23 YEAR OLD VIRGIN

Yep. You read that title right. I am legitimately talking about this on my blog, a public forum, discussing something that really isn't anyone's business. But this is the post I was looking for for years so I'm going to write it for the people like me.

2018

As I mentioned in my last post on my 2019 goals (click here to read that), every year I like to post a little round up of my year. I particularly want to do one for 2018 because in many aspects, it's been the best year I've ever had. That's not even exaggeration, I have never been happier and I want to remember how I felt this year for the rest of my life. Let's go back in time and see what happened, eh?

2019 GOALS

Here she comes again, blogging about New Years' Resolutions. I can't help it. This is like, the fifth?? time I've posted about my resolutions/goals for the New Year and I don't plan on stopping this train ever. I find it so helpful, even if I don't accomplish them all. I wouldn't say I'm goal driven, but I like to plan and have aspirations and guidelines. I don't like things to be up in the air or unsettled, I like end dates and countdowns and solid plans and concrete ideas of what's going on. I know NY resolutions aren't for everyone and that's okay.

IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

I accidentally came off my medication this week. I had maybe 10 days where I didn't take any tablets and I felt totally fine. Maybe this time I'd finally cracked it, I'd become one of those people with a happy life who didn't require medication to feel normal. And then two days ago the sads set in and the fog settled in and I remembered why I need them. Yet, I continued off them, thinking I could power through and be fine and never have to take them ever again. As you can probably tell by the tone of these few sentences, that's not the case. And that's why I took my first 20mg citalopram tablet in 10 days about 10 minutes ago.

LIFE AS A PLUS SIZE GAL

Now, this probably is not the first blog post you've read on the subject of being plus size. I hope not anyway. Body positivity has become a widespread phenomenon and rightly so. For too long, women have been told to hate themselves for the way their body looks so taking back that power is bloody brilliant and I love how my timelines are full of beautiful confident women being unashamed what they look like. Your fave geordie chica is no skinny minnie. I never have been and so genuinely don't know what it's like to navigate the world in a body that isn't bigger than others'. I've wanted to write about this for a while but it's hard building up the courage to do so. Putting up a picture is one thing, letting people in on your soul is another. This is not a post I've bashed out in one evening, it's been sat in my drafts and been written over a larger period of time and mulled over since before I even started packing to move to Lanzarote. Be nice, I guess?

PCOS

So, how many of you have heard of PCOS? How many know what the letters stand for? And what they actually mean? 
PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Which means PCOS sufferers have cysts on the ovaries. Except when they don't. Welcome to the fun! Side note: this post is not for the faint of heart or those who don't like TMI when it comes to female anatomy. 

LONG DISTANCE

Long distance is hard. This is not a new concept for me. Six years ago I started university in a city 260 miles away from home, leaving my friends and family behind. I then did my year abroad at a university a further 1,340 miles away. I then graduated and started a job 2,500 miles away. I have friends and family miles and miles and miles away and it's hard. However, when you say the phrase 'long distance', what comes to mind is a long distance romantic relationship. And now I'm in one of those too. Currently a 262 mile distance apart. It's like I'm a glutton for punishment or something.

WHY TEACHING ISN'T FOR ME

Now, to everyone who's asked me in the last six months or so what my plan was after this year in Lanzarote, I've said "I'm going to apply to do my PGCE". Everyone who's asked me in the last three months or so has received the answer "I'm going to apply to do my PGCE at Oxford". Oxford obviously entered my headspace because my beau lives in Oxfordshire and studying at Oxford gave me a way to him. How could I not want to be close to this wee hunk?

GUESS WHO'S BACK

I haven't written anything for my blog for three months. One of my resolutions this year was to post every month. Lol. I tend to only come here when I'm feeling the sads. But not today. Today I have a life update, yay!

THERAPY

Therapy isn't easy. 

2017

I'm such a basic blogger because the only post you can ever count on coming from me is a wrap up at New Years. Even though I have two essays due for my MA, 19 days in which to write them and 0 words written so far. Oops. Get back to me with a guilt trip tomorrow please. 

30 BEFORE THIRTY

I've seen a few of my fave youtubers posting these lists recently and I'm all for lists and goals so here we go, welcome to the 30 things I want to achieve before I'm 30. At 23 and a bit I think I'm leaving myself a decent amount of time; I have 349 weeks to achieve them so wish me luck and also help me if you can lol. I imagine these will change in their level of importance as I get older but having them written down will also show my growth so that's cool too. Yay for goals.

LIL TIPS FOR WHEN YOU'RE FEELING SAD

Today is world mental health day and my timelines have been flooded with posts about it and advice and I thought I'd give you some of my tried and tested methods. As you should all know by now (cos I never stop bloody saying so), my brain doesn't always work properly and I have some chemicals missing and I suffer a bit from depression and anxiety. It's a bummer. Some days I fall into a pit of misery and despair and can't bring myself to do anything. And some days I fall into a pit of misery and despair and remember these tips and it helps a little bit.

CRAVING A MASSIVE CHANGE

First of all I have to say a massive thank you for the response to my last post about being ghosted by a guy on tinder - I really didn't expect it to do so well and so the fact it's become my second most viewed post so far is amazing. Your supportive comments were so appreciated. Just to clarify, I waited a while before publishing that post so I wasn't as like... broken as it seemed. I waited until I had processed everything and was ready so don't worry, I'm totally fine! Anyway, on to today's slice of fun. 

There are people who don't deal well with change, but I'm not one of them. Okay, yeah, I need routine to function properly and changes can disrupt that somewhat but I seem to cope quite well with big life changes - I took myself off to university in Norwich, and then Spain, and back to Norwich again. I finished university and moved to Lanzarote to start a job in nothing I'd ever done before. I decided to apply for a masters degree, not as the easier option of my old university where I had an unconditional offer and guaranteed fee discount, but at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. I'm not afraid of either the challenge or the changes that come with doing something new. It's something that actually makes me really proud of myself, because I was never that person when I was younger, and to be fair, doesn't make a lot of sense with who I am now.

GHOST STORIES WITH KATY

Like most single people in their early twenties, I have profiles on dating apps. I tend to go between Tinder and OKCupid but to be honest I haven't had a whole lot of success with either of them for a number of reasons - my heart wasn't in it, the distance between us was too far, haven't properly clicked with people, stuff like that. This is a story of what was almost a success but what inevitably turned to shit. I was ghosted by a Tinder boy, it messed with my head and so I'm dealing with it the way I always do - turning to today's cheapest form of therapy - blogging about it.

7/12

Hi pals. I have missed blogging but ya gal is so busy that life just catches up on you and then you're almost eight months into the year and WHAT IS TIME?!
I keep a little list of all the blog posts I want to write and genuinely have the best intentions to write them but having a nap is way easier than trying to formulate articulate and interesting blog posts. HOWEVER, you're in luck because I got back off me holidays today and 8pm isn't really a good time for me to be going to bed so I've got the laptop out and shall be tippy tapping until the cows come home. The last time we spoke was after the horrendous attacks in Manchester, just before I finished my year working in Lanzarote.

MANCHESTER

There are some events that affect you more than others.

Last night, a suicide bomber attacked a concert venue in Manchester. 

Just after Ariana Grande finished her set, fans were subjected to the worst end to a night. 22 and counting lost their lives. The first named are just kids. Many are injured or missing. My social media feeds are filled with support, love, prayers, thoughts. I've seen so many offers of help and solidarity. The outpouring of raw emotion, whether that be anger in what's happened, pride in a city that's come together in support, or sympathy for those involved, has overtaken most people's feeds, and thoughts, today.

RESOLUTIONS

Hi pals, me again.
Just wanted to say thank you for the phenomenal response to my last post, it's since become one of my most read ever which is so lovely.
Today I'm just writing a little catch up on the resolutions I made at new year. We're now 1/3 of the way through 2017 which blows my tiny mind so it seemed like the perfect time to check in and see how well I may or may not be doing with them. Let's gooooooo

SOME THINGS ABOUT ME YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW

Enthralling title I know, very short and snappy. Soz pals. Anyway, I've seen this floating around a few blogs that I read so I thought it might be nice to have another lil list post but have this one all about me. Even though most of the people that read this know me in real life and therefore probably know most of these "facts" (lol #pretentious). Whatever. It's nice even just for me to list all sorts of stuff about me because I'm great and love all the things that make me, me. Let's get on with it, eh? 

BEST BOOKS OF 2017 SO FAR

Hello friends, we meet again. Lol, poet.
Essentially what I'm writing today is a mini wrap up of what I've read so far this year and highlighting my faves as recommendations to you all, cos nobody hates a book recommendation, do they?