A Year Review

This isn’t 100% related to hiking or to mental health but it seems fitting. We are coming to the end of 2019. The end of a year. The end of a decade. I wanted to take some time to look back on how 2019 has been and how I’ve changed.

2019 has been a year of ups and downs. The first few months of 2019, I was working in Barnwell just trying to get through the days. I had a lot of stress but I started finalizing my plans for my thru-hike of the Great Glen Way which gave me the motivation to get through some of those long days. The days I was working, I left my house at 6:30 in the morning, worked a 13-14 hours shift and got back between 10:30 PM and midnight. At the time I didn’t realized how much it was affecting my mental health. I left at the end of March. I did not have a new job lined up.

I had about 2 weeks between leaving that job and going to Scotland for my Great Glen Way hike. It was a BUSY 2 weeks! The next week I had my dance competition to raise money for Alzheimer’s. My mom came into town and so did my friend from high school. It was a great experience and I was so thankful for many of my friends and former colleagues coming out to support me. And having my best friend as a friendly judge made it much less daunting! Four days later I attended State House Day for the Alzheimer’s Association and flew out that afternoon for my hike! In the 2 weeks leading up to that trip, I had started looking at Masters of Public Health programs and applied to a few programs just before I left.

I had a great 2 week trip! I had a few days before I started my hike to catch up with family and spent a weekend in a caravan with my cousins! That was such a great time- they are growing up so quickly! I also had the chance to visit my gran 2 or 3 times which was great! I set off on the train to Fort William and the next morning took the bus to Kinlochleven so that I could hike the last 15 miles of the West Highland Way. I continued 79 miles over the next 6 days to finish in Inverness. I ended up with an injury but finished the hike nonetheless. During my hike, I had a lot of time to think about what was next. I thought about what motivates me and what I like to do in my free time. That was when I confirmed that I wanted to pursue my Masters in Public Health.

I got the admission letter to George Washington’s online MPH program shortly after I got home. I had applied to some other schools with GW being my reach school. I accepted and started the program in mid-summer. In the meantime, I spent time applying for new pharmacist jobs. In late July/early August, I applied for a remote Medication Therapy Management pharmacist and started at the end of August. This was the same time I started my 2nd (and according to my student success advisor, my most difficult) term! I finished out the semester a few weeks ago and am loving the new position!

In mid May, a few weeks after I returned home from Scotland, my gran passed away. That was a huge blow. I have always been close to my Gran. No matter what my week looked like, I always made it a point to call her at least once a week. It hit me really hard and my mental health definitely took a little bit of a backslide. I remember going to my regular counseling appointment a few days later and I walked in there and when she asked how I was I just broke down. That was the first time she had seen that happen in me and really helped me work through a lot of feelings over the next few sessions.

In addition to counseling, around mid June I went along to my friend’s women’s group. After the first meeting, I knew that I wanted to come back and be a part of their group long-term. These women are amazing and have become some of my closest friends. I could NOT have gotten through the ups and downs of the last few months without them! I am so thankful every day for all I have learned in my time with this group! I look forward to every meeting! They have really helped me grow my faith and control my anxiety.

When I look back at 2019, I see a lot of change. I left a job, I started a new program, I started a new job, I continued to grow in my faith and I worked through a lot of ups and downs. I also started to get myself back in shape. When I came back from my hiking trip I was probably the least healthy I had been in a few years. This also led to issues with my depression and anxiety. I got back in to working out and I am slowly making progress and getting stronger. Not only does this help me feel better physically but more importantly it helps mentally. Exercise boosts my self-esteem and also has a positive effect on my anxiety and depression. This is just one of the reasons I hike. One of the biggest things I have learned is to listen to my body and practice self-care. Hiking has provided me with an outlet over the last year and I can’t wait for more hikes next year. I plan on setting a mileage goal for the new year- I’ll be starting the new year with a hike on New Years Day with friends!