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Each year, it is estimated that one in four UK citizens will experience a mental health problem. In a survey of 2000 UK citizens, only 13% reported having a good state of mental health. Most horrifyingly, one in twelve young people admit to intentionally harming themselves. In the age of social media, people are turning to online friends for support. The website 'Reddit' is buzzing with forums discussing self harm and depression. Even going so far as to having a forum called "suicide watch", where online friends discourage suicide attempts. So, why are people more inclined to discuss their illness online?
Welcome to the world of stigma.

If you have a mental illness, it can feel like the world is against you, and it can be difficult to approach your family or friends. You may not want to upset them or you may fear social stigma and discrimination. Some people can be uneducated in mental health, and they may not understand how you're feeling. Unfortunately, this can lead to a poor reaction on their behalf.

As a teen, I experienced this stigma first-hand. When I first plucked up the courage to confide in my family about my mental health, there was an awkward silence followed by a look of horror. Over the years, I have had eye-rolls, glares and horrid names thrown at me... And, that was just from strangers on the street. Due to the visibility of my illness, I was (and still am) made to feel ashamed about my past. When I think back, the term "elephant in the room" comes to mind. Except, I was an elephant carrying an atomic bomb.

Let's talk about it
If you're struggling with your mental health, the most important thing you can do is to discuss it with someone that you trust. The only way we can shatter the stigma of mental health, is if we speak openly and honestly about it. If you're not ready to speak to your friends or family, there are some fantastic organisations which can support you until you have the confidence to reach out, which includes 'Elefriends' and 'Heads Together'.

Educate others
When it comes to mental health, education is key. Like I mentioned before, some lucky folks have never experienced a mental health problem and don't understand the concept of it. They'll tell you to "get a grip" or call it a "phase", and you may feel that they are not taking you seriously. Look at it this way... If you're uneducated on topic, you're more likely to become defensive and angry when it is discussed.

When I opened up to my family, the awkward silence was deafening. My parents just didn't understand what was going on. I found information online explaining the problems that I was experiencing, and printed it for my parents to read. This was key in breaking the awkward silence, and opened up a positive discussion. Nowadays, they understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. For further information, 'Mind' have excellent online resources which are simple and easy to understand. This includes resources for your friends and family.


These days, I'm comfortable discussing my mental health with others. It's obvious that social stigma still encompasses mental health, but we must use our voice to educate others. Speaking openly and honestly is the only way that we will overcome this discrimination.

XO Zoe
If you feel like you have no one to talk to, please call Samaritans on 116 123.

Lately, I've seen a lot of "what's in my nursing bag" videos floating around. Don't worry! I'm not talking about babies.... I'm just a student nurse.


I'm the type of person who likes to carry around just about everything whilst at the hospital... just in case I need it. Let's face it, you're stuck in a hospital for over twelve hours and the thought of wasting your precious lunch break nipping to the *expensive* hospital shop is so unappealing.

The Essentials

First things first, I keep a back up of black pens hidden in my bag. Usually, I start placement with a pack of 100 black pens and by the end of the twelve weeks, I have a random assortment of someone else's pens. Where they came from, I have absolutely no idea. I also have a few coloured pens for highlighting important tasks on my patient handovers, and I have a whiteboard pen to update patient name boards.

Now on to my "nursing essentials". This includes my precious fob watch, hand cream, a small pair of scissors and some microporous tape. Tape and scissors are the two things that often go missing on hospital wards, and you spend ages searching for them. And, of course, I have my hospital ID badge.


Keep Yourself Organised
As I work as a healthcare assistant and a student nurse, it is important that I stay organised. I have learnt the hard way, of the consequences caused by not keeping a good track of your schedule. I keep my organiser in my bag and I have learned to take it every where I go.

Another way to keep yourself organised, is by carrying a pocket-sized notebook. This is great for taking note of medical conditions, medications and treatment plans which you have never heard off, and reading up on them. Trust me... if you don't write them down, you will have forgotten all about them as soon as you exit the building.


The Lifesavers
I have a major issue with leaving the house in a haze at 6AM, and forgetting my lunch bag. So, keeping a few back up snacks is a lifesaver, until the hospital canteen decides to open. I like to keep a protein shake, some breakfast bars and popcorn. These are all quick snacks that will give you a boost of energy, if you feel like you're fading. Oh, and I always have some chocolate on me.... Do you really ever need a reason for chocolate?

Tied in with food, I keep a stash of gum or breath mints handy, whilst on the wards. You're interacting with patients, families and lots of healthcare professionals constantly. We're all human and twelve hours is a looong time to go without brushing your teeth.

And lastly, I include some deodorant, paracetamol, a *huge* water bottle and lip balm. Hospital wards tend to be very humid places and I find that my lips become very dry and chapped throughout the day, so it's good to keep hydrated and to have a good lip balm handy.


I hope this post has given future or current students a clue into a few essentials that that are handy to have whilst working in a busy hospital. Let me know if you have any things that you couldn't live without, whilst working on placement.

XO Zoe

A few months ago, I spent two weeks living with an Airbnb host... and, it was kind of weird. Naturally, I wanted to share my experience to help you learn from the few mistakes that I made.


If you don't know what Airbnb is, then let me explain...
Airbnb is a travel website where you can book and rent a strangers spare bedroom or house. Sound's safe, am I right? It all started with people advertising their spare bedrooms to travellers, at super low rates. From then, it grew into a multi-million dollar industry, and you can now book and rent stunning rooms and houses. It's fantastic if you're travelling for business or pleasure, as it is far cheaper than booking a hotel. You have three options when booking a place to stay. The first is privately renting the strangers entire house, the second is renting a private room within the strangers house, and the third is renting a shared room.
Read the Reviews
When considering an Airbnb, it is important to read the reviews, *especially* if you are going to be living with your Airbnb host. Your host in the individual that owns the place you are staying in... So, you want to make sure that they aren't going to murder you in your sleep. What you really want to look for is a superhost. Those are the people deemed trustworthy by Airbnb, and they are less likely to murder you in your sleep, as they have lots of high-rated reviews from genuine travellers.

Know The Rules
Before booking, you also want to take a look at the host's "house rules". Self-explanatory but, it is literally a set of rules that you have to be okay with following when living in the host's house. Don't worry, the rules aren't dodgy and usually these rules are totally fine to live with... For example, my Airbnb host said that smoking was not prohibited in the house. As a first time traveller, I was advised to choose a host with a stricter set of house rules, as these are the hosts that are more likely to genuinely care about their property.

(Image rights to Airbnb)
Once you find your ideal place to stay, it's good to contact the host and explain the reason why you're travelling. Some hosts state in their house rules that they only cater towards people travelling for business, other's state an age limit. So, as I have said above, it's good to read up beforehand. By contacting them, you can get a feel for how genuine the host is. And, if it takes them three weeks for them to reply to your message, then, they're obviously not going to be useful in an emergency situation. My host was a "superhost", with a large number of great reviews and responded promptly. So, I decided to take the plunge...

When I arrived, I nearly pooped my pants. Because, the outside of the property didn't really resemble the image posted by the host, and it did not look like a place you would visit alone at night. I felt sick to my stomach, sure that I had been conned out of my money. I was certain at the moment, that I was definitely about to be murdered in my sleep. I began terrifying myself with google searches of Airbnb guests bound and gagged by their hosts. I was convinced that if I entered the property, I would be carried out in a bag by a forensic team. And, that leads me on to my next piece of advice...

Note Your Contacts
Although the majority of Airbnb hosts are harmless, you're essentially a sitting duck. So, write a list of your emergency contacts on speed dial, just in case anything does happen. Airbnb have webpage dedicated to guest safety. Of course, if your life is in immediate danger then the police are your best option, but Airbnb do have a twenty-four hour contact number to ring if you feel uneasy. I ended up flapping around and trying to google search this number on arrival, which only added to my stress. So, note your contacts before you set off.

Image rights to Memegen
So, I pull up and have a panic attack, what next? I met the host... Who was actually really nice and super chatty. She showed me around her modern and clean property, and I felt so much more relieved about essentially putting my life (and valuables) in the hands of complete stranger. My room was a decent-sized, double-bedroom with a shared bathroom, and I was urged to use the host's kitchen whenever I needed to. I feel not only re-assured, but comfortable, at the thought of living with the host for two weeks.

From then on, me and the host only really bumped into each other when we occasionally crossed paths after work. I was working random shifts every day, so I never saw her in the house. When I did, it was a quick chat, and it didn't feel like she was prying. Honestly, it was like we had been living together for ages. I mean, it was incredibly awkward, and I did feel like I was tip-toeing around a stranger's house. I felt rude sitting in my room after work, but I felt awkward at the prospect of strolling into her living room and putting my feet up. But fortunately, the two weeks flew by.

A few final thoughts...
I would definitely use Airbnb again as it was much cheaper than a hotel, but I would hire a private place which didn't include the host. My host was lovely and she did make me feel comfortable. However, I felt like I was low-key squatting in her house and it just made me feel rather awkward. Although, my experience was overall positive, I feel that I underestimated how dodgy hiring a strangers spare bedroom could be. If you want to take a look at the darker side of Airbnb, head over to 'Airbnb Hell', which will really instil some fear in you.

Have you rented a place using Airbnb? Let me know in the comments down below.

XO Zoe

It's that time of the month again (really) where I review Pink Parcel's subscription box.


Pink Parcel is a monthly subscription box priced at £12.99, which is designed to correspond to your time of the month. Seriously... you pick a subscription date and it's (in theory) designed to turn up on the first date of your period. You get a range of pads or tampons, which keep you covered, as well as a little box off goodies.

As always, this box contained a hot drink sample and some chocolate. This month's hot drink was a sachet of chai latte by Drink Me Chai. I had never tried chai latte before this, but it is so good... and I have purchased a full-size tub. I also *loved* the change from a boring flavoured tea-bag. And, as for the (square) of chocolate... This months sample was a dark chocolate by Conscious Chocolate. Can we opt out of having dark chocolate, please! It's rank. As for the beauty goodies, I had to split them up into good and bad. This month's box surprised me, as I actually disliked a few products.

The Good

First up is a favourite of mine by Dr. Botanicals coconut exfoliating bar. It's essentially a really expensive bar of soap priced at nearly £20! It contains fine, grainy particles which gently exfoliate the skin. As it contains coconut, it leaves a oily residue on the skin. This leaves your skin feel lovely and soft, allowing you to skip the annoying act of moisturising after you shower! I'm a big fan of this addition to the box, although I would not purchase it as it is far too expensive.

Next, we have a super soothing hand cream by Naobay in the scent 'Orange Juice'. This 30ml sample size is perfect for popping into your handbag, and the full-sized version is priced at £11.50 for 100ml. It's a natural and organic product and is great for moisturising dry hands. It is thick so use it sparingly, but it does dry quickly into your hands to relieve dry skin.

These days, Pink Parcel are trying to incorporate more make up items into their boxes. This month, they added a lip pencil by Laritzy Cosmetics, priced at around £9. I don't have masses to say about this, because lip pencils are quite straight forward. The pencil I received had a lot of pigment and applies evenly to the lips, lasting a long time. I still would not pay £9 for it, but I liked the addition of cruelty-free make up!

The Bad

First thing I didn't really like, was the teeny addition of a facial mask by Optiat. The sample size was extremely poor, as well at the actual product. The mask arrived in powder form, which you combine with water to make into a paste. However, not matter how much or how little water I used, I could not make this into a thick mask. Instead, it ended up super water-y or super powdered. It felt uncomfortable on the skin and it didn't dry properly. This is priced at nearly £20 for the full-sized version, but steer clear!

The next teeny sample size was the addition of a body cleanser by anatomicals. This product is essentially a shower gel, in the tropic scent of papaya and mango. In fact, I loved the product, but the sample size was incredibly poor. Considering that the full-sized version of this is priced at around £3, I feel that they could have supplied at larger sample size to trial. I was really disappointed in the sizes of the last two products, as Pink Parcel usually have great sample sizes!

Unfortunately, I have unsubscribed from Pink Parcel for a little while. I usually love their boxes, but this months just was not for me so I'm taking a look at a different box for next months... Let me know if you enjoyed your May Pink Parcel box, in the comments!

XO Zoe