From Bed Bound to Stronger: A Gentle 12-Week Recovery Journey

 

Always consult your healthcare team before starting a new exercise programme. Stop immediately if you experience dizziness, chest pain, severe breathlessness, or worsening symptoms.

From Bed Bound to Stronger: A Gentle 12-Week Recovery Journey

 

Always consult your healthcare team before starting a new exercise programme. Stop immediately if you experience dizziness, chest pain, severe breathlessness, or worsening symptoms.

#MusicMonday♫

 

I don't think it's a secret that Florence + The Machine is one of my favourite bands, and lately I've been listening to The Old Religion and Sympathy Magic on repeat.

Both songs have that signature Florence feeling that I love so much. They're dark, atmospheric, and full of beautiful imagery. The lyrics feel almost dreamlike, as if they've been pulled from an old fairytale or a forgotten myth.

The Old Religion feels haunting and emotional, while Sympathy Magic has a mysterious quality that keeps drawing me back. Neither song is one that I can simply put on in the background. They demand my attention every time I listen.

One of the reasons I love Florence's music so much is that it always feels bigger than just a song. It feels like a story, a painting, and a piece of poetry all at once.

These two have quickly become favourites, and I have a feeling they'll be staying on my playlist for a very long time.

 

Hunting Adeline & My Thoughts on the Cat and Mouse Duet

After finishing Haunting Adeline, there was absolutely no way I wasn't picking up Hunting Adeline.

The moment I finished the first book, I needed to know what happened next. I didn't even give myself a break between the two books. I went straight from one to the other because I was too invested in the story to stop.

While Haunting Adeline focuses heavily on the mystery, tension, and the relationship between the main characters, Hunting Adeline takes things in a much darker and more emotional direction. It explores trauma, survival, healing, and resilience in ways that genuinely surprised me.

There were moments throughout Hunting Adeline that were difficult to read. Not because they were badly written, but because they were written well enough to make me uncomfortable. Some scenes stayed in my head long after I put the book down, and I think that's part of why the series has become so popular. It makes you feel something.

As for the spice... yes, these books are spicy.

Very spicy.

If I had to rate them, I'd probably give them a solid 5/5 on the spice scale. The romance is intense, obsessive, possessive, and definitely not what I would describe as a traditional love story. If you're looking for a sweet romance, these probably aren't the books for you.

That being said, I don't think the spice is the reason people become obsessed with these books. For me, it was the atmosphere, the suspense, the mystery, and the constant feeling that I needed to know what happened next.

The Cat and Mouse Duet is one of those series that people seem to either adore or completely dislike. Personally, I can understand why it has developed such a dedicated fanbase. The books are addictive. Once I started, I found myself constantly thinking, "Just one more chapter."

Would I recommend them to everyone? No.

Would I recommend them to readers who enjoy dark romance, morally grey characters, suspense, mystery, and stories that push boundaries? Absolutely.

Overall, I ended up enjoying both books far more than I expected to. Haunting Adeline pulled me in, but Hunting Adeline was the book that kept me emotionally invested until the very end.

Just make sure you read the trigger warnings before diving in.

Now I have the same problem every reader has after finishing a series they loved: What on earth am I supposed to read next?

From Bed Bound to Stronger: A Gentle 12-Week Recovery Journey

 

Always consult your healthcare team before starting a new exercise programme. Stop immediately if you experience dizziness, chest pain, severe breathlessness, or worsening symptoms.

Sertraline and Aripiprazole

For a while now, I have been taking two medications: Sertraline and Aripiprazole. Since I often write about OCD and mental health on this blog, I thought I would share a little about why I take them and how they work together.

Sertraline is an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), which is one of the most common types of medication used to treat OCD. It works by increasing the amount of serotonin available in the brain, which can help reduce anxiety and make intrusive thoughts feel less overwhelming.

Many people with OCD are prescribed an SSRI as a first-line treatment, but sometimes an SSRI alone isn't enough. That's where Aripiprazole can come in.

Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic medication, but despite the name, it is used for many different conditions and at different doses. In OCD, it is sometimes prescribed alongside an SSRI when symptoms are particularly persistent or difficult to treat.

While Sertraline mainly works on serotonin, Aripiprazole affects several brain chemicals, including dopamine and serotonin. Researchers believe that this can help reduce the intensity of obsessive thoughts and improve the brain's ability to let go of certain thought patterns.

The easiest way to think about it is that Sertraline is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to treating the OCD itself, while Aripiprazole is there to give it a helping hand. Rather than replacing the SSRI, it is often added to boost its effectiveness.

Of course, medication is never a magic cure. OCD recovery still involves therapy, learning new coping strategies, and a lot of hard work. Medication can make that work more manageable, but it doesn't do the work for you. Medication often takes time to show its full effects, and finding the right treatment can involve a lot of patience. For now, I'm taking things one step at a time and hoping this combination will help me continue moving forward.

As always, this is simply my personal experience and not medical advice. Everyone responds differently to medication, and what works for one person may not work for another.

#MusicMonday♫

 

Every now and then I come across a couple of songs that completely take over my playlist, and right now those songs are Drumming Song (Live BBC Proms) and Bird Song (Live BBC Proms) by Florence + The Machine.I've loved Florence + The Machine for years, but there is something special about these live versions. They feel bigger, more emotional, and somehow even more powerful than the studio recordings.

Drumming Song feels like pure energy. It starts building and building until it feels impossible not to get swept up in it. The drums, Florence's voice, the orchestra behind her — everything comes together in a way that makes me want to turn the volume up and get completely lost in the music.

Then there's Bird Song, which has always been one of my favourite Florence songs. There's something dark and beautiful about it. It feels almost like a fairytale, but one that's gone slightly wrong. The live version somehow makes it even more haunting, and Florence's voice sounds incredible throughout.

One thing I love about Florence + The Machine is that their music never feels flat to me. It feels alive. The songs are full of emotion, drama, and imagery, which is probably why I keep coming back to them whenever I need comfort, inspiration, or simply something beautiful to listen to.

Lately, these two songs have been on repeat more times than I care to admit. Every time they finish, I find myself pressing play again.

If you haven't heard the BBC Proms versions yet, I highly recommend giving them a listen.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm probably going to go listen to them again.