Recently I had a conversation with someone from the Mental Health Foundation. I was looking for feedback about Beautiful Identities, and to discuss any support we may be able to give each other. I got a lot of helpful feedback, but we also had a really interesting conversation, which got me thinking about some of the concepts we discussed.

Flourishing is a term used by the Mental Health Foundation to describe a healthy and happy state of mind. It is note about being sick or not sick, but rather about your overall state of wellbeing. To flourish means to be living your life to its fullest. You can still be flourishing, even if you have a diagnosis. And you can fail to flourish, even if you have never experienced illness.

I think it is great to have a concept of wellbeing that sits outside the health/illness dichotomy. 

What can you do to ensure that you are flourishing? Do you feel like you are flourishing, despite illness, or is this something you need to do further work on?

Hi Everyone! I'm back, I've had a great few weeks, and I hope you have too. It was a wonderful experience seeing how people live in completely different conditions with completely different customs and culture. It was really hard work, for everyone, but particularly for me, and others who had health challenges on top of the challenges in the environment. It was probably the most rewarding thing I've ever done.

I hope you are all getting excited about Christmas and the new year. I think Christmas is a great opportunity to reflect on the year that's been, the good and the bad, what you need to keep in your life and what you need to change. Christmas means different things to different people, but I think it is the perfect opportunity to  celebrate your achievements for the year.

Christmas is also a time to spend with your family. My family has been so important in my health journey, and I don't know what I would do without them. Getting the time to just be with each other, and relax, and to give them all gifts that show that I appreciate them is so special to me. If you don't have a good relationship with your family, then there's no reason why you can't celebrate your friends instead. Close friends are pretty much family anyway.

What achievement can you celebrate on Christmas day? How can you make sure your family knows you appreciate them?

On Saturday I went to Tedx Christchurch, a day of listening to inspirational speakers talking about a variety of topics. It really got me thinking about how I can apply what they said to my own life, and how I can use inspiration as fuel to achieve my goals.

I think that feeling inspired is really important in maintaining a healthy state of mind. I would like to encourage everyone to go and seek out inspiration in your everyday life, whether that means speaking with someone who inspires you, watching a Ted talk, or looking at a work of art, inspiration can come from so many different sources. The reason you need inspiration in your life may vary, whether you want to seek inspiration in relation to living with illness, your career goals, or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, go get inspired! There is so much inspiration out there, you deserve to have a part of it.

How can you get inspired? What do you do to seek inspiration?

Yesterday I went out with some friends for dinner and dessert. Amazing dessert! I've been really focussing on eating healthy, but I thought I would treat myself. I've been working really hard, and have been really busy. I think when you have been working hard and have achieved something, it is important to reward yourself. Make the most of your achievement and take the opportunity to do something you really enjoy.

It had been a long time since I had seen my friends, so it was really fantastic to see them again and just have an enjoyable night, where all stress was put to the side. I was worried about going because I was so tired, but once I got there my fatigue disappeared for the night. Seeing my friends and indulging in some fantastic food was an amazing reward for the work I have been doing.

So this week I encourage you to recognise your achievements, and reward yourself for them by doing something you enjoy, but don't get to do all that often. 

What can you reward yourself for? How do you like to reward yourself?

Today I want to talk about something that I try incredibly hard to do on a daily basis. It is one of the reasons I created Beautiful Identities, one of the reasons I volunteer, and one of the reasons I am working so hard towards my career goals. I'm talking about turning a negative experience into a positive one and creating positive change due to this experience. I think it's something very important.

I was reminded of this during an exercise we were doing in one of my classes where we had to interview another class member about a topic of their choice. I talked to my partner about her experience of volunteering, and I discovered that she had had an extremely traumatic experience in her past. She had used this experience as motivation to volunteer, and to strive for her career goals, so that she would be able to help people who had experienced similar things to her. I was very inspired by this story, and was reminded of how important it is to find positives in everyday life.

When you're faced with ongoing illness, it can be extremely difficult to see the positives. It is really hard. And it's okay to recognise that. But trying to find a way to discover something positive through your experience is really important. The positive will not be the same for everyone. Not everyone is destined to help others with their illness, to become a doctor or a counsellor, and that's okay. But everyone should be able to unearth something positive, whether this is in terms of career goals, inspiration for art, or motivation for exercise/sport. The possibilities are endless. So i encourage to try and see one positive thing that has been inspired by your experience of illness.

Can you see something positive that has come from your illness? What are the barriers to finding this?

Life is full of opportunities. Opportunities to get involved in various activities, meet new people, advance your strengths and abilities. Everyday brings new opportunities. Some are big, some are small. Some fit perfectly with your goals, and others are slightly less relevant. They can still be worth taking hold of.

When I was in school there were many, many opportunities. Sports teams, theatre productions, leadership activities. Though I participated in a small amount during my last year, I took part in very few of these. I felt that I didn't have the energy, I was too shy, there was no point. I don't think anyone should think like this. Opportunities are there for a reason, to enjoy life you have to make the most of them. I'm not suggesting that you try to over commit yourself by taking up every opportunity that comes your way. I'm suggesting that you take a chance, and try something new. You never know what the results could be.

Recently I have been given lots of fantastic opportunities, to grow as a person, to advance my career prospects, to help others. I have been trying to make an effort to grab hold of as many of these as possible. In the beginning, I'm always nervous and a bit reluctant, but the things that have come from these opportunities have been some of the best things in my life. It's ok to feel nervous, but you should give it a go. I'm not perfect. My anxiety still stops me from taking up some opportunities. But, I'm making an active effort to take up as many as I can. These opportunities give you a chance to expand your identity, and to have some extra distractions, and positive things in your life. Never let your illness stop you from taking up opportunities that come your way. You'll be surprised by the results.

What opportunities have you taken advantage of lately? What ones have you passed up that you think you should have latched on to?

Today I want to share with you something a little more light-hearted. This is Marcel the shell. He is well worth a watch, incredibly amusing, and inspiring. Sometimes I think it is worthwhile enjoying something purely because it's funny. It can have a really positive influence on your mental health. 

There are two reasons why I think Marcel is an inspiration:

• He is positive no matter what the situation
• He never lets his differences stop him

Have a look at the videos, and see whether you find him inspiring. Try to pick out the parts that show his positive attitude, and his confidence regarding his differences.

What are your thoughts on Marcel? Are there any other funny videos/movies/tv shows/books that you find inspiring?

Last week I talked about getting stuck in the middle ground, where you can't focus on the little things in your life, yet are unable to focus on things outside your immediate situation. I talked about counteracting this by appreciating the little positive things in life, and looking at life as a series of small experiences, many of which are positive. Today I want to talk about another way of counteracting this; looking at the big picture.

By looking at the big picture, I mean looking outside your own life at the many positive things which are happening in the world. Appreciating how brilliantly people can cope with all sorts of challenges. Remembering, but not dwelling on the fact that there are many worse off than you. I do not mean to undermine the seriousness of your situation. Any ongoing illness is serious, and the experience can be absolutely horrible. What I mean is that by looking outside your situation, you can help to gain a more positive perspective.

I volunteer with an organisation called Starjam, which tutors young people with disabilities in music and performing arts. I am constantly amazed by the strength and resilience of the young people I work with, and this helps to give me strength and resilience.

Some ways of looking at the big picture include: volunteering with an organisation, which, if you're well enough, can be an incredible opportunity; following a blog or website about someone overcoming a challenge, or doing something positive; following social media sites of charitable organisations, which will share pictures and stories of the hope they provide to others, and; helping a friend or family member to deal with a problem, or simply listening to, and focusing on them. By doing any of these, you will start to look outside yourself, and in doing so will gain skills and inspiration to use in your own illness journey.

How can you look at the bigger picture? Do you find that focusing on something outside yourself helps with your struggles?

Sometimes in life I think we can get stuck in the middle ground. Looking at how bad your life is overall, but not looking at the little details of your life, nor looking at anything good that may be happening in the outside world. Today I want to talk about looking at the details, and appreciating the little things. 

When you have an illness, it can be pretty hard to see your life in a positive light. You feel that life is comprised entirely of pain and suffering. Despite any suffering you are experiencing, there will still be little positive things happening in your life. You just need to tune into these, rather than tuning in to the negative. Appreciate a small detail, one positive thing about your day. It can be something tiny, like appreciating a sunrise or sunset. It can be enjoying catching up with a friend. Or making the most of an opportunity to do something you love. Life is made up of lots of little moments, if you look at these, rather than your overall experience, you'll start to see that there are many positive things about your life. Sometimes they are hard to see, but they are always there. 

Don't get stuck in the middle ground. Challenge yourself to see the little, amazing things happening around you. Once you start focusing on these, it will become increasingly easier to notice them, until one day you'll do it without thinking. These little things are more important than you may think. I think when you're feeling unwell, and you're illness is threatening to take over, they are the most important thing in the world.

What little things can you notice today? Do you sometimes feel stuck in the middle ground?

Today is my birthday. I'm another year older and another year wiser (apparently). It feels like a huge achievement to have made it to this day. I've always seen birthdays as a chance to celebrate. To celebrate life, being alive, and having made it through another year of challenges, achievements and growth.

I think being alive is the cause for enormous celebration. Life is a gift. It may not always feel like one. At many times I've felt that there was very little in my life worth celebrating. The challenges and disappointments of illness made my life feel like one nightmare after another. But I believe there's always something worth celebrating. Just being here, existing, is a huge achievement. And it certainly won't be the only one you have made.

I think everyday should be an opportunity to celebrate life, and to recognise the huge achievements we make everyday.

When did you last celebrate life? What achievement have you made today, or this week, that deserves celebration?