Transition into Year 12 and New School: Top 10 Do's and Dont's

 

 

 1) DO be yourself: Be exactly who you are and say thing that you actually believe. If you don't agree with something, voice your own opinion. There is nothing worse than loosing who you really are for something that you want to be because in the end it is you who is going to be miserable and you who won't be expressing you shine to others; this means that everyone looses out.

 

2) DON'T follow the crow. You are unique and you were put in the situation you are now for a reason. You might not think it but other people need your energy, enthusiasm and your own personality in order to boost them up and for them to also make new friends (that they will be able to count on both in the classroom and in your leisure  time).

 

3)DO be independent. If you need to bust out some work during lunch, break or in your free periods don't be afraid to leave your friends for the library. This is great because it makes you independent and helps you focus on your work so that you can complete more work faster. Also, you will enjoy being around your friends more because you value the time you spend with them given that you don't spend ALL your time alone because then you wont be able to build on realtionships.

 

4) DO stick with people instead of jumping around. For the first couple of weeks look around for people and keep out a sneaky ear on gossip. Who are your current potential friends? Who do you want to become friends with? What type of people do you like being around? What type of social life do you want? These are all important questions when trying to join a friendship group who may have already known each other for 5 years.

 

5) DON'T worry about being left out of friendship groups. They may have been friends for a long time and of course you are going to feel a little out of place - its natural. Just remember to always involve yourself in conversations and input value into a group of friends. This way they can begin to learn about you faster and know that you are a growing friend in the long run.

 

6) DON'T continuously make small talk. Hi, how are you? How was you weekend? How many siblings do you have? Yes, this is a starting point to having valuable conversations but sometimes people don't really care. You should instead try and open up conversations beginning with stories (say about you terrible weekend) and let this energy be something that they can bounce off from. If you ask a simple yes/no question the likely hood of you getting a dull answer back is much greater.

 

7) DO make friends with people from your classes. Think about girls/boys in your class  that you would like to be friends with and chat after class when walking back to the common room. This way you can sit with them at break or lunch and make friends with his/her friends. There you go, a little more people beginning to know who your are.

 

8) DO review all you work, all the time. Revising everything at one go isn't going to be efficient. Instead try and go over topics as you go along so at the end of the day you know more and can focus on practice papers and weaknesses you may have.

 

9) DO practice your time management skills. Do you have anything after school? Then you may need to finish your work in you free. Do you have long commutes to school everyday? Then try and go over your notes/finish your homework on the bus journey to you can do other things later on.

 

10) DON'T stress. Yes, easy to say but when it comes to it and need to keep you head ON. As in if you having difficulty with something and have been trying for ages, leave it and ask someone who knows such as a teacher. That's what they are there for, simply to remove mental 'blocks'. Try not to think to much about everything because really things may change and unexpected things might happen so instead be PRESENT (not in your head) and concentrate on your work from the beginning because its tough so your best of starting right now.

Breath, relax, keep calm and work hard. Remember A levels are NOT like GCSEs. People say it all the time but you don't really realise the extent of their comment until you ACTUALLY start doing the course...trust me on that one!

 

I hope you all the best of luck with starting new schools and A Levels. If you have any questions about anything regarding school I am more than happy to answer you questions/ write a post on it. Seriously, I have made so many mistakes that I have learnt from over the first term of school in September about friendship groups, being a newbie and stress that I am an expert in the field (almost anyways, because everyone always makes new mistakes). So, DONT be afraid to ask away!

 

Priyanka xx

Mother's Day 2016 : How Can You Change Your Mother's Daily Life?

Mother's Day is usually spent buying flowers, making breakfast (which must include tea for my mother), writing last minute hand made cards, eating out and many hugs and kisses.

 

This year was no different except that I ate 50% of the chocolate cake I made for my mum, we ate at a family friend's house and I didn't really buy her a worthwhile present. Strange as it seems, I have to admit that I haven't put in enough effort towards my mum simply on the daily basis. For example, she always screams at us for being 'dirty' and not cleaning my own mess etc. but I turn a blind eye to the tantrums she hits us with every single day.

 

How am I going to make a change?

 

As tough as my mood my be and as persistently nonchalant I can be I am going to start making a difference my the sake of my mother's stress and my own (from listening to her whine).

 

I will start to:

- Wash my own tea cups

-Wake up early enough so that we are not late for the bus (that she drives my sister and I to every morning)

-Wipe around the sink so less/no mess is left behind

- Start making an effort to clean my bathroom

- Keep my bedroom clear (to also to transform my space into somewhere I can concentrate and work)

- Do small meaningful things that I might think of to make my mum happier

 

This little target does not mean I have to start washing all the dishes every day and make a huge impact and waste lots of my own time (which I need to study in!) but it  means I can cut out the whining whilst taking virtually no time out of my own schedule.

 

What will you do in order to make your mother's life a little better?

 

Will you pay her more visits?

Call her more often?

Send her flowers regularly?

Tidy up your room?

Keep care of your own mess?

Do things when she asks you to do them?

Speak in a nicer tone?

 

Remember these things are simple and do not require much effort at all but require consistency to make a world of effort.

 

So what will you do to change?

 

Priyanka xx

Is All This Cake Really Going to Make Me Feel Better?

Cake.

 

It is becoming a common interest to me for some reason.

 

I really don't understand how I believe cake, burgers, chips, Nutella, crepes, salted caramel, brownie and well.....junk, is going to help me conquer anything at all.

 

In fact, instead of comforting me, I think all this is stressing me out even more.

 

This over load of calories makes me feeling like I haven't achieved my fitness goals in the slightest because I have simply sabotaged my self time and time again.

 

I would direct this issue primarily towards the need to feel happy.

I usually associate 'good memories' or exciting times around particular 'meal' (which probably was unhealthy) but tasted really good. Now, every time I feel a little down, I do back to these 'guilty pleasure' foods in hope it will help me feel better.

 

It usually works unless I keep doing it (every other night or so) during the week. This is because I also exercise and this completely counteracts all the will power I put into my work out.

 

Now, yes all this is a mental issue and something that has been striking my attention again and again just over the past few weeks. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to indulge once in a while but I really isn't alright to draw attention to food for comfort and happiness because that is simply not how the world works.

 

I hope you all have been hearing about how the NHS are planning to inject more money into mental health  issues and I am very passionate that every single person in the world will one day have access to advice help and understanding from other people around them and professionally because it affects so many people all around the world.

 

If fact either yourself or a very close family member/ friend will at least once in their life be affected by a mental issue, be mild or serious. I want to be able to be honest on my blog and encourage others to raise awareness, share stories and be able to share advice because we are all in this together.

 

I also was encouraged by Jack's Gap Video on this issue of not being afraid and being able to express our worries and concerns regarding mental issues.

 

I hope this is encouragement for everybody reading this.

 

Thank you.

 

Priyanka xx

La Roche-Posay Effaclar

During the summer months, my skin had decided to switch things up a little...and turn into a mini disaster (as least in my life).

Around my forehead, my pores had become enlarged so that blackheads and spots were forming there very easily and all the time. I tried keeping my face clean, began exfoliating with blackhead eliminating scrubs, steaming my face and trying out natural masks all to find that really I was doing things that made my skin worse or didn't help my skin's situation.

I learnt that blackheads are caused by the pores of your skin becoming clogged and dried up (by over exfoliating) so they begin produce excess oils - these appear black on the skin. Then I realised that I should probably stop using the scrubs everyday.....

I've read a lot of reviews about the La Roche-Posay's range and a local pharmacists who I spoke to recommended some products to me to try out myself. I obviously thought it was worth a try even though they are more expensive compared to products I've used before.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo[+] :

 

After using this on my face for a good few weeks there was definitely some serious changes. Firstly, the area on my forehead looked less oily and the blemishes seemed to be improving in appearance because the product has been keeping the oils away.

 

However, when a product is recommended for blemish prone oily skin, I would now think twice about using it on my face. This is because by using the cream alone on my face as a moisturiser it left my entire face in dry patches, which overtime started to look red and damaged. This is as the acne/ blackhead prone skin was only on my forehead and therefore my whole face did not need to be treated in the same way.

 

If your whole face is prone to acne and is oily I would definitely think that this would help your situation by controlling the oils but if not then you should only use this cream on the area which needs targeting, if possible , as I've been doing for several months now and it has been doing a great job at refining the skin. 

 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Cleansing Gel:

 

I did begin to think this cleanser joint with the cream were the products causing my skin to become overly dry but after switching from the Effaclar Duo to my usual face cream (but using the Effaclar Duo on my target area only) I have been using the cleansing gel as I would as any basic cleanser.

 

Unless, with use this with other products I don't necessarily think that it does anything special than clean the skin but it does claim to remove excess amounts of sebum.

 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Lotion:

 

I apply this toner like product over my t-zone after I finish cleansing. After forgetting to use this for just under a week I began to see that my apparently improved pore sizes were getting larger. I'm taking a wild guess here, but I really do think this toner has really helped with closing up my pores so that dirt is unable to get inside and develop spots!

 

Overall, I have seen a great difference to my skin, even after a little trouble with dryness.  Well, at least I  have learnt that my skin type is definitely not oily!

 

If you have tried the Effaclar range out please let me know if it worked on your skin. Have you tried any other products that have helped with blackheads?

 

Priyanka xx

Change Your Shampoo and Conditioner to Help Your Dry Hair

 "Surely a simple change in the shampoo and conditioner game can't really fix my dry, frizzy hair can it?"

 

"Well, I guess not, so I'm never going to try it out"

 

This was exactly my mental thought process whilst I was walking past Holland and Barrett and I'm so glad that I finally made up my mind and actually walked into the store.

 

There are different hair products to suit different needs but the thing you need to look out for when choosing a shampoo is if it is SULPHATE FREE by checking the ingredients. This is because the sulphate in the products over time weakens the hair strands which means that your hair is more prone to breakage.... which in my opinion means more frizz.

 

However, switching to a sulphate free shampoo helps the hair retain moisture, natural oils and also helps hair colour last from longer.

 

What's My Experience?

 

After I used the Dr Organic Vitamin E Shampoo and Conditioner which were £5.49 each (which is very reasonably priced) I have found that my hair has improved in how healthy it looks and generally has become less dry.

 

The conditioner is amazing! You can trust that it 'penetrates your hair' and really injects moisture into the hair strands rather than other shampoos that I have used which makes my hair feel shiny on the surface but when I rinse my hair, its all just a disguise.

 

My tip would be to let the conditioner sink into your hair for a good 3-4 minutes whilst you're in the shower and then not to completely rinse the product out. The most concentrated should be towards the tips of the hair rather than the scalp to prevent a build up of product at your scalp.

 

Do you have any products which you have used that have helped nourished your hair?

 

Priyanka xx

Things to do on Long Car Journeys Without Internet

Long car journeys can be a real bore to get through but from my experience getting into the car prepared can minimise the effect of, well, the boredom!

Here are some things that keep me entertained and might help you:

- Play Cards : Go fish, snap, cheat - you can always play a couple rounds before everyone gets tired or the driver starts complaining everyone's being way too loud.

- Write a To Do List : Car journeys are a great time to gather all your floating thoughts and put them in one place. Writing or typing up a to do list on your phone for later is great because you don't have to come up with all the things at once and you can note them down as they come naturally to you.

- Listen/Watch Pre Downloaded Music and Films: Yep, I forgot to download my music and didn't get any movies on my iPad for my time in Switzerland (which is terrible). If I had thought a little more ahead I could have caught up on a good few movies...I'll be sure to keep a mental note for next time. 

- Write a Gratitude List: Writing down everything you are grateful for is not always something we have time for but it is something worth doing. Your list doesn't have to be a piece of art but scribbling down your simple things such as your  enjoyments, family, friends and health means that you don't let the beautiful things in life float away as they come. 

- Sleep: Hours can pass if you catch a little snooze and you can trust me on that one. When I'm on a family holiday and we are all shoved out of the house at 4 am I know that the only thing there is to do is sleep! 

What things have you found is fun to do on long journeys? I know that I'm a little to old for 'I spy'...

Priyanka xx

Why It's Important to Spend Quality Time With Yourself

Over these past few weeks my life has been incredibly exciting, action packed and exhausting but I'm not complaining one single bit! I love physically going out, visiting my friends and well doing things instead  of sitting at home staring at my phone just to kill time.

Every day matters. We are all given the power to change someone's life and every time we wake up we can make a difference to our own lives if we choose to do so.

Personally, I always feel that I have to constantly be doing something or I begin feel guilty about not doing something practical with my life (this process is not sudden but seems to progress during an aimless day) - does any one else feel like this?

One thing that I have discovered is of course I can change my life and channel all my energy towards my grand goals, so that I live with the minimal amount of regrets, but I can't and should not sacrifice my happiness in doing so.

All that this really means sometimes I just need to CHILL and let loose.

So what I did was sit out in my garden, give my self a mini pedicure, paint my nails (which chipped within a day), read my magazine, feel my legs going red and then realise that sunscreen would be a good item to grab from upstairs - oh, sometimes I'm a total genius -but I really did enjoy my self doing it.

Why Is It Important to Enjoy Spending Time With Yourself?

You can do what you want to do!
You don't have to invite a friend around all the time since being by yourself  means that you don't have to ask someone what they would like to eat or drink nor do you don't have to share an earphone when watching a film. Selfish? No, its just good to do things by your self sometimes.

You learn more about yourself
Well, you heard my little life story above so you can see that it is true. Being alone means that you can think about your beliefs, your values and assess your life - although overthinking things is never good for anyone.

You feel more grateful when doing fun things alone
I feel this one is very true for me! If I watch a hilarious film by myself I'm more likely to laugh much, much more that if someone was there listening to my ridiculous laugh. Also, if I buy and eat something really tasty by myself I'm more likely taste the food better, eat slower to savour the food and enjoy it much more than if I kept saying, 'this is so tasty!' to express it to others.

You don't have to be exhausted by the end of the day
You can sit in bed or outside and simply fall asleep instead of going out and staying there for a good 6 hours.

You feel more energized when you get back to a normal working day
At the end of the day when you have committed time to yourself, you are the person which should have benefitted and enjoyed yourself the most, right?  By allowing your self pleasures, I believe that you will feel rewarded for your hard work and therefore become more motivated to do other things.

These are the things that I feel in my life and I am certain that not everyone feels guilty for sleeping most of the day then watching  hours of TV, followed by hours of scrolling on their phones and then repeat the same process until the end of summer, but I would feel guilty.

I really hope that you find things that are common to your own life here, do you spend enough time with your self? How do you like to relax?

Priyanka xx

Things About Fitness and Food That I Have Learnt Along The Way

When it comes to fitness I think we all know that it's never really easy.

Yes, I have great days where I just don't give up on my workout, drip with sweat doing millions of burpees with my music blasting on high and feel absolutely epic afterwards. However, I also seem to have really bad days where I am either way too tired to try hard enough or my mind is on something completely different... and why be ashamed? Sometimes I have only cake and ice cream on my mind so you can guess why my workout doesn't quite go to plan!

Most people, like myself,  have looked online for short term fixes to 'loosing weight'- if you keep to it as a 'diet' it might actually work but the problem is that as soon as the '6 week bikini challenge' is over people turn back to their usual routine which isn't actually doing any good.

Since I started exercising at home around 3 years ago and my body (and lifestyle) has changed entirely but I still don't have the 'perfect' body in my eyes (every body type is equally as beautiful!) nor has exercising become any easier simply because my limitations and strengths have changed and I always need to challenge myself.

Here are some useful things that I learnt from my own habits that might help you:

-You have to workout your entire body to improve your overall fitness : Both cardio and strength

I have previously workout nothing but my abs, doing rep after rep of sit ups and crunches. It doesn't help! Cardio is there is burn fat and strength training is there to make you stronger, strengthening different parts of your body is also required to seem fitter overall. Simple.

-You should exercise not because it's a chore, but because you want to exercise

 

Lets face it, if there is no motivation for you to exercise the chances are that you wont. I love to exercise because it has been a way to release all my stress and to even relax.

-You have to watch your diet as well as exercise routine

Healthy eating is a must if you really want that body! Load up most of your plate with veggies and start making different combinations of salads for lunch - that's a great way to start.

-Read food labels

Have you ever picked up one of the 'Eat Natural' bars and found that it is filled will honey, glucose syrup and sugar? Well they are and now I tend to avoid store brought products such as these because they don't seem as healthy as I first thought they were. Some bars, such as the Nakd bars, are pretty unprocessed and I love them for when I know I'm going to be out and about.

-All peanut butter is not the same!

Again reading the food label is really useful, I found that Skippy's Peanut butter has added sugar as well as other ingredients. Peanut butter is a good source of protein (as tastes amazing) but choosing clean options such as Whole Earth is the best choice.

-Portion control - but enjoy your food :)

Unfortunately too many calories is still too many calories but I don't ever think that the healthy food I eat is ever a diet because it is simply a lifestyle choice. As most of you may realise you can't go on a short fix 'diet' for the rest of your life and therefore I know that if I do want a burger, ice cream, cake or even Churros (YES PLEASE) then I am free to enjoy those foods in moderation. I try once a week if I must or I will 'save' them up if I know I'm going on holiday or its nearly my birthday or I'm planning to eat out at a buffet.....we all know what happens then I am really hungry.....

 

Hope that you found some of these things useful!

 

Do you have any healthy snacks you love and would recommend?

 

Priyanka xx

Things I have learnt during Secondary / High School

 

Umm yes.

 

This is my year 6 class photo. Its one of the last primary school photos before all went to new schools, to start new lives, make new friends and make memories.



 



 

 

Its really strange (and scary) to think about how much I have changed since the age of 11 and all the amazing memories I have made with my new friends since then. Here are some of the things that I have learnt from being in secondary school  sorry but 'High School' just sounds way better!)

 

1. In the UK schools (as far as I know) don't have huge lockers that you can decorate like in American movies.

 

It sucks.

 

A lot.

 

I spent all of my time in the last year of Primary School dreaming of the ways that I was going to decorate my locker. I don't have any older siblings to tell me how it was actually going to be like - and the best part is then being stuck with a tiny bottom locker for the rest of the years. Great.

 

2. Your friends can change often.

 

Some of the first friends I made in year 7 I loved. I thought that we were always going to be friends and that we were stuck together. To be honest some of them I don't even say 'hi' to never mind hang out with.

 

3. Confidence is key.

 

I find people so intimidating sometimes (especially on a bar hair day but that's another story) but really sometimes you just have to fake it to make it so that you actually start believing I in yourself. Its not possible to stay quite during all those long, boring hours of school and expect to enjoy it. You have to push the boundaries, participate in class, discuss things with other people and share you opinion and the you will already be interested in learning and socialising.

 

You can see my ten top tips here.

 

4. You might be the ripest, juiciest peach but people are still going to hate peaches.

 

Its not possible to please everyone. Its hard to be clever, pretty, funny, confident, enthusiastic, creative and hardworking at the same time. You just have to concentrate all your energy in being the best version of you that you can be. Then everything else will fall into place.

 

5. Make every day count.

 

If you think about it you're spending at least 5 years of your life at the same school, so its a waste of time hating it (literally). Every moment should count towards something good, something positive, towards your future. Make friends that encourage you and influence you well instead of people you actually don't like being around. Its you life. Its you choice.

 

I hope some of these things open up your mind and help you survive school :)

 

I'm sure I would have told myself these things when I first started but I had to figure it out myself.

 

Priyanka xx