Despite This | Public figure
Despite This
Reviews
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25.01.2022 YES!!! The aquarium is back at the RCH!
25.01.2022 I found this so insightful. From both the perspective of those with mental illness, and those connected to someone with mental illness. Definitely worth a watch.
25.01.2022 This little HeartKid smashed out his 100 metre race! I’m so proud of him.
24.01.2022 Because, despite all you may read, God doesn’t always give us only what we can handle. We humans we need to handle what we are given. https://www.smh.com.au//why-are-some-people-more-resilient
21.01.2022 Great quote for so many contexts
18.01.2022 I've been working on a blog refresh https://despitethis.com.au
14.01.2022 *New post* Looking after others, versus looking after ourselves "It’s the giving in and giving out that I’m starting to think go hand in hand. If we focus on others alone, we can burn out and struggle ourselves both physically and mentally. Yet if we focus on ourselves alone, we’re missing the opportunity to gain perspective and see the good in our situation." https://despitethis.com.au//looking-after-others-versus-lo
13.01.2022 Most people know one of my ‘lemons’ is the Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) our oldest son was born with. But this past year, we’ve had another health-related lemon land in our court. https://despitethis.com.au/blog/when-life-gives-you-lemons
12.01.2022 I’ve started watching this new show, on Channel 10 right now. Highly recommend it so far.
11.01.2022 When you hit your Safety Net threshold by the beginning of April
08.01.2022 I've had my first article published on The Mighty! Woohoo!!! Original published at https://despitethis.com.au/blog/what-to-say-what-not-to-say
07.01.2022 Wow. This is amazing.
06.01.2022 push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the ...sun rise. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable. lie in your garden, feel the sunshine on your skin. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. wash, then hang them in the sunshine with care. make your bed in full. dig your fingers into the earth, plant a seed. see your success as it grows everyday. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle. breathe. practice your deep breathing. ground yourself. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. help an animal. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you... - Pinterest - Emma Elsworthy
05.01.2022 We’ve prioritised LOTS of beach time this last few months after seeing the difference it makes. How good is the beach and fresh sea air for health?
05.01.2022 And now it’s appointment day. First stop Dentist, second stop Cardiology. These are my least favourite days of the year. They’re draining regardless of the outcome.
04.01.2022 Sunday thoughts :) I’ve never been good with disciplines. I’m ok with the basics, like cleaning my teeth morning and night and making my bed each morning. But beyond that, I’m not great at doing anything consistently.... https://despitethis.com.au//is-there-hidden-fulfilment-in-
02.01.2022 My husband and I are enjoying some much needed down time in Brisbane. VERY thankful for grandparents who have allowed this to happen.
01.01.2022 It’s checkup day. Tom’s has his blood pressure, sats, height and weight checked. Now we’re up to the echo. Otherwise known as limbo land. There is no other moment in life that makes me feel so much like I’m nowhere. We’re not living our normal every day life, we’re not in the clear, we’re not back on closer together checkups, and we’re not on a surgery waiting list. In about 45 minutes, we could be back in any of those situations. Flip a coin and watch it land, and that’s ab...out as closely as I can describe how we walk into these cardiology reviews now. In 45 minutes, our life could go back to exactly how it was this morning. Or in 45 minutes we could be facing another surgery. We could be breathing a sigh of relief and walk out in amazement that Tom’s heart just keeps on keeping on. Or we could be going oh man, here we go again. We’re on borrowed time - have been for about 4 years - which is both miraculous and leaves us living on the edge on days like this. Limbo land is where you feel like your life is literally up in the air. And you can’t focus. You try reading, but you just keep reading the same sentence over and over. You check all your socials, but can’t remember anything you’ve looked at. You could message people, but can’t really be bothered expending that much energy. So mostly I just end up sitting and watch the world go by: people going in and out of clinic rooms, kids drawing, other parents in the same situation as you, hospital visitors getting excited about things you have seen so many times you couldn’t even count them. It’s a weird feeling that I’m glad we’ve been able to stretch out to every six months this last two years.
