"Its Never Too Late To Be Who You Might Have Been"

Category: Uncategorized

Self Employment |The New Enterprise Allowance

Self employment exploring the new enterprise allowance. Picture of a blank diary open with a pen on it

As most of you know, this year I have been exploring new ways to return to paid employment. Specifically, I have been considering the idea of self employment. My biggest passion is mental health recovery. I love sharing my story of gender transition and recovery from addiction. Inspiring people to make changes to their own lives gives me great joy. I wanted to turn what I love doing, into a way to make a living and I have spent 2018 exploring how exactly I might do that. (Thank you for your patience with me!)

Top Surgery – A Five Year Post-Op Reflection

Top surgery a five year post op reflection. Gender transition surgery chest reconstruction

It has now been five years since my top surgery (chest reconstruction as part of my gender transition). I missed the specific day go past this year, but that doesn’t mean I ever take my chest for granted. Something frequently happens that causes me pause and reflect on just how blessed I am and how free I feel.

Developing My Blog – Creating A Community

Blog development . Developing my blog Creating community

Today’s post is a bit of a ‘thinking out loud’ piece, reflecting on the ways I am developing my blog. In the six years since I first created it, this blog has been changed so many times, as I struggled to find a focus for it. Recently, in moving my career concentration over to writing, this, at last, gave me a purpose. In deciding to use this blog as a place to showcase my writing styles and abilities, I felt excited as I began to fill it regularly with content.

However, I am finding myself with a lot of frustrations and questions and am feeling rather unsatisfied and unsure if I am doing things in the best way.

The World Works in Mysterious Ways

My lack of writing , specifically about my coastal path adventures, stands as evidence as to how much life can suddenly change. At my last time of writing , on the back of my gender confirmation surgery going wrong, I was in the worst mental health place I had been for a while. My anxiety was so high that going outside was a challenge that took me two days to work up to and a week to recover from. I needed solitude, finding people to be just too much to cope with. I  couldn’t handle people being close to this body of mine which had returned to feeling like it was wrapped in barbwire and if I moved too suddenly or someone moved against me I would be cut to ribbons.

Remembering the whole picture

IMG_20170309_110813_903

It has been five years since I officially changed my name by deed poll to Finlay. I had entirely forgotten the anniversary until Facebook reminded me by posting an old picture of my very proud boyish looking face celebrating the event. Being prompted to remember brought with it a flood of memories and a huge smile. I need that, with all that has occurred lately in having a setback in my surgical journey, it was wonderful to be reminded of just how far I have come. I haven’t gone backwards at all, not in terms of the whole picture at least.

Protecting An Arm Graft After Lower Surgery

I thought it might be helpful to share the ways in which I have been protecting my skin graft on my forearm. I originally tried a tubi grip but I found it hot and uncomfortable and have since found some much better options

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