Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts

Girl reading The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

The last few months have not been easy. Being in lockdown has been a challenge for us all but for some of us, it has been an even bigger battle. One thing that came out of my recent therapy sessions is that I need to be kinder to myself. I need to learn how to be confident in myself and not see my weaknesses as completely detrimental. 

    Since then, I've been on a little journey of self-confidence in learning how to identify unhealthy behaviours and make them healthier. I think we all need to not just be kinder to ourselves, but learn how to  instead. We can be kinder to ourselves by treating ourselves to a bar of chocolate or a new Dior bag. However, that's only short term. By 'learning', we can create long term healthy habits. Here are four tips that can help boost self-confidence:


Be proud of what you’ve achieved- How often do you stop and reflect on what you’ve achieved? I can’t remember the last time I did that and that’s an issue. We continue to achieve every single day and that should be recognised. I don’t think about what I have overcome or really acknowledge all the amazing things I’ve done in the past three months. And they’re a pretty big deal. I just graduated with first class honours, woah! As humans, we tend to have the habit of chasing one thing after another, never really feeling fulfilled at what we’ve already done. When you have a moment, think about everything you have done in the past week, month or even year. The most important thing is that you can smile about it and think, I did that.


Don’t put too much pressure on yourself- Do you know what’s human? Making mistakes. No one is that perfect and if they are, they’re lying. In order to be kind to ourselves, we have to allow room for errors. We’re going to get things wrong from time to time and that’s how we learn and overcome it. By putting so much pressure on ourselves, we’re missing the opportunity to learn and grow from experiences. And Rome wasn’t built in a day. Things take time and they’ll take as long as they need to.


Rupi Kaur The Sun and Her Flowers


Accepting you don’t have complete control over everything that happens- Anxiety often stems from a lack of control. In situations where we’re not in control, we often feel anxious. I get waves of anxiety that tend to last a few weeks to a few months. I guess it never really goes away but I’ve learnt how best to manage it, if you will. One thing I always get told is to focus on what I can and am able to control. This can be quite difficult in some situations especially where we feel helpless. Take the coronavirus, we can’t control that or being in lockdown but we can control how we choose to act and use our time now that we’re at home more often than not. We can control some things and we can’t with others. Finding a balance is really helpful and focusing on what we can control.


Treat yourself- I’ll admit that use those two words a lot normally. I only realised the impact of not treating yourself when I starved myself of that. Pre-lockdown,  I’d treat myself by going shopping or buying artisan doughnuts (so so good). But since we went into lockdown and I was struggling with everything including really bad acne, I stopped. I stopped feeling worthy of myself and stopped being kind to myself. One way you can treat yourself Covid friendly is to buy flowers. Flowers can make all the difference by brightening up the space and making the room feel happier. My Nan said to buy flowers for someone when they’re sad and that’s a good lesson to remember. So, whether it’s your favourite doughnut, flowers or something pink (my happy colour), remember to treat yourself and do things that make you smile. 


Love, Aoife xo



The French have a saying, “La vie appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt,” which in English means “Life belongs to those who rise early!” Now, while I agree that waking up at 6AM gives you the whole day to use to be as productive as you can, sometimes you can be just as productive waking up a little later. 

As a third-year student, I have lists upon lists coming out of my ears of all the things I need to do. Even more so as a journalism student. I'm only in two days a week so the other three days are used for chasing up people for interviews, research and writing. Sounds simple but it's really not and fellow writers and journalism students will understand, especially on NCTJ accredited courses. 

Regardless of whether you're on top of your game, or in the pits of despair, procrastination will inevitably set in. I've come up with four tips and tricks to help you stay motivated, productive and less stressed. And to help push procrastination back a few hours.


ONE // Make realistic to-do lists

This was something I figured out quite early on. I would make myself a to-do list with everything I wanted to do and when the day finished I hadn’t even completed the first thing. Sometimes to-do lists are full of really big things that require a lot more time than we have to give to it. Instead of listing all the big projects that need completing, specify the parts that need doing. When you break them down into smaller tasks, they become more manageable and you’ll be ticking a lot more things of your to-do list.

TWO // Set the time

Setting yourself working hours encourages you to use those hours productively. I procrastinate less when I know I have a couple of hours of free time in the evening. The amount of work that needs doing will increase and fluctuate throughout the year but I find it helpful to set a cut off point to allow my mind to reset. I usually stop working at 6ish but I might continue on longer if I’m in the zone and happy. 



THREE // Get Active

A lot of the work I set myself is mind-based, getting active and working out is exercise for the body and allows your mind time to have a little break. A lot of my procrastination tactics involve doing something physical so this tip really helps me to focus. Whether its a walk around the block or workout at the gym, both are just as beneficial. After all, it's important to keep a happy body and a happy mind.

FOUR // Set Incentives

Sometimes we need a little incentive to help motivate us in reaching our goals. Of course, knowing you’ll reach that goal is an incentive in itself. But a little help along the way just sweetens the deal. For example, I told myself if I went to the gym consistently for two weeks then I'd buy myself some more sportswear. Or if I posted consecutively on my blog, I'd buy myself some Air Force 1's. And let's just say, I have a new pair of trainers and I've earned myself some new gym wear. 


What tips and tricks do you do to help you be more productive? Comment Below x

Love, Aoife xo

The other day I was looking around on InTheGloss when I came across a post by Anna Stevenett, who after trying all forms, had written about her experiences with different types of hair removal. Click to read the original post, The Best ways to Remove Body Hair. Anna divided her opinions into pro’s and con’s of each method that she had tried. It was quite a fun read so I thought I’d do the same.


Shaving- 
Pro’s: Quick and simple. It is one of the cheapest methods too. When done properly, your legs can feel silky smooth.

Con’s: On the other hand, it can be massively time-consuming. If you want it done well you need to exfoliate, shave and moisturise. All of which cannot be done in under five minutes, I've tried. Plus, you're bound to get cut every time you shave and end up with missed patches.


Waxing- 
Pro’s: As painful as it is, I love waxing. I love how it lasts for two/ three weeks. If I could afford it, I would get it done every time. Honestly, the greatest thing ever and the hair grows back softer as well.

Con’s: Pretty hurts I'm afraid. And unfortunately, waxing can hurt like hell. The good news is you will find over time that your pain tolerance increases. The bad news is it might take a while to get there. Waxing can become quite expensive depending on what you get. But it's completely worth paying to get it done in a salon rather than it at home.


Hair removal cream- 
Pro’s: Hair removal cream feels like a more softer approach when it comes to hair removal. There’s no blade involved which means you are less likely to cause any physical damage to yourself. Hair regrowth is a little slower compared to shaving but it's not a huge difference.

Con’s: In short- it smells. Hair removal cream comes with a very particular scent and it’s not the most pleasant of smells. When using the cream, you are often sat immobile on the bathroom floor waiting for it to work. If you move, you risk the chance of smudging the cream everywhere.


Epilating- 
Pro’s: After only managing to epilate a small section of my shin, I found the hair didn’t fully grow back until almost a year later. Crazy, I know.

Con’s: The most painful form of hair removal ever! Just the mere thought sends shivers down my spine. Not only do you have to deal with the physical pain but the buzz of the rotating head still sets goosebumps everywhere.


No hair removal-

Pro’s: It clears up a huge chunk of time and can be quite empowering.

Con’s: Unfortunately, personal preference has me leaning toward methods of actual hair removal. Since the hair on my legs tends to irritate me, it doesn't stick around long.



So there are my opinions and thoughts on the four methods that I have used. The best kind of hair removal is down to personal preference and choice. I'm curious about the other forms of hair removal out there. Laser and Sugaring are down on my list to try next.

Comment below your thoughts on hair removal and if you’ve tried any other methods.

Love, Aoife x