The Interview with Mental Health @ Home

I am not sure how I became aware of the blog Mental Health @ Home but it has become a must read daily.

You can be sure when you read a post from her blog that she has done her research, knows her material which lends to her credibility.

So I am happy that she agreed to be the first of I hope many more to come, The Interview.

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Here is the interview:

Interview Questions

1.       1.Apart from your bio on your blog what is something that maybe others would love to learn about you? 
2. I’ve shown some of this in blog posts, but I did a lot of travelling in my 20s and 30s.  I’ve been to 4 continents besides my own, and I’ve been to 37 countries, if I recall correctly.
3.       2.What is one value that you were taught as a child growing up?
4. I’m sure there are things that were more profound, but one thing I really appreciate is the value of saving and living within one’s financial means.  That has served me extremely well in my adult life.
5.       3.On the topic of values, which value would you like society to start using, and why?
6. Society seem to be really short on empathy, and that fuels intolerance and the whole nine yards.  I’ve always thought that if more people traveled internationally and saw the different ways in which people live, they would understand that there’s more to humanity than just their narrow corner of it.
7.       4.If you could, what advice would you tell a future version of yourself maybe ten years from now?
8. To be honest, I don’t want to still be around in 10 years, so I don’t really have any words of wisdom or inspiration for my older self.  I know that sounds a bit morbid, but depression does not make for a cheery future.
9.       5.What are the circumstances that led you to start a blog on WordPress?
10. It was in fall 2017, and I wasn’t working much because of my depression.  I’d terminated my friendships with all but one person (I think; I don’t recall the exact timing).  Anyway, I had lots of time but not much to do, and somehow blogging popped into my head. I knew absolutely nothing about blogging at the time, so it was a matter of figuring it out as I went along.
11.       6.Why did you choose your focus on “Mental Health”? Was it your profession, or from personal experience? 
12. It was some of both, but probably more the personal element than the nurse element.  The combination worked well, though.  I also like to keep learning new things, and I have lots of practice looking things up from grad school, so it’s interesting for me to write posts about things that are new or only slightly familiar to me.
13.       7.Where do you see your blog going in five to ten years from now?
14. I have no idea.  I’ve stopped planning for the future, because my illness Is going to do its own thing regardless of what plans I may or may not have.  Instead, I just take things as they come along, and do what seems like a good fit at the time.  Right now, I’m content with my blog as it is, so I’ll just cruise along like this until something changes.
15.       8.If you were told that you needed to choose some other choice to blog about it what topic would that be?
16. I don’t have enough to say on a regular basis about any other topic.  But pseudoscience and social justice are probably the main side topics one my blog.
17.       9.Some people write as a means of self-healing, others write because of their formal education, others just to write about their lives. Which category would your blog belong?
18. I guess it would be self-healing.  I don’t generally write much about my day to day life.  Initially, that was a preference, I just don’t have enough happening in my life to write about it.  I’m not sure self-healing would be the right term either, because I’m not using the blog to work through stuff from the past.  Mostly, I think it gives me something meaningful to do to occupy my time, and it’s a way to connect with other people.
19.       10.What is something that you find gratifying after you write a post on your blog?
20. I always like when people interact with a post, whether that’s liking or commenting.  And it’s especially cool when people take away from a post something that’s relevant to them that they weren’t familiar with or hadn’t thought of before.
21.       11.Last question.  What would you advise someone who is seriously thinking about starting a blog?
22. I’d say learn from what other bloggers have to say, but make decisions based on what actually works for you.  Trying to blog based on what you think others expect from you is a quick way to burn out.

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So dear reader I hope you will find a couple of minutes out of your busy day to visit Ashley’s blog: Mental Health @ Home