About Me

18 Years on Earth- Where has it brought me?

Me on my 2nd HK trip

Hi There,
I'm Claudia, creator of Enjoying today lifestyle blog.
I was born and raised in Bedfordshire, England which is where I still live today. Bedford isn't the most excited place in the world but it is and always will be my home and one day I hope it is where I will settle down for good.
Throughout school I was always a good student, I put excessive amounts of pressure on myself to get good grades from the moment I knew what a grade was, but it wasn't until I started upper school that I came out of my shell socially. Thanks to my now best friend Abbie I grew in confidence and make a whole circle of new friends within weeks of starting. Life continued this was untill my GCSE year when I started to have break downs in class because of the amount of pressure exams where putting me under; despite this my social life wasn't effected and thanks to some amazing teachers and brilliant friends I passed my exams with flying colours. Life couldn't have been better and to celebrate Abbie and I flew to Hong Kong to visit her dad and to celebrate the end of our exam, this would be the second trip in 2 years.
Things began to change when I started my A-levels, I was terrified of breaking down in class again. I did have my bad moments in the first year but it was alright, once again we flew to Hong Kong to party for 3 weeks (that place now feels like a second home). However when I got home and went to collect my first year results I was devastated to find out that I had not got the grades I had hoped for. From this point on I never really recovered.
When I went back to school for my second and final year I was quickly losing myself. I was breaking down in class again and beginning to shut myself of from my friends. At Christmas me and some friends booked a holiday to Kavos for the following summer but I never got excited about it. I couldn't understand what was happening to me, I was crying myself to sleep, I couldn't ever think straight, there was just too much in my head. Eventually my sister raised the flag and got my Mum to book a doctor's appointment. In February 2014 I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, I was put on medication and told to get on with my life.
I was determined to get better and believed that the pills would change everything, but things just got worse. It was not, and never will be, as simple as taking a pill. I began to see counselors and had a teacher assigned to coordinate my day to day life at school and keep me on track. It was horrible to think that at 17 years old I needed help to get through each day, but I did need someone as I simply didn't have room in my brain to concentrate on anything but my A-levels and even that was a real struggle. To make a long story slightly shorter, I was losing myself, my friends and my whole life, mental illness had taken me but at just the last moment with the help of incredible teachers I managed to fight back. It was like hell on Earth but I pulled through and got the grades I needed to go to my first choice of University to study Politics and International Relations. Looking back on it all I realise how much I need to thank my teachers, friends and family for their support. I don't know if I would be here today without them.
Once the exams were over I came of my medication and took back control of my life, I went to Kavos and had a brilliant time. When I got back I celebrated my 18th birthday with my closest

Last Day of School

friends and spent most of the summer living in Abbie's house with a bunch of other friends while her parents were away, it was like one big happy family!
Towards the end of summer I began preparations for leaving home and moving to university and I have to say I was more scared than excited. But of course life can never that simple! A week before I was due to leave home I got an email from Aberdeen University who said that I would have to wait another year as they had overbooked the University accommodation by 300 people! When I got the news it was an absolute disaster but every cloud has a silver lining. I had always wanted a gap year and now I have just that; it gives me a year to earn some money, build my skills and just get a break from school work and exams. My boss who I had worked for for 16 months before this was happy to rip up my resignation and help me land on my feet by offering me a full time job running her company's website as well as funding me through a college course in IT. I am so thankful for her kindness, I don't know where I would be without it.
The last few years have been a crazy adventure and I still have some bad days but I consider myself a fun loving person who always tries to look on the bright side.

So why make Enjoying Today? Well, I wanted to share my experiences with the world, connect with like minded people and have something that was completely separate from work and school. My blog is a reflection of who I am and how I view the world. I strive for peace, happiness, freedom, minimalism and self worth, all of which I will post about. I know that this page sounds quite serious but my aim for this blog is that it is full of content that is positive, fun and enjoyable... and perhaps even useful now and then!

I hope you have fun keeping up with Enjoying Today.
Claudia



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