THE RECOVERY TOOLKIT BOOK TOUR | RELATING TO THE BOOK & A COMPETITION

TW: this post contains discussion of abuse

Book blurb:

‘Have you left an abusive relationship?

Are you still carrying guilt?

Do you still think what happened to you was your fault?

Do you find dealing with new people in your life something to be scared about?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to the above questions you are not alone.

Many people who leave an abusive relationship behind are affected by that former relationship in many different ways. Perhaps you feel guilty when making decisions on your own? You may worry about what motivates others to befriend you? Maybe your children are having to re-learn who it is that’s the adult in the room now that your ex-partner has gone from their lives.

If this all sounds familiar then The Recovery Toolkit is the book for you. Written in an easy and accessible style, the book will take you on a journey that is part discovery, part guide.’

‘To start with, congratulations you are an amazing person. What? How can I say that as I have never met you?’

I was approached on Twitter to be one of a few Bloggers who were given an exclusive preview to The Recovery Toolkit and initially, I was sceptical that it’d be relevant to me personally as the book is a twelve week plan to support a person’s journey through Domestic Abuse. Then, in the book’s preface, the Author – Sue Penna, quotes George Orwell with “knowledge is power” and I realized that I could actually, probably take many things from this book!

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MIND | A Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR, A BOOK REVIEW, & THE LAUNCH OF THE COMPETITION | IN COLLABORATION WITH KERRY DAYNES

“All crimes are committed by – and happen to – people. Forensic psychology is about them.”

Kerry Daynes

Those who follow my social media (the links are to the right!) will know that I’ve started a Forensic Psychology course with Centre of Excellence. I’m only onto Module Two and have been so fascinated that I started looking for books on the subject on Amazon and I came across Kerry Dayne’s book, The Dark Side of The Mind. I immediately bought it and searched for her on Twitter and I was over the moon to see that her direct message inbox was open. When she replied? I was even happier! A little bit shocked too – I mean it’s a little surreal to have someone who’s name is on a book you’re holding message you on social media!


So, here’s the result of our conversation – my favourite parts of her book, a Q&A with Kerry Daynes, and a competition to win a signed copy of her book!

To win a signed copy of Kerry’s book, all you have to do is go to my Twitter (here) and share the pinned tweet! (Each person will be given a number in order of when they shared it and an app will randomly choose one number!) 

1.     Have you always wanted to work in Psychology? What did you want to be when you were really little? 

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST TWENTY FOUR : REMINDER - THE ETSY COMPETITION | AD

Today’s post is a reminder for the Etsy collaboration competition!

Every other day for December, I’ve been reviewing mental health themed products from ten different Etsy stores and now you have the chance to win EVERYTHING – worth over £100!!!


Here’s a reminder of what you can win:

A Mindfulness journal from The Happi Empire


A pack of Schema Therapy cards from Bear In Mind Psychology


A pin badge reading ‘Brave and Strong’ from The Little Pin Co.


A pack of Nudge Cards from Nudge Cards 


A cup from Positive Instinct


A T-shirt from YANA UK


A set of badges from Colour Your Life Club


A set of three badges and two keyrings from A Band Of Hope


A bracelet, stickers, and a badge from Laleeland LDN


A set of four cards from Handmade Dorset



To enter this amazing bundle of products; all you need to do is:

1.       Follow my Twitter

2.      Like and share the original tweet

3.      Tag three friends in the comments of the tweet

The winner will be picked at random and announced on Christmas Day (December 25^th)!

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST TWENTY THREE : LAUNCHING THE ETSY COMPETITION | AD

I’m so thrilled to finally be launching the Etsy collaboration competition!

Every other day for December, I’ve been reviewing mental health themed products from ten different Etsy stores and now you have the chance to win EVERYTHING – worth over £100!!!

Here’s a reminder of what you can win:

A Mindfulness journal from The Happi Empire

A pack of Schema Therapy cards from Bear In Mind Psychology

A pin badge reading ‘Brave and Strong’ from The Little Pin Co.

A pack of Nudge Cards from Nudge Cards

A cup from Positive Instinct

A T-shirt from YANA UK

A set of badges from Colour Your Life Club

A set of three badges and two keyrings from A Band Of Hope

A bracelet, stickers, and a badge from Laleeland LDN

A set of four cards from Handmade Dorset

To enter this amazing bundle of products; all you need to do is:

1.       Follow my Twitter

2.      Like and share the original tweet

3.      Tag three friends in the comments of the tweet

The winner will be picked at random and announced on Christmas Day (December 25^th)!

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST TWENTY ONE : HANDMADE DORSET | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December! 

So welcome to December 21st…

 

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win all of the products I’ve reviewed this month!


So, Handmade Dorset (based in Dorchester, England) kindly gifted me a few cards and a print with some inspirational, encouraging, and validating quotes and I thought that I’d write a bit about each quote… 




‘You are so loved’


I feel like I’ve talked a lot about love recently in my Blogmas posts because I really believe that it’s even more important at Christmastime. There are far too many people spending Christmas alone or with people but feeling lonely so knowing that you’re loved can be so crucial to supporting your mental health at this time of year.

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST NINE : NUDGE CARDS | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December! 

So welcome to December 9th…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining six that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!

The fourth product in the collaboration are the fantastically cute and useful Nudge Cards by the appropriately named company; Nudge Cards(!) who are based in Hull, England.

I thought these Nudge Cards were perfect for me because I find that when my mental health is poorly, I struggle to remember the healthy and safe coping skills I’ve been taught. It’s something that – I think – isn’t unique to me though, so in choosing these cards I hoped they would help others who are also trying to cope with this.

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST FIVE : BEAR IN MIND PSYCHOLOGY | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December! 

So welcome to December 5th…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining eight that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!


The second product are these very handy Schema Therapy Flashcards by the incredible Bear In Mind Psychology, who are based in Watford, England. 

I first heard about Schema Therapy in 2011 when I began seeing a Psychologist through my Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) and it ended up being my most well period in the three years before I was admitted to the long-term, specialist, psychiatric hospital.


For those who don’t know, to put it simply, Schema Therapy is all about identifying the different sides to you, understanding what they mean, realizing how they differ, and figuring out why they’re there. So, the Psychologist and I found that I have about three main Schemas; one that it angry, one that is sad, and one that is happy. 

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST THREE : THE HAPPI EMPIRE | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December!

So welcome to December 3^rd…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining nine that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!


The first of the Etsy products is this little mindfulness journal by the wonderful Happi Empire who are based in Perranporth, England. 


When I first began learning Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) as an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital specializing in Personality Disorders, I absolutely hated the coping skill of mindfulness! I took it to mean that in DBT they recommend that you ‘stay in the moment’ and I wholeheartedly believed that I would be unsafe if I did so. 


After the abuse in 2006 and 2007, I spent the following five years until I was admitted to the long-term hospital (for two and a half years) trying to pretend it hadn’t happened or do everything I could to block out the horrific memories. So, the last thing I wanted was to allow myself to ‘be in the moment’ where I worried that I’d end up so lost in the memories that I’d be unsafe. In all honesty, I thought that I’d end up wanting to be dead. So, I refused to engage in the Mindfulness exercises and hated completing the worksheets in group DBT sessions.

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST ONE : CHRISTMASSY COLLABORATION WITH… ETSY UK | AD

It's Christmas time
No need to be afraid
At Christmas time, we let in light
And we banish shade
In a world of plenty, we can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world
At Christmas time

-          Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?

I’m beyond proud to announce that for Christmas this year, me and my little blog will be collaborating with Etsy!


For those who are unfamiliar with the brand, Etsy ‘is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods’ and is ‘home to a universe of special, extraordinary items, from unique handcrafted pieces to vintage treasures.’


After the success of last year’s Christmassy collaboration with Cats Protection, I knew that this year had to be something equally special and different yet still appropriate for a mental health blog, and that’s where the idea of featuring only mental health related products came from. It was extremely difficult to choose ten different brands on Etsy, but I finally narrowed it down and hope that my choice reflects the enormous range of products available on Etsy that can benefit your mental health.


I also really liked the idea of literally giving something back to you guys – especially with it being Christmas, so that’s why I decided to do the competition in the collaboration. I think it’s important to stress though, that the amount of presents you get for Christmas aren’t the most important part of the holiday…

VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MARIA HARRISON | WILLOWS CAT ADOPTION CENTRE COLLABORATION

When I lost Dolly, I was so completely grateful for Pixie, but it just wasn’t the same. My house wasn’t a home without a cat. So about six months ago my Mum called me and told me she’d found a kitten at an adoption center in South Shields, she sent me a photo on Facebook Messenger and I said, “I want her!” On my next support session with Richmond Fellowship, my Support Worker, my Mum and I went to Willows Cat Adoption Centre and I met Emmy (named Jennifer at the Centre). I think that the first thing you see when you look at Emmy is her markings; that little ginger stripe down her nose! I fell in love and before I knew it, she was in the pink pet carrier on my knee coming home!!


So when I saw that the owner of Willows was celebrating her 50^th year rescuing animals, I jumped at the chance to collaborate on a little project with them!