The Wonders Of Reading

I love getting completely and utterly lost in a book. Reading allows us to simply escape for a little while. We become so engrossed in the story line and characters in the book, that we allow ourselves to forget about our own worries and troubles. More often than not, we can connect with a book on a personal level. Every single person that reads it can interpret the story in a totally different way to one another, and I think that is amazing. I love being inspired and having my thoughts provoked by a particular quote in a novel. It is pretty incredible how an author can make a complete stranger emote so much just by reading their material and diving into their imagination. In this day in age, many people do not read books anymore - everything is electronic. However, sometimes the simplicity of reading a book and retreating into a different universe for a while is all we need.

One particular book that I have really enjoyed reading lately is 'Looking For Alaska' by John Green. I managed to read the entire book in the space of just under 48 hours, I literally could not put it down! I went through a stage at school where I completely went off of reading. I'm not really sure why - I think that I just did not have the concentration to switch off from all things social media related, sit in my room and simply read. Never the less, I have gotten back into reading mainly because I have a lot more spare time on my hands nowadays. After reading 'The Fault In Our Stars,' I quickly decided that I loved Green's style of writing and how well teenagers and young adults can relate to the content in his books. I think it's safe to say I am now a big fan.

If any of you are debating discovering a new book or if you want to get back into reading, I urge you to give 'Looking For Alaska' a go. It was a very enjoyable read with many twists, turns and revelations which always kept me on my toes. I think that the story is very unpredictable  which is why I could not put the book down for long. If you read the book after seeing this post or even if you have already read the book, I would love to know your thoughts and opinions - so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below!

Anxiety

I hate it when people think that anxiety is not an illness. Anxiety isn't just when you get nervous before a test. It isn't when you feel a little shaky before an interview. It isn't when you get a few butterflies whilst talking to somebody you like. Anxiety prevents you from doing simple everyday tasks that others do not even bat an eyelash at. Fear takes over your entire body without any warning, and even though you know that your thoughts are irrational - you cannot shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.

New places, large crowds and situations where I cannot escape can all trigger absolute panic inside my mind. People often think that I use my anxiety as an excuse to get out of doing things, but this is not the case at all. I cannot pick and choose what triggers my anxiety, it is beyond my control and it upsets me when people do not believe me. Panic attacks are terrifying and they leave me feeling dizzy, weak and extremely nauseous. So why would I choose to have one on purpose?

These past few months have been horrible for me and my anxiety is worse than it has ever been. I am taking small steps but it’s not easy and it is extremely upsetting. I try to go out and slowly build up to doing things, yet I feel as if I am going nowhere. I am not improving. I feel like I am often a coward because I do not push myself, because I am just too afraid of failing and letting people down. I am so open about my anxiety and write about it a lot. This is because I feel like I should not be ashamed of it, and if one person on here reads my posts and realises that they are not alone - that will make me extremely happy.

Anxiety and depression are both serious mental illnesses and I believe that opening up is the first step of helping yourself. To read more information about anxiety and other mental health issues, I recommend that you check out the website 'Mind,' as it has a lot of great information!