'Always looking for the next shiny thing' yes, that's me

Can you believe it? Almost three weeks ago now the Prime Minister put us in lockdown and for some people, the first question that crossed our minds was 'how many series can I binge watch on Netflix?' No work, no studies and with nothing to do it sneaked into our brains, even if you don't want to admit it- the seed was planted. Unfortunately for me it just stays a thought because I have a short attention span where your mind wanders when you need to be concentrating.

I know there are psychological reasons behind it and of course, there have been times of worry or even restriction, but actually I'm grateful for my little, manic brain. We are only human at the end of the day and the temptation to just to stay in bed, watch a handful of movies with a tub of ice cream and ignore the outside world is something that sounds like the perfect lazy day. Oh, we have all been there.

For me, my eyes might be looking at the screen but nine times out of ten my brain is in wonderland. (mostly thinking about food) The feeling of having an unproductive day or wasting as little as two hours sat doing nothing puts me in a bad headspace. Having a short focus makes me embrace the day even if it's learning to cook a new meal. Over this year I have had to learn to just switch off, set boundaries and find the time to relax- but I hold my hands up and admit that It has been a struggle.

Someone once said to me 'you're always looking for the next shiny thing' and hear me out if you don't know what I'm describing then you may think I've lost it. (and being a cat mum doesn't exactly help my case) All I could think about for the rest of the conversation was the singing crab with a shell made from 'treasures.' Some of you (hopefully) will know what I'm talking about and others will be looking for my nearest mental institution. Let me enlighten you.

It's easy to make a joke of something you are going through, a coping mechanism but this is serious and as much as you want to bring the light of the situation I think it's important to cover all angles. I mean, it has does have it's ups and downs like most things and being distracted easily can be a form of ADHD, depression, a learning disability or autism.

Being diagnosed with depression isn't exactly something I shout about, not out of embarrassment but I don't want people to look at me differently. Honestly having a short attention span has only benefited my progress and achievements, especially being an aspiring journalist and looking for the next thing to write about. I guess it has made me a good forward planner. Even when it comes to jobs, I define a workaholic.

As a student journalist at the University of Gloucestershire, I have a goal, a vision of where I want to be in ten years time and that's why it's important to take this free time to read more, binge watch documentaries on Netflix to see what I could potentially achieve one day. A series I admired during this lockdown was 'The Trials of Gaberial Fernadez' and it just makes you think- I could be like Garrett Therolf, a journalist who had an idea and made an international difference to so many lives, even saving them too.

But having my brain which is always going one-hundred miles per hour means when I've taken the plunge to press play or open a book, I'm always thinking about how I can make a difference, what I can do and how do I achieve these goals? But I've learned that it's healthy and that's why yes, I'm looking for 'shiny' things because that one finding, could make the biggest difference.

Comment below documentaries that have I and others can take inspiration from!

Stay Smiling,

Z