A Friend’s Blog: Baking, Butter and Happiness

I highly recommend that some of you take a peak at a blog called Baking, Butter, and Happiness. It belongs to a friend of mine who is an amazing baker, someone who experiences fibromyalgia and has many more important life experiences and thoughts to share with you all.

Enjoy!

 

500 Followers

A few moments ago Pride in Madness reached 500 followers!

I want to thank each and every one of you, new and old, for being here this past year and bit. We have had great conversations, shared good and bad times and I look forward to what’s to come!

Thank you for supporting me and for sharing yourself through Pride in Madness and through your own personal blogs!

One Year Blogiversary

12/12/12

This time last year I wrote my first post for Pride in Madness!

I started this blog to spread awareness on mental health, the good and the bad, and I have stuck with that! I didn’t want to use this space to discuss my own life but part of spreading awareness is my life. I also meant for this blog to be exclusively about mental health but over the year used this space to talk about other things I’m passionate about such as the LGBT community, women’s rights, immigrant rights and many other social issues.

I am very honored to follow you all and to have you following you! We have both been able to help and support each other in times or need and in times of awesome!

I have grown through writing this blog, my ideas have evolved or been strengthened.

I look forward to what year 2 of this blog will bring!

 

Daily Prompt: Hindsight

Now that you’ve got some blogging experience under your belt, re-write your very first post.

This might be a cop out but my first post was just my story. I can’t really rewrite that because it is what it is. The only thing that would change would be I would add more information.

Ya, that’s my answer. It’s a pretty bad one but oh well :p

Those who have been following me have seen how my thoughts, hahaviours etc have evolved but I wouldn’t want to take away who I was in the beginning because that’s just as important as who I am now!

Here’s the first post EVER on Pride in Madness: Who Am I

Daily Prompt: Change and Snowed in at Wheeler Street

I missed yesterday’s Daily Prompt and I still want to answer it!

What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

My blog has always been about awareness. Lived experience is the most value experience in all of mental health and I wanted my voice to be added to the ranks of those amazing people who were already blogging about their lives. I wanted people to know my truth, not only the truth the “professionals” keep blabbing about. I also needed a place where I could speak when I needed and as often as I needed. I want people to not be afraid to speak!

Take a line from a song that you love or connect with. Turn that line into the title of your post.

There are so many songs that I love and connect with but I guess the most recent one would be Snowed in at Wheeler Street by Kate Bush ft. Elton John (which I posted about a few days ago). I don’t really want to explain why, just check out the lyrics.

Thank You!

I’ve been waiting for the right time to do this and now is the time!

Pride in Madness began almost a year ago in December 2011. I wanted a blog that I could share professionally and that was dedicated to mental health.

It has since expanded to include many social issue such as women’s rights, poverty, LGBT rights, humor and anything else that tickles my fancy and I can call self care!

Today I reached 200 Followers!!!!!

Thank you to all my followers! Whether you comment, like, or simply read it is great to have you here! You’ve helped me keep going when I felt like not writing anymore! You’ve helped me broaden my understand of mental health and recovery! You’ve made me laugh and cry and want to give many hugs!

You are all amazing!

Can I Get Your Help?

A friend of mine has been suggesting that I check out blogging opportunities on The Huffington Post . Only recently did I stumble across their blog pitch form. I can send them an idea or the whole post and they’ll decide if they want it.

I don’t  know what to write.

I know I have a whole blog but I need to submit focused ideas and ones that will most likely lead to publication.

I have 4 ideas so far an I would really appreciate feedback!

1. The pressures of recovery: What recovery means, how its a loaded word and what recovery should be (an individual experience)
2. Who is the problem a problem for:  Can some of us be “disordered” and it not matter? What makes a disorder and how we could be people with unique brain chemistry.
3. Self harm: My journey with self harm and how I eventually stopped.
4. What having a mental illness taught me: Bring out all the positives, for example, I have learned how to listen, how to properly communicate, how to be empathetic etc.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!

Versatile Blogger Award – Round 3

I have been nominated by gypsy116 for the Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks bunches! Being nominated is pretty cool!

So the rules….cause there are rules for everything!

The following rules hold the key to your possible victory:

• Nominate 10 fellow bloggers.
• Inform said bloggers about their nominations.
• Share 7 random things about yourself.
• Thank the blogger who nominated you.
• Put the Versatile Blogger Award picture in your post.

I nominate the following awesome bloggers (listed in no particular order)

1. Miss Mental Health (Miss Mental Health’s Rant Space)
2. Higher Unlearning
3. Borderline Personality Journal
4. The Solipsistic Me
5. Anna Jordan
6. Isla White
7. Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars
8. Life in the realms of BPD
9. I Was Just Thinking…
10. Day in the life of a Busy Gal

Now for 7 random things about myself!!! And they will not be mental health related since that’s all I talk about!

1. I am left handed!  Some people notice right away and others don’t! It’s actually amusing because in my family, in birth order it goes left, right, left, right! So we have an equal number of both handedness in my siblings.
2. The best book I’ve ever read is called The Child Thief by Brom. It’s a dark spin on Peter Pan and everyone should read it! I’ve read a lot of books but this one has topped them all and the people I’ve gotten to read it have felt the same excitement as I have about it! SO READ IT!
3. I have 4 cats. Two live with my parents and two live with me and my partner! Their names are Phoenix and Duchess (with parents) and Vonnegut and Omen (with my partner and I). Phoenix weighs about 26 pounds. He’s very large.
4. As much as I love mental health and want to continue to work it in that field I would love to work at Chapters/Indigo (biggest Canadian bookstore chain). I love reading, I love books and working there would be a mini dream come true. Just part time! I’ve applied many times over the years including yesterday but they seem wrapped up hiring internally or their employees friends! They’re missing out!
5. I LOVE PICKLES!!!! They are favourite food and I could eat a whole jar if someone didn’t remind me about the horrible about of vinegar I’m consuming! Jars of pickles don’t last long in my house.
6. I’ve been in two musicals (Annie and The Music Man) and meant to go to college for musical theatre but because I was sick for all auditions plus make up auditions I went with social work.
7. Every few years my birthday is a national holiday so I don’t have to do anything (most recent was my 21st birthday so my partner and I went to Las Vegas!!!)

Writers Wanted!!

I do not want only my voice to be heard. Everyone has something worth sharing and its important for everyone to have a place to tell their experiences. So please, I would like to share your knowledge and experience on Pride In Madness.

You can remain anonymous if you want and you do not have to share any bits that you do not want to.

Topics to consider:

• experiences of addictions
• experiences of concurrent/dual diagnosis
• experiences of any/all mental illnesses (eating disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, psychosis, schizophrenia etc)
• experiences of stigma
• experiences of treatment (traditional or alternative)
• experiences of recovery
• what you say to people with stigmatizing views
• your view on psychiatry and the mental health system
• experiences of a loved one having mental health or addictions issues

This is just to get you thinking! I’m opening to anything on the topics of mental health, recovery, stigma and all positive things

If you are interested drop me a comment, FB message or if you have my email send me an email!