Yes, you read that right, I have been nominated for an award!

This isn’t a joke, it’s actually real.

I can hardly believe it myself since this blog has been running less than 12 months and despite it being in the pipeline a year before I finally found the courage to purchase the domain and press publish.

I was sent an email a few weeks ago asking for my contact details as I had been shortlisted in the Health management blogger category in the Health Unlocked Blogger Awards 2017.

At first, I thought this might be a joke and when I was given a confirmation with the details I was totally stunned.

I’m so surprised that at least 1 person nominated me in that category, let alone a judge who also read my blog and thought it was good enough to make the shortlist.

Blogging about mental health isn’t easy for me, which is why I waited a year before starting on the blog.

When I talked about starting the blog with people who attend Penzance bipolar group, some of them thought that this subject might be too painful for me to write about.

I suffer from an unknown mood disorder, which is thought to be bipolar 2 although this hasn’t yet been confirmed.

I also have low confidence and I have a really rough few years which is why this nomination means a lot to me.

Being shortlisted means so much to me and it tells me that although my blog doesn’t have the biggest traffic flow, there are people out there who appreciate my blog posts.

There are so many people producing really good content who deserve to be nominated and I can’t believe I’m one of those people.

I would like to say a huge thank you to those of you who nominated me for this award and a thank you in advance to those of you who have voted for me.

You have all made me realise that if I keep working hard, I can improve and raise awareness of mental health.

Even if I don’t win the award, the most important thing is to achieve better mental health treatments for mental health sufferers. Let’s stop talking and start doing!

Check out my blog and vote for me as your favourite in the Health Blogger Awards

As a mental health sufferer, I used to punch concrete walls to let off steam; now, I find boxing helps relieve some of that negative energy.

Recently, ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand announced his decision to become boxing professionally at the age of 38.

Like many other sportsmen, such as ex-footballer Leon Mc Kenzie and ex England cricket captain Freddy Flintoff, boxing helps release some of those inner demons within mental health sufferers.

Prince Harry also recently spoke of turning to boxing after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

The prince said that when his mother died, he wanted to punch someone. As a result of this, he took up boxing.

It’s not just men taking up boxing; it’s becoming more popular with women as well.

I once went to a boxercise class, and I loved it.

I now do HIIT sessions twice a week, and the classes always include lots of running and boxing.

Boxing with my trainer is my favourite exercise, and I’m always encouraged to hit harder.

It’s great to be able to get all of that negative energy and thoughts into several punches as you hit the boxing pads.

According to an article in the Telegraph, Boxing burns more calories than any other sport, with a whopping 800 calories burning away per hour.

Fitness benefits include:
By taking up boxing, you can burn as much as 500 calories a session and increase your muscle tone, build strong bones and Ligaments, increase your Cardiovascular, muscle endurance, core stability, and improve your upper body strength.

Boxing is an excellent way to keep fit.
An article on the Netdoctor says that assistant psychologist Felicity Gibbons from London recently started boxing classes to help those who suffer from depression and anxiety. Here, she shares her motivating story.

“Boxing is making me more confident and providing a space to de-stress. It has made me much fitter and healthier generally. I’m now motivated to run to maintain my fitness, and I am stronger and more toned. It has improved my sleep and made me more conscious of eating healthily and taking care of my body.

Let us know what helps your mental health in the comments below, or join in the discussions on our social media channels.

 

Can you hear me? I’m screaming, yelling, pleading and I’m talking about mental health but no one listening.

Although I live in what many people would say is the best part of the country known for its idyllic beaches, countryside, and walks, Cornwall is said to be one of the worst places in the country, the third-highest in the UK for suicides.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that close to 800 000people kill themselves every year.

Which means that someone kills themselves every 40 seconds and it’s only going to get worse unless something drastic is done?

It’s predicted that by 2020, death by suicide will increase to one person every 20 seconds, that’s just three years away.

Probably, because there are lots of beautiful cliff tops to jump off or maybe because Cornwall isn’t the place to live if you are looking for a career, almost all of the jobs are in Retail and Hospitality.

Cornwall still lags well behind other places regarding employment and shops.

I went to another mental health assessment at Bolitho House in Penzance, just months after being released by the same so-called health professionals who failed to diagnose me.

That was back in May, and since then, despite telling both my father and I was told that we would hear from them within one week, I still haven’t heard anything from them!

It’s no wonder there are so many suicides in this part of the country.

It’s all very well for celebrities, Royalty, and charities to rant off about mental health and telling people to talk but I’m talking, I’ve been talking for so long that no one is listening.

I’m just a small fish in a big nasty, two-faced, and uncaring world that I desperately want to change.

We need more therapy treatments and better health professionals who can I bet no one thought that they could try to cure cancer 30 years ago?

Guess what, we are a lot closer to this goal due to the research and people who spent millions of pounds and hours.

So, why can’t the same be done with mental health?

As for Stigma, this hasn’t gone away?

Have you ever been laughed at for making yourself sick or had people egging you on to take your life or better still had so-called friends accusing you of things you haven’t done and calling the police with their lies just to get rid of you because they think you are a freak with issues?

I can recommend several things to try and make you better such as books, videos, quotes, photos, or treating yourself to something nice, but this won’t cure mental health.

Talking therapies and printing off sheets of paper for you to read or CBT doesn’t necessarily work either.

I’m not saying that the current treatments don’t work, but with the number of individuals who suffer from mental health issues on the rise and suicide statistics on the increase every year, I think it’s fair to say that we need better therapies than those currently on offer.

One of the Facilitators in the Bipolar group that I attend once told me that “The doctors won’t know what’s really wrong until you die or if they examine the brain.”

However, with NHS cutbacks I can’t see them sending mental health patients for brain scans in the near future.

Maybe this would be a start? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or join in the discussions on our social media pages.

For confidential support visit the helpline page.

Here are some things that can help to take your mind off things and help you get back on track to a happy and healthy 2017:

Play an instrument

I play the guitar, so I’m going to continue to play new songs.

I have six guitars and two pedals, so I hope to improve my guitar playing, purchase the pedals I want to buy, record some songs that I have written and plan to purchase a microphone stand and the Rode NTA microphone.

I will also be attending the Shaw Academy Ultimate guitar course and will take the exams.

I need to also brush up on my music theory as well as practice.

Getting fit again

Since my back injury occurred in 2015, I’m hoping to leap back into shape.

I have purchased Pilate’s DVD’S to help me get back into shape, and I have also bought a scooter so I can improve my balance.

Towards the end of 2016, I started using my Wii again, however, since I bought a double bed, there isn’t a lot of room in my bedroom for exercise and with mum currently off sick, both her and dad are always in the lounge.

When the weather improves, I will be scooting around and will take pictures on walks.

Cornwall is a lovely place to go on coastal or country walks and take some pictures of scenery for my blog posts.

I plan to Vlog about my journeys 

Originally I planned to start a Vlog in the New Year, however, because I currently haven’t had the best start to 2017, I have decided that I will go with the flow and start vlogging when I feel ready.

I haven’t ridden my bike since October 2010.

I want to clean up my bike and start riding again. I lost lots of weight when I started mountain biking seven years ago.

I stopped when I got the push from the job I was in. I used to ride to work and back, even on wet days.

The reason I got the push was because I was accused of threatening my boss, then they just said that I never liked the job I was in and that I never got on with the boss and they had made up their mind and would pay me until the end of the month.

In 2016, I started reading books again. I started by reading autobiographies by Eric Clapton and Johnny Cash.

I then purchased a few SEO books on Amazon, and I’ve got my eye on buying a few more books.

I have recently read The Million Dollar Blog, and I’m currently reading Brian Wilson’s autobiography that my mum got me for Christmas.

I’m hoping that reading books will help me improve my writing and grammar skills.

Meditate daily

Many therapists and people from my Bipolar group have recommended meditation.

I’m keen to try it. I have tried some mobile apps, but unfortunately, like everything they come at a cost.

I’m going to have a look around on YouTube and see if there are any meditation videos I can do maybe once or twice daily to help relax me.

Let me know what you are doing towards a having a happy and healthy 2017?

Are you taking up a new hobby?

Are you Planning a new challenge?

Or going to a place you have never been to before?

Comment below and join in the discussion on @AdminChick .

I was checking my Twitter feed this morning and noticed there are lots of posts about “Blogmas” because I’m a new blogger I had never heard of Blogmas until now.

What is Blogmas?

Blogmas is when Bloggers post every day in December until the 25th although some people just blog for the 12 days of Christmas.

Now I’m faced with the task of whether to take part or not?

Can I commit to 25 interesting daily posts during the busy festive period?

Many of you may be thinking yes, it’s easy.

However, sometimes I’m on a high and I can write posts quickly and other days I can’t write to save a life. I need to be inspired, or a kick up the backside to keep me in check.

Sometimes the light goes out and I become almost like a walking zombie, left to rot in a dark room.

I could sit at my laptop for hours and not get any work done.

I watched a webinar, yesterday by Natasha Courtenay-Smith, who has helped lots of business owners and individuals build successful blogs.

She said the more you write, the more traffic you will receive.

Taking part in Blogmas should tell me if this is true.

Some of the problems, I find when blogging is that I spend ages thinking about post titles, instead of just writing them and putting them up and I’m, always looking for unique content, that has never been done before.

It’s not just the posts that take time, its also taking the right pictures to go with the posts and scheduling social media.

I’m planning to concentrate on two platforms, Twitter and LinkedIn.

My reasons for taking part in Blogmas are because I want to add value to my blog and write some fun and engaging posts to get myself into the festive mood and hopefully, my posts will be engaging enough to make people want to read and return to my blog .

I also plan to start Vlogging in the New Year, I might even video some of my Blogmas posts, so I really need to get my skates on and plan my content and social media content if I’m going to make a success of this!