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Music

Music to Quarantine To Pt. 2

Throughout the pandemic, especially, creating playlists and discovering new music has been hugely helpful and cathartic for me. So in light of this, I’ve created Part 2 of my quarantine playlist (you can find Part 1 here). My hope is that maybe this playlist will help any of you who may be going through stress and anxiety right now, or who even just want to discover some new songs. So you can get in the zone, immerse yourself in your feelings, dance along, sing along, or decompress — whatever you need. Above all else, be sure to be kind to yourself.

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TV Shows

Normal People: Accurate Mental Health Representation on the Small Screen

Trigger Warning: The following post includes mention of mental illness and suicide. In 2018, Sally Rooney, author of Conversation With Friends, came out with her highly anticipated second novel. And less than 2 years later it has been adapted into a Hulu/BBC mini-series. This rapid turnover is virtual unheard of in the book industry, where it can be years, even decades before a film or show adaption is considered (e.g. Good Omens, American Gods, Shadowhunters). One reason for this is that most book lovers, myself included very rarely enjoy book adaptations, be they TV shows or movies (though there definitely…

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Music

Music to Quarantine To

We can’t believe it’s already May! These last few months have been odd, to say the least, for everyone around the world. Whether you are living in a place that is currently on lockdown or have been practicing social distancing, the “new norm” that many of us are dealing with hasn’t been any easy one. I admit that even for me, though I spend all my time at home currently, some days I’m less motivated than I’ve ever felt before. Self-isolation can be incredibly anxiety-inducing, which in itself can be mentally and physically exhausting. That said, I’m feeling much more…

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Reflections

September Motivation

Let’s face it, readers – for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is (almost officially, come the 23rd) at a close. For many of us, this means that either vacation is over and we’re snapped back into reality, school is kicking into gear, we’re starting new jobs, or settling back into our old ones. September can be a tough transition period, as we yearn for more of the long, sunny days and carefree summer moments. I can say that, personally, I have been feeling overwhelmed ever since September started. This month always brings about a sense of…

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Books

Self-Help Books that I’ve Found Useful

…and When I Use Them Sometimes, without knowing or expecting, there are days that you aren’t able to handle. Days that you do not want to face, and days that are too difficult to absorb. If you’re lucky, those days are rare, far and few in between. But sometimes, you go through a point when there are plenty in a row. However rare or frequent, they are not days to be ashamed by. But those are the days that you need a little pick-me-up. Sometimes it’s difficult to ask your friends for those pick-me-ups, and on those days I turn…

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Reflections

Self-Help Books: Do They Work?

Carrying on with the theme of Mental Health Awareness Month, and Mental Health Awareness Week which starts today in the UK, today’s post is looking at self-help books. The self-help genre has become a multi-billion dollar industry around the world. In the United States alone, self-help books earn around $2.5 billion a year. So, what is it about self-help books that make them so popular and do they actually work? Quite often when I talk about self-help books to other people, I am confronted with a more than healthy dose of cynicism, with the words “a load of hogwash” or…

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