vdose__

21/08/2024

14/07/2024

“Everyday I look out my window and I choose to notice beauty in things.”

Taken from my podcast conversation with Millie who shares her experience with bipolar type 2 disorder.

Millie shares the challenges living with bipolar disorder, she also shares how she has managed to manage bipolar.

In particular, Millie focuses on gratitude everyday finding 3 things to be grateful for, even if the smallest of things which changes her perspective.

Full link to this episode in my bio ✨✨

27/06/2024

“It’s difficult to get through because it’s like you are working two brains at once…”

A snippet taken from my podcast conversation with Jack who shared his experience with OCD, and how it can be like ‘living with two brains’.

The normal functioning brain which works on a practical level to interact with the world, and the OCD brain constantly searching for threats in the environment and reasons to confirm that you are not safe.

An extremely tiring experience, but definitely one which can be overcome with the right professional treatment and support.

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13/06/2024

I recently had the opportunity to speak with .fighting.tal on my podcast who lives with chronic illness, and one thing I noticed during the podcast was how positive she was despite everything.

Tal was supposed to be studying for her Clinical Psychology Doctorate right now and couldn't due to her illness, she has missed out on a lot of experiences in her 20s and I was so intrigued how she managed to stay so strong.

As Tal explained in the podcast and can be seen on this post, she chooses to wake up in a morning and get outside rather than laying in bed in pain ultimately feeling worse.

She emphasises 'mind over matter' and how sometimes she will have to sacrifice future pain for to enjoy the moment, and spend time with friends.

I think whatever you're struggling with, Tal shows that a positive mindset can completely shift perspective on any situation 🙌🏻

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09/06/2024

It's men's mental health month so here's nine pieces of advice from nine separate podcast conversations, with nine different men 💜

Truly some incredible pieces of advice, and hope for any man who might be struggling right now.

You can find the full episodes on Apple and Spotify podcasts in the link in my bio 🫶🏻

05/06/2024

One whole year ago I did this exact post, and it has literally been one of my favourite posts on this page ever since. So, I decided to do it again - but this time with new branding (and a few new reasons I've thought of recently).

It's so easy when you're in a dark place to assume that there is no reason to stay, but often it's the small and mundane reasons that are the most profound.

I hope if you're reading this and are wondering whether or not you should be here today that there is one reason out of these 100 that makes you realise you should 💜

02/06/2024

Over the past month, I have been working on something really exciting with a very talented graphic designer & founder of mental health app (and podcast guest), and I am so excited to finally share with you all. 

If you have been here from the beginning, you will know that this page originally started as an eCommerce store selling lamps for Seasonal Affective Disorder due to the very dark winters in the UK and this is where the name dose came from, originally referring to ‘Vitamin Dose’ aka your dose of vitamin D. 

I worked with a mentor using the platform and designed a very simple, cheap logo on . I am not a graphic designer, nor am I super creative but the design has followed me up until now from the shop to the podcast and I am proud of how far it took me. 

However, it felt time to give the brand a re-fresh and make it more aligned with the brand mission and goals so that I can feel even more proud of what I am building and I am so so happy with the result.

I worked with Matt to create colours, fonts and a mascot which disrupted the typical mental health space which often focuses on calmer colours and create something vibrant and uplifting. 

These conversations are important and I would never want to take that away, however what I have always been trying to do with this podcast is to normalise mental health conversations and to make them approachable.

I want this podcast and community to be an uplifting, non judgmental place where people can feel accepted exactly as they are, and feel confident to speak up. I really do hope this is what this portrays. 

I am so excited to continue building the brand and community, and have some really exciting ideas on where I want to take things next. 

But for now, thank you so much to all of my followers/listeners who motivate me to keep going and allow me to work on something I truly love. 

Let me know what you think - hope you all love it!

26/05/2023

What does recovery look like for you?

A question I have asked a few members of the community and here were the most popular answers.

✨ Consistency
✨ Therapy
✨ Commitment

I think despite being different, they are all linked.

Recovery looks like being committed and consistent with therapy, and choosing recovery over that voice in your head every single day.

What does recovery look like for you?

06/05/2023

How has your disorder changed your outlook on life ❔

I have taken snippet responses from six separate conversations with seven individuals to this question.

It's easy to look at your disorder as this negative experience, however reframing it and looking at how it has changed your life (often for the better) can be liberating.

Our experiences good and bad shape us into the person we are today, and it's those difficult experiences that make us who we are.

I honestly don't believe I'd be the strong and resilient person I am today without struggling with mental illness.

Thank you as always to my amazing community for your answers 💖💖

10/04/2023

I love this quote taken from my interview with Tyler.

Breath-work is something that I have tried to incorporate into my daily routine recently after reading both the physical and mental benefits.

We often forget how important breathing deeply, and mindfully is because it's something we do every second.

However, deliberately copying a relaxed breathing matter calms the nervous system immediately which means that in a time of panic, it can reduce levels of stress.

In fact when practiced daily, breathing deeply has been found to reduce levels of the stress hormone in our blood which means that overtime our bodies can naturally respond to stress in a much more healthy manner.

Thank you Tyler for sharing your breathing wisdom 👏🏻

21/03/2023

"However, there's a sadness with it to feel like you can't achieve everything you ever wanted too because of the way your brain is wired, and that's something I never asked for."

A lovely story from the very brave who has perfectly explained what it's like to suffer with OCD.

Maddison talks about her misdiagnosis for 15 years, the difficulty getting the right treatment and a huge amount around how debilitating it is to suffer with OCD.

Maddison also talks about how difficult it is to explain to someone who doesn't have OCD what's actually going on in your head, when people assume you can just stop thinking those thoughts.

Thoughts like you're developing schizophrenia or some sort of weird cancer, and how different/amplified these are to normal fears we have as humans.

Nevertheless, Maddison explains that despite how difficult it can be to live with OCD, you are so so capable of living the life you want and achieving anything you set your mind too 💖

Thank you Maddison for this beautiful story, I hope it reaches s

And if you're reading this and think someone could benefit from hearing this story, please share 💜

16/03/2023

"It gets better! It doesn't happen overnight. The thoughts are still there, but you learn to manage them. It feels like you will never get through but, but you will."

A lovely piece of advice from Demi, who shared her experience of an eating disorder.

It's so easy when you're in a dark place to assume things will always stay that way, and although they may not go away, you can learn to manage the thoughts.

Stay positive, hopefully this gives someone some hope today 💚

14/03/2023

A quote taken from a recent conversation I had with a member of the community.

It's so easy to assume that we are 'weird' for feeling a certain way, when in actual fact, these are very normal emotional responses to experiences.

In fact, it's more 'weird' to not be weird because mostly everyone will experience an uncomfortable experience at some point in their life.

Embrace the weirdness and know that no-one is perfect, so you may as well accept yourself for who you are 👏🏻

10/02/2023

as someone who has suffered with an eating disorder, i experienced stigma myself and know how harmful it can be on your road to recovery.

people with eating disorders are more often labelled as 'attention seekers', with little regard for how debilitating the illness can be for the individual.

eating disorders have the number one death rate above any mental illness, and a lot of research suggests that stigma is harmful for recovery.

therefore, breaking the stigma and education people on eating disorders is even more important to reduce the chances of death and increase successful recovery.

full recovery is possible, but individuals need to feel supported and understood.