5 Things That Comfort Me When I’m Feeling Low

So with all this lockdown stuff my mood has been a bit of a up and down rollercoaster ride. Over the years, I’ve developed my “mental health toolkit.” When I notice things are going down hill here are some things that give me great comfort.

Walks

I enjoy going for walks with my dog Mango especially in the nice weather. With lockdown I have found that I’m on the screen for a much long time. However if I was at college I would be doing dance classes and moving around a lot more. I find taking Mango on walks helps me not only get exercise and fresh air but helps with clearing my head and staying grounded. Lockdown has really made me realise how doing exercise really does help me to lift my mood back up when I’m feeling low. Going on walks helps me cope with my anxiety I find if I’m not doing much exercise my worries can build up more causing me to worry and not wanting to do much.

Just Watching The Telly

When I’m feeling low I can find comfort in watching something. As much as I love watching new shows theirs nothing better than rewatching shows that you love. When I feel low I find my concentration levels are a bit all over the place and I can’t focus. When this happens I find it hard to read a book. Which is why watching a TV show I’ve watched before is so good. It’s like I can finally rest and let go giving my head time to breathe. Like self care and love for my head. Some of the TV shows I love watching repeatedly are:

Miranda
Once Upon A Time
Downtown Abbey
Fresh Meat
Bridgerton

Making Plans

When my head feels all over the place one thing I like to do is write down and make a list of things I need to or want to do and achieve in the day. Writing it down helps me visual see what my head is trying to tell me at one hundred miles an hour.

Simple Routines

When I’m feeling low self care is very important sometimes you don’t feel like doing lots of things. Here are some quick, simple and kind things you could do on a down day that don’t take very long.

Put some of your favourite lipstick or lipgloss on
Make yourself a nice hot drink for example a cup of tea or hot chocolate
But some of your favourite body butter/ lotion on
Put on some nice jewellery for example a pair of small shiny earrings .

Looking Forward

When people say look forward it isn’t always about making your career plan for the next 5 years it can also be about daily, weekly things to look forward to. I try not to be hard on myself and but pressure on anything as things can change last minute! However having something positive to look forward to can really help me to try and stay in a more positive headspace. For example setting a day up to meet up with friends on FaceTime or House Party, Doing extra activities such a drama with my drama club on zoom, to buying something nice to eat that I can look forward to eating later in the week like a cheesecake.

What do you find helps your mental health?

My Top Tips: Going Back To School After Lockdown

mental health

After months of doing studying online due to Lockdown. The thought of returning to education which isn’t on a screen may feel a little daunting. Here are some of my top tips on how to make this transitioning a little bit smoother .

A New Routine

Many students all over the country will have to start doing COVID tests in school and colleges. As someone with anxiety I know that timetable changes to my day can set me off to feel extremely anxious and I may have panic attacks. To help you overcome this you could maybe write out your time table in a more visual way using lots of different colours and pictures. Or you could have a little notebook full of little affirmations you can look at whilst your waiting to do your test. Many schools and colleges have created videos to show students what the new process will be like. If they haven’t shown you don’t be afraid to ask your teacher as they may have other resources available for you to you which you might find useful.

Eating Breakfast

This next tip might seem a bit silly but when you get up ready for the day make sure you have breakfast this could be some toast, a fruit smoothie or some cereal. If your stuck on what to have I recommend looking at Pinterest they have some really yummy, healthy, breakfast ideas to help kick start your day.

Did you know:

1. Eating breakfast can help you with your memory for the day and your attention span will be a lot better compared to days we’re you don’t have breakfast

2. Eating breakfast can help you have a more positive outlook on your day.

3. People who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to become obese. Their is still a lot of research going into why this may be. One idea is that eating breakfast helps to prevent large fluctuations in your blood glucose levels, helping you control your appetite.

Things To Have In Your Bag

Recently I was talking to one of my friends about returning to education and how they felt about it. They were feeling very worried and scared because their OCD has worsened through the pandemic and they are becoming more and more scared to touch anything or go out.

To help with returning to education they suggested always make sure you have a little bottle of hand sanitiser with you. As well as this they also have stress balls and fidget spinners with them to help them to control intrusive thoughts.

Talk, Talk,Talk

Another tip I have that may seem obvious is talk to someone. You never know you could be helping them too. They might feel the same and it’s nice to feel your not alone. You could speak to a family member, friend, teacher anymore who makes you feel safe.

Be Kind To Yourself

My final tip is remember to be kind to yourself. The transitioning from working from home on our screens to being back having to get ready to the day ahead , catching the bus so your not late for school. Our whole routine is changing. Make sure you do little things just for yourself and give yourself the attention you give to others. This could be watching your favourite TV show, reading a book, having a nice bubble bath. Give yourself breaks enjoy the outside. You could sit in the garden or go on a short walk with your dog. Ground yourself be in the moment. It doesn’t matter what you’re meant to do or shouldn’t have done. Just enjoy the here and now nothing else matters.

I hope some of this helped and I wish you all the very best of luck with going back to school. Sending all positive vibes. If you need any more support I have listed a couple of websites that you may find helpful.

Youn Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

Headroom: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/YfRzhXDKSZQxFVn30TlXBj/your-mental-health-toolkit

Bryony 💜

A Look back on 2020

life

Well this year has definitely been different for all of us due to COVID 19. I haven’t been doing posts on here for a while as I am finding it a bit hard at the moment with anxiety due to COVID.

However I was thinking about all the things I have done and achieved despite COVID and one things for sure I wouldn’t have done them without support from everyone around me and you guys my little online defeatingdisability family. So Thank You!

So as we are nearing the end of this year…. eeek

I thought I would share with you guys some of my top highlights from this year. So in no particular order:

This year we welcomed two new kittens to our family. Kiwi a female tabby and Otis a male black kitty cat. We got them from one of our local cat rescue centres. These two were found in a cardboard box in a car park with two others. Otis can’t stop growing and Kiwi likes to play by her own rules. Our whippet called Mango is loving having two new friends.

Earlier this year I got myself an agent for acting . The agency I am with is iNCLUSIVE Talent. They represented disabled and able bodied actors You can checkout their website here: https://www.inclusivetalent.co.uk/bryony-moss

I am also on Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/9339-8975-2506

This year I also got some coloured headshots done. I loved working with Anna she is so friendly and made me feel so comfortable. I also loved the way she uses natural light. If you are looking to get new headshots done I would highly recommend her. You can checkout her website at: https://www.annahullphotography.com

This year I started doing private horse riding lessons and I am loving them. I recently got to be apart of doing a demonstration of a lesson for the local MP Joy Morrissey.

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to have an online article written about me on The Horse And Hound. This article is all about how this amazing Riding for the Disabled are and how they saved my life. You can checkout the article at: https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/disabled-rider-who-suffered-at-bullies-hands-credits-rda-for-saving-her-life-721045

I took part in AVIARD Inspires Our Lockdown Campaign.

Our Lockdown Campaign

I wrote an article for disability Horizons. You can check it out at: https://disabilityhorizons.com/2020/06/blogger-bryony-moss-on-becoming-a-writer-actor-model-and-disability-advocate/

And lastly I really enjoyed modelling for inclusive swimwear brand Kes-Vir . You can checkout more swimwear at: https://www.kesvir.co.uk

This year has definitely taught me a lot but I’m going to be writing about that in a separate post soon.

Thank You to everyone old and new for your support this year💜

Let’s look to a brighter new year in what ever ways we can!

Hope you had a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year

All my love

Bryony 💜

My Lockdown Photography Project

life

During lockdown I have got back into taking photos around my garden. Photography really helps me with managing my mental health. I wanted to share with you some of my favourite shots so far!