Advice – Simply Life:

In Advice, Awareness, Faith, God, Hope, Life Lessons, Moving on, New year, Positive Changes, Truth

What are You bringing into 2020?

JulieDecember 31, 2019December 31, 2019Leave a comment

It’s that time again… not just the ending of another year, but the end of another decade. This is a time where many people are making their new year resolutions, and talking about fresh starts.
2019 has been a year of ups and downs, and tonight, I’m considering what I am going to take with me into not only 2020, but this new decade, and the future. I wonder what you want to take with you? What are some things you’d like to leave behind? Here are a few things to think about:

In Advice, Feelings, Forgiveness, Friendships, Hurt, Life Lessons, Moving on, Positive Changes, Truth, Uncategorized

To Hold the Grudge, or Let it Go?

JulieApril 7, 2019April 7, 2019Leave a comment

Dear Friends,

It’s been a while since I have posted here, and I apologise for that.

This is something that has been in both my mind and my drafts folder for some months now, and I hope that someone is encouraged and able to find peace instead of bitterness the way I did.

In Advice, Anxiety, Awareness, Depression, Feelings, Friendships, Life Lessons, Mental Illness, Truth

3 Reasons NOT to Say ‘Look on the Bright Side’…

JulieFebruary 10, 2019February 10, 2019Leave a comment

‘Just look on the bright side!’
‘It’s not as bad as you think it is!’
‘If you just focus on the positives, you’ll feel better.’
‘Your life is wonderful, you don’t need to be depressed!’

We’ve all heard them, and a lot of us have even said them. But you know what? These things don’t help (believe it or not)! I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again; people like us, we can’t just look on the bright side to feel better. If it were that simple, who would need antidepressants? Therapists would be out of a job, and we would all be ‘okay’! Here are a few reasons why you really shouldn’t tell someone with a mental illness (or even someone who is seriously struggling with something) to just ‘look on the bright side’:

In Advice, Change, Feelings, Life Lessons, Positive Changes, Truth, Uncategorized

2018: Take a moment to reflect…

JulieJanuary 10, 2019January 10, 2019Leave a comment

And just like that, it was the start of a new year. As we come into the beginning of 2019, it’s a good time to reflect back on 2018. Do you feel satisfied with the year past? Or, are there things that you are unhappy with and would like to change? Perhaps you made some New Year’s Resolutions, or you set yourself some goals for 2019. Let’s take a moment to reflect on last year… there are several questions I’d like you to ask yourself:

In Advice, Anxiety, Awareness, Darkness, Depression, Feelings, Friendships, Hurt, Love, Mental Illness, Open letter, Recovery

An Open Letter to My Friend Who Doesn’t Understand Depression:

JulieOctober 15, 2018October 15, 2018Leave a comment

Dearest Friend,

Some days really are better than others. For me at the moment, there are a lot of days that are better than the ones in the present. And there are some things you need to know.

I understand that you are one of many people who go through life having no idea what it is to feel depressed or to experience anxiety. And that’s okay too. But for those of us who do, it can be incredibly difficult to explain what’s going on in our minds, but it’s also difficult for you to understand us.
Yes, it’s okay to not feel okay. I mean, hey. It’s not alright that people have to go through this, that fact is just awful. But this is to you, my friend, who doesn’t know what it’s like, and I ask you to take a moment to read just four things that we struggling people really want to tell you…

In Advice, Feelings, Life Lessons, Love, Moving on

3 Extremely Valuable Lessons I have Learnt from Life

JulieSeptember 21, 2018September 21, 20182 Comments

Life can get pretty intense. Things get busy, we get overwhelmed, and we struggle and feel like we fail at times. But lately, I have been doing a lot of learning. Learning things about other people and about myself; important things that I could not have learnt if I did not go through some very difficult times.
I have been encouraged and inspired to become a better person through all of this, and I hope that by sharing these things, someone else might be encouraged too. Here are three of the latest things I have learnt, which I consider to be extremely valuable life lessons:

In Advice, Anxiety, Awareness, Depression, Feelings, Mental Illness, Recovery, Self Care, Self Love, Truth

The Truth about Self Care

JulieSeptember 2, 2018September 2, 2018Leave a comment

So many people talk about “self care” these days, especially when one is suffering from a mental illness, as well as things like stress and fatigue. But there’s something that many people don’t realise: Self care might not be what you think it is.

The question I am going to ask is, how do you view self care? Is it purely taking time out to be alone, to take a breath and relax? Treating yourself to coffee on the way to or from work? A long bubble bath at the end of a big day? A massage? An extra piece of cake – because you deserve it?

I have a simple answer for you. No. That is not self care. That is what I call “self love”. Self love is not a bad thing at all; it is in fact important, as long as it is not over-indulged. (But that’s for another post, on another day.)
Let’s talk more now about what “self care” really is…

In Advice, Feelings, Friendships, God, Love, Moving on, Open letter

An Open Letter to My 10 Year Old Self:

JulieAugust 21, 2018August 21, 2018Leave a comment

Dear younger me, I imagine you won’t even recognise me at the moment. Life has changed so, so much, and I have too. Becoming an adult, marriage, parenthood, and just life things have changed me in to such a different person, and I have a few things I want to tell you. You’re 10 now. … Read More

In Advice, Depression, Feelings, Writing

When the Writer can’t Write

JulieMay 26, 2018Leave a comment

Some days, I can begin writing and it just flows. Other days, or weeks, I can try… and it just jams up. The thoughts are there, all bubbling up and trying to spill over, but it isn’t working. And I just. Can’t. Write. I find that writing is an escape for me. It’s odd, because … Read More