10 recovery lessons.

  • It is okay to be okay, just as much as it is OK not to be okay.
  • No food is dirty unless it has dirt or mould on it.
  • Your recovery will not look like “Bob’s” because you are not Bob.
  • You don’t have to post about it just to prove it happened.
  • You can’t possible recover “TOo FasT.
  • You do not have to learn to live with your thoughts, you can recover fully.
  • Your therapist is not having you on when she says that journaling helps. Try it.
  • The more you challenge yourself, the better it is.
  • You are always free to start over.
  • You deserve to feel better, even while you feel this way.

Lots of love Sunflowers,

Char xx

Anorexia and Christianity

Hey Guys, it’s Char! How are you! It’s been a long time and I apologise for that!

I wanted to write this blog about my experience with an Eating disorder as a Christian. This can be such a taboo subject in religious communities but it really shouldn’t be so I am here to shed some light on this topic. I talked about this on my Instagram but by recommendation, I decided to do a more detailed blog on here.

As some of you guys now, I was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa, a restrictive eating disorder, when I was 12 years old, 6 months after I joined my current church. My church youth leaders were indeed the first people to realise I was struggling with an Ed, however, I hoped against hope that no one else would find out. I felt so ashamed. So ungodly. And it really hindered my recovery after hospital.

Some of my previous youth leaders ridiculed me for asking questions and opening up about so called taboo subjects that I have experienced or have been wondering about. This led my mindset to become secretly curious and also distressing. Therefore, I still struggle to open up to church goers, even though I trust them.

There is a controversial myth that an eating disorder is a sin to many, many people in these communities. Whilst this is most probably false teaching, it really, really hurt me as a Christian. Not only had I just got out of hospital, I was a healthy weight and I felt like a fake, adding more to the feeling of invalidity in my disorder.

Eating disorders are NOT US. They are extremely addictive,almost like a drug and lust for control. Illness is not a sin and an ED Is an illness, not a choice. Therefore, it is not ok to do someone over in the context of sin just because they have an ED.

Jesus paid the price for all illness, all sin, of all time, just the once on the cross.

Once I realised this, I began to heal. I began to open up more, even sharing a deeply personal testimony at my baptism. By no means am I saying I am 100% healed or that it’s easy, but Jesus is my foundation and he will carry you while you work things out.

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8;1-2

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Feel free to check out this post on my Instagram @positivelycharlotte.

God bless and keep safe,

Lotts xx

To The Bone- ED sufferer’s view 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄

Hey My lovelies!

Long time no see, I’ve missed you guys!

So I’ve had a lot of requests to do a more detailed article on my opinion on the Netflix original “To the bone” staring Lilly Collins. Although I am very keen to do this article, I know this blog could be extremely triggering, depending on where you are at right now. I will try my best to minimise the amount of graphic details and behaviours as I know it’s not helpful BUT TW for this whole blog, just as a precaution.

I personally believe that although TTB is inaccurate in quite a few ways, I found it to ring true in many ways. So if you want to stick around to hear my outlook on this film, please feel welcomed here my lovely.

I am going to be highlighting the good, the bad of the film from both perspectives to give this blog more depth. I will be exploring different themes or scenes separately  so there will be Spoilers.

Competition within sufferers-

Although I hate to admit it, Anorexia, Bulimia ect is a very competitive illness and I have constantly compared myself to other people with regards to my Anorexia, as I’m sure many others of you have too. I personally commend the cast for tackling this theme with such maturity and in such a true light. In a scene where Elen and another patient are discussing how many times they have been in an Inpatient facility. Anna always tops elens lowest weight or times IP. The other people in the group setting are sitting with them at the table, and the conversation clearly made them uncomfortable. As much as I’d like to pretend that competition like this does not happen, YES IT DOES! it freaking does and it sometimes gets nasty. I appreciate the script writer for adding this in as I believe it not only shows competition but also how much unnecessary triggering details are discussed in recovery.

The bottle feeding scene-

In the film, there is a particular scene in which Elen’s mother feeds her with a bottle when she stays with her in Phoenix, showing the closeness that has been lost due to the Eating Disorder and the attempt at re mothering that Judy attempted.  This scene really got to both me and my mum and it can easily make an ED sufferer cry, as it did me (embarrassingly). In my opinion, this is one of the most poignant moments in the film.

Portrayal of the disordered behaviours (trigger Warning) 

Although some people would find the behavioural portrayal in the film too glamorised, I personally believe that the portrayal is extremely cleverly done and makes a point of the sheer behaviour that goes on behind closed doors. It can be triggering as they discuss behaviours such as S*****e,  laxative abuse, water loading, making yourself S***K and more. As much as I did find some of the mentions of behaviours to be triggering, I applaud the actresses and actors for the level of realness and how raw the portrayal is. Just be warned, it is not sugar coated at all so be ready for emotion hell aha.

There is a particular scene involving Anna and her P******g and exercise behaviours and her miscarriage of her baby. Although this is incredibly hard hitting and bloody, it truly shows the devastating effects of an Ed and can deter people from going down the same road.

resistance and push away from loved ones-

Ok, So again, We do not really want to admit that we, as sufferers do this, but it rings very true. When you have an Ed, we are likely to push people away and resist treatment. Something that I loved about this film is that the director did not shy away from this very insightful concept. Personally, I believe that this was an extremely intelligent and well thought out point to make.

individual  therapy and family therapy;

Another thing I appreciated about TTB was that they actually show a family therapy session, a over dramatized scene for some I’m sure but some of you gals and guys have vv turbulent therapy sessions dadada you get what I mean. It is unusual to see such a breakdown of families due to Anorexia ect but I think it is so poignant yet harrowing and shows a broken reality of many family dynamics.

No nonsense doctors and therapists-

I personally loved how take no shizzle the Doctor was. It was clear from the very beginning that he was not messing around and took everything seriously. He also did not make light of anything the patients were going through, a different approach to many doctors or therapists out there. If my therapist is reading this heyyyyyy you’re not one of these people aha.

Although this treatment may not work for everyone, I personally find this approach helpful. I was really glad that the director touched on this.

some of the quotes in this film are incredibly hard hitting and powerful and really touched me. I am gonna include some here for you lovely people. Hopefully these won’t be triggering.

  • “Be good, but not too good, not perfect…. Susan
  • I’m sorry I’m not a person anymore- just a problem…. Elen.
  • Only you can decide it’s good to be alive…. Doctor Beckham
  • I want you to understand that this is no ones fault, nobodies on trial here… DB

There were more things I appreciated but I need to move on otherwise this blog is gonna be so so long so lets move on to the not so amazing points of the film angels.

Elens stereotypical Eating Disorder-

As much as I love that BED, OSFED, AN and Bulimia ect are all covered in this movie, I was disappointed that Elen’s Eating disorder was the stereotypical Anorexia Case. As much as I am not belittling anyone disorder, There are a thousand different ways you can show someone is suffering with an Ed regardless of the way you look and portraying Elen as a stereotypical skeletal Anorexic girl just increases and enforces stigma. I am gonna get so annoyed at this so I’mma move on now lol.

The Eli &Luke romance-

OK, so before anyone gets at me saying, “It’s cute, it gives people hope”This is my opinion. I personally believe that there was no real necessity to make Eli fall in love with Luke. Yes, it is sweet, but what is the point if you are just going to drag storylines that have no real relevance (my opinion). To the Bone is supposed to be showing the harrowing details and give people reality yet optimism. Shoving a romance in the middle, enforces the view inpatient treatment is a holiday camp and you find love. Ok, I see you, you gals that fancy the boy with Anxiety and depression at your unit, but it doesn’t really happen. Well, to some people oof.

In the film, Eli and Luke are portrayed as recovering for each other, a cliche concept. You need to recover for YOURSELF and I just thought that this detail was cheesy and not needed. It does not focus on the real, raw subject matter and I really did not like it.

Lily Collins Weight Loss-

ok, again, controversial, but why in the world would you make the lead actress who had previously suffered with a restrictive disorder lose weight for a role? It confuses me so much and it could be downright dangerous. I really expected better from both the actress, director and the full cast. Having all struggled with an ED themselves, they know how triggering losing weight and restriction is. I thought we now knew better as sufferers. Apparently not. So for now I am gonna try not to get a bee in my bonnet about this.

So lovelies,

I have so many more points I could raise so if you want a part 2, HMU.

Stay strong my angels,

Char xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 tips for New Christians; 1 Gal’s advice

Hey Guys, long time no post! I can genuinely say that i have missed this blogging fiasco! so I know some of you guys have just become a Christian or are pondering your faith, while Its great to find that your slate has been wiped clean in Jesus, You may be feeling unsure of how to begin your crazy journey with him. But don’t worry baby girl/boy. I got your back. Being only 14 years old, I’m still learning as I’m sure I will be for a long while,  but heres my tips for baby Christians which will hopefully ease your “God Anxiety”

Get a bible!;Ok so this may seem really obvious but immersing yourself in Gods world will change you from the inside out so it is essential to grab yourself a bible (Or multiple like ya girl) that works for you. For some, Its Little pocket Bibles, bible in a year, Journaling bibles. Everyone is different so don’t be afraid to hunt around to find what works for you.

Listen to Christian/Gospel music “- Don’t worry guys, I am not suggesting  you get rid of your 1,00000 song rap playlist. If that speaks to you, no one is going to take that away from you, but Christian and Gospel music has been my biggest stepping stone into heart to heart worship. Discovering which music works for you can be overwhelming at first but don’t worry if gospel music doesn’t speak to you straight away. It’s ok. It’s Ok. I feel you. Ride the wave. Ride the wave…

Don’t expect to be healed overnight- Ok so, I know in movies, people get healed straight away with only one word. That’s not necessarily true. I know people who have been healed like this and if you have, great. If you haven’t, also great. Chances are, healing doesn’t happen over night. But take heart. If God wants it to happen, Itll happen. In the mean time, lean in to him babe.

Don’t hold back from asking questions”- It can feel daunting ask Elders in a church a seemingly obvious questions but it doesn’t have to be like that, I promise. Contary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a stupid question and every one in your church or youth group is still learning. You’ll never know everything. That’s totally ok. Don’t be ashamed. It’s OK.

Tell your friends about your faith- I know It may seem scary to open up but I know I wanted to tell the world and his wife about the good things Jesus has done both in my life and others. You may not be like me. You might be anxious, nervous, have social anxiety. It’s ok to be nervous but I’m telling you babe, It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. So take a leap, Go get em girl/boy.

Your story/testimony matters- Your story matters babe, It really does. Don’t hide. Don’t dim your light. Every testimony of faith matters. Wether you’re out saving the world or sitting at home watching Netflix, Your story matters. Period.

start small; There is no shame in admitting that you are overwhemed with all this “God stuff”. It’s ok to start small. If you wanna go all out straight away and go on a mission to Africa, Do it. If you want to go to one youth/bible group a week. That’s ok. Start small. Don’t feel pressured into doing anything you don’t feel ready to do.

Find what worship means to you- Worship means different things to every Christian in the world. Just because something works for your Youth Pastor who moved to America, your mum or that loud kid in your Youth group (AKA me), doesn’t mean it will work for you. You are you, not someone else.

Start a prayer Journal- These are so useful and i would recommend it 3000000 percent. Use it how you wish and I hope you get as much out of them as I do!

Enjoy it! Your faith is a journey that will be filled with doubts and tribulations, yes, but that should not have the power to stop you from loving this crazy, life changing journey that we call faith. So be encouraged, Have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! (JKS)

 

My lovelies, I hope this helped you in some way! Let me know what else you wanna see!!

God bless,

Char xx

 

 

 

What I wish I knew before starting recovery; 💋💋

Hey beautiful people! Its Lotts,

Eating Disorders are hard. But you know that. Recovery is hard. But you know that. whether you’re new to recovery or have been in recovery for 20 years, we all struggle and it’s OK. However, I’ve had an influx of questions relating to what I wish I had known when starting recovery. So ya gal came through and today I’m spilling the tea. So grab a snack if you feel comfortable or just grab something that makes you feel calm and I’ll take you through some of my most valuable points in Eating Disorder recovery.

Your eating Disorder is not you- I don’t know about you, but I definitely believed this thought to be true. However, I hate to break it to you, but you can never truly delve into recovery if you keep believing that your eating disorder= you/your identity. Your identity is not only shown by your Eating Disorder. Why would you want to let go of something you’ve been defined by? But baby girl, cut the ties. Find your identity beyond your disorder. Are you a dancer, a child of God, a good person, a sister? I urge you to find out.  You’re worth it darling.

Anorexia/bulimia ect is not your friend- Imma be real with y’all. I know it seems at times  like Anorexia is your only friend. After all, she/it they (Insert what you prefer your Ed to be known as) has made you push everyone else away right? So it is natural to believe that the voice in your head is the only one who cares about you. Spoiler Alert; your disorder is not your friend. The manipulation, the lies, It’s not a friendly gesture, Your eating Disorder doesn’t want the best for you. The people you’ve been pushing away do. I know it may seem scary to push your Ed away and bring your friends closer. But I implore you to do this. It makes you feel so liberated. It’s worth the battle of “Friends” babe. It’ll  be OK, I promise.

Recovery is not a linear process; OK, this may seem very obvious. I know you’re probably thinking, yeah, yeah, we know. However, in the beginning of recovery, we often want it to be an absolute fairy tale, everything to go all perfect and dandy. The reality of it is; Relapse may happen. In fact, it might be inevitable. Whilst relapse is not something to strive for, they do not mean you have failed, it just means that you are struggling. And that’s OK. It is so OK to struggle so please don’t for a second think that this isnt OK or normal. It’s OK not to be OK.

It might feel as though you’re getting worse before you get better- Ok, so here’s the tea. No one is ever fully “excited” about starting recovery. You may have been forced into so called Quasi Recovery, or maybe you have decided to do this for yourself.  At first it’s gonna feel like It’s all gonna be over soon and you’re not going to have to fight. However, this could not be further from the truth. Although you ARE STRONG ENOUGH, we all have had to go through raised urges, more fear, more distress than we ever did due to our Eating Disorder. This is to be expected and is completely normal. HOWEVER, you are strong enough to fight these urges. You can do this lovely one. I believe in you.

Your own, individual struggle is valid- I know you guys are probably all comparing your recovery to either a recovery account on instagram, Tumblr or IRL. How many times has everyone else been tubed?What was their lowest weight? How many days can they go without food? I know it’s hard to accept. But those people are not you. You have your own struggles, they have theirs. The only person that truly knows your struggles is YOU!! no ones recovery is the same so please try not to compare your journey to others, however, I understand that this may be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. If you take one thing from this blog; YOUR STRUGGLE IS VALID BABE. 

You will be Ok-Yes, It’s cliche I know but, this time in your life will end, it will pass. You are going to be ok. And I am sending my love to you in recovery precious one.

Hope this blog helped you sweet one,

sending LOVE,

Lotts

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How I came To God- My Faith story 🌷🌷

Hiya Lovelies,

As a young kid, I remember being dragged to church every Easter and Christmas; always singing the same monotonous hymn from the same hymn sheet. Occasionally I would end up playing Mary in a school production of the Nativity in which i sat in a dutty costume with a blue towel over my head with a fake doll (they couldn’t even get the gender right so I assumed Baby Jesus was trans from birth, easy mistake right)?No?Ok then..

I had always thought that God was boring, dull and uninteresting, that The Bible was all a load of Codswallop that could never be applied to my life; after all who could apply the words of a book dating back 2700 years old at age 9?If you could get through those passages at a young age unlike me, I applaud you. I really, Really do.

At age 10, I remember stepping back into a church. I felt like I was treading on Eggshells, that it was all conditional and bounded by rules. I felt as though I had no freedom of speech, that every question was burning my insides; waiting to be asked but never feeling free enough to even open my mouth. By the end of the year, I had fully given up my idea of ever finding a faith. Having a hope for my future, Just as the scriptures said. I believed it Wasn’t true. Like everything was forced. Faith for me at this time was unimaginable.

After stewing these ideas for just under a year, At the end of Primary School, I distinctly remember my mum telling me about this church, which happens to be my current second home, New Life. After mum expressing a wish to go and her pestering me for weeks, I reluctantly got in the car on Rainy Sunday Morning and went. As I stepped inside, Everyone was praying and singing praise and I immediately felt as though a hole inside  me had been filled, all my previous feelings dissolved in love. After only a few weeks, New Life felt like my second home and I knew I had to Pursue a faith yet again.

A few fleeting months later, At only 12 years old, I began Struggling with an undiagnosed eating disorder, Body Dismorphia, Anxiety and depression. I felt ashamed. So, so ashamed. As though God hated me and everyone else did to. After all was it so ungodly I would be kicked out of the church I called mine? Things got so bad I ended up in Hospital after being diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa, just 2 weeks before. I distanced myself from God. I believed he wanted nothing to do with me. That I could never come back to him.

After a near death experience at age 13, I began to slowly wrap my head around the Bible again, believing that it was my only hope. As I read, God started speaking to me, telling me that by faith he could heal and how precious I was. More precious than Rubies. At this realisation, I began to put everything I had into recovery in the hope I would make it back to God and Church, to put all this behind me.

When I was discharged from hospital, God had made it clear to me that I needed to get Baptised. Still unsure, I began to reach out to my amazing youth team and we prayed. At a youth service that night, I knew what I had to do. At this realisation I began to cry and thought “Yes God, I will do it!I will do it”

I was baptised by my Amazing Babe of a Youth Pastor Rae Hicks in front of the church on the 28/10/2018 and since then I have never looked back. Through the trials and the change, relapses and tribulations and doubts, I am becoming stronger in who God believes I am and I want to inspire people in both recovery and faith, from here onwards.My Journey is continuous and although it’s a struggle, I have God on my side now. Hope, faith and Most of all, Life!

Yet what we suffer now, is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us Later

Romans 8;8

Big Love,

Char x

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What we want you to know- Living with An Eating Disorder;

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Hey beautiful people! I’ve decided to come back to this writing Melarchy after a long hard brain frazzle and this topic couldn’t be any closer to my, and im sure many others of you’s heart.

I try to just smile and laugh it off when someone tells me to “just cheer up, to “just stop worrying, “just eat” “others have it worse than you ect, but in reality, i want to throw wet sponges in their faces and pretend i’m at a summer fete’. Is that going to get me anywhere?No probably not… But hey! It’s fun i guess.

Mental Illnesses, eating disorders such as Anorexia or bulimia, lets say, are so incredibly stigmatised nowadays that it is honestly breaks my heart. Along with the stigma, which is now rapidly rising, peoples misconceptions of the fear, the hurt, the pressure and the strive that suffers endure in their day to day lives.

Below are a list; Compiled by me and some lovely fighters over on my social media, of what we  believe it would be helpful if you knew. If you have ever believed or still believe any of these myths and comments, please DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER IT! We are all human and we aren’t perfect. This post is purely to raise awareness and is not aimed at anyone in particular. Names of people will not be given and everyone will remain Anonymous for the sake of privacy.

“My Eating Disorder is not for attention. It is not something i have chosen to do to myself. I would not wish Anorexia on anyone, not even my worst enemy.”

“I don’t just want to be thinner, I never wanted to be Thin. It is not about being thin at all. Losing weight was my coping mechanism and i used it when i felt like everything else was spiralling out of control.”

“Eating disorders do not make us vain. It’s not just about loving ourselves a bit too much. I developed such a dislike to my body and feared that it was constantly changing. Mirrors were my safety net to fall back on if everything got too much.”

“An eating disorder is a Mental Illness with some physical side affects not a physical illness with mental side effects. I will not always look like i’m struggling, but it doesn’t mean I’m not.”

“I wish people knew that eating disorders don’t care who you are. They do not discriminate against anyone, unlike Donald Trump….”

“My Eating Disorder will not just go away overnight, everyday, I wake Up, and I have to continue to fight, again, and again.”

“I wish you knew how terrifying it is to have a disorder that centres around the very substance that keeps you alive and the substance that you need to live and exist in this world as a platonic soul. It is devastating.”

“Eating disorders do not only affect us at the table. They take over your entire life. It messes up how you see nearly everything. Even your Existence.”

” From day to day, we can go from 0-100000 in 5 seconds. One minute i can be watching Matt Perry and Jennifer Aniston arguing over a game of poker and 5 seconds later, i’m panicking over tomatoes and water. It is absolutely exhausting”

 

Honey, i’m so glad you took time out of your day to read this blog as it means so much to me and so many others. If you or someone you know is affected by anything mentioned above, please reach out to someone. it gets better. It Does. I promise.

BIG LOVE,

Char

 

 

 

 

 

 

14 lessons,14 years//Lotts ♥️♥️

Hey Beautiful People!!!,

So as some of you lovelies know, this bean recently turned 14 which means I am supposedly more sensible…  if you know me,I will let you be the judge of that. Anyway, I’ve seen this done so manyyyyy times and I thought it would be fun. Little did I know,I was about to find out how embarrassing and cliché I was and still am to this day. From the sublime to the ridiculous, i compiled 14 lessons I’ve learnt in those 14 years. Here goes…..

  1. Do not shave off your eyebrow off to see what it would look like. Surprise surprise, it looks just like you’ve shaved your eyebrow and now you look stupid. I mean, if you’re going to do it, at least make it equal and shave the other one! 😉
  2. Do not pretend  to like something that you really hate just for the sake of fitting in; Seriously, it will not end well. And it’s not worth the embarrassment when someone finds out you’re bluffing and that you have no idea what you’re on about.
  3. There will never be another version of you! Make the most of that!;  Yes I know what you’re thinking, ” This is in every one of your blogs!!” Yeah, you’re right! It is but it’s Lotts tradition and simply has to be thrown in the mix. Really ponder this my darling, read this again and simply take this information in in a way that feels right for you. You are unique and that’s more than ok.
  4. Don’t eat playdough; OK, yep, enough said. Take note 2 year old Char.
  5. Don’t ignore advice from your parents;Now if my Mum and Dad are reading this, they’re probably having an “Charlotte Kate Beesley!I told you so!” moment behind their screens but  As much as this is cringe, it is TRUE!! Your parents have lived through pain, heartbreak, sadness and break ups too so take what they say and remember to guard your heart.
  6. Don’t wait for the perfect day to come; The truth is, no day is perfect and everyday has potential. Do not write a day off as a bad day. It will pass. Ride the waves. It’s ok.
  7. School is not actually a waste of time; Listen, take notes, revise. As someone who has way to much homework to do before next week, I understand your struggle. I have been there and i’m still in that place currently. I know school can be an emotionally hard experience for many people but it is also amazing and i’ve learnt so much not just accademically but emotionally, spiritually and creatively as well.
  8. It’s ok to ask for help: OK, admit it. You know me by now, you most likely knew that this was going to come up. Its absolutely amazing having someone to listen when you need it most and it is extremely beneficial. So my lovely, if life is getting you down, I understand. Please reach out to someone you love and trust. It does the world of good.
  9. Don’t Play Tag blind folded; It will end in tears and it will also be painful.
  10. Ending friendships isn’t Armageddon and you will not be lonely forever; Ending a friendship can often be heartbreaking and you will often need time to yourself to grieve and process, but it won’t all be doom and gloom forever. You’ll find a gem again, don’t worry yourself too much.
  11. Don’t fall on your face in front of famous people; Oh dear Char, this has happened one too many times hasn’t it….
  12. Read Regularly; As a Massive book nerd, this has always come naturally to me from a really young age but i cannot tell you how much I adore them! Escaping in to another world is such a break from reality.
  13. Teen relationships are not essential and often end in heartbreak 5 months later; Seeing the majority of my friends with boy/ girl friends at 12/13 initially made me jealous but they are not everything. If you are taken, Great!! if you’re not, ITS OKKKKKK!!
  14. It’s going to come out right!; keep going, keep praying, keep fighting. You’ll get there!

Big Love,

lotts

 

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Valid-a letter to my younger self 💛💛

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Dear Baby Char,

I want you to know that are going to make people so so so proud. So proud! You are going to shine so so so bright.

Peer Pressure, Bullying, Social Media, comparison… Lovely, you’re going to face it all. But nobody has the right to tell you that you are not good enough because you deserve to be yourself. Make your voice heard, share your love. Life is too beautiful to hide yourself away.  Someone needs you, We value you, You are special.

There are going to be times in this beautiful mess of a life that your going to forget how precious you are. But place all your worth in  the lord and not in what people think of you because the truth is, he is the pure substance of love. I will never give up on you, I want to hug you tight, tuck you up and stroke your hair while you drift off to sleep, dreaming of candy and unicorn fantasy land. You deserve to be an innocent young lady; eat ice cream in the pool while pretending that you’re a Disney princess, stay up late, laugh your head off at sleepovers while you smear chocolate cake all over your little face. Have fun without a care in the world.

Life is about more than hating your body after you’ve looked in a mirror for the fiftieth time that day. It’s about more than comparing yourself to models after endless Instagram scrolling. Your body is good enough just the way it is. The way your hair frizzes after your school sports day, The way your stomach may roll after a memory filled day at the beach, after a pizza while watching BGT with your family. Don’t strive to change it, don’t starve it, punish it, hate it. It’s your protection, your home, IT’S YOURS AND ONLY YOURS!!! It deserves to be looked after. It loves you.

Sooner or later, you will gather up the courage to go out into the world as YOU, Charlotte Kate The world needs you. Not the photoshopped, filtered, edited version. The girl who shows passion, the girl whose  eyes light up when she talks about something she loves, the authentic, Flawed, bubbly girl who can and WILL make a difference. So keep going!you’re gonna make it some day.

I love you,

Char xxx

This blogging fiasco ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hello Beautiful People!

I’m Charlotte! Although my family call me Char. (Snotty Lottie if they are feeling rebellious or they have just lost to me after I claimed Park Lane in a family game of Monopoly.But hey, I guess that’s family for you.)

I am a massive believer that self-care, prayer and chocolate can fix absolutely anything, no matter how big or small the problem you face.

some people stop and moan about the rain, others just get wet, and simply move on 💙💙💙💙

After all, your life is like a box of chocolates because you always choose the one that you are attracted to the most. Whether you choose a life like Cadbury’s Dairy Milk ( overlooked but amazingly successful) or you chose the out there, adventurous life of the vegan chocolate that you get for hideous prices at my local TESCOS.Each is incredibly important so I encourage you to make the most of it!

please, please never be ashamed to be completely, uniquely you. You are Incredibly valuable. Never ever forget that.

Big Love,

Lotts!!

Ps; if you have any suggestions, questions or simply want someone to listen, the best way to reach me is via my Instagram account @positivelycharlotte