Hello MNers. Sorry this is long, don't want to drip feed.
I’m posting because I often feel borderline panicky about the enormity of what I’m doing in my life and the practicalities involved, and need to talk things through with people. It’s going to be easy to work out who I am when I describe what I’m doing so I may as well keep it simple and describe my unusual situation openly.
On 3rd October 2018 I gave up the tenancy of my home, put my possessions into storage and set off from Westminster, London in an attempt to walk around the coast of Britain to raise awareness and funds for 3 charities. I'm over 1100 miles into the 5-6k mile journey.
I’m doing this full-time, I’m nomadic, and apart from 2 short breaks (14 days and 10 days) I’ve been going non-stop, resting every 3rd or 4th day. The mental load is enormous and is more exhausting than the physical exertion; I have to route plan, organise accommodation, update 3x social media after each walk plus a weekly blog, manage my worries, etc. Then there are all the concerns and this is where I need MNers help, with both how to cope with the worry and also how to solve problems on a practical level.
So far I’ve been fairly lucky but have had a couple of scares and I’ve lost some confidence. 2 weeks ago I slipped and fell on rocks and bruised my coccyx which made it painful to walk/sit/lie on my back. Thankfully that’s almost better now but it shocked me. My feet are starting to play up (overuse injuries, surprise, surprise) and buying new shoes was a huge PITA (another saga involving Royal Mail failing to deliver twice when they said, meaning I’d moved on when they finally arrived! No easy access to the large shops to try lots on) and I’m not convinced my new ones are suitable.
So my train of thoughts start running away with me...if I need to see a physio how do I know if they’re good or not (I’ve had mixed experiences and can’t afford to be misdiagnosed/given poor advice)? If I was physically out of action for a few weeks where do I go, what do I do? I could stay with friends for a week or 2 but longer than that would be a problem. If I needed to get a job I worry about clothes - everything apart from walking gear is jam-packed into a storage container and I wouldn’t even attempt to get stuff out of that. So I’d have to buy a new lot. Or maybe do house and pet sitting? I’d love to do that but no experience. At least I still have a car, which is being looked after/used by a friend, so that could make things easier.
Without a home I am not registered with a dentist. I was on the waiting list for an NHS dentist in my last home but left before I got offered a place. Many surgeries won’t see people who aren’t registered with them. When I lost a filling someone I was staying with managed to get me an emergency appointment and a temporary filling was put in, but this needs replacing. I dread having to try and get an appointment.
My mind goes into overdrive and I’m often having to give myself a CBT session but it's hard work. Any practical ideas? I need a plan B if I have to stop my walk for a while. Thanks. Beth.