It’s that time of year yet again when we come together in commemoration of my blog, Unwanted Life. Thank you all for being readers of my little corner of the internet and blogging space. It means a lot.
If you’d like to pass some time by reading my previous blog commemoration articles, then you can do so by clicking these links:
What Have I Been Doing Over The Last Year?
I don’t believe I’ve created any new workbooks this year, even though I’ve got a list of ideas to explore. I did add a few more workbooks to my blog’s shop that I hadn’t got around to. If you’re interested, you could go check them out at my store.
I gave my membership section a try, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is interested in paying for that content, so I’ll have to think about what to do with that content and close the membership section of my blog. I think I also closed my Etsy store because the only people visiting it were scammers, and I was getting tired of all the messages from them. Never had this problem on eBay, so I don’t know why Etsy is so bad with scammers.
Other than that, I seem to have been busy with stuff unrelated to my blog, such as DIY and work, which is kind of disappointing. So not a lot to mention in my commemoration article. I am hoping to get a stall at the Satanic Flea Market this year, but we’ll see how it goes. If I’m lucky, I may even finish my goth-inspired self-care book.
I did get to watch a day of sumo wrestling in London this year, which was awesome. I wasn’t able to go when I visited Tokyo, as they were all at a tournament in Osaka. So that was cool. I even uploaded some very amateur photos I took on my Unwanted Life Instagram account.
I also had a fun birthday doing karaoke, and I went to Prague, where I had some amazing food. Main meals rarely hit the spot when it comes to taste; normally, it’s only desserts that do that. So that was a nice surprise.
Commemoration: My Top Five Articles From The Last 12 Months
Hugging The Cactus: A Game Winning Strategy By Iron Man
I just love the concept of hugging a cactus. It also aligns with my experience working within the field of substance dependency and addiction, and in life in general. What holds us back from a better quality of life is a fear of being in discomfort, but by hugging the cactus, obviously not literally, it can free us from the old version of ourselves. Leading to a new tomorrow.
Wabi-sabi: The Amazing Beauty In The Broken And Imperfect
I love a lot of things about Japan, except their work ethic that causes people literally to work themselves to death (karoshi), and their xenophobia and sexism. But apart from that, I love the culture and the country. Wabi-sabi is one of those reasons, whereby beauty lies in the imperfect. This is a great way to live, because wasting time looking for perfection is pointless when we only have so much of this precious resource. As someone with perfectionist tendencies, this is liberating.
High-Functioning Depression: The Invisible Battle You Don’t See
One of the things that’s always stuck with me was how a psychiatrist once told me that I was so put together and too articulate about my issues and difficulties, that it’s too easy for people not to realise just how messed up I am on the inside. What I would say would point to someone often in crisis or close to it, but because I would present with a calm demeanour, it would invalidate my need for therapy in their eyes.
In short, my ability to mask, even during an episode of psychosis with a professional, was a problem in getting the treatment I needed. And it really has been a barrier. This was one of the reasons I wrote this article, because people can seem perfectly fine on the outside, while on the inside, the pain of living is eating them up inside.
The Harm Of Trying To Be Everyone’s Favourite Person
As a former people-pleaser and as a therapist, this issue comes up a lot. For my partner, this is still very much an issue as well. I found it interesting to build on my previous articles on people-pleasing by focusing more on a specific aspect of it, namely, trying to get everyone to like you, which is a fool’s errand. I know because I’ve been there.
The Hidden Potential In Negative Beliefs: A Path To Growth
I love this article because it flips the script on how we usually approach negative beliefs. It also gave me a reason to finally release my Counter Balance mini-workbook, which was designed to turn negative beliefs into a path to a better quality of life, without reframing or challenging the belief. Instead, this approach is about better understanding the belief and if it might hold some truth, and if it does, how to grow from that.
So these are my five favourite articles in commemoration of my blog over the last 12 months. What Unwanted Life articles were your favourites? Let me know in the comments section below.
In Commemoration Of My Blog Over The Last Year
I don’t have much to add to my commemoration this year, bar how I’ve managed to maintain my place again in Vuelio’s top 10 UK bloggers this year. Also, this year, Feedspot created its own badge for being in the top 100 mental health blogs worldwide and the top 30 UK mental health blogs, which meant I no longer had to create my bragging image. I’m still hoping to win the Mental Health Blog Awards one year, but that doesn’t seem very realistic. But one can dream.
As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with celebrating a birthday or other forms of commemoration in the comments section below. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.
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Being able to watched sumo is awesome. I always enjoy reading your blog. I always learned new things on mental health from you. Keep up the good work.
Thank you. I’ll certainly try
Your posts are always interesting and informative. Congratulations on another year!
Thank you
Congratulations on another year. Very much enjoyed reading what your recap of the past year, good luck for the coming 12 months.
Thank you