Sunday Snipet : i believe in romeo zoe forde

Welcome on this Bank Holiday Sunday, today I am featuring the lovely Zoe from I believe in Romeo.

Zoe's blog focusses on mental health and wellbeing. It is about her mental health and her journey through it. Mental health is very important and I love this blog as it gives people an insight into how people cope with this problem, and how hard and frustrating it can be to be that person. Check out our interview below.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Zoe Alicia and I am a 23 year old mental health blogger from Dublin. Five years ago I was diagnosed with depression, and every day since has been a journey to understand, accept and recover from my illness. I blog at I Believe in Romeo (www.ibelieveinromeo.com) where I chart this journey.

2. How did you get into blogging and why?

When I was first struggling with my depression I felt so alone. I thought that no one in the world cared about me or understood what I was going through. My blog is a way for me to make sure no one else ever has to feel as alone as I did. If sharing my story and my journey helps just one person then it was worth it.

3. What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog?

I work full-time in Communications, and I also work part-time (evenings and weekends) in a boarding school. On top of that I volunteer with the charity for older people ALONE, and am an ambassador for mental health stigma reduction partnership See Change.

4. Are you a full time blogger?

Somehow, in between all of the above, I also manage to fit in blogging. It takes up most of my spare time and over the past year it has become my number one passion. Someday I would like to write full time, but until then I’ll keep juggling.

5. How do you keep coming up with content for your blog?

At the minute I’m immersed in so many self-help books as part of my ten month self-improvement programme, The Romeo Project, that ideas for content just keep flowing! I am trying and testing all the tips, methods and madness that these books recommend in the hope of leaving my mental illness behind and finding real happiness. The past few months have been filled with everything from decluttering to creating a Life Handbook to making a self-care box and finding reasons to live.

6. Name some of the bloggers whom you look up to and why?

Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers is the reason I started my blog. I saw what she was doing and the impact she had by sharing her mental health story and I was moved to do the same thing.

I love LilliWhiteRose, Where is My Mind? and Claire by Reverie who foster a sense of community among Irish bloggers.

7. Name the top blogs you read?

Jen Ronan writes about an incredible mix of life stories in a heartfelt and humorous way.

Marteen Lane writes an incredible travel blog to meet all your wanderlust needs: It’s a Travelful Life.

Amy J Walters covers everything from beauty to lifestyle to charting her own mental health journey. She also set up the #mindsmatter chat for bloggers to discuss mental health on Twitter every Tuesday at 7pm.

8. What makes you read the above blogs?

I love bloggers who write with integrity and let their personalities shine through. From reading only one post by the bloggers above, you really feel like you get to know them and you want to be their best friend. (Hi girls! Message me and we can be besties!) The offer something different to other blogs; and for me that something different is why I keep revisiting them.

9. Tell us something we don't know about you?

I’m so open and honest on the blog, that you’d be hard pressed to find something my readers don’t already know about me. But for everyone else out there – I’m neurotic, anxious, organised but also a total nerd who loves nothing more than geeking out to superheroes, Pokemon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and true crime.