when someone believes in you, you can achieve so much...

4th February, it's time to talk day! But I personally think mental health should be a all year round topic of conversation. I talk a lot about my mental health so today I'm going to share with you three times when I believed I could do something but because of my anxiety and panic attacks other people didn't believe I was capable. I went on to find other people who did believe in me and I'm currently proving the doubters wrong!


What happens when you believe in yourself but someone else doesn't? You start to believe that the someone else must be right and that you aren't capable, you start to doubt yourself. They are wrong! Step back, do not doubt yourself. I'm going to share three times this has been the case for me.


Learning to drive
The first time I remember experiencing this doubting feeling was when I was contacting different driving instructors regarding starting driving lessons. In pretty much every email conversation I had I mentioned about my anxiety and panic attacks (it was a big part of my life) because I wanted the instructors to know what to expect. I can still to this day (almost two years later) remember the exact driving instructor it was. His response was I should wait until I was better. Wait until I'm better?! I could of been waiting a very long time.

But I eventually came across Sharon, the wonderful lady who taught me the life lesson. I didn't start lessons with Sharon start away, I got in contact a few times before I took that first step and began my driving journey. Since driving I've improved so much as a person and a lot of that is down to Sharon. Thank you for believing in me Sharon, I really am so grateful for finding you and being able to share the journey with you. I will without a doubt recommend Sharon to anyone wanting to learn to drive!


Work, work, work
I really doubted myself (but I'm certain others doubted me more) when it came to working. I wanted to work so badly to get routine and purpose. I never thought I'd be able to work for anyone other than my parents (I applied for plenty of jobs but not much came of it, minus the odd jobs I worked that didn't last long). The days of work used to be very little, I'll write another post about that actually. But how wrong was I? I've been working since May last year and I now work four days a week, nine til five which is a pretty great achievement for me. Yet the 'normal' for others. Luckily I started off working Monday to Friday nine til twelve, but as the work load got bigger and I understood it more, hours increased. I'm so grateful that I get a mid week day off because I know full well I need the work/life balance to maintain a positive, happy state of mind (which is a little hit and miss at the minute). I was working every day but it got too much. My boss is amazing, no doubt about it!


Dentists
I don't think anyone is a fan of the dentists, surely? After a horrible experience with a dentist I attempted to find a new dentist. I went to this new dentists two or three times. The most recent and last time I'll be going there was for a filling (it is currently my glue dot because it doesn't match my tooth) but there was also talk of braces. He basically explained that it would be a long process, I was very much already aware of that. He said he would refer me to an orthodontist but nothing ever came of that conversation, it came across that he didn't think I understood or would be capable of completing the treatment after panicking a little.

Well, I can safely say I proved him wrong too! I started my Invisalign journey in November/December and things are going great. All down to my new lovely dentist, who put me at ease the second I walked into his room. He is such a calming guy who gives off such a positive vibe. A highly professional dentist (still a human who understands) who clearly cares for his patients and takes pride in his work but is still very down to earth. Thank you Ihsan, I don't think you realise just how much it means.



Three occasions, three people. People all vary, some people will understand you, some people won't. Some people will be kind, others will be cruel. Find the nice people in the world and hold on to them! (not literally, they might find that a little creepy)...



Have you ever felt like people don't understand you? They think you are incapable of things because of your mental health? I think a lot of this is down to the stigma and misunderstandings surrounding mental health. Because we can't see it, we don't talk about it, because we don't see it, we don't believe it's real. Trust me, it is very real.


We all have a mental health, some of us just have a few problems with ours. One of the best places to go for help is your doctor. But you can also use online services too like these two incredible charities... Mind and time to change. Head on over to the websites even if you don't personally live with a mental illness, it might open up your eyes a little bit. Plus the truth is you could be affected at any point in your life.



Have you ever experienced something similar to me? Get in touch, I wanna hear about it :) Let's chat!