Kelly Stuart 01/07/2020 Member StoriesNews

3rd June

I feel a bit brighter than I did last week, but I’ve been trying to do a video all morning for Caerphilly People First and it’s stressing me out!  We had a flood in the kitchen yesterday too and that was horrible.

The good news is that my sister will be going back to work as a teacher on 29^th June and mum and I will be looking after my nephew every day. I can’t wait for that!

The easing of the lockdown hasn’t made a lot of difference to me to be honest.  I have seen my grandparents and step- sister this week and that was nice, but I still feel anxious about meeting up with people.  I don’t mean to sound negative but the things I used to do before lockdown were things like going for food after work, or arranging a cinema trip with friends from Caerphilly People First and we still can’t do anything like that because nowhere is open. 

I find it hard to trust people after a bad experience so I don’t have friends who I would meet at the park for instance – that’s just not something I would do. 

10th June 2020

I don’t have much to report this week; the weather is miserable and that’s not helping things.

I’m feeling ok and I’ve been really busy getting organised for Learning Disability Week next week. I can’t tell you what’s being planned because it’s a secret, but I’m organising activities and online events.

I’ve been watching The A Word on tv about the little boy with autism and I’m really enjoying it.  We have a family birthday tomorrow too.

I would like to say that I feel there is light at the end of the tunnel now and encourage people to stay positive.

17th June 2020

This week has been a good week!  It’s Learning Disability Week and my best friend has asked me to be her bridesmaid at her wedding next year!  Additionally, I’ve lost weight on my diet and I’ve bought a new phone. 

I wrote a plan for what to do for Learning Disability Week and I’ve been posting at least once a day on Facebook and Twitter this week. 

I’ve posted videos, blogs and members’ stories and later this week I’m taking part in ‘Our Voice Matters’ – this is an online question and answer session to discuss concerns about Covid. 

It’s been tough to think of things to post about on social media – if things were different, we’d be at the office with people dropping in and various events organised.  It’s so hard to do everything online and some people don’t engage well online and find it more difficult.

The theme of Learning Disability Week is friendships and staying connected so I’ve been posting information for members on how to join Zoom meetings and how to make WhatsApp phone calls.  I’ve also been sharing Welsh government information on how to avoid scams.

I feel so upbeat this week, I’m worried I will feel low next week when it’s all over. 

26th June

I do feel very low this week, after being so busy with Learning Disability Week last week. I thought I might feel flat after it was all over.  I suffer with anxiety and depression and when I feel like this, I keep myself to myself and avoid social media.

I find the weekends quite difficult and I’m fed up with lock-down now. I like to be busy and have plenty to do.  It would be good to be able to go to the shops – I know we’d have to queue and maintain distance, but it would be good to go somewhere different. I can’t go far on my own because of my knee, so going for a long walk is difficult – I like to have someone with me when I walk the dog too.

On the positive side of things, I have booked a hair appointment and will be having my nails done as soon as we’re allowed to again.  I’ve also lost another couple of pounds on my diet!