22 | Northern Irish. Award-winning mental health campaigner, TEDx & One Young World speaker, suicide survivor, autistic activist. Prev Pure Mental NI Co-CEO. QUB Literific President 2022-23. Diana Award Recipient. WIP alum. https://linktr.ee/MatthewTaylorhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3llys4icsm22dToday I’m celebrating my last ever day of classes at uni, after trying to take my own life less than a year & a 1/2 ago. I’m now just 3 essays away from a graduation I never thought I’d live to see & beginning the hunt for a job in mental health policy/charity or politics sector.04 Apr 2025 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3llys4icsm22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3lg6b7zeqic25After more than a year and a half out of university, including several months in a psych ward, I’m here at my first day back at @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social to finally finish the last semester of my undergrad in Anthropology & Philosophy!20 Jan 2025 11:45 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lg6b7zeqic25https://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3ldrf6bcap224Feeling so immeasurably lucky & grateful to have met my amazing, goofy & kind girlfriend & to celebrate with her this Christmas. I feel so seen & cherished for myself as a person, not just for what I can do. I’m happy. I’m so glad my suicide attempt failed & I kept fighting.20 Dec 2024 22:01 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldrf6bcap224https://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3lbmnjidcvc2nTop of the list on things I’d have missed out on if my attempt had succeeded. Feeling so grateful and at peace. 💛23 Nov 2024 13:56 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbmnjidcvc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3laueie4suk2cI was discharged from the psych ward a year and week ago today. Last year I spent most of my days lying in bed. Today I finished a 2500 word university essay and finished a book last night. It gets better. I promise. Please stay.13 Nov 2024 22:11 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3laueie4suk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3laueie4suk2cI was discharged from the psych ward a year and week ago today. Last year I spent most of my days lying in bed. Today I finished a 2500 word university essay and finished a book last night. It gets better. I promise. Please stay.13 Nov 2024 22:11 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3laueie4suk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3l76lzxfpp325In what to me is an absolutely MASSIVE achievement, I ran my first ever 10k today!23 Oct 2024 13:02 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3l76lzxfpp325https://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3l72aogtm5w2yI apologise to everyone who thinks this is the real NI Assembly account. I completely forgot I made it until I signed back in this evening… [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Oct 2024 19:28 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3l72aogtm5w2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3l72ajqm62u2sI’m back on here! Had an amazing time in New York recently, presenting my policy paper on SEN children and young people in Northern Ireland.21 Oct 2024 19:25 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3l72ajqm62u2shttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3kmztn5b6pc2qAnyone still here?06 Mar 2024 14:01 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3kmztn5b6pc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3kdm7csckuy2i98 days. 14 weeks. Over 3 months. Yesterday afternoon, I was finally discharged from the psych ward & returned home permanently.07 Nov 2023 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3kdm7csckuy2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3kaxns6jkyw2qToday I represented my country and spoke in front of an audience of over 2200 people at the One Young World conference about my experience of mental health & attempted suicide. I was immensely grateful to receive a standing ovation for my short contribution.05 Oct 2023 00:09 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3kaxns6jkyw2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3kauekeu4xv2uI can’t remember a day since I was 10 where I wasn’t disappointed that I woke up. I feel like I’m already dead.03 Oct 2023 16:46 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3kauekeu4xv2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3katd6bqjtl2aI have appealed Twitter’s decision and have received a permanent suspension of my account. I have been banned from the platform for talking about suicide.03 Oct 2023 06:48 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3katd6bqjtl2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3kas7ejcbgw2wMy account has been suspended for commenting under a YoungMinds tweet about the best advice I received about mental health being ‘if nothing matters, you can always kill yourself tomorrow’. Twitter is a cesspit, but I’m honestly heartbroken. It was my one outlet while in hospital. I feel so alone.02 Oct 2023 20:08 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3kas7ejcbgw2whttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3kaabwc2ghu2pI was able to leave the ward to walk to the shop for the first time today! While an incredibly agitating & scary experience, surrounded by constant temptations to run & harm myself, I still managed to keep myself safe momentarily- & I’ve a box of quality street for my troubles!25 Sep 2023 17:05 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3kaabwc2ghu2phttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7yqim7nu62kHow do you feel about your adult autism diagnosis?22 Sep 2023 17:05 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7yqim7nu62khttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7yqgsx7w32dThe Roman Empire of Neurodiversity.22 Sep 2023 17:04 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7yqgsx7w32dhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7yqfegsgn2pMen thinking about the Roman Empire everyday is no match for the power of a neurodiverse special interest. Your little trebuchets and puny testudo shield formations would get stomped into next week by any dinosaur of my choice.22 Sep 2023 17:03 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7yqfegsgn2phttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7tbqlodtp2p20 Sep 2023 12:58 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7tbqlodtp2phttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7tb4vehfu2dIf you have any ideas for what I should make the NI Assembly say next, please let me know- I’ve ran out of ideas. [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Sep 2023 12:47 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7tb4vehfu2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7svrftwhb2cThe Drs when they look at my brain scan results:20 Sep 2023 09:23 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7svrftwhb2chttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7suttlzjs2hJust found out that there is a whale called “52 Blue” which sings exclusively at a 52 Hertz frequency, making it unable to communicate with other whales, nicknaming it “the loneliest whale on the planet”, and I’m not okay.20 Sep 2023 09:07 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7suttlzjs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7qzvfevou2p“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”19 Sep 2023 15:32 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7qzvfevou2phttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewtaylorni.bsky.social/post/3k7qyqwbvhg2uAnyone got a spare BlueSky code?19 Sep 2023 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:47gr52ob5s6z2c4kmci6c4cv/app.bsky.feed.post/3k7qyqwbvhg2u