A Close Call with Depression

Hey Internet,

So. I did it again. I totally got overwhelmed with everything in my life and completely forgot about this blog. A lot has happened and I have grown up a lot in the past year or so. I've been through a lot in the past few months especially and I got very close to falling over the cliff into something I'm not sure how to deal with. Now that I've made a complete turn around and I feel completely back to myself, I want to share some things with the world. I came scarily close to depression and the reason I managed to stay above water was because of so much support I received. Which leads me to the reason for this post; if I can talk about my experience and help maybe one person, then that makes me feel amazing. If I can very slightly support one person, then everything is worthwhile. 

Let me first put out there that I'm not depressed, I never have been and I hope (touch wood) that I never will be. 

What's my story you ask? Well, it's a very long one. I am a very lucky person. I have everything I need and most of what I want. I live in a safe and loving home and I get to go to school every day. I have never, ever pitied myself because I know I am one of the very few people who are happy. I had been Vice-College Captain at my school for about 4 or 5 months which makes me so happy, it is a position I love to fill. There was talks of me receiving scholarships to big universities and being the first in my classes. Everything was absolutely perfect; I remember actually saying to myself that there was nothing else that could have made it better, everything was working out the way it should. 

Then, our school suffered the loss of not only an amazing teacher, but an amazing friend, guidance councillor and person in general. The woman that passed away was a complete inspiration to me, she was everything I wanted to be and I hope that one day I can even be half the person she was. She was my favourite teacher and someone I considered like a mother. She guided me and genuinely cared. Her passing was a shock to us all, she was young and healthy, so you can imagine the reaction of us all. 

I'll cut this down as short as I can, but I didn't let myself grieve when I needed to. I unconsciously pushed it all back and focused on everyone else. Combined with health concerns for a family member, recovering from a break-up and being stressed out by school, it had a big impact on me. However, I did everything in my power to make everyone else feel better. With my position in the school I was required to help plan and present a memorial, so I buried myself into that. Soon after that finished, I had to finish assignments, then complete the QCS test (google it) and then finish some of my final exams. What I didn't realise was that I still needed to grieve but I kept it pushed down. I felt sad all the time and felt nothing like myself but I didn't understand why. I didn't say anything to anyone because I thought I was just being silly and looking for attention.

Now this is the first thing I want to share. I realise now that it wasn't attention seeking and I really did need some help because I didn't know what to do. Don't ever feel like you are being silly. You aren't. Even if it's something tiny, don't bottle it up, that will make it worse. Someone is there for you, I promise. 

When the sad feelings kept persisting after about 6 weeks, I decided to talk to my best friend about it. I had a long phone call with her, and whilst she couldn't tell me why I was upset, she assured me that she was always here for me. That made me feel a little better because it didn't feel so much like I was by myself. 

Apparently, the supportive teachers at my school had noticed my change in behaviour though and were concerned. My drama teacher decided to speak to me after all my exams were finished. She was concerned because my grades were dropping and knew that wasn't like me. It all hit me at once and I suddenly realised why I was always upset. Long story short, I had to speak to a lot of teachers, cry a lot, see guidance officers and psychologists. It took a long time to feel better because I spent so long pushing it back. I've gotten a lot of special consideration for my marks because I wasn't in a good mental state which is very lucky, but if I had just dealt with my feelings sooner everything could have been avoided. 

Don't bottle it up. If you know you aren't fine, say something. Acknowledge your feelings. Someone said to me "Be gentle with yourself. You aren't stone, you are tissue that sometimes gets ripped or wet and needs to be repaired." Don't be afraid to ask for help. You aren't alone, that is one thing I have learnt through all this. I also learnt that I'm not as strong as I think I am. I am breakable and I need to accept that. 

I hope you, whoever is reading this, have taken something from my long and probably boring story. Whether it's that now you know someone else has been through what you are, or that what you are feeling isn't so silly or that maybe you do need to talk to someone. Even me! I can tell you writing this all down has been very therapeutic, so maybe you could do that and send it to me. 

Just remember to breathe. 

G x 

Hair Care Tippers

Hey Internet,

On this wonderful march evening, I have a few hair care tips that can boost your shine and softness. Just a note, some of these suggestions might not work for your hair, so experiment and see what works best!

FOR DRY HAIR THAT NEEDS A BOOST
When I highlighted my hair, it absolutely drained all moisture from it. My hair was always frizzy and would knot constantly. Here is a few tips that I used to help get some life back into it.

Always, Always Condition!

If you are like me and have super oily hair, then usually you might just put conditioner into the lengths of your hair, or be super naughty and not condition at all. That's a crime! Conditioning, or something similar, is extremely important, especially if you have used some sort of dye or bleach in it. Every time you wash your hair, make sure you put conditioner through it and leave it for a while. I tend to shave my legs while I leave it in, giving it some time to soak in before I wash it out. When I highlighted my hair, I put a tiny amount into my roots as well. If you are someone with dry hair, then you don't have to worry to much about putting too much in, but for people with oily hair be careful you don't put too much in and make sure you properly rinse it out. If your hair is breaking and super duper dry, once you have got out of the shower and towel dried your hair, put a little conditioner in, or a special leave in conditioner, and leave it in until you wash your hair next. Deep conditioning treatments are a great step too, and I tend to do that about once a week, twice if my hair needs it. Plus, don't wash your hair everyday, first of all it dries it out by stripping all the nutrients and natural oils, but it will also make your hair greasier quicker.

COCO-LOCO 
A great deep conditioning natural product is coconut oil. This stuff smells amazing and is super great for your hair. I dampen my hair, put a whole load of oil into it, and leave it for a good 30-40 minutes. When the time is up, shampoo your hair really well, because if you don't do it properly your hair will be super greasy and not looking hot. However, if you are having a lounge around day, I find that I don't completely rinse the oil out, leave it all day, then clean it later, it thanks me for just that little boost. But be careful! If your hair doesn't desperately need it, it can make your hair look greasy for a few days. If you can't get a hold of coconut oil, which you can usually find at your supermarket, then olive oil is a great substitute. 

USE A SHOWER COMB

Brushing your hair while it's wet is actually breaking and damaging it! Instead of brushing it after you get out of the shower, get yourself a shower comb, and use it while you have conditioner in your hair. It will be thankful for not being pulled and snagged, and if your hair is a little knotty after you dry it, use the shower comb again. 


LESS HEAT EQUALS SMOOTH AND SLEEK

Using a hair dryer, straightener, curling iron or anything that is hot, is killing your hair! If you straighten everyday or blow dry each time you wash your hair, I challenge you to go two weeks without it, and your hair will start to feel a lot less dry and a lot more nourished. Using hot tools once in a while is ay-oh-kay, but try to use a heat protectant, they do actually work. 

OILY COILY

Each time you finish your hair, put a smoothing oil or balm through it, it will give it a little boost and make it less frizzy and more shiny. I like to put it all through my hands, and coil my hair around my hand, hence the title. Of course, this isn't something vital, but it does make your hair look healthier while you are in the transition stage between Bellatrix La Strange and Eva Longoria. 





Hope that helps! 
Let me know if you would like any more tips and tricks!

Georgia x

Pick Me Up's

Hey Internet,

I was having a bit of a horrible day, so I found some gorgeous pictures with beautiful quotes on them to brighten my day, and thought you might like them. Enjoy.

Making A Party Playlist...

Hey Internet,

So I am sat here at midday on Monday, feeling sick and trying to think of something to write about. As usual I am listening to Taylor Swift, and absent-mindedly thinking about what songs I am going to play at my birthday party. Then I realise that would be a good topic! Here's a few tips you might find useful...

When you hear a song that makes you smile or dance around, write it down!

When your sat in the car listening to the radio, or watching video's on YouTube and a song comes on that has a good beat and catchy lyrics, write it down somewhere! Paper, phone, your leg, anywhere! That means that once it actually comes to making it, you'll have all these songs already!

Use songs that become breakthroughs!
Friday, Baby, Call Me Maybe... you know the ones I'm on about.

Don't constantly use the same artist!
If any of you knew me, you would understand I have a slight obsession with Taylor Swift, however when it comes to making a playlist, if I just put her album on repeat, people would get bored. If you have that favourite artist, pick 5 songs tops that you absolutely love and will get people in the party mood! 

Pick songs that people can dance too!
If you pick songs that are depressing, sad and slow, it will be a downer and people will stop dancing. Pick songs with a good beat or even better pick remixes of your favourite songs! 

Make sure your playlist will last for a good few hours!
If your playlist finishes, it will repeat and probably get boring! Lets get smart here and do some maths, on average, songs are usually around 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Lets go with the 4 minutes to make life easier. To get an hour of 4 minute songs you need  15 songs, (and if you had 2 minute songs you would need 30 for an hour). So, for every hour you estimate your party to be, pick at least 15 songs! 

If your really stuck for songs, use an album like Now That's What I Call Music! or Ministry of Sound.
These albums usually have some good, popular songs, but be careful because you might get a few of those sad slow ones we talked about!

Pick popular songs!
Songs that people know the lyrics to will be a good pick because they get really get into the song. They can sing the lyrics stupidly to their friends and they know the beat, meaning better dancing! ;)





Hope I helped..
G x

Quotable Quote

"You're lucky enough to be different, don't ever change..."


Taylor Swift

Dog walking!

Out in the cold fresh air for a walk with the dog!

Tips when studying for an exam!

Dear Internet,

So, obviously being a student myself and a nearly straight A student, I get questions a lot on how I manage to do so well (god that sounds braggy haha). I have high standards of myself and also my parents try to help me in any way possible and I try to please them. I have strategies that help me as well, and here are some of my tips!

Use a notebook!

Scientist have found that writing things down makes you remember things better than typing with a laptop. So get that dusty old notebook out and start writing!

Write with colours!

Another scientifically proven fact is that if you use colours, you remember things more. I mostly use pink, purple, green and blue pens. Orange can be accepted too, but don't use yellow, because you cant see it most of the time! 

Use sticky notes!

If you have a massive text book or a notebook filled with way to much information, use sticky notes to label all the information that is relevant or important.

Make a list of everything you need to know!

Find everything important and write it on sheets of A3 paper, once you have one set of notes, do two more and stick one on your wall in your room, one on the mirror in your bathroom and one on the fridge!

Ask your teacher for as much revision as they can give you!

Your teachers will know the test, so they will tell you exactly what you need to know and what isn't relevant.

Start revising a month before the exam!

This is how I revise;
One month before the exam: 2-4 hours of revision that week
3 weeks before the exam: 3-5 hours of revision that week
2 weeks before the exam: 3 hours during the week and 2-3 hours on the weekend
1 week before the exam: 4-5 hours during the week and 3-4 hours on the weekend 
The day before the exam: 4-6 hours that evening/afternoon
The day of the exam: Just quickly go over your important notes for about 5 minutes every half an hour before the exam. 

Get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before!

The more sleep you get means that your brain will operate properly, if you hardly sleep at all, everything in your head that you spent all night revising will turn to mush!

Don't panic!

If you work yourself up about the big test, you will walk in stressed out and will probably not to as well as you could. Keep calm and do the best you can.


Hope this helps,

G x