Friday 1 April 2016

On my mind....

Wednesday has been on my mind a lot this week
As in the day I brought my nephew horse riding 
He is great 
He is very independent 
And very much amused himself 
So I went and had a cuppa with Eilis who owns the place 
And another French girl
The three of us were sitting up in the spectating area
Watching the kids ride 
Eilis and Lara were talking ten to the dozen 
And having a great laugh
I however 
Felt like a spare wheel
Like I was crippled with self consciousness 
And couldn't contribute to the conversation at all
I'm just really not good at that kind of thing 
And I withdraw very quickly if I feel at all uncomfortable 
I was struck how these two girls were so comfortable just to be themselves 
Granted 
They are older than me
And probably haven't had to deal with an opiate addiction or an ED
Maybe their lives have been a bit more straight forward than mine 
I'm sure they have had struggles in their lives 
Everyone has 
But from their personalities 
And their confidence 
I can tell they have lived a successful life 
I was just dying to get to help with the horses 
But they had so many helpers 
That Oisin and I were hardly needed at all 
But 
We helped where we could leading the horses 
Helping with lunch for the kids 
Tried to calm them down when they were bouncing off the walls
And drying their tears when they inevitably knocked a head or an arm or a foot 
Or a willy in one little boys case! 

I just felt so awkward and out of place 
Like I didn't fit in 
And was paralysed with fear and anxiety 
I hate being like that
I hate feeling uncomfortable 
And in turn making others feel uncomfortable 
I remember I was at a meeting once
This girl was speaking 
And she was saying how through working the programme 
She could walk in to a room full of people anywhere in the world
And feel comfortable to be herself 
I find that I mirror people back to themselves
If you are quiet 
I'll be quiet too
And if you are more outgoing 
I will try to be too
I guess I just haven't found my own little way yet 
I'm still learning who I am 
What I'm about 
What my opinions and views are
What makes me tick
What I am passionate about 
What angers me
My likes and dislikes 
This is all new to me 
I am new to me
But that's ok 
I am going through growing pains 
Albeit a little later than most people 
But I will get there 
Eventually 
I just really want to build up my confidence and self esteem
And feel ok to be me
As I have often said 
I've had to fight tooth and nail to get to the point where most people start off
It's not easy 
Staying clean and sober 
Managing an ED
It's an effort every single day
But it does get easier 
It definitely does 
And I am in it for the long haul
Oh yes
My ass is committed to this 
I guess we don't always see progress on ourselves 
I see it in others 
I see them grow in to beautiful young men and women 
But we don't see it in ourselves 
I definitely don't see it in myself 
I just have to trust that it is happening 
Whether I notice it or not 

I found another course that I am interested 
It's running in the local women's centre 
Communications and IT 
It's a year long 
And starts next month
Two afternoons a week 
Which is perfect for me 
As I could fit in all my other things around that 
I rang yesterday 
And out my name down 
Now I have a decision I need to make 
Go ahead with the job
Or concentrate on learning and furthering my education 
It's hard to know which one to choose 
As both would be great for me
I guess it's time to do a good ol' fashioned pros and cons list
And see which one comes out on top
But you know what?
It's great to be in a position where I can choose 
It wasn't so long ago that I had no options at all
So that my friends, is progress 
I have a little time to sort this out
I will chat  with my family
And try to figure this out
Suggestions and thoughts are welcome
I need all the help I can get....

11 comments:

  1. One thing I have learnt over the years is that it is ok to be a quiet person. Not everyone has to be loud and the centre of attention and life and soul of the party. My grandad used to say there are too many chiefs in this world and not enough Indians. Being quiet is fine. We observe and are actually usually the ones people turn to for more meaningful conversations. But it takes time to accept that you might be one of life's observers. But once it is accepted, you might worry less and be less self conscious of being quiet. If that makes any sense?

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    Replies
    1. It does make sense
      It makes perfect sense actually
      Thank you for this
      For reminding me that i am ok just the way I am
      In world full of strong personalities
      I am happy to be just that bit quieter
      I am starting to see that there is nothing wrong with that
      Nothing wrong at all

      Thank you
      Who ever you are xxxx

      Delete
  2. is there anyway you could do both if its only 2 afternoons a week? maybe talk to the place you are working at, seems a shame to turn down the job and that way can keep your options open.. its all happening for you!! I'm so pleased love jo xx

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    Replies
    1. Hey Jo

      Yes I guess I will have to see what hours I will be working
      I still want to be able to do my horse riding and go to meetings
      But if there is a way to do it all
      I will definitely try and squeeze it all in
      It is happening Jo
      And it's so exciting!

      Hope you and puppy are doing well? X

      Delete
  3. You've spent a long looooooooooong time living an extremely isolated existence, with mostly your immediate family for company. I imagine that socializing will take some getting used to. The only way to get more comfortable around other people is to keep doing it. it's just like any other skill. The more you spend time with people, the more comfortable you'll get around new people.

    Even the most confident-seeming people get self conscious. Most people worry more about what others think rather than judging others. And the ones who go around judging aren't worth your time anyway.

    One of our family's long time friends is an extremely loud person and she's always going on about how me and my friend (her niece) should be louder and more outgoing and go out and do things to meet more people etc etc etc. It took me years to figure out that she's wrong. It's ok being quiet. The world needs quiet people. (I wish there were more of us, to be honest....)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Mich,

      That's exactly it!!
      You hit the nail on the head!
      I am out of practise
      Rusty
      Where socialisation is concerned
      And you are so right
      The more I do it
      The easier it will become
      I need the night for myself a break
      I am doing my best

      Thank you my lovely on the ball Mich
      For reminding me that I am doing all I can manage
      And the rest will come
      You are awesome
      That is all x

      Delete
  4. I am one of those people you can finding talking with anyone and being friendly and loud, but like Mich said, I get self conscious too, usually after the fact later when I realized that I've out my foot in my mouth, but really, it's just doing it. I've found that now that I count as an adult, :P my worries about whether people like me or not has subsided lore. Of course I want people to like me, but I want them to like me because I make them happy and feel good about themselves and feel good talking with me. If someone thinks I'm strange or this or that, oh well, it's lot like I have to see that person much, and if it's in a work or school setting, that's fairly temporary. I don't have to choose that interaction in my personal life. No one is going to like everyone and sometimes people rub you the wrong way. Maybe they're awesome and cool and fun to be around, but for whatever reason, they're personality is just awful in combination with yours. It's kind of the fun of dealing with people I suppose. Mirroring has benefits in situations of empathy, but be a window. My coworker is 11 years sober just this past November and she's open about that and so kind and talkative with people and no one looks at her strangely. I think people are more wary when someone hides it and they become inspired to open themselves up when someone else is open about their struggles. We are all human and we all have a collection of memories and experiences. Maybe one of those girls experienced trauma or grief or is insecure. You'll never know and maybe you'll never know if you don't create that bridge towards a relationship. So don't be ashamed, and stretch that muscle. In regards to school, I agree trying to fit it in with the work. If you can do both, you'll have a new skill when the seasonal job ends and you can put both on your resume. I probably root for that because I've always gone to school and work both and its been helpful getting me better jobs. I do sense you're the introvert type as well though, so make sure to keep your time to yourself to reboot, like horses. Sometimes being busy can be good for growth as well.

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    Replies
    1. Good points Eve
      It is a good thing to reach out to someone
      Sometimes I feel able to do that
      Sometimes I don't
      I wouldn't go so far as to call myself introverted
      And I don't even know if it's shyness
      It's more a lack of confidence more than anything
      And I'm hoping they will continue to improve as I get well
      As I hate being so unsure of myself
      And so old mannered
      But
      I will get there
      Baby steps x

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  5. Checking in on day 1 of the #Challenge. Found no letter A. Perhaps you have changed your mind about participating. Sorry.

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  6. Confidence is something I'm working on too. It's getting easier, the more I put myself out there despite my awkwardness. I'm finding that I won't ever be the life of the party because that just isn't my style. I thrive on person to person interaction. :) In group settings I tend to sit back and be a people watcher.

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    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving some love x