RELATING TO: A LITTLE BOOK OF LEADERSHIP LESSONS BY STEPH EDUSEI

*This book and its PDF were gifted to me by the Author*

BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON HERE!

“Not ‘little’ in that it was diminished or insignificant, but ‘little’ in that it is, I believe, short and snappy. I want it to be the type of book that people will pick up and think, ‘this doesn’t look too overwhelming to read.’ I want it to be the type of book you can dip in and out of and get something out of every chapter individually, without having to read the whole thing.”

‘Introduction’ of A Little of Leadership Lessons by Steph Edusei

Noticing this book on Steph’s Facebook page (which you can follow here), I was immediately taken by the title and the thought of learning something so profound and professional from someone who I have known for a number of years and have met (I used to volunteer for the Communications and Marketing department of the Hospice Steph is CEO of: St Oswald’s Hospice). I was pleasantly surprised to read in the Introduction of the book that there was going to be ‘key learning points’ and ‘suggestions for further learning’ at the end of every Chapter. As Steph writes though: ‘if you don’t feel it’s important to dig into theories and read around a subject right now then just ignore that bit, I completely understand…’I however, love elements like this! So, I seriously couldn’t wait to get started…

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH & TRAVELLING | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION’S BIG WINTER ROAM CAMPAIGN | NATIONAL HAT DAY 2024

 Join Cats Protection this February for…

Big Winter Roam | Events | Cats Protection

Toward the end of 2023, I was asked by Cats Protection’s lovely Celebrity and Influencer Relationship Manager if I could create some content to publicise their brand-new upcoming campaign, the Big Winter Roam. In this campaign, Cats Protection are setting the challenge of walking, wheeling, or wandering 15-, 50-, or 100-miles during February 2024 in a bid to raise funds for the charity’s admirable and valuable work in continuing to be the UK’s largest feline welfare charity. To take part, you need to register here before February 10^th at a cost of £20 – which will also go toward the charity’s work in helping and supporting in-need cats and kittens. Then you’ll receive one of their exclusive beanie hats (hence why this post comes to you on National Hat Day!) to help you to stay warm on your walk! If you have any questions regarding the Big Winter Roam, there’s an FAQ page that should answer them all here! Obviously, I jumped at the chance of another collaboration (and a beanie!) with Cats Protection, but I was then faced with the challenge to make this campaign relevant to my mental health blog and almost instantly I thought I’d utilise the general theme of travelling and focus on all the ways it can impact your mental health – or the other way around! So, I hope you like it, and please have a serious think about taking part in this extraordinary fundraising activity…

DAY FOUR OF BLOGMAS UNBOXED 2023: AN ITEM FOR RUBY’S 1ST CHRISTMAS & A CHAT ABOUT HOW EACH CAT I’VE OWNED HAS HELPED MY MENTAL HEALTH | 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!!

So, the second item from the popular Etsy store; Phoenix Cove that I’ll be sharing, is the same lovely little wooden decoration, but for this one, I had it personalised to mark the first Christmas for my kitten; Ruby. Inspired by this item, I thought I’d talk a bit about Ruby, why I got her, her incredible personality, and her lovely quirks; and then a bigger chat on all the cats I’ve had in my life and how they’ve all helped my mental health in such a hugely important and meaningful variety of ways…

DAY TWO OF BLOGMAS UNBOXED 2023: AN ITEM FOR GRACIE’S 1ST CHRISTMAS, A MENTAL HEALTH MYTH-BUSTING CHAT INSPIRED BY RABBIT HALLUCINATIONS, & A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR LUNA | 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!!

So, the first piece I’m going to share with you from the wonderful and talented Cleo from Phoenix Cove – a popular Etsy store – is this cute little decoration marking that this Christmas is the first one for one of my mini-Lionhead bunny’s; Gracie. So, inspired by this item, I thought I’d write a little piece about her, and I’ve created a reel of some of my favourite moments and photos of both her, and my other mini-Lionhead; Luna (who I got one of the wooden letters for)…  

THE SCARIEST REVEAL EVER!!! | HALLOWEEN 2023 | IN COLLABORATION WITH PHOENIX COVE

This Halloween, Cleo – owner of the popular Etsy store; Phoenix Cove – and I, have decided to talk about confronting all the fears we’re facing by revealing our absolutely humongous project that we’ve been working on in secret for the past few months.

So, get ready for… Blogmas Unboxed 2023!!

So, just a quick explanation of Blogmas for new readers: Every December since 2019, I’ve created a series named ‘Blogmas’ where I’ve produced festive, daily content – in the form of blog posts – from December 1^st until Christmas Day (December 25^th).

MOST NECESSARY ITEMS FOR WRITING A BOOK | 25 DAYS UNTIL YOU’RE NOT DISORDERED IS PUBLISHED!!! | IN COLLABORATION WITH AMAZON UK

Earlier this year, in January, I published a post celebrating the tenth Birthday of I’m NOT Disordered and at the end of it, I finally announced that I had been working on a new book (you can read the post here). I set the publication date at April 20^th (the anniversary of the abuse ‘ending’) but in February, I was sectioned and hospitalised for ten days and that really ate into my valuable writing time and left me having to write a blog post (which you can read here) that explained my decision to delay the publication to November 18^th (the anniversary of the start of the abuse). After finally being discharged from the psychiatric hospital, I decided to publish a post (which you can read here) revealing the title for the book: You’re NOT Disordered: The Ultimate Wellbeing Guide for Bloggers. Finally, in June 2023, I revealed my book’s cover in a post (which you can read here) that talked about why I care what you all think. And now, with just 25 days until the publication of You’re NOT Disordered (or YND), I thought I’d tell you the five items I think are most needed for writing a book…

RELATING MY RECENT RELAPSE TO A DRAMATIC SCREAM QUEENS QUOTE | IN COLLABORATION WITH DISNEY PLUS UK

This post is in collaboration with Disney + who are currently streaming two seasons of Scream Queens, which is described by Disney as being ‘… a genre-blending comedy-horror anthology series… The first instalment revolves around a college campus which is rocked by a series of murders.’ Does it sound like your cup of tea?

You can stream it now:

Watch Scream Queens | Full episodes | Disney+ (disneyplus.com)

WHY I CARE WHAT YOU THINK | YOU’RE NOT DISORDERED COVER REVEAL!!! | IN COLLABORATION WITH DINKY DESIGNS FROM ETSY UK & INCLUDING A DISCOUNT CODE!!!

This post is in collaboration with the Etsy store: Dinky Designs who created the board of You’re NOT Disordered’s front cover that is featured below. In celebration of You’re NOT Disordered’s cover release, they’ve kindly created a 20% discount code for any of their products, just type the below in at the checkout:

YND20

So, for well over a year now, I’ve been working on a new book; You’re NOT Disordered: The Ultimate Wellbeing Guide for Bloggers (I revealed the title here). I actually originally had the idea way back before I published my first book: Everything Disordered (which you can buy here) in 2021, but I decided to work on the brainwave for that one first! So, it feels like You’re NOT Disordered has been a long time coming and that has become especially true since having to push back the publication date this year from the original date of April 20^th to November 18^th due to my mental health relapse and hospital admission in February (you can read more about that decision here). So, this post just in itself actually feels like it’s been in the works for forever too because since the moment I felt content with the cover design (a good few months ago now), I wanted to reveal it to you all!

Eventually, it’s here though; the cover (on a board which you can buy here from Dinky Designs) and a little chat on why your thoughts, feelings, and opinions matter so much to me…

#HEREFORTHEKITTENS | THE SERIES FINALE! | WEEK FOUR: MY TIPS FOR LIFE WITH A KITTEN, FAVOURITE PHOTO, & MORE! | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION & FEATURING AN ETSY DISCOUNT CODE | AD

This post is the final part of a series named Here For The Kittens and is in collaboration with Cats Protection, the UK’s largest feline welfare charity…

You can find all the links for their social media here: Cats Protection’s LinkTr.ee

You can find the first post of this series here: http://www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2023/05/hereforthekittens-series-intro-managing.html

The second post is here: http://www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2023/05/hereforthekittens-week-one-all-emotions.html

The third post here: http://www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2023/06/hereforthekittens-week-two-unseen-baby.html 

And the Fourth is here: http://www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2023/06/hereforthekittens-penultimate-post-week.html

I feel like this past month has been an absolute whirlwind and I know people say it a lot, but I honestly can’t believe how fast the time has gone! Perhaps that saying about ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ is true? I feel like it was ages ago that I paid the deposit for Ruby and that the time between then and getting her went so slowly but now I have her; everything seems to be whizzing by! It’s a notion though, that has made me even more determined to enjoy her being a kitten! And so, I’m really grateful to Cats Protection for helping with this collaboration – I don’t know that I would have been able to document my first month with Ruby so well if this series hadn’t happened! So, a massive thank you to their Relationships Manager and the whole Media Team! Now, for the series finale, I’ll be sharing my top tips to looking after a kitten (learnt over the past month with Ruby), as well as a letter to her, and my favourite videos, photos, and moments with Ruby across this past month (and yes, it was incredibly difficult to choose those!) …

RELATING TO QUOTES FROM MY FAVOURITES ON NETFLIX | IN COLLABORATION WITH NETFLIX UK

“Certain things leave you in your life and certain things stay with you. And that’s why we’re all interested in movies – those ones what make you feel; you still think about.”

Tim Burton

So, according to my blog post archive, it’s been quite a while since I’ve published a post from this kind of angle and in collaboration with the wonderful Netflix UK. I think people talk a lot about music and how song lyrics can be really relatable and therefore comforting in some ways, but there’s not a whole lot about movies or series’ affecting our mental health…

“If you’re going to let one stupid prick ruin your life, you’re not the girl I thought you were!”

Professor Stromwell

One of the most common comments I’ve heard when talking about the abuse and suicide has been something along the lines of; “but then he would win!” From Day One, that comment has never been helpful for my mental health and suicidal thoughts and feelings; but the more I’ve had it said to me, the more it’s starting to grate on me. It now feels like a bit of a token gesture – as though people are saying it out of habit; like they believe it’s something they should say. My conviction that all those who have made this comment do genuinely believe – or at least they hope – that it’s helpful, means I tend to not bite their heads off when they say it (even though I’m really tempted to!)!

MY EDINBURGH RECOMMENDATIONS | IN COLLABORATION WITH EDINBURGH BUS TOURS

To bring you something a bit different, with very little mention of mental health(!), I’ve teamed up with Edinburgh Bus Tours to bring to you this piece about my greatest recommendations for a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland…

When I was younger, if I was going to visit somewhere, my first ‘must-see’ was the stores! If I spotted a River Island or New Look then who cared about a huge castle or an impressive cathedral?! However, now that I’m thirty-one, I’m finding that when I go on a trip these days, I’m more interested in seeing the sights because I recognise that I can’t see them back home; so booking a tour route (there are a number to choose from – or you can purchase a ticket that allows you to do any/all of them!) with Edinburgh Bus Tours seemed like an obvious way to do this on my trip.

I chose the Majestic tour because it included some city sights and a costal one (The Royal Yacht Britannia on Leith coast) – I like the Coast in terms of photographs, but I’m a ‘city girl’ at heart! And this tour seemed to be the best of both worlds! The variety of the tours; their mix of theme and their different routes around Edinburgh really provide a brilliant opportunity for absolutely anyone’s preferences to be catered to.

TWELVE OF THE BEST BUNNY BUYS| MARKING TWELVE MONTHS WITHOUT PIXIE | IN COLLABORATION WITH AMAZON UK

This blog post had the huge potential to be incredibly emotional and overwhelming but having just published two pieces with an abundance of those exact qualities (the one marking fifteen years since the abuse ended and the poem), I thought it would be a bit too much. And that opinion isn’t solely about wanting content that appeals to my readership, it’s also about recognising my own boundaries and tolerance levels. I mean, there’s only so much I can cope with delving into and writing about! So, when Amazon UK asked to do a collaboration, I had the idea to create this more fun and happy post of a little list of items on amazon.co.uk that I think my new bunny (Luna) would want me to recommend...

Wooden Rabbit Hutch: £129.99

This is honestly my dream hutch for Luna! I like that it has the covered area on the top floor because since Luna jumped from my arms and injured her back, she’s become a bit nervous and really likes to spend time somewhere sheltered and private. I also love that it has wheels because half of it would go in the space where my undercounter fridge used to be so to clean it out, it’d be easy to just roll it forwards. Since this is fairly expensive (though I think it’s a good price for the size of it!), I’d definitely recommend checking out all the measurements because the space for Luna’s hutch just isn’t big enough for this – it’s literally the only thing stopping me from getting it! I definitely think it’s worth the price tag though because rabbits can live fairly long (something which first time owners aren’t always aware of), so it’d last a good while.

MENTAL HEALTH & FRIENDSHIPS | IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DESIGN PARLOUR | DISCOUNT CODE INCLUDED!!!

So, this post has been a long time in the making! Its inspiration actually came when I was gift hunting for the Birthday of three of my five best-friends who were all celebrating in the same month (March!). So, I found some lovely customisable prints on Etsy from The Design Parlour, and we decided to team up to bring you this blog post of a chat about the impact mental health can have on friendships, and we’ve even thrown in a huge discount code…

WHY IT’S AN ACHIEVEMENT TO MAKE FRIENDS WHILST EXPERIENCING TRAUMA

“A best friend is the only one that walks into your life when the world has walked out”

Shannon Alder

The best friend I met first was Sophie in 2006/2007. Now, if you’ve read, I’m NOT Disordered for a while now, you’ll know that the abuse I experienced started in 2006 so meeting Sophie around that time was pretty special and important. I mean, whilst the years my mental health was at its most poorly were horrific and challenging, the time during the actual abuse was the most overwhelming and difficult in my life. I was so full of anger and hatred towards almost everyone who mattered in my life because no one recognised what was happening to me and so, no one stopped it.

Meeting Sophie during that really frustrating time meant I felt a whole lot less isolated and alone. I mean, she didn’t know about it either, but to see that I was capable of building a new friendship whilst feeling the way I did and thinking the things I did? Well, that gave me hope. It left me thinking that if I could challenge those lonely thoughts and emotions by adding someone to my life, I might just get through it. I might just survive. Sophie made me feel stronger and more positive at a time when it felt like I had been feeling the exact opposite for forever!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COLLABORATIONS

 

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”

Isaac Newton

I actually surprised myself when I went through my blog post archive and found that the only remotely similar content, I’d produced was advice on how to land a collaboration over one year ago. The fact there’s been so many new readers who might have missed that, and that I’ve had so many more experiences of collaborations that have taught me so much more; has meant that I thought I’d go ahead with the blog post which will be a complete jumble of absolutely everything you should know about collaborations…

CONSIDERATION & BLOGGING

I’d like to think that whether you’re a new or old reader, you wouldn’t think of me as a hypocrite in any way. So, when I thought that my first piece of advice around collaborations would be to put in some careful consideration, I couldn’t help but remember the fact that this is something I haven’t always done myself. Particularly in the very beginning of my blogging career…

I remember having a really productive 1:1 with my Key Nurse where I agreed to start writing about the abuse I’d experienced and allow the staff to read it. When I got back to my hospital bedroom my laptop was lying on the bed and I just had this belief that the plan to write things down about the trauma and actually let other people read about it, was a huge step forward in my mental health – it felt like a step towards recovery. And it came into my head that I really wanted to document the journey I believed I was about to embark on, and writing a word document felt kind of insignificant… I thought that if I’m going to let the staff who were pretty much strangers read about the most vulnerable time in my life, then why should my loved ones be kept in the dark?

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY TWENTY-THREE: GIFT WRAPPING GUIDE | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS | AD

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

After putting together all those gift guides, I wanted to do a little gift wrapping guide full of inspiration for all different colour schemes and all different themes around Christmas…

 

Vintage Santa Wrapping Paper: £4.50

Candy Land Wrapping Paper: £4.50

Rustic Scandi Wrapping Paper: £4.50

Gold Foil Tags pack of 10: £2.00

Gold Ribbons pack of 10: £10.00

Favourite Human Gift Tag: £2.75

Sugar Plum Fairy Gift Bag: £4.75

Present Toppers pack of 2: £4.00

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY TWENTY-TWO: BUDGET SELF-CARE GUIDE | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS | AD

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

So, we’re almost done! And I honestly can’t believe it! With Christmas just days away, I wanted to share some items that will help with the importance of self-care over the potentially very stressful holiday period…

 

La Jolie Muse Candle: £18.99

Neom Diffuser: £25.00

Christmas Colouring Book: £5.99

This Works Gift Set: £9.00

Christmas Blanket: £21.99

 

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY TWENTY-ONE: CHRISTMASSY CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS | AD

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

I figured that we’re now so close to Christmas, it’s probably a given that people are shopping for new festive clothing and accessories for parties and events; so here are some of my absolute favourite bits from various websites that cater to a whole host of budgets…

Christmas Clothing at ASOS

Gingerbread Pyjama Set: £24.00

Knitted Stag Design: £20.00

Antler Stag Slippers: £7.55

Panda Ankle Socks: £4.00

Christmas Tree Earrings: £6.00

Santa Headband: £8.00

Christmas Sweatshirt: £22.00

Christmas Avocado Pyjamas: £20.00

Fairisle Jumper: £28.00

 

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY TWENTY: BUDGET CHRISTMAS CRAFTS | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS | AD

 

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

Today, I wanted to share with you all the Christmassy, creative projects I’ve been working on for two of my best friends and my Mum. 

For Georgie and Marty, I put together scrapbooks, and for my Mum, I created one card for each day of December... 

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY EIGHTEEN: MY CHRISTMAS WISH LIST | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS

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

Since I’ve talked about the gift guides, shown a few ideas for Christmas presents for your loved ones (I tried to include just about everyone I could think of!), and created wish lists for each of my pets; I thought it about time that I do a wish list for myself!

River Island: https://www.riverisland.com/women

Branded Oversized T-Shirt: £22.00

Feather Trim T-Shirt: £25.00

Khaki Fur Lined Parka: £70.00

Green Belted Cardigan: £55.00

Sequin Angel Sleeve T-Shirt: £28.00

Grey Quilted Boots: £65.00

Khaki Heeled Boots: £85.00

Purple Tote Bag: £42.00

 

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY SIXTEEN: BUDGET GIFT GUIDE: PETS | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS | AD

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

I’ve decided to use today to share another little gift guide with you, this time it’s for the furry friends and family members in your life! I’ve chosen to take all the items from Amazon as I felt it best catered to a range of budgets. I also chose to do a few guides so there’s one for cats, rabbits, and dogs (apologies if this misses out your pet!)…

 

Cat Tree Light Grey: £56.99

Short Hair Grooming Kit: £25.00

Ten Crinkle Balls: £7.99

Cactus Cat Scratching Post: £33.23

Radiator Bed: £13.99