Oxbridge alumni Sophie kindly shares her success story with us.
What My Pet Has Taught Me About Happiness
Hello, my name is Sophie and I was once a student at Oxbridge! I have a lot to thank them for and I was delighted when they asked me to write a blog for their website. Can I now call myself a "guest blogger?"
I can honestly say with confidence that Oxbridge has changed my life... Well, they gave me the opportunity to do so. I have suffered for many years with something most people don't like or want to talk about, something that gets brushed under the carpet mainly because people who don't suffer from it cannot understand it. I'm talking about depression. The feeling of being empty when there is no apparent need, not just being in a bad mood or having a down day but the debilitating feeling felt by so many people. If you don't suffer you can't possibly understand. I have suffered for years and still don't understand how one day (sometimes an hour) you can be full of happiness and motivation and then the next there is a gravitational force pulling you in completely the opposite way, where you think "what's the point", feel useless and worthless even at times when you aren't!
"I realised that medicine and therapy were just not cutting it"
I had to do something else to change. After speaking with my therapist, I got myself a puppy! Animals had always made me happy, I loved them and they seemed to love me. And dogs, unlike cats, are always there for you, Barney is always there, waiting at the door, sleeping on the end of my bed, he is now a reason to get up and do more. I have always been someone who regardless of the situation or how I am feeling had put my best effort into things. Barney is there for me but I felt as though I was letting him down so I googled Animal care and after some research decided to enrol on a distance learning course with Oxbridge.
All I can say is WOW. The course was good, well structured, detailed and informative but it's what I can do after the course that has really impressed me. Barney is now getting the best care I can possibly give; I know all about what food he should be having and generally what is best for him. I feel as though I am giving something back. (You think I'm barking mad don't you?) But let me tell you what happened since... I have enrolled on a veterinary care course and now working my way through that. I also volunteer at a not-so-local Animal Trust, so I am giving the best care not only to my own best friend but to other animals in so much need of it.
"I am much happier in myself"
Hopefully, when I have completed the course (this one is taking me longer), I will be able to give up my job in retail with people who don't appreciate the service I am providing and get a new job working with those who do appreciate and show appreciation. I can say now, although I still suffer since Barney joined my family, I am much happier in myself, I am progressing not only with my depression but career-wise too. I spend more time outside, I exercise more, I have lost weight - I only wish I had done this years ago!
Thanks Oxbridge.