Hello all you wonderful people!
Hope you are doing well. I've had a rough week, with a lot of anxiety, and a low mood. Things haven't been as good as I've wanted them to be. Anxiety comes to me at certain times, it just hits me like a big freight train that comes out of nowhere. It is very hard to deal with it, and because of my comorbidity with OCD my anxiety makes my compulsions worse, which makes it feel like I take a step back in my recovery.
What is important to remember with any disease, especially mental health disorders, is that recovery is not linear. It does not go from bad to better and then good. It goes up and down and down and up, constantly changing like waves. With chronic illnesses like a lot of mental health disorders - complete recovery and being "cured" is not a possibility and accepting that takes time. I feel like I have come to terms with OCD, anxiety and depression being a constant part of my life, but I still get weighed down when I have a dip.
I don't really know where I wanted to go with this post, I just want to be honest on the blog, and I want it to be clear that I don't always feel okay. And it's okay not to feel okay. Be kind to yourself, especially when you are feeling bad.
I am personally feeling loads better, the intensity of my anxiety has decreased. I had a great Friday evening and I just wanted to thank all those people who wrote kind and caring words to me during this hard week.
I hope you will all have a fantastic weekend! I am going to rest myself so that I am ready for next week! What are your weekend plans?
Blouse: Chicwish (old)
Skirt: Vivien of Holloway (here)
About the outfit, real quickly. I wore my lovely red Vivien of Holloway circle skirt again (last time), but I paired it with an old batwinged blouse from Chicwish. Finally I added some Ione heels from BAIT that are both comfy and so pretty. The inspiration behind this outfit was again the character Ann from Roman Holiday played by the one and only Audrey Hepburn. This was inspired by her outfit pre-makeover.
Take care of yourselves and each other!
Much love,
Love your honesty Mona, "It's ok not to feel ok" really resonates with me, it's definitely something I have to try and remember more often. I am happy you are feeling better and you look stunning as ever in this outfit, I'm in love with those sleeves <3
ReplyDeleteAndini xx | Adventures of an Anglophile
Thank you darling Andini! I'm glad, we need to be kinder to ourselves. I think that goes for a lot of young people. Society is a harsh place, and we need to remind ourselves that we are only human. We were not meant to be perfect, even if that's what we are trying to achieve.
DeleteAh yes, the sleeves are what made me fall in love with this blouse! hehe
Thank you so much for always being so supportive! <3
Hope you'll have a great weekend.
Much love
This post was a great read. It is always better to say things, to express how you're feeling, rather than keeping all to yourself. It also feels great as a reader to know how you feel, and maybe we can help as well, although we are far away!
ReplyDeleteIf you're already feeling a little bit better, that's amazing. Reflecting on a situation and taking a step back is a great way to accept what one feels, and think "I am not feeling my best, but it's okay". I send you a lot of positive vibes for the week ahead <3
These photos are beautiful, I love your outfit! The blouse is so pretty and unique!
Julia xx
Thank you beautiful Julia.
DeleteI agree with you, it is definitely better to voice how you're feeling.
Aww, that's very sweet of you wanting to help. Really just knowing that you want to help me feel better makes me happier. It shows that you care, and that means everything to me. Just want you to know that it goes both ways.
Thank you darling. I'm sending lots of love back to you! <3
Thanks, the blouse is a bit big on me, but it's very unique (like you said) so I couldn't pass up the chance.
Much love
Mona, you are so beautiful in that outfit XD . . . Petticoat and circle skirt is always lovely . . .
ReplyDeleteWhen we were in down condition, everything seems like very hard to do. But thanks God you are better now. I hope you have a good weekend.
Love from Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Wening
Thank you darling Wening. I agree, circle skirts are lovely!
DeleteAww, you're very sweet, thanks beautiful. I hope you have a good weekend too.
Much love
I completely agree with what you wrote about mental health. What may seem like a set back should not take away from how far you've come. Proud of you for continuing to fight and for being honest on your blog. On another note, you look gorgeous and it's great to see some bait footwear because they're my favourites.
ReplyDeleteOh Imogen you lovely lovely lady. Thank you! I agree with you, everyone have days that are worse, those might be amplified when you have mental illnesses, but just as you said, it should not undermine how much you are working to get better!
DeleteAh yes, bait footwear is awesome!! :D I'm so happy I went for it, finally. Thanks so much <3
Much love
Thank you so much for this honest post! I hope that you feel better soon, and I'm sending you positive vibes ♥
ReplyDeleteAmy xx
Little Moon Dragon
Thank you! <3 That means everything to me.
DeleteSending lots of love to you
Oodles of hugs! You are wise to accept that recovery isn't linear (seems little in life is!).
ReplyDeleteAnd oh those shoes are just the sweetest!
Thank you so much! I appreciate it a lot! Yes, life really isn't!! haha
DeleteThank you darling!
Much love
Wow, Mona! Your blouse and skirt together go so beautifully - you remind me so much of my Victorian heroine Jane Morris! Such 19th century/Edwardian vibes from the poofy sleeves *sigh* :D xx
ReplyDeleteelizabeth ♡ ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara | (lets follow each other on bloglovin or instagram)
Thank you so much lovely Elizabeth. Haha, thanks I've heard that before (from you I think...)
DeleteI love the poofy sleeves!
Much love
Thank you for always being so honest with your posts, Mona! As someone who constantly bottles everything up (which I do not recommend) it is very inspiring to see how wonderfully open you are with how you feel. I am very sorry you had a rough week, though. If there is anything I can do, you can shoot me a message at anytime.
ReplyDeleteAlso, your outfit is just too beautiful! That skirt is just incredible! And I love your top and shoes! It's all just so perfect! :)
I hope you're having a better week this week, Mona!
Much love,
Lindsey
Ah, thanks Lindsey you're too sweet. It's because of the positive feedback I get from you and others that I dare to be honest.
DeleteI've found that being open, is difficult, but it makes things easier in the long run. Oh gosh, thank you! I really appreciate it.
Thanks! The skirt really is incredible.
I am having a better week :) Thanks! Hope you are having a good week too.
Much love
You look so stunning Mona, I really love your white blouse and red skirt. I hope that you feel better soon. Sending you much love my dear :) x
ReplyDeletewww.ambiinwonderland.com
Thank you so much Ambi!! <3 I do feel better already. Thanks!
DeleteHope you are doing well too.
Much love
Well, you look totally gorgeous! Red is definitely your color! I hope you feel better, doll! I try to make references to real life problems too, so good for you for continuing to do so! XO
ReplyDeleteOhh thank you beautiful! I do feel like red is a good colour on me ;)
DeleteI do feel better, thank you. Yeah, it makes the blog more "real", I want to show that everything isn't perfect all the time for everyone, it's okay to have bad days. Thank you!
Much love
Sending you many happy thoughts, blessings and good wishes! It IS good to acknowledge that you aren't feeling great. I do think there is this pressure to say, "I'm fine," when we aren't so well done for being honest! That makes SUCH sense about it not being a linear journey of getting better too!
ReplyDeleteYou look so pretty in this. I love the huge sleeves!
Oh thank you sweetie. I think there is also a pressure to say "I'm okay" - especially in social media. We're supposed to always be happy and bubbly and okay, but life has ups and downs, and when you're dealing with mental health issues that's amplified. Thank you, I really try to be honest about mental health on the blog.
DeleteAww, thanks. I love the huge sleeves too! ;)
Much love
I completely understand where you're at - I too suffer from anxiety coupled with depression. When my anxiety was at its worse, I also suffered from Trichotillomania. While I'm doing much better, there are good days and bad days.
ReplyDeleteI think it's comforting have a phrase in mind like "recovery is not linear". It's easy to expect a lot of yourself, but I think it's important to allow for days where you feel low, just as long as you know that you will pull through.
lesdeuxlapins.blogspot.com
Oh I'm so so sorry you suffer from mental illnesses. Gosh, I'm so sorry, I can't imagine having Trich even though it is sometimes grouped together with OCD. I'm very happy to read that you are doing better. I agree, even when things are better there are days when the anxiety just does not want to leave you alone.
DeleteYou are right. It is very easy to put pressure on yourself for your own recovery, that's one of the things I need to work on. Not being so hard on myself. But yeah, "recovery is not linear"!
Thank you so much for the wonderful input you made. I appreciate your comment a lot!
Much love
Mona darling, I admire how you can acknowledge days on which you don't feel so great... they happen, nobody lives in a utopia where we are forever happy, we shouldn't have to maintain a facade when in truth we feel terrible inside. People will love, accept and respect you as you are as long as you accept who you are first.
ReplyDeleteP.s Both you and your outfit are simply beautiful and those sleeves remind me of Othello!
Sumeyye-Vintagonista
Thank you sweet Sumeyye <3
DeleteThat's so true, they do come from time to time. I agree with everything you said! You are so wise!
Thanks, Othello - nice!
Much love
So glad you're feeling better! I think it's great when people share some of the negative stuff on their blogs. We're all human, after all! And I'm glad people are talking more about mental illness. It's so much more common than people think.
ReplyDeleteAlso you look so pretty here in your full red skirt and red shoes!
Thank you beautiful!
DeleteI agree, I also think it is great. So that we see the reality behind the photos!
It really is very common. 1 in 3 young adults suffer from mental illness, so we do really need to talk about it more!
Thank you so much. I love these heels.
Much love