An Open Letter to My Mother...

(Hopefully, If I've scheduled this right and got the date correct this post should be up around Mother's Day here in the UK.)

I talk about my mother a lot in my blogs and so I decided that she is entitled to a post completely dedicate to her. So here we go Mum, this is for you.

Dear Mum/Mother/Mother G/Momma/Momma G/Momma Goodwin,

Firstly, I would like to apologise because knowing my luck with the way Uni timetabling ha spanned out I'm not actually going to be home with you for Mother's Day, and I can tell you that I'm as upset about it as you are. Secondly, I would also like to apologise if the courier has failed abysmally at delivering your present on time, blame moonpig, not me. I didn't have enough character space on your card to write everything that I wanted too. To say thank you for everything you've done and I feel this blog post is the ebst way to do that, some of these things I can't say out loud without crying. Before people start and say "Why don't you just tell her yourself?!" I digress, there's only one way to do this and that's in a list. So, Mum, here we go -

7 Things That Are Great About Momma G! -

1) Your Cake Making Skills Are Top Notch! 

Literally Momma, I don't know anyone else that can make cakes half as good as you do. They are always so light and fluffy that they call for seconds, and thirds (...and fourths if me and Dad had our way.) Hopefully, one day when I have the time to bake, I can make cakes as good as you!

2) You Give The Best Advice!

Yes, you have full permission to say "I told you so!" on so many moments in my life where I was young and naive, and completely ignored your advice. But truth be told Mum, I should've taken it, I should've listed on so many things but I've learnt now. That's why whenever something is wrong, no matter how big or small it is, I will always come to you first because I know you will be able to fix it.

3) You're My Best Friend -

If I had the choice between a night out or a cosy evening in, watching films or some awful Saturday night TV with you. I would always choose the latter, you always know how to make me laugh, and we have similar tastes in films and TV, plus we have the best gossiping sessions about people.

4) You Give The Best Cuddles -

No further explanation needed, they are the best!

5) You Can See Where My Work Ethic Comes From -

Literally Mum, you work so hard and sometimes a little too hard! :( But I can remember you studying for all your tests when you went back to college in your 40s, I remember you wanting to work with children; to help them in their lives. It's that burning desire to follow your dreams and want to better yourself inspires me. Every. Darn. Day.

6) You're The Strongest Person I Know -

I've watched you suffer through the chemotherapy for breast cancer, laugh it off when you lost your hair, refuse to wear the wigs because you felt more comfortable without! I've seen you suffer through mastectomy surgery, then to the burns of radiotherapy. But through all of that, you never stopped smiling, sure you had your sad times but you also kept me and Dad smiling. Speaking of Dad and I, I know it probably hasn't been easy for you bearing the emotional weight of two people with mental health issues but somehow you do, we love you so much Mum, we really do. So much so that we can't ever really put it into words.

7) You're A Momma To Everyone -

Everybody's welcome in your house (Well, provided they've never upset any of us, in which use, you become their worst nightmare!) The kettle's always on and no matter what problems they bring with them, they are never judged, always loved and no matter what, you'll probably have them sorted out by the time they leave the house again.

I could go on and on, and on but yet again I would probably run out of characters like I did on moonpig or I would end up writing a novel. But I love you so much, I hope you have a lovely day and I'll take you out for coffee and lunch when I get back. xxx

Mirtazapine and Me: Why I Won't Be Held Down...

Some of you may be wondering, Rebecca, why haven't you written your own blog post in a while? Well, blogging community, I think you'd better stick the kettle on, make a cuppa in your favourite mug and take a seat. Mine's a little bit of milk and two sweeteners, ta. But we need to talk. Over the last few months of blogging I've spoken about dealing with mental health and trying to remove the stigma around mental health issues. However, I have only ever really spoken in depth about Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I should probably talk about something else. I also suffer with depression, admittedly I only really started to begin dealing with it a week or so ago but it's taken several crying episodes because I was physically too scared to get out the door and talk to someone, quite a lot of days where my only triumph of that day was being to get out of bed and put some people clothes on (Although, I do celebrate those achievements quite highly on bad days.) and in the end, one complete outburst to my parents about how desperately lonely I was feeling, until I would finally ring the doctor's and admit that I couldn't keep doing it on my own anymore. Which now I realise, there is absolutely no shame in doing.

But, let's rewind a minute. How did I end up feeling so lonely when I have so many wonderful, caring and loving friends and family around me? Well, a lot of it is to do with my anxiety, or morph. Morph is a little tiny being which is the personification of my anxiety and I believe him to be quite fitting too. (You'll soon realise why if you spent any of your childhood watching art attack and Morph's adventures. But, please, CITV, don't sue me for this, please.)

This is the point where I'm about to sound completely insane but it's okay, the Doctor said I'm perfectly normal! (Sort of.) Morph is always there but usually he's very small, small enough that he could probably sit on my shoulder (low-levels of anxiety, the good days.) but every now and again he gets triggered and grows until he's piggy-backing me, weighing me down and stopping me from doing whatever I want to do. Usually this is social gathering or interactions, some days, not being able to leave my room. So, as you can imagine this inability to socialise properly and feeling "trapped" had a pretty heavy knock on effect.I spent many nights not sleeping properly, not eating properly and then generally feeling quite low and worn down, most of the time because I was getting very scared of even going in for my lectures. But, I made it in to my lectures and did my work, I tried all of my methods that I've posted about on here. Self-care boxes, meditation, hypnotherapy, talking to my friends and family but nothing was working properly for me, I would feel better for a while but then would slip back into a very horrible low feeling.

As I said above, after a very tearful phone call to home, I accepted I needed some sort of help. I cannot stress enough how fantastic my doctor was! Please, anybody reading this who might be going through the same, don't hesitate to go to your GP. And if your GP isn't very supportive, try somewhere else, you will get the help you need. They are trained to listen. No, they will not just think you're going crazy, and they won't just palm you off as over-emotional either. I was prescribed Mirtazapine, a sedative anti-depressant to help me sleep and get me back into a routine again, which will help settle morph (Yay!) I'm also in the process of being referred to LetsTalk, a mental health service here in Hull which will provide me with some talking therapy to deal with the actual emotional cause of this depressive episode and to help me deal with my anxiety because, overall, that's what's caused this.

Although, I fel like I'm already dealing with this, now it has a label, my depression can now be personified and I've chosen Winston Churchill's Black dog, because it's something I can control in my mind's eye. Right now, although the dog is following me around everywhere, it's on a leash, so I'm in control. there will be days where it's curled on my lap and bringing me down but there will also be days where I can leave it asleep back home and it will not bother me.

This blog post is really just to make people aware of why I might have long breaks between posts, that it's okay to say when you're struggling because only then can you truly get the help you need, and it's not always medication! And more importantly, so people know that I am determined to get through this. I will be the rock music listening, power lifting, hard studying, marine biologist that I was a few months ago. Although, I don't think I've ever stopped being 3 of those things on the list, haha! I must also stress to my uni friends, I can't drink on these tablets, I'm sorry but no more welly vodka or JD for me. But you can save up and buy me a drink when we're through this, of course. ;)

If anybody has anymore questions about anything in this blog post then please don't hesitate to message me.

A Boyfriend's Eye View...

Hello ladies and gents of the blogging world... You don't know me, I don't know you but I have been asked by the crazy penguin lady that is my girlfriend to write a blog for her... Why? I don't know! Possible laziness or just interest in my writing style, speaking of I have a potty mouth seriously I swear like a sailor so for this blog all swear words will be replaced with the word penguin. Oh and if you were hoping for a list... You're not getting one. Sorry.

I don't nessesserily have a topic for this blog just that Rebecca wants to know my side of the relationship and honestly it is the biggest penguin disaster that somehow works... Everything from the way that we met to the way that we act is penguin weird! But I can't lie, I do love her! It takes a lot of patience and a lot of understanding. 

Everyday for Rebecca is an uphill battle, from her crazy work ethic, to her anxiety and it does take its toll on the relationship. Rebecca can have crazy outbursts unknowingly at times just because of stress but keeping calm is key for me, thinking back to the other times this has happened and the realisation that letting her shout her lungs out at me is much better than shouting at someone else... I mean hell, I ain't ever leaving her. Not even if she beats the penguin out of me! (Not that she could, she's tiny.) 

This is in no way a 'how to deal with your crazy partner' blog! Everyone is different and adjusting to the person you love in order to be with them is just part of life! It's second nature to me now, I can feel the pressure change in the air when Rebecca is about to go all Kylo Ren on me! Crying, angry, cutting my head off with a light sabre... Well, maybe not but  one can dream.

The arguments and anxiety and the stress is nothing in comparison to the rest of the relationship; sometimes they seem like such massive hurdles to get over but usually it just takes time... Step out of the room, put the phone down for 30 minutes, or take a walk to the shop and get them chocolates that she will eat and then be angry at you because you're making her 'fat'... But most important thing of all is to never give up!

I'm not all perfect myself, in fact I can't think of one reason Rebecca is with me. Although I am thankful for every day that she has adjusted to the way I am! We balance each other Rebecca's strong work ethic is balanced by my easy going personality, and my laziness is balanced by Rebecca's hustle!

So that's a small amount of what 4 happy and odd years can teach you about a woman. And I'm sure I have many more lessons to come but I will look forward to it whether it's Rebecca freaking out or finding out she's allergic to penguins (Actual penguins, this isn't a swear word!) and having to deal with that insane tantrum that would follow! I'll be with her the whole way through thick and thin, the good and the bad because it's all memories. No matter what kind they are.

Until next time or not, Rebecca is way better at this than me...

Happy Valentine's darling

On The Road to Positive Living: How to Love Yourself:

Well, okay, I know the title sounds a little over promising and not only that, but it's probably also another thing where my Dad is probably shouting in the background "You tree-hugging Hippie!" In fact, that's what I might just rename this series the "Tree-hugging hippie" series, I don't think that would go down too well though... Anyway, you might be wondering why I've chosen to write about loving one's self? Because this is something we all struggle with, myself included but over the last few months I have begun to accept myself for who I am, you have read my previous blog post about my struggles with extreme weight loss and now trying to reach a happy balance of a healthy lifestyle and not losing my sanity. Re-adjusting to a bigger body has been really hard from me, resulting in me stealing owning quite a Few of Kieran's clothes for my bad day's where I cannot stand my reflection and need to hide my body. So as you can probably tell; my self-esteem isn't exactly glowing. It's picking up a lot more and the bad body image days are getting less frequent and easier to deal with. So, yet again, my dear readers, I shall present you with one "Rebecca Special".... More commonly known as a list... Yep... (There's a very high number of ellipsis in this blog, I do apologise if that irritates anyone!)

1) Good things come in 3s

This actually stems from an exercise I was given by two of the most wonderful teachers I have ever met (Go Gill and Howard!) When my Mother was going through breast cancer I became very withdrawn, upset and angry with the world. This led to me one day having a break down in the music department's office, to try and make me feel a bit more positive about what was going on in my life they told me that every night before I go to bed to list 3 things about that day that had been positive. It was really difficult in the beginning, I'm not going to lie there. Only being able to pick out maybe one or two good things in the first few weeks. But as time went on it got easier and I was starting to see the world in a more positive way, it wasn't against me at all! (I feel some of this I need to save for a different post so I'll hush with the side track story here!) The same idea can be applied to your appearance, every morning or every evening, or both if you wish. Take your make-up off, wash your face and look at yourself in the mirror, truly look at yourself. Pick out three good things you can see, like the sparkle in your eyes, your soft hair or your freckles. Over time you'll find it easier to find more positive things about you! Because truly YOU are BEAUTIFUL.

2) Hey there good lookin'

Following on form the picking out 3 things about yourself idea. It's time for some positive affirmations! (If you don't ooooh at that moment like a panto audience, re-read the line and oooh, please. I'd find it quite amusing.) After you've done your 3 amazing things about yourself, stand there and tell yourself (OUT LOUD!) that you are beautiful, you are amazing, you are simply unique. This creates a positive connection in your brain so that whenever you look at yourself in the mirror, it will think, ahh, it's that gorgeous person again! Pretty cool, right?

3) Stop Comparing Yourself to others!

I know this is perhaps the hardest part. It really is, the best example I can give is one I still struggle with today. I can walk into any gym and feel completely inadequate because there are girls skinnier than me, stronger than me, prettier than me and in my all round better than me and it's a very damaging mindset to have. But what's helped me fight this is being able to rationalise these thoughts. At the end of the day (Now it sounds like an episode of Jeremy Kyle, what a great way to lower the tone of my blog!) You don't know what's going on in those people's lives, the girl who's skinnier than you could have a thyroid problem and is desperately trying to put weight on! The girl who's prettier than you may never see that, for all you know she could be looking at you and feeling the same way. You don't know the ins and outs of people's lives, their triumphs and failures. You just have to focus on being you, set yourself your own goals and be realistic about them, don't say, I'm going to get into competition shape when in reality you don't actually have the time or the financial capabilities at the time to do that, instead, say you're going to become fitter than you were last month. Put the blinkers on when you've established these goals and don't compare someone else's successes to yours because you are doing the best YOU can! And you should be proud.

4) Do more things you enjoy

The happier you are, the better about yourself you will feel. So get out there, or stay in but whatever you are doing make sure that it is making you feel happy. If you like knitting then knit away! If you like swimming, then go swimming every week. Just find something you enjoy because when you're at peace with the life you're living, you'll be at peace with yourself too.

5) Be proud of you and your work!

Whenever you do something awesome, like get an A in a test, don't beat yourself up by saying it was a fluke or saying it's not worth anything because it wasn't an A+, tell yourself that you're awesome and do something special for it, whether it's binge watching a series on Netflix, going for a nice meal or even just letting yourself relax for one hour. BE PROUD! I know for me, this is one of my main struggles after years and years of having to meet the expectations of others and just missing the majority of the time, it's very hard to accept when I've done something well, this is one of those situations to stop comparing yourself to other people too. I'm a dyslexic with dyspraxia and dyscalcula and I always wanted to be great at Maths, all my friends were A/A* students and I was just scraping Cs. One teacher saw how hard I was trying and he and his wife as my maths tutor, gave me the resources and to try at a higher maths exam, they didn't care what grade I came out with, they just wanted to give me the opportunity, in the end we settled on aiming for a B grade. And although I didn't get that grade overall, I got a solid B in that higher maths paper and I've always been proud of it! But of course, don't ever let any learning disability or otherwise stop you from achieving your goals, be determined but set realistic goals and then don't ever let go of them.

If this blog has helped you then please share, comment or like it. If you hated it well, I hope your mother taught you that if you can't say anything nice, then don't say it at all.

Please don't hesitate to contact me via Twitter @RebeccaByTheSea or by E-mail rebecca.j.a.goodwin@gmail.com. Have a great day!

On The Road to Positive Living: 4 Tips On How to Cut Out Toxic People From Your Life!

This blog post has been sparked by firstly, a conversation with a friend the other day and secondly, me being left alone too long in my room at uni and becoming nostalgic. Remembering all the people I once had in my life and why my circle has been persistently small and to an extent getting smaller for the last 3 years. And thirdly, because one of my long term resolutions as I get older is to live a more positive life so this is the beginning of a new blog series called "On the road to positive living." If this feels like a bit of an on-line journey to finding yourself you want to come on with me, then welcome aboard! (I can hear my Dad shouting in the back ground " Rebecca, you sound like a tree-hugging hippie!")

 Anyway... I have been cutting toxic people out of my life slowly but surely in the last few years and I'm feeling better everyday for it. But how did I end up with these people in my life? I have been informed that I am too kind a person, that I would give up everything to help someone in need if they need me at that very moment and this has allowed certain people to take advantage of me and my kindness, these people I have labelled toxic. However, you may be asking "Rebecca, what do you mean by toxic people?"

Well, quite simply, I define toxic people as those who do not support my dreams or goals and in fact do quite the opposite and completely bring me down, whether it's with their own pessimistic attitude towards life, bullying, controlling behaviour; Yes, it does happen in friendships not just among enemies.  These people seem to attract drama in their lives typically by creating it. This is typically a method of manipulation that can be utilised very easily, ever heard of the phrase "tugging at the heart strings"? Speaking from experience, being caught up in the drama of others can exhaust you mentally, physically and emotionally. Especially if these people are our friends, family or partner because you just want to help them as much as you can, which of course is natural so please don't feel any guilt about it if you recognise this behaviour! 


How to cut out these people:

I can tell you, this is not an easy process to say the least because the toxic person is usually someone close enough in your life to hurt you, it can be a close friend, a partner, a work colleague or even a family member but if they are making you feel that anxious or that depressed and you've tried talking to them about it then, you must be strong and close their chapter in your book of life. So I formulated some tips to try and help. If you thought that a new blog series would mean that I would get rid of my love for lists, then you thought wrong. 

1) Know your worth -

Typically, the toxic people in your life are themselves, damaged. Acting out and belittling you in order to make themselves feel better. But, you must remember that you are amazing, priceless and absolutely nobody has the right to make you feel insignificant. This self-confidence will be essential to taking this person out of your life and being able to move on.


2) Be persistent -

These people will probably try and stay in your life or continue to bring you down in order to make you stay, making you feel like you'll be completely alone if you don't have them in your life. This may even be a painful process for you if it's a long-term friend or relationship and it will be difficult at first but in the end you will feel freer and happier.


3) Don't isolate yourself -

Talk to new people. You have to be able to move on from who was weighing you down, create new and more positive, constructive relationships or take the time to strengthen the relationships with people who have a positive impact on your life because after all, positivity breeds positivity.

4) Learn to recognise toxic people in the future -

This is very important. We go through lives and things change, we can get new jobs with new people, new schools, new gyms and so on but we are constantly forming new relationships and as soon as you begin to identify the feelings you had from the last toxic person in your life, the quicker you can shed then off.

Looking After No.1 - Self-care Boxes

After my post about Safe Havens and Panic Buttons, a few people have requested that I do another post about coping with anxiety. The idea for self-care boxes was actually sparked after I was trying to work out what to get my Mum for Christmas. Before I went to Uni, I used my last pay cheque to buy my mum a penguin family pandora charm, stating that not only was it my leaving gift to her but also just in case I failed abysmally at getting her a Christmas present. So, I had at least covered my back but I couldn't just get her nothing. After days and weeks of racking my brain cell I came up with the idea of a self-care box. My Mum suffers with fibromyalgia and lymphodema following her battle with breast cancer and the woman is an absolute warrior, she still works a very demanding job and dedicates so much time and energy to her family, even on the days where anything that touches her feels like such an immense pain. (In all honesty, I can't begin to imagine what she goes through everyday.) So I made her self-care box with the thought of her bad days, when she's in pain and needs to rest. Her box contained:

1) A Blanket Throw

This is to keep her warm and also something to snuggle up with. This was to ensure that she would relax and sit or lie down because as amazing as she is, my darling mum often over does things and her fatigue can really ruin the next day for her.

2) Slippers

To go with the blanket throw and to remind her that when she takes off her work shoes that the working day is over and it's time to relax.

3) Tea Light Candles

We have tea light candle holders around our bath tub and again, this is something to help her relax on bad days because let's face it, who doesn't love candlelit baths?

4) Favourite Chocolate

.... Need I say more. Even J.K. Rowling speaks of chocolate as way of fighting off dementors (which were her personification of depression.) So that stuff is blooming magical!

5) Hot Water Bottle

To go with the blanket throw, slippers and chocolate, making for a cosy and chilled night in after a nice bath.

There were a few other random bits and pieces in there too which were personal to my mum and I but safe to say she loved it! But you're probably wondering, how the heck can I translate this to dealing with anxiety? Well, quite easily actually. If you use the template of what I put in Mother G's box, you can personalise and customise what you want to put into your self-care box. And even choose a pretty box to put your items in. Mine has penguins on.... Are we surprised?

Why Do I Feel They're So Important?

I believe everybody should have a Self-care box not just those of us who suffer with depression and/or anxiety because they are just wonderfully useful for a grey drizzly day where you might feel down or after a bad day at work/school/college/Univeristy/educational establishment. Because you
know when you open it there are things in there that can comfort you, like the blanket throw and hot water bottle, make you smile, I made a little Netflix coupon in mine to remind me to sit back, relax and watch a comedy film or QI. Or even to remind you to eat, drink and wash because let's face it, that's the fundamentals of self-care. When you're depressed, as an example, you tend to become quite numb and you don't care too particularly about your appearance or you won't eat or drink as much as you should. I made one for a friend as a Christmas present which contained tea bags and chocolate, something to eat and something to drink. As much as these posts are all about tips to cope with anxiety I can never stress enough how important it is to talk to other people, someone you trust or go to your GP if you feel you may be depressed or suffering from anxiety and get help, don't ever suffer in silence.

I'm happy to be someone to talk too, feel free to contact me by E-mail rebecca.j.a.goodwin@gmail.com

Or by Twitter @RebeccaByTheSea

Safe Havens and Panic Buttons

I know, the title sounds like a pop punk band's debut track. However, what I want to talk about on this blog post today is a topic I touched upon briefly on previously. I've spoken about my anxiety and how it's affected me at work in the beginning, and through my academics. But I've never spoken about day to day life. How some days I can barely get out the door without my hands going shaky, how some days even getting that far is a complete miracle. I'm going to talk about coping mechanisms for those days where you wake up and feel the heavy weight of anxiety, or morph, in my case, sitting on your chest. 

As the title suggests, there are two main ways that I have learnt to manage my anxiety. Safe havens, having an environment where you feel your anxiety cannot touch you or that makes you feel safe; what to do when you're out in a public place, school or work and you've been triggered, you want to get out of the area but maybe you can't, so you're left fighting the war inside your own head. Hopefully, my dear readers, I can provide you with some mental arms to help take your anxiety down a peg.

Let's start close to home, or in my case, literally in my home.

Safe havens:

What do I mean by safe haven? I mean an area where you feel calm, where anxious thoughts and feelings don't cross your mind but if they do, they don't last long. My safe haven is my family home, anywhere in my home I know is safe but my particular favourite is the kitchen/dining room area we have. For a few reasons. (Did you really think you got away with one of my blog posts NOT having a list?!)

1) The kettle and teabags are always near: A hot drink, for me it's green tea always centres me again and just the feeling of warmth is very comforting. Even the act of making the cup of tea or coffee forces you to think about what you're doing.

2) Water bottles in the fridge:  In the middle of an anxiety attack, one of the best things you can do is drink water, this is because water will trigger the "dive reflex" from your body, which slows your heart rate down and in turn can combat the increased heart rate and reduce some feeling of panic. Plus, if you've been crying you can rehydrate yourself too.

3) There's usually always someone around:

This is relatively self-explanatory, my parents are usually in the kitchen, they could be on their iPads or cooking or watching TV but just knowing there's someone in the room to talk too, to have a hug from or just generally have some company; is wonderful.

At University right now I'm struggling to create my uni room into a safe haven because I associate it so much with my study space but I'm slowly getting there, I've bought a new throw to put over my bed, some new cushions, some battery operated candles and I'll probably get a lavender reed diffuser so I can make it more relaxing and cosy. I'm also taking my yoga mat back to uni so I can do yoga and meditate in my room. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Panic Buttons:

Panic buttons? What are you on about, Rebecca? I hear you cry! Okay, maybe not... But! What I mean by panic buttons is what to do (or what I've done) in certain situations where you can feel an anxiety attack coming on. Because this attack is predominantly happening in my mind, I imagine myself in my mind's eye hitting a panic button and going through the stages of my "panic plan" in my head. Pixar beat me too it on the idea of personified emotions running around in your head, unfortunately!

So I've hit the panic button, what do I do?

Say for example I'm at work, something's triggered me, it might be a comment from a customer, doing something new on a department I'm not familiar with or before an exam or test at university. 

Stage 1) Grounding

My mind has run away with me and I can forget where I am or what I'm doing. So I have to find 5 things around me. 

1) Something I can see

2) Something I can smell (I tend to focus on my perfume)

3) Something I can feel (temperature is always good)

4) Something I can touch

5) Something I can hear (the radio is usually on at work so that helps but any conversation you might hear is good too.)

Stage 2) Breathing

Okay, so I'm not disoriented any more but my breathing hasn't slowed down. I have two methods for dealing with this, one is grabbing my water bottle and chugging it down to trigger the dive response which I spoke about above. But if I can't do that I draw a little square on my leg with my finger; when the lines are going horizontal, I breathe in, when they're vertical I breathe out. This square gets bigger and bigger, forcing me to take deeper breaths until my breathing is quite relaxed and calm.

Stage 3) Feeling positive again

I've calmed down, I'm aware of what's around me but how do I get back to feeling somewhat better again? I carry on with my breathing, almost in a meditative state, focus on something that makes me happy, I usually keep photos on my phone of me and my best friend, partner or family to look at, or maybe a joke or funny picture someone has sent me. Even better, look up cat videos on YouTube, thank you to Conor Mcgloin my old sociology teacher for that method! Anything that could make you smile and mentally prepare yourself if you've got to go back out and face people again, if not, go to your safe haven, have a hot drink and practice some

Self-care! Which is something I'm looking at writing about over the next coming weeks.

I hope this blog post helps even a few people reading, if you suffer with anxiety I cannot stress enough how important it is to talk to your loved ones or a GP to get help, these methods focus on what to do when you're alone but with support, it can make things one heck of a lot easier. Please, share this so we can reach out to more people who may be struggling.

If you want someone to talk too please don't hesitate to contact me on Twitter @RebeccaByTheSea or e-mail

rebecca.j.a.goodwin@gmail.com 

God bless and Stay safe. <3