CARL CONNIELINGUS

School’s going back already?? Ahhhhhhh I guess starting back to School for most people is exciting, especially for the parents, but as a mature student it can feel very different and after studying during the Pandemic and that being difficult in itself, I’m both excited and nervous. I not only passed my Level 2 Barbering but I also passed my Maths and English and I couldn’t be happier, and with that comes my acceptance for my Level 3 Barbering and ICT in September. So proud of my wee hair journey so far.. so watch this space

Where do I even begin?? LOL Well, Hayley and I have started our own businesses from home and to say we’re excited is an understatement. Due to a Hardship Fund from College that each of us received, we were able to get the things we needed to start our new journey with hair and makeup. With both of us having our own stations where Hayley can rock some killer looks on herself and her clients and I can make people feel good with a haircut and help knock out some awesome looks for Carl, we’re gonna be unstoppable.

Check out Storm FX and Non-Barbery Inc. on Facebook

Aaaaaaaaand, well we only went and got another kitten haha and this is on top of the last one I told yous about LOL guys meet Angel.

And that makes 4 - Xander, Willow, Spike & Angel. The apartment is a lot of fun and funny noises in the middle of the night haha so worth it though

I’ve put off writing about this before because I wasn’t sure if I was ready to share just yet but I understand that it helps other people when you talk about your experiences and weirdly it can be very healing, so here it goes. I was diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) back in 2019 and although I have been learning how to deal and manage that, my mental health journey goes waaaay back to my teenage years. At 17/18 I was diagnosed with depression due to dramatic weight gain after leaving Gymnastics. Realistically it stemmed from more than that but it was the breaking point at that stage. For many years I have suffered with intrusive thoughts, suicide thoughts, self harming and even as far as addiction to the point of being homeless for a short time. Over the years I have been on different medications, tried different therapies and seen so many Doctors, Nurse, Therapists, Psychologists and Hospitals that I could write my own book lol maybe some day I will but for now this column helps me break into that “writing your thoughts and experiences down” caper. The first time that I realised I would

probably always have depression and would have to learn to manage and live with it was after my big breakdown at 31 years of age. After 5 years of extremely dark depression, I ended up having a break through at the age of 36, realising I had been living the same patterns my whole life, but what never changed was my resilience and will to survive, for whatever reason I had survived so far. But for a while of being happy I would be sad again and I just couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just be happy. What was wrong with me?? What was I doing wrong?? Would I ever be happy?? This had been happening my whole life and I didn’t want to start those bad habits up again that I used to “get me by”. Asking for help was massive for me because I thought I had to figure it out on my own, and while that makes sense for the most part, there’s really only so much one person can handle. Then my journey began from asking for help. Next time I’ll take you through some of the things that helped me to deal with my Trauma, PTSD, Anxiety and eventually BPD and also some of the things I used to do as “traits”, so you can see that it could happen to any of us..you just never know the minute and to never judge a book by its cover.

Guilty Pleasure Alert - For me to unwind and escape I have to watch Reality TV and its really the only thing that helps zone me out. KUWTK, The Real Housewives, My Unorthodox Life and to be honest the list goes lol.

So we decided to get caught up on things we left or that has new seasons coming and more recently was Grace & Frankie and what a hilarious show it is. The sooner Dolly Parton joins the better haha . . We still have to get caught up on AHS (American Horror Story) and we also started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, since our cats are all name after characters!!

We both have a very busy few months coming up. Carl is very busy preparing for a massive secret project that they can’t divulge just yet, but in good time. Let’s just things for this King are about to get mahoosive!! Hayleys band Paper Tigers are going on a mini tour around England & Scotland in November!! We also have some backing dance work with an amazing Gaga Tribute called Perfect Illusion, and the amazing Artist who does it is also our friend Trisha, who also does Essentially Cher. This project has been so much fun and we can’t wait And after ages of torturing Hayley to watch A Star to see where it takes us. is born again, she finally gave in and we absolutely And lastly, don’t forget to check out The Mad bawled our eyes out, as expected. Such a great Hatter Tipsy Tea Parties at The River Rooms Movie and if you haven’t seen it, then why not?? Belfast, 5 Donegal Quay, BT1 3EA – 02890 316 LOL 060 – Here’s a wee pic to show you guys what you’re missing.

With that being said it’s my time again folks. Thank you for joining me and catching up with me, its been a pleasure as always. Remember to go easy on yourself and those around you, cause we’re all feeling it at the minute. Sending love & positivity as always.

As always, feel free to follow my Socials or email any questions in –

carlconnielingus@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/carlconnielingus @carlconnie-lingus

This is an opinion piece from the columnist/ contributor and not the opinion of GNI MAG / Romeo & Julian Publications Ltd.