A TRUE INSPIRATION FOR ORGANISATIONS: EVERYTHING WAYTHROUGH COMMS & MARKETING DO TO KEEP CO-PROUDUCTION AT THE HEART OF THEIR WORK | THE COMING TOGETHER MAGAZINE RE-LAUNCH

“There are people who make things happen, there are people who
watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what
happened. To be successful, you need to be the person who makes
things happen.”

Jim Lovell

I’m incredibly proud and very honoured to announce the re-launch of the completely refreshed Waythrough magazine; Coming Together (which you don’t have to be a service user or staff of the organisation to subscribe to, you can subscribe here: Sign up to newsletter - External or learn more about it here: Coming Together - our community magazine - Waythrough and if you have a story to submit: coming.together@waythrough.org.uk). I’m also very privileged and I feel incredibly fortunate to say that I’m now the Volunteer Lead Content Creator with the Waythrough Communications and Marketing team! In around 2023, I was given the opportunity to work with a local NHS Trust (Newcastle Hospitals) to create their Mental Health Strategy and in that partnership, I created a piece of content around why organisations should be following in their footsteps (you can read it: WHY NHS TRUSTS NEED TO BE FOLLOWING IN NEWCASTLE’S FOOTSTEPS!! | IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | I'm NOT Disordered). The blog post proved to be fairly popular and so I wanted to take that sort of angle for this too and discuss the qualities that the Waythrough Communications and Marketing Department exhibit and use to ensure that co-production is at the heart of everything they do – a massive achievement for a ‘behind-the-scenes’ team to accomplish in mental health services…

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | THREE LESSONS RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP HAVE TAUGHT ME

It's officially one sleep until the Richmond Fellowship ENRICH Awards!! 

To celebrate, I decided to write a quick post about the three lessons the organization have taught me...

After my two and a half years in Cygnet Bierley, I was transferred to a ‘rehab’ ward at my local psychiatric hospital so as to gently get used to the idea of not having staff around me 24/7. I think that all my concentration was so focused on adapting to the changes that I remember very little from my time there. Which means I can’t remember when I first met with Richmond Fellowship, but it was in 2014 so I’ve been with them for five years now!


I’d like to dedicate this post to my most recent support worker (who now has a new job!); Georgie, who has become one of my greatest friends. Oh! And a special thank you to the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Team Manager; Alice, for always ensuring I get the greatest service available from the team.

AN OPEN LETTER TO MARTIN BAKER OF 'GUM ON MY SHOE'

Dear Marty,


After reading one of your recent blog posts, I know that you’ve been feeling sort of lost recently and have been questioning your place in the mental health world so I thought that perhaps this letter might motivate you through these doubts and struggles. 


Firstly, I wanted to say how glad I am to have met you at that Time To Change event – it’s always nice and fun to meet someone who you’ve connected with online, in person. But there was something special about you – something different. You were genuine. I think that, these days, it’s incredibly hard to find someone who is the same in person as they are online, not a lot of people are genuine and of course there those who hide behind a keyboard but I feel like you and I are both learning that there’s also a huge number of people on social media who can be of invaluable support online. And you have helped me to see this as I’ve gotten to know you – especially during a recent visit to A&E(!) – I’ve seen how many people you support through social media. Learning that number really did leave me speechless! It’s inspiring to think of the strength you have in order to be there for so many people.

THANK YOUS IN THE MIDST OF A BLIP

Something has changed within me, something is not the same, I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game

-          Gravity from Wicked

I’m happy to finally be able to say that the most recent ‘blip’ in my mental health recovery seems to be coming to an end! Just like the beginning of this, I can pinpoint the trigger of it. I’ve talked a lot about how my abuser’s new job role sparked off a lot of old thoughts and feelings that led to a lot of old coping strategies but now I can finally talk about the causes of my stabilizing.

I think that the first thing was when I was asked whether there should be a phone call to the RSPCA to get my pets rehomed because if I was so intent on committing suicide then it wouldn’t be fair on them. Another trigger was the impact my suicidal intent had on those closest to me. It was a bit of a wake-up call – a common feeling for those who are suicidal is the belief that their friends and family will be better off without them. I too had this thought, but their reactions became evidence to the contrary. I realized – the hard way – that I was loved and when my Twitter was flooded with positive messages and hopes that I ‘feel better soon’ I really learnt that my work – this blog – was helping others and was told that without it, people might just give up hope. Sometimes, when you don’t want to be alive, the only way to move through it is to stay alive for the sake of others. That, at least, buys you some time to work on your thoughts and feelings until it you actually, finally, begin to feel better about yourself. The final trigger for this stabilization was the negative interaction I had with a particular Police Officer from the Northumbria Police force.

TEN LIFE LESSONS LEARNT FROM HARRY POTTER

Since ITV are currently showing all the Harry Potter films, I thought it appropriate to blog about all of the life lessons I’ve learnt from the magical series that is Harry Potter!

Also! I’d like to dedicate this post to one of my absolute best-friends; Ellie who’s forever working her ass off juggling children and education so hopefully this post will help cheer her up!

So, here’s my top ten:

1.       Love can save lives

I thought it would make sense to begin my list with a lesson learnt from the very first film; Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. This lesson comes from when Harry’s Mum Lily protects him from Lord Voldermort’s killing spell (avada kedavra) by giving her own life.

2.       We are not shaped by our childhood

Harry grows up being lied to; told his parents died in a car crash, that there’s no such thing as magic, he’s emotionally abused by his Aunt and Uncle who keep him in a cupboard under the stairs and regularly berate him. Yet he remains honest, kind, and caring.

FINDING A PURPOSE IN BLOGGING

Something I rarely talk about – and I’m sure it’s hard to imagine that there’s anything I’ve held back from this blog – is that one of the key feelings I experienced while I was suicidal was inadequacy. I struggled a lot with the belief that I had no purpose in life because I wasn’t good enough to have any sort of impact on the world. I wasn’t important enough. I spent months of Psychology sessions in Hospital working on my conviction that I was destined to commit suicide at a young age. I think that this belief worried professionals because it was almost a comfort blanket for me and a big reason not to even try and get better. I saw it as rationale for all the overdoses, and thought it justified the number of tablets I’d swallowed.

When I first began I’m NOT Disordered in January 2013, it was about feeling on the cusp of recovery and wanting to document every step of it. I thought it’d be nothing more than an outlet; a place to discuss the dramas on the hospital ward and a sounding off board for all the new trials and tribulations I would face as I began to get better. I think that viewing blogging as a purpose in life has come with the building of popularity. I’ve always described those first few years of I’m NOT Disordered as a snowball; it’s like I don’t remember a point when its popularity began to grow. It’s just that one day I was celebrating 100 readers and then I was throwing a party to mark reaching 100,000! With popularity came feedback and by that, I mean an abundance of praise, compliments and positivity. 

TOP 10 UK BLOGS ON BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

So overwhelmed and proud to announce that I’m NOT Disordered has made it onto FeedSpot’s UK TOP TEN BLOGS about Borderline Personality Disorder!

Huge thank you to everyone at FeedSpot and most importantly, to all of you guys reading this! Without my readers I wouldn’t have the incredible opportunities that I get, and my work means the world to me! You guys have given me something to be proud of and allowed me to finally find my purpose in life. And that, is something I will be forever grateful for.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_borderline_personality_disorder_blogs/

#NHSsavedmylife | AD

I just happened to see ‘The NHS Saved My Life’ on ITV; a celebration of seventy years with the NHS and I was inspired to write this post about my own experience of the NHS and how their services have saved my life.

Other than being diagnosed with Asthma and having the occasional cyst on my ovaries, I had no experience of the NHS until my mental health deteriorated.

You know how usually, in mental health, a person begins exhibiting signs of mental illness for a while before things might come to a head? It wasn’t like that for me.

BLOWING YOUR TRUMPET IN THE BLOGGING WORLD

Join me for a chat about how essential it is to blow your own trumpet when trying to move up the ladder in the blogging world.

I think that it’s something I’ve learnt through my blogging career because to get opportunities in this industry, you have to tell others about you/your blog’s achievements in order to secure collaborations and – let’s face it – gifts! Some bloggers talk about how their numbers (in so far as their amount of readers) don’t matter to them, and it’s made to sound like those who say they do are… blogging for the wrong reason, perhaps? As though you’re only blogging for popularity and not because you enjoy it or benefit from it. Of course, this isn’t true. The popularity of my blog is really important to me but those of you who know me or have followed I’m NOT Disordered for a while will know how much I enjoy blogging, all of the opportunities that come with it, and what a hugely positive impact it has on my life/mental health.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2018 WITH I'M NOT DISORDERED | POST SEVEN | EVENTS | AD

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

So, I spent DAY ONE of Mental Health Awareness Week with a couple of organisations who were hosting a night of stand-up comedy, live music, and poetry. And it was such a hilarious, interesting, inspiring, and insightful night with great company, and plenty of drinks!

USING MY M&S BEAUTY PRODUCTS | AD

To watch my video when I was originally gifted the beauty products by Marks and Spencers (M&S) click here

To watch me use the products:

RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP WORKING TOGETHER FORUM | #RFWORKINGTOGETHERFORUM | AD

Not too long ago the Manager of my local Richmond Fellowship got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to Chair the upcoming WorkingTogether Forum. Having co-chaired the previous one, I was confident with the idea and agreed. They then told me that I’d again be co-chairing but when it came to the day the co-chair got ‘stage fright’ and I was left to chair the entire event! In addition to this, two days before the event, a group delivering one of the four workshops dropped out and I offered to help run the stand-in workshop which, we basically invented in 48 hours! So, I had many roles in this event and yes, it was stressful; but it was a nice-productive-lots-of-responsibilities-kind-of stress!

HOW I USED DBT AT ENGLISH HERITAGE SITE: BRINKBURN PRIORY & MANOR HOUSE | AD

I can remember when I was sectioned once whilst down south and my Mum told me about a phone call she’d had with a member of staff from the psychiatric hospital I was admitted to. During the call he’d asked whether I’d had Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and when my Mum told him she hadn’t heard of it, he explained his surprise as it is the recommended treatment for someone diagnosed with a Personality Disorder (I had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder). After that, my Mum questioned my Community Mental Health Team as to why I hadn’t had it yet and why it hadn’t even been suggested.

WORLD BOOK DAY 2018 WITH BLYTH LIBRARY | AD

Happy World Book Day 2018 guys & girls!

To celebrate the day, I attended an event at Blyth Library: http://mylibrary.co.uk/whats-on/events/614-world-book-night-coffee-evening

[Author, Christine Melville Kenworthy was also in attendance! To find out more about her work visit: christinemelvillekenworthy.com]

And now here's the post:

The book you’re currently reading:

ThePiano by Victoria Walter. I just started reading this short story because I’ll be attending an event later in June where I’ll be meeting the Author and I thought it was only respectful and decent, to be able to make conversation about her own work.

MY TWELVE FAVOURITE WOMEN | HAPPY (BELATED) INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!

Happy (Belated) International Women’s Day!!

In this post, I’d like to discuss my ten favourite women in the world, and why they’re such an inspiration to me.

My Mum

This was an obvious one for me; my Mum and I are very close, and she has been one of my biggest supporters through my mental health struggles and recovery. My Mum is hugely independent; she has to have at least one hundred goes at doing something herself before she asks for help! If I am half the Mother she is when I have children, then my kids will be very lucky!

My Aunt

I don’t talk about my Aunt often on my blog because she lives in Dubai but she makes the most incredible effort to keep in touch with the whole UK family. My Aunt is very family oriented and, in a family, where drama should be our surname, that takes a lot of strength! We’ll always be bonded by the fact that we were the only two unable to say goodbye to my Nana. That’s a horrible thing to have in common but it’s also a very powerful thing.

WEEK SEVEN | 52 LISTS FOR HAPPINESS | OLIVER BONAS | AD

You can buy this book here

(Apologies for the delay in publishing this post!)

Every week, for 2018 there will be post of what I’ve done in the book each week. And the seventh list?

List the greatest compliments and encouragement you have ever been given:

I'M NOT DISORDERED JOINS TEAM OB | OLIVER BONAS | AD

“I haven’t got a chance in getting this collaboration, but I figured that I’d try anyway”

“It’s like I always tell you; shy bairns get nowt!”

I had this conversation with my Mum not long after emailing the PR team at Oliver Bonas. After a few tweets with their Twitter team I finally got the email address for the team I needed to contact, to approach them with a collaboration idea.

A mental health blog probably seems a long way from a fashion blog but there can be more links than you’d think. Especially where the author of the blog is interested in, and passionate about; fashion.

I took Textiles at GCSE level and in ever project, and for every assignment I tried to incorporate clothing pieces as opposed to purely focusing on prints and researching artists specialising in multi-media. Admittedly, I’ve never been a trend setter; I prefer to follow them but my passion for fashion has me customising trends to flatter my body shape. I like how confident clothes and accessories can make you; if I wear a good outfit it doesn’t matter how I’m feeling on the inside, I’m smiling on the outside and strutting my stuff down to the corner shop! I like how happy fashion makes me – you should see my face when I find an amazing new Valentino bag in TK Maxx!

TALKING ALL THINGS MENTAL HEALTH WITH NORTHUMBRIA POLICE MENTAL HEALTH LEAD, INSPECTOR STEVE BAKER | WHILST BUILDING A LEGO POLICE CAR!! #TIMETOTALK

#TimeToTalk

TALKING ALL THINGS MENTAL HEALTH WITH NORTHUMBRIA POLICE MENTAL HEALTH LEAD, INSPECTOR STEVE BAKER | WHILST BUILDING A LEGO POLICE CAR!!

Tiny little ad here: my jumper and one of my bracelets were kindly gifted to me by the wonderful Oliver Bonas:

https://www.oliverbonas.com/

https://twitter.com/oliverbonas

https://www.facebook.com/oliverbonas

PARTYING WITH INTHEFROW, ALEX HARRISON, & GOOGLE PIXEL!! | AD

Friday 20^th January 2018, 09:43 - ‘Congratulations Aimee your Saturday just got awesome… You and your named guest are now part of a chosen few to joing us in celebrating the all-new Google Pixel 2 with InTheFrow at our Manchester event this Saturday’

Like most girls, I like fashion.                            

It was because of this, that I began to follow InTheFrow (Victoria McGrath) on YouTube. And - not going to lie - I was kind of mesmerised by her bright purple hair!

WEEK THREE | 52 LISTS FOR HAPPINESS | OLIVER BONAS | AD

You can buy this book here

Every week, for 2018 there will be post of what I’ve done in the book each week. And the third list?

List the things that you are really good at: