24 hours with... Georgina Lloyd
Detective Sergeant, South Wales Police featured on #MindOverMararthon on BBC1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgie_lloyd
South Wales Police: https://www.south-wales.police.uk/
South Wales Police Twitter: https://twitter.com/swpolice
Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgie_lloyd
South Wales Police: https://www.south-wales.police.uk/
South Wales Police Twitter: https://twitter.com/swpolice
Date: Wednesday May 10th, 2017
Good morning!
What time did you wake up?
05:30
Why did you wake up at that time?
I have a puppy (Olly) who is 8 months old and he is like clockwork in the morning. He likes to jump on my head to get his breakfast.
Did you have a dream?
Not that I can recall
Do you think today will be 'good' or 'bad' day? (use your own definition of these words to answer the question)
I have struggled mentally the last few days but today I am feeling a little better. Hoping today will be good with no negative or self-destructive thoughts.
What are the first three things you do after waking up?
Let Olly outside
Feed Olly his breakfast
Take my medication (anti-depressants)
Do you eat breakfast? If yes, what did you have?
I never used to eat breakfast but when I was training for the London marathon, my nutritionist advised that I did. I found it beneficial and have continued. I had a bowl of honey nut shredded wheat.
What would be your perfect breakfast?
Full cooked breakfast but it is something I hardly ever have.
Is there anything that you have to do today but don't particularly want to?
No
List five things that you do between 9am and noon.
1. Walk Olly
2. Attend GP appointment
3. Swim 1km (pool)
4. Catch up on Social media / messages
5. Message a friend to see how they are doing
Did you eat lunch? If yes, what did you eat?
Yes – a chargrilled chicken roll and a corned beef pasty from Greggs!! Swimming makes me hungry.
What would be your perfect lunch?
Something light, like poached eggs on toast.
List five things that you have done, said, thought, or that have happened between noon and 5pm.
1. Go to coffee shop to work on an article on Mental Health
2. Received a telephone call from a friend who was checking up to see how I was as mentally as I have not been too good over last few days
3. Went food shopping
4. Visited a friend in hospital
5. Walked Olly
Do you eat dinner/tea? If yes, at what time?
Yes at 19:15.
What do you eat?
I was feeling lazy, so only had a jacket potato, beans and cheese.
What would be your perfect dinner?
I love chicken and would eat one of my mothers cooked dinners every day if I could.
What do you do with your evening (5-8pm)?
Gave Olly his final walk of the day and worked on a blog which I wanted to submit before bed.
Goodnight!
Do you have a 'get-ready-for-bed' routine? If so, what is it?
I usually like to be in bed by 22:00. No set routine for me, but I let Olly out so I am not woken up during the night. I try and switch off from my phone and social media, but as things are busy for me at the moment, I sometimes just spend 30 mins checking and replying to messages. Tonight I got into bed just before mid-night as I was late finishing the article.
What time do you go to sleep?
Usually between 22:00-23:00 but later tonight
Is this when you want to go to bed? Or is it influenced by what you're doing the following day?
At the moment it is both. When I am at work I like to have an early night due to the demands of that day and the following day. My days / plans are now based around appointments and my training schedule. Though I have just completed the London marathon, I have further events planned for this year and I need to maintain my level of fitness and it is hard to train tired.
Do you share your bed?
I always said that I would never let a dog on the bed, but somehow Olly has managed to grab a spot next to me. Thankfully he is only small and I like having him there. If I cant sleep or my head is full of thoughts, I just look at him and listen to him snore / breath and it makes me smile.
Which position do you tend to sleep in?
On my side
Reflection
What was your favourite part of your day?
Visiting my friend in hospital who has been very unwell. It was lovely to see and chat to her.
What was your least favourite?
Having to explain to my GP that I had mentally struggled over the last few days and had been experiencing irrational and suicidal thoughts. I also informed her that my police colleagues had been checking up on me all weekend to see if I was ok. I felt like I had failed.
Did anything happen today that you'd like to change or re-do?
If anything I would like to redo my swim as not happy with the effort. I felt sluggish and lacked motivation so ended up cutting it short. This is part of my self critical personality.
Did you 'learn' anything today? (use your own definition of this word to answer the question)
I learn things about my mental health and myself everyday. Today, as I visited a friend in hospital it reaffirmed to me how precious life and family is. I was at the verge of taking my life, but through various ways I have managed to turn things around. Today felt like a bit of a ‘wake up call’
Are you looking forward to tomorrow?
Yes
What do you have planned?
I am hoping to get to the gym in the morning. I am then meeting up with two incredibly supportive friends at lunch time. I have an appointment in the afternoon. Olly is out with his dog walker so we will have some time out in the evening. My GP increased my medication today, so tomorrow will be the start of the upped dosage. I have done some filming on my experience of living with a mental health condition for ITV Wales which will either be aired tomorrow or Friday so I am looking forward to that.