Updates and New Book Projects…

Apologies if you follow our blog and may have thought we had stopped posting. That is partly true I haven't posted for a while. After the Summer hols I had fully intended to try and maintain a weekly post but starting a new academic year in terms of the original Bearing Up project means embedding the core elements I have previously shared with other classes and teachers/schools I've work with in the past. I didn't want to just show you more of the same.

I think I also have to be honest and explain that I battle with chronic migraine and cluster headaches. For those who are fortunate not to have this I feel I need to explain that you don’t get a migraine. It’s not a headache. Yes there is head pain and it can be excruciating head pain. But it’s the nausea, brain fog, exhaustion, loss of balance, blurry/distorted vision, slurring words, not finding the right words to say, dark thoughts and relentless cycle of making plans and letting others down. You live with migraine and you’re either waiting on an attack, at the prodrome phase, having a migraine attack or in the postdrome phase. I got a stark reminder this week that despite feeling like I was managing these to the best anyone can. And I can mostly work through an attack due to neurology treatment and rescue meds, but I was tipped over the edge and completely lost two and a half days to an attack this week, and now I am in the postdrome phase hoping that I won’t hit too many triggers and go back into that cycle where I can’t do anything again. I don’t talk about this and I won’t go on about it again. But I feel very vulnerable this week and often misunderstood. Migraine attacks are not caused by one single trigger (I have many, too many to go into), but rather it’s a build up of triggers that you can have a level you can cope with but when it tips over the edge, it’s like falling off a cliff! If I’m asked how I am, I’m always ‘good’ or ‘fine’ because who want to hear you’re feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, in pain etc…? No one, not even me - I don’t want to hear it! I certainly don’t want to feel it! I don’t really remember what it feels like to feel properly well. I always feel like I’m somewhere in that migraine cycle so I do try to do as much as I can on my better days. I always feel like I’m trying to prove my worth and I know that this is mostly to myself! I couldn’t have the career I know I’m mentally capable of because I can’t maintain a traditional 5 day week. I need recovery days each week, so I’m carving out a different path and I guess I’m sharing this as a reminder that not all is what it seems but also you can still achieve great things you just need to build resilience and be creative.

So over the next two terms (after October hols), we intend to start working on Bearing Up the Musical. You may have seen a previous post about a school in South Lanarkshire that bravely trusted in our script before the book was even published and did this right at the beginning of the project.💕 Well now we have made some adaptions and plan to go all in at my current school. Keep your eyes 👀 on this blog for further updates and if anyone else would like to do the musical this year too - please feel free to get in touch! 🎵 🎤 🎶

New Book Projects Underway...

Bearing Up has become much more that about one story and resources facilitating good mental health traits, building growth mindset, kindness and resilience. Bearing Up is still about all of the above but it's also a community that aims to support children and families to connect and support each other.

You may have seen that this year I worked with a very special family and little team on a book called Saving Leni. This story has already sold hundreds of copies since it was published a month ago to raise vital awareness and funds for The Childhood Dementia Initiative UK. I didn't even know childhood dementia existed until I saw this family on Good Morning Britain and felt compelled to reach out to see if creating a book would be possible... and less than 6 months later here we were with our published book ready to spread the word! So you see like I say in the story... 'Everything is possible when those who can speak out.' You can get your copy via Amazon or get in touch for more local options. Every penny goes to this very special cause! 💕

Whilst this was going on I had already started work on another book with a charity linked to the NHS (which I won't name at the moment as this one is taking longer as there are many more agencies involved). This book is currently being illustrated by the wonderful Kirsty Melia, and I hope we will have made progress by early next year.

There is potential for a further different charity collaboration in the pipeline and I have a meeting booked at the end of October to discuss some exciting possibilities... another space to watch. 👀 

Finally for now, Laila Clark (our Saving Leni illustrator💕) and myself have started work on a wee book collaboration that we think is going to be very special. A story that will support anxiety, change and loss in all its forms.

I look forward to getting back to more regular blogs and updates as the branches of these projects develop. Thanks for sticking with us and if you're new here - welcome to our Bearing Up Journey! 🧸💕