I was recently nominated for my first ever Versatile Blogger Award (VBA) by the wonderful Ash. She can be found on her blog or on twitter. Go and follow this wonderful lady. She is engaging, inspirational, real and an avid mental health advocate.

I can’t express to you all how much this means to me. When I first started this blog at the beginning of January it was purely as a virtual diary for me to vent my thoughts and feelings on recovery. It shortly became one of the biggest tools in my self soothe kit. I never, not in one million years, thought that I would gain 20 readers let alone 40. Creating a twitter was an after thought. Again I never thought anything would come from it but alas, here I am, in the middle of a wonderful community of mental health advocates.

It means a lot to know that what I have to say is being well received and that people are actually interested. It’s become not only cathartic to me but also as a sort of self help.

A therapist years ago told me that through helping others you often find you can help yourself and he couldn’t be more right. Through writing about my own experiences and what I am learning I am not only processing it all in my own mind but hopefully helping others at the same time. What can be better than that?!

As per the rules I have to tell Ash, and the world I suppose, seven things about me;

1. I am, for lack of a better word, a little creepy. I love creepy stuff, I love black, I love crystals and tarot cards and oracle cards, I love skulls and bones and gore; I’m just a little bit out of the ordinary.
2. I am a spiritualist, although I lost it for a bit there. What I mean is I would consider myself a Pagan, mostly Norse, and used to practice regularly. Since I went to my current job I haven’t done it as much, but then I hadn’t been looking after myself either.
3. I am an animal lover. I love every animal there is going, even the ugly ones.
4. I am addicted to coffee.
5. I don’t like loud noises and I am easily startled. I HATE balloons. If I go to a kids party and there are balloons I’m gone like the wind.
6. I bought a house last year and have since fallen in love with interior design and decorating. Although it doesn’t show at the moment because we are still getting a lot of things bought in and ordering wood, but it’s getting there.
7. Although I am a trained health and safety officer I plan on going back to school part time and training to become a therapist like I have always wanted. I love health and safety and I think that my training in mental health could somehow help me out in that field due to the rise in depression, stress etc. I think I would be more able to help people how present to us with these conditions and I would be better able to listen as both a health and safety officer and a friend.

My facts are particularly interesting but I hope they shed some light on who I am as a person as well as a blogger.

As per the rules I also have to nominate 15 blogs that I have discovered recently. Without further delay please see below;

1. Pooja Gudka over at Lifesfinewhine.
2. Lisa over at Portfolio of Hope.
3. Cara at Cara’s Corner. 
4. Ashley at Mental Health @ Home.
5. Joy at Joyful Joy Food.
6. Marta at Mischievous words by Marta.
7. Finlay at The recovery writer.
8. Jasmin at Overdosed on caffeine.
9. Nikki at Treat yo brain.
10. Nikki at Love me treat me.
11. Liz at Anxiety and Liz.
12. Nicole at Nicoles Journey.
13. From famine to feast.
14. Jenny at Jenny in neverland.
15. MH Crisis Angels at MH Crisis Angels.

So what’s the Versatile Blogger Awards (VBA) all about? When thinking about things to consider when nominating a fellow blogger for this award you need to consider the quality of their writing, the subjects they write about, the level of devotion they have for their blog and how this is displayed in their blog posts. If they are a photographer or they use media on their blog then think about the quality of those as well and the diversity.

If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

•  Thank the person who gave you this award. Remember your manners people!
•  Include a link to their blog.
•  Select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
•  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.
•  Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

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