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After surviving my very first proper hike and getting so excited I accidentally bought a pair of hiking boots, I decided it was about time I went on another hike. The crowd I had hiked with last time were doing a pretty tough hike on a Sunday and I was working for it but much to my good fortune a colleague had sent me on a link to a walk happening today that she thought might be my thing. So the previous hike I had been on was with a group of amateur hikers and it was great in a very tough sort of way but this walk was being led by a qualified hill walking guide which meant there was a €20 fee but a much lower chance of falling off a rocky bit of mountain. That's always a plus. I didn't mind paying because I really wanted another hike and sure there's worse things I could be spending a bit of money on. So the morning got off to a bit of a rocky start. I left home in what I thought was plenty of time and put the destination into my maps and off I went. Except for ...

Its safe to say break ups are not my strong point. I haven't actually been in that many relationships and two of them were absolute disasters so its fair to say that when the time came to split with my most recent ex that I didn't have my own good example to follow. The break up had gone relatively well up to a point. I mean obviously in the beginning I was horribly sad and cried a lot and ate more chocolate than should be legal for one woman to consume. But then I moved to Kilkenny and started to find my feet down here. I was exploring the city, attending girlcrew events and just being more active. I mean I was also receiving more dick pics than any woman would want to see online  ( if there in fact is a woman out there who actually requests them) so I suppose while I was enjoying my own space, the big bad world of dating didn't look terribly promising. Then 3 months post split I ran into my ex in Waterford and we started contacting each other again. Even then I knew...

The last few days I've been aware of this background hum of anxiety hiding in the quiet gaps of the day. I can feel it when I'm trying to meditate and when I wake in the middle of the night. One of the most important lessons I have learned in later adulthood is how tp manage my own mental health and of late I have been ticking all the boxes. I have cut back my coffee intake, Im eating almost no refined sugar, I'm doing headspace everyday, I'm training whenever I can and getting as much fresh air as my schedule allows. These are all great things and for the most part they do their bit to keep my mood relatively upbeat and my anxiety at bay. All the same anxiety can creep back in and I do my best to stop it taking over. When I first became aware of it, I poked it tentatively as though it was a physical sore and I wondered what caused it. Am I stressed about work? Am I picking up on someone else's anxious feelings? Have I something to feel sad or worried about? De...

This Sunday I went on my very first proper hike. I had come across a group called The Peaky Climbers online and had been considering asking to join them on a walk for quite a while. I have been enjoying getting more fresh air of late and this seemed like a novel way to spend a Sunday. My mum had loaned me the pricier hiking bits ( boots and proper jacket) and I had cobbled together the rest myself and on Sunday morning(the meeting point) with a very well packed backpack. When I woke that morning to see my car covered in snow I most definitely contemplated making a hot water bottle and hiding beneath my duvet but I knew if I didn't go on this hike then I would never end up going on one (and Id gone and bought a new backpack for the occasion)  Luckily hiking gear is not the usual attire of people shopping in the retail park so it was easy to spot the others I would be joining and I wasn't left awkwardly approaching people and asking if they were a peaky climber. After quick ...

Lately I decided I'd really like to go hill walking. There's a group in Kilkenny that go fairly regularly and really there was nothing stopping me bar a complete lack of experience and proper outdoor wear. So far ( it being only 6 days in) this month is going well for me. Ive gotten in a few nice walks, I've been using headspace regularly, for the most part I'm eating well and I'm getting back into a good gym routine so this seemed like it could be something else to try in my mission to be more active. There's a number of reasons I'd like to try this . My first one is a little ridiculous, the nerd in me is intrigued as to what sort of stats I'll get on my fitbit from such an endeavour. Also Sunday is a bit of nothing day for me. When I'm off I never have much planned and much as I like pottering around the house, it would be nice to have something different to do. Lastly its because I'm discovering I feel better when I get some fresh a...