Reflections - things I learned from 2015

For the second of my 'Goodbye 2015; Hello 2016' blog posts I am writing a list of some of the things I learned in 2015.
Again, I feel like it's a good way to reflect on the past year and maybe one or two of these things might chime a bell with you.

• Sometimes I can't see what's right in front of me

• Sometimes I don't want to see what's right in front of me

• I can procrastinate like a boss

• I can't use phrases like "like a boss"

• First impressions can be very right

• First impressions can be very wrong

• How to use a semi-colon properly; life-changing

• Being kind to yourself is hard

• I always pack too much stuff

• I'd rather regret something I did than regret something I didn't do

• If it feels wrong it probably is 

• Decent haircuts in London don't have to cost the earth 

• Those little blue ticks on WhatsApp are the best thing

• Those little blue ticks on WhatsApp are the worst thing

• Trust your gut

• Forgiving others is easier than forgiving yourself 

• If you really want to spend time with someone you will - and if someone really wants to spend time with you they will

• If you're unsure about something just wait 

• Waterproof eyeliner/mascara ain't always so waterproof

• Just because you feel negatively about yourself doesn't mean it's true - or that other people feel the same about you 

• Wait until lasagne is cold before portioning it up for the freezer or things get very messy

• Even when you feel like your whole world is imploding you can still keep going (and it's probably not your "whole" world)

• Things do get better 

• Pacing is not overrated 

• I'm still recovering 

• Work and studies can get you through tough times

• Friends and family can get you through tough times

• YOU can get yourself through tough times 

• If you can't trust yourself you can't expect others to

• Don't say one thing and do another 

• Be consistent and congruent 

• Honesty is the best policy - especially with yourself 

• Listen to your body

• It's okay to ask for help 

• Don't see everything as a battle

• It's okay to feel like you don't know what you're doing

• However much you plan you will never be able to outwit fate/The Gods/time/death/accidents/illness/anything and everything else

• Happiness feels amazing

• I can surprise myself just as much as others can surprise me

• Life is an incredible, surprising, wonderful thing 

What did 2015 teach you?

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Work: How to apply for a job if you've been chronically ill

If you've got to the stage where your health permits you to seek out work, then this video contains some helpful guidance on how to frame your ill-health.

Useful Links:

http://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/disclosing-illness-to-employer

http://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/blog/2013/march/how-to-explain-a-gap-in-your-cv

http://www.irishjobs.ie/careeradvice/writing-a-cv-if-you-have-been-long-term-unemployed-or-on-long-term-sick-leave/

http://www.michaelpage.co.uk/career-centre/cover-letter-and-cv-advice/how-to-explain-gaps-in-employment-on-your-cv

I really hope you enjoy watching the videos and that they can help you or someone you know. I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like to say, so please do leave a comment below.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Education: How to apply to University with Extenuating Circumstances

This video contains some guidance about how to let universities know about extenuating circumstances and the steps you can take to make things easier.

UCAS website - www.ucas.com

The Student Room threads on extenuating circumstances - www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1402531
www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1614940

Common problems (including extenuating circumstances) - www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/university-personal-statement-issues.html

I really hope you enjoy watching the videos and that they can help you or someone you know. I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like to say - please do comment below!

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

My contribution to the Self-Love Series

A little while ago, I wrote a quick blog post signposting you all to the simply splendid Suzy's website so that you could read the wonderful series she is curating on self love. If you didn't read the post I wrote explaining all about the series and why it's inspiring and positive then now is your chance! (http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/useful-siteslinks-self-love-series.html)

I mentioned that I was also contributing a piece to the series and I'm pleased to say that it's now 'live' on her website here. I'd love for you all to hop on over there to read it.

Please do take a look at the series' archives here. There are some wonderful articles: all about finding health and happiness. There'll also be more self-love posts popping up like little rays of sunshine this winter on Suzy's blog so make sure you check them out!

How to get in touch:


YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_LifeBlog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Jargon Buster - Psychosomatic

A short film explaining the meaning of the word 'Psychosomatic'.

"Your body hears everything your mind says" - Naomi Judd

Links to online information:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mind-body-connection/201306/chronic-pain-syndrome-and-other-psychosomatic-illness

http://staroversky.com/blog/psychosomatic-illness

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/psychosomatic-disorders

I really hope you enjoy watching the videos and that they can help you or someone you know. I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like to say.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life

Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/

Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Drugs and Medication: It's re-think time!

I got an email from a lovely lady called Judy from The American Recall Center asking if I would like to contribute a blog post to help raise awareness about the importance of drug safety. The reason they wanted a post is because this week (January 26th - 31st) is National Drug Facts Week. 
As I believe strongly in being as informed as possible about medications and drug therapies I thought it seemed like a great opportunity to join the conversation and write a piece for National Drug Facts Week. Thank you to Judy for bringing this to my attention (and thinking of my blog!) and also for providing the informative pictures included below.

This is going to sound like a silly statement to make but I'm going to make it anyway...It's really important to understand what the medication you're taking is, why exactly you're on it and what it aims to do for you.

So many of us are now on some kind of prescriptive medication or taking over-the-counter drugs.

In western society we 'pop' pills like they're Tic Tacs, often with no thought to what the medications are really for, what prolonged use of them can mean or whether they're actually solving the problem.

I'm not trying to scare-monger, nor am I advocating ditching medications. Far from it. Many conditions require the use of drugs to control or lessen symptoms. There's no disputing that. I myself have, over the years, needed a cocktail of drugs to manage symptoms and try to 'cure' my ill health.

However, there's also no disputing the fact that a lot of the time we may not fully grasp the impact that taking prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications has on our psyches and our bodies.

All I'm aiming to do with this short post is to highlight the need for us all to be a little more selective and careful when adopting new drugs or medication regimes. 

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if there is anything you can do that will compliment or support your health, without the sole help of medication or even before you try taking medication.

Would a more holistic approach to well-being not reduce the amount of unnecessary antibiotics, antidepressants, sleeping pills etc. that are prescribed?

An holistic approach could involve looking at the underlying cause for repeated infections, insomnia, low mood etc. I believe that the stresses and strains of modern life can make us more susceptible to becoming run-down. 

Some doctors fail to grasp the need to ask questions of their patients, to be more sensitive to their needs and to have empathy with their ills and ailments. Those few extra minutes of concern and care may alleviate the patient's worries and address their concerns. This could help set about a positive chain of results, rather than ending up with the patient clutching a sheaf of prescriptions for unnecessary drugs, which may end up masking the main problem.

It's not necessarily a simple solution as it would involve a rather radical re-think in mainstream medicine. However, I believe it's an achievable and important solution to an endemic problem.

Let's start seeing, hearing and treating people as a whole.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Discovering YOU series - Experience visiting The Guardian HQ

A bit of an unusual blog post. I actually wrote this as part of a class assignment (although I have removed some content before publishing it on here) I thought it might be of interest to those of you who are thinking about or starting to explore the world.  I've also included some photos from the area.
There are many opportunities and experiences just waiting to be seized and lived. I hope that this piece shows just a slice of ways to discover 'you' and what might excite and energise.

The clock strikes three on a beautifully sunny afternoon in London and I find myself gathered with my fellow classmates in The Guardian and Observer’s foyer waiting to be ushered up to the education centre. Surrounding us are walls lined with photographs taken by Jane Brown of many famous and brilliant people from Eartha Kitt to Lucian Freud. The photographs make up one of many exhibitions that take place in the airy and light-filled building found only a stone’s throw from the Victorian masterpiece that is St Pancras International. One of Jane Brown’s displayed photographs is coincidentally of Sir John Betjeman who famously advocated to save many buildings earmarked for demolition including St Pancras train station.

We head upstairs to the education centre and hear an engaging talk from Elli Narewska detailing the history of how The Guardian came into being, the legacy and ethos of the paper. Political machinations and local unrest in Manchester in the early 1800s motivated cotton merchant John Edward Taylor to borrow heavily from friends which enabled him to create The Manchester Guardian in 1821. Luckily, his debts could be repaid as the paper became an industry success story and has continued to be to this day. With the dawning of the technological age The Manchester Guardian became The Guardian and based itself in London. They still produce a newspaper everyday with around 200,000 people reading it but also The Guardian has been developing a huge online presence with their website. This site attracts more than 100 million readers each month and The Guardian enjoys their position in offering this content for no charge.

Our group then had the opportunity to put some questions to The Guardian’s environment production editor Jessica Aldred. She gamely and enthusiastically answered all our questions which ranged from good ways to enter into journalism, how an individual’s mood might affect the team, reader’s reactions and many more. It was very interesting and helpful to hear a working journalist’s attitude to their job and she had some excellent tips. I definitely came away from the Q&A session with a renewed vigour for writing and exploring other avenues and opportunities.

The whole experience of visiting The Guardian and Observer headquarters was an exciting and stimulating outing. I have been left with a sense of optimism about my journalism and feel energised to reach out and explore more chances to write and report on subjects I feel passionate about.

If you have any other stories of doing something a little different or learning something about yourself or your surroundings please leave a comment. I think we can all do with some pepping up from time to time and gaining new ideas about what's 'out there' might help people who are struggling with chronic conditions and recovery. 

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - lifeinrecovery@mail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life