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...

MY SPEECH AT THE NORTH TYNESIDE WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2024 EVENT IS NOW LIVE!!

 

ALL MY THOUGHTS ON BEING ‘THE BOSS’ | WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2024

This year, the theme of World Mental Health Day is ‘it’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace.’ Because of this theme, I decided to prioritise the news article for the Shake My Hand Campaign website before writing one for I’m NOT Disordered. Over on Shake My Hand, you’ll find a piece full of advice on managing your mental health in the workplace, and if you scroll back through the Campaign’s social media (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) from Monday (the 7^th), you’ll find daily quotes from my Volunteers about how they manage their mental health alongside their volunteering. So, I wondered what was left to write about for I’m NOT Disordered, and realised that my blog is really all about providing insight into my life and perhaps into mental health in general sometimes too, so I thought I’d write about all my thoughts surrounding me being ‘the boss’ at the Campaign and give you some thoughts and tips on managing your mental health when you’re in a senior role…

WHY PUTTING YOU FIRST IS THE ESSENTIAL PRIORITY THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK A MENTAL HEALTH BLOG | WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2022

With this year’s theme for World Mental Health Day being: ‘making mental health and wellbeing for all, a global priority;’ I thought about my own priorities. Initially I thought about how much they had changed from being at my most poorly to being in recovery, but then I realised that actually, they had changed – almost a dizzying number of times – at various stages throughout the entirety of my mental health journey. My blog, however, has always remained so high on that list of priorities that I thought I’d write a piece that purely focuses on the priorities which, I believe, are essential for when you’re blogging about mental health…

There are a number of factors which I believe have contributed to I’m NOT Disordered’s popularity and success, but the one I feel has been most key is that from Day One, I have focused on myself, and the impact blogging has on my life. I mean, for so long the main priority in relation to myself, was centred around self-harm and suicide; and I was utterly convinced that I didn’t deserve for anything ‘nice’ to happen to me. But then, after over six months in a psychiatric hospital, I finally began to see that I was worthy of doing whatever I could to maintain my safety and keep my mental health in a positive state. And when I had a really therapeutic 1:1 with my Key Nurse that left me believing that I was on the right path for recovery, I had the very appealing thought that I wanted to document it; and so, I’m NOT Disordered was created…

FIVE THOUGHTS INSPIRED BY THE THEME OF ‘MENTAL HEALTH FOR ALL’ | WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2020 | #WMHD2020

As if it’s October already! For a lot of people, October means Halloween, but for those of us in the mental health industry – particularly mental health Bloggers, October means; World Mental Health Day (WMHD) – probably one of the most important dates in the calendar for me.

This year, the World Federation for Mental Health has announced the theme to be ‘Mental Health for All.’ Inevitably and understandably, a huge inspiration for the theme has been the Coronavirus and subsequent ‘lockdowns.’ I think that one aspect of the inspiration comes from the fact that there’s been an increase in the prescription of anti-depressant medication during this difficult time. That, and the increase on referrals to mental health crisis services, really pressure the already underfunded area.

It took me quite a while (so long that I desperately asked Martin from www.gumonmyshoe.com for his ideas!) to think of what I wanted to say today on this theme around improving access to mental health services for everyone. In the end, I realised that I have a lot of thoughts around various aspects of the theme and that maybe I can’t give them one set category… So, here’s some thoughts that’ve been inspired by the Federation’s theme: