Hello my lovelies. Today’s post is the first in a series which was part of the reason I wanted to start a blog in the first instance. For me, mental health has always been a massive part of my life so I wanted to start series of posts which, hopefully, can help those who are going through the same things that I have. So, starting from the present day, let’s get into this.
Thursday 7th March
I have decided to write this post as I am having somewhat of a challenging day. In October, my mother fell ill with her own mental health issues and this lead to me having to step up and take more responsibility to help with running a household. For a month, I attempted to balance this with taking my 4 AS Levels (I was taking English Literature, English Language, History and Psychology- so not an easy mix!) but this became a little too overwhelming and, resultantly, my own mental health took a toll and I just burnt out. It was at this point that I went to my GP who advised me to take a sabbatical break from education to focus on my family and health and said that he would send a letter confirming my situation to my college. This broke my heart as I love learning and never wanted to give it up but I had to accept that I wasn’t able to carry on like this anymore.
You’re burning the candle at both ends!”
‘Yes, but the glow is so divine!’
Freddie mercury (As portrayed by rami malek), Bohemian rhapsody
So I took this advice and began working on myself. I made a list of things that I wanted to achieve in the time before I would return to education in September 2019. The first for me was to begin driving lessons and work towards getting my driving licence. This was a massive step for me as it allowed me to feel that I was still using my time wisely to gain a skill for life. This is something which is still on going and I am loving immensely and will possibly write a blog about soon!
Anyhow, today I was sent a letter by my college saying that I need to have medical proof of my illness (I am still enrolled at this moment and in the process of getting medical leave- which has not proven easy in the slightest!). The stress of the pressure of obtaining the correct medical note has taken it’s toll on me and made me feel a little down in the dumps. Having the responsibility for something that is completely out of my control put solely onto me is not how I thought I would be treated during this challenging time.
I am hoping that, by having a meeting with the college next week, this will be resolved soon but I refuse to be simply taken off of the roll as there is a genuine reason for me not being there. Alas, tomorrow my mind will be taken off of the stress a little as I am attending the opening of the new Lush store in Plymouth. This in itself is a massive step for me as anxiety is something which has always dictated my life so going somewhere brand-new, filled with people I don’t know is very daunting. However, having the focus of documenting the event for the blog is something that is helping me combat that slightly.
That is all for today my lovelies. Hopefully my post tomorrow regarding the event will raise your spirits slightly and I will keep you updated on my Instagram about how I am feeling!
See you tomorrow,
Chantelle xx
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