Love Yourself

‘ If you want to soar in life, you must first learn to F.L.Y ( first love yourself) ‘ – Mark Sterling

I remember sitting in school being painfully bored when a teacher would go on and on about positive mental health, having a positive view of your body and mind etc and thinking would they ever just leave and go appear on Oprah or something.  But as I get older I realise that my problem wasn’t the message the teacher was trying to get into my teenage mind but the fact that as a teen I had no real idea who I was so it was  pretty hard to be confident and happy in myself.  I didn’t know exactly who I was in my early 20’s either but in the last 12 months or so  I’ve finally, well, found myself . Took long enough eh?!   I think once you know who you are it’s important to like who you are.

Loving yourself or even liking yourself are things so many people find hard to do, often it’s because in our society people will say you are full of it or have notions about yourself so for an easier life a lot of people undersell themselves but at what cost? I was at a Damien Dempsey concert a few weeks back and he talked about loving ourselves and loving what we see in the mirror. I can’t remember his exact words but he talked about kissing a mirror at night so when you look in it the next morning you can see the imprint of your lips and how that should make you happy as there is nothing more important than loving yourself and being comfortable in your own skin. Now I am aware that it may sound cheesy to some people but that is ok. I think for those of us out there who have struggled with self-acceptance, when you finally get that break through moment and start to like yourself, you will appreciate Damien’s message.  I’m not saying that you have to view yourself as perfect in order to love yourself, it’ s important to recognise your weaknesses  but not to obsess over them and constantly criticise yourself as many people do.  I think it is so important to appreciate whatever talents you have.

I find as the months go past, the less I care about people’s opinions of me, a person’s perception of you isn’t reality. If you want to know why they think a certain way about you than ask them, consider their reply (if you get one, sometimes asking people to back up their statement proves difficult) and decide whether you think it is a fair point or just someone being rude/jealous. If you don’t want to know then leave them to think whatever they wish!

Love yourself first and always.

Kayaking in Killarney with Outdoors Ireland. A must.

Kayaking is fun. Kayaking in the beautiful surroundings of Killarney, including Lough Leane and Innisfallen is something everyone should try at least once. I was so ignorant of the amazing nature that exists in my home county. 

Back to the start.

I've had this love/hate relationship with water every since a very scary water incident as a kid. My fear of water meant that the sight of waves at a beach or in a movie would make me feel queasy.I've never gone on the outdoor slide at the Aqua Dome and one time I pretty much had a panic attack involving a pier and a tourist submarine on holidays (long story..) So naturally last Saturday I decided to go kayaking in the lakes of Killarney, including the deepest lake in Ireland. 

Why? Because I felt like I was missing out on seeing a beautiful part of the world. I started swimming lessons again late last year and that definitely helped me with my fear of water but I knew I would have to get out of my comfort zone with water in ore.

If you don't have any issues with water than the day will be a breeze, still possibly tiring depending on your fitness but it's good to push yourself.

One of my "oh Jesus" what am I doing in the water moments 

Tips for Kayaking: 

• Enjoy your adventure, be prepared to earn your lunch
• Bring a tasty lunch (you'll deserve it) and keep hydrated! ( I didn't and it did impact my energy levels, rookie mistake) 
• Remember that it is highly unlikely you'll fall out, ask for help if you need it and you'll get it. 
• Your arms may hurt but it's so so worth it! Doing some stretches when I got home helped. 

                           Up the Kingdom

Book Review: Me and my mate Jeffrey

In a weird way it's always a comfort to read about someone elses battle with anxiety. I use the word battle because that's exactly what it is, anxiety is a battle between the rational and irrational thoughts in your brain, it can result in both mental and physical scars. It can make you feel like the loneliest person in the world and make you lose interest in everything you love.

Niall Breslins book is a detailed account of his journey and often it is a hard read. But the most difficult parts to read are often the most valuable parts of this book as I know so many people who can relate to it and being able to relate to a situation is so important when you often feel like no one can possibly understand what you are going through.
I'm not going to go into any detail of what is in the book as it really needs to be read cover to cover as it's his story to tell, not mine.

I've learnt so much from his story and I highly recommend it to anyone who has anxiety or knows someone who is in battle.

" In a Land of Make Believe, that Don't Believe in Me" Abortion and Women's Rights in Ireland

The world is composed of many things which  will always stay the same. Waters chemical formula is H2O, 2 + 2 =4. It's just how it is, we live by it, accepting that some things in life can't be changed. When it comes to science sometimes the odds are in your favour and sometimes they aren't. That's life. Stephanie Roches goal was pretty fantastic. Outside of  her football skills, there were of course some other factors to take into consideration such as gravity, velocity, angles, the positions and actions of the other players and so on. In that very moment, when all of these factors combined in a certain way, it was  determined that the ball would end up in the net, there would be no other outcome and boy was it a good one. 

When Sean Abott threw a cricket ball, the speed and angle at which it was thrown, the positioning of Phil Hughes, the part of his neck which was exposed, all of those factors in that very moment determined that Phil Hughes would pass away from his injuries. There was nothing that could be done. 2+2 =4 and on that day 4 was death.

When a young woman in her 30's collapses and dies at home from sudden adult death syndrome, one  fact which matters to her family is knowing there was nothing in that moment which could have changed the outcome. When you are thrown into a new scary world of grief you cling onto the fact that there was nothing that could have been done.  No law of the land or medical intervention could have saved her in that moment.  

When Savita Halappanavar became desperately ill and requested a medical termination, the fact is there WAS something that could have been done which may have saved her life. However the laws of the land,not science or sheer dumb bad luck prevented this from happening. The laws of this country played a major role in how this scenario ended. 

The fact of the matter is that these laws can be changed, the constitution can be changed.The world won't self implode if Ireland makes the necessary changes to man made laws. Yet we continue to live in a society which  forces this made up world on us. People may argue that no we can't change the laws of the land because of X, Y and Z. I am well aware of the argument for the right to life of the unborn but I'm not here to argue for their rights, I'm here to say that I don't see my body as a vessel but this is exactly how the Irish government are treating it as witnessed in the recent case of PP v HSE. 

My body is not a vessel, it is a canvas which I dress in a way that I choose.  I keep my body healthy by the foods and exercise I choose. When something happens to my body which is beyond my control but not the control of medicine, I should be able to choose which medical path I want to go down. Why can't we look outside the man made box we have confined ourselves and realise that this system isn't working, because that's all it is. It's a system, not a true and undeniable fact of life. 

These changes may offend people, make them feel uncomfortable but not changing things has resulted in the death and loss of dignity of women. How many more women and families will be forced to suffer purely for the fact that we were born female and live in a world where we don't get to determine what we do with our bodies.

It angers me because Savita didn't have to die, at the very least she  could have been given a fighting chance.  A chance whose odds were determined by  the best possible efforts of medicine/ science and not by the inhumane shortcomings in our legal system. 

Apologies for any typos.