Nicola McGuire

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a mum to a 12 year old son and step mum to a 17 year old daughter, and I'm incredibly proud of both of them. I'm a Dialysis Assistant and have been in that role now for 15 years. It's hard sometimes but I enjoy it. I work with a great team of people. I like true crime documentaries, Stephen King stuff and cava.


What makes you smile?

All the kindness going around, the claps on Thursday evenings, all the support being shown for the NHS and Paul, my partner who never fails to make me laugh.


What can we do to support others during this time?

Reach out. Text someone, give them a call, send them a Facebook message, tweet @ them, check they're ok. This is going to strain a lot of people's mental health, these are trying times, and as long as we stay connected as much as we can perhaps we can make it easier for each other.

What have you been doing? (Any tips/ advice for isolation) 

Being a key worker means life hasn't changed too much for me. My commute to work is quicker though, but I'm still seeing people face to face (be that from behind a surgical mask), and so able to socialise in a sense. My son though, had two weeks off for Easter break (he's still in school as has two key worker parents) and after about 8 days indoors I could tell he was getting almost about to have a meltdown. So I spoke to him about why he was feeling angry for no reason (frustration at being in lockdown) then we played card games for a bit and he felt better again. It's monotonous so try to break it up. Dust off the board games, look up some baking recipes, play cards, do a jigsaw together, or just read a book. Try not to think of this as being stuck inside, you're doing your bit to keep yourself, your family and your friends safe. You're doing something positive by being a couch potato watching TV. What a crazy time!

Try to make the best of it. It's a strange time we're living in right now and it's a trying time, but you're not alone, we are all in this together.

Shoutout to someone

Shout out to my man Jess Birdsey. She's my shining light at the moment and she makes my working day so much easier, even if she does drive me up the wall and across the ceiling. And to my next door neighbour who works in a bakery and today gifted me a lovely big chocolate cake to take into work tomorrow.