spiky succulet in tin bucket

We're lucky to live in an age where we have whatever information we need, literally at our fingertips, whenever we want it. Though this perk doesn't come without it's downsides!

The average person checks their phone every six minutes - ever been in a public place without it and just not known where to put your hands? So often our brains become riddled with a constant stream of information, over-sharing and pressure to put on a show or fit into a niche for social media. 

Not only this, but a lot of us are working or are studying and have other things to think about. What will you cook for tea tonight? Did you remember to post that parcel? What time were you supposed to leave again? STOoOooOooOooOOoOP, just breathe for a second.

If, like me, you're super busy and don't always have time to sit down and mediate, here are some tips 
to help you declutter your mind and slow down daily.

Bathroom break

You don't really have any responsibilities when you're taking a bathroom break (right?)! Take this blissful moment of alone time to choose a colour, and count five things around you that have that common thread. While you wash your hands, think about how the soap feels and focus on the sensations of hot, cold, what does the water really feel like?

Calm commute

It can be difficult if you're on a packed tube, or any public transport, to relax. Close your eyes for a minute (except if you're driving, obviously...) and relax your shoulders. feel the rocking of the vehicle and realise that at this moment, there is no immediate pressure. If there's any time of a working day you're allowed to take a breather, it's on your journey.

Queuing

There's nothing more British than queues. Whether you're stuck in a traffic jam, waiting in line for your morning caffeine or on your lunch break, if you have time in the queue, take some deep breaths and look around at things you wouldn't usually notice. Look at the shoes people are wearing or really take in the smells around you.

There's nothing like tea

Everyone has time for tea. When making yourself a cup of tea, really get into the ritual of it. Pour the water and milk slowly, steep it for the perfect amount of time. When your tea (or coffee) is ready, sip it and really think about the taste and temperature of it in your mouth. Be the teaaaaa!

Food for thought

As with the tea, when you eat, really think about the food. Notice the taste and texture of what you're eating. Take a break from distractions (such as the aforementioned constant information) while you eat and focus only on the food. You'll appreciate the meal a lot more as a bonus.

What helps you to stay mindful and relax on a busy day? Is there anything you do to clear your mind?

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Reading while sipping coffee flatlay

It can be hard sometimes, especially when in a routine of seeing the same things and people everyday, to feel grateful for the experiences that so quickly become mundane. Have you ever heard the phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure"? To see value in the simplest of moments is just as valuable to our inner growth as knowing when to cut ties with negative sources.

When life gets slow or boring it's important to forcibly sprinkle gratitude into our everyday life in order to really appreciate things. Feel low? Gratitude. Feeling like life is unfair? Gratitude. Seeing the light in the lowest of situations is a skill that is soooo valuable to develop! It's how I stay happy! Of course, it's no cure for depression but sure helps me to keep my head above water. Know that you deserve to feel good! 

Here are some things I've been feeling grateful for lately:
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potted cactus cuttings in palm of my hand
So if you keep up on Twitter you may know that this week I had my first and hopefully last ambulance ride as I went into anaphylaxis for the second time in my life. This time it was a really bad reaction to an antibiotic called Ciprofloxacin (which I'll be steering SO clear of that and all of it's Quinalone counterparts for the rest of my life), not peanuts! Damn you medicine, I trusted you *shakes fist*
Since the first time I went into anaphylaxis, I've been slightly paranoid sometimes about whether a prickling in my throat is allergies or just placebo from being worried. Adopting a positive mindset everyday and trying to come to terms with the fact that whatever happens, happens has helped a lot but with the reaction this week I've been so shaken physically and mentally. It's not that often I'm open about mental health or my most inner thoughts online but I feel like perhaps writing this post will help me to deal with the anxieties that this week has bestowed upon me, bury it all and move the hell onnnnnn.

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You've met Mylo, right? He's my pooch and one of my best friends, as sad as that sounds, he really does mean the world to me! I know I mean the world to him because my family and I are all he has, that's why it's important to choose wisely when you're thinking of getting a dog.

I remember the first day we saw Mylo, he was in a video online with his little brothers and sisters at a farm in Burnley. He's a cockapoo who are known for being people loving, easily trainable, small and hypo-allergenic dogs that fit perfectly into family life. He's quite at home in our family of six (my nephew is the latest arrival!) as we chose a Cockapoo because we knew it could work.
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At this time of year, naturally I think a lot of us do a little 'soul searching'. December is a time when a people begin to reflect on the past year; on where we are and where we want to be, where we were at the beginning of this year and where we're ending it, who we're ending it with. Seriously, how did we get here 2016? It's been a hell'uva ride.

I've been doing a little 'soul-searching' myself lately, leading to the blatantly obvious connection that everything I have ever done has got me to where I am today, (neither entirely good nor entirely bad! ) hooray me. It means that all of the tiniest decisions I have ever struck a match to have landed me here, writing to you from my bed on a Sunday night. But I've been asking myself where I want to be this time next year and instead of sitting on my ass and saying I will (a common behaviour for me this year, oops) I've been connecting those thoughts and ideas into ways that will actually get me there.

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Being told to 'get out of your comfort zone' is something that we're all probably sick of hearing by now, from school, from tutors and parents, from every man and his dog that just wants us to 'do better'. Lately I've been conducting a little social experiment on myself and for what feels like the first time in a long time, been pushing myself out of my comfort zone to do more things that give me the nervous butterflies, aka that feeling of 'get-me-the-hell-out-of-here... now'.

Firstly this is more of a journal entry than a post, a way of marking my little milestones and celebrating change. I understand everyone feels differently!

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I'm a little dumfounded about how it's October already. It feels like yesterday that I was at Leeds festival, waking up in a hot tent every morning! As much as I loooooove summer, I'll take a blanket, hot drink and a warm bed over sweaty mornings and a warm breeze any day. 

If you ever need me on an Autumn/Winter's morning, that's where I'll most likely be! Tucked up in my bed sanctuary with all of those things. Obviously having a glorious bed makes actually getting up on cold mornings one of the most gruelling tasks of the day (but it's never as bad once you're up and about), so here's how you can make them a little easier:

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Elizabeth Ilsley
On social media we all look like the Hollywood version of ourselves, or at least we try to. I'm heading to a couple of blogger events next month and something I'm irrationally nervous about is people thinking I look totally different in real life (which of course I look different, can't filter these freckles and stray brow hairs in real life can I?).

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A lot of people think happiness is a constant that we can strive for. That eventually we will feel chipper as soon as we wake up, replacing any feeling of sadness or bitterness ever with shiny bright sunbeams that come out of our face. One thing you should know before starting your journey to happiness is this:

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So myself and almost a million other uni students will be heading into their third year of study this September, some with a job planned or lined up for graduation and some who don't. I am one of the students who doesn't. 

I'm not afraid to admit that although university has been incredible, the first year of uni was a huge learning curve and my lessons/lectures aren't all I expected them to be. My anticipations and expectations for these three years were high, I don't know if I expected more because in TV university looks incredible, or maybe I just didn't choose the right course/university for my personal way of learning.
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I wish I could say I'm one of those morning yoga-on-the-beach Instagram girls but in all honesty I'm more of an eating-breakfast-with-my-eyes-closed kind of gal. Before September takes a third year dump on my doorstep, I'm trying to get my body and mind ready for the hard work to come! 

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It can be the most frustrating thing trying your best to help someone while they continue to not help themselves. Having compassion and understanding is one of the many keys to holding connections with people, but these connections aren't always worth the fight. You choose who and what you surround yourself with which should be people that enhance your wellbeing and mental state, not drag it through the mud. 
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Hello! This is a bit different to my usual posts but after the recent happenings in Orlando (it was just this time last year we were celebrating equality), I've been remembering how grateful I am for my time here on this vibrant blue planet and have been actively trying not to waste days as they go by. At the start of the year I went through a period of realisation and extreme change compared to what I'd been used to for so long but as an adult, I know that when you get stuck in a rut you must pull yourself out. So, in light of this, here are a few things I'm excited about and grateful for lately!

An upcoming collaboration with Ellis Cooper
I was chatting to this gorgeous lady a couple of days ago and we're collaborating on an art set in the coming weeks. As I write this I'm flying ideas and sketches around in my book. Honestly I can't wait to see the final thing, it's been a while since I created something I'm proud of, the last piece I created that was super fun was this paper and make-up portrait of Kylie Jenner.
Seeing Coldplay with my lil' sis
Last week I saw Coldplay with my sister Laura. We've both listened to Coldplay since we were really little, as little as I can recall! It was the most magical gig I've ever been to. We both came home with confetti in our bras, sore feet and a 'head full of dreams', literally in our head. I'm so grateful for that experience.


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Hooray! A week of deadlines is over and us uni students have been set free to roam back home. I arrived here on Friday, totally ready for fluffy slippers (or in this case, giraffe slippers, see below), cuddles with my pooch and a whole lot of Christmas movies- just what the doctor ordered. 
It'll be another week until my friends get to return home as we're all studying in different cities, but I can't wait to catch up and have a few drinks. Mum has decorated the house with twinkling lights, baubles, wreaths and pinecones and the whole place smells of advent candles, laundry and home cooked food.

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A lot of us blame ourselves for our anxieties, we apologise for feeling sad or mopey and hide it in fear of not being fun to be around but this is just what we tell ourselves. We sit and wonder why we don't feel okay, we're taught that there always has to be a reason and you have to tackle it or there's something wrong with you- this isn't always true! None of us are a stranger to the feeling that is sadness, or anger. Or even just not being okay in general.

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Hands up if you've ever felt personally victimised by cold mornings! If you haven't experienced them yet then you're one of the lucky ones (especially if you're in the UK, like me). With the sudden drop in temperature here it's becoming harder to hop out of bed in the mornings feeling refreshed and ready to work. 

Personally, I'm one extreme to the other- just the other day I didn't want to get out of bed because I'd been awake and peeping at a screen until 3am the night before. I'm either that, or bleary eye'd at 7am with a coffee in my hand and wonky eyeliner from buzzing about too early. There's just no in-between! I've put together a short list of components for a better night's sleep, explaining how important these things are to help us look after ourselves and get a good nights rest.
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Isn't social media wonderful? You can use it to chat about your day, discuss touchy topics and every once in a while we simply stumble across a page or post that rekindles our love for a certain topic or hobby we forgot we had. Around a year ago I was scrolling the 'explore' page on Instagram when a photo from 'inspiredtattooportraits' took my attention. The account belongs to an amazing lady called Céline, a photographer and tattoo collector living in Paris.

As part of my new blog series 'An Inkling' I had the chance to interview her and find out more about Céline. I should start by mentioning that 'An Inkling' will run every two weeks to a month and will feature interviews with artists, writers, personalities I find inspiring or interesting and hope that you will too!

The reason I chose Céline to kickstart the series was because she is all-round captivating. From her timeless photographs (reminiscent of a book I have, full of tattoo photos taken in the 20's and 30's), her ability to capture the essence of a person in a photograph, her travels all over the world to her full body suit; the progress of which you can follow through Instagram (I've popped a link at the end).

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Want to know something that makes me go crazy? Not having enough light in a room. My room in halls was at a weird angle and no matter what time of day, I'd always be peeking out into the courtyard full of light while my room remained dark. I had to liven up the room myself as best I could while dealing with the restrictions of renting.

I know a lot of you guys are either at uni or buying a little place of your own which is sometimes hard to actually make your own if it isn't livened up and opened out with those personal touches. It won't be quite like the apartments in Friends, but I've put together a few tips to make living in a rented space more you.
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Hello everyone! I wanted to share a bit of happiness with you today as lately my illustration projects have been revolving around positivity. I'm feeling fab as I recently hit 100 followers, I know this is barely anything in the big bad blogosphere but it means so much to me that a whole 100 of you want to follow my rambles and day to day life so thank you!

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Cosy bed socks and tea

It's been a couple of weeks since Back to Uni #1 (Planning and Goals) and we're now into the term! If you're not then lucky you. Life at uni can be stressful and challenging, and it takes weeks or reminders or crying over that last cocktail to realise that it'll all be worth it in the end. Has anyone given up out of stress yet? Sometimes the debt might not seem worth it, or the partying (or Netflix) looks SO much better than that deadline on the horizon and believe me it is, but you can't blow your top just yet. 

Here are some tips to help you along when the living is anything but easy, you just need to de-stress and liven up your space.

Clean your bedroom. 


A messy room is a messy mind so goes the saying- after many years of untidy bedrooms, I can vouch for this to be true. I always feel better sitting down at a tidy desk to work or being able to enjoy my down time in a clutter-free, calm environment aka my bedroom. Nothing is better than fresh sheets, towels and minimal mess to wipe your brain slate every morning!

Make time for yourself
As elaborated on in my 'Why You Should  Date Yourself' post, there's nothing that takes stress away like removing the stressful things from your life. I don't mean procrastinate, I mean take yourself out on a date. Have a bath in Lush bomb bubbles and relax. Forget about that assignment for tonight- it's time to think about yourself.

Separate work and home
Sometimes it's easier said than done, but instead of taking your work home, spend that extra hour at the end of class rewriting your notes or finishing that painting at your desk. Chances are, you'll feel more organised in a work environment and it means that your brain associates home with relaxation instead of cramming and deadlines!
    girl sat at desk with plants


    Sleep, sleep, sleep! 
    For a minute there I considered exercise as a solution, which has been touched on before and does make you happy, but if you're run down or stressed the best solution is to sleep. Quit your 2am bed times and 8:30am starts, you're running on empty. Rest, re-cooperate and see how your brain deals with life then.

    Work and live in natural light

    Natural light will keep your brain awake better than artificial light, will make your eyes feel less groggy and living in open spaces helps to clear the mind a little more. Would you write an essay in a room with no window? No. Take in that fresh air and enjoy the daylight hours instead of being cooped up. You'll feel better for it!

      These are just a few tips that I came up with but if you have more, feel free to pop them in the comments! How do you de-stress?

      Sarah x
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