Monday 27 October 2014

Zoella Outrage!

Hey there!

The days are drawing in, the evenings are becoming frighteningly cold and winter is slowly approaching us. During these chilly months, I like to spend my free time snuggled on the sofa with a cuppa, surfing the Internet - researching new content for my blog posts, responding to emails, catching up with my friends and watching back-to-back vlogs and sketches created by my favourite YouTubers, (which you can read all about here.) In-fact, the majority of my Internet history is filled with endless lists of vlogs, sketches, songs and much more... 

I can assure you that just by simply scrolling through the first pages of my Internet history, it's clearly evident that above everyone in the blogging and vlogging community, my most watched YouTuber is Zoe aka Zoella - the queen of all things beauty, hairstyles and life lessons!



Zoe is a fun-loving, bubbly, young woman and portrays this well to her subscribers through her well thought out YouTube videos and vlogs! She dedicates numerous hours in her days specifically for filming, editing and uploading her YouTube content. It's obvious that she puts an immense amount of effort into her channel - perfecting her videos simply to please her audience and to produce something she is proud of. 

Only recently a very poorly written article was published and spread viral to the Internet, attacking the poor YouTuber. Chloe Hamilton, (a 'journalist' for the Independant,) definitely went a step too far with her opinions and enraged bloggers everywhere in seconds! As mentioned above, Zoe has always been one of my biggest inspirations for many years now and she's impacted my life on so many levels. However, after finding this pasted all over the Internet, I was absolutely fuming and this was definitely something that could not be left unsaid, but I couldn't possibly fit all this into 140 characters on Twitter.



However, despite all of this, like most young women, she also suffers with insecurities of her own. As mentioned in previous videos she suffers with anxiety and panic attacks, but doesn't let that spoil her fun! In fact, she's even created inspiring videos, offering support and useful info about how to cope during this traumatic time. Being an anxiety sufferer, I can totally relate with her experiences and traumatic times that she shares, which only makes me admire her even more! It's extremely difficult to cope with certain situations when feeling anxious. However, I think Zoe handles them well and still manages to upload videos on schedule, which I highly respect. She knows the daily struggles that normal people have and isn't afraid to be open about them!


I was fuming that the main focus of the article was that Zoe portrays a bad image for young girls everywhere, due to the amount of make-up she wears! She never once stated that young girls have to wear make-up to look good. Her whole life she's had to deal with her own insecurities and found make-up to be her passion! Zoe simply explores different hairstyles and beauty techniques for fun, testing and reviewing different brands of make-up for anyone who shares the same hobby. If you're an avid Zoella subscriber like me, you'll realise that the past couple of months she's learnt to accept herself and be comfortable in her own skin, without having to disguise herself in make-up, which you can watch below!





From what started as a young teen speaking out to her camera in a corner of her bedroom led to an Internet sensation, reaching out to over 6.2 millions subscribers - what an achievement! Through her YouTube channel, she has become extremely successful - with her very own sweet smelling beauty products launched only last month and a new book, soon to be displayed on bookshelves everywhere - demonstrating you can become successful doing what you love. 

Zoe has impacted my life massively and I especially love how much I can relate to her. Simply watching her videos makes me realise that I'm not alone and if you put the effort in, you can achieve your dreams!

Bye for now! Xxx

Tuesday 21 October 2014

*Healthline - The Effects of Anxiety on Your Body

Hey there!

As most of you are aware, I suffer with occasional bouts of anxiety and have experienced a number of panic attacks, which have widened my views to mental health and motivated me to guide others to do the same. It became apparent to me recently that a large number of people were unaware of this aspect of mental health. As a result of my experiences I decided to upload a guide to my blog, offering tips on how to deal with anxiety sufferers when they're desperately in need of support, which you can read all about here. 

I was overwhelmed with the response it gained and was especially thrilled at the feedback, as my main objective was to give a better understanding about anxiety to others and to make sufferers aware that they're not alone! Most importantly, it seemed to reach out to a large number of bloggers and I was especially flattered when I received an email from Healthline - contacting me on the behalf of their users who found my post useful!



In brief, Healthline is a trusted health provider with the aim to encourage a healthy lifestyle. They provide a vast amount of useful information - based not only on physical health, but mental health too. Recently, they have introduced a new, interactive chart to their anxiety page, enabling the user to explore the different features on the body that are affected during a panic attack. Personally, I believe this is a great way to learn and gives the user a good insight into this aspect of mental health.

Recognizing Anxiety: Symptoms, Signs, and Risk Factors

I would definitely recommend visiting the Healthline website here, so you can become more familiar with your body!

Bye for now! Xxx

Thursday 16 October 2014

#3 30 DAY CHALLENGE

Hey there!

This month I've been feeling extremely productive and motivated to maintain my blog. I am especially enjoying writing these type of posts and I am determined to complete this challenge. Never will I ever neglect my little Internet space again!




Day 03 - Your Views on Drugs and Alcohol

Most parents share the same view that all teenagers should spend their nights round a friend's house, watching movies, playing video games, eating a mountain of treats and keeping out of trouble. However, that is not often the case, being a teenager is a struggle - we just can't be tamed! 

 Like the majority of teenagers, I like a good night out with my friends, drinking and dancing until the sun goes down and sometimes being silly! The majority of the time, I don't even remember the events of the party, but I always manage to have a good laugh and arrive home in one piece...

As an avid party goer, I know how to have a good drink. I've experimented with my limits and understand the risks and dangers of drinking too much through experience. Fortunately, I have always been in safe hands at parties and have a supportive bunch of friends that I can depend on. However, some people aren't as lucky as I am and fall into the wrong crowd of people, which can lead to serious problems. 

Being a teenager myself, I feel this is a tricky topic to talk about, as I'm still learning and making mistakes every so often. Unfortunately, I have fallen into the habit of smoking, which I do not recommend to anyone! However, this occurred through mixing with a whole range of bad influences. which is probably one of my biggest regrets.

My advice to new drinkers or anyone lacking in experience: make sure you're surrounded by your close friends or family when you start testing your limits, you don't want to get caught up with the wrong crowd or be taken advantage of on your night out. No-one expects to get targeted on a night out, but unfortunately these tragedies happen more than often. Unfortunately, we live in a scary society, you never know who you can trust nowadays. So, when on a night out, make sure you stick with your friends, never leave your drink unguarded and stay safe!


Bye for now! Xxx

Sunday 12 October 2014

Panic No More!

Hey there!

Following up from my last post on mental health, I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog post about one of the less-spoken about issues - panic attacks! Due to the lack of information and advertisements on this subject, many people are oblivious about this aspect of mental health. However, panic attacks affect a large majority of people and fall under one of the most common types of disorders, closely linked with anxiety.  

As an anxiety sufferer myself, this is a difficult subject to talk about and it frustrates me that even after hours of explaining, I'll never truly be able to make someone understand my emotions. Therefore, I feel it's my duty to write and inform others of the effects of anxiety, to help give you a better understanding and display ways in which you can show support. I dedicate this blog post specifically to my boyfriend as I've noticed in previous situations, he's had little idea how to diffuse the situation and sat helplessly, worrying on my behalf. Although recently I have seen an improvement, I still feel this would be a useful post - not only for him, but for many others having to deal with similar cases. 



Anxiety is an awful feeling, which can be extremely difficult to control and is often triggered unexpectedly - whether that be through fear or stress. In brief, anxiety is a sudden feeling of dread, a rush of intense psychological and physical symptoms. The individual often feels alone, trapped and unable to escape - most often, fearing their life. Side effects include feeling nauseous, light-headed, headaches, blurry vision and/or general feelings of disorientation.

Everyone in their lifetime suffer with different levels of this, ranging from a small worry about facing school tomorrow to a major event such as using public transport. However, stress isn't always a bad thing - if you were always calm and collected, homework tasks and mundane chores would never get completed. Only extreme cases of anxiety can lead to panic attacks, which feel scary and life threatening to the individual. 

As mentioned above, it's not always easy to understand how to deal with an anxiety sufferer in their time of need if you've never experienced a panic attack before. Therefore, I have listed some simple steps below to help diffuse a panicky situation: 

Step 1: if someone looks uncomfortable in a situation, offer some support - whether it be a smile or a gentle hug

Step 2: once involved, ensure that the sufferer is in a safe environment and protected from any potential harm

Step 3: try to understand how they're feeling and put yourself in their position

Step 4: remember that you are now in control of the situation, remain calm and maintain a soft tone of voice 

Step 5: remind your friend/relative that they're not alone and that you're going to help them get through this

Step 6: ensure you have good eye contact at all times and encourage the sufferer to slow their breathing by focusing their concentration on your breathing pattern

Step 7: play some gentle music and remain close until they feel at ease again




Bye for now! Xxx

Friday 10 October 2014

World Mental Health Day - 10/10/14

Hey there!

For any of you busy bodies, who are too busy with your nose trapped in a book, studying hard for school or just generally being proactive, you may not be aware that today is World Mental Health Day! A special day with the objective to inform individuals of major health issues, help them to understand their peers and learn how to deal with certain situations. This event is celebrated on the 10th October, focusing on a different aspect of mental health each year. 



Mental health is something I've always been interested in and extremely passionate about. It's a subject I find difficult to talk about, as I have previously dealt with it on a personal level and occasionally have to deal with relapses. I've always been known as the trustworthy one in my group at school and am often approached with private issues concerning my friends. I've never been one to judge and have been told on many occasions that I give useful advice. Therefore, I am reasonably knowledgeable on all things mental health and am confident in offering support to others in need.

However, despite the amount of information made available to people about this topic, I do feel it's something that needs to be drawn attention to more often. Many people nowadays, have been exposed to the general types of mental health such as depression and bipolar, whether it be through lectures at school, flyers posted around town or having to help support their peers through a difficult time. However, they are often completely oblivious to those issues, which aren't as advertised such as panic attacks. As an anxiety sufferer, it makes me mad at how ignorant some people are when it involves less-spoken about problems. Just because there isn't always enough information on specific aspects of mental health, doesn't mean they don't exist!

I am aware that it's difficult for an individual with no experiences of mental health to sympathise and understand their friends when going through a difficult stage. However, that's no excuse to treat others with disrespect. I've witnessed a situation where others have disregarded their friend and excluded them from events, due to their constant bouts of depression. It pained me to see this, but I couldn't interfere with the situation, so instead tried to support the victim where possible. This also made me realise that there clearly isn't enough information about. With more people becoming aware of mental health and their side effects, situations like this can be avoided!

If you ever feel threatened yourself or feel that one of your friends is in danger, I would definitely recommend visiting Childline. Counsellors are extremely supportive and are always available and willing to offer any support to those in need, at any hour of the day.  


The moral of this post is to just remember that what you say to others can have harmful effects, so think before you speak and learn how to respect your friend's feelings. If you know anyone who is suffering, don't make it obvious to surrounding others. Perhaps offer a smile or a gentle hug to brighten their day - small things can make a huge difference!

Bye for now! Xxx

Thursday 9 October 2014

Becoming a Better Blogger!

Hey there!


For a noticeable amount of weeks, I have been lacking in uploading content to my blog - choosing to live an unplugged lifestyle for a while. Although, I feel this break away from my computer was well-deserved,  I was itching to start typing away at my keyboard, bursting with new ideas to update my little slice of the Internet. 

From the content that I've read from other bloggers, I found that those which have planned posts for the entire month, week by week, are always those which turn out to be the most successful. I've never been one to plan my posts and just write whenever I have spare time, (which isn't often,) meaning my plans for posts are never on time or are rarely ever written!  So, to solve this problem, I've decided to invest in a planner - bit late in the year I know, but if it's going to keep me organised and prevent me from skipping out long weeks with no posts, then that's what I'll do! 

As you can see from my most recent posts, writing has always been something I've been passionate about and if I could make a living out of my hobby, that would be just perfect! Sharing my life with all of you is something I never thought I'd be doing this time last year! I had always considered starting a blog, but didn't feel my life would draw much attention and would just get wasted. I had no inner drive to create one and my organisation was extremely poor! 

I am extremely glad that I did pluck up the courage to make my own page and am proud of how far it has come - winning awards and gaining hits every single day! If you haven't already, I would definitely recommend that you start your own. Some days may be a struggle, with a lack of inspiration, but the rewards you earn from writing are so worth it!

Bye for now! Xxx

Wednesday 8 October 2014

#2 30 DAY CHALLENGE

Hey there!

Back again with yet another 30 Day Challenge post - hopefully this time my determination to upload will mean that I will NOT get behind! 


                                     

Day 02 - Where You'd Like to be in 10 years

For me this is a tough one - I'm not the kind of person who has a set career path or a plan for the future. Nor am I the person who has organised every tiny detail to get myself there. Making choices has always been difficult for me, so you can imagine how tough GCSE and A level options were! At the age of 14 I was still living my childhood: learning how to cope with puberty, exploring different friendship groups and generally trying to understand how life works when you grow up! I was nowhere near prepared for these life changing decisions. What I was unaware of back then was that: life is full of changes, no decision has a dead end. If you follow a route you're not happy with, take a different path and start a new adventure!

I'm constantly changing my mind and perception of life, so it's difficult to say exactly where I'd like to be in 10 years. I'd love to have worked my way into a high-end job, that pays huge sums of money for holidays abroad to fulfill my travelling dreams, living in a fancy house with a balcony, overlooking an exquisite view, married to my dream husband - the equivalent of Ryan Gosling and own a flashy, sports car - but that's all a bit cliche!

In a more realistic life, I feel I have the potential to find myself a decent job - where that is, I have yet to discover. I'd love to be able to blog for a living, but I think this is definitely more of a hobby. A job in finance sounds fancy, don't you think? Who knows, perhaps that's the route I'll take. As for my Ryan Gosling husband, maybe I've set my standards too high and I'm just being hopeful. I would like to think that by the age of 27, I'd have settled down with a lovely, looking man to spend the rest of my life with!

Bye for now! Xxx

All Children, Except One, Grow Up!

Hey there!

It's that time of year again - time to get out those warm, fluffy jumpers, woolly socks, burning scented candles, drinking creamy hot chocolates. Time to say goodbye to those dusk evenings and long, summer days and welcome in the cool, moonlit nights and cosy snuggles by the fire, tucked up underneath a bunch of blankets. 



It's safe to say this month for me started as a special one! For so long, I'd spent my whole time longing and dreaming for this moment - the transition from a passionate teen with big dreams to a young adult ready to embrace the real world and finally, last Friday was when all the celebrations began!

This year, I was lucky enough to celebrate this special occasion with all of my family and friends. Early morning snuggles with my boyfriend on this cold, autumnal day was definitely the best way to begin my 18TH, playing some old classics from my childhood CD's. Followed by a chilled evening at my favourite restaurant with my family, drinking my first legal alcoholic drink and munching on birthday cake. The following evening's celebrations, my boyfriend and I took a trip down to the local pub, because you can't celebrate your 18TH properly without a good few cocktails. It's safe to say that night will be a memory, never to be forgotten! So, to wrap up my busy weekend, I couldn't resist, but to spend my final birthday evening with a bunch of my close friends and a Chinese buffet - yummy!


Becoming an adult comes with adult responsibilities, stresses and a heavy workload! I'm now fully legal of age, responsible for my actions, that I can no longer blame on a younger sibling or pass onto another family member! I'll miss my childish sense of humour, the pranks I used to get away with and most of all, being able to borrow some small change from my parents or expecting to find my bedroom spotless! However, I'll no longer do I need to suffer the deep, penetrating fear of being sent away empty handed from shops with no proof of ID. No longer will I have to rely on my parents permission to go out for a good night!


But as the title of this post suggests, I am determined to be that exception - the girl who'll settle comfortably by the fire in her Bambi pyjama's, watching back-to-back Disney films, hoping for her fairytale to come true. Let's see how long this lasts for!

Bye for now! Xxx