Thank U, Next

After listening to Ariana Grande's 'Thank U, Next' and becoming a little bit obsessed with it I thought I would take inspiration for it and write my own 'Thank U's' to the people/things  that I'll be leaving in 2018.

Dick.

You fooled some people with your lies and cover, but you couldn't fool me. 5 months of hell   and digging the knife in wasn't enough for you. I think you even believed yourself at times but thats ok because you taught me that I can survive pretty much anything. You're not having anymore time or energy from me so 2018 is where you'll stay because I'm getting better not bitter.

Kent.

6 whole months. 6 months you strung me along to literally just stop. I gave you the benefit of the doubt but you liked control, you liked to feel you were better, to try and make me feel worse. You taught me something though and that was your mistake. You taught me that I know how I deserve to be treated, and what I want and you weren't/couldn't give me that. So thank you, thank you for making me realise how far I've come.

Mo.
You didn't do anything majorly wrong, you also tried to be there, but you were thoughtless and careless at a time when I was so fragile and for me that showed everything. It showed me that you weren't there because you wanted to be there for me more you needed me to be there for you.

I'm so grateful you three showed me your true colours and taught me things about myself. I'm so thankful there is a group bigger than these three of people who will/are no longer a part of my life. 

So 2018 thank you, next.

*Names have been changed.

Changes

I used to think my life was so repetitive, especially when I was younger, I had the same classes, same teachers, wore the same type of clothes/colours to school, had the same friends, some even from before nursery. Ate at pretty much the same time everyday, went for a walk at the same time everyday. It was mundane and boring. Even as I got to uni in the beginning I would stick to the same trusted favourites, favourite bars, favourite shops despite having so much more choice than before, but as I sit here now I realise how much can change in such a short while.

I never fully understood how they say your whole world can turn upside down in a moment. I got why people felt that but it had never happened to me. Everything always seemed to happen after having time to prepare. I had members of my family with cancer, it gave us time to prepare for their death. I knew when I hadn't done well on an exam or as well as I wanted and could prepare for that.

However I couldn't prepare for my Nan's death, she was seen by a doctor only 15 minutes before the ambulance was called, a friend had resuscitated her whilst the ambulance was on their way. I'd called from work to see how she was as we were waiting for the doctor. I didn't know I would drop out of uni until the day I sent that email. All within just under 6 months. Within 10 months things I never thought would happen did. I left a dream behind, I for once let go of education, something that brought so much pain but so much joy. I was putting myself and my health first. 

I felt so low, despite somethings being my decision. I was saddened it had come to this, I felt ashamed that I'd given up but relieved I wasn't going through the torture I felt for so long anymore. I wasn't a failure but I was full of 'What if's?' I finally began to smile but my confidence disappeared. In one week I began to fall out of love with my dream career, I began to smile again, feel relief and my health and mental health improved rapidly.

One person, one event can change everything, for better or worse. At the same time, one decision you make can change your life instantly. Leaving a toxic relationship, crossing the road when you see traffic running, going on that spontaneous trip, getting into someones car who's been drinking or starting that new diet.

Its important to be cautious with the decisions we make and try and make the best ones for us, even if its within a split second.

Life Update

It's been a while since I've done a life update on this blog. So here is a brief summary of whats happened;

1. I started a postgraduate course at university. This was to help me enter my dream career, a dream I've had since I was 15. The reason I was so determined to do everything I had done up to that point.
2. I lost my Nan. There's been 2 posts on that so you can read those for the impact of that.
3. I finished my first placement. As my course is work based I had to complete 120 days of placement that was split 40 days for Placement 1 and 80 for Placement 2. I fell in love with placement 1, it showed me and affirmed why I chose that career, I felt I could make a difference. I was on track, I was happy.
4. I started placement 2. I hated every second of it. I wanted to leave so many times. It got me down, I began to dread every day of placement, I considered giving up my dream, finding an alternative dream, but I stuck it out as much as I could. It had a detrimental impact on my health though.
5. I turned 22. I played Taylor Swift's 22 on repeat, spent too much money and it was a chance to let my hair down and de-stress.
6. I dropped out of my course. I'd completed the days but when your seizure control is decreasing, you're being demotivated, demoralised and someone else tells you if it was two school students it would be bullying. When someone has a power complex and is determined to make your life difficult, to be contradictory, its time to evaluate what is best. Leaving the course and re-starting is the best option for me. 

Thats it so far, the end of 2017 and 2018 has been ROUGH. Life is going to get better, I mean there has been the odd good thing but I'm too scared that vocalising them will only jinx it. However those events taught me: who's there for me, nobody should be treated the way I have been treated. I'm stronger than I thought, I've conquered so much, I'm still standing and I'm still fighting.

Grief Six Months On

Its six months since my Nan left us, so much has happened. We played Dani and Lizzy's 'Dancing in the Sky' for her, because everything is different, there is an emptiness. Theres questions. There's waves where it gets worse, where you think, she's missing all of this.

She never said goodbye, we had no idea. I've needed her so much these past six months, I've gone from having my life pretty sorted to having it thrown into the air. I've been used to coming in from wherever, going to see her everyday and her comforting me or just talking to me to nothing in an instant. I still remember little conversations.

When she left us, I promised I'd make her proud. I thought that meant graduating but it turns out it seems to be doing whats best for me. I've tried to live my best life. I've grown, I've done whats made me happy.

I never thought leaving university would be the best solution, I never thought I'd be in a situation again where every weekday I dreaded getting up or the person who counts the hours until finishing time. Who got that Monday dread but instead of it being a Sunday night it was Sunday to Thursday. That one place, one person could reduce my seizure control, have such a detrimental impact on my confidence and mental health.

I know she'd have hated seeing that, she always wanted me to be safe and happy. However, she would be happy to see me let go of my ghosts, to find amazing, supportive friends. That I stood my ground and by my beliefs, that I haven't lost myself like I have so many times. I've not relapsed. I took control as much as I could, I spoke up even if the people I spoke up to didn't do enough. I gave 100%.

Each day I still grieve because each day there's something to tell her, show her, or a memory to be made, but she will live on for the rest of my life. I have her spirit, her fight, her faith in love. I'll never stop telling stories of her, I'll be unapologetically me. I'll always rise above whatever obstacle I'm facing. That brings a little comfort. I'm not a religious person, but I believe in heaven and hell. I believe she's with my Grandad, they're finally reunited after too many years apart. That she's with me. She's watching over me. She can hear me talk to her. I just hope she passes that spirit on to the future generations.

I hope she helps me find a love like her and my Grandad had, that for the rest of my life I make her proud, I make her smile, I make her laugh but more importantly she knows how much I loved her, how much her death broke me but also made me.

Grief has taught me so much, its changed me, it will continue to change me, but I know it will make me stronger.

What Its Like Losing a Grandparent.

Losing my nan changed my life. For almost 3 months theres been a piece missing. At 21 I didn't expect to die or have someone around me die. It sounds silly but I just presumed whoever it was would be there. I am fully aware that it exists, its in the news, people I know have lost people close to them, and my nan wasn't the first family member I lost.

I had friends who lost grandparents, who had a vague idea that it was happening. I only had one grandparent, the others had died either whilst I was a baby/small child or my granddad died at a young age and so I never met him. I know people who've lost grandparents or relatives who they weren't close to, but after my nan passed, I re-evaluated everything. It seemed strange to me that someone could not be close or miss them, but thats because I saw or spoke to my nan every day, even when I left for uni. She is a part of almost every single childhood memory I have.

When she passed, I instantly grew up, in what felt like a second everything had changed. I had no warning, I went to work, she was ill but she was fine, I got off the bus to see paramedics speeding towards her house, I hadn't got the phone call but in me somewhere I just knew that it was for her, so I tried ringing home, I tried running. I eventually got there, whilst my family were worried (and I was as well) I just snapped into leader mode. I knew it was almost time for my nephews to pass on the way home from school, I knew their routine and that if something changed they'd question it and part of me hoped she'd be going in the ambulance and coming home in a car. When I got that phone call to say come up, I knew but part of me still had hope, part of me still hoped it wasn't real as we were taken to a private room to say goodbye. 

That night I called friends, family members all of who where in shock, all of which hoping she'd pull through until we got home to deliver the news. I guess in that moment I grew up not by choice but because I had to. I had gone to her for support my entire life, even if it was just for a moan, as a family we'd seen her deal with death to many times, we used to call her the expert. 

I was thankful for every small moment up until then, and although I didn't realise it at the time, I knew then. I was thankful my generation was 'obsessed' with documenting our lives and technology. That obsession allowed me to Skype or FaceTime my nan whilst I was at university, send photos and make sure she was part of my life regardless of distance. I could and keep photos and memories with me 24/7.

When she passed, she took a part of me with her, she took a piece of everyone she knew. She got to see so many things, and will see so much more watching over us. Whilst at uni I always knew my family came first but now I prioritise making memories, I try and worry less. I never understood grief until that day, I never understood what it was until the days, weeks and even now its been almost three months after. 

Grief is love with nowhere to go, and you expect the big things to get you, but its the little things. That night I had a vivid dream where I was talking to my nan at her kitchen table, I woke up thinking she was still here for a second until it hit me. Its going shopping and her not asking to see what I've brought or what I'd eaten in town. 

My nan prepared me and was there for most of the biggest adventures and biggest highs in my life, she waved me off to prom, she came to uni when I first moved into halls, she visited each flat, she was there waiting for me at her house after graduation. Yet the biggest loss and what seems to be the worst and biggest journey through life, she's not here guiding me, she couldn't prepare me for this, all I have is hope and little signs from her. I promised her I'd live a life she could watch and be proud of, I promised her through me she'd live on. Thats all I can do, I can't bring her back and the truth is she's probably happy, watching over with granddad, so making sure the life she see's is a good life that brings happiness and is something she can be proud of will be a new adventure. One she'll be there for even if its not physically.

Update: Mental Health

It's been a really long time since I published a blog post, in fact, to be honest its been a really long time since I whole heartedly did anything fully. I had so many plans for summer, but I don't think I've even done half of them. My mental health has taken a beating once again, I've spent the days in my pj's getting by, attempting to 'adult'.

I've been battling with my mental health for almost 10 years now, and although I am on medication it is a tricky thing trying to find a dose and treatment plan that works and won't interfere to much with my epilepsy treatment plan. 

I love blogging, but all the life has been sucked out of my recently, it takes me days to even get the energy to reply to an email. I have power through days, but I've had to put that into course preparation, family time etc. appointments so things like blogging that I do enjoy have had to take a back seat (again).

I need to find a way to deal with this, I need to find a way to cope, I need to find a way to develop healthy habits that are going to help my mental health. I am a bottler, I keep things in, I don't let my guards down easily, also I don't think the fact that when I was younger and sought help for my mental health it completely backfired, and generally things just got worse. However, clearly the techniques I have at the moment aren't working either. I have so many things I want to do and achieve but if I don't tackle these issues then I'm not going to be fit enough to do anything.

So hopefully, I'll get better at this thing, hopefully I'll write a few blog posts before I start my course in a few weeks, but my priority needs to be things like the pre-course reading/assignment etc.

Officially A Graduate

On the 17th July 2017 I graduated Nottingham Business School with a 2.2 in Marketing. There were tears shed (in secret), reminiscing and celebrating we're all done.

Its crazy to think this time 3 years ago I was buying my last few bits for uni, preparing to move and waiting for my A-Level results.

Along those 3 years I've learned and gained so much. I talk about uni a fair bit here and the experience I had as it happened, but only now its all done can I look back on it as a whole. So in this blog I will touch on a few things.

Course/NTU

Firstly the course/NTU. Whenever I went to an open day at NTU it felt like I belonged, I looked wide eyed at my mum and knew the world was at my feet. It felt like home before I'd even got there, although I was local that was not the reason why. No other uni felt like NTU, I remember going to a open day at Hallam and we went to one session and I was like 'Mum I want to go, this place is not for me.' However whenever I heard about another event at NTU I was like 'Can we go?' 'Can we check this out, and do this.'

I remember being told I shouldn't pick NTU as my first choice but honestly I don't think there was anywhere else I would rather have spent my past 3 years. Nottingham is a beautiful city and NTU is a good uni. My course was versatile, I had choices, in my final year pretty much all my modules allowed me to focus on aspects or companies of interest. That made third year a lot less stressful, if you're researching and writing something your interested in it makes it easier. 

In addition to this I can honestly say I felt so comfortable at NTU and that was partially down to the staff. I remember being told at school 'Exams aren't really your forte, so you should focus on coursework' but at uni it was 'No you've got this, here's how we're going to tackle it.' I had a whole team of course staff and student support encouraging me and/or helping me. I can honestly say NTU cares about its students and not just the tuition fee's they bring, or at least my course team did. Before I got to NTU, they were talking to me about my needs in regards to my epilepsy, my depression and anxiety. They wanted the best out of me, which is obviously beneficial for them, the better I was, the better I performed, the better results they got. 

I never felt pressured, during my second year I had a rough time with my epilepsy, my medication was being increased every 2 weeks. I was experiencing horrific side effects (my memory was appalling I remember sitting in a lecture forgetting how to spell my last name) but thankfully my tutors have all been understanding of the fact my epilepsy or depression can get in the way and were happy to put plans into place for me. Without these plans or the support I received I can honestly say I would've had to make a decision between failing my degree or at least a year of it or my health. Anybody who knows me would know I am stubborn and there is a chance I'd of chosen the degree over my health.

My degree taught me transferable skills but also the struggles I faced taught me to reach out for help. When I felt like dropping out of my degree, or my mental health was taking a beating or my health was at a low. I knew something could be sorted with uni, it just meant that I had 1 less thing to worry about which made a massive difference.

The People

I have met some lovely people at NTU, and of course with that, some not so lovely people. I've had the joy to be part of NTU Drama for 2 years, Trent Tigerlillies as well as meeting people such as flatmates and course mates along the way. However, uni also made me realise how important the people I left at home were as well. 

Whilst being at uni, I realised that I also only had to surround myself with people who made me a better person, made me happy or had some kind of positive impact on my life. Its okay not to get along with someone, and you can say 'No' to having someone in your life, whether they've been in your life a short while or practically your whole life. 

For instance, during uni, several people have tried getting back in contact with me. One of these, was someone I once called my 'best friend' but during the years I'd given her several chances but the last time we 'fell out' was because I was talking to someone she didn't like (this was also during my A-Levels so we're like 16/17) and to me if someone who is supposed to be my friend of 10 years can do that I didn't need them anyway. Anyway, during uni they tried to get in contact again, and for a while I was like 'Ok, this is fine, we can be civil' but then it became toxic, she tried making me jealous over little things, acting like her life and achievements were far superior to mine. If I hadn't gone to uni I may not have realised that my achievements are just as relevant, and if she couldn't be happy for me then she had no place in my life. 

However, on the other hand I also met someone I can call my best friend, like she has he flaws and we're both a bit of a muppet at times but thats because we actually love each other. She knows what makes me tick, what I love, my weird crushes and also loves swearing as much as me. Like we have each others backs and we both know that even if her new flatmates are lovely they won't beat our pizza nights or bonding over reality TV.