Nice to read and very positive. Best of luck in 2014 :)
All the best - Rob

Sorry you've had such a bad few weeks. Hopefully things get better when you get your routine back.
Take care.

How cryptic! I suppose you can't tell a wish though.
Between you and the fairies I suppose

Whatever are you going to ask the wish fairy for next?

Thank you for sharing this Daniel.

At present I'm in the predicament of needing to go to my doctor but I am overwhelmed with fear and anxiety at the thought of it. Ultimately I know that I need help because I can't continue to let myself feel like this. I worry every day that I am wasting my life away, all I want is to lead a full and happy life but sometimes its as though I sabotage my own chance of any happiness or success. I will make an appointment to see a doctor tomorrow and hopefully this will be the first positive step in moving forward for me.

What was your doctors approach? Medication or therapy?

Wishing you the best
Hannah

Great blog. I could have written some of it myself...in fact for me it all started in Jan 1999, when I saw us beat West Brom in the cup (first game I clearly remember, I don't know what my first game was, probably somewhen in 96/97/98?).
It was the atmosphere of the ground that got me hooked as much as the football did. 14 years later and I'm still hooked and we're on the verge of promotion to the second tier for only the second time in our history.

This may sound crazy, but I'm not all that fussed about reaching the prem one day. Its too money orientated for me and I much prefer football in the lower leagues. Having said that, it would be one heck of a trip if somehow it did happen.

I hope Cardiff do it this year, after supporting the club through thick and thin, you deserve it cymruambyth!

A telling story, I know you won't like me bringing up Swansea but they're another fine example of how dreams can come true in a fairly short space of time. I remember about 10 years ago they were lingering in the old Div 3 and seemed to be going nowhere and now look at them, flying high, doing well in the Premier League, playing great football and winning the League Cup. Who would've thought it?

I hope that my local team Oxford can go on a similar rise up the leagues, I'm not exactly an avid supporter like you but I would still love to see them playing against teams like Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool on a regular basis. I don't believe it will happen in my life time but I suppose you never know, we had something like that happen around the mid 80s, too bad I wasn't born then!

And Torquay are nowhere near

I'm so glad you had a sympathetic doctor, and that you can tell your family your issues. Did you get referred to counselling that time?

I went to the doctors for the first time a few months ago, after putting it off for years. The first thing I said was 'can you please prescribe me some anxiety medication?' because I was trembling and scared. It was obvious I was anxious. He kind of had this smirk on his face like I was funny.

I need to go back to the doctors so I can get a repeat prescription but I am putting it off over and over, however, I am running out of tablets so soon I will just have to force myself. Although, I think I want to see a different doctor, but over the years I have taken an honest disliking to every one I have seen. Maybe it is the anxiety which makes me see things in them that isn't there, or maybe my reasons are valid. Who knows.

When I had just left school I went to see one doctor and said I was feeling really down, not having a better word for it as I didn't know what depression was then. He did a blood test and told me there was nothing physically wrong. Which is great for my body, but not for my mind. He mostly seemed kind of bored with me. Anyway, 6 years later, I went to see someone else, and I just thought he didn't understand. I often wonder how much GP's are meant to know about mental health.

Thanks for sharing all this.

Em x