4 Things That Help During Your Period

When the idea for this post popped into my head as I laid crouched over my desk, pondering how I had not fainted from the pain in my stomach and lower back yet, I thought that people would probably wrinkle their noses at the title at first.

But judging by the fact that 95% of my readers are female, at least according to Google Analytics, I figured that I might as well go for it.

Periods are something that all of us girls have to go through for a period of our lives, some with less, some with worse side effects, ranging from cramps to moodswings to breakours.

As someone who was cursed with extremly bad period cramps that often leave me lying in fetus position for the first two day of that time of the month, I thought I'd be a nice idea to share the top five things that keep me from losing it during the most difficult time of the month.

1. Cozy up

I think this one is pretty obvious - when you feel pretty much like crap and just want to crawl under a blanket and cry, that's what you should do. Seriously, your period is the time you should be good to yourself.

Grab yourself a hot beverage, a hot water bottle and crawl under a blanket on your sofa, or even into your bed and do something that makes you feel at ease, like reading a good book or watching an episode of your favorite TV show. Being in constant pain isn't fun, but taking some time to tune out of everything life's throwing at you on top of it can be very soothing.

2. Light exercise

I know that a lot of people will think that I'm nuts for even mentioning exercise to someone who's on their period, and I don't blame you because exercise, or moving in general, is the last thing I want to do when I'm on my period.

But light exercise such as stretching, yoga or pilates will help you relieve cramps and often even prevent them - studies have shown that your menstrual afflictions, such as cramping and heavy flow, can often be prevented if you are more active.

3. Have a hot bath

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of bathing and relaxing in steamy water, so naturally, I choose to treat myself to a luxurious bath with a bath bomb or bath melt, rose petals, candles and all that good stuff at least once during the worst week of the month.

Baths work the same way against your period pains as they do against aching muscles or illnesses, they calm you and leave you feeling refreshed and rested while also relieving cramps the way a hot water bottle would.

4. Watch what you eat

When on my period, I often crave foods that include heavy levels of sugar and salt or drinks such as coffee - but no matter how much I want them, these foods will actually make me feel a lot worse.
Salt, for example, causes water retention, leaving you feeling even more bloated up - yuck!

Instead of foods that include the above, try to keep to healthier options and eat those more regularly, as in five smaller meals as opposed to three large ones - it keeps your metabolism up and running which gives you energy and thus, makes you feel better.

On top of that, you should try to keep hydrated - even more than you usually should, anyways! Dehydration will also make you feel worn out and tired.


Is there anything that helps you when you're on you period? Please share it in the comments so myself, and maybe even some others, can try those methods out!

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How To Get A Good Night's Sleep | Lifestyle

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I love sleep just as much as your average teenager or young adult does, but I've somehow always struggled with getting a good night's rest. I either try to - and fail to - fall asleep for hours, or I keep waking up several times a night, or I wake up at 3am and can't fall back asleep.

My sleeping issues started to increase my stress levels even more during my finals, which I took in December and January, which meant that I turned into an actual insomniac. The dark circles under my eyes testify that - they haven't completely disappeared yet.
Obviously, I had to do something about the fact that I didn't sleep a wink, so I tried quite a few things that were supposed to help me fall asleep - and as I can't be the only one who's struggling with getting a good night's sleep, I'm going to share the four things that helped me out the most with you guys!

1. No screens before bed:

This is what most people told me when I asked them for advice, and even though I've always believed this to be a hoax, it definitely works.
I've always been that person that turns off their laptop and TV, just to creep into bed and whip out their phone. No lie, occasionally I even fell asleep with my phone in my hand - am I the only one who does this?

However, turning off any kind of screen, be it my computer, TV or phone, around 30 minutes before going to sleep has definitely helped me with falling asleep. I used that time to sit down in bed and read a little - I'd forgotten how soothing that can be! Putting down the electronica definitely helped me calm down before bed, which is the first step to getting some quality sleep.

2. Having a hot bath:

I don't know if that's just me, but whenever I'm having a hot bath I start to feel insanely tired and somewhat dizzy around twenty minutes in. However, that means having a nice, hot bath just before heading to bed can work wonders when it comes to sleep!
I've found that whenever I use bath bombs or bubble bars, flowery and fresh scents like rose and lavender work their magic a lot better than heavy, sweet scents.

3. Exercising:

I admit it, I'm not exactly what you'd call fit - actually, I'm pretty lazy - so this point is not something that I would have ever included in my evening routine, but when I did manage to remove my butt from the sofa and actually exercised, it did affect the way I slept more than I had ever imagined.
I'm not even talking about heavy exercise, but rather yoga, which does not leave absolutely breathless but definitely helps me focus and still leaves me tired so I can have a quick shower and then creep into bed!

4. Don't eat late:

I never thought that eating at later hours would affect the quality of my sleep, but apparently it does!
For one, eating after 6pm to 7pm means that you're most likely to gain more weight than you would if you were eating at an earlier time - this counts for both dinner and snacks - but it also means that as your stomach will be busy dealing with your late night snack, your body will be able to relax a lot less, which in turn means that you'll probably either have trouble falling asleep or at least not sleep very well at all.

5. Pillow Spray:

This was actually a tip my Mom gave me - she's dealt with some heavy sleeping problems as well and whenever she just couldn't seem to be able to fall asleep, she used the AVON Planet Spa 'Sleep Serenity Pillow Spray', which smells of lavender and chamomile - not at all persistent, it rather lingers on the pillow and makes you feel insanely sleepy within less than two minutes - absolutely amazing, especially if you can't find anything else that seems to work for you.
Another blogger's favorite when it comes to pillow sprays is the this works 'Deep Sleep Pillow Spray', which is supposed to work wonders.

Is there anything that helps you when you're struggling to fall asleep?

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How To Deal With Stress | Lifestyle

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Seeing as my finals are coming up next month, I figured that a lot of others are probably struggling with just as much stress as I am right now. I mean, I'm literally running on a couple cups of coffee (I have seriously lost count) and loads of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Oh the sweet life of a student.

In all seriousness, though, I think that most of us don't really know how to deal with stress properly - and I'm not at all excluding myself here - and might start feeling overwhelmed once a certain amount of pressure is put onto their shoulders, so I thought it would be a good idea to share a few ways to wind down when the entire world is constantly winding you up.

1. Fresh Air

Whenever I feel like I'm starting to drown in the workload that's pilling up on my desk, I try to get fresh air in one way or another, whether that's by simply opening the window or even going for a walk.
It's amazing how much calmer you'll find yourself to be after you have taken a few deep breaths of fresh air and cooled down a little.

Also, going for a walk can feel like an actual for of therapy when you feel like you're going nowhere with your tasks because you'll get to see something else than your workspace while also physically moving - which leads me to my next point...

2. Exercising

Don't panic, I'm not telling you to go for a run every time you feel stressed out - I bow down to people who can keep up with running, because I sure as hell cannot.
Anyways, fret not, because it is proven that literally any form of excersise, from aerobics, to boxing, to yoga, can act as a stress reliver, so even if you consider yourself to be rather unfit, there will be something for you.
I myself have found yoga to work best for me when I need to calm myself down, and swimming when I desperately need to move and let out some negative emotions that have been pilling up over time.

Doing any form of sport will bump up the production of endorphins in your body, which basically act as your brain's feel-good neurotransmittors. It usually also needs you to completly focus on what you're doing, which obviously takes your mind off whatever is stressing you at in that moment.

3. Treat Yourself

I feel like there are a very few things that a hot bath can't cure, especially if you add one of Lush's bath bombs. The hot water will not only relax your muscles, but also your mind - especially when you, like me, love a good read while you're soaking in all the goodness.

Afterwards, I love to do my nails and out on a face mask, all while sipping ona hot chocolate and binge-watching one of my favorite shows or jamming out to some Spotify playlist.

You wouldn't believe how good a proper pamper session will leave you feeling!

4. Writing

This might just be the creative gene in me, but over the years I've realized that writing about the things that bother me in a way helps me deal with them - do you realize why I'm writing this right now?

Laying out all of the thoughts that are tangled up in your mind, the things that keep you awake at night or haunt you while you while you try to relax - write them down on paper, or even type them out. Seeing them right in front of you can help you think about your problems and even possible solutions to them.

5. Put Yourself First

In an achievement-oriented society like ours, it's very easy to just ignore the signals your body's sending you when you're working on a challenging task, but something you have to remember that no matter what it is that's causing you all this stress is much less than your health.

Take me as the best example - I'm such a damn perfectionist, I can literally not rest peacefully until I have gone through with something and I will literally find myself waking up at night in cold sweat because my stress followed me into my dreams and turned them into nightmares.
Don't do that to yourself. This might sound totally stupid, but getting not that much of a good grade or not getting that promotion you wanted or handing in that project a week late will not define your worth as a person, but stepping back from something that is making you feel negative in any way can only bring profits for you and your mental health with it.

How do you deal with stressful situations?

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Why It's Important To Love Yourself First | Lifestyle

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If you are one of the people who happened to meet me for the first time this year, I'm probably a bubbly, happy go lucky person in your eyes. A girl with a tongue so sharp she might cut herself on it, always a witty comment on hand to make those around her laugh.

But that wasn't the case all the time.

Like a lot of pre-teens, I was pretty darn miserable from the ages of twelve to around fourteen or fifteen.
It's that time in a lot of young girls' lifes when they realize that there are plenty of other fish in the pond, and damn, they're so much better at everything they do.

I used to compare myself to others my age a lot, even when, quite frankly, my life was not half as bad as I made it seem to myself.
But how could I be satisfied when that one girl had such a pretty face? When my crush's new girlfriend had such a nice body? When I was getting beat even at my favorite sport?

And if that wasn't bad enough, we all know that kids are horrible, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who had even more horrible things thrown at their head - right in my face, or even worse,  things voiced behind my back.

And because I know from talking to friends and family, I'm definitely not the only one who was once stuck in that kind of situation (even though I definitely believed myself to be), I'm left wondering why the hell all of us keep putting others and even more so, ourselves down instead of building ourself up.

If, back then, someone told me about self-love, I would've probably laughed. In my eyes, if there was anything loveable about me, someone would certainly love me, but as I felt so alone a lot of the time (even though I was and to this day still am friends with some of the most amazing people), that couldn't have been the case.

Looking back at it, I can feel a migrane coming on. Sometimes, I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that obviously, you'll get knocked down by life every once in a while, but eventually you'll have to get up, and the amount of time you spend lying in the dirt is entirely up to you. No one will drag you up with all their force. They will try, but the most important person in that progess is you.

Putting the pieces back together is a long and maybe painful process, but you need to make it happen. I've found that to be truly happy, you need to make peace with yourself and who you are before anything else. And you need to embrace who you are, even with all those little things that nag at you at 2am.

I used to think that someone else's love would built me up, but that's not the case. One of my relationships dissolved mainly because I was too broken and my significant other was too overwhelmed with trying to fix me when all I did was crawl into my deepest, darkest hiding places.

And this is why you need to love yourself first.
You need to be the one who picks you up when you're sitting in the shower crying, who wraps you in a warm towel and makes you some tea.

You need to be the person who can take care of you in the best way possible, the one who knows when to push you and when to leave it be.

Because falling in love with yourself first doesn't make you vain, or even selfish. It makes you indestructible.

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Comparison - And Why It's Unnecessary | Lifestyle

I feel like it's been quite some time since I've brought an issue that has been spooking around my head to this blog, but since it's the end of one hell of a week where I was busy with what felt like a hundred things, none of which involved blogging and I'm currently trying to have a good old pamper session to cool down, I felt like it was important to voice my thoughts on this one.

I don't consider myself to be a very jealous person. Not at all, really. Yet, for some reason, I always find myself comparing myself to other people.

I'm not quite sure where that comes from, but I suppose living in a society where you're always forced to compete with those around you in one way or another, be it in a professional environment, with your siblings or even when it comes to a hobby like blogging, leads to that sort of thing - you see others as competition, so naturally, you start to ask yourself why you can't outshine them or, at the very least, be equal to them.

And while comparing yourself to others in itself is a natural process that could probably help you bettering yourself when used rationally, it can very well have a heap of negative consequences.

It poisons relationships, but even more importantly, it poisons you as a person.
You start becoming bitter, constantly comparing yourself effects your mood, your thoughts. After a while, you might even feel like the fact that everyone is out there is doing so much better than you are is starting to feel somewhat depressing.
That's kind of scary, right?

And nowadays, it's so easy to stay updated on how everyone's life is going, what they're wearing, what they have for dinner, where they're going for vacation. Especially Instagram is overrun with pictures of pretty people and their pretty lifes, and it's fairly easy to get sucked right into that make-believe world when you're sat on your bed in your pjamas, scrolling through your feed while eating ice cream.

Notice how I said make-believe world? Because that's exactly what it is.
Think about it. Would you ever share the things in your life that are nagging at you, giving you headaches or making you cry under the shower? Yeah, probably not.
And that's what everyone out there does. They share the glamorous things, the extravagant events. The nights out with friends, the vacations to white beaches with sky-blue water.
But they would never let you know that a few hours after that group photo with their friends was taken, they were throwing up in front of some pub after drinking too much, all while trying to get over a really hard break up. Or that they took on a loan to afford the vacation to that beautiful island and have no idea how to ever pay it off.


To round off that rant that kind of just erupted out of me - nice little image for you there, you're welcome -  people only show you what they want you to see, each and every one of us is creating some sort of illusion for those around them.
But no one's life is a roller coaster that only goes up. It's all ups and downs and ups again. Only that the downs are slightly less glorious than we'd like them to be, and because we feel like we're the only ones failing, we hide them.

You just need to be aware that everyone has things they hide, and things they like to show off to distract from those.
So the next time you're oooh-ing and aaah-ing at those pretty people in the pretty pictures, think about what uglies they like to keep from the world. Do you still want to be them?

Didn't think so.

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5 Things High School Taught Me | Lifestyle

I think that we can all agree on the fact that while high school is not the best time in our lives for most of us, there are a lot of things that you learn throughout the years you spend there - whether it's through some kind of enlightenment or the hard way.

There's always debates going on that our school system does not teach its students things that might be useful later on in life, which I will wholeheartedly agree on because I have not once needed trigonometry after moving out, but y'know, a cooking lesson might've been helpful.

But let's take a look at the actually valuable lessons you should learn throughout your high school years.

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1. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

High school is the time when everyone's still pretty much trying to figure out who they are, and with that comes experimenting.
I've had my fair share of, well, let's call them interesting, outfits that I liked to sport throughout my school career, and even though now I cringe when I think about them, wearing those made me realize that it doesn't matter if anyone thinks that those jeans made my butt look huge, or if the color of my sweater didn't appeal to my classmates - it was me who had to feel good in them.

And that's a situation that all of us have to face not only in school, but in every day life as well.


2. Procastinating is not an option.

I'm by no means lazy - I think it's that crippling feeling of anxiety that I get deep down in my stomach when I'm not doing the work I was assigned that keeps me from procastinating - but sometimes, I will just have enough and tell myself that that essay can wait. For a few weeks. Until the night before it's due.

I had to eventually realize that that's not how I was going to get good grades, and that tackling a task shortly after you get it, step by step, so that you will hopefully be finished long before the deadline is way better for both your grades, and mostly your nerves.


3. Most of the things you worry about now won't matter in three months.

Our teenage years are all about the drama, and about 99% of it is completely unnecessary.
Whether you're currently having a meltdown over exams, or teacher, your friends or the game you lost last week, but believe me, in a few months time, you will be looking back at all of those and shake your head at how you could get so worked up about them - if you even remember them at all.


4. Never underestimate the significance of friendship.

High school is tough, and while people like to say that those are the greatest years of our lives, for most students, school resembles hell. The only things that makes the hours that you spent there more worthwhile are your friends, people who can make you laugh - even though you'd rather cry and/or smash your head into your table, people you can rely on for help.


5. Hard work does pay off in the end.

No one likes studying for hours on end, and neither do I, if I'm being honest, but I found that sacrificing those hours in order to revise the things we learnt in class, or to look something up, to write notes, it does show in my grade. Always.

Obviously, you can't go into an exam without any preparation and think that you'll ace it. That could never happen. But don't think that you're wasting your time for nothing when you're starring at your notes, because all the time you invest pays off.


What is something that school taught you?

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17 Healthy Beauty Habits To Get Into | Beauty

Like a lot of things, make up is something that I personally learnt more about through trial and error. I bet all of you now have a picture of your younger selfes experimenting with your Mom's beauty collection or buying a foundation that is approximately three shades to dark for you, but you spent all of your pocket money on it and all the cool kids wore make up, so you totally wore it anyways. Because obvs.

I don't think any of us have gone through this journey without passing up a deadly beauty sin, and when you're still young and clueless, that is okay.

But now that I'm older and have gone a few years with this little hobby - or obsession - of mine, I
learnt an important thing or two regarding beauty that every girl should keep in mind.

And because there is still so much more to learn and I love reading these kinds of posts to see if there's still a way I could better myself, I'm going to share some healthy beauty habits that every single one of us should get into!

1. Remove all of your make up once you're done with your day.

2. Allow your skin a make up-free day once in a while.

3. Clean your brushes at least once a week.

4. Find a skin routine that fits your skin type and stick to it.

5. Never use face wipes to remover your make up. Ever.

6. Get matched to a foundation's shade before buying a random one and realizing that it either makes you look like you haven't slept in days or like you fell into orange paint.

7. File your nails every once in a while.

8. If you have no idea what you're doing, get your eyebrows plucked professionally. It'll save you the hassle of overplucked or shaven eyebrows.

9. Use an exfoliating face mask once a week to rid your pores of any the dirt or blackheads.

10. Never get your hands near your face unless you have to.

11. Always wear sunscreen during summer - there is nothing worse than sunburns,

12. Wash your hair every second day to avoid greasy hair getting in your face and causing breakouts.

13. Exfoliate your legs once a week.

14. Get a your hair cut every 2 months - that'll help grow in a healthy manner without getting dull, thin or even falling out.

15. Do not pick your nails. They'll just get more frail and will end up breaking.

16. Don't wear a full face of make up on a hot summer day. It will be extremely uncomfortable and might even clog your pores. Opt for something lighter, like a BB creme - or go without wearing anything at all!

17. Use hand lotion daily. Your hands will thank you in a few years' time.

What is one beauty habit you would advise others to get into?

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7 Summer Adventures That Will Cost You Next To Nothing | Lifestyle

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I know that not everyone can afford a fancy holiday at least once a year - I mean, I myself have never even seen the beach with my own eyes before, so there's that.
The fact that I don't get to travel too much has made me very adventurous, though - when you're young and bored, you seem to come up with the funniest ideas to spend your free time.

That way, I've come across plenty of activities that you should definitely try out during summer if you don't have the chance to get away and only a small budget - if those two things apply to you, definitely check the following things out!

1. Get lost in your own city! Get onto a bus, or the underground, and stay on there until the very last station. Once you get off, you'll probably be able to explore a completely unkown area of your own hometown - who knows which cute vintage shops or small cafés you might come across?

2. Get up really early in the morning to watch the sunrise and feel like you accomplished something by waking up at a horrendous time because you'll have an entire day ahead of you.

3. Have a barbecue old-school style! Gather a few friends in an outdoor area, collect some wood and make a bonfire over which you can roast marshmallows, wieners or stick bread. There is something special about the smell of burnt wood on your clothes and the taste of slightly burnt marshmallows that will remind you of your childhood and make you feel all wrm and cozy inside.

4. Grab yourself a hammock and put it up in either your garden, if you're lucky enough to have one, or if you're like me, drive to a forest to put it up there. Whether you do that alone or take some friends with you, just chilling in it, reading and maybe napping for a bit is not only fun, but it'll also leave you feeling super relaxed.

5. Go swimming in either a lake or river. Swimming pools are cool and all that, but there is something about swimming surrounded by nature that is so peaceful. Also, those are usually not as crowded as swimming pools, so if you want to avoid huge crowds which will definitely invade your personal space, this is the place to be.

6. Take a photo of all the lovely things you see. I've been really getting into this lately, and I love sitting down at the end of the day and look through all the photos I took. No matter if it's flowers, or a funny sign, or your friends - some of those might capture amazing memories.

7. Camp outside! This is not only for people who have a garden - even though I'm totally jealous of y'all, just saying - you could totally camp on a balcony as well. Grab yourself a air matress, a blanket and a pillow and sleep under the stars. the air is so much fresher than it would be in you 30 degrees Celsius bedroom and you get to stargaze until you drift off into sleep.

What is something that you want to do this summer?

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Carry-On Essentials | Travel

It's finally July! For me, this month means freedom - even though I'm technically still in school - tan lines, and obviously, travelling!

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I'm leaving for Berlin next week, and I'm also going to travel some more with my family in August. So, to celebrate the fact that it's the most wonderful time of the year and I'm finally getting out of my home town and out into the big, wide world again, I decided to share a series of a few travel and summer related posts on here.

To me, doing some planning before going on a trip is mandatory. If I don't make a list of what I need to pack, I will live in constant fear that I'll have forgotten something important, and probably have a breakdown once I'm on my way. Not the greatest start for a holiday.

That doesn't aplly for my suitcase only, but also for my carry-on.
And because your carry-on is supposed to support you during your journey, especially if you're facing a long flight or train/bus/car journey, I wanted to share my absolute carry-on essentials.

First off, I'll obviously need my passport. That's the one thing you need to remember no matter what, especially if you're looking to leave the country.

As long journey can get really boring over time, I usually carry a few things to keep me entertained, because y'know, the entertainment system on your plane might not be working and you'll be stuck on an eight hour flight without any movies to watch. (That was hell, by the way.)

To avoid said situation, I usually pack a book - for my Berlin trip, that'll be The Maze Runner, which I've wanted to read for ages, as well as my phone and my headphones - the latter might also come in handy when you're seated next to someone who likes to talk, or someone who won't stop snorring...

And, as excessive phone use is going to drain your battery sooner or later, I make sure to always have my portable charger with me on journeys - this has saved my butt so many times, while sitting in London Heathrow for five hours or when I realized that I didn't charge my phone over night - every buck I invested in this was worth it.

Travelling can wear you out quite a bit, leaving you feeling dirty and/or poorly. To deal with that, I keep a few things to pamper myself a little in my carry-on. Body sprays are definitely a must in my eyes, as you'll probably end up getting somewhat smelly, and no one wants that. Victoria's Secret do a wide range of those, all of which smell absolutely gorgeous!
As my hands get pretty dry on an average day, heat or air-conditioning can wear them out even more - because of this, I want to have some hand creme with me to help with those bad boys. Same thing applies for my lips, which are also on the drier side and tend to get a little chipped - lip balm, like my EOS one right here, is very much needed.

And for my hair, which often turns into a knotty mess when I go for a few hours without brushing, I pack my Tangle Teezer, which appears to be the only hair brush to work with my hair at this point.

We all know that the food you get on a plane and train is pretty much either hit or miss, so I like having some snacks with me - as chocolate would not survive the summer heat and a bag of chips probably wouldn't fit, Haribo's gummi bears are usually an easy choice. And to battle bad breath, which, let's be real here, we all get during a longer journey, chewing gum is your best friend.

Lastly, I like having my sunglasses in my carry-on as you can hide your dark circles and tired eyes under them, while looking like a celebrity that just got off the plane from LA. Are you famous or just half asleep? The world may never know.

What is something that you need to have in your carry-on?

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Being Brave | Lifestyle

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Even though I like to put on the front of someone who really has all of their life together and doesn't care about things like decisions or their consequences at all, I'm actually actually scared shitless of life in general.

You might think that I'm exaggarating, but I'm not. Let this little anecdote illustrate how serious I am - on Monday, my English teacher asked what we'd like to do once we graduate. While the rest of my class was happily chatting about university, police school, going abroad and all that good stuff, I was quietly having a breakdown as I feel like I'm the only one who has absolutely no idea what she should do with her life. I was actually starting to feel dizzy. Nice.
Anyways, that's an issue for another day.

What I was trying to achieve with that introduction was to clarify that I'm easily intimidated and quick to panic.

I shared one of the goals that I had in mind for this year with you guys in March, and as I felt like writing it down made me realize how far I had come back then, I decided to share something else with you, something that I sturggle with a lot but try hard to better myself.

Being brave.

Even though I'm someone who has some very strong opinions on a variety of subjects, and even though I might come of as snarky and/or sassy, I'm usually too scared to share what I've got to say.
Not so much in situations like a simple discussion, but more in times where I will actually have to stand up for myself and stop others from treating me badly.

Why? I'm not sure.

I guess I'm just afraid of people being angry with me, or dissapointed in me, or thinking that I'm a complete bitch. But let's be real, we all have those days.
Basically, I think that it's my low confidence that is the root of all evil.

I really don't want to cry about how I always feel like I'm not good enough and that I always feel like I could be doing better, but that's reality.
And when I'm talking to people and mentioned that I'm not sure on my outift, I'm not trying to fish for compliments, I'm actually concerned. Same goes for hair, make up, my apartment. The list goes on.

And with that confidence problem comes the fact that I simply cannot open my mouth once things get serious.
Someone calls me stupid? I'll take that. Someone runs into me? Cool. Someone not so accidentally hits me? Whatever.

No.

I think it's time for me to stop letting others run me over and tell them how I think about things.
I think it's time for me to say yes more, to take chances that I might not have again, even though they make me feel nauseous.

I think it's time for me to let go off the crippling thoughts at the back of my head telling me "What if it goes wrong? What if it backfires?"


It's time to  realize that I will never know the answers tom all these questions if I don't simply go for it.

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PS: You will probably have realized by now that I have changed my schedule from three post per week to two for the past few weeks, and I'm very sad that I had to do that, but most of my final exams were taking place this June, so I was - and still am - very stressed out about and busy with those.

My last final is on the last day of June, so after that day, I will go back to the way I used to blog before.

I also have some very exciting things planned for July, including a trip to Berlin which I will obviously cover, and maybe even a giveaway, so stay tuned!

5 Things I've Learnt Since Moving Out | Lifestyle

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Never in my life would I have thought that by the time I'm sixteen, I would have my own place. Nu-uh. I'm at a point in my life where everything is kind of overwhelming and I'm expected to have everything that I want to do with my life after graduation figured out soon, when all I really want to do is grab a bag of potato chips and watch an entire season of Pretty Little Liars in one day.

How the hell am I supposed to be a functional adult?

Alright, maybe I'm overexaggerating. But the introduction to this post basically sums up the thoughts that kept me up during the first night I spent completely alone, and that seriously wasn't pretty. I would say that I was having a major quarter-life crisis, but I'm not even in my mid-twenties yet.
This is getting out of hand y'all.

Anyways. Ever since that anxiety and chocolate filled first night, I've learnt quite a few things that I never really struggled with when I still lived with my family, and I felt like sharing them with you would be a nice way to reflect on how far I've come - and to be honest, some of them might be pretty darn amusing.

1. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely.

As I mentioned, the first night I spent completely alone was absolutely horrible. I felt insanely isolated and lonely, and even though I live in a pretty large house and I'm basically surrounded by other people - including my family, who actually live in the same apartment complex I live in, I felt like the only person on earth. This might sound rather stupid, but as I'm a huge family person and used to someone being around me almost 24/7, that was the biggest change I had to face.

Ever since then, though, I think I've been improving. I like spending time alone now and I'm very happy about the fact that I get to have some "me" time without anyone killing my vibe.

2. Cleaning can actually be fun?

Before sitting down to write this post, I had a major cleaning spree. I was putting that off for days now, when I suddenly thought "You know what? Let's fucking do this."
And off I went. Hoovering, scrubbing the floors, taking out the trash, the list goes on. I basically went into full on Cinderella mode, and I was having way too much fun doing that.
Is this normal? Why am I suddenly enjoying something that I've always looked upon as a chore? Send help.

3. Sleep is precious, but sadly rare.

Being used to living together with three other people who with a sleeping schedule very similar to mine, I managed to actually go to sleep at human hours due to the fact that studying all the lights on at midnight simply isn't going to cut it for a household full of people who get up at 5 am.

Living on my own though, I have no one to remind me that hey, it's a quarter to midnight and now you'll only get five hours of sleep - more likely less than that. What the hell have you done.
While I usually don't struggle with time managment at all, I seem to not be able to keep up a reasonable sleeping schedule now. My alarm like to mercilessly remind me of that every single morning.

4. There is a reason behind "best used by" dates.

I'm not talking about that box of cereals that is a day or two past its date - obviously, those are still very well edible.

No, I'm talking about fruit and/or vegetables that have been living in my fridge for weeks on end before I actually remembered to throw them out - resulting in the fact that I will never look at cucumbers and mangoes the same way. Seriously, after I had that incident earlier today, I had to sit down and use anti-bacterial on half of my body. I'll spare you with the details.

5. Cooking is super rad - once you know how to actually do it.

Now, I know how to cook a few basic meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner - but let's be honest here, there's only some many times a girl can eat scrambled eggs, noodles or tacos.
This is where I'll start complaining that school doesn't educate you in basic knowledge that you will need later on in life - things like taxes, managing a household, or cooking.

I guess I'll have to annoy my Mom some more with this, borrow her cookbooks and learn through trial and error.

Until then, scrambled eggs it is,

If you have already moved out, what is something that you learnt along the way?

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What To Do When You're Stressed Out | Lifestyle

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I feel like the subject of stress and anxiety has been appearing on my blog a lot recently - I also spoke about it in Wednesday's post - and I guess that's because how much stuff that I'm not going to bore you with has been going on in my life for the past few weeks.
Basically, I'm a stressed out wreck right now.

I've always had a few ways I dealt with stress, not all of which were all too healthy, but I feel like I have developed and figured out some great techniques regarding stress-relief and as it's final exams season right now, I felt like sharing them with you - and if you're not a student anymore, they might still help you unwind after a tough day!

1. Take A Bath

This one's a classic - but come on, there is nothing more relaxing than a hot bath with a bath bomb of your choice - I usually get mine at Lush, but there's plenty of places that sell them!
 Closing your eyes for a couple of minutes and letting the warmth of the water relax your muscles and the scent of the bath bomb feel the room can work wonders when you're feeling stressed out.


2. Make A To-Do List

I often find myself feeling very overwhelmed by all the things that I should be getting done when I'm stressed out, which, of course, stresses me even more.
You can avoid that by writing down all the things that you have to do and ticking them off one by one - that way, you'll be even more satisfied when you've gotten something done and you will see the list getting smaller and smaller!

3. Give Yourself A Break

I know that this might be the last thing you would want to do when you feeling like there is a million and one things to do, but try to find ten minutes to just sit down, put up your feet and take a deep breath - maybe make yourself a cup of tea or a small snack.
You're not going to feel any better if  you keep hurrying from one thing you've got to do to another, so why don't you just give yourself a teeny-tiny amount of "me" time? Those ten minutes certainly aren't going to make a difference to your time schedule, but they will for your health.

4. Reward Yourself

If you've studied really hard for your final exams, it's totally fine to reward yourself with a little something like that cute shirt you've wanted for a while or even some coffee or a donut by the time you're finally done with them - same goes for all kinds of things that stress you out.
You've done good kid, it's okay to reward yourself for getting through this tough time.

And, as always:

5. Remember That It'll Pass

Even though you might be feeling like this period of stress will never end and that you will never be able to breathe freely again, remember that like everything in life, this too shall pass.
Work might've been horrible this week or even the past month, but remind yourself everyday that the future is unwritten and the next one will probably be better, and the one after that will be even better than the last, and so on.


How do you deal with situations that stress you out?

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You Are Not Your Scars | Lifestyle

It's that time of the year again where I should really be studying for my final exams but instead of doing that, I just sit in my chair, staring off into the distance with so many thoughts and no thoughts at all in my head all at the same time.
Doing that, something fairly important popped into my mind that I just had to share with you guys.

I feel like in today's society, there is so much pressure on every single one of us.
No matter if you're still in school, college or university and expected to both get excellent grades and achieve great things in your after school acitivities like sports or drama, or if you have a job and are expected to fulfill everyone's expectations there, or if you're a parent of two kids and completely stressed out - it seems that all of us have to carry a massive burden around with us, and instead of encouraging us that it's okay to have flaws and to be overwhelmed at times or all the time, if you're like me, our society likes to promote the ideal of a flawless human being that can manage their workload, their family and their social life while looking like an absolute god/goddess.


But that just isn't the truth.

Have a look around - we're all so broken. If you picked one of us up and shook them around, you would hear the rattling of all their broken pieces - pieces they mainly broke themselves.

Because even though I like to blame society for next to everything as much as the next person does, I have to admit that even though we do get influenced by the society we live in, we still get to decided what we let get to us.

And really, we let too much get to us. We let too much bother us.

Who cares if someone thinks I'm dumb because I failed my Maths exam? I certainly don't and as I mentioned, it is my exam we're talking about, not theirs, so they should in no way be able to influence the way I think about it.
Who cares that I'm crying on public transport? Come on, we've all had those rough days where everything goes wrong, from pouring milk over yourself during breakfast to losing a bunch of important papers to getting into a fight with someone at work over a stupid little thing. And then you put in your headphones and want to chill out to some music, and the saddest song in your playlist comes on - how can you not have a breakdown?

And believe me, while there surely are quite a few people who love to torture and torment you for those things - mainly to forget about their own insecurities, the majority of them will know exactly how you feel in the situation you are in and want to pat your back and tell you that everything is going to be fine and all the things that seem huge and horrible now will eventually pass.

The point I was trying to get across here is that yes, you have learnt that all of the situations I mentioned above (and a lot more) will make you come off as a flawed, scarred human being - but that is what we all are.
Even Beyoncé has days where she would like to hide underneath a blanket, and I'm sure not everyone is fond of the ways she lives her life, and hey, that's okay.

I think we need to remember that even though we might think that we are the only ones who feel like this, we're not.
I don't think that there is one single person on this planet who thinks that they have it all figured out, who is so confident in what they do that what everyone else thinks about them doesn't get to them in the slightest.
And that's what makes us all the same, the doubts, the insecurities, the darkness - they make us human, because to be human is to feel every emotion, even those.

It's okay to feel this way, to sometimes feel out of order and completely overwhelmed, we just can't let it take over our lives. We can't let our scars define us.
Because even though they are part of who we are, they aren't us.

Beauty Advice I Wish I'd Listened To | Beauty

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There are quite a few things learnt best through trial and error, and I wholeheartedly believe that make up falls into that category.

I mean, we've all gone through phases of wearing sticky lipgloss, smudged eyeliner that made us look like pandas and concealers that left us looking bright orange - and that's normal, right?
Please tell me I'm not the only one who has those phases documented in family photos. I cringe every single time I look at them. Why.

While I definitely started figuring this whole make up thing out over the years, I feel like there are a few pieces of beauty advice that would have saved me a lot of hassle had I listend to them - but no, my twelve year old me was obviously a lot smarter than that. 

1. Suprise, suprise - you can actually ask the lovely ladies at the counters in stores to match your skin to a shade of your desired concealer or foundation. Months and months spent looking orange could've been avioded.

2. Just because a certain skin care product works for someone else, it might not necessary work for you - in fact, it will probably make your insanely sensitive skin break out in a rash that'll keep you company for a while. Just ask an expert - they'll certainly know what they're doing more than you ever will.

3. Make up shouldn't be something you hide behind - it should be a way for you to express yourself and to highlight all those little things you like about yourself.

4. You can't just smudge your eyeliner into your eyeshadow and call it a "smokey eye". It's not a smokey eye, it's simply a mess and certainly not a good look.

5. Having a good diet will show in your hair, nails, but most importantly, your skin.

6. Wear sunscreen. This is so, so important. I don't know what I was thinking when I purposely exposed my skin to the sun for hours on end. That my extremely pale skin would magically get a glowing tan? Well, it certainly didn't. In fact, it often peeled off completely.
Don't do this to yourself, friends.

7. Do not use make up wipes to remove your make up. Like, ever.
They will not remove the majority of your make up, but what they'll do is help you spread all kinds of nasty germs across your face - and you wouldn't want that, right?

8. Simply washing your hair every other day just won't cut it in a few years time - if you don't look after it and keep damaging by using heat on it frequently, you will leave it being dry and damaged, and if you're really unlucky, it might even fall out. You don't want to go throught that. Believe me.

9. This kind of goes hand in hand with number three - never wear make up just to impress someone else. If they really are worth it, they will love you with all those small imperfections you cover.
Wear make up for yourself, and only for yourself.

10. Bold lips can be really scary - they're hard to apply and if they smudge or end up on your teeth, you will feel like crying out of sheer frustration, but all that fuss is so worth it.
A bold lip definitely is an eye catcher - and lets be real here, it makes you feel really kick ass.


That is only a few of the thing that I have swarming around my head when I look at those disastrous old photos of myself - I bet there's a lot more things I could've covered, but let's be honest, none of you would've had the nerve to read all that.

What is some beauty advice that you wish you'd listened to?

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Stop Being So Damn Scared | Lifestyle

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It's Sunday, which means it's the perfect time for me to have another heart to heart with you guys, because let's be real here, finals are nearing and I have more issues than Vogue nagging at me that I could tell you about.

Some of those are my fears. There's quite a few things that I'm afraid of, things like heights, snakes and Physics exams.

But there is nothing that makes my stomach turn or my thoughts take a really dark path at 3 in the morning like the sheer thought of death.

Now, I don't know what provoked my insane panic regarding that topic, it might be the fact that, starting from a really young age, I've lost a lot of family members and people that are close to me, but the thought that I could just get hit by a bus any minute without having accomplished anything literally leaves me breathless.

When I tell my family about that, they either tell me that I should stop acting up or they just give me weird looks - but I can't be the only one this is happening to, right?

I think death might be scarier for me than it is for other people because I'm very cautious, reserved and plainly afraid most of the time.

I'm too scared to tell people how I feel about them, and that might be weird to you, but to me and others, this is just the way we think - because what if they think we're weird? What if we ruin a friendship by telling someone that we love them more than that?

And to be honest, I use the phrases "You make me happy", "Thank you for being my friend" and "I love you" way too little.

Something else that I do is immerse myself in work, simply because when I know that there's stuff that I need to get done, I can't get rid of that guilty feeling inside of me until I finally sit down to do it, and then I work for hours on hours, until I feel burnt out and need to take a break - but not without still feeling guilty as heck, because there's always something else that I could do.

Because of that habbit, I often miss a lot of opportunities, like getting to spend time with my family and friends, having some me time or working on cool projects.

For some reason, I feel like I'm constantly under-achieving, even when I'm not, and it's taking me away from things I'd love to do and things that would help me become a better version of myself because I feel like I'm too incomplete to even begin with.

I don't even know where I'm going with this topic anymore, but I guess I just had to get this off my chest - maybe someone else is feeling this way too, and if I only made one person feel less alone and more understood, then it will have been enough.

You may know that at the beginning of this year, I promised myself to be more open, to say "yes" more, and I think, in a way, I'm starting to do that.

Because we never know when we see a beloved person again, we never know if we're turning down a once in a lifetime opportunity.

We never know when the bus is coming.

Things To Do When You're Feeling A Little 'Meh' | Lifestyle

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I'm sure we all have those weeks that seem absolutely endless, you will wake up on Tuesday thinking that it's already Friday, and it's only going downhill from there.

For me, the past week has been exactly like that, and I found myself falling asleep at 4pm because I was so exhausted or at one point even crying in bed at night without even having a valid reason, simply because I was feeling so overwhelmed with my entire situation.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has these weeks more or less occasionally, so I wanted to share some of the things that I do when I need to take my mind of the fact that I'm more than stressed out.

1. Get Away From Social Media

I can't stress this one enough. I feel like so many of us spend several hours a day browsing social media, and yes, sometimes it manages to make you smile or laugh, but at some point you will realize that it also stresses you out and makes you unhappy.
I sometimes scroll through my Instagram feed and think "Oh my god, I feel like everyone's got their life figured out, it's absolutely perfect - and what the heck am I doing with my life?" Basically, I was starting to get a lot of negative vibes from it.

If you're feeling anxious or stressed out, I'd recommend turning your phone off and putting it in a drawer.
After only one day, you will probably notice how much more at ease you are.

2. Pamper Yourself

I love running myself a hot bath when I feel low, using one of Lush's bath bombs - some of my favorites include Twilight and Think Pink. I feel like a long bath is so relaxing and it always helps me unwind.
Afterwards, I like to treat my skin by exfoliating it with Soap & Glory's "Flake Away" (which I have a blog post on here) and moisturizing it with my trusty "Pink Grapefruit Body Sorbet" from The Body Shop.
I'll often use a face mask and sometimes paint my nails a fun color as well - basically, I have myself a full on spa day.
When you're not at your best, your skin will show it, too, so I feel like being good to yourself is a great way to start feeling better.

3. Read A Book/Magazine

Something that I've been doing to escape my troubles ever since I was a kid was reading.
I love to sit down with a book or flick through a magazine and just completely zone out for an hour or two, it's insanely relaxing to dive into someone elses world in order to recover from your own.

4. Talk It Through

I'm by no means someone who isn't independent, but whenever I'm having a bad day I always try and talk to my Mom or a friend about it.
Talking to someone you truly trust is important and reassuring, especially when the cause for your negative mood are decisions that you need to make - and even if that's not the case, it's just good to vent to someone and get a hug when you're a literal picture of misery.

5. Excersise

Calm down, I'm not saying you should get out your running gear - if you're having a hard time, you will probably feel to exhausted for harder excersise anyways.
But trying out a few yoga positions or even doing a few breathing excersises will help you calm down within less than five minutes, so if you're feeling particulary nervous and/or anxious, you should definitely try those!


What are some things that help you unwind?

Spreading Positivity | Lifestyle

On New Year's Eve 2014, billions of people made billions of new year's resolutions they probably weren't going to keep - we've all done that before, right?

I didn't have one big resolution. Or maybe, I actually did.

I wanted to become happier, to change view on certain things and cut everything and everyone out of my life that/who is dragging me down with them.

Now, a good three months later, I can say that I feel a lot better than I did when I made that resolution, even though that might sound cheesy.

One of the reasons I feel this way is probably the fact that I started spreading positivity instead of spreading negativity.

I know how easy it is to go with the flow of the crowd and moan about everything and anything that is making you angry, upset or sad.

Take school, for example.

Most of the people I take classes with are constantly upset or angry about something - which, considering we are teenagers who all somewhat struggle with school as well as life in general, is pretty understandable - but they make sure to let everyone know how they feel at that said time.

I don't know if I'm the only person who this happens to, but if someone around me is upset about something, it will automatically affect my mood in a negative way.

That is why I wanted to approach things with more positivity - because I'm just as guilty of doing the above as the next person is, and I've realized what a negative impact it has had one me and the way I look at people, things, and life in general - so much that during certain periods of time, I would go to bed crying every night and waking up to the excact same feeling.

Well, it sucked.

So I started taking baby steps - smiling at myself in the mirror, not making a comment when something annoyed me.
Then, smiling at strangers, making compliments and really meaning them.
Making a nice comment, even though I was in a situation where I was about to rip my hair out.

Now, I can only speak for myself, but ever since I stopped picking out the negative parts of every single thing that went my way, I've been feeling happier and more at ease.

I can now wake up and not think "Oh my god, I have 9 hours of classes and two more hours of work", but take a deep breath and smile because the sun is shining or I'm wearing my favorite pair of shoes.

One of the nicest things that comes with this is the impact it has on other people - my friend told me that my encouraging words made her day better, my Mom smiling brightly when I tell her that I thought of her while she was having a hard time at work, making someone else smile.


We all know that life isn't lollipops and butterflies, but as I see it, to a certain extent, we do get to choose how we live it - and today, I chose happiness by spreading some positivity.


What is your opinion on this topic?

Thank you so much for reading!