Hello everyone,

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? (nearly 8 months) I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long. I knew I was going to take a break but even I didn’t expect to be away for this long. I’m writing this to explain to you all why I have been gone for so long.

Let’s just start off by saying that it’s taken me a few days to write this. I’ve written this and then changed it and then changed it again and again and again…. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to reveal but I’ve finally come to the decision that what you will be reading from here on is what I really want to tell you all.

The beginning of the year started my final semester of University on campus and let me tell you, it was a hectic one. The work load was absolutely insane and to add to it, I had a two week practical placement to complete at the same time. This was the most stressed I had ever been since I had started. To top it off, I wasn’t sleeping well and was working both of my jobs at the same time. I really overloaded myself but kept on doing the same thing because I thought I could handle it.

Academically I did well, but socially and emotionally I wasn’t doing all that great. I interacted with friends while at university but outside of it, when I wasn’t at work, I stayed home. I was incredibly stressed and poured all of my spare time and energy into studying. During this time I made the decision to take a break from writing, however at this point I didn’t feel like writing. I didn’t even have the motivation to write.

Exams came around and before I knew it, I was about to undertake my final placement which would determine if I was qualified to pass my degree. At the same time, my sisters’ mental health started to deteriorate. It had been on a downhill trajectory for a little while, but due to certain events, had gotten worse. One day, I received a call from my mother asking me to pick my brother up from school because she was at the hospital with my sister and would be for some time. This rocked our whole family.

Because of this and the fact that I had completely burnt myself out, I came to the decision to defer my practical placement until mid-next year. My family and friends have been really supportive of my decision and that was such a relief. When I was trying to come to this decision, whether or not they would approve of it was what stopped me from making it many times. There was this fear of disappointment; that by doing this, I was disappointing my family. Thankfully, I didn’t have anything to fear.

So until then, I’ll be taking some time for myself. My best friend and I are currently in the process of planning an overseas holiday later on in the year and we’ve made an agreement to go out at least once a week, not counting frequently hanging out at each other’s houses.

Things aren’t great at the moment but they’re looking better.

I’ve even started to gain inspiration and motivation to write again. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take but hopefully I’ll have something for you all soon. I don’t know if this will come in the form of my drabbles, a continuation of the stories I’ve already written or something completely new but either way, it will be good to be back.

I hope it won’t be too much longer until you all hear from me again.

~Ally