Here’s a collection of Maya’s blog posts
Maya joins us as a guest writer as she bravely shares her experience with knife crime. Knife crime is something that many care-experienced young people have come across and Maya expresses how she dealt with the impact it had on her life.
Sensitive reading ahead.
For International Self-Care Day, Maya is back with another blog piece but this time she is challenging our perceptions of self care. Are we really taking the time we need to recharge properly or are we actually burning ourselves out?
Maya explores self sabotage, over committed social events and the benefits of distraction.
Read on for self care with a difference!
That year has been anything but comfortable and nice. The range of emotions experienced has been scarily eye opening. Getting through everything without knowing what is to come next has definitely been a character building, perspective breaking and dream shaking experience.
This week’s article will solely focus on the feeling of envy and how we perceive, absorb and manage it. Whether you’re on the receiving end or you happen to be the one that’s dishing it out, I have chosen to address this as a topic because I feel like I’ve seen a lot of this emotion in the past year.
Being in lockdown for a while, the way we interact with the world has changed for a lot of us but nonetheless is still a vital part of our functioning, whether we dread or enjoy it. Some days we may feel different when it comes to responding to WhatsApp’s and other days, we may feel like completely switching everything off and grounding ourselves or even not engaging in any activity at all. Mentally and/or physically.
We all have different ways in which we approach and cope with things. We also have different ways in which we take care of ourselves. We have different ways in which we treat the people around us as well. My ways may not suit you and your ways may not suit me. But what we both have in common, is the need to look after ourselves. It’s an essential part of our functioning as human beings even though we sometimes require a reminder from time to time. In this article I’ll cover a few areas I’ve managed to improve in and will share a few tips that work for me.
There’s no amount of words that can encapsulate how horrible the current world state is that we’re in. I’m not talking coronavirus and stress, I’m talking the suffering of millions, a whole lot of racism and a whole lot of injustice. Being a young person that’s grown up in London I’ve seen my closest friends experience things I’ll never even come close to comprehending let alone knowing what it feels like to go through such pain. This week, I want to highlight the seriousness of what’s going on around us and share whatever awareness I hold on the situation as I think having a voice across platforms should be utilised to its full potential right now.
Procrastination, a topic I haven’t written on yet but sure have thought a lot about. I find myself feeling lazy from time to time, some days avoiding everything and everyone but other days not so much. I find that it comes in micro doses and when it arrives it tends to get very comfortable, almost snug in its seat.
Have you been finding yourself pondering people from the past or replaying long lost scenarios in your head lately? Welcome to the club! As we’re sat indoors either keeping busy or lounging around, this gives us way too much time to fall back into old thought patterns and shady places. We find ourselves hoping that those who’ve done us wrong in the past are OK, even those who took us to some of the darkest places we’ve ever been to. There’s nothing wrong with genuinely hoping the best for others, even those who hurt us, but there’s a big difference in hoping so and actively expressing it. As much as you might miss a specific person, especially during the pandemic it’s highly important you don’t take yourself to the same place where you felt pain. I strongly believe that nobody can heal whilst being in the same place where their hurt was caused. This includes half-hearted friendships, failed talking stages and toxic ex’s, the entire lot!
You find yourself swamped with deadlines despite being at home. You find yourself exhausted regardless of how much you’ve slept. There are dishes to do and you need to wash your hair. Return that call. Check emails again. Attend a lengthy lecture on Microsoft Teams and don’t forget all the backed-up FaceTime calls in your schedule.
We’re here to make a difference in the lives of young care leavers. Wherever they’re coming from, we’re on a mission to help open doors and give them the skills, confidence and inspiration to make some momentum and realise their full potential.
