Year 12 has proven to be slightly more troublesome than I'd thought... Pretty much means I'm on hiatus until further notice! Sorry about that. In the meantime, here's some fashion-y stuff to look at
Happy 2015 and a very belated welcome-back-to-school, wonderful readers. Apologies for the unexpected hiatus over the summer holidays- I've been busy, away (Melbourne and Thailand, if you're interested), or generally just too lazy to write anything for the blog. Many of my hobbies have been neglected lately (*cough* novel...) so I'm hoping to leap back into creative mode very soon.
I find myself wishing I'd written a New Year's post, because since when do I miss opportunities to create new goals? So, I decided I'll give you guys a taster of my attitude towards 2015 (my final year of school).
(Side note: the turtle represents me.)
First of all, it's been decided. I'm in Year 12 this year, and it's high time I had a good twelve-months of This Year Rocks. I'm done leaving it to luck and circumstance: this year, it's all about MAKING it happen. Last year was probably the most difficult year of my life, and I'm technically still in recovery from that. But this is the year I'm diving into with a willpower to make it great.
I like doing things in threes or sevens. Three is a good number, because it makes a list feel complete. Seven, likewise, gives a sense of fullness, but is also an alchemist's number and supposedly lucky. I don't necessarily believe in luck, but I like the idea that I can create my own good fortune (plus, I love fantasy and magic). So, without further ado, here are my resolutions:
1) Eat more fresh produce.
Towards the end of last year, I noticed my eating habits were beginning to include more processed foods, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, sugar and generally a lot of things-in-packets. I'm not constantly worrying about what I include in my diet, but in the knowledge that fresh food makes me feel more energetic and vibrant (as well as benefiting my skin and physical fitness) I am aiming to include more natural foods, which will gradually replace some of the processed foods.
2) Get some form of exercise every day
This one is extremely important to me, because it plays such a vital role in determining my mood. Over the last 9 months, I have spent some time exercising almost every day; however, the amount of time has decreased substantially over the holidays. My goal is to maintain my level of exercise, and if possible to increase it by 10-20 minutes over the next 9 months, to help sustain my physical fitness and boost my mood with those wonderful, beautiful, I-love-them-so-much endorphins!
3) Be kinder to myself
Too often, I catch myself in critical tirades about my own inadequacy or insecurity. In modern society, it is a social norm to be highly self-critical. Sometimes this can lead to improvement in a person's character, but unfortunately it can also be very detrimental. I know this habit of mine constantly hinders my progress, and as such I've decided to be kinder towards myself. This will be one of the harder challenges for me, but since 2015 is my year, I am determined to give it my best, and I know I can succeed.
4) Make small goals to fulfil
Despite my best intentions, I tend to make goals that are unrealistic (and sometimes unachievable within the given time period). Like many people, I'm great at making goals- just not so good at keeping them! Starting with this list, I'm resolving to create goals that are realistic and motivating.
5) Have something to look forward to every week
Inevitably, if I have nothing to look forward to on the weekend, I become depressed. Things start to look monochrome, and nothing can get me excited. I feel flat, and the dull, stressful school work seems like it will never end. I've come to realise the true importance of "me time" and social events. The promise of a good weekend keeps me going even in my bad weeks. Sure, it seems obvious: but it needed mentioning.
6) Be mindful of the positive things and people in my life
No matter how many times I am grateful for the people I love, I will never appreciate them more than they deserve. I resolve to be mindful and appreciative of the privileges I enjoy every single day. That's all for that one :)
7) Carpe diem
This year, I am going to take those opportunities and make them into freaking magic! I'm going to make this my year. Destination (happiness), determination (willpower), deliberation (my choice). Please somebody recognise that reference.
I hope you guys can all find inspiration or at least some entertainment in the list ;) as always, thank you very much for reading. This year, expect a wider variety of content, motivation, humour, and anything else I can manage to cram into my posts. Also expect fewer posts (sorry) because, well, Year 12.
So you guys have probably noticed I'm starting to change the blog up a little (new theme coming, better content coming, a random french article, new "author" section). I've recently been collecting feedback from a variety of people about the blog, and thought I'd give you all a bit of an update.
First thing is, I use WAY too many exclamation marks!!!!! Note taken, cheers for the comment. I'll try and limit my use of the exclamation mark from now on.
Second thing, the blog is getting boring. I kind of knew that: to be honest guys, most of my recent posts have been rushed and poorly thought out. Now that the holidays are coming up, hopefully that will change. It needs more fun and less pointless opinion.
Third thing, I am far too pretentious. Well, even I can identify a "bossy" and "know-it-all" attitude in my writing. I'm aiming to cut that down a little, but ultimately... I LIKE my writing style, and though I'm thankful to all of you I must also cater to my own wants and needs. I'll also make sure to emphasise that these are opinion articles, directly connected with my experiences and views.
Fourth thing, I make others' problems seem irrelevant. Please know that I did this unintentionally, and plan on changing it ASAP. I'm sorry to anyone who has felt that way.
Ok, enough of the Things. This next bit of feedback is probably the only one I have an issue with. I realise some of it is just thoughtless chatter (I know many of you), and am all about forgive and forget. But please take this into consideration.
People say I am "fake."
I realise that there's a great disparity between the way I act, and the things I write about. It's my choice to share them. I expected rumours and I accept that people in my year group will inevitably say unkind things behind my back (thought I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting a little). However I do not accept being called fake. I absolutely oppose any talk that calls a person's feelings or personal experiences false, regardless of how you see that person act. To me my emotions and troubles are very real and constant. I'd like to think most people would refrain from calling my feelings illegitimate.
If you're the kind of reader who simply doesn't believe what I say, that's fine. Just stop reading.
Finally, my blog runs along the lines of what I want to do with my life. Nobody deserves depression. Anxiety is (and please excuse my french here) a bitch. I want to help people like me, and this blog is a baby step towards that goal. I know I'll be getting a lot of hate for it... but just keep in mind that I mean well.
To finish up, again I'd like to thank my regular readers, for sticking with the blog and for the support I'm getting. Perhaps I really will look back on this as a naïve attempt to share my feelings, but for now I truly believe that it's something I should continue, since I have the means.
Je suis en classe de Français - d'où le changement de langue - et juste maintenant j'ai découvert un question de practice qui je ne pas apprécie.
Voila: "Write a blog entry outlining the benefits of watching reality TV."
Tout d'abord je ne suis pas d'accord avec cette phrase. Ce matin, par hasard, j'ai lu un étude au sujet de l'estime de soi en relation avec l'exposition à la télévision. C'était très intéressent, en ce qu'il détaille des aspects différents qui influencent l'estime de soi. Il m'a informé au sujet des dangers de regarder trop la télé.
La première chose que je veux dire, c'est que la télé-réalité a beaucoup des effets negatives pour des femmes en particulier. Je pense qu'il est sûr de dire que des femmes sont assez influençable par le media. Selon l'étude, des femmes se tournant souvent vers la télé pour informations à voir avec nos société moderne- d'être spécifique, comment on dois se comporter, comment on devrait ressembler, si nous devons être mince ou grosse, et cetera. En tant qu'un société, nous souscrivons vraiment les valeurs qui sont évidantes dans ces émissions.
Je veux donnez-vous un example: Penchant-nous sur l'émission Jersey Shore. Dans ce genre, les cerveaux sont manipulés, le corps des filles sont utilisé à des fins commerciales et le moindre bout de chaire est sujet à audience. En plus, il a beaucoup d'un chose qui s'appelle "l'aggression relationnelle," dans lequel les personnages sont encouragé de poignarder l'un l'autre à l'arrière, et aussi à potiner. Ce comportement déteint sur des gens, et devient naturalisé comme un comportement socialement acceptable.
Alors, je conclure que les avantages de regarder la télé-réalité sont largement compensés par les inconvénients.
So according to recent feedback, the theme of TLC isn't quite as appealing to you as I'd thought. So, I've put up a poll to see what you all think. Please vote for your fave theme, and I'll consider the results and whether to change it :)
Today I was looking for more content to add to my blog, doing some research here and there (and in the process performing some top-notch procrastination before my run) and decided that today is more of a get-to-know-the-author sort of day (if I can call myself that yet...). And I have thus decided to do a post dedicated entirely to enlightening you about Yours Truly!
1) My favourite song right now is The Blur, The Line and The Thickest of Onions by Little Comets. I know, the title is weird as heck! However, it's really worth checking out. Apart from having an unique sound, the lyrics are absolutely superb and the song actually has something interesting to say, as opposed to a lot of contemporary music.
2) I am a virgo, and apart from that I know very little about star signs.
3) I am a cat person, and always will be. In my opinion, there is nothing so comforting as a cuddle with a cat on a cold sad day. < I tried alliteration there but couldn't think of anything adequate to finish it off... Sigh.
4) I like eating lemons, WITH THE PEEL ON :D
5) That last one was a reference to Thatcher Joe's video blog, which I have been watching lately. It is hilarious and a pretty good idea of my sense of humour. You should go check it out.
6) I actually do like eating lemons... but without the peel on.
7) Since I was little, my favourite food has been stewed rhubarb and apple. I am not entirely sure why this is (according to my friends it looks like pink vomit).
8) I am a disney fan. My favourites are Treasure Planet (Jim Hawkins <3), Monsters' Inc. and Tangled. In fact, I have the entire Treasure Planet soundtrack on my computer, as well as the movie.
9) My favourite author is Patrick Rothfuss, and last weekend he released a book called "The Slow Regard of Silent Things" which follows the story of one of my Favourite Characters Ever. This elicited several minutes of squealing and jumping up and down from me.
10) I learn French at school, and I absolutely adore the language. At the moment I am watching Coco Avant Chanel (without subtitles), and I can only understand about 1/4 of it. But I'm improving, and by the time I die, I want to know 6 languages like Queen Elizabeth I!
11) I once made a promise to one of my best friends E that I would name my first child sausages. Unfortunately for whatever offspring I produce, this may actually become reality in the form of a nickname...
12) I used to absolutely hate pumpkins, mushrooms and spinach, but now they are my go-to ingredients.
13) I love to dance. Or more accurately, I live to dance... But I have never taken a ballet class in my life.
14) I can run in heels, but only because I refuse to wear stilettos. You can't dance properly in stilettos, and that is a problem.
15) I once crashed a golf buggy into a bush because I was concentrating too hard on belting out the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean at top volume.
16) I collect my favourite letters and postcards from close friends and family. Sometimes I carry them around with me on a bad day- I am extremely sentimental.
17) I really like tea, and my current favourites are Irish Breakfast, Strawberries and Cream, Evening Tea, and Lavender and Tisane. My cheer-up tea has somehow become Peppermint.
18) In one of the weirdest dreams I can remember having, I arrived at school late and quickly enraged the new teacher Mr Plunk, who chased me downstairs with a hacksaw and eventually cornered me at reception where the receptionist was asleep. I got revenge by eating her desk (which was made of red jelly), and later flew away on my pirate ship with Eric the Sock-less Priest to vanquish the giant pineapple in my front yard.
I tried to look for a Mr Plunk look-a-like, but couldn't find a school teacher that I thought looked crazy enough (or wielded a hacksaw) so that idea went out the window.
19) Being the adventurous idiot that I am, last year I decided to climb the lions at Trafalgar Square with my younger brother... Only I was wearing a bright red dress coat and heels, which nearly resulted in a fine (as apparently it's too dangerous). I got off the hook by arguing that I was Australian and therefore unaware of the "no-climbing" policy. Despite this, the policeman seemed quite affronted by my lack of decorum.
20) I love to write, I love to read, and if you see me staring off into the distance, chances are I am mentally fighting off three dragons at once, or holding my breath as I swim through an underwater cavern (I have actually done this and accidentally held my breath too long. I went red in the face and became rather dizzy before remembering to breathe).
So you may laugh at me for this one, but I've had this idea in my head over the past month or so that I should only write about needing to do more exercise when I don't want to exercise. I know. Just let me explain.
The post about exercise was going to say this: IF YOU FEEL SAD, OR MAD, OR BAD. GO FOR A WALK. OR JOG. OR RUN.
But about three seconds after I thought this up, I realised that I don't necessarily take my own advice on this one. I know, right? I sit here preaching away about how exercise releases endorphins, and how we should all go walking for an hour every day, yet I don't actually do that myself ON THE DAYS THAT IT COUNTS THE MOST. Come on, Em, you can do better than that.
So I have waited and waited for a day where I've felt so bad that I've both passed out and cried until my eyes hurt. That's today, if you hadn't got that bit. And I am now about to go for a RUN, get my daily endorphin rations and cheer myself the heck up. With this post, I declare myself a PRO-ACTION RECOVERER (oh God, that's such a stupid name!!!) and my conscience can be satisfied that I do, in fact, practice what I preach.
Moral of the story: You can't go expecting to recover without putting the effort in- nor can you expect others to take your advice when you fail to do so yourself! To get over that mountain, we need to be there supporting OURSELVES by taking ACTION and creating SATISFACTION.
I haven't done a challenge in a while, so here's one that's a little different. Your challenge is to brighten somebody else's day!
The first part of the challenge (and I'm using the term "challenge" very loosely here) is to make a hot/cold beverage for a family member. I'm always cheered up if my mum makes me tea and brings it to my room, and I'm sure most other people would be too! The second part is to give out TEN of your most dazzling smiles, to people you see during your day.
Beverage/Smile Criteria:
- Beverage must be a nice one (no tricks! haha) - Smile must be sincere and happy - You have to give your best smiles! This means teeth showing, not half-hearted-closed-lip smiles :P
During moments of distress, it's difficult to think rationally and decide how to help yourself, particularly if you're not used to dealing with high levels of anxiety. I know this from experience! To get around this problem, it can be useful to have an Emergency Box (if you like, call it something nicer-sounding like "Soothing Kit") so that when you feel overwhelmed you have something to guide you and help you cope.
To create an Emergency Box, collect items that are meaningful or that you know will be helpful. If you can't put the item in the box, you might want to use a reminder of the item (like a photograph) of something you associate with the item. Include items that will help soothe all your senses. Here's what I think I'd put in my box:
Vision: a photograph of my friends, some pretty cards with quotes written on them, my favourite book, a photograph of the forest, a postcard from my best friend, a drawing by my little brother, some pretty stones, a picture of my dog Poppy (black mini schnauzer, raggedy hair cut, loves stuffed toys and our cat).
Hearing: Soothing music on my laptop or phone (Enya, London Grammar, Boats & Birds, Lucy Rose, pretty movie soundtracks or just the sound of rain), a short list of people to ring (my mum, my best friend, etc.), a recording of my friends playing the piano & viola.
Smell or taste: Lavender oil, my favourite perfume, a packet of chewing gum.
Touch: Fluffy bed socks, pretty stones, moisturiser, stress ball, a pillow if I could fit it, some blu-tack.
Other activities that can help (for more distractions see part 3): puzzle books, art/craft materials, a notebook and ben, puzzle books, a musical instrument, therapy worksheets (try www.stopp.gg), a letter from yourself to read during anxious moments.
These are some great relaxation exercises. I'd have to say my favourites are "favourite place" and "focus on a word" because I love imagining things, and am a complete word nerd! The muscle-tension exercise is excellent as well, particularly if you do a lot of clenching-fists-and-jaws-and-muscles like I do.
Tense and release- Tighten the muscle you want to relax. Focus on and feel the tension where you tighten. Now let the muscle become loose and limp. Feel the relaxation flow into the muscle. Feel yourself letting go of all your tensions.
Body Scan- With your mind briefly scan every muscle in your body, from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. If you sense a tight muscle, consciously let it become limp and relaxed.
Mind Quieting- To quiet your mind first, focus on your breathing. As you breath in deeply, say "I am..." and as you breathe out, say slowly to yourself "calm." When your mind feels calm you may focus only on your breathing, with no thoughts running amok.
Favourite Place- As you sit quietly, recall in your mind the most relaxing thought you can. It could be a favourite place (a holiday location, your home), a person with whom you feel at peace (a family member, a friend, an acquaintance) or even a made-up scene (a magical forest, a desert island or a sparkling rainforest-waterfall). Take a few seconds to concentrate on the image in your ming. Be sure to feel those good feelings you associate with that person or place. Let it take over your whole awareness... If your thoughts wander, just take them gently back to that peaceful, relaxing image.
Focus On A Word- Pick some word that you associate with relaxation, comfort, peace. It could be a word like "serenity" or "dream." Personally, I like to choose interesting, mellifluous words. I love petrichor, flourish, gossamer, wanderlust, filigree, lullaby, mellow- and not forgetting "mellifluous" itself. Let the word hold the centre of your thoughts. As your mind wanders towards more stressful thoughts, gently bring it back to the word.
I hope these are useful to you guys! That's all I have time for now, but stay tuned for the next post in the next few days :)
Hi, I'm Em. I love to dance, and am really interested in psychology (hence the psych-related content). My blog is centred around topics related to mental health and wellbeing, with opinion articles based on my own experiences (as well as additional research). My aim is to provide a comfortable and positive online environment and share information that has been helpful to me, both now and in the past.