Recently I was asked by 2 different people what would I do differently if I had only 1 day left to live. So many things people can choose to do, would I:

• Travel somewhere I've never been?
• Would I tick off that bucket list that had been sitting around for years?
• Would I spend every cent I had?
• Would I give everything I had to charity?

Take 5 Magazine, edition Jan 25th 2018

I’ll be the first to admit that I was terrified when Merv first told me he had a son. I was always honest with him and told him that I never wanted kids - just a personal decision I guess.

Moving towards the end of January, I've finally realised that yes, it really is 2018 now.

There's always that buffer period of the new year where we are still trying to wake up from the hangover of the past year - with remarks such as "Can't believe that year went by so fast" or "I don't know what I'm doing with my life this year!".

With the new year brings feelings of renewal, fresh starts and a reset of goals. It's generally a time when we assess our progress during the previous year, our mistakes, achievements and steps we need to take to continue moving forward.

I'm writing this now as I've been speaking about it for so long, but this time of the year just makes this issue so much more prominent. There is a huge issue with the Stigma and Support of those who suffer from mental illness. I say this as someone who has witnessed and experienced it first hand.

I'm pleased to confirm that I have recently hired an editor and secured an international publisher for my upcoming autobiography "I'm not done yet"

I've been super lucky to have been picked up by so many online and print publications over the years, it's always nice sharing my story.

This month I'm in one of Marie Claire's features "The best thing that happened to me this year!" When I was contacted I said that I think it was losing my job! Not something you would normally consider "the best" haha.

Today (5th Nov 2017), marks 7 years since my brain injury left me lying on the bathroom floor fighting for my life. So much has changed since then and when I look back to reflect on both the set backs and triumphs I've endured, I'm often dumbfounded with how much I've gone through.

I was made redundant from my full time role a few weeks ago, which was the best thing to have happened to me. I currently have the luxury to pick and choose my next role, concentrate on my passion projects and have a break.

Yet, the "break" hasn't started. Even weeks on.

Have you ever felt so defeated you just don't know where to turn? That you feel you've exhausted all your options and have no one to talk to as you've already used up your "sad quota" time with your friends and family? Perhaps you feel that people are sick of hearing how sad and depressed you are all the time? You've become a negative sad sack and don't feel like anything is going right despite all your efforts to try turn things around.

I've heard two trains of thoughts around this. 

One is that resilience is a human trait that acts as a barrier or protection against hardship. The other is that resilience only exists as a coping mechanism to acknowledge that there is some sort of adversity present. Let's explore...