Quick note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links; if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I only recommend products I use myself and think would be useful for other people.
I recently decided to stop the blogtober challenge. However, I wanted to look back at the posts I created, published, and promoted.
Following the blogtober challenge, I am particularly proud of the mental health-related topics I released. I will be honest and confess I was unsure about releasing some of them. But I decided to be brutally honest and share the reality of mental illness. I hope it helps other people.
All the lovely comments and feedback on my posts have spurred me on to continue to ensure my blog thrives. I am now ready to tackle some of the other goals I have and work on bigger projects. I am also starting to see the results of my hard work.
Here is a summary of the posts I released during the challenge
It’s the final week of October 2021 – you got this 🙂
Reflecting on the goals I’ve achieved this month
To add some context regarding my blogging journey so far, I released my first post on 12 August 2021.
I found my feet in September 2021 and worked very hard to spread the word about my blog. I then decided to turn my half-written blog posts into the blogtober challenge.
The challenge meant I was busy. It was fast-paced and involved a lot of late nights and early mornings. However, it taught me I am able to maintain quality but also keep up with my goals. It just involves hard work and determination.
All the lovely comments and feedback on my posts have spurred me on to continue to ensure my blog thrives. I am now ready to tackle some of the other goals I have and work on bigger projects. I am also starting to see the results of my hard work.
I now have confidence I am able to break down the next project into manageable sections and complete it.
Final thoughts…
I hope you’re all having a wonderful October.
This time of year is so magical. Cold weather setting in, Halloween fun, and the lead-up to Christmas.
After the constraints we’ve faced over the past few years, I wish you all the fun this season has to offer.
Let me know what you have planned in the comments below.
The post is full of honesty. I feel like it’s time to be brutally honest about my mental health struggles…
Just imagine for a second, years of being ruled by fear. The reality is most of the people close to me are unaware of the extent to which fear previously ruled my life. I hid it well.
Then my mental breakdown happened. A final meltdown, shutdown. I was in hysterics talking gibberish to my hubby on the phone. It felt like someone had switched me off to reboot the system. However, they couldn’t get me up and running again.
It would be months before I was anything like the former person I was. Throughout the recovery process, I realised I didn’t want to be the same person ever again. I needed a new improved version of myself. Someone who wanted to prioritise mental health, above all other things in life.
And so it began. My brain turning everyday life situations into the worst thing in the world.
To clarify, I believe this family arguing was the beginning of me having an abnormal reaction to a normal situation. I believe to this day, my anxiety issues are related to brain chemistry and my personality. Not outside factors or the behaviour of others.
Years of being ruled by fear meant I was a shell of my former self. I was the organiser in the family, now I couldn’t stand to hear about the holidays we had planned. I previously managed money in the house. I was now ignoring letters and phone calls about our financial difficulties. I’d succeeded in my current career for 10 years and worked since I was 15 years old. I was shaking at the thought of opening my work laptop.
My breakdown was literally an adverse reaction to everything I’d ever known in the past.
I’m on the road to recovery now, but in order to understand what catastrophe took place on this average workday, we need to first go back in time to where I believe the decline in my mental health began.
Triggers
Being ruled by fear began when I was 18 years old. arguing with my dad. The feelings of anxiety related to this incident triggered something in me. A knot in my stomach, a dislike of arguing. Feeling like I wasn’t good enough. I actually asked my mum at the time whether my dad hated me. That’s how I felt. Why would this person so close to me be shouting at me otherwise? And so it began. My brain turning everyday life situations into the worst thing in the world.
I have a constant ‘it’s the end of the world’ complex. This makes it incredibly difficult to look at the positives aspects of life. I have to work so hard each day and force myself to think positively. My default setting is the worst-case scenario. There is no in-between.
Therapy
Throughout the years, I’ve tried numerous different forms of therapy and I must say, all have worked for that period in time. At this point in my life, I need an overall reset. To look at the bigger picture and put tools in place to avoid depression moving forward.
It was an EFT therapist who discovered this argument between my dad & me. It seemed to be the beginning of my decline in mental health. This was only discovered after several sessions and money spent on private therapy. It came as a shock to me this was a catalyst for the grim future I had in front of me. Living under the grip of toxic anxiety.
To clarify, I believe this family arguing was the beginning of me having an abnormal reaction to a normal situation. I believe to this day, my anxiety issues are related to brain chemistry and my personality. Not outside factors or the behaviour of others.
Parents argue with children, especially teenagers, but my brain filters a normal, everyday situation and transforms it into something different.
If I had one wish it would be to let the people closest to me have a glimpse inside my head for two minutes. I don’t expect anyone to understand fully what living in fear for so long does to you, but understanding the severity of my anxiety issues, to some extent has already helped our family relationships.
Delving deeper into the trigger
When looking back over my years of living in constant fear, despite what the EFT therapist discovered, I genuinely don’t think this was the factor that exasperated my condition.
Arguing with anyone was an uncomfortable situation that led to other uncomfortable situations in life, because of the way I reacted to those scenarios. And the destructive activities I was partaking in to quiet the negative voice in my head didn’t help things.
Self-medicating
Fast forward to my early 20’s. I was out clubbing, with people I didn’t really class as friends, taking recreational drugs for the first time. Obviously, I had a blast (or thought I did!) and clearly switched off the doubting, self-critical, toxic voice in my head for a while – what wasn’t to love?
I spent those partying days, outwardly having the best time of my life, but inside I was always accountable to my instincts. They told me this was wrong, unethical, not what I should be doing. I am a homely person who prefers a glass of wine on the sofa, with a blanket, reading a book. Partying and lack of sleep just wasn’t me at all. I was living a lie!
You can see how I ended up in a dead-end relationship with a narcissist for 7 years of my life, who was also the one who facilitated the partying, encouraged this destructive behaviour and I think was incapable of valuing anyone, even himself. Deep down, I knew I was in the wrong situation in life, but kept plodding along, mainly due to fear and lack of confidence. Who else would want me? What if I was walking away from the wrong person? In hindsight, I was so dependent on this person for adding value to my life, it would take a lot of energy I just didn’t have to walk away.
For years I’ve believed my family disliked me, disapproved of me, people were talking about me, spying on me, there is a conspiracy. For no other reason than a voice in my head told me this over again, until it became my reality. My family is the complete opposite of the picture I’ve described above. They are loving, supportive and I see them several times a week. How ironic, you have the most loving supportive family, but you believe otherwise!
For more updates and tips related to this topic, please sign up to my newsletter here…
Why did it take so long to walk away from the destruction?
Due to years spent living in constant fear, it meant this became a way of life. You cannot change your behaviour overnight. Several pretty shocking events happened as a result of my destructive behaviour and one day I may talk about them. There are rebellious youngsters who make mistakes, but I would say some of the situations I put myself in were crossing a line. I learned my lesson and I am lucky to have the life I lead today. However, I probably would take back some of the things I did whilst my mind was altered.
But we live and learn. As human beings, we make mistakes and some people believe this makes you stronger.
Did I hide it well?
My anxiety issues were obvious to me at, living in my own head. But my mum’s own recent admission, that she including everyone else would “never have known” it was this bad, made me think I need an Oscar. But did I hide it well?
I did many abnormal things over the years, but they were clearly normal reactions to my circumstances and the situations I was putting myself in. I once broke down in front of a manager at work and was unable to talk for ages, after a fallout with the toxic boyfriend. This was just one of the out-of-control situations I put myself in.
To this day, I think people just conclude I’m a difficult person to be around. If I had one wish it would be to let the people closest to me have a glimpse inside my head for two minutes. I don’t expect anyone to understand fully what living in fear for so long does to you, but understanding the severity of my anxiety issues, to some extent has already helped our family relationships.
The person I was in the past shortchanged herself, undervalued her worth and it’s time for that to stop.
Isn’t this how everyone feels?
When you suffer from severe anxiety for so long, it becomes the norm. For years I genuinely believed everyone felt like this and it was a shock to me when I discovered everyone didn’t.
For years I’ve believed my family disliked me, disapproved of me, people were talking about me, spying on me, there is a conspiracy. For no other reason than a voice in my head told me this over again, until it became my reality. My family is the complete opposite of the picture I’ve described above. They are loving, supportive and I see them several times a week. How ironic, you have the most loving supportive family, but you believe otherwise!
When you are being ruled by fear, your thoughts tell you something completely different from reality. You can see why it can eventually result in a complete mental breakdown.
Thoughts are just thoughts
Part of me knows my thoughts are just that, thoughts. But it doesn’t help to tell myself this when I’m in the midst of a panic attack or bout of depression. Something which isn’t me takes over, another, darker side. I become the opposite of my personality. A shadow of the person I am. A weakened, frightened person.
During my recovery, the most ridiculous thing I’ve dealt with is openly not regretting a single second of my anxious past. It sounds silly to say you would torture yourself in your own head for 15 years until you literally break into a million pieces and have to put yourself back together again. Camber out of the dark, dingy pit you were in and slowly learn to function again. Why would someone want to do that to themselves? The answer – because I wouldn’t be where I am today, hopefully helping other people.
I figure it’s pointless going over the past, regretting the opportunities I didn’t take, and better spending time focusing on the future and being thankful for the lessons I’ve learned.
The person I am today is a great mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, work colleague, writer, blogger, content creator, and mental health advocate. My failures struggles and regrets made me the person I am today. Including the anxiety voice, I still carry around with me.
Because of my struggles over the last few years, I am confident in using all the labels above to describe myself. I am seeking opportunities that align with my personality and purpose in life. I am determined to carve out a path to a great work-life balance. I am me again. Whoever I was supposed to be before my brain started turning on me all those years ago.
During my recovery process, I’ve had a hard time deciding where my personality ends and anxiety starts. But maybe the anxiety is a symptom of my personality. My personality traits involve being driven and determined. I guess this can easily lead to me putting pressure on myself to get things done. I’m highly creative, so I face burnout trying to record all the thoughts whizzing round in my head.
The person I was in the past shortchanged herself, undervalued her worth and it’s time for that to stop.
I have a new tool…
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I am in the process of putting tools in place for managing my anxiety.
You can find details below of another tool I will be using. I am recommending it because I think it can also help other people.
World Mental Health Day offer
#AD #GIFTED
I am excited to share with you a free 21-day membership offer for The Anti-Burnout Club app.
The offer is valid for 24 hours from today. Please visit this dedicated page to sign up.
The Anti-Burnout Club is giving everyone free access until the end of October, to help make self-care more accessible.
Final thoughts
I hope you liked my post. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
The day I had my breakdown, I couldn’t communicate with my hubby on the phone. I was screaming, in a complete mess, making no sense. It crept up on me out of nowhere, like I’m sure it does when it happens to other people. The mind is a fragile and complicated organ.
Understanding the workplace conditions which led to my breakdown is vital for my recovery. I don’t want to make the same mistakes in the future.
It’s only now, 4 months on, I’m trying to make some sense of how I got to this point. Prior to this, I struggled to articulate anything, even down to the weekly shopping list or where we are going out for the day. It’s like someone pressed reset on my brain, but forgot to switch me back on.
For a long time, I thought I didn’t have a choice, but we all have a choice. We can live the life we want, with a mindset change and hard work. I won’t pretend it’s easy, it’s far from easy. But you can do it, and you will thank yourself for changing your circumstances.
Why am I writing this post?
I want to write these feelings down and share them, to reassure anyone in this position you can do something to change your life circumstances if what you’re doing each day is causing you to be mentally unwell. Being aware of workplace conditions that can negatively impact your mental health is good practice.
For a long time, I thought I didn’t have a choice, but we all have a choice. We can live the life we want, with a mindset change and hard work. I won’t pretend it’s easy, it’s far from easy. But you can do it, and you will thank yourself for changing your circumstances.
I want to write this article to help others identify triggers and to also make myself accountable. Hopefully knowing what got me to this dark, horrible place, will prevent it from happening again.
However, I am aware and accept if this does happen again, I will hopefully have the tools to deal with it and get through the negative emotions, without allowing my brain to turn it into something bigger and more destructive. Easier said than done, I know.
Knowing the signs
Obviously, when it comes to mental illness, nobody can predict what might happen and it just creeps up on you. I really had no idea my breakdown would happen, prior to the day. Yes, I was tired and stressed, but this was my job and I’d felt like this on and off for several years. Why would I think this day would be any different?
Anxiety is also something I’ve suffered with throughout my life, but I’m working hard to put measures in place to reduce its impact on me in the future.
There was no warning for me of workplace conditions which led to my breakdown. I thought the stress was normal, something I had to accept.
Other posts you may like to read in the mental health category
These are the stressors which I believe, over a prolonged period of time, led to my breakdown:
1. Work pressure
Imagine being in your own home and afraid to go near your laptop.
I’ve dealt with work pressure for periods of time in the past, but never for such a prolonged period as during the pandemic.
We had a combination of poor management, a completely disorganised workload, a lack of care and direction about the work we were doing and, all of this whilst working at home through the pandemic. The working from home bit I loved. It suited me and I would personally love a future job role working from home on a permanent basis. It was the lack of communication and never knowing where I stood from one minute to the next that caused me huge amounts of anxiety.
We are going through a redundancy process at the moment. With this comes some toxic patterns and a lack of care from the powers that be, but what I experienced during the period of working from home sent me into full meltdown mode.
Over the year, there were a handful of mornings I was scared to open my laptop. That dreaded feeling of ‘oh no, what emails will be there this morning’. I mean, we all have this feeling sometimes, but this was a frequent thing. Imagine being in your own home and afraid to go near your laptop.
One morning an issue arose and emails were sent between departments, insinuating the mistake was mine, I was on the phone with a work colleague and afraid to return to my own house. This is unacceptable and contributed to my breakdown.
2. The disconnect between company ethos and our department
I would regularly see updates from the business and feel like I was reading about a completely different company. Their ethos sounded amazing, a place I would want to work. A place I would definitely feel supported. I, however, did not feel supported.
The reality within our department was a miscommunication to a level I’ve never experienced before. Nobody knew what direction we were going in and it was basically just a mess, where managers were scrambling to keep a hold of what was actually happening.
Several times, I felt like emailing Human Resources and making it clear I wasn’t experiencing the wonderful communications and benefits the company was announcing. But then I thought, what is the point? What will change if I do? I was also scared to speak up, which added to the anxiety I was already experiencing.
Maybe, hopefully, communication from managers will improve following the pandemic. Surely we’ve all learned valuable lessons.
3. No lunches or breaks
Because we were receiving around five emails daily, asking us to reach unachievable targets, this made me feel like I shouldn’t take breaks. I should get on with the job instead. I wanted to do a good job and I’ve always had that mindset as a person.
When your work tasks are completely unachievable and impossible to attain for such a long period of time, this can be soul-destroying. You never have a successful working day and after a while, you feel like a failure. Our targets sometimes changed from email to email, without adequate explanation, like they were made up. When you’re at home, you don’t have anyone to talk to about this, as you usually would do in the office, this made things harder.
Leads me nicely onto the next point…
4. Nobody to talk to
During the pandemic, we all missed face-to-face interaction with our colleagues. Communicating via text message and telephone, sometimes isn’t the same.
It was difficult to receive these emails and have nobody to ask how they felt about it. The point is, we shouldn’t have to ignore crappy emails from managers, but the reality is lots of people do.
Maybe, hopefully, communication from managers will improve following the pandemic. Surely we’ve all learned valuable lessons.
I now realise connections and communication with other human beings are vital for avoiding the negative workplace conditions which led to my breakdown. I am already making connections with other bloggers and organisations I would want to work for. This is something that helped me through my breakdown. You can read more about how I recovered here.
I was correct in my thinking and although I wouldn’t wish redundancy on anyone, I felt better knowing my suspicions had been correct. It was confirmation I wasn’t going crazy.
5. The everything needs doing yesterday mentality
There was one manager who didn’t really listen to anyone. You know those people who talk at you and answer their own questions. And you feel like asking why they even bothered to contact you.
Even just this in Itself, makes you feel you’re not valued or listened to.
The direction coming from the top was “get this done yesterday”. I’d been used to this mentality for a few tasks a week and I can live with that. But when this applies to every task you’re working on, it’s too much! No amount of money is worth this stress.
As human beings, we like to know where we stand, and not knowing, or being able to plan ahead, make any life decisions, the constant worry about money, can all cause unnecessary pressure.
6. An impending doom
I’m quite an intuitive person and somehow I can predict things before they happen. It’s a subtle feeling and I will tell the people closest to me, this will happen today. I’m always 100% sure it will occur. I predicted the national lockdown announcement in the UK, three days before it happened and started preparing our family for it.
Therefore, this was one of the main workplace conditions which led to my breakdown. It was a constant niggling feeling and I just wanted to ask managers to let me know what was so bad and when it would be announced.
Whilst working from home, the daily disorganisation at work gave me a feeling something wasn’t right. I knew bad news would be announced, it was just a matter of when. Shortly after feeling like this, the doctor issued a sick note for workplace stress and anxiety, and the redundancies were announced.
I was correct in my thinking and although I wouldn’t wish redundancy on anyone, I felt better knowing my suspicions had been correct. It was the confirmation I needed to know I wasn’t going crazy.
7. The threat of redundancy
Redundancy is a horrible process for anyone to go through and it can be life-changing, but it impacts someone suffering from mental illness completely differently. I am aware many people are impacted by this, following the pandemic and it makes me sad because I worry about the mental health of those going through the process.
As human beings, we like to know where we stand, and not knowing, or being able to plan ahead, make any life decisions, the constant worry about money, can all cause unnecessary pressure. Life is hard enough, without this added stress.
If you are impacted these issues
If you are impacted by any of the issues raised in this article, Mind.org has a page dedicated to the issue of redundancy and it’s packed full of useful information. GOV.UK is a site I consulted when our redundancies were first announced and I found it helpful. StepChange can help with your financial situation if you are struggling to make payments as a result of redundancy or any other issue.
Final thoughts
I would never solely blame one activity in life for causing a decline in my mental health. I’m a mummy to a toddler, we lived through a pandemic, were confined to our homes. None of these factors helped the situation.
My earlier blog post explains how we financially overcommitted ourselves. All these factors can contribute and the subconscious is a complex thing. I may never know the exact reason I had a mental breakdown. What I do know is I will never allow a job to consume me, I will try my hardest to seek out a role in the future where I can balance work and home life, and any future role must protect, not damage, my mental health.
That’s what I’ve learned and I want other people to know, you do have a choice.
During my anxiety years and especially during down periods, I told myself I couldn’t go out do things and it was the worse thing I did to myself. A travesty. I cut myself off from happy times, spending time with people I love, enjoying the little things in life, all because I subscribed to black & white thinking and had a script full of self-limiting beliefs constantly running over and over again in my head. And I let it happen…
It’s time to carve out a new healthy path and ditch the old way of thinking. It previously damaged my mental health and I must avoid this ever happening to me again in the future. You can read more about when my mental health struggles began here.
Want to know the secret to living a happy and fulfilled life? Read on…
It was also nice to shop without the little one running around. There is a perception parents shouldn’t leave children out and I feel guilty when I do! But it is so important, we as parents, take time for ourselves. I breathed a sigh of relief in the first charity shop because I had images running through my brain of the little one grabbing every item off the shelves and me telling her off. It was reassuring to know I didn’t have to contend with this today, she was at nursery being entertained instead.
Quick note: Mummy Conquering Anxiety is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Some of the links contained on this page are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I only recommend products I use myself and thinkwould be useful for you.
Today, my mum suggested a trip to the charity shops and some breakfast. A simple activity I would usually be inclined to say no to due to lack of money. She kindly treated me to a coffee, sandwich and gave me some spending money, because she knows money is tight for us at the moment. I’ve told her I visit the supermarket and walk around adding up what I’ve spent. My parents know what this feels like to count the pennies and we are so lucky to have them helping us out. Shout out mum & dad if you ever happen to read this!
Our trip and why outings work wonders for your mental health
Because we are still on holiday as a family, I had the family car today, which made the trip easier. I usually travel around by public transport or walk, which I don’t mind. It does me good. We ditched the second car years ago because it wasn’t cost-effective. Today, having a car, was a luxury I am not used to.
Wandering around, without a care in the world, not knowing what time it is, and browsing the shelves, was therapeutic.
It was also nice to shop without the little one running around. There is a perception parents shouldn’t leave children out and I feel guilty when I do! But it is so important, we as parents, take time for ourselves. I breathed a sigh of relief in the first charity shop because I had images running through my brain of the little one grabbing every item off the shelves and me telling her off. It was reassuring to know I didn’t have to contend with this today, she was at nursery being entertained instead.
We had a chat about loads of topics I can’t even recall now, catching up about life and you know what, this time is much more valuable than worrying about money issues. Yes, we all need money to live and you can achieve wellness by managing your money correctly (I don’t want anyone to have the worries I’ve experienced over the last year due to financially overcommitting), but you also have to live life and ensure you get out of the house to do activities that fit within your budget.
There are plenty of free and cheap things you can do and I am passionate about sharing my tips with others. You can read more about how you can have fun on a budget in my blog post here.
My mental breakdown this year has shown me you have to set aside time to spend with family, spend a little money, and enjoy your life. If you take the time to do this, all the other parts will fit into place and surely you will be in a better place to tackle difficult issues you may be going through.
My charity shop haul
Living a happy and fulfilled life means doing something you love! And I love shopping.
As I am so excited and refreshed following my outing this morning, of course, I had to write a blog post about it. I’ve even become one of those bloggers taking pictures of everything (well roping the hubby in with his great phone camera, IT skills, and photoshop knowledge). I am no expert (I will leave the flatlays to a professional website, like Canva), but here is the picture of my haul:
The items I bought and why I loved them
Of course, I had to get the little one some toys and activities to entertain her. We are the stage where we need constant entertainment to reflect the experience she gets at nursery. It’s so much fun, but also hard work.
She loves Peppa Pig and now has a Peppa Pig torch which was £1.25. I know she will be overjoyed when she comes home from nursery today and sees this toy, and the look on her face is well worth £1.25.
I also got her an activity book for 50p. She isn’t yet at the stage where she can work through the activities, but she loves colouring books and drawing all over the pages. She will get endless enjoyment for 50p. Winner!
The Meccano set is parts only and I didn’t realise this in the shop, but for £1.99 I am not going to moan about it and she can do some building. It’s also an excuse for us to add other Meccano parts to her Christmas list.
I got some home decorations to spruce the place up a bit, ahead of my larger autumn purchases (a future blog post will cover the topic of what I purchased!). We needed a fresh bowl of Pot Pourri and it was just sat on the shelf as if it had been waiting for me, because I’ve been talking about it loads this week! £2.00 – bargain!
The little gold pot will be an addition to our rose gold decor (I previously bought the other items from Poundland). It was 40p.
We all need body lotion in our lives and I love seeking it out in charity shops. There are so many unwanted gift sets given away. You get a cheap item, whilst also raising money for charity. Win, win. 50p for this lotion. I can’t wait to try it.
On winter days, I love wearing these headbands. They keep the hair off your face and also cover your ears. I haven’t got a light coloured one, so had to purchase this. £1.99. Can’t go wrong with something so useful.
Books – these were 50p each and I will be adding them to the stack of books I intend to read. I might even do a before and after blog post, to encourage me to read them all. Lack of reading isn’t because I don’t love doing it, it’s getting the time with a toddler who believes every physical item in the house is hers.
Why I’m now happy and fulfilled
I’ve spent years shying away from some activities out of fear, lack of money, or lack of time.
My mental breakdown this year has shown me you have to set aside time to spend with family, spend a little money, and enjoy your life. If you take the time to do this, all the other parts will fit into place and surely you will be in a better place to tackle difficult issues you may be going through. You can read more about how I recovered from my breakdown here.
It would have been easy to say no to going out today, due to money worries, but it’s exactly because of the money worries why I needed to get out of the house, get some fresh air, spend some time not caring about a thing, and having quality mummy daughter time.
The point is, don’t live such a busy life you need to pay money to feel somewhat normal. How about living a more mediocre life and having quality time to spend with family and friends? What’s the point in earning so much money anyway, if you’re always too tired to spend it?
Simplify life
In the past, my mum & I might have visited Village Hotels for a spa day. Whilst we will return at some point, I am now looking for cheaper alternatives to get out of the house and still have fun.
Having fun and finding fulfilling activities is simple, we as human beings tend to overcomplicate it. These are some of the things I used to say to myself when working 12 hour days:
To feel better I need a spa day
I am so stressed from working 12 hour days, I need to treat myself
Work hard, play hard
I deserve it
I am too tried to spend the money I earn
I previously equated living a happy and fulfilled with spending money. This doesn’t always bring you happiness. I would much rather do something free with my loved ones, like sitting in the park.
Don’t get me wrong, if you want to do the above activities and have luxuries in your life, go for it. I will resume cheap spa days when I can afford it again!
The point is, don’t live such a busy life you need to pay money to feel somewhat normal. How about living a more mediocre life and having quality time to spend with family and friends? What’s the point in earning so much money anyway, if you’re always too tired to spend it?
To read more posts on mental health, see the other blogs I’ve written below…
What steps are you taking to live a happy and fulfilled life?
In the future, I want to create a life where quality time with family is balanced with working enough to pay bills and live comfortably. It is clear to me now, the type of job I was doing in the past and the long hours I worked, damaged my mental health. It’s time to prioritise happiness and the big secret is actually that it’s very easy to do, with a mindset change.
Here’s to a happier and more fulfilled life for us all.
What are you doing to balance family time with work-life? Do you think your views have changed since the pandemic?
I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Hello and welcome to Mummy Conquering Anxiety. Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to me.
Following my struggles with anxiety & depression, I felt compelled to set up a blog. Ultimately, a series of events which happened over the last five years would force me into changing my circumstances and myself.
The life-changing circumstances which inspired the birth of this blog
Pregnancy, antenatal depression during pregnancy, started taking anti-depressants when pregnant, severe anxiety about the pregnancy process. A traumatic birth, and mental health problems for two years following pregnancy.
Returning to work following maternity leave, for the pandemic to hit less than one month later. Adjustment to working from home. The financial impact on our family. Change of routine (partner off work for 12 weeks as vulnerable and nursery closing).
Followed by a mental breakdown due to work pressure (literally being afraid to return to my own home and open my laptop). I returned to work, reluctantly. Redundancy a few months later. A further five months off work, which I had to use to recover and financially funded myself. Changing careers and slowly putting my life back together using self-improvement techniques.
I hope I can build genuine relationships with other people in similar situations, and by sharing the details of my bumpy journey, I can help someone in need.
As I am not defined solely by my sometimes out-of-control anxiety levels, I also intend to write about my adventures in life and other ramblings. Anything which pours out of my head.
Some blog posts related to the life-changing circumstances I experienced:
I want to turn my worst experience in life, into a positive one, for both myself and other people.
Come and join me on my bumpy road to recovery.
More about My backstory
I’ve suffered from unhealthy anxiety levels for as long as I can remember.
I never found my place during my school days. I always felt different from other kids.
In later life, I realised I’m an introvert, and quite an intuitive, sensitive person. I need quiet time to recharge my batteries. Probably the reason I struggle in social situations.
My anxiety issues began around 18 years old. I became a bit of a party animal, drinking too much; probably to avoid the negative feelings I was experiencing, and of course to mask the anxiety talk in my head.
I’ve always struggled with stressful situations, like interviews and driving tests. Somehow, I muddled through; going to University and obtaining a degree, and having a somewhat successful career up to this point (I did however need beta-blockers to pass my driving test the third time – the only thing holding me back each time was anxiety and overthinking!).
This theme stuck with me throughout my life. I didn’t take opportunities or reach goals due to a lack of confidence.
For years, I’ve suppressed the anxious thoughts and got on with what life throws at me. I think I’ve done pretty well at hiding it. But I’m now not sure this was the best course of action.
It all came to a head when I became pregnant with my first child.
From this point on, I struggled to access the help I needed and was in a bad place mentally, pretty much throughout my whole pregnancy and the aftermath.
As pregnancy was the catalyst for my decline in mental health, the subjects of pregnancy and anxiety, are interlinked. Therefore, this blog will cover topics related to both my motherhood and mental health journey. With a little light relief thrown in, because nobody likes serious subjects all the time!
My life isn’t all doom & gloom, but I accept this is a lifelong condition I will have to manage. I am ready to put the tools in place to do this. Anyone who can help me with techniques, please contact me and share what worked for you.
If you need help with a mental health-related problem, please visit my if you need help page.
For anyone eager to get into the blogging world, please visit my blogging resources page.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Manage consent
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
