Life

#NationalCarersWeek – Day 3 & 4 – Strategies & Advice

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

Typos expected

Strategies I use as a carer

  1. Show yourself kindness – buy flowers, have a epsom salt bath, say kind things to yourself – I’m doing my best today and that is all I can do. That takes away the pressure of expectation. We are human and we feel, there is only so much you can handle day to day.
  2. Breathe – sound simple but in times of stress, we clench, we tense up and we forget to breathe. Breathe deeply.
  3. Write/Journal – don’t hold the negative in, toxicity can be overwhelming – get it out. On the flip side, write the things you do well. (make coffee, sew, clean the rooms)
  4. Go for a walk – see the details in the world when you go out – Look up at the sky, birds, colours – listen to nature, the wind, the rustle of leaves. See through the grey buildings and weather, see through the concrete and see the architecture.
  5. Music is an amazingly uplifting, it touches us on a cellular level – sing, dance, put your favourite song on.
  6. Don’t judge yourself harshly, others can do that to you. Ask yourself – Who is lifting you up and who is keeping you down.
  7. Watch your favourite film, comedian, laughter is good for the soul. It revives us and reminds us of our own sense of humour.
  8. Drink the glass of water, cup of hot beverage or something stronger. Listen to your body, it does speak to you.
  9. Surround yourself with people that are uplifting – go to that coffee shop, lean on your friends as someone recently said “that is why I am here”.
  10. Do nothing but rest if you are tired and exhausted. I never visit dad when I feel this way.
  11. Learn a new skill – set yourself a challenge – it doesn’t matter what it is, you will feel an immense sense of achievement.

Advice
There isn’t any advice because every situation is different. I try to connect with my inner voice/intuition
when something arises.
My friend said to me in the last year “he’s not your dad anymore, it’s the condition”. My friend had gone through the same experience as me, and only someone who has can say this. I felt it came from a place of compassion and it was true. It still hit me hard. I watched my mum suffer with lung cancer for three months. I now have now an even slower progressive demise to process. I have to let go of who dad was and accept who he is now. This letting go is not easy, it feels like defeat and I question how I grew up believing western medicine made me think that conditions are controllable and life-saving with treatment. It’s not!

What to look out for and what to ask yourself or the services?
1. Do your research for every appointment and medication being suggested. If you feel empowered, you can ask the questions like – what are the side effects, what are the alternatives? How does this affect the current medication he’s taking? Are there any trials he could take part in?
The system only tells you what they feel you need to know in the moment and not the whole picture.

2. Ask yourself what are the alternatives? Can western medicine work with supplementation? Is a second opinion coming from another medical doctor or are you also looking at holistic others, nutrition, naturopath.
I looked into all of the above and we did get a second opinion. The diet was a stricter one that dad is on now but still follows eliminating sugar completely out of the diet. Folic acid, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Saw Palmetto, probiotics, Hemp oil, not all at the same time.

3. My dad has diabetes, so I do his shopping, cook his food and buy as organically as possible with little to no sugar in the items. This is tricky as not everyone can do this but could you look at ordering online for healthy ready made meals to be delivered?
Also check sensations in the hands and feet and legs, they are the first to go and older people will not feel pain, cold, hot in the same way.

4. Refined sugar has a massive affect on dad – it makes him grumpy, tired and have a sugar slump. I used to find chocolate bars/bisuits hidden around the house. I also ask myself has he slept properly? is he hungry? has he been up late? has he had enough water? Has he had too many visitors and it’s overwhelm?

5. Dad is deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, accents and speed of sentances throw him and he will either pretend he heard, misinterpret what is said because he has caught some of the conversation or be irritated because he cannot be part of the conversation. Check-in – I check in with dad periodically as to what level I need to raise my voice and how slow I need to speak.

6. What treatment is causing/having the most detrimental effect? This sometimes is difficult to see or undertand. I cannot emphasise enough, read the paperwork that comes with the tablet, look online at the ingredients and side effects.
Prostate Cancer – Most men die with it rather than from it. We opted not to go for radiology – consider Quality of life over quantity of life. The side effects of that therapy with erectile dysfunction, more tablets and more side effects was unthinkable.
Dad is on bicalutamide – a prostate cancer tablet. He went through the slow release injection before this and it was causing long lasting dizzy spells, feelings of nausea, mood swings. This tablet is slightly easier and we’ve worked out a plan of three times a week with the side effects over night rather than during the day. The side effects last about 18 hours, tiredness, grumpy and he has pain in his muscles which is a side effect.

7. Memory tools for dad – photos/cards/calendars with family members. Some days I go to see him and he doesn’t recognise me because of my hair is different, my clothes.
– A phone with big buttons / a mobile phone for emergencies
– A big clock with date, time, month and year
– Games – Connect 4, Snakes & ladders, wordsearch, colouring books, dominoes

8. Carers in place through Access Services

9. Awareness of objects and stuff – Look out for bruising – I check my dads hands, legs for any bruises. What is inhibiting the space, rugs, chairs, radiators on the walls in corridors – my dad is angry and upset with me for taking these away but two OTs, The Dementia Navigator and the doctors from the hospital said they were a risk. Buy Arnica cream, great for bruises.

10. Hydration – I cannnot emphasise this enough – older people do not drink enough, this can also affect the mind. Lots of water is needed and not tea/coffee. Water!
Jelly Drops – I found these on instagram, they curb the sweet craving, hydrating and do not cause any laxative effects.

Services

  • LPA – Lasting Power of Attorney – for health and finance – get it done asap! No one tells you how important this is to do. I was given incorrect advice, it doesn’t matter if the bills in my name or I share a joint account with my dad. This legal documentation offers peace of mind when the shit hits the fan.
  • HNG Project – counselling – I cannot emphasise how important it is to talk to someone – self-referral can be made for free or low cost counselling
  • Park Theatre, Reminiscence group – Finsbury Park – For some reason my computer will not allow me to link it.
  • Islington Carers Hub – Lots of activities at outdoor spaces
  • Dementia Navigators – Fall sensors – Necklace or wrist pendant
  • Admiral Nurses – not available in Islington support for carers of dementia loved ones
  • Age UK – a range of services and support advice
  • Mobilise Online – As above but offers a cuppa in the evenings, sharing place for carers
  • After Umbrage – After a form filled out by your GP – a place for restbite
  • Fragility Teams in hospitals (Below – jpeg flier) – I did not know these existed – but all the services under one roof did a thorough examination of my dad and one doctor got the ball rolling to look into his progress and situation at home
  • Occupational Therapy – Looking at the risk safety aspects of the home and person – do they need a walking stick? Raised chair, bannister, bathroom conversion to wetroom. Normally referred by GP.
  • Taxicards – should apply for as taxis are bloody expensive
  • Access Services not Social Services – Putting the carers in place to support. depending on income/savings of the person being cared for you may have to contribute. I keep them in the picture via email about everything, stress, changes in behaviour with dad, toxic people etc.
  • PIP – Personal Independence Payment for 67 years and under
  • Attendance Allowance – a 26 page form my friend helped me with
  • Carer’s Allowance – Only available to full-time carers at a pittance of £67.70 pw
  • Carer’s Assessment – You may get money off cottages, massages
  • START programme – a 6 week programme introducing you to dementia, offering tools and techniques but these change with time too.
  • Free bus pass
  • Free TV licence
  • Winter Fuel Payment – Contact the gas/energy supplier
  • SHINE services Offering ways to save energy in the home and protect one from cookers being left on etc.
  • Fire Brigade – free alarm check and explains the risk of putting chairs up against doors and broomsticks or mops
  • Cecelia’s Cafe (Alzheimer’s Society) – Activities and builds on community
  • GP – should give you as much info as possible, ask questions
  • Care plans – Knowing the wishes of the person you care for in the long term, health-wise, do they want to stay at home until the end. Division of property, items, money especially if they do not have a will
  • Wills – Get one done if you still can
  • CQC – Care Quality Commission – complain if the services are bad – do not feel guilty. It took me a year and half to complain to my GP and dad’s GP about their services. I sat on an email for 5 months to make sure I wasn’t reacting from an angry place. I even spoke to a friend who worked for CQC for advice and waited for 5 months before I sent it. The advice was to complain if you are not happy, not eneough people do. Remember you are not complaining, if you are entitled to a service and you are no receiving it then think of it as standing up for someone you love. Essentially you become an activist for someone who cannot speak for themselves, their health etc.
  • Befriending Services – It’s difficult when you are alone and have no one
  • Podiatry – My dad doesn’t fall under the bracket of completely unable to walk, so he cannot obtain podiatry services, I have to take him to one
  • Bladder & Bowel – This isn’t an easy one but at some point it has to be done as and when

#NationalCarersWeek – Day 2 – Gratitude

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

Typos expected – Tired and weary but still here!

My most grateful, peaceful days where I can forget about the world is in Muay Thai. I read that learning a new skill and being out of your comfort zone helps keep your mind and body alert. I would never dream I would find solace in drills, in hearing the wise words of my Coach, Jose and feel inspired with his metaphors of life.
I’m a total beginner, I’m scared to injure and be injured. Last year, it happened a lot and I was upset all the time with coming to class and going home bruised, unable to go to class and depressed. I started making excuses and even blamed my coach for my injuries. It was easy to blame and not easy to see that I could take responsibility in my rehabilitation. I was away on holiday by myself for a few days and I realised I could make myself stronger. I found a few exercises online and started doing them every day. We forget how responsible we are for ourselves and we have the power to heal ourselves. We are made to feel disempowered and reliant on a system – NHS. With the information out there on our health we can do more but not everyone, and sometimes it is hard.

When I first started in class, I was hard on myself for not remembering the combos, and felt like guilty for letting my sparring partner down. Someone said to me “I need to relax”. I took it to heart. I felt imperfect, rubbish and questioned why I was there. Perfectionism doesn’t exist. A construct to make you doubt, to lose faith in yourself. To attain to a height that doesn’t exist and to punish oneself with comparisons. Childhood scars last, the words of one’s carers can last a lifetime.

Jose is a Coach that has lived life, fought battles internally as well as externally. He has felt love, heartbreak, seen loss and embraces what life offers in the fullest sense of the word. He has seen his ego and he puts it in check. He teaches from his heart, and is passionate about everyone improving at whatever level they are at. There is nothing more inspiring than a Teacher who speaks to everyone in the room. I don’t know Jose other than on the mat but that’s how I imagine his life to have been. He’s the brother you never had, the father you wish had. The friend who picks you up and the Coach that makes you believe – in yourself – in your abilities – step by step.

In a one-to-one he asked me “does it have to be perfect?” I said “no”. He said “make your mistakes, learn and move on”. It’s so simple, or is it? Every time I beat myself up, he knows, and I beat myself up for showing it.

My confidence has grown in a year but I lost myself for three months. I didn’t train and it has impacted on my physical and mental health. I cannot look after dad if my energy is low. I cannot function with vim and life if I’m mentally tired. Without Fightzone I would never have found Jose and Muay Thai. I am grateful that when I have the energy I can go over to FZ and do yoga, do MT, do boxing. I want to try Bjj? I’m still not brave enough.

Try anything. Remember to feel the things you are drawn to to try, singing, dancing, sport – just do it.

https://fightzonelondon.co.uk

Me & Jose

Lea-der-ship

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

I’ve been listening to a number of podcasts over the years, reading material and attending workshops on what it means to be a “Leader”. I thought it meant being in a position of hierarchy in an organisation or institution. I thought it mean a title like CEO, SEO to Head of such and such. I thought it was associated with money and it equated to your financial power on the ladder. And when I think of all theses impositions that Society places on a person to become or attain to, it’s pressure and a set up for feelings or failure and lack of self-worth.

I am sure there are people that do not think this way because that is not how they view their place in society or the world. These people create their own channels, their own hierarchies; their own self-worth is validated by what they give “meaning” to or “value” to. Is this what equates to one’s own values in what they give or do in the world. It is assessed by themselves rather than individuals or people in hierarchical roles?

I feel like I am a “Leader” but why? How can I call myself a “Leader”? Do I lead others? No. Do I manage others? Sometimes. Do I lead myself and navigate the challenges that life throw at me or situations that arise? Yes. Does this make me a “Leader”?…I don’t know.

Listening to others talk about their roles as a “Leader” is defined by the many roles they have been designated in institutions in their life, by choices they have had to make, by juggling personal and work situations, but does these experiences make us or one a “Leader”?.

The question that then arises is “do I see myself as “Leader”? If I cannot answer this question, does this mean I “fail”?. Or does this mean I “pass”?. Do I need to know one hundred per cent? Do I need to affirm to the world “I am a Leader!”. What if I am a “Leader” but do not know it? What if I am a “Leader” but lack confidence and belief in myself? What if I have “imposter syndrome” is this what leads me in my day to day existence and the word “Leader” cannot pass by my lips? Is doubt part of it?

This week I feel weak, I feel I have failed at many things. My patience has worn down, I am surrounded by toxicity that suffocates me. I have been triggered by emotions that I had been denying and suppressing that I cannot breathe with the overwhelming anxiety and heartbreak I feel. A part of me says it’s okay to feel this way and to sit with it even though it is uncomfortable, painful and unbearable. A part of me says why the fuck have I been having therapy for this to rear itself now and not during the last year.

“Process” – everything is a “process. Well fucking hurry up and process the process, is what I say.

I am tired. I am fed-up. I want to step outside of duty because it’s a thankless job and I feel slapped, punched and kicked at every turn. I want to let go of the people that “hate” me and I don’t use that word lightly. For me it’s a strong word but so easily felt from others. My hope is to continue to heal, my heart feels like half of it is numb from all the knocks it has had and the other half is sagging from all the air that normally keeps it pumped with joy and life.

I want a big fat hug, I want to feel the love from that hug, I want it to mean something because I mean something. Does “Leadership” mean something? Maybe it does at the time one feels like a “Leader” and when one doesn’t feel like a “leader” it means nothing.

Dementia

/ Maria Thomas / 4 Comments
Me & Dad

Writing is cathartic, writing is creative, writing is liberating. Writing is also a vehicle to express one’s most inner thoughts when sometimes vocally it can be challenging to express.

I feel like there ought to be a group I go to and stand up and say “Hello, my name is Maria and I am a carer for someone with dementia”, and then tell my story. This year I figured I would focus on my mental and physical well-being by not taking on a million projects and try and give myself some love, rejuvenation, rest and strength in training.

I’ve been a carer for my dad since 2014 and in short, it’s tough. I’m grateful for many things before you say anything, I have written in my journal, and yes I meditate, do regular breathing, write the things I am grateful for everyday, exercise regularly and spend time with people who lift me up. Nothing can describe or be prescribed or prepare you for the constant pressure, the resentment, the stress, the anxiety, the triggers, the memories, the forgetting, the patience, the impatience, the anger and more.
I love my dad, and that is not in question here but there are a number of people like me who get left behind, who get left holding the weight of responsibility and again I know it is a choice but also an expectation from the institutions that you “are doing incredibly well”. That confirmation suddenly begins to sound very patronising.

I cry a lot, sometimes silently inside, when I walk home from my dad’s house, I cry on my own at home. I am tired and exhausted and my physical health is beginning to be affected by the stress factors of worry and dare I say loss. Am I grieving?
Last weekend was the second time in two weeks where my IBS was triggered by foods/drinks, on Monday I fainted hit my head on the wall and passed out. I awoke on the floor of my tiny toilet, wondering if I would be able to get up or if I had broken a bone. I got up bruised, embarrassed and called my partner for help. Luckily, this isn’t a long term injury or condition but it could have been. I’ve been ignoring the signs to look after me for a while. I’m no martyr, I get on with it.

I’ve spoken to the various services for help, and you get passed from pillar to post because none of them speak to each other. I’ve consistently asked for help from my doctor/from my dad’s doctor, the responses came back;

  • Would you like a sick note for some time off work? (no)
  • How would you feel about giving up your job? (the one thing that I love and keeps me going)
  • Would you like anti-depressants? (I don’t need to numb the pain, I need to talk about it)
  • Could you give up your job to care for you dad full-time? (that is not an option, I have a mortgage and bills)
  • What can I do? I’m not sure those services would listen to me. (call them, write to them)

And then the questions from the various services;

  • Have you tried the START programme (yes, but it’s only a six week programme that helps you understand dementia, offers tools and I do most of them. It doesn’t prepare you for the changes and how to deal with them.)
  • Have you applied for carer’s allowance (it doesn’t apply to me I work full-time)
  • Have you signed up to the activities for carer’s online (are there any activities after 5pm? Weekends?) No
  • Can your dad do activities online? (I work full-time, there’s no internet access) Can you not be there? (no, I work full-time)

I look at the Alzheimer’s Society website, the data from 2018 suggests carers save the NHS 132 billion a year. Wow, I am astounded and yet I feel like there is very little care for me.

There’s been a lot to deal with over the years, housing, money, diabetes, a half brother, extended family, prostate cancer, not being Egyptian (say what?) and now dementia. I often think what did I do in a previous life? Is this my Karma? In the end, it’s just the cards I’ve been dealt. I am lucky I have an understanding partner because I have not been the easiest during this time, I have been solely focussed on my dad, using all my reserves to be there for appointments, clean the house, cook the food and I’m no saint because it has triggered past emotions, memories of growing up in a house where love didn’t exist, there was no “I love you, you’re doing a fantastic job”. There was no support in my dreams, I was constantly belittled, I was blamed for everything, where my strict upbringing was due to my dad’s undisclosed faith, undisclosed truths, where punishment was still acceptable by the hand. 
I’m surprised my partner is still with me, just when I thought I was opening up to me. I’ve become withdrawn, suspicious, irritable, closed down, angry. I need an outlet and it shouldn’t be unleashed on him.

Now, I don’t say these things out of pity or hate, I say them openly because I thought I had let go and dealt with much of my past. Moment to moment has been another obstacle course to prove I can move through, patience, calm, reasoning, but also understanding as an adult, understanding of the quality of life, the ever changing condition, the knowing and accepting. The language and words I use, how much do I have to give or do in order to be there? Have I got other support networks? Let’s not go there. Am I seeing a therapist? Yes.

I’ve forgotten who I am? I’ve become labels in the system; carer, step-mom, half-sister, full-timer, partner. I used to dream about doing things in life instead I feel tired and under valued and couldn’t care less about the future. I use to be happy with my figure instead I am two dress sizes bigger and feel self conscious and fat. I use to wear dresses and do my hair and now it’s tied back, and I live in joggers and t-shirts. I used to be someone…

One of my close friends said to me once “usually the carer goes first”, how that has stayed with me. Friends have privately told me their experiences of dementia with their families and again what stands out is “accepting they are no longer the person you knew”. I cry when I hear this because I still see the same man as my dad, am I living in denial? No, I understand there will be constant changes. But I hurt, I am in pain and part of that pain is losing another parent and part of that pain is my dad losing himself. 

I lost a part of me when mum died, will I lose more of me when dad goes?

A list of things I have tried to do to help dad;

  • A diary with times of appointments
  • organic food freshly cooked, very little sugar in his bought foods
  • games: snakes and ladders, dominoes (he always wins at this) colouring books, word search, connect 4
  • walking, mosque attendance, classes when they resume
  • signs to remind him of things
  • massages (shoulder and neck)/ gentle exercises
  • encourage him to remain independent and mobile
  • call him daily
  • Cards with photos of recent times/birthdays/people

A list to help me;

  • Sleep is so important (try for 8 hrs/ but don’t be hard on yourself if you only get 6 most days)
  • Speak to him less when I am tired/grumpy
  • See what type of day he is having on the telephone
  • exercise/ meditate / take a bath
  • read a book/ write (I write a lot)
  • work / dance / listen to music / do something I love
  • Ask for support until you get it and if you’re not happy complain (include your MP/Counsillors)

Love and strength to you all out there. Every experience is different and personal. You are doing your best and please love who you are through this process. I am still trying to figure out how to love me.

2021-Tired and worn out

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

When I was in Thailand at the end of 2019, I thought I was recharging my batteries for a new year ahead. It had been a stressful year combating the changes of an elderly parent with dementia, and battling with various services to listen and help. I had a vision of 2020 being the year of travel to another unknown, an exploration of new terrains where I could feel the sun on my face, learn about a new culture and unlock a different part of me. But 2020 into 2021 has been just as stressful if not more due to Coronavirus. I’m not complaining about the pandemic and the ways in which it has changed the way we live possibly forever. I’m talking about the side effects, the curve ball, full on in your face, ripple, emotional and physical effects. This is what is going to live with us long after some “normality” is resumed.

I am so f**king tired. There are days when I cannot think, I don’t want to speak, I cannot breathe. My partner and I have been talking about “joy” and “light” recently and to be honest, it’s hard to see any of those things when you don’t have the energy to find your way out or lift yourself up. If I’m honest, I am not really sure how I have shown up every day to work, to be there for loved ones or my partner; it feels like one endless road of sheer relentless shit.

All the effin positivity, motivation, 21 days of abundance, breathing and training I am doing is not helping my well-being. All the self talks, tools, coping mechanisms have fallen by the way side and I don’t know how to get back on track. I don’t want to do another zoom workshop. Now, I sound resentful and gawd dammit I am, I just want to be able to book myself into a hotel by the sea, feel the sand beneath my feet, the sun on my face. I can’t even do that. It’s so grey here. London, I love you but I need more colour in my life other than Netflix.

My past haunts me, the “what ifs and the maybes”. Was it so good? Did I have so many fun moments that only now I can see how grateful I should have been or am I living in a fantasy of unrealistic stories of the past. We all view moments differently, and each could tell a different version of the same moment. Maybe my shade of haziness is lined with drunken forgetfulness of the reality?
Does this mean I am not happy with the present? Does this mean I am doubtful of the future? Where is it all going, can any of us be certain anymore?

As a teenager I had dreams of moving to the US, of wanting to be an actress full-time with an apartment in New York and a flat in London. I would travel widely and my success would afford me my own business and financial freedom. There would be direction, security, maybe children, marriage and certainty or is that last word meant to be replaced by security? I don’t know…instead my life is the complete opposite. I’m not complaining but reflecting. I’m not naive but still adjusting. I’m not dissatisfied because I made choices every step of the way. So, what am I saying? I don’t know anymore, I don’t know what the future holds and that is unsettling when nothing seems certain in the world outside. Am I just afraid? Yes. Am I realising that my OCD is kicking in and I cannot control the future. Yes. Am I bored due to lockdown? Maybe. Am I the only one feeling this way? I don’t know.

What if this is all there is? What if this is as good as it gets?

My only aim for this year so far is pressing the pause button to declutter, recharge and give myself the space. To think. To be. To heal.

Comfort zone or Fightzone?

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

“Comfort zone” as “where our uncertainty, scarcity, and vulnerability are minimized-where we believe we will have access to enough love, food, talent, time, admiration”
Brene Brown

Sometimes, I really love where I am in my life and what I mean by this is I have a job, I have choices and I can make these choices based on my age and experience in life. There are days when I look at kids whose parents encourage them into an activity (notice how I said encourage and not force), how I envy this choice as a child to be able to do something that becomes a passion. I am certain this is how you find “your thing or one of many things”…I’m so eloquent with words. I also believe this is how one finds different zones “comfortable” equates to safe, secure and “I like it here, I might stay for a while”. We surround ourselves with like-minded people, a support network of sorts, close but not too close, then there’s the odd challenge but nothing overbearing and mostly tolerable.

Ahem.

Life has a way of throwing one’s comfort zones out with those challenging people, situations and sometimes one may go out and seek the challenge. Find the discomfort in order to know what it is they like about the “comfort zone” so much. I digress. I believe we live this life and start a new one every time we face trauma, death, birth anything that is life changing, we become a new version of our old selves. It sounds obvious, I know but I couldn’t see it before 2009, and it’s not necessarily that I see it clearer now (because I still wear glasses and somewhere I developed a SOH…shh don’ tell anyone) but the best way I can describe it, is reading or hearing something you already know but at that moment you hear/read it, it has an impact, it changes your perspective, how you feel and it can change your life.

Life defining moments feel like an ageing process in a short space of time but equally the fuzziness is you don’t know how you got here. Even though I remember everything preceding 2009, well most things, some of my memories I let go of. Maybe they didn’t serve me, maybe they held me back and were toxic and maybe it just didn’t matter anymore. I guess when a parent dies, many things that mattered previously don’t matter anymore. So, you ask yourself what matters, you look at yourself and something apart from death slaps you in the face, and forces you to ask yourself “Who the f**k are you?” in the broadest sense and say goodbye to your comfort zone.

One of things I said to myself is “I want to live life to the full”, I haven’t been living. I was a fool, as not knowing what that really meant, I interpreted it as “let’s paarrrrty”. Drink upon drink, late nights, excess spending, blah blah blah. Did it serve me? No. But it became my comfort zone, my numbing zone. I realised after bereavement/regular counselling, working eight jobs over eights months on 3-4 hours sleep, breaking my ankle that took me out of acting for two years, that this was not what I meant when I said “I want to live life to the full”.

Another trauma, another period of reflection and another new me.

Jump to 2017 and I never thought that writing a short film about a female boxer would take me to Islington Boxing Club for research, a reading of my script and a love of boxing grew. However, I am the first to admit that I get restless quickly, I like change and realised I like trying new things (Oh this is the new me) I know, that sounds totally facetious but it’s true! I haven’t made the film yet, partly because I wanted to be in it…hahaha I know, me, as a boxer first I would have to obtain the figure of a boxer and secondly I would need to believe that I could do it.

A slight aside, I was listening to two BAFTA talks, one with Noel Clarke talking about ‘Bulletproof’ and the other was the BBC Writers Room both saying that you have to push through with your vision, I kind of still am. Pushing through with writing but sometimes you have to park stuff in order to move forward.

Back on track to 2018, I always wanted to travel on my own and long story short I was seeking sun, workout and rejuvenation. I decided to go to Thailand after seeing and asking a few friends about the places they had trained in. I wasn’t keen on doing just a yoga retreat as I had done that already and loved the two free surfing sessions thrown in. Again, was I coming out of my “comfort zone” or was I trying to find it? I was learning to swim that year and somehow I felt brave to be in the sea in a way I would never dream of. I liked this new me, it felt carefree, adventurous and spontaneous.

I entered Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket in December 2018 with no expectations bar that I was going to be surrounded mainly by men but I was pleasantly surprised to find women there too. I remember a friend saying to me “only you would go on holiday where you can go to the gym too”. Yes, I laughed but what did this really mean? Was I about to embark on a career in MMA. Ha, hell no. I hate violence, I work with people and teenagers, I’ve worked with kids. I am a nurturer, a carer, I encourage so why these violent sports. Well, I had never explored that element before or that side of me. There has to be something in me that desires that interaction, there must be an excitement that thrill, right, otherwise why would I do it. I don’t seek a career in it, I aim to get good at it, so is this my thing?

Fast forward to November 2019 and now a month in Thailand and training in Muay Thai and Krabi Krabong. That was it, I knew when I came home I would be seeking a class in either to continue. In January I entered the world of Fightzone knowing I would be looking around to discover which fight gym I would settle in. Normally, I’m confident/comfortable in myself since I started weight-lifting but coming into a fight gym is on another level. Oh, there she is that new me again, another life.

I never thought for one moment that my journey to explore the market would end. Jose, the Coach was supportive. I had a partner called Jenny, experienced and patient, and I was elfin bricking it. I said/say “sorry” a lot, I swear and I tend to beat myself up when I don’t get the simplest of steps. I didn’t realise the child in me who never got it right still exists. I hoped she had grown into a confident, self believing, easy on herself woman. Sigh. Nope, still need to remind myself every day and in every way, Marie Forleo’s quote “progress not perfection”.
12 months in, I still love it, I’m still learning and I even bought gum shields to gently spar. “Not the face, I an actress, don’t you know”. It’s kept me going during 2020, online and in-person. I really wish I had found the sport as a child and maybe the child in me may have grown up differently.

I’d rather be in Fightzone than my comfort zone.

X-Cues

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

Fire up and fuel my anger with words

unashamed, actions of no thoughts

excuses unabashedly a slap of audacity

Water not the words of devaluation

with tired words of so called evaluation

isolate me with time not mine to be had

scar the memory of will so unwilled

lash each syllable at my heart so full of honest love

innocent love truthful love. Use, useful or just used.

you ponder not the pain you cause

the hurt you inflict, inconsiderate selfish…

give back the time that should be mine

to grow, to fill with happy times, memories of new

You anger me to sleeplessness

incite physical oppression to aggression

turn infliction to contradiction confusion all consuming

words and actions generate usefulness

when needed.

Go forth, go to, just go!

Return when time has healed itself

return when care has entered your single-minded thoughts

return when mental astuteness aligns

itself with a higher self and not a

tired unrepenting excused ego self – unknowing yet knowing

contradiction lies deep within so-called wisdom.

A poem from 2016 I never published.

Post apocalyptic times…

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

Currently we are living through a pandemic, Black Lives Matter has moved prominently to the forefront of our times, global politics has been a daily conversation as much as our work talk and now we are living through a “new normal”.
When lockdown 2020 happened on 23 March, I was still floating from my month’s holiday in Thailand and dreaming of my next holiday, but everything stopped. Everything apart from my day job which got busier, anyone considered a “key worker” their life continued, adapted, and a sprinkle of added pressure and expectation.

Technology was at the top of the list, how do we expand on it, transfer communication on it and we had a Zoom boom. I had heard of Zoom before it exploded into what it is has become today 30 more million users and added online security. I have suddenly become a whizz at online meetings, muting people, trouble shooting and a video editor in the space of three months.

I started to envy those on furlough as having some paid time off sounds great, just think of all the things I could catch up on and all the things I could do. Realistically those “things” were domestic, cleaning, renovating and letter writing. However, in a way I am glad to have been working, there’s something about structure that helps me plan and oversee my days and weeks.

I’ve heard many people say it will be a time to “reflect, slow down and enjoy time with loved ones”. Yes and no. It has been an awful time of disruption for my Dad who has dementia, his routine has been completely wiped, his restriction of freedom has come at a cost, my relationship with him has been wrought with friction. He doesn’t understand that I’m not the one making the decisions on his life but I am carrying them out and therefore I get the brunt of the disgruntled anger. I am deciphering if he’s having a bad day, or he just hasn’t eaten/drank enough or if he’s genuinely having a bad day. 
I am spent, my energy is low, my mind and body are tired from working, running over to make sure he’s okay, calling to make sure he’s eating and drinking and managing life as a step-mum, a partner and all these other labels I/society put on me. I have had more internal grumbles than usual, and my outlets which has been going to the gym, Fightzone or Islington Boxing Club are closed. Pubs will open on the 4th July but gyms are closed. Sigh. This government makes me fucking angry. Is healthcare a priority or is tax on alcohol a priority?

This has also been a time of reflection in many ways, I’ll start with ’21 Days of Abundance’ by Deepak Chopra. I was invited to commit to this and I really loved the journey of self-help. It’s not an easy journey as there are aspects of my Mum I was encouraged to answer and think about the people who really inspire and lift me up; and the ultimate question “what are you doing with your life”, not in those words but I know this is why I took the time and it’s always good to reassess where when one is at during times of difficulty or ease.

I have loads of ideas I would love to execute, lots of knowledge I would love to share and there’s sometimes something inside that stops me. Procrastination, scared, tiredness, excuses that I can always start tomorrow or am I waiting for the right moment? There is no right moment, there is no time like the present and I have to believe in myself that I can do it. But I am tired and there’s the excuse. So, how do I change this? I listened to Brene Brown talk recently where she says “sobriety is your superpower”. Do I drink that much, no but I do drink, could I plan my lifestyle better as much as I plan my work or extra hobbies, yes!

What’s really important to me? When my Mum died over ten years now, I asked myself this question. The answer was live life to the full. I made mistakes and I didn’t really live life to the full. However, Deepak talks about the “space between thoughts”. There is a voice that speaks to me and to us all, it’s that intuitive one that tells us “yes, go for it” or “no, don’t do it”. It tells us many things but we either silence or ignore it. I am getting better at listening to it and much of the time to hear it, I have to “let go”.

Now “letting go” is a difficult concept for me as I am a hoarder and a hanger on. This comes from my family, I can acknowledge that. Emotions, scenarios, regrets that are passed onto you like it’s a burden for you to live with all of your life. I have to remind myself daily that I don’t need to carry it with me and I am reminded of it when i hear of other peoples childhoods. I do not possess the power to change my past, I wasn’t given the opportunities of some and it was an oppressive, restrictive childhood. But I do possess the power to forgive and move on and change the way I feel about it.

It has been so hard in “letting go” all of the childhood feelings of the past in the last five years, my Dad’s ongoing health issues year upon year, finding out I had a half-brother, finally meeting my Dad’s family members. I feel like I’ve been the guilt and shame he has hidden for so many years yet the expectation that has fallen upon me to be responsible for him and his health has no thanks. Dementia brings out the ugly side of my Dad’s personality and all the trappings I felt as a child I am choked with as an adult. Has my mental health been affected, of course, I have been seeing various counsellors. Has my relationship been affected, undoubtedly and my partner is still here for now. Has my life stopped. Yes. I am living and breathing for my Dad. Have I lost who I am? Yes.

The tears, the anger, the guilt, the shame, the resentments have all reared their ugly heads in me and it is hard to quiet the voices of the past. The voices I thought I had dealt with. This is what post apocalyptic times are like.

A Writer’s lover…

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

Listening to Neil Gaiman on Tim Ferriss’s podcast “The Interview I’ve waited for…” was quite a joy. My favourite over used adjective word came to mind, it was “inspiring” but no that was not the word to use here. There was a sanguinity to his tone of voice, something decadent about the way he spoke, his reverence for notebooks and fountain pens; and esteemed love and sadness for his friend, the late Sir Terry Pratchett.

To be honest I didn’t know what to expect from this interview and for the first fifteen minutes I was thinking, really…we’re going to listen to Neil Gaiman talk about the materials he writes on and pens he writes with (long). But as the adoration of using these tools to craft one’s art went on I realised that I share the same love for notebooks and passion for writing. I do enjoy typing but there’s nothing like a pen in your hand and writing on paper, gliding the words on the page, the continuity of thoughts.
I worried that my love of stationary was a fetish and I had an unhealthy obsession with pens but what I have discovered is that they are my lovers, and I am just a lover who requires the tools to play with. I know what you’re thinking but I am talking about the  form and process of writing.
Journalling, story-telling, screenplays, poetry – I love words. My vocabulary may not be the landscape of the seven wonders of the world or overwhelm you with colours and shades of the Sistine chapel but I’m sure there is a place for me as there is for you. I guess I feel “normal” and less “abnormal” to be a lover of writing, is it a form that is dying out?

When my partner gave me ‘Neverwhere’ for my birthday, I remember reading a few pages, found myself bored and put it down. It didn’t interest me. I came back to it a year later and couldn’t stop reading, what had changed in a year? I’m not sure, sometimes I’m not ready to read certain books which is why I buy them and shelve them for years. I might read them one day, my aim is to read the ones that I have on the shelf and in storage (gulp).

I love London and reading a book that weaves inside and outside of London streets that I know captured me, I could relate. Whilst working for an old Livery Hall that dates back to the 15th Century, even more stories were animated in my head.
(SPOILER ALERT) I remember leaving the bus just as I finished ‘Neverwhere’ and looked up. I was astonished as there in front of me, I caught a glimpse of ‘The Marquis de Carabas’. I was grappling for my mobile phone lost in my bag as the bus stopped at St Pauls to take a photo, and I thought there it is, London Below has come up to visit London Above. I was so excited I tweeted @Neilhimself

 

I became even more of a believer in fantasy, wonder and possibility. I thought of my “inner child”  not the psychologically damaged one but the “innocence of youth”. It had taken me back to Edgar Allen Poe, Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm. Dark stories that I read in my childhood, stories of truth with characters not so beautiful and perfect but those that questioned thyself and others. I grew up with horror and  thriller influences (poor me). I look forward to ‘Good Omens’.

I loved Neil Gaiman’s honesty in what friendship was for him and the loss of a loved one. The beautiful memories of past conversations, accents, admiration, devotion, hearty laughter and an emptiness of being when they are gone. Death reminds us of moments we’d almost forgotten, a period when we experienced happier times. A soulmate of another kind.

Have a listen.

What is my “legacy”?

/ Maria Thomas / Leave a comment

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I used to believe that legacies were about children and inheritance of heirlooms and antique furniture. I used to believe legacies were for the rich and famous like Richard Branson or Mark Zuckerberg. I used to believe a lot of things that I don’t anymore, am I jaded, more experienced, older, maturer? I scoff whilst writing this in a cynical inwardly way. Like only I understand the joke, only my inner voice understands what that means; or inner child, as the psychologists or mindfulness community might say.

I travelled abroad recently and had this notion to bring my books, my journals and downloaded a few podcasts to really keep my mind active and engaged intellectually. (I scoff again) Did I read any of them, no. I stayed present to the moment, had pockets of beautiful conversations with some inspiring individuals and exercised hard, well hard for me. Whilst away I believed I would be discovering all these different paths of who I was (existential questioning we all do), what was I to learn on this solo travel. So much of what I learned was seeping its way through upon my return home and not abroad at all. I realised many things about myself, I don’t like the cold, I acclimatise really quickly to the exotic weather (yes, I have many continents in my blood line), I love travelling and it was freeing to do it alone. #yesmyboyfriendapproved and #noididntneedhisapproval
What I realised is that I had taken on the weight and woes of my family and I was discovering who I was in the process. A journey that will never end until my last breath.

So, back to legacies, I started working with the Ben Kinsella Trust and Head Held High just before Christmas on a programme called ‘The Best You’.
Sometimes, I believe, in life we have these serendipitous moments which we either listen to or ignore; what I call the ‘universal alignments’. I’ve been turning the volume low for the last few years without trusting the universe to let things happen. (Now, I know that might sound a bit whacko but most people who know me, knows that I am spiritual). When others come first before your needs, it takes a life changing experience to allow you the time to re-assess your needs are a priority and that is not selfish!

So, ‘The Best You’ programme is motivational for teenagers to get them thinking about their futures, how they can make different choices to protect themselves and to discuss the prevalent rise of knife crime. I worked with an amazing woman, Tash, who has been doing this work for six years and it really shows. There are so many moments in my life where I feel so damn lucky to meet people who not only inspire me right to my core but also I feel so privilege to see how committed, passionate and caring they are in their work, and Tash is one of them.
There’s no time for ego, this isn’t about us, this is about them! I have cried more over this programme and felt so deeply from my soul, than I ever have in crying out of sadness or anger.

The programme started in January, all the teenagers in the group knew people who had  been affected by knife crime or they themselves had been affected by knife crime. The programme had seven teenagers take part, lasted for six weeks, took place in their school with a visit to the Ben Kinsella exhibition.

Was I affected? Yes, every week I went into the classroom, and then onto my full-time job. On my second week, I sent a text to Tash to say how much respect and admiration I had for her knowing how long she had done this work for. I then asked my work colleague if I could have a hug. I cried on my colleague’s shoulder and felt two things “hope” and “progress”. I could see the cogs starting to turn, the pennies dropping, the trickle of change, you could feel the shift in the room when someone had been honest and vulnerable. Every week everyone came, they didn’t have to participate, they didn’t have to attend, the class wasn’t compulsory but every week we saw the same faces and kept reminding them of the reasons we were there. We were there for them, to open their eyes to who they could be, accepting responsibility for their choices, having the opportunities to change their responses to situations.
I felt very much this was a learning experience for me too, what was I doing to be the best person in my life, for my partner, for my family and friends; applying those things that I was saying was tough. I learned things from my friends which questioned who I was in the friendship and staying open and receptive is one of the hardest parts of being human; to not judge and to not be offended.

Today, in our last session together, I was sad that I was not going to be there next week. One of the lads said “why was the programme not going on for longer?” and I felt Tash and I had done our job in that they could see the benefit of this type of work. I felt like all those podcasts I had listened to where they ask the interviewee “what advice would you give your younger self”, I felt like this was my opportunity, I had had six weeks to impart my wisdom, life experience and emotional maturity but I couldn’t find the words and I’m more “story-teller” than “short and concise” type of person. How can you know what to say that relates to the work you are doing, how can you say all the things you wish you could say without the abbreviations and use all the expletives the schools deny you of. How can we make a change in the short one and half hour class that we get?

When you work with someone who gives you the space to lead part of the session and lets you run with a personal experience, all I can say is today was a heart opener. I shared something that even some of my close friends don’t even know about but laying one’s heart out there is not weak, it’s strength in being able to be vulnerable and open. Brene Brown’s Ted Talk covers this on ‘The Power of Vulnerability’. I left the space like I always have with two words in my mind and heart, ‘Hope’ and ‘Progress’.

There’s no selfies or “let’s keep in touch” but there were “thank yous” and a hug. Priceless! I’d been thinking all week what my parting words would be and this was them “I want to meet you in the street in 4-5 years time, shake your hand and hear you tell me what you have been doing. I don’t want to see you on the newspaper because you’ve become a victim”.  I am sad not to be going in next week and shaking each one of their hands and saying hello. I am sad that six weeks doesn’t feel like enough time but I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them, to be inspired by them and to set goals for myself because of them.

So, I come back to legacies, is this my legacy or theirs? I think it’s our legacies that we create and hope we pass on. I have hope in the future of the next generation.

Thank you Ben Kinsella Trust, thank you to Head Held High and to Patrice.