The year I fought back

I’ve been very bad at blogging this year. At the beginning of the year I was pushing myself to apply for jobs and working through all of the triggers that reared their heads as I went along. Since then, I’ve been working hard. Getting to know my colleagues and team mates, learning the ropes in …

Insecurity & Anxiety

I don’t know what I want. Actually, that’s not strictly true. I do know what I want – what I can’t have. I want to be in a stable and secure relationship. I’d love to be married. My current status is complicated. I’m in a casual thing with a man that I am head over …

Fear of the unknown

I’m not quite sure where I’m going with this or what I’m trying to say, but here goes. I’m feeling anxious (nothing new there) and I’m trying to figure out what is going on. I’ve been offered a job and am waiting on approval of references. I’m delighted and nervous. I want to do my …

Patience is a virtue…

I’m finding myself struggling increasingly with patience. Not with other people but with myself. I’m still jobhunting. I’m applying and getting some interviews but I just can’t convert it to a job offer. I know that I’m trying my best and doing what I can. Where I’m struggling is accepting that while I have done …

Sleep and Anxiety

My sleep is terrible. I’m permanently tired. If I do have a night where I sleep well, it’s because I took a sleeping tablet. I don’t do it often because they can be addictive and I don’t need any other issues. I know it’s not sleep. It’s chemical but desperate times and all that. I …

My Coronavirus diary 16

I am very anxious. NPHET have basically given the Irish government a free pass to end all Coronavirus restrictions here in Ireland. While I freely acknowledge that we cannot and should not live under restrictions for any longer than is necessary, it has just been announced that the Cabinet have given the go ahead to …

Freedom. Rejection and nightmares

A lot has changed since my last post. I am now free having resigned from my job. Actually resigning caused me huge anxiety. It took me a long time first to compose and then to send the email. I hadn’t expected to have that reaction. Several months ago, I would have resigned in a heartbeat …

Stuck

This is how I feel. I guess its better than feeling trapped which I was feeling but its still not a good feeling. I need to get unstuck so I can move forward. I’m still following my employers timeline. I need that chapter to be closed to allow me to move on. I haven’t the …

My dilemma

I’m facing a dilemma. Occupational Health are of the opinion that I am fit to return to work. I however, am not willing to return to the toxic situation that is my workplace nor the bullying manager that caused my anxiety. This is the reality that I am facing. I’m being pressured to go back …

What DO I want to be when I grow up? Part 2.

I know at 41, I am officially a grown up but in career terms, I’m only 20. Long gone are the days when you finish school, college or university and you work in the same job until you retire at 65. As it stands, I won’t receive my state pension until I’m 68 but that …

A world of worry

I have always been a worrier. If worrying was an Olympic event, I would win every single medal. Mr Worry was also my favourite book in the Little Misses and the Mr Men series, obviously because I identifed with the character! I have just spent the last four days worrying about something that won’t happen. …

My Coronavirus diary 12

It’s March 2021. At time of writing we are still in level 5 restrictions and Easter is fast approaching. The Taoiseach seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth and the HSE message is #holdfirm. Hold firm. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 12 months. I am beyond fed up of …

Bullying….and beyond

I never thought that I’d write this post. I was being naive. I have recently been informed that none of my allegations of bullying against my supervisor have been substantiated. To say I was shocked is a massive understatement. (Read My experience of workplace bullying here) It really made me question myself. I know 100 …

Letting go…

I am not good at this. If I’ve invested myself in something whether it is a job or a relationship, I really really struggle to let go and move on. The logical part of me knows that staying in my toxic workplace is not an option. It has trashed my confidence and mental health. I …

My Coronavirus diary 10

It’s January 2021. We’re in lockdown. Again. I say lockdown but listening to the amount of traffic outside people have obviously decided to ignore it. There is no way in hell they are all “essential workers.” That road was silent when we were first in lockdown. I could hear silence and birdsong. Numbers here are …