Raising Awareness for Cancer

Yesterday there was a lot of talk surrounding the no make-up selfie pictures everyone was posting in order to raise awareness for cancer and most of what I saw was rather negative. Now I think everyone who was posting these pictures was aware that they weren't going to cure cancer by doing this, it was just to raise awareness and I know from looking online that cancer research has seen a large increase in the number of donations made since this no make-up selfie thing was started and that can only be a good thing right?

The more money that is given, means more research can be carried out. I know from working within the science industry how much research is on-going at the moment and its exciting but its also very costly. Its not just the initial research that costs a lot its also testing the drugs and implanting production so anything we can do to get people to donate more is great. Yes everyone is aware of Cancer and they know the devastation it can bring to a family but how many of us actually donate.

I think the thing that annoyed me the most about yesterday wasn't the girls posting the pictures without make-up or the boys posting pictures of themselves wearing make-up. It was those people making comments on how ugly the girls looked without make-up, making nasty comments about their appearance, most I don't want to repeat because they were unnecessary yesterday and I don't want to write them on my blog. Girls struggle with insecurity issues everyday and I don't think some people understand how wearing make-up can be a comfort to some people, believe me it can hide a multitude of things and for those girls who decided to post those pictures for a good cause they shouldn't then be subjected to nasty and hateful things being said about them.

So that's the end of my little  rant and please I urge you to donate, whether its to Cancer research or the Alzheimer's foundation or the British heart foundation, every small donation is a step in the right direction. 

"You don't look depressed"

I recently saw an interview with a woman who was suffering with depression and she was talking about the reaction she had from people when she told them about it and one comment that was made was that she didn't 'look depressed'. What a silly comment to make, I didn't realise there was a look to depression, that in order to be depressed you had to look a certain way.

There are plenty of people in this world that suffer with depression, people you would least expect because inside they feel like they are dying and yet they put a smile on for the rest of the world. You see depression is something that goes on in the mind, its like there is a separate part of you whispering things in your ear, telling you your not good enough or that you can't do it, it breaks you down. But it doesn't always translate to an outwards appearance, its something that occurs on the inside and to say that you can tell that someone is depressed based on how they look is ridiculous, even the most beautiful and wealthy people in the world can suffer from depression. It's common misconceptions like this that still give the dieses its stigma.

Time for a little honesty.

I suffer from depression and I have for many years now, I hid it for a long time I was ashamed and embarrassed and felt like something was wrong with me. I suppose in some ways there is but not in the way I was thinking. My friends and family just thought I was unsociable and yes while I'm not particularly fond of large social gatherings I do enjoy interacting with people but while I was at the height of my depression I pushed everyone away and truly felt like I was completely alone in the world but I didn't walk round looking sad, I got up everyday and put my make-up on and I've never wore sweatpants outside of my home, I went to work and university. From the outside it appeared as if everything was fine in my life but in reality it wasn't, university was at one point just too much for me and that was my breaking point, I was on the verge of leaving and never going back and one day I just broke down and told my parents everything, every thought or feeling I had ever had. It was the best thing I ever did, they helped me get help and I managed to turn my life around and now I can honestly say I'm happy and that smile on my face that you see, well that smile is real.

If you're reading this and you suffer from depression then all I can say to you is, I know what its like, I know the weight that you feel but please go and get help, its not an over night fix but it will help and just know that people do care and love you, even when it feels like you are alone, you never are.

http://www.mind.org.uk/?gclid=CP2rx7CTnL0CFScGwwod0xcA4g

Ciao

Starting a blog is always a strange experience, believe me I've had a fair few in my time, I never know what to say for the first post, I mean how much do you actually want to know about a girl you've never met and how much do I want to share.

Well lets start with the basics, my name is Ashley, I'm a recent university graduate just trying to find my way in the world, I'm trying to find what makes me, me.

I know, I know it all sound so cliché but what better place to discover who I am then writing a blog about all the things I love in life, who I am, my thoughts, my feelings.

The last two blogs I've had I've loved and I'm technically going to continue with them on this one as well, basically this is just going to a continuation of what I've already been doing but just bringing it all into one place.

So sit back and enjoy all that my life has to offer.