AvidBards
Reflections

5 Best Podcasts to Check Out: Mental Health Awareness Edition

May is Mental Health Awareness month. This month, we’re actively pushing ourselves to branch out and check out new media, be it books, shows, music, podcasts or film, that centre around mental health awareness and the destigmatization of mental illness. Today’s post is a bit of a First Impressions post: I’m highlighting five podcasts that I’ve only heard an episode or two from, that I’m looking forward to completing. These are podcasts that actively centre on mental health and illness as its subject matter, and do so in vastly different ways. Most importantly, these podcasts emphasize an importance on recognizing…

View Post
Poems

“she must be mad” by Charly Cox

Poetry is a genre that I don’t often find myself reaching for, but I walked passed Carly Cox’s new collection of poetry and prose at the bookstore and I couldn’t resist. she must be mad is 22-year-old Cox’s first book, a compilation of her poetry and lyrical prose written from her teenage year onwards. At first glance, it had the same feel as Rupi Kaur’s writing, which, though controversial in the poetry world, I have enjoyed. I honestly can’t pinpoint exactly what it was that had me reaching for she must be mad. But undoubtedly, it had something to do…

View Post
Reflections

5 Books on Mental Health I Want to Read

I’ve made it a point this year to branch out and read books on different topics. It can be so easy to fall into a particular genre of books and never branch out. Particularly when, if you are like me, working or studying, or doing both full time, and reading becomes your get away from the stress of everything else. You get comfortable in a particular genre that you know is exciting and enjoyable, that forcing yourself to find something new can be daunting. Additionally, my case, a part of me gets scared that I am going to be disappointed…

View Post
Books

Reading When Feeling Low

How to read when you don’t feel like it For many, reading is one of those activities that acts as an escape from the stress and difficulties of their lives, giving them the ability to fall into a world far from their own and their own problems. It can be a wonderful tool in promoting self-thought, but also a most efficient distraction from the never-ending stream of consciousness we all experience. But undoubtedly, there are those days (or in my case, weeks) when you struggle to find the joy in reading. Maybe because you are too busy, occupied with a…

View Post
Reflections

November Writing Tips

As the year comes to a rapid close, I find I tend to scramble to finish the goals I set out to accomplish. However, sometimes I have to remind myself that new goals and experiences can pop up at any time, no matter how early or late in the year it is. Whether you’re taking part in National Novel Writing Month, the internet based project that is more commonly known as NaNoWriMo, or realizing you haven’t made much progress on (or even touched) the projects you’ve set out to do, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting a personal goal or…

View Post