WHY MY DESPERATION FOR POSITIVITY AFTER FINDING MY RABBIT DEAD INSPIRED MY NEW BOOK | THE GRACIE’S WAY BOOK: A MENTAL HEALTH COMPANION FOR PET OWNERS

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”

Toni Morrison

I’m so excited to eventually be able to talk about my brand-new book on I’m NOT Disordered  and all because it was finally announced on Gracie’s Way in an article for Halloween (https://www.graciesway.co.uk/2026/10/the-scariest-moment-since-starting.html), with the angle to make it relevant to the date being that it was the scariest thing I’ve done since launching Gracie’s Way (the pet bereavement project I started in January). With the book being very obviously massively inspired – in so many different ways – by Gracie’s Way, it felt only right that it be there that I announce the new book and its title and reveal the cover! But of course, I couldn’t not do content for it on here because there are also so many things that make it relevant to mental health (which is clearly the overarching theme of this blog) so let’s get chatting about one of the largest elements of that: the fact that a huge inspiration for writing this book is the desperation of finding something positive out of something so sad and traumatic...

MY LIFE THROUGHOUT THE LAST YEAR SINCE FINDING GRACIE

“We all have life storms, and when we get the rough times and we recover from them, we should celebrate that we got through it. No matter how bad it may seem, there's always something beautiful that you can find.”

Mattie Stepanek

Like most anniversaries celebrated on I’m NOT Disordered, when it comes to them, I can never believe it’s been that long already; and it’s absolutely the same with the one-year anniversary of finding Gracie – I can’t quite believe it’s here! It honestly doesn’t feel like it’s been nearly half that time since I almost stood on my youngest rabbit’s cold, lifeless body in the sitting room doorway. But here we are – I've had a year; have I managed to change things round?

A GUIDE TO ONE METHOD OF USING YOUR VOICE IN MENTAL HEALTH | WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2026

 “What I'm realizing is that if you're quiet about the things that hurt you, people are only going to mistake your tolerance for permission.”

Ann Liang

When I read that the theme for World Mental Health Day (WMHD) this year is ‘lived experiences heard: real voices, real change’ I was really excited to get started on some content! I say that because it’s a topic – speaking up about mental health – that's very obviously hugely close to my heart, and not just in my career as a mental health Influencer, but also in a more personal and individual respect too. Since the day I created I’m NOT Disordered back in 2013, I have been using my voice to try to achieve a number of different goals that have wildly changed and grown over that time. And I honestly believe that if I hadn’t achieved the things I have over the years of using my voice, I might not be here. Speaking up has helped to define me as a person, helped me to discover my purpose, to create my career, and to leave me with the distinct feeling that the hardships have been worthwhile. With that fundamental impact on my recovery, I wanted to put this blog post together on using your voice in mental health by providing information, understanding, awareness, my own experiences, and tips learned from them of one of the key methods of using your voice that I feel I’ve engaged in the most: providing feedback...

WELCOME NALA - MY LITTLE 'GIFT' | A POEM FOR MY NEW BUNNY

You came when my heart was shattered and sore, 
When sadness had settled deep into my core. 
A little too broken, too frightened to see, 
How happiness ever could find its way back to me.

I’M NOT DISORDERED X ELI GARDNER | READ A BOOK DAY 2026

“This book is for anyone who has loved and lost an animal... Let me help you to find them again, through this story.”

Eli Gardner

At the end of July, my pet bereavement project (Gracie’s Way) received a follow on the project’s Instagram (@GraciesWayUK) from indie Author; Eli Gardner, I decided to check out her profile (@abrakadabraink). When I discovered she had written a book which included discussion of the topic pet bereavement and that she uses her book sales to fund animal rescue, I immediately DM’d her to say thanks and then asked if she’d like to collaborate. I give some brief descriptions of Gracie’s Way, and I’m NOT Disordered and offered to put together a proper collaboration pitch if she was interested, but she actually agreed to the collaboration without me doing so! In our talks to determine exactly what shape the collaboration would take, Eli very kindly gifted me a personalised copy of the book as well as sending a lot more copies with the plan of running a giveaway on both I’m NOT Disordered and Gracie’s Way! So, the plan for this blog post – for Read A Book Day 2026 – is that I’m going to chat through my favourite bits/quotes from Eli’s book; It’s A Wonderful Afterlife and then this will be followed with a Q&A with Eli, and then the methods for entering the giveaway...