Manic Man follows the life of a young man called Jason Wegner, who was diagnosed with bipolar.

He recalls the time when his parents had called the paramedics to take him to the hospital.

The book shifts back to build up to when he started to get hypomanic, which grew into mania.

The book captures the big ideas that come with mania, excessive spending, and lack of sleep.

While manic, the author was writing a lot, including texting and posting on social media and making a lot of audio recordings. 

There are pictures of some of his writing inside the book and on the cover. Together, these different pieces give the reader excellent insights into mania.

The author describes how his friends and family were getting concerned about him and wondering if he was on drugs, but he didn’t have any insight into the fact that he was unwell.

About three-quarters of the way through the book, the author was hospitalized. 

He writes about appealing his admission to the hospital and includes quotes from the panel’s written reasons for keeping him detained. 

It’s pretty interesting to see that side of the story, along with excerpts from doctors’ notes in his chart.

The book then jumps to recovery, interrupted by a depressive episode. Jason worked closely with his psychologist Dr Bernes, who wrote the book’s foreword, and together they developed a holistic program for recovery that they called the Octagon of Life. 

Jason’s therapy included elements like exercise, nutrition, and exposure therapy (including writing this book) to process the traumatic experience of mania. Together, the eight features of the Octagon of Life allowed the author to rebuild his life and achieve post-traumatic growth, and the book takes a hopeful stance that recovery is possible. The author is now pursuing a career as a teacher.

The author shows a willingness to be vulnerable and open about his experiences, even those experiences that might be considered embarrassing. Manic Man presents a very genuine picture of what it’s like to be manic. I think this book would be a good choice for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of bipolar mania, and particularly for anyone who’s been newly diagnosed.

Manic Man is available on Amazon (affiliate link).

A Mind Of Their Own is a book about children’s mental health increasing from 2017 to 2020.

Today young people feel more pressured with exams and hobbies in a competitive world to be the best.

Parents and other relatives need to take the pressure off their children and encourage them instead of pushing them too hard and making them feel like a failure if they aren’t very good at something or as good as their fellow peers.

Katherine Hill looks at how positive words can influence thinking and behaviour and how labels can damage children.

Technology also plays a major factor for both adults and children in today’s digital world, where everyone is always online and many of us communicating via social media apps.

Years ago, we could escape from school bullies by going home.

Cyberbullying has now become a problem where children are bullied in their own homes without leaving their homes.

Social networking sites such as Facebook are well documented for bullying children online with some children committing suicide.

Katharine looks at the impact of COVID19 on our children as they have missed out on schooling, seeing their friends.

Some children are better off being homeschooled and enjoy it more than mainstream schooling.

There are also children who can’t work at home and need to go to school and socialise with their friends.

Homeschooled or not, children need to be able to feel confident when communicating with others in the outside world, without feeling anxious about catching a deadly disease every time they leave their homes.

The most important thing we can do for our children is to love and support them. We need to provide a safe space for our families for their growth and development.

A Mind Of Their Own is a powerful read. Each chapter includes personal stories and finishes with action points and activities.

I would recommend this book to all parents and other family members.

How did your children cope during the pandemic? Let us know in the comment section below or on our social media sites.

I love the way Bring me to Light was written with Eleanor highlighting her Jewish family roots and understanding her past.

Eleanor describes her experience at school is similar to mine, which people can also relate to this.

Being bullied is something that even the most famous people can relate to.

I had an uneven jaw and big teeth and was called names such as “Goof Troop” a lot, and as a result of this, I ended up learning to fight back and defend myself.

I became an angry individual, and this still haunts me to this day.

Throughout the book, Eleanor refers to her social anxiety which is something that I also can relate to.

Eleanor describes this as “Two Yous” which is how it can feel like one minute you are fighting for attention with the other person you can also see and the next you want the world to swallow you up and for everyone in it to leave you alone.

One of the only experiences that I haven’t had is being hospitalised for my episodes, which I am grateful for.

On the other hand, Eleanor appears to have had a lot more NHS help and support for her bipolar than I have.

Different parts of the UK offer various treatments, and this is where mental health funding and support aren’t consistent or joined up.

The book is a must-read for anyone with or without mental health issues.

What I love the most about “Bring me to Light” is the fact that Eleanor goes into great detail about her illness and how she strived to overcome this and become the ambassador and writer she is today.

Even with her relapses, she has achieved so much, and that’s something I would love to be able to achieve myself.

The book is an honest account of a young woman who has been through a lot, and I have found myself inspired by the fact that painful experiences can turn into a positive.

As someone who suffers from mental health problems, I decided to write a mental health magazine review on Happiful.

Happiful is the first mental health magazine I have ever read, so here are my thoughts on this magazine.

This mental health magazine is the UK’s monthly lifestyle magazine devoted to mental health.

The magazine’s front page looks bright and cheery featuring a picture of the author and mental health ambassador, Bryony Gordan.

The colours also blend in well with a mixture of white, black, and dark pink text, a pastel pink background, and a shade of pastel green.

The magazine comprises 90 compelling pages of content including; celebrity features, real-life stories, relationships, lifestyle, wellbeing,  Happiful Hacks, The uplift and Food and Drink.

My favourite articles in the July print edition include, how to have a network with social anxiety, the interview with Carrie Hope Fletcher and the page on apps that help with anxiety.

I like the variety of content in this magazine and the fact that it has something for everyone regarding their mental health and if they suffer from issues.

The price is a little steep at £4 because some people who have mental health issues cannot work. Therefore £4 for a magazine each month is a lot of money.  

You can sign up for 12 print issues for just £36.

One of the best things about this magazine is that for those of you who can’t afford the magazine’s print version, its available to view online for free.

If you would like to keep up to date with news about Happiful, you can check them out on Facebook or  Twitter and Instagram.

What I buy the magazine?

If I were going on holiday and wanted to purchase a magazine, I would buy this but because I don’t get paid much and I’m always online I would be more likely to read Happiful online.

You can pick up a copy in your local supermarket, order a print copy online or subscribe to our free digital e-mag: subscribe.happiful.com

When I was sent the Ion8 Sports Water Bottle to test I was hoping that this water bottle wouldn’t leak when I put it into my boot bag, alongside a spare pair of trainers and a gym towel.

My first water bottle was a cheap Slazenger plastic bottle from Sports Direct which I purchased back in 2014 for Insanity Classes.

My second water bottle was one that my mum bought me for Christmas from Tesco.

The plastic carrier bit broke off that bottle just a few weeks after receiving it when I accidentally dropped it.

When receiving the Ion 8 sports water bottle my first impressions were that the bottle could do with being a bit bigger, but the bottle itself looked strong.

After using it for a month, I found that I could put it into my boot bag and it doesn’t leak. It comes in several colours (I have the frosted grey).

I’ve tested the bottle thoroughly in the gym, and it hasn’t leaked, the only two issues I have with the bottle are that I could do with a bigger bottle than 650ml as I drink a lot in the gym and I have to fill up the bottle more, and unfortunately, I dropped the bottle and a bit of the plastic where the lid locks broke off.

This needs to be made more robust as it’s a little flimsy.

However, the Ion8 sports water bottle has more plusses than minuses.

This includes a wide opening also allows refilling without spillage and is big enough for ice cubes or for fruit if you fancy a spring/summer smoothie.

*100% Leakproof BPA free water bottle

* Flips open with one hand and can lock closed for safety

* Vented, smooth liquid flow for rapid hydration

* It has a soft feel for grip and a carry strap (that is quite sturdy)

* Fits any cup holder or kid’s backpack

* The drinks bottle is dishwasher safe and suitable for hot or cold drinks

You can purchase the Ion8 sports water bottle from Amazon.

Before Christmas, I purchased some cool new Dri-fit Nike gym gear for my daily trips to the leisure centre.

As Nike had been sending me lots of 20% off sale emails, I finally caved in and decided to treat myself to some new gym wear because I didn’t have enough tops or trousers to wear.

The weather has been so wet recently, which means that the clothes aren’t getting washed and dried as frequently and I go to the gym six or seven days a week.

A few months before December, I had purchased some Nike Dri-fit trousers in the sale, and I love the fact that they dry quicker than my other gym trousers.

Yes, Nike Dri-fit is a bit more expensive than other sports brands.

However, if you are like me and would like to stay dry and comfortable in the gym instead of hot, sticky, and sweaty, you will pay a bit more for better comfort.

What is Dri-fit Nike Gear?
Nike Dri-FIT is a high-performance, microfiber, polyester fabric that moves sweat away from the body and to the fabric surface, where it evaporates.

As a result, Dri-FIT keeps athletes dry and comfortable. It’s also quicker to dry in wet weather.

Nike Power Legend Women’s Training Tights
The leggings keep me nice and warm when walking to and from the gym and when attending my HIIT classes outside in the winter.

However, they are a little bit too hot to wear in the gym, and I prefer wearing my lighter training leggings.

I thought that my legs would look like tree trunks in fitted leggings; however, this is not the case in these trousers.

Nike Dry Women’s Training Tank
I love this top because it’s light and not too hot or cold to wear to the gym and being a Dri-fit top it drys quick, so I’m not soaked in sweat when working out.

I prefer wearing tops without sleeves as I tend to sweat a lot when working out.

I got the top in a larger size because I’m not comfortable with my weight, so I like loose-fitting tops.

Nike Classic Padded Botanical Fresh Women’s Medium Support Sports Bra
I needed another sports bra because I only own 4, so I went for a medium support bra that fits well and is comfortable to wear to the gym and my HIIT classes. I wear support bras underneath my tops

Have you tried out Nike gym gear?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or over on our social media channels.