Mollie Blackman
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Stories (13)
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The Business of Death: Why the UK Healthcare System is Breaking Its Workers
For six years, I worked in the healthcare industry. It was a career that made me see the world through a different lens — sometimes rewarding, but often revealing things that aren’t spoken about enough. Some days I left with a big smile; other shifts made me want to sit in a dark room for days. It took a long time to realise that my career choice was slowly destroying my mental health.
By Mollie Blackman about 11 hours ago in Viva
The Silence Of Growth: Nearly 30 And No Friends
When we are young, we meet people whom we call friends. We carry these “friends” into our teen years and then into adulthood. Throughout our 20s, we try to keep that circle close, or at least I did. I was someone who thrived on having loads of company and loved sharing everything about my life with everyone. In many ways, I was a total show-off! But now at 29, standing on the doorstep of being 30, I barely have any friends left, and for the first time ever, this is entirely by choice.
By Mollie Blackman 12 days ago in Humans
30 Isn't A "Deadline" Its A Starting Point
I turn 30 this year, and for some reason, everyone around me, whether they are approaching it or have already passed it, seems more panicked by it than I am. 30 seems to be a “deadline” in everyone’s head. The worry is always the same: Is it too late to have children? Should I be further in my career? Should I be a homeowner by now?
By Mollie Blackman 13 days ago in Viva
Survival Tips From A Mum Of 4
Being a parent is challenging! If you have 4 children or even one, it isn’t easy! My eldest is going to be 12 this year. It has taken me many years to learn how to parent without ripping my hair out and becoming totally insane! Every new bundle of joy I welcomed brought a whole new personality into the house and a whole new set of challenges. Even now, it is far from perfect, and I still hide away in the bathroom at times for 5 minutes' silence, but I have learnt to cope a little better than before.
By Mollie Blackman 16 days ago in Families
Being Called Fat And Then Kissed.
Body Image In many countries, the body image is such a big thing, and although we now live in a world where all body types are accepted and people thrive in confidence no matter what their size, there are still many people out there that hate the way they look and still shy away from certain clothing to hide the extra weight there carrying, we’ve all done it, This isn’t something that I ever heard off in Chile. People are different sizes, and they wear whatever they want. It seems they are all comfortable in their own skin.
By Mollie Blackman 17 days ago in Wander
Why I Believe "Man-Flu" Could be Real.
I’ve spent the last four days ill! A sore throat that felt like razor blades was passing through as I swallowed water or food. A cough that burns my chest and brings up some questionable Mucus. A bright red nose from blowing it every 10 minutes. It hasn’t been an easy week, that’s for sure. But as most women do, I’ve got up and still carried on, still needed to get those school runs done, take my daughter to a birthday party, clean the house, and feed the family. It’s what we do, no matter how we are feeling. But it made me think. When my partner is ill, he is really ill. He gets a high fever, chills, sweats constantly, coughs, and can barely move from the bed. No way could he keep doing the things I’ve had to do over the past week. But I can see it's real; he isn’t being dramatic or craving attention. Truth be told, he would rather be left alone when he’s in that state, so it made me wonder: Is the old saying of “Man-Flu” a real thing? Or are women just more resilient?
By Mollie Blackman 20 days ago in Journal
Cultural Shocks As A Brit Living In Chile
It was 2010. People watched a disaster unfold on TV screens all around the world. 33 miners had become trapped in the San Jose mine in Atacama, Chile. For most people, this was an event that prompted millions to pray for the safe return of total strangers. For me, this disastrous event is what led me to call Chile home for 6 years.
By Mollie Blackman 27 days ago in Journal
I Stopped Posting My Personal Life Online (And Never Looked Back)
It’s been a year since I stopped posting everything online. Sure, I still have a TikTok account for the occasional scroll, but I have stopped posting my life! For years, I felt the need to show everything. I would go for a fun day out and as soon as I got home, I would go through the pictures to see which ones I could post, and show off what a great day we had. If my children had a performance at school, I would get a great picture of them and post about it right away! If I got a new job or changed my car, I would again get a picture and post it online!
By Mollie Blackman about a month ago in Journal
The Link Between Sexual Contact And Cervical Cancer I Didn't Know About!
Getting a smear test in the UK is something that a lot of women fear, including me! I didn’t go to get my first Smear until I was 30. I was first invited when I was 25, but never went. To be honest, I didn’t go out of fear. For myself, it wasn’t fear of the test itself; it was the results. Some just find it uncomfortable, and some find it too terrifying to know the results. A lot of women in the UK who need to have the smear test simply think they need to go just to see if they have cervical cancer. This is what I thought. But I think the real, deep truth behind it isn’t shown enough. When I found out about HPV and cervical cancer, I was lost. I felt really silly that I didn’t know what HPV was and how it could cause cancer. I was told this by my doctor during my appointment. Not knowing this made the wait for my results even worse! I kept thinking to myself, " Have I done something wrong? Have I done something that could have given me cancer? The fear of this whole situation quickly prompted me to have this discussion with other women I knew, and I realised I wasn’t alone. A quick Google search can tell you everything you want to know, but why is it not put out there straight away? Women are being told all this information during routine checkups, but what about those who haven’t attended because they're simply too scared to go, or for whatever reason? I would have gone to my cervical screening a lot sooner if I'd known this information.
By Mollie Blackman about a month ago in Journal
How Homework Is Ruining My Families Life
I see a lot of debate about whether homework is a good thing or just creates unnecessary work for children. I am not entirely sure what the right answer is, but now that I have a child in high school, I’m starting to see the reasoning behind the debate.
By Mollie Blackman about a month ago in Education
My Story Of A Baby With Gastroschisis
I was just 17 and living in South America when I found out I was pregnant. I was young, but overjoyed by the news. I always wanted to be a mum. The pregnancy was going OK at first. I had severe morning sickness, which made my face turn purple nearly every morning, but other than that, everything was OK! I attended every single appointment and scan, took all the vitamins I was given, and changed my diet entirely to be as healthy as possible for my baby.
By Mollie Blackman about a month ago in Families
