Don't worry, I'm still here!

Don't worry, I'm still here!

Don't worry everyone, I'm still here, I'm still alive, it's just the case that the last year of my life has been rather action-packed and some things, unfortunately, had to go on the back-burner- including Abigail's Anxieties.   

In the past year, I've been finishing my BSc (Hons) Food Development and Innovation degree, helping my family care for a member of the family who's had major surgery, dealing with my fibromyalgia that has been getting worse, dealing with many costochondritis flare-ups. Oh, and dealing with the multitude of changes that have come with this global pandemic while being an "at-risk" person living with another at-risk person.

So you know...not much.

In all seriousness, my family is starting to get into the swing of things with our "new normal" and having some adaptions in the house now that make life easier.

In terms of my fibromyalgia, well it's affected my mobility with extreme pain in my back and legs. My appointment for pain clinic, unfortunately, got cancelled due to, well, you know what, so no help with different pain medication (which if I'm being honest doesn't make much of a difference but that's a story for another time). But I am able to restart acupuncture in a week of me writing this up which I've had a lot of success with in the past so that gives me some hope to hang onto right now.

Costochondritis flare-ups. I'm going to write more about them in the future but my oh my are they a real pain in the...chest. I made me incapacitated for up to 7 days every month, throwing up to the point of losing 1.5 stone (or 21 pounds, or 9.525kg) in less than 5 days during one flare-up and all in all not having a very good time. Luckily though I seem t have found something that's put an end to the monthly flare-ups (she says while knocking on wood) so that's a plus. 

University now, and well, finishing your 3-year degree completely online, especially when you need lab results for an assignment is not great, I can tell you from experience. But after 3 years of hard work with literal blood, sweat and tears poured into my degree, I can now say I have a 2:1 BSc (Hons) Food Development and Innovation degree with a 1st in my 10,000-word dissertation. 

I just have the fun of sorting out my master's application...

And finally, there's the mental strain that this pandemic has had on me while dealing with all of the above. With both me and another house-hold member being in the "at-risk" and "vulnerable" groups, even going out for a quick walk got scary, causing my anxiety to hit a real high point. I mean, I'm not going to lie, even months later, it still feels a little scary but not as bad as before with more and more people wearing masks and regularly washing hands.

 But one of the joys of an anxiety disorder is that the worries never really go away. 

So with that anxiety, the anxiety of finishing university, the anxiety of my body getting worse with more pain and less mobility at only 22 years of age, the anxiety of flare-ups and the family anxieties, I think it's fair to see why I struggled to fit other activities in my life.

But now that I have finished this chapter of my university life and family care has been getting better, I'm finally able to get back to writing on here too (hopefully) drumroll please...a schedule!!!

I'm hoping to have a new post out for you all every Wednesday, so if you don't' want to miss any posts be sure to sign up for email notifications at the top of the page.

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If you have a certain topic you'd like to see me write about be sure to leave it in the comments below,

On that note, I will love you and leave you. See you all next Wednesday,

Stay happy, stay healthy, from Abbie x