Time To Talk Day 2018

01/18

Time to Talk Day, run by Time to Change, will take place on Thursday 1st February 2018.

The aim is to get as many people as possible across England talking about mental health. By joining together on one day, we can break the silence that often surrounds mental health, and show that talking about this once-taboo issue doesn’t need to be difficult.

The aim of Time to Talk Day is to get as many people as possible across England talking about mental health. By joining together on one day, we can break the silence that often surrounds mental health, and show that talking about this once-taboo issue doesn’t need to be difficult. With tens of thousands of individuals and hundreds of organisations speaking out together at the same time, we can make a huge impact and show that it really is time to talk.

Those of you who know my story will know how important raising awareness for mental health issues is to me. (Make sure to check out my article Baking My Way Out Of Depression.)

When I first started baking and long before I started blogging, I was suffering very badly with depression and anxiety. I was on strong medication and I really couldn’t see a way out. I didn’t talk to anyone about my mental health. I didn’t want sympathy, I just wanted to ‘get on with it.’

But I was wrong.

Talking to someone is the most important thing. If it’s a friend, a loved one, a colleague, it doesn’t matter. You can’t keep things bottled up and expect them to go away. I wish I had known that sooner, then maybe I wouldn’t have gone through years of medicated heartbreak.

1 in 4 of us will have a mental health problem. That’s an awful lot. It isn’t something to shy away from. The more we talk about what’s going on in our heads the better. It’s time to break down any barrier, get rid of any stigma and just have a chat.

When I had depression, I can remember being in college and a friend of a friend telling people she had been diagnosed with bi-polar. This was over 10 years ago and it wasn’t spoken about very much at all then. No one knew what to do, what to say. But that’s the thing, you don’t have to say anything specific. I’ve had a few people approach me over the years who knew me when I was at my lowest and openly admit ‘we didn’t know what to say.’ Little did they know a simple ‘are you ok?’ and a good cup of tea would have been a great start.

Now, years later, I want to help change the way mental health is spoken about and break down any stigma attached to it. I’ve worked with Time to Change in a few campaigns now, such as their Small Things campaign last year and now Time To Talk Day 2016 with Good Morning Britain. I’m very proud to be doing stuff with this fantastic charity.

As it’s #TimeToTalk day, I wanted to share this video my fiancé Tim and I took part in with the mental health organisation Time to Change back in 2015.
My mental health has suffered somewhat over the years since I was 16 and whilst I am pleased to say I am in a much better place than I have ever been, the darkness that nearly consumed me and so many other people face every day is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of.
The more we talk about our mental health, the more we can de-stigmatise it.
I can remember not wanting to tell my manager at the time that I was in such a bad place. I was scared I would lose my job for fear of looking ‘unreliable’. It was only after I had that initial conversation with him though I discovered how supportive he and the company I used to work for were.
If you’re struggling, please talk to someone.

My partner, Tim, is the person I can talk to about anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s big and emotional or small and trivial, he listens. Sometimes, he knows there’s nothing he can say to help and that’s great too, just getting it out in the open is usually enough. But, we look at what’s going on and try to do something about it.

So, take the opportunity today to start a conversation. Sit down with a friend, send them a text, show up at their door with a pack of custard creams, it’s up to you. It all starts with those three little words:

“How are you?”

You’re not a burden, you’re not being awkward, you’re not alone. You are you and you are amazing.

Britt xo

 

Happy 5th Birthday to She Who Bakes!

01/18
Today is a very special day for me! My little blog has tuned five years old! On this day back in 2013, I published my first ever baking blog post. I had no idea back then what it would become or where it would take me. I didn’t start it for a purpose or a reason, I started it to make myself smile in a time when there were more dark days than light.
 
Those who have followed me for a while may know my story. You will often hear me say that I ‘baked my way out of depression’ and it’s true. Teaching myself how to bake, creating cakes and writing about them got me out of such a bad time in my life and I’m so grateful for it.
Before I found a passion and creative spark, I was two suicide attempts down and on a whole host of medication just to keep me going. All that is different now.
 
I may not get time to bake as much as I used to but each and every time turn the oven on and start to weigh out ingredients, I absolutely love it.
Now I can also say I am a published author, with my first book ‘Cakes, Bakes & Business’ getting to number one in two Amazon charts. My mum would be so very proud of me.
 
I just wanted to personally say a massive thank you to everyone reading this. Thank you to every one of you who reads my blogs, has read my book, uses my recipes, tips or tutorials, watches my videos and likes what I do. Whether you have been following me for all five years, five months or even five days, I am so grateful to you all.
 
I look forward to many more wonderful years of She Who Bakes.
 
Happy baking,
 
Britt xo

Book Signing and Q&A at Iced Jems!

01/18

I feel so very fortunate to have some of the most amazing people in my life. One of whom is Jemma, who runs a shop called Iced Jems. I say shop, it’s more of a fully realised pastel dream filled from top to bottom with all of your cake based desires. Jemma and I have been close friends for a number of years now and I am very grateful to have her and her unwavering support in my life. She is one of the people responsible for me writing a book in the first place!

I’ve taught classes at Jemma’s shop up in Stourbridge over the years and *spoiler alert* I may be back later this year teaching again (watch this space). So when my book came out and we spoke about me doing a book signing and Q&A event in her beautiful store, I was so excited!

The event took place last Saturday 27th January and I had such an amazing time! I really enjoyed chatting to super talented and passionate bakers about taking the next step in their cake career. A massive thank you so much to everyone for coming to say hi!

I’ve been overwhelmed at the support and kind words for my book Cakes, Bakes & Business! 

Thank you again to Jemma for hosting and thank you of course to my wonderful future husband Tim for coming along to support me as always!

I met some incredible people and had such a wonderful time.

Britt xo

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