MY BIRTHDAY WISHLIST | IN PART COLLABORATION WITH WARDOW

“The way I see it, you should live every day like it’s your Birthday!”

Paris Hilton

With my Birthday in just a couple of weeks (February 1^st), I’ve been looking through my saved lists on my favourite websites for something to treat myself to and thanks to Wardow, I finally managed to purchase my favourite Valentino! It’s honestly been in my ‘love list’ for around six or seven months – though it feels like forever! – but full price, it was £130.50 and whilst I did feel that it was worth it because of its brand and it’s pretty huge(!), that is still a lot of money when you have bills to pay! Fortunately, however, Wardow helped me out and then they also had a discount code (WINTER – it should still be valid when this post is published) which gives you 10% off. Then, I also had over £10 in ‘points’ (you receive loyalty points per £1 you spend) on my account from previous purchases so I managed to get it for less than half price!! Inspired by this, I decided to create my Birthday wishlist where I’ve looked through my – probably – three favourite retail sites and my go-to’s for Birthday gifts: ASOS, Wardow, and Amazon UK for goodies of all different prices. Hopefully you’ll be inspired for any upcoming Birthdays for your friends or family or, as I have done, for yourself…

LOOKING BACK OVER THE TWO YEARS WITH MY FLUFFY SOULMATE | ALSO INCLUDING MY FAVOURITE CAT BITS FROM ETSY | HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, MY LITTLE RUBY | IN COLLABORATION WITH ETSY UK

“Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.”

Richard Bach

Even though for my two mini-Lionhead bunnies (Luna and Gracie) I celebrate their ‘Gotcha Day’ as their Birthday, I know Ruby’s actual date of birth(!), and so her Birthday is marked on March 26^th. This year, for her second Birthday, I’ll be looking over the previous two years with her, realising she’s my fluffy soulmate, reminiscing over my favourite moments together, and reflecting on some of the things I’ve learnt from loving her. I’ll also pepper the post with some of my favourite cat items and products on Etsy UK right now…

AN AMAZON MENTAL HEALTH CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR YOU | IN COLLABORATION WITH AMAZON UK

 “When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”

Jean Shinoda Bolen

Now, something a bit different to the typical Christmas Gift Guides that are likely all over the blogs you read/follow. I’ve said before, I recognise that I’m NOT Disordered readers don’t come here for Gift Guides and I’m 100% confident that there are Bloggers who do Gift Guides a hell of a lot better than I do! I do, however, also recognise that a Gift Guide like this – items and products which I believe could help your mental health – is so relevant and appropriate for readers and that it could very well prove to actually be helpful for a lot of people! So, I’ve scoured Amazon and have gotten creative with some insight and ideas into the variety of things that people find helpful for their mental health; but I recommend you consider purchasing something from this post for yourself. And know that this isn’t, at all, being selfish; it's about self-care and recognising the importance of your own emotional wellbeing, especially at this time of Year…

HALLOWEEN MUST-HAVES | COSTUME ACCESSORIES, HOMEWARE, PARTY BITS, ITEMS FOR PETS, & PINTEREST HOME INSPO! | IN COLLABORATION WITH PINTEREST

As I usually explain in posts like this; I’m NOT Disordered is first and foremost about me creating content that I enjoy creating and which I benefit from in some way. Whilst the blog’s obvious primary theme is mental health, I really like to create light-hearted, fun, and more ‘easy’ posts that are less overwhelming and emotional. With a post just like that planned for actual Halloween, I thought I’d publish something a bit lighter and more enjoyable now, so here are some must-have items from a whole range of categories and then I’ve teamed up with Pinterest to include some inspirational images of Halloween décor…

DAY EIGHTEEN OF BLOGMAS UNBOXED 2023: HUGE CHRISTMAS HOMEWARE WISHLIST | IN COLLABORATION WITH PHOENIX COVE

PhoenixCove - Etsy UK

https://www.instagram.com/phoenixcove.co/

https://www.facebook.com/phoenixcove.co

https://www.tiktok.com/@phoenixcove.co

Welcome to Blogmas Unboxed!!

I literally can’t believe we’re on Day Eighteen already! Sometimes it feels like this month is going really fast and sometimes I’m really happy that it’s going slowly because I’m enjoying every minute of it! Anyway, for Blogmas Unboxed today, I’ve put together an enormous Wishlist for Christmas homeware items (using my colour scheme; pink, gold, and various shades of blue – but it’s mainly about the pink!) from a whole variety of stores and websites and with a huge range in budget. Hopefully you’ll find something inspirational or something that will work for your own home too…

MY 32ND BIRTHDAY WISHLIST

Anyone who’s read I’m NOT Disordered for a little while or who know me, will definitely not be surprised by this post! I talked a lot about my enjoyment and the importance of creating gift guides and wishlists through Blogmas 2022, and with my Birthday coming up (February 1^st), it probably seemed like a no-brainer for me to produce content like this! I hope you like this and that it inspires ideas for gifts for someone you know too!

BLOGMAS 2022 | DAY FOUR: MY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Welcome to Day Four of Blogmas 2022

Today, I’ve got some photos of a ton of my Christmas decorations; including new baubles that I’ve purchased at various Christmas Markets this year too! I’ve added the details to where they’re each from and – in some cases/where I could – I’ve added links for you to buy them too! If you do, though, please be sure to post photos of them on social media and tag #Blogmas2022 so that I can see and share them too!

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY ELEVEN: MY FESTIVE DECORATIONS | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS | AD

Hello and welcome to I’m NOT Disordered’s Budget Blogmas!

So now that I’ve given inspiration and favourite items to make your home festive, I thought I’d share with you the items I’ve added to my Christmas decorations this year...

Wooden Fox: £6.00

Wooden Squirrel: £6.00

DBT, PRACTICAL ITEMS, & BRAVERY IN HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS | MY FINAL TENDON SURGERY

So, I was recently admitted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) – a hospital under the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – for a final surgery on my thumb and it made me think and realise all the different elements you need when being admitted to hospital. And that they don’t have in evolve around packing a toothbrush and chargers for your phone!

Why I was admitted…

Unfortunately, I broke my wrist in November 2019, and apparently that injury can lead to what happened with my thumb on Boxing Day (December 26^th) 2019. I was using my thumbs to try to wiggle the cork of a bottle of Prosecco loose when all of a sudden, I couldn’t move my right thumb (you can read my first post about the injury here)!

It wasn’t as though it was sore, and I couldn’t move it because it’d hurt, I just genuinely couldn’t move it. It was so frustrating because I could feel my brain telling my thumb to lift up, but it just hung there, powerless, limp and lifeless. It was definitely one of those things where you don’t appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone! I really hadn’t recognised just how important my thumb was to my general movement and ability to do things until I couldn’t use it.

ALL THE PRACTICAL ITEMS YOU NEED TO WRITE A BOOK | SNEAK PEEK INSIDE MY BOOK | TWO DAYS UNTIL THE RELEASE OF EVERYTHING DISORDERED

I can’t believe I’m saying this; but in just two short days (April 20^th) my book; Everything Disordered, will officially release. As a pre-launch blog post, I thought I’d create a little something about some of the practical things that I’ve needed to write my book and at the end, you may find a little sneak peek inside the book…

Technology devices

The way the world is with technology, it should come as no surprise to hear that technology played a huge role in writing my book; Everything Disordered. There was once a time where an Author would use paper and pen and send it in the post to a publishing company! Now there are so many options and routes you can take in writing a book and having it published, and a lot of these options involve technology.

Since the beginning of I’m NOT Disordered in 2013, I’ve found that a lot of people assume I must be good with technology to have the kind of following my blog has, but that definitely isn’t the case! I have a huge appreciation for technology because I recognise how important and monumental it has been in my life, but I definitely don’t find it unchallenging or in any way, easy to use! In fact, that was probably a big stumbling block in writing Everything Disordered; I was very unconfident in the process of writing the book, uploading it to KDP, and figuring out the sizing issues (which I’ll be discussing in more detail on the 20^th). Honestly, the stress and confusion of the whole process was actually really off-putting and occasionally I began regretting my decision to write a book!

So, I think that in recognising that you’ll need to use technology to write your book, I would recommend ensuring you have a certain level of knowledge on the process and that you do your research before starting to write. 

Laptops:

ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR BLOGGERS

So, I know I’m NOT Disordered is all about mental health and that my posts are usually very deep and meaningful with lots of talk about difficult subjects like self-harm and abuse; but the blog began for my own gain and enjoyment and it’d be sad to lose that when I really enjoy doing these sorts of posts too… Originally, I started blogging for many reasons but it was largely to do with the fact that I enjoyed writing and found it very therapeutic and beneficial to my mental health. Perhaps I’m NOT Disordered wouldn’t be so popular if I found it more of a chore and considered it to be more like work.

There has to be a balance though; with my blog now having over half a million readers, I can’t exactly half ass it and stop putting so much dedication and effort into the content. Well, I could; but I’d feel as though I were letting a lot of people – including myself – down by failing to provide  the helpful, validating, reassuring, safe space that  I feel – and have been told – I’ve created in continuing to dedicate a large part of my time and effort to I’m NOT Disordered. I guess it’s no surprise that from the outside, my blogging and social media posting is often mistakenly labelled work and I’m frequently being advised to take time ‘off.’ I just don’t think I could justify calling this work when I enjoy it as much as I do!

Having now blogged for over seven years (you can read I’m NOT Disordered’s Birthday post here) and having as many readers as I do, I feel that I’m maybe now qualified to give advice and tips to other Bloggers or potential Bloggers. After recently signing a contract with O2 for the iPad 7^th generation in the 10.2” screen size, I was inspired to write this post about products and items that I’d advise you own to aid in your Blogging adventures!!

STATIONERY

A Fancy Pen: Gold Twist Pen – Dangling ‘A’ : £8.00