Name: Lucy Moores

Age: 24

Where are you right now? Tell us what you can see...I am laying in my bed and can see my gorgeous cavalier sleeping on the other side next to my feet.

What did you have for breakfast? I had avo on toast and scrambled eggs with herby cashew cheese!

What are you usually doing at 11pm? I am usually journaling, chatting to my partner or having a nice cup of tea.

What is something most people don’t know about you? Most people don’t know that I live with 5 different auto immune diseases, each affecting me differently. MS, chrons, ankolyising spondilitis, inflammatory arthritis and psoriasis.

Tell us a bit about your story? What defines you? I would say that yoga defines me. It is a very big part of my life and helps me to cope with my mental health. Anxiety and depression have been difficult to live with but yoga has really helped me not only with mental health but by giving me the confidence to be who I am. I love connecting with fellow students and sharing the positivity of a class with my friends. It is such a beautiful community and it has really shaped who I am today. I have always been positive and bubbly and I feel as if yoga has built the framework for me to be able to open up and share my compassion with others. My teacher has been an incredible support and has allowed me to be able to accept myself just as I am.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your life? My biggest challenge has been losing central eyesight in my right eye in early 2019.

How did you overcome that challenge? I found this really hard but I had to accept my new reality and actually realise it is ok to be sad and grieve the person I once was. I am still overcoming this challenge by being kind to myself and being open when I’m not ok. I see a psychologist, do pottery, meditate and go to yoga to help me cope with stress. It’s hard to relearn everything from a new perspective but I think I have a whole new appreciation for life now. When you don’t know what’s going to change or when it’s going to change you start to live life exactly how you want to and you have the courage to chase your dreams. Even though I’ve lost sight in one eye I’ve got to enjoy life with the other and make the most of what I can do.

What is the biggest lesson you have learnt? Your health is not worth sacrificing to overwork yourself.

What would you tell your 15year old self? You are enough, just as you are. Don’t shrink to fit someone idea of who you should be.

What is your biggest life tip? Live the life you imagine and find something small everyday that makes you feel sparkly.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing women today? I think the biggest issue for women is the pressure to conform. I see this in the children I babysit. At 12 and younger they are concerned about looks and weight and as a society we don’t openly accept our differences enough. Women shouldn’t have to be skinny or curvy or look and act a certain way to be perceived as beautiful. Personality is so important and I don’t think women feel the freedom to truly be who they want to be without being shamed for it.

What do you think is the biggest opportunity for women today? I think we have a real opportunity to fight for who we want to be. We can do anything that men do and I think we have the opportunity to show the world how strong we can be when we all support each other.

Finish the sentence This Is me……a passionate yogi who loves avocado, nature and pottery. I can’t wait to live the life I dream of and help to inspire young people with or without invisible illness to do that same!