As someone who has moved home many times, all over England, I can honestly say that moving to London has been one of the best decisions I have ever made- Not just in terms of relocating, but for life in general! I cannot express how much changing my environment has changed my life- Since moving to my current home, both my mental and physical health have improved phenomenally.
I have suffered anxiety, depression and PTSD for the previous six years, and as a result of various incidents in my work and personal life, with the most notable being a severely abusive relationship between the years 2013-2015, followed soon after by another abusive housing situation which thankfully came to an end in October 2019. I have also battled with alcoholism over the years, and am very pleased to say I fully recovered in Spring 2016!
I have many fitness activities that I train frequently in, including yoga, pole/aerial, and most recently, martial arts and professional wrestling! If someone told me 4-5 years ago, that I would be sitting here today writing that sentence, I would never have believed them, as back then, I genuinely had such an unhealthy attitude to diet and exercise.
For three years, I lived opposite a leisure centre, and I never once set foot in it! At one of my lowest points in my past, I was so deficient in near enough every vitamin, that the hospital put me on a vitamin drip, to at least attempt to give some nourishment to my body.
This was because I had caused so much damage to myself, but nowadays I can say that I am deficient in certain vitamins and have to consume supplements/sprays, because I have recently turned vegan. To substitute the vitamins and minerals that are usually found in meat and dairy based products! I like to make this comparison, because it reminds me of how positively I have changed my life over the past few years.
I trained in pole fitness years ago, and recently took it up again early 2019, however I struggled to keep focused due to increasingly high stress levels and as a result of the house I was living at, or more specifically one of the other people who lived there. This individual for some reason, took issue with the fact I liked going to the gym and enjoyed watching wrestling on tv. They in fact, took offense to the point they accused me of attempting to “steal” their “identity”, because they too enjoyed going to the gym, and watching wrestling on tv!
I have no idea how that conclusion was drawn, but then again, that person had always been a few hairs short of a hippy’s beard to put it politely, in mine and many other people’s opinions.
Anyhow, since I moved to my wonderful North London home, I train regularly with a fantastic local pole fitness teacher, and am finding myself stronger and more focused than ever! I will admit I am always scared that the relentless abuse I put my body through in my past, has caused permanent damage to it, and also my brain cells as I have found in my day to day life that now and again, my mind suddenly goes blank, and I forget where I am momentarily.
It may sound as though I am merely forgetful, but before my mental struggles, I was extremely sharp minded and fast thinking. Pole fitness is really helping with my mental and physical coordination, as does wrestling and martial arts, which I am very grateful for! I am lucky that my martial arts instructor is also my housemate, and twice a week, he trains me in Wushu (Kung Fu) which is an extremely challenging, but fulfilling workout.
I have also recently begun pursuing a dream of mine, which is training to become a professional wrestler! I had been wanting to take it up since 2019, but again, one person I lived with just ridiculed me for it, and my confidence always remained very low. When I moved to London, one of the first things I did was contact wrestling academies near by, and am currently training at not one, but two. All the instructors have commented on how quickly I have picked up the basics, and how beneficial my strong acting and comedy background also is for the sport!
Another venture I am currently undertaking, is training to become a yoga instructor, which in my opinion, makes great sense, seeing as I have been practicing yoga for almost four years myself, and have a genuine passion for learning about it’s benefits on the body and mind, as well as the spiritual and meditation side of things. It has also played a big part in helping me through my mental health issues, so I would love to be able to help others see and feel it’s benefits also! The yoga community also just seems so laid back and calming by nature, which I see as being a really good influence for me.
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My ambitions for the future are to continue training in my many fitness activities, as well as my acting/comedy, and hopefully pass both my theory and practical yoga instructor exams later this year! Whilst I still have my “down” days, my life right now is all about positivity, self care, looking out for my friends and family, and generally enjoying the life I have been craving for so long, and am now finally free to live!
Article by Emma Bryant, Comedian, Actor and Professional Prankster.