Happy new year to everyone, this is the first podcast of 2024 and I will be honest it has no structure at all, but then that was the point! I wanted to talk today about how not everything is or can be structured, how the general consensus is "new year new me", but that is not always realistic and just becomes an added pressure and expectation.  I explain how I have reflected on many things recently, I look at social media like anyone else, and see the wonderful experiences and beautiful pictures they post, and while I am not disrespecting that I am also being realistic that this is not a consistent reality.  Life is not linear and when it moves in a completely different direction to what you thought or had planned it is challenging, it is traumatic and while it can be helpful to look forward to what might be possible, it is so important to allow personal grief. This may include anger, frustration, upset etc and that is ok, it's a normal reaction. I explain how gaslighting has prevented many people from feeling able to explore the emotional impact living with a physical health long term condition.  The bottom line of this episode is, we are all perfectly imperfect and I appreciate how much I have learnt, the support I have received and I hope I can continue with the podcast and make sure nobody feels alone #onedayatatime  My Links: https://linktr.ee/joulest https://twitter.com/julieTa58407536 https://www.facebook.com/livingwithlongcovid/ https://www.instasgram.com/julietaylor9545 https://amzn.eu/d/9v9MP4v https://amzn.eu/d/1QVK8zn - Return to work planner https://amzn.eu/d/a1Safxc - well-being planner https://www.julie-t.com/ - Julie Taylor life coaching website Long Covid Clinic (Julie Taylor & Dr Binita Kane - contact; [email protected] for more information