'A Million Faces'
Sometimes when we are feeling low we feel so alone, but there is always someone who is there for us, waiting to hold us up through the difficult times. I thought this song summed it up quite well. 'A Million Faces' by Thunder I've never seen you look so empty
I've never heard you sound so low
I've never felt your pain so deeply
And I just wanted you to know Cos when your smile feels like you're lying
When it's all too much to bear
There ain't no use denying
You gotta pu
One month without Mum
It's been a month since Mum died. Thirty-one days. Seven hundred and seventy-four hours. Four thousand, four hundred and 60 minutes. It feels like a long time, as though it's been years, but also feels as though she could have died yesterday or last week. If there's one thing I've learned from grief it's that time stops making sense and you just have to roll with it. Sometimes hours can feel like days and other times days can seem like hours, but as long as you're moving forw
My experience of bullying and how I use it to help others
Being bullied is something which I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I wouldn’t even wish it on my bully. It robs you of your self esteem, makes you feel like you’re an easy target and forces you to wonder ‘why me?’ When I was in Year 7, I was quite a quiet girl. I used to sit in assembly and wonder how on earth the big Year 11s managed to stand up in front of assembly to deliver the bulletin without freaking out. I settled in well – I made friends quickly and really enjoyed t
Stand Up Against Bullying #MakeANoise
I distinctly remember being about nine or ten and mentioning to a teacher, who asked me why I was crying, that I was being bullied. They told me that I wasn't being hit so it couldn't be bullying. It was, unfortunately, something that really stuck with me but at the time struck me as being completely wrong. I didn't understand that, despite being told by another teacher, bullying was wrong but in the eyes of someone more senior... it wasn't a thing. It took me a long time to
Don't bother coming into school today, everyone hates you! It's #AntibullyingWeek
It was an absolute pleasure to be asked to write for Strong Young Minds. The work that they do is truly life changing and nothing short of inspirational. My name is Anita Dennison and I am a 19 year old Queen’s University student. I have an award winning campaign that helps and advises young people and their parents 24/7 on all things bullying, but sadly things haven’t always been this positive for me. When I was just 16 and studying for my GCSE’s like thousands of other stud
'Make a Difference for Men & Boys'
I believe in equality and it’s something I spend time thinking about… working out new ways to try and reach out to people in need, help change perceptions or even reduce stigma shown towards different groups of people. Perhaps it’s because I’m a vaguely nice person who wants to see a better world; or maybe it’s because I’ve been on the receiving end of stigmatisation and feeling really alone due to my personal struggles. The thing about mental health problems is that they don
Opening up can be difficult for some people, however it can be one of the best decisions you can mak
Opening up – it is a hard thing to do. Especially if you feel like no one cares. Back in 2012 when my best friend moved to the other side of the country, I felt lost, alone, worthless. I used to isolate myself in my room and I used to do things to hurt myself, physically and emotionally, my mind was filled with negativity and self loathe. It was a circle of hatred; every day I found another little thing to hate myself about until eventually, I was at a complete stand still. I
Where'd All The Good People Go?
I'm deeply saddened by the recent events in Paris. I'm sad that there is such tragedy and terror in the world and I hate seeing unnecessary loss of life. The hope I take from this situation is that we are all struck by how awful and terrible it is. Thankfully we haven't reached a point where acts of terror and atrocity are routine and we're completely desensitised to it. We are still struck by how unnecessary this kind of violence is. I am so thankful that there is humanity,
Funerals Are Weird
Mum's funeral was last Friday. We chose to have a small service at the crematorium in the morning followed by a larger thanksgiving service at the church in the afternoon. I've been to a few funerals before now. The first I ever went to was my Grandma's. I was only eight and all I can remember is walking into a lamppost on the way there, and hiding upstairs when everyone came round to the house afterwards. The second was my step-granddad's. I was 14 by this point and I rememb
Gain Strength From Fear
I can't decide if Timehop and Facebook memories are helpful and motivating or really difficult at the moment. I've been faced with daily reminders of where I was this time last year, an inpatient on an eating disorder program. It's hard to see where I was at that point in time but it's also been motivating to realise how far I've come... it's been a long road and I'm still definitely on it and hell I've faced a lot of fears on the way! One of my favourite books (and film for
