Fresh from a few nights away in Ibiza, I’m back with a look back at May. Looking back on last month, it feels like so long ago my brain can hardly comprehend that it only came to an end less than two weeks ago. 

That’s what holidays do to you. You lose yourself in this funny space in time, where every day feels like you’re in this beautiful little bubble, yet when you return home, it feels like you’ve never been away. Holidays do something to time that my head can’t figure out. 

Anyway, enough waffle! Here’s a look back at what May had in store:

London Stadium

At the beginning of May, I had the opportunity to visit the London Stadium, home of West Ham United, and what was formerly the Olympic Stadium when London hosted the 2012 Olympics. 

This time, I was here to watch West Ham United U23s v Derby County U23s. Although you can’t beat going to a match with a capacity crowd, there’s something quite exciting about watching a game in an empty stadium with only a handful of people. 

My First Therapy Session

The 5th of May marked my first therapy session. For those new to my Mindful Musings, I started the year in a vicious cycle of anxiety. After speaking to my Doctor, I was referred to a psychotherapist and given a prescription for medication – click here to find out more about how I ended up seeking help.  

Whilst the first session with my therapist was more of an introduction to what would follow over the next 12 weeks, we would dig deeper and explore my anxiety in more detail in the following weeks. Click here to find out how my first therapy session went. 

I’m now four sessions in, and after a two-week break, I’m looking forward to delving back into things this week to see what else I can learn about myself – click here to discover five things I’ve learnt from therapy so far.

A Trip To The Big Smoke

As a general rule, I try to leave my afternoons and evenings free following my therapy sessions. However, I wanted to have something to look forward to after my first session, so I made plans to catch up with my friend James that evening in central London for a bite to eat, followed by a show in the West End.  

I headed straight into the City after my therapy session, and as I had a few hours to kill before meeting James, I decided to make the most of the afternoon by testing my camera out on some of the London sights I hadn’t seen in a while.

A few hours later, I met James in Trafalgar Square, and we headed off to get some food before going to the Noel Coward Theatre to watch Dear Evan Hansen. 

On the face of it, it didn’t look like the sort of show I should be watching after therapy as it is about someone with social anxiety! It was, however, one of the most enjoyable shows I have seen in the West End. The casting was superb, and it dealt with sensitive issues in a compassionate but realistic way. 

London FA Cup Finals

March through to May were crazily busy months. Not only was I juggling an increasing amount of work in my day job as a freelance writer, but I was also juggling this with helping out at the end-of-season cup finals with my old company, London Football Association. 

Although I left London FA almost 18 months ago, I find myself gravitating back at cup final time and offering my services to help run the turnstiles. 

There’s just something about events which sparks something in me. I had a similar feeling working at Kingston Christmas Market last year. It brings out a different side to my personality, and I buzz off it. 

The cup finals finished at the end of May, and although I spent a lot of my time working in the turnstiles, I also had the opportunity to take photos and watch some of the matches. 

I always end the season saying I will attend fewer finals the following season, but it never seems to happen. I seem to thrive off the careful balancing act of juggling everything over those three months. 

I have no doubt I’ll be back there next season.

Mum’s Birthday Celebrations

The end of May also saw us celebrate my Mum’s 69th Birthday. Next year will be a year of celebrations for our family with Mum turning 70, Mum and Dad celebrating their Ruby Wedding Anniversary, and I will be turning 40 (gulp!)!

Our family loves any excuse to celebrate, and this year, I decided to host a little tea party for Mum in Kingston. My brothers travelled down for the day too, which was lovely as they had never been to Kingston before. I laid on a little picnic in the communal garden behind my flat and made a cake which tasted much better than it looked!

They had arrived with the sad news that my cousin had passed away that morning, and it was difficult to process this whilst also making sure everyone had a fun day. 

But it was lovely to have that family time, and I’m glad we could enjoy the day together. 

Whilst June is going to be another busy month, I’m pleased to report that there will also be a chance to relax, breathe and reflect, so hopefully, you’ll see a few more mindful musings popping up over the next few weeks!

For now, I’d love to hear how May was for you. Why not let me know in the comments below?