Feeling grateful for 2017

Looking back on posts from both my blogs, I have been feeling very grateful for all I have achieved this year.

As well as being able to work in a foreign country with limited German skills, I also feel grateful that I was welcomed for my good work ethic despite my bad German skills. I still speak English at my job and luckily this is still ok.

I am also very grateful that I have been able to do both my coaching and youtube videos. I am grateful to have been able to help many people from all walks of life and I am very much looking forward to returning to the UK next year, so I can also become involved in more mental health charity work.

My youtube channel has grown beyond what I could have ever imagined and has now reached 4350 subscribers with my most popular video reaching 232,000 views! When I watch this video, I see many flaws and wished that I was able to go back and edit parts of it. I am most definitely not someone that is comfortable in front of a videocamera. Nevertheless, it has been important for me to reach out to others and validate their journeys. I have had thousands of positive comments and feel very grateful that I have been able to validate the child abuse so many survivors have experienced. Although there have also been a few nasty comments, I haven’t let these deter me from the work I have been doing. Putting yourself out there on youtube can be very daunting but if you are able to accept it with both the good and occasional bad criticism, then it is worth it in every way.

On a more personal level, I feel grateful that for this year my health issues have been dealt with in a caring manner. I had a few moles removed that could have turned cancerous and I had a proper health check up, to make sure I am ok physically. When you live with a mental health condition such as CPTSD, you usually notice that there are a lot of physical symptoms as well as the mental/emotional symptoms. Some of these include headaches, chronic muscle tension and exhaustion. For me, these physical symptoms are unfortunately a part of my life and this is why it is important for me to get health checks done often.

Another positive thing in my life this year, was getting my new puppy in September. Now that the toughest part of her training is over, she is an absolute delight to have around. Now that my new routine has been established and I am used to having a puppy in my life, I am enjoying every minute of it. The love and positivity in my life has increased beyond anything I could imagine. Having a dog has been so good for my mental wellbeing and I would highly recommend it to anyone living with a mental illness.

To conclude, I would like to thank all my followers on here and I wish you all a Happy New year, filled with love, good health and positivity!

Love Athina ♥

Author: Courage Coaching

I provide empowerment, empathy & support. I specialise in dealing with dysfunctional relationships, particularly narcissistic abuse & encouraging self-compassion. View all posts by Courage Coaching