This week it’s Mental Health week and as someone with a mental illness I thought it might be a good idea to let you know what I feel you need to know. Today I’m writing about depression which I feel is a very misunderstood illness so here you go!

You can still be/ appear to be happy 

Ok so this is  common problem, which I believe led to me being diagnosed so late. People think that everyone with depression lie in bed all day, don’t go out, don’t talk to people etc. This is definitely NOT true, if anything most people are the opposite of this. From my experience you get very good at hiding your feelings when you don’t have a choice. On the other hand however a lot of people have good days and bad days, ok so your good days arn’t amazing but it’s still a good day. I’d go from a week of hyperactivity to having a low but I still had to go to college and work. You can still be happy or people can fake being happy, it’s just the way this illness works.

Not everyone self harms 

 Again another stupid thing that has gone round. Everyone handles depression differently and unfortunately some people do self harm but don’t judge everyone!!

You’re not a  ‘broken’ person 

 I hate it when people assume you’ve had a shit life so your depressed. Depression can affect absolutely anyone for a variety of reasons and triggers. People with depression are as normal as anyone else they’re just having a difficult time right now.

We’re NOT ‘Emo’s’

 Nope still not emotionally unstable. We don’t sit around listening to ’emo music’ and doing nothing else. Some of the most successful people in the world have had depression, does that change your mind?

90% of the time you can’t see it

 Most of the time depression is an invisible illness, sometimes even the people who have it don’t know. That said don’t assume that they don’t hurt just as much as someone with a physical illness. There were so many times at school that I wish it showed how much I was hurting on my skin so people would understand.

That’s my little insight for you I hope it helped!

You guessed it I am still alive! In pain bust still alive, thank you for all the good wishes. After going to see a doctor again today I don’t have to go and be hooked up to an IV thankfully. I do however have to miss a whole week of uni which has really upset me but thankfully I have lovely friends who are willing to send me their notes. So for the next few days I will be resting constantly (which is beyond boring) before heading back to Kingston on Thursday and hopefully seeing another doctor Friday to run some more tests. So hopefully there will be another fairly boring post again tomorrow night about me…not doing much. 

Thank you for reading! 

Today’s blog post will be short and sweet. I’ve ended up back in Basingstoke again!!!! This time not by choice 😦 I had to go to the emergency clinic at Kingston hospital today as I have quite a nasty kidney infection, it’s painful to say the least. This is more of a quick note to say thank you to so many people from today. My best friend Bekkie who helped me get to the hospital and stayed with me despite hating them herself, my flatmate Christie who made sure I was ok and who’s going to sort out my kitchen stuff, to the lovely staff at Kingston hospital for looking after me so thoroughly, my lovely boyfriend for being so understanding and sending me funny pictures in the waiting room. Last but not least to my parents who drove up straight away to come get me and make sure I’m ok. So as annoying as it is to be ill it is kind of nice to be back at home but I just want to be at uni!!!!!

So on October 5th I encountered something that pisses me off to no end. I had the pleasure of being told who I am and surprise, surprise they were wrong. Now I get really mad when people think that they can tell me who I am and what to do after meeting me for five minutes. I don’t care who they are, what they’ve done or even if they are the Queen I don’t give these people any respect. I came to university to pursue my interests, not to be put in a box. So I got worked up, I felt miserable and I let myself cry. After this though? I decided that I didn’t care and would take Sir Trevor McDonald’s advice and not let them decide where I can get to. So guess what? You just made your biggest mistake, watch this girl go,go,go!!

On Thursday night I was thrilled to attend an evening with Trevor McDonald and his speech was inspirational to say the least. Although he was fairly late (blame London traffic!) it was definitely worth the wait. Instead of boring you with every single thing I did on Thursday I’m just going to give you 5 quotes which I found to be both inspirational and motivating.  I was simply in awe of his life and all he has done in the last 50 years but he made me feel that it was possible to have that kind of life. He didn’t patronise us as students, nor did he lecture us he was simply honest and incredibly charming. I took down five quotes I want to share with you all, quotes I believe will help me throughout university and maybe my entire life. He spoke about those he had met without name dropping, his frankness about disagreeing with president Bush but commenting that he was a most charming man and a true Texan. Equally he spoke of those who are seen as evil such as his interview with Saddam Hussain and mentioning that although his security were brutal the man himself was calm and often isolated, so much so his own workers never saw him. Hearing his story I so badly wished that I could have spoken to him, I couldn’t unfortunately so these quotes will have to do, some of which I hope to live by.

‘Not the received truth but the real truth’ – So basically don’t just accept things, find out the real truth for yourself.

‘Nothing is accomplished without hard work and determination’ – This one really speaks for  itself and I totally relate.

Don’t let people find their limits on your ambition – This one struck a chord with me because people always seem to try and tell you what you’re capable of which leads me to the next quotation…

‘The ones you should never trust, those who say you can’t..you go and show them’–  I’ll let you think about that one yourself.

Get out there. – I intend to live by this one. In relation to uni I would rather get out there and do an internship rather than go and get drunk.

I do not own this image please click here for its original source

I love that quote and in the past few days I have been able to live it. Since coming home Bekkie and I have been spending so much time together and I already feel like she’s been in my life forever. That sounds cliché but I don’t know how to explain it? We’re so similar but so different it’s odd. For example I’m fiery and can blow up in 2 seconds and Bekkie is calm and considers things, this works in our favour very well if we’re together. I’m in a friendship where we can use our strength to help the other persons weakness. Another thing? The girl makes me laugh until my sides ache. The amount of laughter that was coming out of my room last night anyone would have thought we were incredibly drunk (we weren’t by the way). That’s another thing I never need alcohol to have fun with Bekkie, it doesn’t interest us but we still have a damn good time. If I’m honest I couldn’t have asked for anyone better on my courses. I’m aware I sound like a sap but friendships are very important at university especially because you WILL meet people who put your back up. Through my half field I’m counting about 4 right now, they are also on Bekkie’s list as well as Trish’s (another lovely girl who is currently in all but one of my classes, also another Harry Potter fan).

I should put some tips into this blog seeing as I’m actually writing at as a kind of freshers guide. Although the title is ‘Live,Laugh,Love’ you don’t all the time. In my short 3 weeks here I have seen people nodding off in lectures. The topics can be a bit dry and according to one of my lecturers are supposed to drive you mad ( yeah you try and work out that logic, I still don’t get it)  and sometimes it’s the people. Some people think they’re at university because they are apparently experts and feel that the lecturers (with all their years of experience) cannot simply be right because it doesn’t agree with THEIR standards. I’ve encountered a few of these people, you can’t even call them know it all because they’re often wrong and generally people get irritated. I have heard that this is is common in many different field so watch out! What I’m trying to say ( I think) is that you don’t have to like everyone, in fact there is a possibility you wont. University introduces you to so many different walks of life that your bound to have different opinions. Although Bekkie is my closest friend I have other friends on my course ( Jake, Trish, Rhys, Christie and others) and many friends in other fields (Ali,Charlee,Joe, Conor, Ben, Kym, Jodie, Tom, Jay, Tess, Amy, Jamie, Alexia are just a few). That’s another thing! Don’t spend time with just the people on your course, I think you’re at risk of losing your mind if you do.

So there you go, I’m loving life at the moment and there are some handy hints for any would be freshers! Tomorrow night I’ll be seeing Sir Trevor McDonald at a talk at the uni! Excited is an understatement!

I honestly wish I could blog about something new and interesting every night but I am bored silly! Today I came back form Basingstoke to my lovely flat and I’ve really missed them Ali, I know Ali was so happy to come back too. I also had my first driving lesson in Kingston today and it was a success! I have been told I am a very good driver and should be ready for a test in no time! Thank god for that!! I just want my license and my car and the freedom of it all. Right now all assignments are nearly done and I’m going mad with boredom! Ah student life!