The Pieces of MJ

The Pieces of MJ

Munjeeta Sohal

Writer | Mental Health First Aider | trainee Mental Health First Aid instructor | ex primary school teacher | Level 3 counselling qualification (Place2Be)

Starting a foundation course in Counselling and psychotherapy in Jan '21, with a view to becoming a psychosexual relationship counsellor.

Personally passionate about mental health & wellbeing; sex & relationships; living well with type 1 diabetes; veganism; and the intersections between these things.

The5thhouse •

How to Survive the Festive Period

Does the festive period find you rolling your eyes at your dad when he makes his annual holiday toast? Or instigating a fight with your sister over who sits where at the dinner table? If so, you’re not alone. Reverting to teenage you is called “holiday regression”, and (according to Freud) it’s a defence mechanism that is triggered when old family wounds - many of which are not entirely healed - are reopened. So, how do we banish the Ghost of Christmases past?
Peaceful Dumpling •

Why You Should Prioritize Sexual Well-Being & Pleasure As A Part Of Your Overall Wellness

When we think of health, we normally focus on things like diet and exercise, and occasionally branch out to meditation or mental health more generally. But do you ever consider sexual health and pleasure as part of your overall wellness? There are so many explanations for why we don’t usually include sex, many of which relate back to the stigma that society places on it. But here are some compelling reasons for why we would benefit from viewing our sexual wellness as a part of our overall healt
Jo Divine •

Sex and type 1 diabetes | Jo Divine

Sex and type 1 diabetes (t1d) are not often spoken about together, although I really think they should be. As someone who was diagnosed with t1d just as I was hitting puberty, it has been something that I’ve had to manage my whole sexually active life. Here, I write about: - What diabetes is, and the differences and similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. - My own experiences of type 1 diabetes - The different ways type 1 diabetes can affect someone’s sex life - Some things people with diabetes can do to minimise the effects on their sex life - The importance of discussing sex with your diabetic healthcare team

Recurrent Thrush : Why Does It Keep Coming Back? | Jo Divine

Have you ever had thrush? I have. And it isn’t pleasant; it’s itchy, uncomfortable and frustrating. It usually means I have to press pause on partnered sex, and often takes multiple doses of treatments to finally shift it. As someone who has type 1 diabetes, recurrent thrush has been a larger part of my life over the years than I would have liked it to be. The problem is, it’s viewed largely as being “normal”, just something to deal with whenever it happens, which – at times – was every month.
The Swamp •

Implicit Associations

We were asked to imagine our “worst case scenario” when meeting a new client for the first time, the idea being to face into our internalised fears and prejudices. According to my journal entry, mine was: “a physically large teenage boy with a different ethnicity or cultural background (black sprung to mind) displaying violent or non-compliant behaviours and with negative views on women.” It was uncomfortable to admit that, actually, the stereotypes—exacerbated continuously by the media and my predominantly white upbringing—had wormed their way into my being.

allplants | Does Spinach Make you Strong?

For anyone born before the mid-90s, Popeye was an integral part of growing up — the chirpy sailor who used spinach as his secret weapon. Every glug of spinach helped Popeye sprout muscles, beat the baddie and get the girl (it was the 90s). We delved into the truth behind this strange cartoon. Why did Popeye’s creator, choose this green, leafy veg as the source of his strength? And is there any real link between the two? Here’s the scoop.
Diabetes' Daily Drill •

Diabetes' Daily Drill - a candida account

My name is MJ and I [had] been living with Type One diabetes for 16 years, 7 months, 4 days and 12 hours. Not that I'm counting. I am a primary school teacher and I also masquerade as a daughter/ sister/ auntie/ girlfriend/ friend when I have the energy. I have recently moved across the world, from England to Busan, South Korea, and my move has inspired me to start writing (as candidly as I can) about what living with diabetes is really like. For me at least.