Happy
(Belated) International Women’s Day!!
In
this post, I’d like to discuss my ten favourite women in the world, and why
they’re such an inspiration to me.
My
Mum
This
was an obvious one for me; my Mum and I are very close, and she has been one of
my biggest supporters through my mental health struggles and recovery. My Mum
is hugely independent; she has to have at least one hundred goes at doing
something herself before she asks for help! If I am half the Mother she is when
I have children, then my kids will be very lucky!
My
Aunt
I
don’t talk about my Aunt often on my blog because she lives in Dubai but she
makes the most incredible effort to keep in touch with the whole UK family. My
Aunt is very family oriented and, in a family, where drama should be our
surname, that takes a lot of strength! We’ll always be bonded by the fact that
we were the only two unable to say goodbye to my Nana. That’s a horrible thing
to have in common but it’s also a very powerful thing.
Zoe
Soon
to be my Maid-of-Honour and Sister-In-Law, I couldn’t not include this lovely
girl. She is so completely self-less and is such a generous person who is brave
enough to ask for help when she’s struggling and strong enough to make it
through those times. It’ll be an absolute honour to call her my Sister.
Lauren
One
of my bestfriends that I have known the longest, Lauren is one of the kindest
people I know. She never has a bad word to say about anyone and is such a
friendly person… She’s one of those girls who light up a room when they walk
into it.
Ellen
This
girl is special! I met Ellie in a History A Level class in 2007 and we’ve been
friends ever since. We no longer buy melons on our lunch break and draw faces
on them, though we do have fun with her three children! My God-Children are the
most incredibly powerful and important parts of my life who will have a place
in my heart forever.
Victoria
McGrath aka InTheFrow
I
started watching Victoria’s YouTube channel; InTheFrow in 2016 after developing
a crazy obsession with luxury fashion (something I still have). I quickly
learnt that she was more than a fashion blogger, Victoria has become a key
symbol in the movement of reducing girl-on-girl internet crime. She regularly
speaks out about maintaining her positive attitude and outlook on life in the
face of jealousy and trolling. She has a great sense of style that embodies
empowerment, chic, and utter perfection; working in tailoring with pretty
pastels that is a huge nod towards the current feminism movement.
Claire
Andre
Claire
is one of a few people that are regularly in my work life. She’s completely
dedicated to her work in mental health and policing (her position is Police
Lead for Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust) and is passionate
about eradicating all things stigmatising and detrimental to those in a crisis.
It warms my heart to know there is someone like Claire working in the mental
health and policing industry, it reassures me that people struggling with their
mental health who come into contact with the police, are safe and taken care
of.
Angela
Slater
I
first met Angela when I was a patient at Cygnet Hospital Bierley in 2013 and I
volunteered at my very first event with Time To Change. I was still sectioned
under the Mental Health Act (section three) and was only just getting used to
being around people other than staff and the other patients but Angela was
reassuring, comforting and had a certain confidence about her that bounced
around the room, and infected everyone in it.
Sophie
Sophie
is one of the two greatest police officers that I know (with the first being PC
Billy Mulligan and the second being Inspector Steve Baker)! We first met during
a NTW and Northumbria Police training session when Sophie was a new recruit to
the Police force. Like a lot of the officers, Sophie was interested and excited
to get started on helping and protecting people; but unlike the others, Sophie
and I kept in touch. She was around my age, lived in my town, and we both had
bright red hair…! Thanks to that, Sophie has messaged me since, to say that she’s
used what I told her on that training day to help others. After hearing about
the Police Officer who’d squashed my hallucinatory Rabbits, resulting in my
cooperation; Sophie ended up chasing ‘the Devil’ around a kitchen and flushing
it down the sink! That message made my day. She and I helped someone!
Zoe
Sugg aka Zoella
I’ve
followed Zoe’s YouTube channel ‘Zoella’ since 2016 after developing a crazy obsession
with her princess-long, ombre’d hair! I had such a fascination with her life
that I just had to watch her videos from her very first one and it was
brilliant to watch her life develop to go from filming on her webcam in her
bedroom at her Dad’s house, to living in a two-million-pound home with full
recording-studio-style equipment. And boy, has she worked her ass off! Her
determination, devotion, and passion for her work and life in general is so
completely inspiring. The fact that she speaks out, openly, about suffering
from panic attacks and struggles with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, is just
testament to her character and kind, and caring personality.
Debbie
My old Key Nurse from Cygnet Hospital Bierley is still a huge part of my life. She has never fallen out of touch with me, even with the distance between us and even though her 'job is finished.' And do you know what? She's still annoyingly helpful, patient, kind, funny, and caring! And I can't wait for another catch-up with her at an upcoming event! We used to joke that she was like my second Mum whilst I was in Hospital because she was so protective of me and other patients would joke that I was her favourite! She's definitely mine! :)
Dr Male
My current GP is the greatest that I've ever had the pleasure of being treat by. She's the only Doctor to have ever shown an interest in my mental health care. She's the only one in nine years that has attended a CPA (Care Programme Approach) with the rest of my mental health team. She's also, actually, properly saved my life one time when she happened to be doing a shift in A&E right when I'd taken an overdose. And I love the thought of her face looking like mine after our phone call the other day when she talked me through a difficult time.
