Thank you to Sue at http://www.myloudbipolarwhispers.com for nominating Be Ur Own Light as one of their Sunshine Bloggers! Sue wrote, ‘I believe this great group of people and their blogs bring a lot of joy and sunshine and education into the lives of many people and I also pray these lovely people have a lot of joy and sunshine in their lives every day.’

Thank you so much Sue for this beautiful accolade and for paving the way in battling stigma against bipolar disorder and mental health in general! You are a star in a dark world 🙂

So these are the rules except I can’t think of 11 people to nominate, so I will do 4!

Rules for “The Sunshine Blogger Award”

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to them.
2. Answer the eleven questions asked.
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers. (I am doing 4)
4. Create 11 new and different questions for them to answer.
5. List the rules.
6. Include the “Sunshine Blogger Award” logo in your post somewhere

   Sue has asked me to provide answers to the following questions:

   How old are you?  29

   How old were you when you were diagnosed with mental illness, or other type of chronic and/or invisible illness or grief?  Diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder at 16, lived with anxiety disorder from 17/18

   Where do you live? London, UK

   What makes you happy? Sunshine, sunflowers, autumn leaves, chocolate, Reading books and of course my boyfriend, friends and family.

   What makes you angry: War, refugees still having to flee, terrorism and mental health stigma

   When was the last time you experienced mental illness stigma or any other type of stigma or discrimination? A few years ago when someone refused to set me up on a date with someone they knew due to my illness being disclosed.

   What is your favorite kind of candy?  Cadburys chocolate

   What is your favorite season and why? Autumn (Fall)- because its so cosy and I love fairy lights, hot chocolate, snuggling in blankets, autumn leaves etc.

   How long have you been blogging? Here on WordPress for almost 2 years and before that on Blogger and elsewhere for 2 years. I am a writer so am always blogging.

   Do you prefer a sunny or a cloudy/rainy day? Usually sunny but there is something very cosy about watching the rain from inside.

   I nominate the following because they are rays of light in the blogging world, sharing, writing and wearing their hearts on their sleeves. They sparkle in tackling mental health stigma and I am so proud to have them as Followers of my blog.

   Alexis Rose-  https://atribeuntangled.com/

   Paul McGinley- https://paulmcginleymentalhealth.wordpress.com/

   Christina at Sea of Words- https://seaofwordsx.wordpress.com/

   Happiness Hunt Blog      https://thehappinesshunt.wordpress.com

   These are the following questions they must answer:
   1) Why did you start your blog?
   2) How long have you been blogging and what is your passion?
   3) Which country are you based and what is mental health care like there?
   4) What is your favourite movie?
   5) If you could chose one actor to play you in the film of your life who would it be?
   6) What has helped you on your recovery journeys?
   7) Where would you most want to travel to?
   8) What is your favourite food?
   9) Why do you like writing?
   10) Which song makes you smile?
   11) If you could pick a spirit animal who would you pick?

   Congratulations on the award !