Comfort Box Tutorial!

Hey Guys!
I've been meaning to make a comfort box Tutorial for ages.

Step one: Decorate your box
So I started with a purple box from a stationers and bought myself some stickers to stick on it. I then stuck some of my favourite photos onto it, and a cute cat-related quote on the back. I've now also decorated the top with decorative tape however do not have the energy to take more photographs.

Step two: Fill your box
Once my box was decorated I then had to fill it with things that would bring me comfort if I was going through a bad day or a relapse. Small things that fit in the box neatly are best, such as small books and little trinkets. I filled my box with the following:

A journal with a pen, where I can write all my thoughts down on a bad day or during a relapse, this helps me to get out my emotions onto paper and also log my feelings so that I can show anyone professional who might be able to help me during a relapse. I also put in some little teddies, as they bring comfort to me and are small enough to sit in the palm of my hand, or travel in my handbag if I'm feeling particularly anxious.

In my box I've also included things to look at (special greetings cards, photograph, things from the charities I support) as these are not taxing but still bring some relief and comfort. I've also put in some things to do (stickers, cross stitch kits, playing cards etc) in case I get bored during a relapse and want something fun to do or make.

I've put in some sentimental items (the bracelet my granny gave me, a piece of welding my friend gave me, the necklace I wore at my baptism etc) so that I can remember the good times during the bad. The little brass telescope is the concept for a children's book I plan to write one day, and on the bottom left is a little bag of worry dolls. The idea of worry dolls is that you tell each one a problem before you go to sleep, pop them under your pillow and they 'take your worries away.' I've also put in a little pot of glitter, because sparkles!!!

The final few items I've added to my box are; some beauty stuff because everyone needs to feel pretty every once in a while, some books including my favourite book and some bible study notes for students, some prayer cards people gave me, my 'Canada' cat, made for me by a close friend of mine who sufferers with severe M.E. and some tissues, because everyone needs a good cry every now and again!

I hope this helps you to make and fill your own comfort box, it's well worth it,

Lots of love, Alice xxxx

© Alice Daley 2013

The Daley Model for Understanding the Mind

So I made this earlier this evening, and thought I'd share it with you all. This is basically what goes on inside my head and it's a model for anyone else with any sort of mental health problems to help them understand what's going on inside their head a little better, and to help mental health professionals understand what needs a patient has. It compliments the idea that the only real diagnosis of someone with mental health issues is themselves, because the human mind is much more complicated than a bit of psychology jargon. So yeah, shown below is my own 'MUM' (Model for Understanding the Mind) and I'd love to know what you think.

I realise that this may not make a lot of sense on it's own to most of you. Which is why I've devised a key. The key may help you to make a 'MUM' of your own, using my ideas. For example if you have the illness Bipolar disorder, your red circles could be 'aspects of bipolar disorder.' or if you experience extreme or risky behaviours, you could put that in a green square as a heading and then list them with black text.

I hope this will be helpful for you guys, and if you pass it on to others, please accredit it to me! Thank you! Love you lots and take care! 

Alice xxxx

© Alice Daley 2013

Mental Heath Fun and Joyness Part One

So I've spent the last three weeks on a psychiatric ward. Let me give you an overview of the events of the first week:

• Saturday 16th November - Went home to see a friend on a psychiatric ward in Shrewsbury, went to another friend's birthday party, stayed the night at my parents house, slept very badly due to anxiety.
• Sunday 17th November - Went to a great church service, saw friends in Shrewsbury before travelling back to Nottingham again.
• Monday 18th November - Went to the hospital to get the cast removed from my wrist, which had been broken- doctor gave it the all clear. Went into school and did teaching assistant style work in some great lessons.
• Tuesday 19th November - Went into school and did teaching assistant style work in some great lessons, followed by community choir.
• Wednesday 20th November - Went into the office and did some coursework in the morning. Had an appointment with the Early Intervention in Psychosis Team where I saw a horrible doctor, a student nurse, and a lovely community psychiatric nurse named Chris.

Now this Wednesday was the day it all kicked off. I've been hearing voices and having strange hallucinations for the past 12 months or so, but they'd been controllable, kind of. The Early Intervention Team, I had hoped, would be my answer, yet during my appointment they seemed to offer no solutions or help whatsoever. The doctor did not listen to me and was very removed from my situation. I was extremely distressed by the time that I left the appointment, and this was obviously evident to Chris, who apparently tried to follow me in his car so he could give me a lift home, but to no avail as I'd already started walking back into town.

I was so upset I couldn't face getting the bus so I walked through the driving rain from West Bridgeford to Nottingham, across Trent Bridge which was particularly difficult as the voice kept telling me to jump off it. I has arranged to visit my friend Fiona as she was unwell, but I was so distressed and preoccupied I cancelled. I'd been texting my friend Sam and we'd sort of made plans to meet in Nottingham. By the time I got to the Broadmarsh shopping centre, the voice was mostly in control of my body. It wanted to kill me, and knew I had multiple tablets in my bag. I went into Wilkinson's and bought a bottle of water for 29p. 

After this, I went upstairs to the toilets- a place where I'd self-harmed before. It kind of felt comforting up there, I don't really know why. The voice was completely in control at that point though I was still trying to text Sam. With shaking hands I took the pills, one at a time. 14 paracetamol, 8 fluoxetine, 4 codeine and 8 amitriptyline tablets. As soon as I realised what the voice had done to me, I text Sam and asked him to come and meet me. When I told him what I'd done, I expected him to panic, but fortunately, he was really calm the whole time.

He took me to the walk in centre, where I remember vomiting a few times. After that, my memory goes almost completely blank, aside from a few images of A&E, particularly my boss looking at my with concerned eyes. I remember thinking 'uh-oh... my boss knows what I've done... I'm in real trouble!' My next memory after that was when I arrived onto the medical ward. The nurses were very kind and one time I tipped a bowl of sick over myself and they helped me get changed and changed the bed. I had a drip running into my hand and can remember retching endlessly, my stomach totally empty but my body still fighting against the overdose. I was on the medical ward for two nights, but thankfully no permanent damage has been done.

• Thursday 21st December - Chris from the EIP Team came to see me, and we agreed it was best for me to spend some time on a psychiatric ward as an informal patient (not sectioned under the mental health act) He went back to my host home and collected some belongings. Sam and my boss came to visit me in the hospital. Sam bought me a white hot chocolate from Costa and it was really tasty. I felt really guilty about what I'd put everyone through, but was grateful for the company too.
• Friday 22nd December - I was still waiting for a bed on the psychiatric ward, and was getting increasing frustrated at the fact I still hadn't got one. My parents and my sister came to visit, and they were much more supportive than I'd expected them to be. I got a bed on a ward in Mansfield and so my parents drove me up there. The ward was very strange- I'd never stayed on a psychiatric ward so it was all new and weird. The other patients scared me but the nurses and health care assistants were nice. They sorted through all my belongings, removing anything I could possibly harm myself with (shoelaces, needles etc) I also saw the duty doctor that night, and he was extremely arrogant and rude, focussed entirely on my eating problems and refused to listen to me, or even give me time to answer his questions.

This is the end of part one, I'm going to be writing part two soon, but will write each part as a whole week.

Love you lots,
Alice xxxx

© Alice Daley 2013

The Little Princess Trust

Hey Guys!

So I've not posted for ages but I wanted to tell you about a thing I'm doing. I'm having almost all my hair cut off tomorrow, and I'm donating it to a charity that makes wigs for children who've lost their hair through cancer, alopecia and other illnesses. The charity is called The Little Princess Trust.

My hair will cost The Little Princess Trust £350 to make into a wig, so I'm hoping to raise that much on my justgiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/Alice-Daley

It would be so awesome if you guys could donate to The Little Princess Trust, even if it's just £1 or $1

Thanks guys! Love you loads!
Alice xxxx
© Alice Daley 2013