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S M A S H Y O U R S U M M E R .

I have officially finished my first year at university and now face a 4 month break. Although the realisation of no longer having to get up early or feel guilty when I embark on a binge session on Netflix is great, after a week or two the boredom begins to kick in.

There is a certain pressure to travel during academic breaks however, it isn’t for everyone.

This summer I have pushed myself to make the most of my time, filling it with all the things I put off during my semesters. I am a massive fan of listography and so of course I have listed all of my current plans for this summer.

For example:

Doing a charity event
Work on my blog
Going away
Planning for 2020
Getting ‘fit’ or somewhere close to it / a change of lifestyle
Sort my CV

etc.

Beating Summer Boredom:

Set yourself goals – task yourself to save a set amount of money, run a certain distance or complete some volunteering
Make a rough routine – give yourself time to unwind but have some stability in your everyday, even if its a mid-morning walk. This gives some structure to those long summer days
Plan, Plan, Plan – boredom in the present is best broken when planning for the future, consider upcoming events, plan holidays, trips out – anything that excites you.
Go out – catch up with friends, new and old. If you are like me and have just finished your first year at university I’m sure you will have a few people you haven’t seen since leaving college – this is the perfect time to set time aside for them.
Push yourself – Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Somewhere you’ve wanted to go? Anything you want to achieve? You now have ample time to make all of these things happen! This summer I have taken on the Couch-to-5k challenge and, so far, I’m loving it.
Strategise – focus yourself on your next academic year, think: stationary, organisation, work experience. Prepare yourself for that question we all know too well… “So, whats next for you?”
Find yourself – be unapologetically you. Do all the things that make you happy, the things that make you excited and spend time with the people you love. You have an entire summer of freedom. Time to yourself to spend it as you wish, enjoy every second.

Have an amazing summer, however you decide to spend it!

P O D C A S T Y O U R W A Y TO S L E E P .

I wanted to share a podcast I stumbled across recently for all of you who, like me, toss and turn taking on a weeks worth of mental battles right before bed.

‘Sleep With Me’ is essentially a podcast full of bedtime stories for adults. Hosted by Drew Ackerman, who aims to create a safe space for the listener.

This consists of a few moments of random mumblings, things so mundane and ordinary you can do nothing other than listen. There is no room for your mind to worry when you are listening to a man talk about a shoe horn for a couple of minutes. The theory is that the beginning of each episode is to bore your mind out of panic, stress and worry – therefore creating your safe space.

The main part of this podcast that won me over was the constant understanding that poured through the speakers. Drew Ackerman build his podcast from the experience of insomnia and although I am not an insomniac I definitely know the frustration of unintentionally keeping myself awake.

Despite ‘Sleep With Me’ having the aim to send you to sleep Drew reassures you however, that there is no pressure to fall asleep, your job is to listen; to search for a place of relaxation and simply hear him.

“Drew has dedicated himself to help those who feel alone in the deep dark night and just need someone to tell them a bedtime story.”

I have only been listening to ‘Sleep With Me’ for a few nights now but I can honestly say I cannot recall the stories told what-so-ever. And being in the peak of exam season I’ve never fallen asleep so quickly. This won’t work for everyone but it’s definitely worth a try.

The effects of this podcast stretch beyond sleep however, they are perfect for any kind of stressful situation. Whether it be rushing through the London Underground or waiting for a flight. We all have personal situations which take a great deal of internal strength and courage and amount to whole heap of stress. Having something like this, to plug into and plug out the world can be a great tool.

As I said, this won’t work for everyone but it doesn’t hurt to try. I hope it helps, or at the very least entertains, some of you.

UNI: T H E F I R S T Y E A R .

I am now at the very end of my first year at university, and right before I started I really could have used something like this. Somewhere to guide me a little bit and give me a raw insight into what was coming. Something other than: just ‘go crazy’, “ the first year doesn’t count!” and “Just have fun!”

Now, after actually experiencing my first year I think it is even more important to put some tips out there. It is crucial to note that every person is different and your experience entirely relies on what you are like as a person, where you study and what you study. No two experiences will be the same but I hope that my insights will help a little with your embark into university.

T I P S FO R F I R S T Y E AR :

It’s not that different – when you are in school/college it becomes common knowledge that university is a ‘completely different playing field.’ But in my experience its not. Yes it can be bigger and the work load higher but the general educational environment never changes, so try not to panic.
Freshers – DON’T PRE-BUY TICKETS, its completely natural after joining a group chat for your university to jump on the band waggon and buy the most popular ticket for an event being talked about. However, when move-in day arrives, £60 later the only opinions that matter to you are those who you live with and more often than not they are planning to go to a completely different! This was a big lesson learnt. From my £60 spend I attended none of the nights it covered… Ouch.
FOMO – if you aren’t a big drinker or socialite don’t automatically assume that if you don’t jump right into freshers week that you will be instantly lost and left without a group. You won’t be the only one. After all on your first introduction day no matter who went out the night before and who didn’t you are all in the same boat. All panicking about finding the right hall, making sure you are on time and already worrying about the next room change.
You all feel it – naturally, you may feel like you are about to enter an arena of judgement as you head into a lecture hall for the first time but remind yourself that everyone who has walked in prior to you and everyone who will walk in after feels exactly the same. Personally I found that no matter the situation everyone was blissfully sweet neither one of us wanted to felt judged by the other and so everyone was simply lovely.
The 2 week rule – if you have chosen to stay at a university that isn’t too far from home make yourself wait at least two weeks before travelling back. The settling in period is a strong bitter-sweet experience and one that needs to happen. If you head home too quickly the return becomes much harder; taking the time to make your university the ‘home away from home’ really helps. Not to mention, when you do finally return home it feels all the more exciting.
Buy into the digital world – despite lectures and seminars having very different vibes both move at a slightly faster pace than you may be used to. Traditional paper to pen is a little wasted on university unless you are a very skilled note-taker. Keep a digital device along side you, a laptop, phone or tablet. Anything that can help you keep up with your lecturer; plus it’s a lot less to carry around.
Print – at the beginning of my course I began to re-write my notes as ‘revision’ but by the end of your second week you soon realise thats a whole lot of writing. Instead I suggest you make your notes detailed, take extra time after lectures to perfect them and then print them all at the end of the week. This way you can go back through; highlight and scribble notes all over them for revision later on.
It does count – normally when people say that your first year doesn’t count they are referring to the grades you obtain not affecting the final grade you receive in 3rd/4th year however, if you don’t pass all of your modules in first year you will not make it onto second year at all let alone year 3 or 4 so… please understand that first year really does count.
Read the unit guides – most universities release a guide for your semester specific to each topic of study and I cannot stress more that you read it. It lists all of your upcoming assignments, exams and presentations with dates and what they expect, so get ahead! There before you, you have a resource which showcases exactly what you are working towards. From there you can decide what information from lectures you need, you can select how you dedicate your time and most importantly you can make more time for you.
Have fun – if you balance your time, read your unit guides and get things done ahead of schedule you will be just fine and still find plenty of time on your hands to let your hair down! Remember, that even in the most stressful of situations, university is designed for you to succeed and, before you, so many people in your situation have done it. Go for it, give it all you’ve got and trust that will be enough.

w o r r y .

“My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice”
J.K Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I have always been a big worrier. From a very young age it became clear that my mind often falls into overdrive and finds copious things to strain itself upon.

As a small person my mum introduced me to the world of worry people. They are small wooden people no bigger than a thumb nail which reside in a little fabric bag. The idea is, that you place them under your child’s pillow at night and whilst they sleep the worry people fix your worries for you. I suppose as an adult the worry people take form as your subconscious but to this day I carry that little fabric bag around on my keys – a reminder that everything problem has a solution.

Everyone however experiences worry differently, some encounter it very infrequently and others – like myself, walk beside it everyday. Due to the large presence that worry plays within my life I wanted to share a few of my top tips for working alongside worry.

M Y T O P T I P S f o r W O R R Y :

Write it down – when you write down the things that are bothering you, you instantly take the pressure away from your head. Sometimes we have to physically see the problem before we can begin to fix it.
Set aside time – if worrying is a common emotion for you it can quickly become very invasive in everyday life and incredibly debilitating. Take time to worry, assign yourself time in the day or in the week where you can devote time to yourself and the things that are concerning you. This limits the sudden outbreaks and overflow of unkept worry and enables you to find solutions.
Share – there is always someone to listen, even if a solution isn’t what you are after; sometimes all we need is an open ear. A different perspective can do you the world of good so let someone in.
Rationalise – can you find an instant fix for the problem? Is there something you or someone else can do to make it better? or is it out of your control? Sometimes we worry endlessly about things we have no power over and although to worry is a natural response it only makes it harder for yourself. If however, there is something you can do don’t over think it. When you are in physical pain you reach for medicine – so if there is a solution to your worry take it.
Press PAUSE – our minds can do some weird and wonderful things and when they begin to worry they truly run wild. It is important to say ‘stop’ or press ‘pause’ within a thought or situation where you cannot think straight or begin to stress. Take a step back and a deep breath.
Be rested and ready for the fight – more often than not by the time we recognise the worry it has formed a fiery ball of emotional turmoil. Find comfort within your situation; brew a cup of tea, settle down for the evening – do whatever makes you feel calm. But make a plan for the next day. Plan your comeback, your rise from the ashes, your revenge. Remind yourself that ‘tomorrow will be a better day’.
Accept – trust that every problem has a solution, even if you haven’t stumbled across it yet. Sometimes, time truly is the only answer.

At some point we all find ourselves consumed by the unnerving sensation of worry. Whether it is in the midst of exam season, the pressure of planning your next steps or concerns for someone else. Like all things however,

“This, too, shall pass.”

C U L T U R E ?

Hello lovelies, sorry for a late post but exam season is upon us and my free time is a little sparse.

Amidst all of the brexit drama -and its power to cloak hatred in the shape of unity- I wanted to talk a little bit about culture. I have seen so many things these past couple of days which have inspired this post and I just want to disclaim that these are no more than my own opinion’s and thought’s. I understand that Brexit and all things surrounding it are quite argumentative however I intend to do no more than share my wonderings (a shout into the void if you will). I appreciate that we all see the world so differently – these are just my sightings.

Brexit is a great example of the force that comes with the power to influence. Here we have a movement which roots from the desire to make Britain “British” however what does it mean to truly be ‘British’? To compare this to making ‘America great again‘ wouldn’t be too far fetched.

“Culture is an indispensable weapon in the freedom struggle.”
Malcom X

Generally I believe that culture is entirely self-serving. It stems from your roots, your family and your upbringing – the way you see the world. But it also builds from this, as we grow and ask the world for more – more love, acceptance and understanding. As we do so, we settle within the different ways of finding them and there, within those small pockets of comfort your find your own individual culture. Whether these are influenced by religion, a geographical space, a moment in time or simply who you surround yourself by. Ultimately none of these matter though… your “culture” and how you feel about where you belong is entirely yours to decide.

I believe that culture should be the ground you walk upon; the foundation that lifts you up. And whilst doing so does nothing to tear others down. Because why when we finally feel our strongest should we feel entitled to make others feel unwelcome and anything less than worthy?

Recently, a series I watch, Queer Eye (a netflix original series featuring a group of homosexual men who enter peoples life with the intentions to make them love themselves more) has released season three. Within it one of the men, Karamo Brown, delves into culture and what it truly means to be you. He values such a strong sense of self, knowing who you are and making others understand that culture doesn’t always have to be where you’ve come from. He teaches that it extends so far beyond this, culture is where you are right now and where you are going. It’s about your mental progress in life, how far you feel you’ve come and how far you have yet to go. And the ”things” (people, communities, interests etc.) that have you got there. He also explains that there is an unspoken pressure behind culture – feeling as though you are not enough. However culture is your individual footprints in the sand and no-one can tell you that you aren’t fulfilling a role that is purely your own.

“Culture provides the bases for revolution and recovery”
Malcom X

Understanding the authentic nature of culture and its purpose within society is both complex and simple. It is the purest mix of individuality and belonging. It gives us a sense of strong independence whilst offering a group of similar minds and hearts – it is here that we truly find ourselves.

Yet whilst the foundation of culture is pure, misinterpretation and the hunger for unity darkens its message. Today we survive in a world surrounded by the need to be so singular and controlled that we forget the value of what it truly means to have a culture and to love and accept others. Brexit fights to be truly British without understanding the meaning and Trump fights to make America Great and yet this greatness he hopes to find is at the expense of many.

This fight will eternally reign, because, after all, culture is entirely individual, we decide how culture is perceived and we will forever see it differently.

It is a choice to see love within culture.

Thank you for reading this blog post, it’s the first one I am a little nervous to be posting because it falls into the heart of current controversy. I hope you found something within my writing however that had some kind of impact or with which you agreed. All of the support I have received so far for my blog means the world – so thank you all for taking the time to read my work 🙂

C H A O S .

Happy Sunday!

Just before Christmas (2018) I had the words ‘even in silence there is chaos’ tattooed on my side. To me the whole sentiment made perfect sense, ergo the permanent statement, but the more people I showed the clearer it became, that many didn’t really see what I was seeing. And there lies the inspiration for this post…

chaos/ˈkeɪɒs/noun

complete disorder and confusion.

The term Chaos is nothing more than a product of human construction. We understand it to be a state of norm-less-ness in which we find feelings of discomfort and a severe lack of control. As a result, to many, the statement which I now live by seems quite dark. To be told that your tattoo, now forever inked upon your skin, is ‘depressing’ is not exactly what you want to hear however, for me, this proved my point entirely.

For an individual to read those words and naturally assume chaos to be a negative state forces my mind in to overdrive. Who is to decide the meaning of a word, or what it is to mean to each of us individually? Who has that kind of power?

As humans we are taught to live and behave in a certain way right from learning to talk. From birth, the seed of a general consensus is planted and so, to learn that ‘Chaos’ can only ever be a bad thing is incredibly limiting. When thinking about the need to conform to the norms of society failing to do small talks such as folding your clothes would therefore result in chaos. Standing out, and speaking your truth would also be a form of chaos simply because you are different.

Chaos can be blissful.

Chaos is laughter so loud that your surroundings are muted, Chaos is Christmas and busy streets. Chaos is the sound of birds pulling you from a deep slumber. Chaos is simply everything that wakes us from the sleepy serenity of society.

Chaos is life.

Finding your H A P P Y .

So this is my third proper blog and I would love to know a little bit about you.

In our life times we countlessly use the word ‘happy’ -to give title to a feeling or expression- however the act of truly pulling it apart and pin-pointing what it means, I believe, is entirely individual.

To me – it’s the overwhelming gush of emotion, which is almost indescribable and without the term ‘happy’ there wouldn’t be a word perfect enough to describe it. Its the ache you get in your cheeks when you are smiling from ear-to-ear, it’s the blissful bubbles of excited energy that tickles at your tummy and the general exasperation at the lack of words to do justice to your mood. It’s sweaty palms and restless limbs in the best kind of way – it’s feeling on top of your own little world.

My happy is the sound of the rain on a cold day and the gentle glow of a fire. It’s a duvet day shared with that one person who means the most and the take-away only minutes away.

Happy is; the sun breaking through the clouds, long walks and picnics in the summer. It’s when time slows and speeds up all at once, it’s feeling like, for once, you are truly alive.

But what does ‘happy’ mean to you?

What does it mean to be authentically happy?

When was the last time you felt it?

In a word dripping in anger, distress and hatred its important to magnify all the little things that help us fight our way out of that corner or personal paper bag. Along side societies chaos we are also fighting against our own. As we all take a walk in the sun our shadow trails behind, tethered to our feet – a ‘you’ shaped embodiment of chaos. And whilst if you keep facing the sun and walking forwards it can do no more than follow on behind. However, every now and then when we peak behind us, it’s even more important to remind ourselves of what makes us happy.

L I T E R A R Y L O V E S

There are so many quotes floating around in the social media space right now, so I wanted to pick out a few of the ones that had a genuine impact upon me this week.

This first quote simply makes me smile, whilst being highly motivating, any sentence with orgasm slap dash in the middle of it is another kind of perfection. On a more serious note however, I am growing more aware to this cancellation culture we are falling into; this quote puts a positive spin upon that. It highlights the importance of focusing on anything and everything that brings something to your life. All things outside of this are unnecessary baggage!

To be ‘fearless’ is quite a task however in the sense of being unafraid of what makes us who we are I believe it should be natural to all of us. Anything that has enough power and drive to ‘set your soul on fire’ and truly make you feel something must be worth fighting for. In the most simplest of ways this quote is screaming, ‘you can do it’ and yet I’ve never heard it said so loud and purpose-filled. These are words to live by.

Finding light is always a choice. To seek the positive in every situation can be one of the hardest things to do and yet it has the capability to determine everything. Your ability to rise from the darkness decides the way the world looks that day and how you feel going forward. There is an abundance of power in the decision to see the light in all things. After-all if you are having too conjure the strength to rise from the ashes then surely you deserve the light you’re searching for.

As we have just embarked on the very first day of spring (long awaited, i’m sure) its an opportunity to take note of the wonderful aspects of change. The action of change isn’t always well received or greeted with open arms but the shifts that come with spring remind us that it’s not all bad… in-fact sometimes its just what we need.

The Art Of I N D I V I D U A L I S M

Within a recent conversation with my mum the untamed issue of having to ‘fit a mould’ frequently came up. I described how since embarking on the adventure of University the pressures of a typical ‘student life’ only caused distress within the habits my own. I have always been a home bird, if you will. Never overly keen on parties, nights out or generally the culture of drinking and so when I was suddenly faced with freshers week It became incredibly hard to fight my natural urge to cosy up with a good cup of tea and a movie. Time has passed however and I am now facing the last few months of my first year and I have a lot to reflect on.

Individualism is defined as, “a habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant” My interpretation of this is that to truly be ‘individual’ we must have a great sense of singularity and an honest understanding of our personal characteristics. And yet it occurs to me that there is an abundance of pressure to do anything other than stand out.

It is from this that I began to compare the effects of understanding how to be individual and actually feeling okay about being individual. Although some of us may prize ourselves on being unique, do we actually feel okay about that? In what feels like the same second, to be different is both desired and completely undesirable. It seems that society forces us into a state of collectiveness. We are taught to find comfort in the ‘norm’ however when this norm is ever-changing not all of us will seek the exact same state of normal at one time. And when this occurs we are reminded to seek comfort from within ourselves and yet very few of us have mastered the art of this. I for one, can find comfort in singularity however the societal need to be surrounded by others causes disruption to this. It seems from one moment to the next, the socially constructed ‘guide to life’ can tip the emotional scales.

“Life is tricky baby. Stay in your magic.”

The deep need to ‘fit in’ with at least one other person to feel okay means that we search the streets for someone who shares something in common with ourselves, constantly wrapped up in the lessons we subconsciously learnt about being uniform. We are always taught to not compare ourselves to others, and perhaps this is not what people do at all. It could be argued that as we do this we are not looking to judge but, to instead, find comfort in the similarities of another person. And today, even whilst we are fighting against such pressures and pushing the boundaries that little bit further there still remains the butterflies of uncertainty that batter the walls of your tummy. The overwhelming mix of fear and adrenaline as we fight to become truly individual.

To be individual, for me, links to many other terms: to stand alone, to be your own source of strength and to be yourself. All of these are so empowering to us as people however I will always regard them as the hardest skills to learn. Self-love and the acceptance of everything that you are is a fine art; something we all need and deserve. And maybe our underlying mission in life is to master them, and assist others to do the same – after all we all deserve to feel loved, not only by others but also ourselves.

“Someday we will find what we are looking for. Or maybe not, maybe we will find something much greater than that”

F I N D I N G M Y F E E T

Thank you for visiting my blog,

I am working to build a creative profile, consisting of my minds wonderings, as I take on my degree in Communication and Media.

As I explore all things lifestyle I hope you can find something of interest or at the very least something to simply make you smile.

This will all make perfect sense someday – John Meyer