Finlay Games

12 Practical Strategies on How to Stay Sober During The Festive Season

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A tall glass of liquid with mint and lemon, with sprigs of mint and ice cubes next to it. Text reads how to stay sober, 12 practical steps for the festive season

The festive season is that time of year when overindulging on alcohol seems to be completely justified. Christmas and the holiday season can, therefore, be difficult to cope with when you are in recovery, or even just trying to limit your intake. I have been sober since 2010, and although the holiday season isn’t as tough as it once was, I still must be vigilant and look after my recovery. In this blog, I will share my tips on how to stay sober during the holiday season and protect your recovery.

The Best Self-Care Gifts for Anyone and Everyone

By Finlay Games

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In Mental Health

Person holding a gift wrapped present with Christmas tree in the background. Test reads self-care gift ideas the ultimate guide to gifts for anyone and everyone

Self-care is not just for Christmas! Seriously, self-care is something we all need to do more of. Lives are busy and stressful, and taking time out to care for ourselves is vital. Self-care means different things to different people, but essentially, its spending quality time taking care of our mind and body. One of the nicest gifts you can give someone (and yourself!) is something that promotes self-care. In this blog, I share some of my favourite self-care gifts to give and to receive*. In here you will find something for every budget and for any gender.

How to Prepare for Top Surgery

By Finlay Games

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In Top Surgery

Doctors surgeons and consultants walking down a hospital corridor. and the inside of a suitcase. Text reads top surgery preparing for surgery and hospital kit list

Good recovery from surgery starts with good preparation. Preparing for your top surgery procedure well in advance will help to give you a great head start in your healing process. In this blog, I will share my tips on how to prepare for top surgery*.

6 Self-Development Books That Changed My Life

By Finlay Games

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In Mental Health

In today’s blog, I want to share my top favourite self-development books with you. Whether you call them self-help, self-improvement or self-development books, these are always my favourite genre of books to read. I love these types of books because every time I read one, I learn something new about myself and the way I interact with the world, and I grow from the experience.

Change Your Life- A Guide On How To Begin

By Finlay Games

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In Mental Health

A long deserted road stretching out for miles in the dessert towards a vast mountain range. Text overlay reads, changing your life, a guide on how to start out on the journey of change

I am incredibly passionate about change and share about my own changes often. I have changed my entire life, in a relatively short space of time. From addiction to recovery, from living as female to transitioning to male, from being held back by poor mental health to learning to live my life around it. These profound changes have made me passionate about helping and inspiring others to make changes in their own lives. Often, when I talk with people about change, the common response is, ‘How did you change your life? I don’t know how to begin’. Therefore, in this blog, I want to answer that question. Whilst I would love to offer you a magic ingredient, it is not in my power! Instead, I can share the things that I have found helpful in my change journey. I hope you find them helpful too.

Writing for A Living – A Progress Update

By Finlay Games

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In Career and Study

Progress chart on a table, text overlay reads, writing for a living, reviewing my goals

A little while ago, I decided I wanted to explore the option of writing for a living. Since that time, I have been on an incredible self-employment adventure! In today’s blog, I want to reflect on the goals I initially set and evaluate how things have turned out. Although this blog is more of a reflective piece, perhaps sharing my process may also be useful to someone who is in a similar position*.

Why Coming Out Day is Difficult When You’re Transgender

By Finlay Games

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In LGBTQ+ Life

Person running with a transgender flag. Text read, coming out day why its hard when you're trans

I find myself torn between pride and concern on Coming Out Day. On the one hand, I love that our society has evolved to the point that we now celebrate people coming out. On the other hand, I wish it wasn’t a big deal. I look forward to the day where it doesn’t matter what our sexual orientation or gender identity is. A day when we just accept that people can fall in love with other people of any gender. A day when we also realise that gender isn’t straight forward and for some people, they need to define themselves differently. I can dream.

The Benefits Of Sharing My Mental Health Story

By Finlay Games

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In Mental Health

Finlay Games smiling at the camera. text reads why I share my mental health story

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and I want to talk about why I began to share my mental health story. I also want to talk about why I think it is still important that I continue to do so. This blog has been written in support of the This Is Me campaign, which aims to raise awareness and change attitudes about mental health, by the sharing of personal stories.

Take Out The Trash | Spring Cleaning My Life

By Finlay Games

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In Mental Health

Hand wearing a rubber glove holding a bright yellow cleaning spray bottle. Text over the top read, take out the trash, spring cleaning my life using the konmari method

Over the years since I began my recovery, I have been consciously invested in my self-growth. I love that feeling of shifting and changing and learning new things about myself. Sometimes, I will experience a sudden shift, seemingly out of the blue. A sudden shift is what appears to be happening to me at the moment, and I feel it is time to do some spring cleaning of my life.

Feeling Stressed? R.E.D.U.C.E For Mental Health

By Finlay Games

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In Mental Health

A person sat on a jetty looking out across a lake which is surrounded by mountains. Text reads reduce. an acronym to manage stress

Stress is problematic for us all. Left unchecked, stress can lead to increased anxiety and low mood. However, when you have existing mental health challenges, being mindful of stress becomes even more critical. In my mental health journey, I have learned that I must deal with stress quickly, to avoid any negative impact on my wellbeing. To do this, I created the acronym R.E.D.U.C.E to remind myself what I need to do to take care of myself as soon as I notice I am feeling stressed.

How to Choose Your Top Surgery Surgeon

By Finlay Games

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In Top Surgery

Surgeons face covered with mask, text overlay reads top surgery, how to choose your surgeon

Chest dysphoria is extremely painful and understandably we want to find a surgeon as quickly as possible. However, it is important to take time to decide, so you can find the most suitable top surgery surgeon for your needs. In the following blog, I am going to share how I found my surgeon. I hope that these tips will help you to begin your own research process.

Sober Life is Far From Boring (An Announcement!)

By Finlay Games

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In Mental Health

Finlay Games holding an alcoholics anonymous 24 hour sobriety chip. Text reads , sober life is far from boring

I feel compelled to write this blog to share some incredible news with you all. This week, I received the official confirmation, that I am to be a TEDx Open University speaker! This news comes at a poignant time for me, because this week, I also celebrate nine years clean and sober. Being given such an incredible opportunity stands as a testament to how far I have come. And to think, I worried that my sober life would be boring!