Phoenix

Ash to ash dust to dust. The illness that once ruled some people lives with our mental health being more and more prominent within society and the local wellbeing networks that we create over the years. Not all the networks will be for the better.

We go through these stages of losing who we are like an onion which I have wrote about in a previous blog, the many layers of the onion are like our lives. We lose who we are each time we shed that shell of the onion. As that person and shell will never return or re grow you will have parts of that former person appearing with the characteristics but they have been burned away and the rebirth the rise of the “PHOENIX”

The mystical myth the phoenix the fire bird that never dies just comes back stronger and stronger each time. The fire of the rebirth isn’t fast it is a slow transformation into the fire being. Slowly the ashes scatter with us while we walk our lives and never knowing that your old self is no longer there instead you are the new you!

…ONE Year ago “I am ONE” was born the birth of my own phoenix, the beginning to my own recovery from last year where the darkness took over me and I went to the lowest point of my life. The darkness that takes more people every year. It doesn’t believe in excluding anyone for gender, creed, orientation it is all inclusive disease that is soul destroying and it attacks from the inside out.

Back on the 3^rd September 2015 my first two blogs were created “I Am One & ONE” five days after the darkness took over on the 30^th August 2015 at Manchester Pride it felt like the world was better without me being around and didn’t need me. No matter how much I did to try and fix me it never seemingly worked or would stick so I struggled for 10 years. From the voices in my head telling me “I wasn’t good enough”, “you’re not wanted here” “Die” the voices were getting louder and louder and becoming more controlling. Emotions got heightened and losing more of who I was back then as that person who was constantly fighting and trying to lead a normal life which was impossible to live back then, as I never accepted how ill I was.

Over the year, I have scattered the old ashes and slowly as a walk this earth the old parts of me that were broken. Giving me an opportunity to recover and find the parts of me to free the parts that were prisoned in the high walls of the prison. The fire of my depression and anxiety and stress, took part of me and was a big piece to overcome. It has taken a lot of effort and slowly with help from friends and my family I have grown and the inner phoenix has got bigger and become stronger.  Even entering into a relationship has helped to build up my resistance and I still have to work on that and being able to fight off the feelings of being less than someone else.

A year on and I have taken my bashes and the old scars have opened on occasion but they have been very much helped to make me who I am today.

“If you wanna go somewhere, and you wanna be somebody, you better wake up and pay attention.”

Phoenix will never die, and neither will I. This year has taught me anything nothing is impossible.  I have written the take 5 project which sadly wasn’t picked up beyond the first draft due to the it being too similar to the main wellbeing agenda that is on-going.  I have also completed all my treatment process with CBT, Mindfulness & Counselling and continued with my medication.

Thank you everyone who has been part of my recovery and helped me to transform into me.

xx