Sunshine Blogger Award!

Around a week ago, I was nominated for my first award by the lovely Caroline. The rules are pretty simple . . .

Thank the blogger who nominated them and link back to their blog

Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated them

Nominate 11 other blogs and give them 11 new questions to answer

Notify your nominees and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post

Here are the questions I have been asked:

Why do you blog?

I blog not only because I’ve always wanted to or because I’ve been writing since I learned how to, but most especially to spread awareness on the stigma on mental health. To enjoy life and spread peace and love, one must be in love with his inner self, and that is what I advocate for.

What is your first memory?

Wow, um… I honestly have no idea. I never really thought about it, but I think it would be when I was still in Year 6 (9-10 years of age) and it suddenly hit me that in Year 7 I’d be separated from most of my friends, especially the male ones since I was going to an all-girls school. What can I say? I was a bit of a boy magnet!

If you were a painter, what would you paint?

I would paint something that makes people feel relaxed and at peace and loved, and they get the urge to spread those positive feelings everywhere they go. If I had to choose a painting that, in my opinion, represents that to me, it would be Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.

If you could live in any book, which would it be and why?

Many would say Harry Potter, but would you really want to live in a world where Umbridge was alive?! I think not! I’d probably live in the world of Coraline by Neil Gaiman, because it is so beautifully written. It’s a perfect example of a horror book appropriate for children.

What was your dream job when you were 5?

My earliest memory of talking about a career was when I was at a bank with my mother when I wasn’t even eight years old, and the nice lady banker asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. I immediately replied, “A mummy.” She smiled and explained that anyone can be a mum. This was also a time where I thought babies were made when a man and a woman kissed.

After that, I think I’ve always been into jobs which required travelling: a tour leader, air hostess, museum curator, journalist, writer.

What is one thing you will never do?

Start a war. Literally, figuratively, hypothetically or metaphorically. War is never the solution to anything, but unfortunately not everyone agrees.

In an alternate reality, which country are you born/raised in?

Merseyside, Liverpool since the 1940s. I used to live in an area known as Speke, where my good friends George and Paul also lived. You might know them, they went on to became half of the very legendary band The Beatles.

If you could create a new food, what would it be and why?

A cake made entirely out of chips (fries for the Americans) and chicken and pizza. My mouth is currently watering at the thought!

What is your favorite smell/scent?

Tea and gasoline, the latter which I aware is really bad for my health, but I still love it.

What would be your superpower if you had one?

The ability to heal anyone and anything.

At some point in your life, would you like to know the future? (never, only under certain circumstances, absolutely, etc.)

Absolutely never! What if I turn out the opposite of who I am? I’d be devastated for sure! So no, I’ll live my life with lots of questions about my future, thank you very much.

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My nominees are! . . .

1. Alexandra
2. Fiona
3. Lyndsey
4. Kezia
5. Kelly
6. Svetlana
7. Caroline
8. Yvonne
9. Pavli
10. Deborah
11. Lara

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My questions are! . . .

1. What inspired you to blog?
2. If you had to stick to one make-up brand for the rest of life, which would it be and why?
3. Which is your favourite blog post?
4. If you had to be one person – dead or alive – who would it be and what would be the first thing you did as this person?
5. What’s your favourite place in the whole world?
6. If you had to travel to the past in a particular decade, which would it be and why?
7. What advice would you give to your younger self?
8. Name three people you look up to.
9. What is the one thing you never leave home without?
10. What is your all-time favourite song?
11. What advice would you give to beginner bloggers?

How I get Traffic on my Blog

As a follow-up to my recent first blogiversary, I will be talking about how I get as much traffic as possible. I know there are a LOT of ways to do so, but like the title says, I’m still a beginner AND a cheapskate (not really… but I don’t like spending a LOT of money… so am I???) and as much as SEO (Search Engine Optimizer) works, it is a Premium feature and I cannot afford that at the moment.

Facebook

The first thing I did was create a Facebook page for my blog. It took me a while to get it up and running properly, but in the end, it was all worth it. Not many people like and comment on the page since I have the sharing setting on my posts so that they automatically show up on the page, so I went a step further . . .

. . . and created a Facebook group! I was inspired by the several bloggers and fashionistas who created a group to promote their blog, and that has so far worked really well, and it gives other people an opportunity to promote their work and sell things freely. So I suggest you join now ;D

Related to my group is joining blogging groups on Facebook. I’m in probably around 20 of them – two of which are local – and it’s when I joined such groups that I started seeing some results.

Tags

Tags also play an important and crucial part in getting traffic on your blog. Say someone is looking for a post about the meaning of life. What tags would you use? I’d probably go for the obvious ‘meaning of life’ ‘search for happiness’ and ‘philosophy’ to name a few. I’m still awful at tags, but slowly learning.

Links

Did you notice something I’ve been doing throughout my posts, where I link to related posts/websites? That’s another thing that helps not only other websites to get recognition, but also you. Why? Because they’d be so thankful that they would consider promoting YOU in return! Just think about it 😉

Other websites that help

I’ve started using Linkedin a couple of months ago when I wanted a page that’s more business-y. I use it to promote my blog, my collaborations and things related to my work, and made some really cool friends from there (if you’re Kelly, I mean you!).

Two other sites you can use to promote your latest posts are Blogarama and, the best one yet, Livinvia, so I will be talking about the latter into detail. I found out about Livinvia from one of the many FB groups that I joined, and decided to give it a go. It is divided into categories, such as Health, Tips, Technology, Fashion and much more . . . and it is completely FREE!

Content

I couldn’t elaborate more than this, so here are the best content tips for traffic:

 

• Leave thoughtful comments on other people’s blogs with hope of getting recognition on your blog AND connect with other bloggers
• Write shorter posts, something which I am quite good at since my posts usually do not exceed the 600-word mark
• Blog consistently
• Organize your posts with lists and subheads
• Write stuff people will want to link to
• Ask questions
• Be funny, clever, remarkable . . so, not me!
• Do some public speaking (Remember the one I did
• Write attractive headlines, so maybe quotes could be good
• Deliver killer content
• Guest post on someone else’s blog
• Tell stories

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Have you used any of these? How did they work out for you? Any tips you use for traffic which I have not mentioned above? Let me know in the comments below! Let’s connect!

What I’ve Learnt during my First Year of Blogging

As you might have probably read in my previous post (if not . . . check it out!) my blog turned one this week! And I’ve decided to write more about my experience as a newbie blogger. The first post is all about the stats and achievements. This post is a little similar, with lessons I’ve learned…

1. PATIENCE: It takes a lot of work to see some real results when you open a new blog, unless you’re lucky, which is not me. Everybody says that, so what’s new? Nothing really, if everyone says it there must be a reason right? Some have it easy, like myself, who’s probably the most patient person ever
2. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT (OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES): The saying goes that the more you nurture your creature, the fatter it gets. Meaning: If you don’t write content, you don’t get traffic. One advice, stop looking at your Google Analytic. NOW. Trust me I’ve tried and no, the graph doesn’t grow by just staring at it! You need to work hard for that, but more on that on a later post . . .
3. GIVE GIVE GIVE: During this past year I (slowly) realised that people are interested in what you write, only if there is something in there for them too, so let’s forget about “me , me , me”. I also noticed one curious thing: The more I get intimate and talk about things that are personal, the better. People like informational/useful posts, true, but they also appreciate when you put your face out there. Having an opinion, being yourself, open and honest makes a big difference. Your reader is looking forward to connect with you, and with your experiences. It’s not always easy (not for me at least)but is very rewarding.
4. SUCCESS IS A RELATIVE CONCEPT: These months of blogging made me think about the word “success”. What is it really? Having many visitors and views on your blog? Popularity on social media? Getting paid to blog (Oh, I wish!)? As soon as I think that I’m “getting there”, there is always something to remind me that everything is relative. People who think I’m a pain or I’m wasting my time “playing on the internet”, when I actually have a job to do during the day. In the end, I think I finally figured out what success means to me: Being happy with my choices, doing something I love and I believe in. If I see an improvement, I see “success”.
5. I’D LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT . . . EVERYTHING!: This is the most amazing aspect. I may have been blogging for a year, but ask me what SEO is and I’d probably stare blankly at your face. But slowly and gradually, I’m learning all the terminologies and jargon that come along with blogging. It’s not just the jargon that I’d love to more about. It’s new blogging methods, new bloggers, new types of blogging and also experimenting with my own blog.

Bloggers you need to follow… like, now.

Welcome back to my blog, beautiful creatures! Hope you’re all doing as well as I am. As you can tell by the title, this post is about bloggers which I follow and so should you… right. NOW.

Now I follow a LOT of amazing bloggers, both local and international, but I wrote a list of 4 local and 4 international bloggers which I chose at random (which is important to point out because it doesn’t mean I don’t like the other fellow local bloggers. I love each and every one of them!)

Helen Anderson

I’ve been subscribed to Helen’s main channel for YEARS now – probably over three or four years – and have only recently subscribed to her vlogging channel, on which she uploads daily. She is not only a trendsetter, but also studied film and moving images before she became a blogger. She is also a singer in the band Box of Lights.

Helen is also known for her bomb-ass tattoos and constant hair colour changes. I. Freaking. Love. Her.

Currently living in Norwich with fiancé Matthew Taylor.

Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

Marzia Bisognin

Where do I even begin to describe this blogger? She inspires me to embrace my weirdness while still loving fashion and re-inventing myself. I’ve been subscribed to her since before she hit her 1 millionth subscriber on Youtube.

Her blog features the most amazing sceneries and fashion pieces, with the random pug here and there. (I think it should be noted that she actually has two pugs, Maya and Edgar).

She’s not only a blogger, but also a fashion designer and author. Seriously though, is there anything this girl can’t do?!

She is currently living in Brighton with her boyfriend Felix, a.k.a PewdiePie.

Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

My Life’s a Movie

I found out about this female travel blogger when I read an article about how she was judged for travelling solo and was in awe at her courage to just ignore the judging and move on with her life. Her only companion? Her GoPro.

Her Instagram account is all about the places she has visited, and will give you serious wanderlust.

Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

Naturally Stefanie

This article is just about everything you need to know about the pint-sized Scottish beauty. Form her accent, to her face, hair and body to DIE for, she is the epitome of veganism.

Instagram – Youtube

Arguably Kelly

I haven’t known her for a long time – just a few months or so – but I’ve heard of her blog a while before I made contact with her on Linkedin. She’s witty, open-minded and we have the same tastes… only she’s a better writer than me. Fact.

Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

Lyndsey Grima

I’ve known Lyndsey on Facebook for years, but we’ve never met. She is probably the first Maltese blogger I’ve ever started following, and still do. Not only does she post tips, hauls and amazing beauty reviews, but she is also chronicling the biggest step in her life: moving to Glasgow. And I love reading about this new step in life.

Facebook – Instagram

Cruelty Free Malta

The only cruelty-free blog hailing from my home country, I’ve started talking to Fiona, the amazing bomb woman behind the blog, over the last few months. She’s probably the nicest (and only blogger) I’ve talked to on a regular basis. I look forward to her next posts in aim to lead a more animal friendly life.

Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

Alexandra Butters

Beautiful and equally smart, Alexandra’s blog consists of make-up tips, beauty, lifestyle and reviews. I remember during my first event, I had to make a double take when I saw because I thought I was seeing double (really… don’t judge me please!) and then found out I was a sane person and she actually has an identical twin. By identical, I mean a 100% photocopy of herself.

Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

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Stay tuned for a very special and emotional blog post coming up tomorrow evening!
x x x x x x x x x

#ClaireNotes – April 2017

April has come to a close, which means we get to see what my month was like! Usually, I jot down three goals with hopes to achieve them, or highlight an event that took place, but this month was uneventful apart from two occasions, so instead of three goals I’ll be listing to.

Read along!

Letter to Alice (Anxiety) and Dina (Depression)

Alice, Dina… we need to talk about some things. Well, it has been a while since we’ve last spoken to each other. I hope you two are comfortably sat down because this might be a long one.

#BreaktheStigma… from the Survivors

“People think that OCD is all about being a neat freak or washing hands.”

“My friends and I were having a discussion about suicide, and one said that anyone who commits suicide is a selfish.”

“People think that anyone who commits suicide is selfish because they don’t think of the pain their family and friends go through.”

“I think that people in general think that mental health is not as important as physical illnesses. That’s why people are embarrassed to talk about what they’re going through, especially men.”

“For me, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is like being imprisoned – caged even – in my own brain to rules and such that I have to abide to to avoid something wrong from happening!”

“People think that just because I smile and joke a lot, that I am ‘normal’ and don’t have any type of mental disorders…”

“When people talk to me, it takes me a while to actually talk, if I actually manage to. They would just say ‘Oh she’s just shy’.”

“Reality is way more than anyone thinks. Intrusive thoughts galore and never a quiet moment in your head… guilt of past mistakes, obsessing over health issues and an irrational thought which makes it so scary you end up having a panic attack… What else…? Ohh, seeking reassurance from someone means you’ll be ok for a minute and then the thoughts come back and you ask again for reassurance. It’s a vicious cycle; it never stops.”

“You’re scared that you might hurt someone although you still know you’re not going to hurt someone but you still live with that fear….”

“I have read that some people were scared being around children . Because they are scared they hurt them.”

“Obsessing about sexual orientation. If you’re straight, you think you’re gay and vice versa . I haven’t had all of these but, I know they happen.”

“In reality, in some cases, the person thinks that the world will be a better place without them.”

“… The truth is, we smile and laugh a lot to hide and bury our sadness deeper and deeper, out of fear of judgement.”

“I am not just a shy person. I am just scared of being judged for seeming vulnerable.”

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Disclaimer: What you just read have been and are in present time experienced by real people. If yourself or someone close to you are suffering from any of these symptoms, consult with a doctor and take it from there.

Y O U ‘ R E [N O T] A L O N E

B R E A K T H E [S T I G M A]

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Things I Would Like to Do In The Future

Psychology Course

During my year-long stint at University, I studied Psychology for two semesters. I enjoyed every second of it… well, I love Psychology in general; I spent more time outside reading or surf-shopping with my classmates from my course than actually paying attention to the lectures since all the notes were sent to us by email.

Just a few days ago, I was looking for some things and I stumbled upon these Psychology notes, and it made me feel nostalgic of the one-year stint.

In a forum for the local MHA, someone wanted suggestions on Psychology courses, and a friend of mine said that she is attending one and that is is really interesting. And that triggered my sudden interest in sitting for a Psychology course… at least on Intermediate level… for now.

The brain is a fascinating thing isn’t it?

Voluntary Work

I’ve always been a keen voluntary worker, but never really found the time to do much voluntary work. Last time I did any type for voluntary work was for a school project which was worth almost half my grade. I once did voluntary work at the Notarial Archives in Valletta.

But other than that, nothing.

Now that I have three whole months in summer of not working, I decided on doing more voluntary work if I don’t manage to find a job for the summer, and decided on two organisations to give  helping hand to:

• MSPCA – Malta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Everyone knows I love animals, particularly dogs, and I want this experience to serve me for a future of owning a dog myself)
• Richmond Foundation – a nonprofit dealing with mental health (now you know why I want to volunteer with them).

 

Make-Up Course

I buy lots of make-up. I actually made a post about my make-up collection, which has since expanded spectacularly… and yet I have no clue how to apply eyeliner without looking borderline Panda.

So that’s why I think a makeup course would be good for me. I know several make-up artists who make the most BEAUTIFUL make-up, and I want to be able to do that too!

(Just nothing too extravagant. As if I want to look like the Mad Hatter!)

I mean, LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL MAKE-UP!

UPDATE: I WILL BE DOING A 3-DAY MAKEUP SEMINAR TAUGHT BY ONE OF MY FRIENDS, WHO WAS HERSELF TAUGHT BY LOCALLY RENOWNED ARTIST SHASHA FABRI AAAAAAAAAAAA!

BONUS: Have her beautiful features

Start a Nonprofit for People Without a Voice

I don’t mean people who cannot talk, but who think they are alone in the world with their problems, no matter how little or severe they are. It could be on mental health, traumatic experiences, eating disorders, sexuality… anything the world exploits and tosses aside.

Write a Self-Help Book

The goal of all future goals. I’ve alway been keen on literature and the skill of writing. I remember my earliest memory of writing a story. It was about a boy whose toys come to life and — no, not Toy Story — they take over his family and hold them hostage. Now before you say anything… I was actually around eight years old when I wrote this. EIGHT. And already writing about hostage situations! I know, I know… weird, and sad… but I always had a wild imagination ahead of me.

(It still precedes me to this day, but anyways).

But this time I don’t want to base myself on fiction, but more of a first-hand experience type of writing.

A self-help book.

With a LOT of first-hand experience to write a freaking saga, I want to put all my life together in a book to help people of all genders, ages, religions and sexual orientation. No judgement. Just guidance and illumination through writing.

And guess what…?

I’VE ALREADY STARTED IT! Yes, that’s right! I’m in the process of writing my first (and hopefully not last) book! I already have a photographer and illustrator on board… and they’re both survivors like myself! Couldn’t have asked for anyone better than them!

So stay tuned for a book with my name written on it! AAAAAAAAAA!

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So these are my future goals. I might update this post if the need arises. Let me know in the comments what YOUR goals for the future are.

That’s it from me, stay strong beautifuls x

What February 26th means to me

 

Today’s the 26th February 2017.

No doy, Sherlock. We see it on the calendar. We know. – you might think. So what’s so special about this date anyway?

It’s actually one year since I’ve been in recovery. And these are some of the things I’ve learned during this time…

Life is Beautiful

Before this day, I just existed between the wall cracks of life. Now, however, I can honestly say I’m living. And Looking around me, I see the beautiful people around me, the sky that shines day and night, animals, happiness and overall a lot of LOVE.

Yes, there are still a lot of bad things that need to be fixed in this world, but at least we should cherish the good that we have, and use it in order to spread peace, love and equality all around.

Smiling makes ANYONE look beautiful

Not only does smiling show that you are happy, but it also automatically makes you beautiful. Ignore the missing tooth, or the damaged one, or the unwhitened teeth! Everyone is beautiful no matter what shape or size ❤

I absolutely love this photo that I took this morning. I think I radiate confidence, peace, love and happiness!

Recovery takes TIME

Okay, this one is a no-brainer. Like a physical injury, mental recovery takes time. I still get bad days. I actually had one just yesterday! You just need to find that someone or something that makes you feel better and try turning your day around. It’s easier said than done, but it’s worth the try.

Recovery starts WITHIN

No medicine. No treatments. Just YOUR MIND, BODY AND SOUL.

I am still taking medication for my anxiety, but recovery starts from WITHIN yourself. Change the way you look at things and life, be more open-minded and trust me, things WILL start turning around for you.

You just have to believe, and achieve 🙂

Calling for help is NOT a sin

I cannot stress this enough. I wish the text has lights blinking to grab everyone’s attention. Help doesn’t have to be professional if you’re not ready to take it up to that notch. Talk to a family member, a friend, your significant other, your colleagues, your boss… anyone you can trust really. Just open up and you’ll feel instantly better!

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The post is written in green not for a random reason (or because it’s one of my favourite colours). It’s because it is the colour of Mental Health. So spread awareness in May, which is the Mental Health Awareness Month, and wear/write in/think Green.