I've lived with Chronic Migraine and Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) since 2014. I’ve also had to manage Anxiety for many years.
I was a Primary School Teacher, Early Years Specialist and Mentor before I became disabled and mostly bed-bound from cruel and constant pain.
I share my experiences and provide tools and strategies to help Mums manage their live with invisible illnesses.
All in communication skills
When we face challenges, such as chronic illness, our body and mind work together. Our mental health is often being put last, which makes it so easy to get stuck in a negative mindset. This can lead to stress, difficulty solving problems, unhealthy relationships and poor mental health. But this can change with these 10 inexpensive or free activities, which are crucial for your journey of growth and will boost self esteem.
Journaling is a way of recording your thoughts, feelings, habits, and gaining insights for your personal development. Is Journaling good for mental health? Yes, I chose to journal for my mental health, exploring the difficult feelings I had,since I became chronically ill. So I wrote the Journey To Balance Journal as the mental health benefits of journaling can be powerful, helping you process stress, trauma, and difficult emotions. Journaling in this self-awareness book is a simple and accessible practice tailored to meet your unique needs and preferences.
Every July in the UK Good Care Month raises awareness of the caring profession in the UK. in this open letter to my PA or Carer. I thank her for the Carers skills she brings to our family as a member of the team. I also aim to break some of the stigma attached to caring younger adults, especially Mums.
I feel incredibly lucky that that person over the last 5 years has been Sam and as I wish I’d known what I know now when I was offered a PA/Carer, I hope others know what skills or qualities to look for in a Carer. The core qualities a Carer needs are passion, courage, dedication and compassion. One day it could be you needing care or caring for a loved one.
My Eldest son turned 18 last month, so here are 18 truths based on anecdotal evidence in the chronic illness community and my boys' views as young carers. What Are Young Carers? Young carers UK are under 18 or young adults who help to look after a relative with a disability, illness and mental health or addiction problems. Caring can be an isolating experience but with the right support there's a much better chance of future success. The difficulties one family faces will be vastly different to another, this is my boys’ personal narrative and our family’s truth. We’ve always included the boy's feelings and views in decisions we’ve made, removing any feeling of isolation. As they’ve grown older they’ve expressed themselves clearly due to the strategies we put in place.
Life with chronic illness isn’t easy and can lead to depression. This is especially true when we know we need to make changes to our lives and realise that we have little to no control over our situation. I grieved my pre-illness life and couldn’t see how to overcome the challenges I faced.
Working with a professional let me know it was okay to feel and talk about being angry, sad and lost. She helped me recognise that my self talk wasn’t helping me move past grief and gave me the support I needed to overcome resistance to change.
Pushing down our feelings leads to explosive interactions as, just like the weather, we have no control over how it affects our daily lives. My emotional responses as a highly sensitive person or Empath meant I needed to set boundaries with myself and others. This allowed me to have emotional vulnerability, on the path to understanding my emotions. I developed a plan for coping with my responses to big feelings, whether this was negative or positive.
Carers Rights Day is a day for making Carers aware of their rights, where they can get help and support, as well as raising awareness of the impact caring has. The theme for Carers Rights Day 2020 is 'Know Your Rights'. Here I interviewed Lesley. who cares for her husband, about the stress she experiences as a Carer to raise awareness about Carers mental health.
Do you want to be part of a network of Instagram mums supporting each other? My new @strongmumssocial Instagram group is a great place to meet other mums. The group is a supportive and inclusive community that empowers mums of kids of any age, including step-mums and carers. If you’re a mum to be, new mum, mum with teenagers or a mum with adult children we’d love you to join us. If you’re a stay at home mum, working mum or mum with chronic illness wanting support through life’s challenges join our private DM support group through @strongmumssocial.
Life’s hard for us all at times but some of us may be feeling low, stressed or anxious. We learn to self-regulate so that we can calm ourselves when mixed feelings and strong emotions become too much. This blog has 5 emotional well-being activities that can be made cheaply and used with children, teens or adults and as a family to improve communication skills.
On my self discovery journey, I’ve listened to 2 insanely good self awareness books that have helped me understand my feelings better. Being self aware is a big part of understanding who we think we are, rather than being truly self aware. Braving The Wilderness by Brené Brown on courage in finding where you belong and Becoming By Michelle Obama, a reflective memoir.
I believe that we need to build the foundations of our well-being and part of that is having tools for personal development. We have to open ourselves to a mindset for change and develop these seven skills to live a fulfilling life; positive thinking, setting boundaries, healthy relationships, managing stress levels, being self aware, drive for learning and emotional resilience. This gives us hope so we can keep see our hopes and dreams.
This October has hit me hard with one of those feelings so familiar: chronic illness relationships and trust. I believe we go through seasons of connections and I’ve been burned too many times. These are my thoughts on the consequences of ending old relationships with friends and connections in online communities and changing up other relationships so I only have those that I need in my life.
This story is about the impact chronic pain conditions have had on my life. I have a rare brain disease called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension or IIH, as well as Migraine, Hypothyroidism, Depression and Anxiety. The strategies I’ve used help me feel like a strong Mum as I emerge with my story despite the challenges I still face.
Discover 10 opportunities for time management benefits for better physical and mental well-being and consider throwing out your To-do list for a more structured plan. Audit your time management strategies and consider how making small changes will help you focus on your achievement. Explore simple ways to adapt your routine for a schedule that helps you create better life balance.
This exclusive guide is for every mum, regardless of how old or young your kids are. I am sharing how I learnt about wellness and well-being to help me look after myself and prioritise my family when I had to make myself priority for my physical and mental health. This guide supports you to make simple mindset shifts for better well-being for you and your family to build solid foundations for well-being for life.
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