Who do I want to be?
Surely the best me that I can be,
but that's not all...
I want to be fierce and strong,
like a lion.
I want be the one who rules my life,
like a queen.
I want to be unique, an individual, one of a kind,
like a snow flake.
I want be beautiful like a tree,
and powerful like the wind.
I want to be able to stand alone,
but still be able to stand with others.
I want to be firm, but fair,
assertive but kind.
I want to be confident,
and know exactly who I am.
My journey began long ago,
but it is now that I will decide to turn
in a new direction
which will lead me to my destination.
It's going to be a strange new route,
but I'm going to take it.
I am going to be the best me that I can be,
because I am going to find who I really am.
The person that I want to be,
is going to be the person who I really am,
I just need to uncover her
and show her to the world.
I will be the best me that I can be.
Thursday 27 November 2014
Sunday 16 November 2014
how to reduce stress
The idea behind this post is very simple, I'm just going to explain ways in which I have reduced stress for myself, particularly in an educational and work environment.
The key to reducing stress is to stop doing what makes you stressed, in theory it sounds easy but in practice it can be very difficult. If you are stressed with the amount of work you get at school, you obviously can't just stop doing work- partly because you'll get in trouble, but partly because it'll make you even more stressed when you finally start again and realise you have so much more work than you did before.
One way that I've reduced my stress levels is to make lists and timetables. Making lists is easy- I simply write down what I need to do and cross it off as I do it. Not only does this give me a physical view of what I need to do, but I can also keep track easily of what I've done and so pace myself accordingly. Making timetables is something else that has helped me. They're not always neat and don't make sense to everyone, but I write down what I need to do and give myself a time to do it from and until. So, let's say I have a few things to do, I'd write down something like:
9:00-10:00 - clean room
10:15- 11:15 - subject 1- homework
11:20- 12:00 - subject 2- essay
12:00- 13:00 - lunch
Obviously my timetables are not exactly like that, as they contain more details of what I have to do, and I don't always include the task end times, but hopefully you understand what I mean now. Also, it's important to include little breaks if you're doing homework- your mind needs a rest.
When I have a lot of work to do at college, I always create lists or timetables to allow me to get through what I need to do in the time that I have to do it. I'm also very good at getting work done usually on the day that it is given to me, so I think that's a huge reason as to why my stress levels can remain low through periods when I have a lot of work, so if you're the type of person who usually does work at the last minute and you get stressed about it easily, try your hardest to get it done as soon as possible. Go into the library at school or college and get an hour of work out of the way, and then that gives you an extra hour in the evening to relax.
If you're doing your work early but you're still stressed about it, speak to your teacher. It may seem scary to do this because you might think that they'll just shout at you but they will try to help you through it. They may say that you can leave one or two pieces of work until you have less work to do in your other subjects and do it then. You will most likely still have to do the work, but they may extend the due date for you. It's just important to be honest with your teachers. Doing many subjects and getting work for each one soon adds up and it can be too much for some people at certain times, so your teachers will understand if you have to focus more on one subject than another at one point in time, for example, if you have a deadline for one subject, your other teachers will be a bit more lenient with you and when you give your work in.
I do not have as much experience in a work environment as in an educational environment, but when I become stressed at work, I simply push through until I have a chance to have at least a one minute break, and then if I can, I will try to temporarily change what task I'm doing to one that means I can avoid the stress for at least a minute or two. That small amount of time to just relax a bit does help me a lot.
One thing I do know is that in order to reduce stress, you must reduce contact with what stresses you. So, if you have a friend who is adding to your stress- tell them that just for now, you need a little break from speaking to them in order to do whatever you need to do. They should understand and will be happily waiting for you to return to being able to speak to them. Also, they may notice that you're stressed and just find your easier to speak to when you're not stressed, so they may welcome you to have a little break and then feel a lot better about speaking to when you return feeling less stressed.
The final piece of advice I can give you is taking care of yourself: eating healthily, drinking water, exercising a little bit, such as going for a short walk each day, and getting enough sleep will do absolute wonders in reducing your stress levels. Along with this, you may also want to do things such as having baths at the end of a long day, lighting scented candles, watching your favourite movie or tv show and just spending the evening relaxing. This will reduce your stress as well as make you feel more prepared for the next day of life and doing whatever you need to do.
I'll just quickly share some of my 'DO's and 'DON'T's of reducing stress...
DO take time out to relax
DO speak to someone you trust and tell them that you're feeling stressed
DO put yourself first when you need to
DO keep yourself healthy through eating well, etc
DON'T get angry at yourself: the stressful situation won't last forever
DON'T try to take your stress out on yourself: physical or mental harm to yourself will only make the situation worse as it'll just add another thing to be stressed about
DON'T avoid chances to relax of just have a break: your mind and body need a rest
DON'T avoid the work you need to get done: it needs to be done at some point, don't put it off all together
The key to reducing stress is to stop doing what makes you stressed, in theory it sounds easy but in practice it can be very difficult. If you are stressed with the amount of work you get at school, you obviously can't just stop doing work- partly because you'll get in trouble, but partly because it'll make you even more stressed when you finally start again and realise you have so much more work than you did before.
One way that I've reduced my stress levels is to make lists and timetables. Making lists is easy- I simply write down what I need to do and cross it off as I do it. Not only does this give me a physical view of what I need to do, but I can also keep track easily of what I've done and so pace myself accordingly. Making timetables is something else that has helped me. They're not always neat and don't make sense to everyone, but I write down what I need to do and give myself a time to do it from and until. So, let's say I have a few things to do, I'd write down something like:
9:00-10:00 - clean room
10:15- 11:15 - subject 1- homework
11:20- 12:00 - subject 2- essay
12:00- 13:00 - lunch
Obviously my timetables are not exactly like that, as they contain more details of what I have to do, and I don't always include the task end times, but hopefully you understand what I mean now. Also, it's important to include little breaks if you're doing homework- your mind needs a rest.
When I have a lot of work to do at college, I always create lists or timetables to allow me to get through what I need to do in the time that I have to do it. I'm also very good at getting work done usually on the day that it is given to me, so I think that's a huge reason as to why my stress levels can remain low through periods when I have a lot of work, so if you're the type of person who usually does work at the last minute and you get stressed about it easily, try your hardest to get it done as soon as possible. Go into the library at school or college and get an hour of work out of the way, and then that gives you an extra hour in the evening to relax.
If you're doing your work early but you're still stressed about it, speak to your teacher. It may seem scary to do this because you might think that they'll just shout at you but they will try to help you through it. They may say that you can leave one or two pieces of work until you have less work to do in your other subjects and do it then. You will most likely still have to do the work, but they may extend the due date for you. It's just important to be honest with your teachers. Doing many subjects and getting work for each one soon adds up and it can be too much for some people at certain times, so your teachers will understand if you have to focus more on one subject than another at one point in time, for example, if you have a deadline for one subject, your other teachers will be a bit more lenient with you and when you give your work in.
I do not have as much experience in a work environment as in an educational environment, but when I become stressed at work, I simply push through until I have a chance to have at least a one minute break, and then if I can, I will try to temporarily change what task I'm doing to one that means I can avoid the stress for at least a minute or two. That small amount of time to just relax a bit does help me a lot.
One thing I do know is that in order to reduce stress, you must reduce contact with what stresses you. So, if you have a friend who is adding to your stress- tell them that just for now, you need a little break from speaking to them in order to do whatever you need to do. They should understand and will be happily waiting for you to return to being able to speak to them. Also, they may notice that you're stressed and just find your easier to speak to when you're not stressed, so they may welcome you to have a little break and then feel a lot better about speaking to when you return feeling less stressed.
The final piece of advice I can give you is taking care of yourself: eating healthily, drinking water, exercising a little bit, such as going for a short walk each day, and getting enough sleep will do absolute wonders in reducing your stress levels. Along with this, you may also want to do things such as having baths at the end of a long day, lighting scented candles, watching your favourite movie or tv show and just spending the evening relaxing. This will reduce your stress as well as make you feel more prepared for the next day of life and doing whatever you need to do.
I'll just quickly share some of my 'DO's and 'DON'T's of reducing stress...
DO take time out to relax
DO speak to someone you trust and tell them that you're feeling stressed
DO put yourself first when you need to
DO keep yourself healthy through eating well, etc
DON'T get angry at yourself: the stressful situation won't last forever
DON'T try to take your stress out on yourself: physical or mental harm to yourself will only make the situation worse as it'll just add another thing to be stressed about
DON'T avoid chances to relax of just have a break: your mind and body need a rest
DON'T avoid the work you need to get done: it needs to be done at some point, don't put it off all together
Sunday 9 November 2014
donating blood
As of today, I have been withdrawn as a blood donor, after nearly passing out after my donation. I have donated blood twice, and after each time I nearly passed out. They told me that I shouldn't be donating blood if it has that impact on me, which really upset me. I had always wanted to be a blood donor because it's just a good thing to do really, plus it encourages me to remain healthy and take care of myself. I will still continue to take care of myself though because I believe it's important to do so.
Because I can no longer donate blood, I'd like to raise the option for others who are able to donate blood to do so. I believe that the rules of what age you have to be differ from country to country, so I will speak in terms of the UK blood donation system as that's the only system I have ever used.
The minimum age for blood donation in the UK is 17, and I believe that the maximum is 65, so that's a lot of time that you have to consider and possibly donate blood eventually. Although there is a huge age gap in which you can donate blood, only 4% of adults in the UK do donate blood, and considering that up to a quarter of us will require blood at least once in our lifetime, from hospitalisation after an accident, childbirth or a necessary operation. So, with only 4% of people giving blood, and 25% of us needing it at some point during our lives, there's a huge gap between who gives blood and who needs it. With red blood cells having a shelf life of about 35 days, it's obvious that blood stocks constantly have to be replenished, meaning that the more people who donate blood the better.
On average, one blood donation will help three people, through a blood transfusion, or to advance medical knowledge in which they use blood donations to test for things such as possible cures for diseases. So, although I have only donated blood twice, I could have potentially helped six people, which is just great to think.
There are some rules of giving blood, and some people who simply cannot donate blood either due to diseases, pregnancy, or certain sexual activities. While the last point can cause a angered response in some people, it important that only healthy blood is given to people who need it, and so if someone knows they have had sex with someone who could potentially have a certain sexually transmitted disease and they have received that disease, they will be unable to donate blood.
Each time you donate blood, your blood is screened before being allowed to be given to a patient. The blood is screened for the presence of HIV, hepatitis B or C and a few other viruses that will negatively impact the person receiving the blood. If your blood screening shows that you have any of the viruses they have named, you will be informed, but I do not know much about that as it has not been an issue for me.
Now time for question that most people who have never donated blood before ask: does it hurt? I always give the same response to this, it does hurt a bit, however it's not the kind of pain that lasts, it simply feels like someone is pinching the skin on the inside of your elbow quite hard for about three to five seconds. After that, I don't even feel the needle in my arm and just tend to enjoy being able to relax. I listened to music and played games on my phone during my donations so kept myself occupied and entertained so didn't feel anything at all.
Some other questions that people tend to ask are: doesn't blood make you feel sick? or, what if I don't stop bleeding? The answer to the second question is simple, the people who take blood during donations are trained and know how to stop you from bleeding, however if you don't stop bleeding they would know what to do as they are trained to deal with all sorts of situations. The first question about feeling sick around blood is slightly more difficult to answer- it depends on the person. It's well known by my friends and family that I dislike blood and feel faint when I am around it or see it, but when I donate blood, I will happily be able to look at my blood, but for some people, even walking into the blood donation room is enough to cause them to pass out.
The possible final question that you may ask is: so why did you pass out? To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure, in all honesty, I think that I just don't cope well with losing a lot of blood, because I think I go into shock from blood loss a lot more quickly than some people, but that's okay, I've done what I could, and I'm glad that I did.
I think the thing that motivated me to donate blood the most was the thought of 'if I need blood one day, I'd want someone to donate blood for me to be able to use, so I should do the same while I can'.
Because I can no longer donate blood, I'd like to raise the option for others who are able to donate blood to do so. I believe that the rules of what age you have to be differ from country to country, so I will speak in terms of the UK blood donation system as that's the only system I have ever used.
The minimum age for blood donation in the UK is 17, and I believe that the maximum is 65, so that's a lot of time that you have to consider and possibly donate blood eventually. Although there is a huge age gap in which you can donate blood, only 4% of adults in the UK do donate blood, and considering that up to a quarter of us will require blood at least once in our lifetime, from hospitalisation after an accident, childbirth or a necessary operation. So, with only 4% of people giving blood, and 25% of us needing it at some point during our lives, there's a huge gap between who gives blood and who needs it. With red blood cells having a shelf life of about 35 days, it's obvious that blood stocks constantly have to be replenished, meaning that the more people who donate blood the better.
On average, one blood donation will help three people, through a blood transfusion, or to advance medical knowledge in which they use blood donations to test for things such as possible cures for diseases. So, although I have only donated blood twice, I could have potentially helped six people, which is just great to think.
There are some rules of giving blood, and some people who simply cannot donate blood either due to diseases, pregnancy, or certain sexual activities. While the last point can cause a angered response in some people, it important that only healthy blood is given to people who need it, and so if someone knows they have had sex with someone who could potentially have a certain sexually transmitted disease and they have received that disease, they will be unable to donate blood.
Each time you donate blood, your blood is screened before being allowed to be given to a patient. The blood is screened for the presence of HIV, hepatitis B or C and a few other viruses that will negatively impact the person receiving the blood. If your blood screening shows that you have any of the viruses they have named, you will be informed, but I do not know much about that as it has not been an issue for me.
Now time for question that most people who have never donated blood before ask: does it hurt? I always give the same response to this, it does hurt a bit, however it's not the kind of pain that lasts, it simply feels like someone is pinching the skin on the inside of your elbow quite hard for about three to five seconds. After that, I don't even feel the needle in my arm and just tend to enjoy being able to relax. I listened to music and played games on my phone during my donations so kept myself occupied and entertained so didn't feel anything at all.
Some other questions that people tend to ask are: doesn't blood make you feel sick? or, what if I don't stop bleeding? The answer to the second question is simple, the people who take blood during donations are trained and know how to stop you from bleeding, however if you don't stop bleeding they would know what to do as they are trained to deal with all sorts of situations. The first question about feeling sick around blood is slightly more difficult to answer- it depends on the person. It's well known by my friends and family that I dislike blood and feel faint when I am around it or see it, but when I donate blood, I will happily be able to look at my blood, but for some people, even walking into the blood donation room is enough to cause them to pass out.
The possible final question that you may ask is: so why did you pass out? To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure, in all honesty, I think that I just don't cope well with losing a lot of blood, because I think I go into shock from blood loss a lot more quickly than some people, but that's okay, I've done what I could, and I'm glad that I did.
I think the thing that motivated me to donate blood the most was the thought of 'if I need blood one day, I'd want someone to donate blood for me to be able to use, so I should do the same while I can'.
one great year of blogging
Exactly a year ago today, I made this blog. I don't fully remember why I made this blog, but I think it was a fantastic decision! Although this is only my 110th post, and I haven't posted daily, as the name of the blog suggests I should, I have definitely made a great decision in starting this blog!
During my time of having this blog, I have noticed that I have become far more comfortable with speaking about issues that are bothering me, things that have happened in my life, or just speaking more freely about anything really, and I think that this blog has actually been a great help in increasing my confidence.
Of course, my blog is not popular at all, and I rarely get more than just a few views per post, I'm still happy to keep it going. I'm hopeful that I will be posting more regularly, however I won't make any promises.
One thing I do love about this blog is that I can share my recovery experiences, and I have been told by a few people that reading my blog helps them a bit. The blog was really intended for me to get out emotions and just express myself, but knowing that it's helped at least one person just a little bit is wonderful!
Since enabling the comments on this blog about a month ago, I have only had two, but I'm hoping that this may increase over time, as I do love hearing what people have to say about my posts and any suggestions for possible future ones. I also like being able to reply to the comments because it's just nice to communicate with people.
This has been a year well spent, I'm so glad I made this blog!
During my time of having this blog, I have noticed that I have become far more comfortable with speaking about issues that are bothering me, things that have happened in my life, or just speaking more freely about anything really, and I think that this blog has actually been a great help in increasing my confidence.
Of course, my blog is not popular at all, and I rarely get more than just a few views per post, I'm still happy to keep it going. I'm hopeful that I will be posting more regularly, however I won't make any promises.
One thing I do love about this blog is that I can share my recovery experiences, and I have been told by a few people that reading my blog helps them a bit. The blog was really intended for me to get out emotions and just express myself, but knowing that it's helped at least one person just a little bit is wonderful!
Since enabling the comments on this blog about a month ago, I have only had two, but I'm hoping that this may increase over time, as I do love hearing what people have to say about my posts and any suggestions for possible future ones. I also like being able to reply to the comments because it's just nice to communicate with people.
This has been a year well spent, I'm so glad I made this blog!
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