Throughout my life I’ve always been the slow one, whether it be the one everyone is
always waiting for as I’m running late, the last one to get changed for P.E or to copy my work down when I was at school, the one everyone is waiting for to walk up and down the stairs or keep up in speed or in general taking a lot longer than everyone else to do the little things. Sometimes it can feel like everyone is getting so much further in their life quicker than you and it can be really frustrating.
But I wanted to write this blog to show that as long as you keep going, keep trying hard you can eventually make it or most importantly find happiness in life. We all face so many different battles and obstacles, it can seem overwhelming sometimes how to tackle them or feel like the hardest battle is getting other people to listen so we can access the support we need. It’s easy to feel disheartened and compare ourselves to others and their journeys, and understandable that parents feel anxious that their child might not be progressing as quickly as everyone else in the class.
It can often feel society judges us and expects us to be at a certain point in our lives at a certain time, people can make ignorant assumptions and think you’ll never make it or get anywhere with your life, whilst this as I’ve talked about in my previous blogs can have such a negative impact. The thing which keeps many people who have a hidden difference going is resilience and determination, we may struggle, we may find things difficult, there may be meltdowns, tears, frustrations, but we keep at it and don’t give up. I often find it’s something people often don’t imagine coming, they wrongly expect less of us, but that resilience keeps going.
I’ve recently realised that needing a break, admitting you’re struggling or needing a bit of self tlc, doesn’t mean that journey is stopping, for that journey to keep going forward we need to be looking after ourselves and our wellbeing. It doesn’t mean you’re any less of a person either for those of us with hidden differences we may find throughout our lives we may need to recharge and look after ourselves and our mental health and that’s something it’s ok not to be ok sometimes and be honest how we feel.
It may have taken me a lot longer than some of the people I know to be able to do somethings, but when you do get there it makes you really appreciate the journey it took you, and have an appreciation for the little things in life and those in the journeys of others too. I have a lot of time and a lot of respect for anyone who keeps persisting to reach their goals. A very close friend of mine is going back to college in September to do her A-levels, despite facing some personal issues she’s kept going and I have so much respect for her, she eventually dreams of being a maths teacher and I know for sure she’ll get there.
There’s been times when I’ve wanted to give up, it hasn’t been easy but achieving my masters degree, the Mary Colley award from dyspraxia foundation, running a 10k and moving to London all in a few years has taught me I’m no quitter and I keep fighting. I’m also just as proud of the little things I achieve which most people maybe don’t think of such as: coping in a busy crowd, being able to keep my space around me tidy, or cross a busy main road, or get to a new place without getting lost, thery all add up over time. Even though I have a long way to go in quite a few of my battles, I’ve come a long way from when I started to write this blog. Having dyspraxia, dyslexia and anxiety has made me so determined, and I know I have proved wrong the bullies and ignorant people I’ve met in life who said I wouldn’t get anywhere with my life, sometimes it just takes one person to understand you and your and your journey to keep you going through the hardest times. It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.
