2018: The Year It All Clicked
I don’t think it’s possible to have a perfect year. 12 months / 52 weeks / 365 days: all too big a time-span to guarantee…
Personal archive
Read about my battles with Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), my mental health, surviving both childhood sexual abuse and a 12 year relationship plagued with emotional abuse, as well personal projects / challenges, and anything vaguely Jem-related.
I chose to drink. It was rubbish.
(I originally posted this on reddit, but want it recording here as part of my journey.) I had a drink on Saturday night. I made…
My PMDD is Under Control
For the uninitiated and new readers amongst you, PMDD is an extreme version of PMS/PMT. It can cause cyclical feelings of anxiety, depression, anger and…
Reflecting on a Rollercoaster Year
I can’t really think of any other way of describing 2017? Starting the year with a massive unexpected tax bill (sound familiar?) was an uphill…
Just be chill about it
Gaz asked me one Saturday a few weeks back — as I ordered a vodka cocktail — whether or not I’d given up on the…
Sex, Sexuality and Consent
When I was, ooh… 17 years old (give or take) I wrote a “dirty” poem for the man I thought I was in love with.…
Baring All
I plonked my wibbly wobbly stretch-marked belly (maybe NSFW, features underboob) on Instagram last night. It came off the back of a conversation with a gorgeous,…
Tribute (Robert Addison, July 1981 – July 2017)
A tribute to Robert ‘Bobby’ Addison, as read out at his service today. It would be… incongruous to stand here and tell you all what…
Death, Depression and Drink
Content warning: suicide, mental health, addiction On Wednesday I sat down and mentally compiled a tribute to my brother, whilst assembling an IKEA table. There’s…
Radical Self Love
I posted this picture to instagram at the end of May: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jem 'jemjabella' Turner 🏳️🌈 (@strongmum_)…
The essure sterilisation procedure, one year on
I say one year on… it’s actually 15 months on, but it’s taken me so long to finish writing this post (as with all posts)…
Detox teas, crash diets and the gallbladder
I recently supported a short instagram campaign by the UK Fitness Bloggers highlighting the dangers of so called ‘detox teas’ and their call to use…