Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot is a moving story about Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. It's heartbreaking, yet hopeful.
Posted inAnxiety Depression Mental Health

Book Review: Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot

CONTENT WARNING: This post mentions eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide.

This is a spoiler-free review.

For my second book review on my blog, I wanted to read Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot. I read so many mixed reviews about, but I wanted to give it a shot. I wanted to form my own opinion based on the content and the portrayal of mental illness.

Sad Perfect is a moving story about Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. It’s informative, yet relatable. It’s heartbreaking, yet hopeful.

I do want to make a trigger warning before continuing with my review. I imagine this book can be incredibly triggering for those struggling with an eating disorder, especially ARFID. There were very descriptive passages of self-harm that triggered me greatly. I had to ground myself before reading on.

So to start my review, I say read this book at your own discretion. If you want to gain insight on less known mental illnesses, please read on.

Self-Harm Recovery Update: 1 Year Self-Harm Free
Posted inDepression Mental Health Self Harm

Self-Harm Recovery Update: 1 Year Self-Harm Free

CONTENT WARNING: This post mentions graphic details of self-harm and mentions suicide and sexual abuse.

Wow guys! Wow! I can’t believe I am able to write this post today. I have reached one whole year of being self-harm free.

For the past three years, I’ve been on the bumpiest journey of my life ever since I revealed that I was sexually abused throughout my childhood. This past year, in particular, has been the biggest test of my strength, especially with all the added stress of my parent’s divorce and my dad’s alcoholism on top of my poor mental health.

But I’ve grown so much in the past year, and I’m so proud of the person I’m becoming. I sincerely mean that with every fiber of my being. I am becoming the person I want to be.

Without further ado…here’s my entire journey from self-harm addict to self-harm survivor.

How to Be a Successful Blogger When You Have Social Anxiety
Posted inAnxiety Blogging Mental Health

How to Be a Successful Blogger When You Have Social Anxiety

I receive compensation from the companies whose products I review. All of my opinions expressed here are my own. You can read my full disclaimer here.

Social anxiety doesn’t go away once I leave the public. It doesn’t even go away when I’m in the comfort of my bed.

My job relies on me interacting with people who are complete strangers. I have to constantly engage with my readers and network with other bloggers. I have to constantly promote my blog posts, even though they are filled with words from the core of my soul.

It’s a very vulnerable feeling, but I’m starting to get the hang of it. Throughout the years I’ve been blogging, I’ve discovered these three ways to help minimize my social anxiety so I can run a successful blog.

Here's a spoiler-free review on Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone by someone who suffers from Pure-Obsessional OCD.
Posted inAnxiety Mental Health Relationships

Book Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

This is a spoiler-free review. Parts that may be deemed spoilers will be marked.

I honestly didn’t have that high of expectations when I first picked up Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. I was watching a book review video on YouTube when my ears perked up at the sound of OCD. Without knowing anything else about the book, I went to the library and picked it up the same day.

Every Last Word is a YA novel about 16-year-old Samantha. She’s a swimmer, popular, and looks just like everybody else. But underneath it all, she suffers from Pure-Obsessional OCD. She second-guesses every move, thought, and word in her life. She goes to therapy every Wednesday, but the last thing she wants is a change in her life.

However, one day she meets a new friend, Caroline. Caroline introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner, a hidden room in her school underneath the theater. It’s run by a tight-knit group of outcasts. Sam is drawn to them instantly, especially to AJ who plays the guitar. Slowly, she beings to feel normal than she ever did when she was part of the popular crowd. She might even start to feel recovered…

My Top 10 Favorite Albums I Listen to On My Bad Days
Posted inAnxiety Depression Mental Health

My Top 10 Favorite Albums I Listen to On My Bad Days

If you don’t know me, music is a huge passion of mine. I’m always listening to it, dancing to it, or making up my own. Plus, my boyfriend makes his own music, so I get to become accustomed to so many new styles and techniques in music.

I’ve talked quite a bit about music and particular songs that help my different mental illnesses on my blog. I wrote out my depression playlist, as well as my anxiety playlist. I’ve even written about 15 songs to listen to if you’re in a relationship with someone who has troubles with their mental health.

Today, I’ll be giving you my favorite albums that center around mental health. They’re not in any particular order, because how could I choose? I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have turned to these albums in my life.

I wanted to gain insight to how my boyfriend sees my mental illnesses. Here are 12 questions I asked my boyfriend about loving someone with a mental illness
Posted inAnxiety Depression Mental Health

Relationship Q&A: Loving Someone with a Mental Illness

Even though I write a lot about relationships here on my blog, I am by no means a relationship expert. I’m constantly learning and growing. Plus, I usually only get to talk about things from my perspective.

By creating this post, I wanted to gain insight into how my boyfriend sees my mental illnesses. I figured it’ll not only help strengthen our relationship, but maybe if others are in his situation, it’ll help them cope as well. I’m so lucky to have a significant other that I can always talk openly about my mental health with.

Without further ado, here are 12 questions I asked my boyfriend about loving someone with a mental illness.