My first VLOG! (mental health at school or uni)

Here is my first VLOG ever. In it, I give advice on having mental health issues at school or university from my own experience. It complements the post on Being at school or university with depression and anxiety, giving some new tips. Make sure to check out the blog post for other information as well.

So.... here it goes!

Free phone wallpapers to celebrate 2015!

I hope you all had a nice New Year's Eve. And happy 2015. Hopefully it has started nicely.

My New Year's Eve was quite uneventful and YES, that is a good thing. I was relatively scared after last year's so I was happy to spend it quietly with family.

Thanks to everyone for your nice comments on my last posts on the Google communities! I will reply to all of them as soon as I post this.

I just wanted to celebrate the beginning of 2015 and thank you all for being such amazing readers with a few free phone wallpapers that I have done and that I hope you like. Feel free to download them and use them. I hope that you like them.

This week the blog will go back to how it usually works and I will be posting advice, posts on mental health and on Thursday there will be a post on mental health in books!

(Obviously they are not numbered, it's just so you can find them more easily). 

Download them here (it is direct download):

Wallpaper 1

Wallpaper 2

Wallpaper 3

Wallpaper 4

Wallpaper 5

Wallpaper 6

Credit for some of the graphics used to create these wallpapers goes to the blog welivedhappilyeverafter

End of year survey and Mailing list!

Please take a minute to complete the end of year survey. This is a chance to tell me what works and what doesn't on the blog and what you would like to read more about. I'd love some feedback from all of you guys. It's only 9 easy questions (only 2 of them are compulsory), so please make sure to check it out so I can make this blog a space all of you will enjoy even more next year!

I'm also starting a mailing list. You will only receive a newsletter twice a month telling you about the posts you have missed and other relevant information. So make sure you join it! (I promise there will be no spam or any of that shit).

Keep an eye out because later today I will post my views on how 2014 went and it will be my most important post so far!

Tumblr

Well,  hello.

Even though it may seem like I have been completely absent for a while, I haven't. I have done some small re-arranging in the blog and in the old posts and here and there. I was trying to finish the 30 day depression challenge that I started but never finished (very much like me...) but turns out that Intuitive Dreamer's blog is unavailable and I never thought of copying all the questions. So oops. It's not my fault entirely now that I haven't finished it!

So I come with good news. I have joined yet another social network. I used to have a tumblr account but never really managed to figure out how it worked. But here I am, ready to give it another try for the sake of the blog. Anything for this blog. 

There is one thing that I must say though. Even though in this blog and in Pinterest there are exclusively positive thoughts, tumblr may include some not-so-positive images or quotes that I feel identified with. I will try my best to ensure that there's absolutely no triggering stuff in there either, and nothing too dark either. Just maybe don't expect all positive songs over there, I may add some Bring me the Horizon songs, or You me at six, or Papa Roach, Three Days Grace or any other bands that I like and maybe it's not a 'Fight song'. But remember, nothing triggering. So it might be good as well, with the tumblr I'm trying to reflect how someone with BPD and depression feels like but also a lot of stuff related to hope and recovery.

So yeah, add me!!!

Reading as a distraction from depression

This will be a very short, quick post (I have a massive headache that barely lets me think).

Reading is a great distraction from depression.

For me, for the last 2 years (despite always having loved reading) I was unable to find pleasure reading as it was really hard to concentrate.

However, this year in January I finally sat down with a book and decided to read and keep on going no matter what, even if I was barely understanding it, I would keep going. And even though it felt sort of awkward and unnatural and the book was not my favorite, I knew no book would be my favorite because of the circumstances. And after I finally closed it after longer than usual and took another one, it felt slightly easier. And that way, reading has become one of my favorite things to do again.

I have been reading Young Adult novels and New Adult novels because they keep me distracted the most, they are easy to read and take me away. For some reason I don't really understand, I do like books where the characters have issues... Maybe to know how they face their issues? I'm not really sure to be fair.

So I want to encourage you to read to distract yourself from depression, read what you like the most, what keeps you distracted.

Find me on Goodreads here. And add me, and recommend books to me, because I always appreciate book recommendations (one of my favorite things to do is to read book synopsis.... am I weird?)

May's books

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

Pushing the Limits

by Katie McGarry

Could be triggering if you suffer depression, anxiety and/or bipolar disorder at this moment of time. May.

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

El mundo amarillo

by Albert Espinosa

Depression challenge | Days 8 to 13

So apparently I'm not great at this 'blogging every day' deal. But in my defense I will say I found Day 8 really hard to answer. Also, it has been a bit of a hard time because I have had many ups and downs (especially downs) since the last time I posted. So I hope you can forgive me.

Also, follow me on twitter if you don't yet! I want to start conversations, talk mental health, recommend pages and some helpful tools against depression, tweet quotes I like, and even more personal tweets. I do tweet every day!

http://twitter.com/newwingstofly

Day 8

A thing I wish people understood about me...

I have phases when I feel like I need to please everyone (or some people specifically). Some of you may not see this as a bad thing, but it is for me. I put myself last, stop considering my own needs.

Then I usually realize that I am doing this and manage to put my own needs first. It takes time and loads of effort to do this, but I usually manage to do it. However, when you have spent quite a long time putting everyone else's needs before yours, it is as if they took that for granted. They expect that kind of behavior. And then when I act putting myself first, they think I am selfish. Thankfully in the last couple of years I have had less episodes where I tried to please people.

But what I wish they understood is that I don't live to please anyone else. That I, like everyone else, have my own needs and wants. Although, if they don't understand, I don't even care that much anymore. Not to sound bitchy or anything, it's just the truth.

Day 9

There are soooo many causes I support and that would like to name here. But since this is a blog about mental health, I will talk about something that I think most of you will be interested in.

As a person who suffers from mental health problems but, more generally, as a person who has seen the effects of discrimination against mental health, I encourage you to make a pledge and start a conversation about mental health to help fight the stigma and put an end to it (click on the image). Make a pledge on the webpage, or start a conversation on twitter with the hashtag #TimetoTalk .

Time to change is an English organization set to fight mental health stigma, but people from all over the world can participate.

Day 10

I'm not going to answer Day 10's question which is: Say something a bully said to you that really hurt your feelings.

I think it could be triggering both for myself and for other people to write and read the mean comments that someone said to me.

We don't have to focus on what bullies said to us to hurt our feelings. We need to ignore the people who try to hurt us.

Day 11

A book that makes me feel encouraged is The secret life of bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

And a poem that has always made me feel encouraged is Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I think whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

Day 12

Oh dear... Who made this challenge? Yes, Intuitive Dreamer did, she didn't know me.

You give me a camera and I like being silly. As in full-on-silly. (Little shameful secret I'll share with you: I love duck face selfies. There, I said it.) So for future reference, don't ask for pictures of me unless this is what you're expecting or else specify a bit more....)

Day 13

Last but not least today...

I feel like Demi Lovato is a great inspiration for young people battling with mental health issues.

P.S.: I'm ill so I'm spending all day at home, so this is probably not the last you'll hear from me today.

New stuff and depression challenge update

Soooooo......

YES! There is a new design. I have been wanting a new design for quite a long time. I am not the best at photoshop, so yesterday I finally decided to get a pro template. And ta-da! This is it. I hope you like it. My favorite color is blue, so maybe that had something to do with the choice. I also wanted it to be gender-neutral (even though some associate blue with boys - nonononononono).

You may (or may not) have noticed, that at the top right corner of the page there are some pretty social media icons, each will lead you to our different social media pages.

So, yes! There is a new twitter account!

So please follow the page on twitter since there will be news of new updates but also more personal posts, and retweets, and just anything related to mental health that I find interesting (and that I find). Please feel send us tweets :)

https://twitter.com/newwingstofly

I forgot to post my challenge post yesterday so I will post both of them here.

Day 6

A person who cheers me up or tries to.

I feel very lucky about the fact that I don't feel like I can choose a single person for this. There are a few people, for different situations and contexts I would say them.

Hya, who you may know for writing a post in this blog, always cheers me up. I always laugh with her. We can be crazy together.

Laura is like my soul sister. We've been apart this year but that doesn't stop us from keep planning to build a boat and become pirates together. We always buy chocolate for each other when we are PMSing (YES I said PMS, because that happens to be a thing!), or when we are in a low mood.

And my boyfriend is always there as well. He's always understanding, and caring. He always calms me down when I am having a breakdown.

Day 7

I wish that people knew that depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses are just as real as any other illness. That just because they are happening on someone's head doesn't make them less real, that the fact that they can't see it doesn't mean someone is making it up. 

I wish people understood that those with mental health illnesses are not attention seekers, but just misunderstood people who are suffering, and that it is really hard to find the right care, especially in a stigmatized society. 

I wish the word 'crazy' lost its bad connotations and wasn't applied to mentally ill people.

Depression Challenge | Day 4 - Inspirational quotes

(Yes, I'm conscious that I skipped day 3, I might leave it for later on).

I've been wanting to do a post like this one for quite a long time, so I'll just take the chance.

Day 4

Quotes that inspire me:

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

Be kind.

Always.

If you can dream it, you can do it.

  - Walt Disney

Repeat after me:

I am free.

I refuse to sink         

Don't dream your life,

Live your dreams.

(Personal reminder)

Speak the truth even if your voice shakes.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

There are people who can survive hell.

You are one of them.

I'm not telling you it's going to be easy,

I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.

Follow us in bloglovin'

Follow my blog with Bloglovin I have just created an account in bloglovin' . I am new in this so it may take me a bit to addapt. But make sure you follow the blog there!

Distractions from depression

As promised, here is a list of some distractions from depression that I find useful. 

They are listed in no particular order.

• Do not isolate yourself (even if you don't feel like meeting up with people, make the effort. It will eventually become easier the more you do it)
• Do not stay in all day. Get out of the house. If you can't get to meet up with people, then go out by yourself. It doesn't matter where, go for a walk. Just make sure you don't stay in your house all day.
• Exercise. You don't need to run a marathon. Even just walking will help you, but make sure you do move.
• Stay in touch with the people that you care about. You may not feel like communicating much with the rest of the world at the moment, but make the effort to call them or even just send them an email, just make sure you keep in touch.
• Try to meet up with someone you care about and who cares about you. Seeing them will help you feel better and will help you keep your interpersonal relationships.
• To the extent that you can, keep your house (and/or room) clean and tidy [I'm not good at this]
• Take care of your appearance - make sure you have showers, still use the perfume you like, use nice clothes (meaning clothes you thought were nice before you were depressed, I don't mean expensive clothes), brush your hair, and try to make yourself look nice. By looking better it will help you feel better.
• Treat yourself. Take the time to do things you generally don't have time to do: have a long bubble bath, cook something nice....
• Do manual things: making bracelets, painting, coloring mandalas and other DIY stuff will help you keep your mind off the things that trouble you.
• Write down what you are feeling to bring it out of your system.
• Watch a funny film or TV series (or if you don't like comedy, one that you enjoy and is not triggering).
• Meditation and Mindfulness can also be very helpful.

Check the post on healthy alternatives to self-harm.

In our Pinterest you can find cool and fun DIY things to do to keep your mind off so make sure you check it out.

Sigue el tablero Positive distractions de May and Hya en Pinterest. 

You can also have a look at the mandalas and even print those that you like and color them.

  Sigue el tablero Mandalas de May and Hya en Pinterest.

Check our Distractions from depression playlist. It includes the idea of the Crisis box and some meditation. 

After watching many many videos I have chosen these ones according to my own personal criteria. However, I have not watched any other videos from these youtubers so I don't know how their other stuff is and whether or not it is recommendable.

What keeps you distracted from depression?

Share it in the comments.

Pinterest

You should go visit our pinterest profile. We will constantly be adding new pins and images to our albums.

There you will find inspiring images and quotes to help you in your recovery process. We all need encouragement sometimes and I don't know about you, but I always like to find a good quote.

You will always find access to our pinterest page on the upper left side of the blog. Follow us and/or visit it every once in a while to see the new pins we have added.