A Feel Good Playlist

It's coming up to deadline/exam season, and that can have a huge impact on your mood. If you're in need of a pick me up, my mum has created the perfect playlist for you! I've linked it here, and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Let's Talk About Mental Health

Something I have been seeing more and more of on social media is a positive movement to get people talking about their mental health. I wanted to jump aboard this train, because it is so so so important and I know it is something I always struggle with. I hate feeling like I'm bothering people with my problems, or I can't explain why exactly I'm feeling down or I feel like the reason is too stupid. I wanted to share some tips for those of you who are like me that aren't the usual 'exercise, talk to your GP, be honest with those you love most' (although those are brilliant tips too).

1. Keep a diary. I find it is helpful to write down how I've been feeling, what I've found stressful and how I combatted that stress. This means that I can make connections between life events and emotions and hopefully overcome problems more easily in the future by remembering how I dealt with them in the past. It also doesn't involve other people so you can keep it a bit private without unhealthily bottling up your emotions.
2. Do things that are good for your mental health, but don't use that as an excuse to procrastinate. Taking a bath when you are stressed can be a good idea, but not if you're putting off a time sensitive task (like an essay or report your boss wants by tomorrow morning).
3. Junk food can make you feel better on occasion, but don't allow yourself to have so much that your physical health suffers. It's true that physical and mental health are extremely closely linked.
4. Even if you're very tired or very awake, try to keep your sleep schedule as regular as possible. You'll thank me later.
5. It's okay to cut people out of your life who are toxic to you, no matter who they are.
6. PUT. YOURSELF. FIRST. WHEN. YOU. NEED. TO. Don't ever feel like anything is more important than how you are feeling.
7. And remember, there are plenty of resources available to you. I won't copy in any specifics, but search for them online or ask your doctor.

Why I Decided to Transfer Unis

I have recently received the amazing news that I have a confirmed place at Oxford Brookes University next year. I loved Bath Spa but for a few reasons I decided that it just was not the right place for me, so I wanted to take some time to talk about them.

• My boyfriend. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that he was a huge reason for making this decision. I was so unhappy being away from him, and keeping my weekends available for seeing him caused a lot of the other problems I had at uni. Being in the same city as him will make it easy to see him during the week, as well as on weekends without the same time commitment.

• I wanted more time for my friends. I visited my friend Midge in Southampton a couple of times, but I would ideally like to see more of her and make new friends too.

• I wanted more time to get a part time job! I'm a student! I'm poor! I need to buy things like books and food and train tickets and and and... the list goes on.

• As well as hopefully making some more money, I'll be able to save more. I have been quite good at putting money aside this year but I would like to be able to do it more! You never know when you'll need it.

Mostly though, I realised that the only thing holding me back from changing was that I was worried about what everyone would think. Who has time for that? My happiness is more important than people's opinions. I'm so so so excited for this next chapter in my life and can't wait to start!

My Date Night Jar

I love going on dates, and I love being creative so when I saw this idea on twitter I thought I would give it a go! To make your own, simply write date ideas on lollipop sticks, colour code the ends and pop them in a jar with a key on the side! I started with 50 but I plan to add more soon. I used pink for no money, purple for some money, green for more money, and blue for special occasions. Here are some of the ideas I came up with:

• Go for tapas.
• Go for a picnic.
• Go ice skating.
• Visit a castle or a museum.
• Bake something.
• Go to the zoo or safari park.
• Go out for cocktails.
• Go to a fancy restaurant for dinner.
• Go on a day trip to London.
• Book a weekend away at the beach.
• Do a jigsaw.
• Go on a road trip to somewhere pretty.
• Play crazy golf.
• Go to the cinema.
• Spend a weekend in Paris.
• Go on a bike ride.
• Go for a walk.
• Make cocktails at home.
• Get a drink at the pub.
• Go for afternoon tea.
• Go for a spa day.
• Go to a water park.
• Go to water gardens.
• Horse riding at my mum's house.
• Have a barbecue or a roast.
• Go Ape.
• Do a craft course.
• Go glamping.
• Go chocolate tasting at Hotel Chocolat.
• Go for a Nando's.
• Go out for coffee and cake.
• Try a new restaurant.
• Play a board game.
• Do a home spa day.
• Do a cooking class together.
• Get a takeaway and watch Netflix.
• See a show in the West End.
• Go on the London Eye.
• Make pizzas.
• Decorate biscuits.
• Make a gingerbread house.
• Go to Wagamamas.
• Set a budget and shop for each other.
• Go out for dessert.
• Go to an outdoor pool.
• Go out for milkshakes.
• Go out for ice cream.
• Go for a pub lunch.
• Have a candlelit dinner at home.
• Swim at the local spa.

My Bucket List

Everyone has goals in life. Many of mine are pretty common, I'd like to get a job where I'm financially stable, be happily married and eventually have children. But those aren't on my bucket list, because they're the sort of things that I think will happen if they're meant to and if not I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. The things on my bucket list are more things that I'm saving up for, or currently working for. If you have a bucket list, I'd love to hear about some of your aims so leave a comment for me! Who knows, maybe I'll add them onto my list too. I have also done a YouTube video about this, which you can watch here.

1. Visit New York. I have never been to America but I'd love to, and of all of the places in the USA I would want to see, New York is top of the list. I'm not even sure why, I've just always wanted to go. My boyfriend went before we got together and he likes to rub it in my face every time I mention visiting. Hopefully I'll be able to go in the next couple of years!
2. Go up the Eiffel Tower. I would love to visit Paris, and if I do I will of course go up the Eiffel Tower. I'm terrified of heights, so it will be a challenge but hopefully it'll be worth it! My boyfriend and I have discussed possibly going next year so we'll see soon enough.
3. Graduate university. This may seem obvious since I'm a student, but it's what I spend most of my time working on at the moment so I had to include it. Preferably I'd like to get at least a 2:1 but only time will tell whether I can do that.
4. Learn how to bake macaroons. Mostly just because I love them, but also because they look so so cute and I'm all about food that will get me those instagram likes! Haha.
5. Learn how to parallel park. This may seem like something I should know since I have had my driving licence for nearly 2 years now, but oh my god why is it so hard!? I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Anyone who has ever seen me attempt it will know how truly terrible I am at it. But I feel like it's something I need to learn so that is why it is on this list.
6. Visit Japan. My grandparents always speak highly of their visits there, and my aunt lived there for a few years because she loved it so much. The culture fascinates me, and photos of it look so beautiful so one day I hope to visit.
7. Learn to speak another language. Possibly Italian? I grew up bilingual and it's honestly so useful, especially when I go on holiday so I'd love to learn a third language. Italian is my first choice because I just think it sounds beautiful.
8. Visit Australia or New Zealand. My boyfriend's brother is thinking of doing a year of farming out there after he finishes college this year so we may be able to go over and visit him at Christmas. I'm selfishly hoping that we can!
9. Get my own cat. As soon as this is realistically an option I am going to do it.
10. Keep up my blog. This is so fun for me, but it also takes up a lot of time. I hope I can continue to post regularly as I get more and more responsibilities in years to come!

What I Learned from my Long Distance Relationship.

I feel like I should begin this post by defining what I mean by 'long distance'. I went off to university last year, and now live about 2 hours away from my boyfriend. This means that I am able to see him most weekends, but not during the week. Some may not consider this to be long distance, as I know people who live in different countries from their partners but since at home I live less than five minutes from him it was a huge shock. It was hard, but I have learned some important things about my relationship.

• You WILL argue more. At least at first. Distance of any kind is bound to put strain on any relationship, as you don't get to see each other as often as you'd like. They potentially will have new friends and hobbies which may cause problems between you too. This may get better, as it did for me and James, or it may not. Many of my friends have ended their relationships since being at uni because of the distance, I guess it just depends on the couple.

• You'll appreciate your time together more. If you're lucky enough to not be poor like us, you may plan more dates or if not you'll probably just feel happier about having a movie night in. But whatever the case, it seems that distance really does make the heart grow fonder.

• Everyone will ask you how you're coping being apart, but very few will want an honest answer. Those close to you will want to help, so opening up to them can be a great coping mechanism. But others will expect you to just smile and say 'fine, thanks' and that's okay too.

• Your relationship WILL change - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In my case, I think our relationship got a lot more serious. It went from 'we've been together for a year and we're having fun' to 'we're making huge commitments and sacrifices to make this relationship work'. I am by no means saying that we don't still have fun because we do, it's just more difficult to make time for that and you need to decide whether it's worth it.

• Lots of people will expect you to break up. Lots of people do when they go to uni! It's hard to be in a long distance relationship and like I said, you will get to a point where you need to decide if it's worth the effort. You just need to block out those voices and make those decisions for yourself.

• You'll learn to prioritise better. Whether that's getting work done during the week to keep weekends free, or prioritising time with your boyfriend over joining an extra society, or saving your money for dates instead of shopping trips, you will have to prioritise some things.

• You'll learn what you like best about them. It turns out, that although I love lots of things about James, my favourite part of his personality is how caring he is. When I go to his he always makes a huge effort to look after me by cleaning before I arrive, cooking me delicious food, taking me on dates and always making sure I am comfortable and okay. It's lovely.

• On the other hand, their flaws will also be emphasised. You will have to decide if you can live with them (such as James' snoring) or if you'd rather go your separate ways. James' aren't that bad, but to be honest I'm surprised he's stuck with me haha.

• You will learn about the importance of going on dates. When you don't see each other enough, you may begin to feel really down. Planning an exciting date gives you something to look forward to to help with this, but also gives you something to do when you have a long period of time together.

• Finally, you will learn whether or not you're meant to be together. Like I've mentioned before, you will need to decide whether your relationship is worth the effort of long distance, and many people will realise that for them it's not. But for me it is, and James still makes me smile every single day :).

5 Things to Love About Yoga

I have recently started doing yoga with my mum and I have really been enjoying it. It's great for so many reasons, so I thought I'd share some of those with you.

• It keeps you fit. Just 10 minutes of yoga a day can massively improve your fitness, and you work on a range of muscles or one specific problem area if you'd prefer as different positions work different areas. You will look toned in no time!

• It helps reduce stress. The meditation aspect in particular clears your mind but even the exercises themselves reduce tension in the body and require a lot of focus so you can forget about stressful events. This makes it especially good to do during exam season or when you have a big project due at work or uni.

• It can help you sleep. Not only does the reduced stress have a positive effect on your sleep schedule, but regular exercise is also proven to do the same. There are specific sequences available for free online that are supposed to be extra good for sleep so if this is something you're interested in that may be worth checking out! I guess exercise before bed can be a good way to wear yourself out too haha.

• It will improve flexibility, balance and other useful talents. For people like me who can't even touch their toes, this is a really good thing and for everyone else it can be a great improvement for other reasons.

• It will help you lose weight. Not only will you burn calories, but it also speeds up your metabolism so that you can eat more cake and stay skinnier! That's what I like to do (although cake isn't great for you anyway, sadly).

On top of all this it can be a great social activity if you join a club, or a free one if like me you prefer to just do yoga at home!

My Top 5 Feel Good Movies

Sometimes you just want to watch a good movie to make you feel better after a long day/week. For me that's usually a rom com or a movie that I loved when I was young. Here are five of my favourites! I'm sure most of you will have seen these but if not take a look because they bring me so much joy. (Disclaimer: This is not an ad, I have not been paid to mention any of the movies/brands mentioned and none of the images of movie covers included are my own).

Mamma Mia

This is my family's feel good movie! We all love it (well all the women and my youngest brother do anyway). It has all of the important components of a feel good movie, music (ABBA none the lest), romance, sunshine, dancing, family and the beach. The only thing missing is puppies! The story follows a young woman just before her wedding and her single mother struggling to figure out which of three men is her father. We as a family think the story is sweet, but our favourite part is singing along like mad people to dancing queen and occasionally even getting up to do a little dance. My Oma has actually watched this movie over 30 times and I myself must be getting close to 20 by now. So much fun.

Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging

I have watched this movie more times than I can count and it still makes me laugh every single time. It's hilarious, and again the sound track is so good! The movie revolves around a teenage girl (Georgia) and her 3 best friends as they learn about boobs, boys, parties, friendships and other things involved in growing up. There's also a cat which always makes me happy. There's nothing funnier to me than the scene with the fake tan (which I won't spoil for those of you that haven't seen it) and I rewatch this at least three times a year. It taught me a lot about self acceptance and not being embarrassed by my family when I was young and I totally recommend this to all young girls. The books are also great if you want something light to read!


Letters to Juliet

I think this movie is so so so romantic. The film is set in Italy, where a young woman and her fiancé are taking a 'pre-honeymoon'. However, when they arrive their interests take them in different directions, and she ends up on an adventure with a woman looking for her long lost love and her pessimistic and over protective grandson. I really want to visit Verona after watching this movie because it just looks so so beautiful! *Spoiler alert*, this movie just has such a happy ending that whenever I feel down I will watch it and after having a good little happy cry I will feel infinitely better. I also just love Amanda Seyfried, as you may have noticed since she was also in Mamma Mia.

Pitch Perfect

This movie is such a good girl power film. There's again a good soundtrack, and an original one too which I love. The story is a girl who goes away to college and is pressured by her dad to join a society, so she becomes part of the Bellas (an a cappella group). She starts to find that she enjoys it and also meets a boy along the way. It's very funny and makes important points about female friendships too. I haven't seen the third one yet (although I've actually heard bad things which is sad), but I really enjoyed the second one as well as the first so I will still be watching the final movie at some point. Fat Amy is also my absolute hero, she speaks up about body positivity in a funny and relatable (if slightly weird) way.


Shrek


I love movies from my childhood as they're funny and sentimental, and Shrek is one of my top favourites. It has so many hidden adult jokes and is has a lovely message about being beautiful on the inside. Also, shoutout to Netflix for having the whole set of 4 (or is it 5?). James and I watched them all one weekend because life is hard on a student budget haha. Some of my other favourites to rewatch from when I was a kid are Finding Nemo, Gnomeo and Juliet and The Incredibles but they're not on Netflix so it's much more difficult for me to watch them as my new laptop doesn't have a DVD player.

If you do decide to watch any of these, I hope you enjoy them! Feel free to leave me some of your recommendations too :)