#MHBlogAwards - The Excitement, The Anxiety, The Irony.

On Saturday 28th July I will be attending the #MHBlogAwards which has been set up by the wonderful Mike Douglas, who you may already know for his fantastic blog and podcast - Mike's Open Journal.

I found out about all the work Mike does for mental health when my blog started to pick up a bit more, and last year I was lucky enough to bump in to him whilst on a lunch break at work. He is a delightful young fellow and huge advocate for mental health. Why not check out his blog to see all the work he is involved in - simply click on the image below.

Thanks to the hard work he has put in, he has managed to get some great sponsors for the event, including: Instant Counselling, The Lost Boy, Calm Man, Zumos, and FunkyPigeon.com. Beautiful Chaos Photography will be capturing images of the event and I will be there as part of Queer Coffee Productions to film.

As well as this, my blog, this very one, has been nominated for an award - Micro Influencer of the Year.

**If you would like to vote me for me, you can do so by clicking here, or the image below.**

In reality, this is a really exciting opportunity. It's a chance for me to network with other bloggers, mingle with like-minded people, possibly make some new friends, and be involved in the world of mental health once again.

The irony is, my anxiety is all over the show. I get nervous going to big events, especially when I don't really know anyone. I have a film degree and I have all the gear I need to film the event, but my brain is telling me I won't be good enough, the shots will be terrible, my equipment won't work, the sound will come out all wrong.

On top of this, I need to get there. I have driven to Portsmouth many times, but I still get the fear. It's the summer holidays and I never trust other drivers at the best of times. I could get the train, but then I panic about travelling. What time do I need to be up, ready, at the station, on the train? Will I get stranded and be unable to get home?

I know the drill. I know my brain is overthinking things and making my mental health worse than it needs to be. I know the tools and tricks to calm myself - take it one step at a time. Plan ahead. Deep breaths. It's a huge mix of emotions all creating that sick, sinking feeling in my gut.

I know I'll go and I know I will have a great time...If i don't I end up letting people down and I will regret it far too much. This is the fun and true beauty of mental health, everyone. Despite a crippling fear which will leave me thinking up any and every excuse I can not to go, I HAVE to go!!

Sweet, sweet, irony.

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone and excited to see the winners of the awards...you all deserve one though, you're all amazing.

There are still tickets available if you would like to come along. All the information can be found here!

Here's to kicking mental health in the balls!!