Hey guys
As we are heading into the last weeks of 2025, it is time to take a look at everything that happened during the course of the year.
For me personally, this year has been about self growth and I feel like I learnt a lot about myself and overcame some very large obstacles, and even some small ones. There have been tons of highs, however with the highs there are still some lows.
I am not going to list every single thing that happened to me, because there are way too many things to list in one post. There are 3 major things that happened during the course of the year, that I feel shaped me as a person in a major way.
The first major thing that happened to me was I moved out of the house and into a flat of my own. Living on my own had its ups and downs, learning how to cook was a challenge, I struggled with affordability a little and I was struggling with being on my own, I got lonely and was pretty depressed because I didn’t have anybody to talk to. I started working for my parents after I left the padel industry and so that meant I was at their house more than I was at my own. Moving back in with my parents was the best thing for me to do, because it benefited both of us for many different reasons. I always thought that moving back home meant that I was taking a step back and essentially failing, but I soon realized that accepting the fact that I was not ready to move out and asking for help was actually a good thing. Accepting that you need help is not a bad thing, if it’s really necessary, I learnt that the hard way and I am so happy for it. The next time I move out, it will probably be when I meet someone, so that I am not by myself.
The next big thing that happened was not necessarily a huge thing but it led to big changes in my life. 5 years ago I joined a dancing studio called Strictly Ballroom. They teach Ballroom and Latin dancing there and I was really passionate about it, sadly I had to leave the studio for reasons that were out of my control. I was doing Pole Dancing on and off for a while but never really got into it completely, I thought maybe if I practiced more, I would get better but I didn’t have the right build for that. I was always looking at Facebook and saw Strictly Ballroom’s posts about their socials and they always looked like they were having so much fun, I really missed it. I eventually decided to join Strictly Ballroom again this year and I am so beyond happy that I did. Ballroom and Latin dancing is by far the type of dancing I am more passionate about. If I could go to dancing every day I would, I just have this huge wave of enjoyment every time I am there, and it helped lift my spirits after I had to move back home. For many people this would not be counted as a “big thing” when looking back on everything they did in the year. The reason why this is so important it because during this whole thing, I met my 2 best friends. All throughout school and after school I was never the girl who had a lot of friends, and the friendships I did have were not long lasting. So that is why this is so incredibly big, it’s because of the friendships I made when I joined the studio again. I met 2 people who are the best friends I have ever had and I know in my heart that we will stay friends. Joining the studio again was the best decision I ever made.
Now we get to the biggest obstacle I have ever had to overcome. For as long as I can remember, I have had issues with my Jaw called TMJ. I have been to every single doctor you can think of: Dentists, General Practitioner, Chiropractor, Maxillofacial Surgeons and I even tried Laser therapy and nothing seemed to work. The only thing that worked was getting Botox injections every couple of months, that was a temporary fix though. Every single one of these doctors told us at some point that the best solution is a jaw reconstruction surgery, we did not want to go that route though, because it is major surgery to my face. My parents decided to take me to their dental surgeon, and this was the best decision we could’ve made, because he told us from just looking at me that was I have is not TMJ but something worse called Mio Facial Pain Disfunction Syndrome (MPDS for short) . He suggested I get braces and then in future get the operation. He immediately made an appointment with an Orthodontist that he works closely with, she is amazing. We went there and she agreed with him completely on what he had said. After having many meetings and consultations with her, she explained to us that the reason I have pain in my mouth is because the angles in my mouth were all incorrect, and if I didn’t fix it now then it would be a lot worse when I am around 40. We decided to get the braces and I have had them in for about 5 or 6 months. We finally gave in and agreed to do the surgery, because now we realized that it really is the best option, well the only option really. After having the braces for a few months, the Orthodontist said that my teeth were now correctly aligned, and it was now possible to do the surgery.
So on the 30 October I had a double jaw reconstruction surgery. Even though the surgeon tried to prepare me for what the recovery afterwards would be like, there are not enough words in the English dictionary to prepare you for what I went through. For the whole of November, I went through the toughest recovery of my life, I was in a huge amount of pain all the time. In simple terms, it felt like I was going through hell. I spent 2 days in High Care after the surgery, because I needed to be watched for the first 2 days and monitored because it was such a huge surgery. I was eating out of a syringe because I couldn’t chew or get a spoon into my mouth. My mom had to sleep in my room with me every night when I got home because I kept getting up in the middle of the night due to me being in a lot of pain (thank god for pain killers). I couldn’t do any physical activity, so dancing and playing Padel have not been an option for a really long time. The only thing that has kept me going was all the love and support I have been getting from all of my family and friends. I am still recovering, but thankfully most of the pain is gone, just working on getting my energy back up to what it used to be. I will forever be grateful to the wonderful team and surgeon that did my surgery, because they did an amazing job. The surgery lasted 3 hours.
The biggest thing I learnt this year is that I am way stronger than I think I am, and if I really trust myself and believe in myself, then I can get through anything. Going into that operation, I was so scared and honestly didn’t know how I would get through it, but I did and I am incredibly proud of myself and thankful that I have people in my life who care about me and support me.
What are the biggest things that you guys learnt this year about yourselves.
I hope you enjoyed this post.
Bye xx
Kelly's Daily Blog 