I think globally 2016 has been a pretty crappy year, so many bad things have happened, terrorist attacks, iconic celebrities passing away, brexit and even Donald Trump actually becoming president! Personally though, it's been a grand year, nothing to brag or boast about, but I've definitely had worse years!
This might sound a little silly but I really feel like I've grown up a lot this year. I've always been very independent and moving away from home almost 4 years ago didn't even phase me, but this year something was just different. I feel like I've matured a lot. I know at 22 I still probably have a long way to go but I've been through a lot and I've learned from every experience.
I've learned to cope with my anxiety and panic attacks a lot better this year. This has helped my mental health so SO much! I've realised some of my triggers and come up with methods of calming myself and preventing panic attacks. At the end of 2015 I would say that my mental health was probably at an all time low. I hid it very well. If you followed me on snapchat back then, I bet you'd have never known. I bet even in real life you'd have never guessed it but in reality, behind closed doors I was a mess, struggling to even get out of bed and get dressed some days. If anyone is currently facing the battle of the bed, I truly truly feel for you. I was very lucky and have a great mammy who pulled me through the worst of it! My boyfriend was also incredible and deserves a medal or some sort of award for helping me through. Anyway, that's a post for another day.
I feel like 2016 was a year of healing for me mentally. As I said at the beginning of this post, I overthink everything. So I knew exactly what was causing my mental health to be so bad. At the start of 2016 I started to remove myself from certain situations and deal with situations in a different way. It took a while to change the way I thought about things but around June I was making some major headway with it! In June I also moved back home and started a new job in my mams company. It was great to be home again. I feel like I really needed to be around my parents. I really enjoyed working with my mam, I've been with her since as I'm on my placement for college. I've been doing all the things I love, social media, marketing, website design, making videos, writing blog posts, taking pictures, all while learning the inner workings of running a company. It's been such a brilliant experience and I've truly loved every second of it.
In the last third of the year, I felt like I somewhat got my shit together. After taking a digital detox I came back swinging. I'm finally in a good routine in terms of writing blog posts, making videos and working the day job too. I'm really happy with how my routine and time management is. I've also got to see my friends so much more, we've had random nights out and gotten so much closer. It's been absolute brilliant. Sometimes it can be hard to stay in touch when you don't see each other every day but making a small effort goes a long way. I'm so proud of my friends and think they're all just bloody amazing.
As I'm coming into the last few days of this year, I feel completely different to how I did this time last year. which is great. I feel like I've overcome a lot this year. I've healed a lot. I care a hell of a lot less about what people think and only really care what my inner circle think, and to put that in perspective, that's my parents, my boyfriend and a few close friends. I'm really excited for what 2017 has to bring. I feel like I'm finally open to new challenges and adventures again. I already have a few exciting things lined up which I'll explain in my next post!
I am happy to say goodbye to 2016, but before I do, I just want to take a second to thank each and every one of you who have read my blog this year, whether it's just this post or every single one of them. Thank you to everyone who follows and interacts with me on my social media. Thank you for all your kind words throughout the year, your lovely messages and your constant support. Thank you genuinely, from the bottom of my heart.
Here's to 2017!
Erin X
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