Has the swine flu found you?

I'm in the UK and like most of the world we are dealing with the outbreak of swine flu.

Swine flu has become so wide spread I'm guessing most of you will know at least on person that has become ill with this new flu. Following the media coverage of the out break that has made many people panic about about whats to come. Yes they say the flu has now taken lives of healthy people with no under lying health conditions. No wonder the world is becoming more and more scared of catching the flu. However many people have got swine flu and recovered in a speedy none complicated fashion. I know of a few friends that have in fact coped well with the flu. I have been told by others it seems no worse then our everyday seasonal flu. But what do you do if you are in the higher risk groups of developing complications if contaminated with the flu. How are these people coping with the outbreak of Swine flu?

Well I'm a 27 year old normally fit and healthy young woman! The only thing is I'm almost 25 weeks pregnant and I'm heading into my 3rd trimester of pregnancy. So yes I myself do fall into that higher risk group! Yes I do worry for no one wants to get sick and have the added risk of complications with their pregnancy and unborn child. I'm also scared my two young children will catch the virus and I wont be able to care for them. I heard on the news the other night that the vaccination should be ready by October. I also hear that pregnant woman are high up on the list to receive it. Well at least that's something.

I just hope for everybody sake that swine flu is not as bad as the media like to make out!

ANTENATAL DEPRESSION

Depression is something really hard to bear but when pregnant it seems a whole lot worse. I'm 14 weeks pregnant and felling pretty good right now, But this wasn't the case a few weeks back. I wouldn't go as far to say I was really depressed but god I was somewhere close to it. As I wrote in my last post women today seem to have trouble adjusting to a changing body shape whatever the reason. Being pregnant is no exception! With this, raging hormones, tiredness and discomfort it's no surprise pregnant women become that little bit moody or sadly depressed. I have gained weight at lighting speed and hated the fact my clothing was tight. Being a person that has suffered from bloats of depression I hated felling down and luckily I snapped out of the darkness. But what happens to those woman that don't? Yes we have all heard of postnatal depression but how often do we hear about Antenatal depression? Yes it's normal to fell tired and run down, but it's not normal to be like this all the time! if you have been having trouble sleeping, been felling down, your eating habits are different and your pregnant then you could be suffering from antenatal depression making it more then likely you will develop postnatal depression so seek expect advice asap. I found that most of my first trimester I was extra tired, moody and tearful but I had good days. Now that I'm in the early stages of my second trimester I'm already felling much better. 

WOMEN AND SIZE

Today us as women are so completely obsessed with our weight. It's sad but so very true, because yes I'm just as bad, I'm one of them many obsessed women. It's so sad that many of us girls fell the need to be a certain weight before we are comfortable, even then we are not happy. Are we ever happy with the way we look ?

The reason I find myself writing this is because of a recent conversation with a close friend of mine. You see she has a friend that yes I know but not extremely well. She is around 30 weeks pregnant. She doesn't look like she is reason being is because she has an eating disorder. Yes I understand this because I myself went through this in my teens when my OCD was at it's worse. But god it makes me so angry as I recently lost a baby at 11 weeks pregnant. I would of been 33 weeks now, just 3 weeks a head of her :(

I look at young girls today and think god what chance have they got? Some girls are so scared of the word fat! And why? Because that's the way it is today. THIN IS IN AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. As a woman we have more control, but still it's hard. WHY CAN'T WE JUST LOVE OURSELVES ?  My daughter is six and I hope she never fells that way. I have heard that girls this young are already worrying about there size. I'm forever telling my princess she is gorgeous, because she is:)

Will women ever win the battle ?

DO YOU HAVE OCD

I have come up with a fantastic idea!

Every Month I interview somebody over at A boy With Aspergers. As most know this is another of my blogs. All the interviews are autism related, and boy are they becoming a hit. So I fault hay lets do something like that over here. My plan is to find someone to interview each and every month as a blog feature. So my first interview will be on the topic of OCD. Then maybe the next panic disorders. So if your Interested then leave a comment. Wanna read some autism related interviews or take part in one ( No spaces left to July ) Then pop yourself over to A boy with Aspergers and see what all the fuss is about. 

Will Inform readers of the upcoming interview on OCD in the next coming weeks.

SCARED OF DEATH

Are you scared of dieing ?

Does the very word make you freak ?

Death used to be one of my biggest fears, I suppose it still is. Death is something my OCD was wrapped around. I would make myself check and count by using the feared DEATH. How ? Simple! In my wacky head would come the feared if you do not get up and check that the cooker is off or the telly is unplugged then something bad will happen to someone you love ( Something bad would often mean death ) This used to send me crazy, for someone who has never battled OCD this may sound crazy, silly, mad and more. But if you have lived in my world of OCD, Fear and Panic I'm guessing you somehow understand. As I have said many times before things are better these days, meaning better then my teenage years when I would spend the nights up and down out of bed counting plug sockets and then unplugging my mothers freezer resulting in her weeks food shopping ending up in the bin ( not a happy mummy ) But of late I have had an attack of the OCD maybe I'm stress who knows I'm just battling the monster the best way I know. The mind is a powerful tool, Lets just remember it's ours so we can control it if we really want to.

RETURN OF THE OCD

Lately my life has been a little crazy!

It's when life is this way that danger begins. Yes the monster known to me as OCD has a horrible habit of baring it's ugly self. It's not to bad right now but it's there and that makes me panic. My life long battle with the disorder is something I used to hide in shame, but not anymore! I know I'm not mad or crazy ( OK SOME MAY NOT AGREE ) OCD is just one of them mind games that a lot of us play from time to time. I think that OCD is within a small part of all of  us. It's just how we perceive it, do we let it take over, take control? I'm just one of those many people that find it extremely difficult to ignore what is going on in my mind. I stress, stress some more, worry, worry some more then bang HELLO MRS OCD. Thing is I'm kind of worrying about stuff that I really can't control, although I wish I could these situations are really out of my hands and in the hands of god. I need to learn to kick back, relax and let life run it's course! but come on easier said then done. 

INSIDE THE MIND OF A BULLY

Bullying a hard but very common word, heard by many, affecting so many, done by many!

Bullying is something that sadly affects all kinds of people young and old. Many children fear bullying from peers every single day. But it's not only children that face the daily fears of a bully. Adults of all kinds also face the fear of a bully. There is bullying in the school, collage, uni, workplace, streets, home, EVERYWHERE! We come across it everyday, we read about it, see, it and sadly many of you reading this post may off even dealt with it.

Reason for this post ? My 8 year old son that has Asperger's has become a victim of a bully! Yesterday I wrote the post Aspergers and bullying on my blog A boy with Asperger's. I needed to vent my Anger at what was happening and share with others my felling on bullying and how this bully had made me fell. It's hard for the child, harder still if that child is not good with social skills. My sons tears and fears made an anger boil within me, one I can honestly say I have never felt. We all say ( well many do ) children will be children. NO I DISAGREE! MY CHILD WILL NOT BE A BULLY!

 I have had many parents and even sadder teachers use this phrase when referring to a bully. I think as a parent we have to show our children that bullying is a NO NO. I drum into my children's heads that inflecting fear on another person is a horrible thing to do. My son has been known to make comments that are seen as sometimes rude to others. But this is something beyond my control as this is something that happens with a child on the spectrum of autism. This is why my son will  at times discover that this has lead him into trouble with children and adults. I try to teach him skills on communication on a daily basis. He will now sometimes count to ten before speaking his opinion.

 Bullying is in some way as hard for the parent as it is the child. As my child was HIT by this bully ( more then once ) I really wanted my son to march down there and hit him back. Of course this did not happen. I know two wrongs don't make a right and as a parent hitting is something I teach my children not to do. But when you discover your child's been hurt by fist as well as words you are greeted with anger that almost or does bring tears to your eyes.

Is it true that most bullies are really acting in this way in order to suppress a frustration of something not right in their own life's. Most bullies are weak! I believe this to be true. When there is a bully in a relationship ( The controlling partner or abuser ) you will find that this person has great insecurities of there own, maybe from past relationships or they were the victims of a bully themselves. When the partner in a relationship is bullying their loved one it's not uncommon that that person is unaware of themselves being seen as a bully and when told they are likely to be upset and shocked that you could even suggested such a thing.

I have been told by an ex bully that some bullies become addicted to the felling of power that they gain over there victims. That's why there seems to be a number of bullies found within the work place today. How many people have you heard about that have had to step down from their jobs as the result of being the bosses victim. 

The mind of a bully is a somewhat puzzling affair! Do they have felling of guilt or not ? Is it powerful to hold ones fear, to control it in which ever way they want. Enjoy intimidating offers. I don't know! Reason I'm no bully. But if you are be sure to comment and share what it's like in the mind of a bully.