I remember in my second year of university when my house mates 'J' and 'N' would beg me to 'get on Instagram', because and I quote 'I was forever taking pictures so why not document them'? They had a point but as a 'self-confessed perfectionist' I struggled with the idea of 'putting myself out there' and facing the condemnation and strong opinions of my peers. You see I was abused as a child by my stepmother and severely bullied throughout my teen years and early adult life, so I had serious issues with self-confidence and accepting who I was, when others clearly had such negative opinions about me. When others would take photos of me, it would fill me with anxiety because all I could see ... read more
Search Results for: abuse
Breaking Taboos With Faded Spring:Why No Means No
Why No Means No Picture the scene, it’s a cold summers night and you are walking down a dimly lit alley. Your heart starts racing, your mind goes into overdrive but still you keep walking, hopeful that your outfit wont attract comment for the second day in a row. The clock strikes midnight and you hurry through the alley, aware that at the end of the tunnel is light and hope. But you are ambushed, 5ft from your home there are a group of men laughing among themselves as they look you up and down with slavish desire. Aren’t you a pretty little thing they say. You say nothing, it’s a rhetorical question and you have nothing left to give. You are mute in terror, like a deer in headlights as ... read more
Breaking Taboos With Faded Spring: IVF Egg Donation
From breaking taboos surrounding period positivity to open explorations of abuse, sex and bullying, my own personal experiences have made me realize that we should be more open and honest about 'taboo topics' in order to help others speak out about their own experiences. Which is where 'Breaking Taboos' come in, a monthly series where I challenge 'perceptions' of topics like IVF egg donation, dating, sex and more, to demonstrate how raising awareness can show others that its ok to speak out and 'live their truth'. While I have been open about my own struggles, today I would like to share an anonymous readers struggle with infertility and how using IVF helped her get pregnant and raise ... read more
How A Caress Gave Me Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
A Guest Post By Elizabeth Brico When I was 20 years old, I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is an intrusive mental health condition that causes a host of disruptive symptoms. Many of them are debilitating. Imagine wanting to go out and get a slice of pizza down the street, but instead staying in and having a PB&J because the idea of being around people makes you too anxious. That happened to me last night. Imagine staying up until dawn because your sleep is haunted by nightmares that re-enact the worst moments of your life. That was how I spent my summer. Imagine having to quit your job because every time you saw a six-foot white guy, you hallucinated the ... read more
It’s Ok To Have Mental Health Issues
We all go through life being told to ‘chin up and smile’ because positive thinking can cure all your troubles. Depressed? You will be right as rain in no time, lost a loved one don’t worry time is a great healer. No matter your predicament there appears to be a solution for everything. The truth is ultimately a lot darker and when it comes to grieving, mental health or other related issues I believe that society chooses to turn the other cheek. Now hear me out, how many of you have been told to smile because it will make you feel better only to realize that you are just acting out the part of a character that is not ‘you’. How many of you are forced to pretend you are something you are not, ... read more
A True Story About Alcohol Addiction
Two lovers were married for all eternity and promised to stay together til' death do us part and true to word, they died within 2 years of each other. The grandad went first, bedridden and battling cancer, while the grandma became his carer, changing his dressings and attending to her husband with love in her eyes. When he died she was heartbroken and within a year deteriorated until she was bedridden herself. This proud, independent but giving woman had spent all her life caring for the man that she had loved and when he died she had no chance to live out the rest of her days with happiness in her heart. Instead, two years later she too died of (bowel) cancer and had regressed into ... read more
Faded Spring’s Obsession With Henry VIII
From a young age I had always been obsessed with history and in particular two historical eras: The Tudors and Ancient Egypt. I marveled at the grand gowns and gasped at the political intrigue, as one by one each historical reigning monarch became partial to bloodlust and thirst. But there was one monarch who piqued my interest most of all and that was Henry VIII. From his cruel treatment of his six wives- the poor souls- to putting anyone who dared defy his counsel on the chopping block, its safe to say that that Henry VIII always got what he wanted. Feared as much as he was hated Henry VIII is one of the most intriguing monarchs in the English history books. His complex love life and ... read more
Dear Depression: Did You Call Me?
Dear Depression, I remember the first time you paid me a visit. Like a dark cloud you swept into my life and washed away any happiness I had known. You made me feel like I was worthless and questioned who I was as a person. You told me I would never be good enough, that all those people who said I could never amount to anything were right. But here I am still standing, struggling under the weight of your darkness. There are days, weeks even where all I seem to do is cry. I shut myself off from all the people I care about because I don’t know what to say or how to act. I don’t want people to see me as you make me feel: weak, broken and unable to control my emotions. People used to call ... read more
8 Ways To Make Your Blog Stand Out From The Crowd
With over 152 million bloggers worldwide circa 2017, making your blog stand out from the crowd can seem like an impossible task. After all no matter how 'original' you may think your blog is, chances are another blogger has an identical site to yours, so the question is how on earth can you create an 'authentic, creatively original' enterprise when there are so many other bloggers with the 'exact same ideas'? The truth is, even after two years in the blogging industry and a month full time, I am still learning how I too can make my blog gain more traction and despite ' a unique aesthetic' and personable approach to blogging, there is more to 'branding' than meets the eye. As bloggers get ... read more
Learning To Be Body Positive With Simply Beach Swimwear
From a young age I have struggled with my body image; I have a disorder known as BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder ) which alters my perception of how I see myself in the mirror and how I 'believe' others see me. I grew up with poor self confidence; I was abused by my stepmother and bullied throughout my teenage and young adult years, for the way that I looked, including being 'too skinny' for societies personal tastes. I was called anorexic, skinny, scrawny and a bag of bones to name a few and was often taunted for having 'small boobs' because according to the bullies I looked like a 'boy'. The more people were negative about my weight, the more I became obsessed about the way I looked, ... read more
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