Decisions, Dogs & Depression? The last 6 months...

So after another sabbatical from writing in any great detail on here, my old friend unemployment draws me back in quicker than supermarkets can get Christmas merch on their shelves during the month of October (Happy Halloween by the way) and reminds my lazy fingers the effort it takes to write using an actual keyboard, instead of the one that blissfully pops up on my iPhone on a daily basis!

Let’s rewind 6 months though.

Since my last instalment from the Kris Chronicles (I joke, they’re genuinely not called that), I’ve finished up contract #3 with TechnipFMC in Stavanger, moved back to Scotland, decided to take time out of work to do some volunteer work with street dogs in Thailand, spent 4 incredible months there, made as much positive difference to the street dog population (and also the plastic problem) as physically possible, made some amazing friends, experienced some beautiful places, met a pretty special girl at the very beginning who was with me every step of the way (Norwegian ironically enough) and then returned home. And here we are...

To be honest, I needed the break and the adventure I was fortunate enough to have undertaken. I LOVE dogs, I really do... but this wasn’t solely about doing something selfless and morally rewarding. The last 4 years of turbulence within the Oil and Gas industry, with job cuts, lack of companies hiring, moving all over the U.K. and Norway to source employment, short contracts, low rates, job insecurity and worrying where the next job was going to come, in an overly saturated marketplace of hungry candidates, eventually took its toll. It just got too much. I had to take a step back and focus on something more important for a while... me, myself and the DOGS! (If you followed my adventure on here or other social media platforms, I hope you enjoyed it).

I would never use the word “depressed” loosely. Mental health has been brought to the forefront of the public eye in a fantastically effective way in recent years and it would be detrimental to necessarily compare that of what I was feeling, to depression. If I’m truthful, I’m not sure if I truly know what depression feels like. I just try and remain positive throughout hard times and remind myself of what I do have. I forever feel fortunate for my family, friends, health, life, the places I’ve been and the cards I’ve been dealt... so I could never wholly relate what I was feeling to anything other than perhaps worry, fear or exhaustion even. But that’s not to say I wasn’t depressed, because I definitely wasn’t myself during my last spell in Norway. I was low for large periods, I didn’t act or feel like myself at times, I drank too much periodically, I made some mistakes and ultimately just didn’t feel like me. For how long exactly? I don’t know. When I think back at my life over the last couple of years and look at certain periods and decisions made, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster and it could stretch back further than I realised. And I genuinely think it’s directly related to the prolonged period of my life where I put myself on the rollercoaster of destination unknown. The constant uncertain, year after year eventually broke me, and I needed to take a break to actually realise this and re-evaluate. 

However, I can positively say on my return from Thailand, I feel myself again and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long long time (even if my bank account says otherwise).

I haven’t “seen the light” or changed during my time away. I’m the same guy, fiercely hungry to succeed at whatever I put my mind to, have fun doing it, fall in love, settle down, start a family and to live happily and healthily ever after (in a perfect world of course). The only change has been due to the opportunity I allowed myself. When you immerse yourself completely in your problems, it’s extremely hard to see where you’re going wrong or a way out. It’s not until you take a step back and give yourself a chance to think rationally, without putting pressure on yourself to find the answers, do you actually find them.

And now, I still know what I want. But more importantly, I know what I DON’T WANT... and that’s to allow myself to be sucked into the cycle that I found myself in over the last 4 years, ever again.

Long term, I’d love to move to London and pursue my passion for writing in a role within the Copywriting, Marketing or Advertising industry- if anybody is willing to take a chance on a 32 year old guy with no experience, but believes in himself and is driven by desire, dreams and being a success.

However, as much as I’m a dreamer, I’m also a realist. A realist who’s main priority right now is to get some positive denominations coming in again ASAP, so that I can look forward to the upcoming festive period with my family and friends, without worrying about the fact my bank account has had more minuses since my last pay cheque in April than Kim Kardashian has taken selfies...

So for now, I’m immediately available for all positions worldwide, long term or Christmas temp, Oil and Gas industry or completely unrelated. If you think I’m the guy for you, get in touch... I can start tomorrow!

Currently located in Aberdeen, providing its worthwhile, I can be wherever you need me, when you need me.

What I don’t know, I’ll learn and what I know already, I’ll improve upon with the experience I’d be surrounded with at your organisation.

I'm absolutely ready to deliver, so if I am the right candidate for you or your company, i'll look forward to hearing from you.

If you’re interested in learning more about me, more information about myself and further articles & posts that I’ve written are available from my profile, and my CV is available on request.

Thanks a lot for reading, and going by recent form, I’ll wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year now... just in case!

And don’t forget, if you can help with my current employment situation or need any further information- drop me a message. I’m unemployed... I’ll get back to you quicker than you can type your query out and hit the send button!

Cheers.

Kris

#Linkedin #Mentalhealthawareness #Recruitment #Oilandgas #Energy #Copywriting #Advertising #Marketing #Jobsearch #Hireme