smoothie. Oo la la! And before you ask, of course I have some photos to share! 😉 AND we decide to take a couple of sweet treats home; mine being a gluten free white chocolate cake bar and my mum opting for something called a ‘Wellbeing bar’, which is essentially just a giant sort of flapjack concoction.

Bon appetit, my friends x

Belated birthday blog

Hello again folks 😊

I promised you a post about my birthday trip out, so here it is!

As an animal lover, I opted for a day at the zoo, without any hesitation. Me and le boyfriend ventured onwards, with much anticipation and excitement in the air. I shan’t bore you with a detailed itinerary or an exhaustive list of every animal we saw; but instead, it’s all about the highlights and snapshots. Enjoy!

Hungry hungry hogs
BABY GIRAFFE 🦒
monch monch monch
sploot
teeny weeny sea lion!
Beautiful elephants ❤️🐘
Rhino buddies
Trevor and Tulip the miniature donkeys

I’ll be back soon!

Hello to all you fantastic folk out there 😊 sorry I haven’t managed to post for an absolute AGE. I’ve been pretty busy actually which is something I’m still not used to 😂

I’m currently having a rest day as my body is all screwed up from my birthday zoo trip yesterday. But it was TOTALLY worth it! I’ll likely do a post with some photos soon, but for now, I’m just checking in to say I’m all good (relatively speaking) and will be back soon.

See you soon.

Kelsey ✌🏻

I did something (sort of) spontaneous

Hello hello my wonderful readers

A very positive post today so three cheers for that news! So, Thursday is the day I usually see my amazing boyfriend (I know you’re probably reading this so don’t get too much of a big head) 😉 we had no idea what to do last week, or even a time when we’d be free. Fast forward to midday and we’re sat in his car, still deciding what to do. So we just went for a drive and put our thinking caps on. And where did we end up? The beautiful coast 💙

Our first stop was somewhere for food as I was absolutely starving, bordering on ‘hangry’…not something anyone wants to witness or get on the wrong side of. I googled gluten free for where we were and ta-dah! A new cafe was discovered; and it turned out to be lovely. Earl grey tea with lavender was my drink of choice, even though I’m an avid coffee drinker. A gluten free toastie was on the menu as well. Nomnomnom delicious sustenance.

After we’d filled up on savoury food, I was led to an ice-cream place on the beachfront, guided by le boyfriend. And oh my gollygosh I was not disappointed. I was craving proper ice-cream man ice-cream; classic Mr. Whippy. But this place? This place had FLAVOURED Mr. Whippy options!! Strawberry, mint, chocolate, caramel, banana. And best of all? You could swirl flavours together. I opted for traditional vanilla and, probably my all-time favourite ice-cream flavour: mint. It was all swirly and beautiful and I stupidly forgot to take a photo for proof as I was too preoccupied with stuffing my face.

We ate our sweet treats whilst overlooking the beach and enjoying the glorious sunshine. Oh and dogspotting too because dogs are pure happiness and love. We rummaged around the stony beach to find some shells which were pretty abundant. And two hollowed out (nicer way of sayimg they’d been devoured and digested) crab shells which I found strangely fascinating.

On the drive home, I connected up my Spotify to blast some mostly old school tunes from our school days; cue us shouting along to Mr. Brightside with the windows wide open.

If that’s not an awesome and slightly spontaneous early summer day, I don’t know what is ☀️❤️

My dainty cup of Earl Grey tea with lavender
Just look at that 💙
Couldn’t resist bringing a few of these beauties home with me 🐚

Bookworm Q&A

Just a little light-hearted, book related post for this Sunday evening…

*DISCLAIMER* I’m not shaming anyone who enjoys any of the authors or books mentioned. Everyone has their own taste and that’s what makes the world such an interesting place.

BOOK I DISLIKE: The Boy in the Attic by David Malone

BOOK I LOVE: Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

BOOK I THINK IS OVERRATED: Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, Twilight…

BOOK I THINK IS UNDERRATED: Ritual by David Pinner. Almost unheard of but a fantastic read

BOOK I COULD READ ON REPEAT: Anything by Edgar Allan Poe, especially The Raven

BOOK THAT MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH READING: The Jiggy McCue series by Michael Lawrence + The Measle Stubbs series by Ian Ogilvy

BOOK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

GUILTY PLEASURE: I don’t feel remotely guilty about anything I read or have read and neither should you

MORBID CURIOSITY GENRES: Basically anything about the Holocaust, concentration camps etc. Also true crime, especially serial killers like Jack the Ripper

BOOK I SHOULD HAVE READ BY NOW BUT HAVEN’T: Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. I have the trilogy in one HUGE book but find it so daunting, even though I know it contains 3 books!

LONGEST READ: My paperback copy of It by Stephen King was over 1,300 pages and it’s still the longest book I’ve read to date

BOOKS CURRENTLY OWNED: According to my Goodreads account, it’s 161, which is predominantly made up of my ‘to be read’ collection

BOOKS READ SO FAR THIS YEAR: 34 and almost halfway through number 35. My goal for the whole year is 70 so I’m pretty chuffed with my progress so far

CBT news

Here comes a positive post, people. Positive post warning.

So I’ve been having high intensity CBT for over a year, which I genuinely can’t remember if I’ve mentioned before. Gulp. Anyway! You now know. It was mainly targeting my various anxieties and depression, but we also discussed phobias and stress etc. I’ve had regular CBT before but was sadly unable to get the most out of it due to my health being much worse. And I actually think that the regular type wasn’t really going to work for me anyway. As an added bonus, the high intensity CBT is ongoing for as long as you need, without needing to be referred by your GP again and again. Three cheers for avoiding that annoyance.

My counsellor was absolutely legendary. I know it’s his job but I could tell that he genuinely cared about the people he sees. I had no trouble opening up and being honest either. It was all very relaxed whilst still providing all the help I required.

Here comes the positive news…

After reducing the regularity of my appointments, I was officially discharged as of the 3rd of April!! 🙂 It’s been stressed as well that I can start up my sessions again at any time in the future if the situation arises, which is a great reassurance for my little brain.

I’m unbelievably grateful that I had access to such a life-changing form of therapy. And I’m beyond grateful that it actually worked for me. I’m honestly in the best place I’ve been for years. So I’d like to say a huge thank you to the wonderful NHS. And, in a strange way, a thank you to myself for embracing and fully committing to the whole process. I’ve got my proud face on and I’m wearing it joyously.

Stay positive, safe and be kind to yourselves.

Kelsey x

Stop The Stigma

Let’s get right to it: there should be NO stigma or shame attached to taking antidepressants, anxiety meds etc.

It really gets to me that there’s still people out there who see them in such a negative light. Yes the medications may not help everyone and in some cases can make symptoms worse. But for all those people that they help? They are genuinely a lifesaver. Nobody should be made to feel bad about taking meds for depression and other mental health issues. So, let’s get a few things straight…

  1. Antidepressants do NOT make you weak or any less of a human
  2. They don’t cause ‘fake happiness/feelings’
  3. Taking them isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Fact
  4. Some people need them indefinitely and that is okay
  5. Others take them for shorter periods and that is okay too
  6. They enable you to cope with life
  7. And, in my case, they simply allow me to be 100% me
  8. I’ve been taking antidepressants since autumn 2010 and don’t regret a single tablet
  9. I will take them for as long as I need and don’t give a shit if that’s months, years or decades
  10. You don’t know everyone’s story or what’s going on in their minds, so you have no right to make a judgement on that which you know nothing about
  11. Some people choose other alternatives to medication, but that doesn’t mean their issues are any less severe or debilitating
  12. And medication isn’t the first option for these issues. Doctors will recommend self-help first, counselling etc. And if those don’t help, then pharmaceutical avenues will be explored
  13. Why is it that with a number of ongoing physical conditions, taking medication long-term is never questioned, but for mental health, some people suddenly get in a tizzy about it? You wouldn’t tell a diabetic that they didn’t really need their insulin. So why is someone with long-term depression for example any different?

Basically, don’t be a dick about it. Educate yourself, do some research. And if you still have nothing positive, helpful or supportive to say, keep it to yourself