End Of The Year Reflection

I can't believe we are at the end of 2016 already, it's gone so fast but at least it gives me a chance to write a blog based on this years happenings. It doesn't seem like 5 minutes since I first started blogging back in june! Taking up Blogging doesn't sound like a big deal, but for me it's been the best thing about my year. By joining Blogger I gained a voice, and I gained the courage to speak up about things that trouble me. Initially I wasn't doing it because I wanted people to read, I was just doing it to give myself something else to focus on other than my worries. But as time went by I slowly built up a strong readership of people who can relate to the things I blog about, people who suffer with similar problems as me, and more importantly, people who fully understand my words, all of that has given me more motivation than ever to keep Blogging, even though I only do it as a hobby, it has made me feel like there's more of a proper purpose to it. I just want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who has taken an interest. At the beginning of this year I was just a socially anxious oddball who didn't know what to do with her time, that's why I turned to Blogger, because I needed a hobby. I didn't think it would lead me to the point of doing things that I have never felt capable of, such as publicly speaking about my personal business, & interacting with people, even though it's only online, it's still a step forwards compared to where I was this time last year. I guess I owe Blogger a really big High Five for giving me the determination that I needed!

My greatest highlight of the whole year came at the beginning of November when I shared a blog I had written about Marfan Syndrome, a rare & serious health condition that I have. It's not something I have spoken about before until this year, not even to my own family or friends on Facebook. Ever since I was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, the word has made me feel queasy, which is why I have not mentioned it before until recently. I can imagine it was probably a shock to read for those who know me but didn't know about Marfan. Anyway, when I said my blog about it was my biggest highlight, that's because it did so much better than I would've ever predicted! In a matter of days it had travelled around the world, reaching people in Africa, Brazil, Canada & more, gaining more than 10,000 views & also recieved a share off The actual Marfan Foundation based in Port Washington! To this day I still don't understand how a basic person like me could gain such a mega response for writing something that I didn't even class as anything special. It was just my honest & open feelings based on how I felt about being affected by such a damaging condition. I'm not going to lie, I do feel pretty proud of myself & I definitely see that as a huge achievement, especially for someone who only recently took up blogging! Not many people who are as plain as me can say they wrote a blog that ended up going viral, but that wouldn't have happened without so many kind people sharing it, so once again I want to say a big thank-you to all of you. 💓

As well as Blogging, I have also managed to accomplish some other very small things this year, I say very small things because I know that's how they seem to those on the outside, but to me, the fact that I am finally starting to make slight improvements means a huge deal. To someone who has faced anxiety issues her whole life, the fact that I've taken steps towards overcoming that this year is something to feel satisfied about and for once I can look back over the years events & feel a tiny bit of pride at the little things I have done.

I've also had a few low points this year too, as I'm sure many people have. I wanted to leave it until the end before bringing this bit up as it's always nice to read the good parts first. My low points have mainly consisted of feeling down due to my on going health troubles, I don't want to go in to too much detail as it's not something I feel very comfortable discussing just yet, but I like to base my blogs on honestly so I thought it was only right that I include the fact that although I have made some changes for the better, I have also had some hard times as well. I visited my Doctor a few weeks ago due to my lower than normal mood & he has referred me to a councellor because he thinks I need to talk to someone who has a better understanding, like I said, it's not quite something that I want to blog about at the moment but I thought I should briefly mention it. I am on a waiting list for now & will be contacted when an appointment with a therapist becomes available, which hopefully won't be too long.

Right, I think I have just about covered everything that I wanted to say this time so I shall bring this post to a close now by saying a super big Thank-You for reading once again, and for following my blogs since the beginning of my journey. I can't promise to always have something substantial to write about but I can assure you that I will keep on blogging throughout 2017.. That's the plan anyway! Happy New Year Everyone..💓💓