Cathy Brown Boxer

WHAT AN EXCITING WEEK

8 tonne digger, BobCat, Tractor, tonnes of soil….. classic chin ups on the scaffolding, all in my garden.

What I love about the whole renovation of my cottage is that I’m 100% hands on. So, I’m a huge part of the process, so when I walk around my home, I’m like a proud peacock. WE DID THIS!!

My hands have never been so dirty, battered and bleeding. I’ve had mud and paint coming out of every or***ce 🤣.

It’s been mega stressful BUT I’ve loved the process. Can’t wait to get the garden finished, so I can sit with a glass of wine or two and be a peacock in our own little sanctuary.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Life has hurt me in many ways: adoption, abuse, loss, relationships, injuries, mental battles.

There were times I was completely broken and hit rock bottom.

But life has also taught me that painful experiences don’t have to turn you into a hard or bitter person.

You can still be kind to others and yourself after bad things happen to you. You can still love and be loved. Still find purpose and build a life you’re proud of.

Your experiences shape you, but they do not define your worth.

You choose who you become.

Life has hurt me in many ways, but it also shaped me into someone I’m genuinely proud to be today.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Trauma doesn’t always leave bruises you can see.

I grew up around violence in the home. Then later in life, I found myself in relationships that damaged me emotionally in different ways: one violent, one deeply manipulative and aggressive.

Both affected how I saw and valued myself.

You start doubting yourself, especially when you’re constantly being told you’re ugly, worthless or nothing. So I was always walking on eggshells trying not to aggravate the situation.

And the scary thing is… from the outside, life can still look completely normal. That’s the thing about emotional pain, we become very good at hiding it.

Pain can make people fearful and guarded, but I never wanted my experiences to turn into bitterness.

Not all men are bad.
Not all love hurts.

And after everything, I found my husband Greg. Someone kind, safe, supportive and someone who helped me understand what real love actually feels like.

After chaos, manipulation and instability… peace feels unfamiliar at first.

But it also feels healing.

What people say or do to you can deeply affect you… but it does not define who you are.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Mental health isn’t about always “staying positive” or always being okay.

For me, it’s was about learning to stop fighting myself.

I used to be incredibly hard on myself mentally: Never feeling good enough - Always pushing harder - Always trying to prove something - Always feeling like I had to carry everything.

I still have moments where I feel anxious, overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted.

But I understand myself more now.

I understand where some of that pain came from: The adoption. The abuse. The pressure. The losses. The years of surviving instead of actually living.

Healing starts when you stop pretending you’re unaffected by what’s happened to you. When you stop hiding how you feel.
Stop suppressing it and constantly trying to just “push through”.

There’s strength in acceptance and there’s strength in being open.

But do not let the past define you as you have a choice who you are.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

When I retired from boxing, I hit one of the darkest periods of my life.

For years, boxing had been my identity, purpose and structure. It made me feel strong, respected and worthy.

Then suddenly… it stopped. Not because I wanted to, because I had no choice! I had bad neurological damage in my neck that o was told I couldn’t continue. I hit rock bottom as didn’t get to #1 in the World, just #3! I felt unfulfilled.

People see retirement from professional sport as the end of competing. What they don’t see is the emotional crash afterwards.

I struggled mentally more than people probably realised. I felt lost.

My body was hurting too from years of injuries. Causing 24/7 pain.

As I get older, there are days I feel frustrated that my body doesn’t move how it once did.
That’s hard to accept when your body carried you through so much of your life.

But in that darkness, I slowly started finding myself again: not through fighting or through proving myself.

Through giving back.

Working with young girls and women in Iraq, Nepal and the UK through HeadGuard changed me deeply.

Watching girls who had survived trauma smile again… believe in themselves again… gave me purpose in a completely different way.

I realised strength isn’t always about fighting for yourself.

Sometimes it’s about using your pain to help somebody else feel less alone.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Watching my adopted mum disappear through dementia broke something in me.

Seeing someone not remember daily things… not remember themselves… not remember you… having to wear a nappy as an adult… struggling to put words together anymore… it’s heartbreaking.

Then my dad had a stroke.

So, I had to make the painful decision to put them both into a home so they were safe with 24/7 care. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through emotionally.

The guilt.
The sadness.
The exhaustion.
The constant questioning.

People often think mental health is only stress or pressure.

But it’s also people struggling with: Dementia. Stroke effects. Bipolar disorder. Trauma. Grief. Chronic pain.
And the emotional impact of watching people you love change physically and mentally.

Meanwhile life still has to carry on:
Work.
Messages.
Responsibilities.
Trying to seem okay.

There are so many people carrying things like this quietly whilst trying to function normally every day.

Some of the hardest battles people fight are the ones nobody else can see.

SO JUST BE KIND!!

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

People have always called me strong. But a lot of that strength was survival.

The truth is… I’ve spent large parts of my life battling my own mind:
Feeling not enough.
Not lovable enough.
Not worthy enough.
Not normal enough.

Being adopted left questions in me I struggled to understand for years. Then abuse as a teenager damaged me even more deeply.

But, you learn to survive, you become tough and you get so used to looking okay that people stop asking if you’re okay.

But inside… there can still be fear, sadness, anxiety, overthinking and loneliness.

Mental health struggles don’t always look broken. Sometimes they look like the person always holding everything together:
The one always smiling, always coping, always supporting everyone else.
Whilst quietly struggling themselves.

I still have dark days.
I still overthink.
I still battle parts of myself.

But after everything I’ve been through…
I really like who I am now.

That’s real strength to me. Learning to love yourself!

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

BE KIND!

Some of us are fighting dark inner demons whilst trying to look okay.

And sometimes the people who seem the strongest…
are the ones struggling the most quietly.



📸

I MIGHT HAVE LANDED MYSELF IN A FILM 😜

We had so much fun on set filming

I had the absolute honour playing Carly alongside the legend and the next superstar of female boxing

The Director and Producer was such a privilege!!

It’s only a small role but also a big role! I may have been allowed to say some lines and swear (sign of honesty and integrity). It’s one I will hold in my happiness memory box ❤️

Watch out for the release, it’s going to be a strong a gritty movie!!

YOU CAN’T EXPECT ANYONE ELSE TO LOVE YOU UNLESS YOU LOVE YOURSELF FIRST

I met after I had spent a lot of time on my own. I had lost myself many times before, so me spending time with me was the best thing I have ever done.

I am happy with who I am, and I am confident with who I am.

You don’t not need validation from someone or the commercial Valentine Day pressure to love yourself. When you love you, other people will love you.

We don’t celebrate Valentines Day as we show our love every day and have done for nearly 18 years. Our love is true because we are true to ourselves.

As .suessquotes says “TODAY YOU ARE YOU - THAT IS TRUER TRUE – THERE IS NO ONE ALIVE THAT IS YOUER THAN YOU”