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Thursday 22 February 2018

THE IMPORTANCE OF SPENDING TIME ON YOUR OWN



I think people often associate spending time on your own as a negative thing, or that you're a loner/have minimal friends. I mean, that may be the case but what's the problem there anyway? I find spending time on my own to be a great place to clear your head and look after yourself. Don't get me wrong, sometimes if I spend too much time in my own company, I crave human interaction and spending time with good people can keep you sane. But i'm not focussing on that on this post, I'm focussing on spending time by yourself.

I think that spending time alone, you learn more about yourself, how you think and what you want to do with your time. It's important to know yourself properly before anyone else does. Go for a coffee by yourself, go shopping by yourself, go for a walk by yourself. All of these things allow you to get to know yourself. Sometimes it can be difficult to actually pluck up the courage and confidence to go out by yourself. I often feel anxious before going out alone, anxious that people will judge you for being out alone or that you won't know what to do in your own company. 

I love going out for coffee by myself. Mostly because I just love going out for coffee, but also because I've learnt to enjoy sitting by myself, either people watching, reading or just staring into space and letting my mind wander. I find it so refreshing, and I usually feel so much better after doing it. I also love meeting friends for coffee and chatting for hours, so it's good to try and balance doing both. 



Also, I hate going shopping with other people (other than my mum). I like wandering around the shops, not feeling guilty for trying 16 items on in Zara, and then going back and trying on another 5. Stopping for a tea and a croissant, and then stopping again for a hot chocolate and sandwich 45 minutes later without someone saying "you're hungry again? Don't you want to wait a while?". Feeling rushed while shopping is the worst, shopping is therapy and having the wrong company while shopping is just stressful. 




I'm not saying that spending time on your own is more important than spending time with others, but you need to find that balance. Spending time with friends and family keep you grounded and happy, and seeing those people regularly is so important. However I also think making time for yourself and spending time on your own is just as important. 

Saturday 3 February 2018

THE STRESS OF LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE



January lasted way too long for my liking and I'm over the moon that it's finally February. I like February; 1. because it's not January 2. because it's one step closer to sunnier mornings and warmer days. I really struggled throughout Jan... I was low on money, the view out of my window at work was grey, foggy and rainy every day and it felt like I never saw any sun light. 

I'm desperate to book a holiday. The thought of being somewhere hot with the freedom of doing what I want and not feeling guilty to lie horizontally for 8 hours whilst sipping on a pina colada, could almost make me sob with happiness. Sometimes it makes me feel a tad depressed when you work full time, working towards at least one holiday a year and even that seems a struggle. That's what I wanted to touch on, as a twenty something living (just outside) of London and working in London, you feel the pressure to be constantly living your best ever life. 



You feel like you should be going to THAT bar, or THAT restaurant on saturday night, going for avocado on toast and an almond milk rose latte which costs £30.00 for sunday brunch, booking several weekends away, going on a paradise holiday, constantly adding to your savings account, excelling in your career annnnnd managing your relationships. If you're not managing all of that, then you're doing something wrong. 

The FOMO you get once you go onto Instagram and someone has been to that brunch place that has been on your list for the last six months, or someone else has gone travelling the same route has you’ve been dreaming about. It's not even FOMO, it's anxiety.  Anxiety you're not successful enough, that you're not achieving enough. This generation is so obsessed with money and everything is judged depending on how expensive it is. It’s easy to forget that the £4.99 full English INCLUDING COFFEE from that greasy cafe down the road is actually so much more delicious than your £30 avo on toast from the instagrammable coffee shop in Notting Hill, or that you’d rather go to your local pub on Saturday night for a few glasses of standard Rose, which is more fun than that edgy sushi restaurant in Shoreditch. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always the case.. but a lot of the time it is.

There are so many things I want to do and achieve in my life, especially while I’m young with minimal responsibilites. However, I need to remind myself that there isn’t a rush, and I shouldn’t load so much pressure on myself to do everything before I’m 25. I do want to start saving money, to move out and (potentially) go travelling at some point, I do want to work through my list of restaurants and cafes, I want to go on Safari in Africa, I want to possibly one day buy myself a Chloe bag... there's a random mixture there but I will achieve them at some point. Whether that's is in 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years. These things will come in time, it's easy to forget to actually enjoy life and moment you're in. 





Most of the time, it's the smaller things in life that make you happy. 
I'm excited for the rest of the year and what it will bring, I'm trying my best to have a positive outlook on most aspects of my life now, it makes things a lot easier.