HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL'S ANXIETIES!!!!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL'S ANXIETIES!!!!

We made it through the first year. There have been tears, tantrums and times where all we wanted to do was sleep (but to be honest, that's me all the time). 

But there have also been smiles, laughter and many kind words exchanged. 

So let's sit back and look over the first year of Abigail's Anxieties and start to look to the future so we can have even more to celebrate on our second birthday. 

It all started on Wednesday 28th June 2017 when I set up this blog and was planning on having it as a place where I could not only vent about problems (thank you very much for listening to those rants by the way) but I could also use it as a place to show the positives and negatives of mental health problems to show both sides of the coin and educate people who may not know much about them and how they can help.

We started on the same day by showing the somewhat ugly side of mental health problems with a post called And so it begins... where I explained how just the simple noise of a PS2 (which is still a great console but that's not the point) can trigger such a response in someone with anxiety, in this case, my father, and how it can cause sensory overload.

We then got a bit more close and personal (not in that way guys...) and I did the 100 questions no-one asks tag where, you guessed it, I answered 100 questions that no-one asks me in my normal, everyday life and honestly, I fairly glad I don't get asked them on a daily bases. 

I also shared how I like to save money with coupons and vouchers because as a student, one of the number one things to look out for is how to not pay full price for anything and having that feeling of accomplishment when you know you didn't have to pay full price. 

There were a few weekly catch-ups. But we don't talk anymore about the weekly catch-ups...

There was my DSA journey where I shared my opinions as to whether or not it is worth applying for, an update where I explain what I got approved to have a why, and finally what happened during the set up of the equipment. 

I shared some of my hobbies and interests such as taking care of my hair and skin but seeing as I have completely changed the way I care for them now I'm feeling that an updated version of both is in order soon. 

But then I shared the hobby that is the nearest and dearest to my heart, my knitting and crochet, how exactly it helps me with my mental health, why am I so disorganised with it which comes as a shock to many people as they know I like to have structure and order in my life and how I even started my own small business from it to share what I have made with the rest of the world. 

I shared exactly what the things no one tells you about anxiety and depression are in hopes of helping those who really don't understand the challenges faced every day a little better, how they can offer help to  those facing these challenges and give those with the problems a chance to see it from the perspective of someone going through the same things as them, to help give them a voice and give them maybe even a shred of hope that things are going to get better. 

And then that's when I fell a little off the radar. Life, university, and poor physical health just got in the way and it all got a little overwhelming for a while so I had to concentrate on some things a little more than others. 

During this time, however, there was some good news in regards to this blog and that was that I got my first award (insert fan fair noises hear); the Liebster award which was a nice surprise...I'm sorry...I'm very British and therefore find it hard to take compliments...let's just leave that there. 

And with a few other posts here and there including my tips for sitting exams when you have mental health problems which brings us to today, the first birthday of Abigail's Anxieties. 

And now there is nothing left but to look forward to the next year. Now that I know exactly what I have to do at university, how long I need to work on my coursework (which is much more time than you would have thought. Trust me...it's a lot of time) and getting that right balance in work and life I'm hoping (fingers crossed everyone 🤞) that there will be many more posts for you all to read and enjoy in the future. In fact, I'm planning them as you read this post now so look out for them. 

Lastly, thank you for everything, from the bottom of my heart for all of you out there that sit and read my posts which very often end up going off on tangents  but I can see from all your kind comments that the main aim I had with this blog, to awareness of mental health problems, is working slowly but surely. So thank you, everyone for being there and I hope you will be here to celebrate the second birthday of Abigail's Anxieties, but for now,

Stay happy, stay healthy, from Abbie xx