My website has moved to http://www.justonestepfurther.co.uk

I’m 26 and I have an anxiety disorder.

I also suffer from chronic depersonalisation and derealisation.

I’ve battled both of these conditions daily for 13 years.

They are unrelenting and life is tough

That’s an understatement



But life is what we make it.

My dream is to travel the world



Here’s a quick summary…

Over the last decade I have struggled through agoraphobia, which left me housebound for two years, lived with health anxiety and dealt with chronic dp/dr which continues to challenge me, but I’ve still managed to struggle my way around Europe and have visited 10 countries so far. No it hasn’t been easy, but I’ve already accomplished more than I ever thought could be possible.

Mental Health – Misunderstood. Overlooked.

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing your life isn’t exactly a bunch of roses and you probably suffer from some kind of mental health problem. Mental Health is vastly underestimated when it comes to quality of life, services are poor, funding is non existant, understanding and compassion from friends and family let alone the NHS is a distant dream.

Mental Health problems are hard enough to describe, let alone if the feelings you have are past the point of even being able to comprehend how you’re feeling. I often feel completely overwhelmed, trapped, scared and just down right exasperated by the sensations that my brain produces. How can this all be down to stress? Isn’t there something more going on? Do I have a brain tumour? Have I gone insane? Is there any coming back from this or am I too far gone? These are all questions I have asked myself on a near daily basis for the best part of my life, some still haunt me, others I’ve learned to accept.

But I refuse to let these feelings beat me – and if you’re on my page, you clearly also have the desire and determination to enjoy life. So welcome to JustOneStepFurther – that’s all you need to do to overcome this. Keep taking steps forward, baby steps – don’t be shocked when you get knocked a few back either, as long as you work towards an upward slope, life will always get that little bit better. Setbacks are frustrating and it’s such a pain to have to live so carefully, but acceptance is key.

You can still have adventures – and this blog is a way to keep track of my own. I hope in some small way they can inspire you, reassure you and give you maybe a glimpse of hope that even in the darkest of times, moments of joy can still be found.