(Thank you to my boyfriend for this adorable picture)
Hello, hello, hello. I have not been active in quite a few weeks. I have posted, obviously. But I haven't actually sat down and written a blog post in a really long time. And it is definitely because I have been suffocating under the stress of my workload. I am currently writing a dissertation and a final major project. Now, as a far as I am aware (and please correct me if I am wrong), only students in the arts do final major projects? It's like course work in a way. Instead of exams, we just have a massive project to hand in at the end of the third year.
But anyway...
Majority of my time has been focused on finishing my dissertation, so I don't have to think about it ever again. Writing a dissertation is definitely a tense time and if you aren't even a little bit stressed, you aren't doing it right. I have been thinking a lot lately about what it takes to write a successful paper, but then I realised, I don't even know if mine is successful yet. So, I scrapped that post idea and now I am going to talk about the actual stress surrounding this time.
Start early
Every single person says this but honestly do it. Start planning and researching your project really early. People will tell it's too soon to start thinking about it, but I promise you, it is so worth it when you get to this point in the year and you are proud of what you have written. You are going to need so many books, journals and articles to pour into your dissertation, so why not start early?
Check on your friends regularly
All the people on your course, in your year or even in your university are all facing deadlines around the same time. Make sure you reach out to your friends regularly and often. Approach everyone you see with kind words and help as many people as you can, without it hindering your own work. Writing a dissertation is intimidating and the stress gets to people in every way. Some days, you will lose motivation altogether. But remember, your friends are in the same boat and it's important to keep checking on them, reminding them that this paper is just a gateway to greater things and they need to keep going.
It is okay to take the day off
Take the day off, change your scenery, don't look at your dissertation for a full day, do something fun. Yes, you are at university to complete this paper and yes, this is an important year but you still come first and so does your mental health. Taking a break is important and it is vital for you to not judge yourself when you do this. Don't feel guilty. Just give your brain a rest. Just don't let a day turn into a week - a mistake I think we all have made at some point.
Set yourself goals
Every day, before I head to the library, I always set myself goals. They start off simple - today, you will not cry or leave the library in frustration. And then eventually - I will set myself other goals. For example, I will write a chapter today and tomorrow, I will re-draft it. If you go into your workspace completely unfocused, you will leave unaccomplished. Give your tomorrow-self a break and set goals today.
Self-care is important!
Self-care is always important. However, when I am stressed, things like eating and sleeping always seem to slip first. If you have read any of my other posts, you will know that I have a few things that I think really make the difference around deadline time. For me, something I love doing is putting on a facemask or teeth whitening strips and having a relaxing bath. The current whitening strips I am using are these ones Marbonne which are peroxide free. I got them on Amazon for only £10, but which I don't think is a lot to pay for a product that works as well as this one. I don't know about you - but when I am having a lot of late night working, I often binge on coffee. Which isn't great for your teeth. However, I can feel a little less guilty if I use these strips.
Whatever your self-care routine is during stressful times, remember to not forget yourself and your own body. Take a bath, read a book, put on a facemask - make time for yourself.
If you need an extra hour in bed - have an extra hour in bed (No-one is counting)
If you wake up and you physically can't peel yourself from your bed, stay there for another hour. It's not high school. You are responsible for yourself, so if you need a little more sleep, have it. I think people forget that your brain can get tired too and sometimes it needs to recalculate. Sleep is your friend and your brain needs it to do the best work it can.
Don't work in the same place you sleep
Talking of sleep - don't work in your bedroom if you can avoid it. This took me the WHOLE THREE YEARS of university to realise but if you work in the same room you sleep in, your brain struggles to separate the two. You won't be able to get good work done or good sleep in the same room.
Thank you for reading!
I hope you are doing okay whether you are writing a dissertation, you have to write on in the future or you are not going to write one ever.
I hope you are doing okay whether you are writing a dissertation, you have to write on in the future or you are not going to write one ever.
If you want to purchase some teeth whitening strips from Marbonne, click here.
(They are also Amazon's choice in best selling teeth whitening products)
*This post is sponsored but all opinions are my own.
Are you ready for a delicious post? A simple and easy solution to your baking problems? Okay, for me, when I get stressed, I like to bake or cook. But that doesn't mean I am any good at it. Sometimes, everyone needs a little help and although I can (just about) cook cupcakes on my own when I saw these little bottles of 'Classic Kitchen's Muffins in a bottle', I got really excited and I just had to try it!
So, I found these at The Range, but I think you can pretty much buy them anywhere or the equivalent. I was sceptical at first, will these really work? How has making 8 muffins only going to cost me £1? But let me tell you, this was a super-easy, idiot-proof way of making cakes!
As you can see, the majority of the ingredients that you will need to makes these muffins are actually squashed into these little glass jars (pictured below). Inside is, chocolate chips, sugar, and flour but all the correct measurements so it saves so much washing up of scales and sieves. All you have to add is a splash of milk, some melted butter and an egg, whisk it up and put it in the oven for 25 minutes then boom...You have eight adorable muffins!
I don't know if this sounds like magic to anyone else that isn't me, but I was super excited to see that this worked! Also, just by the way, this post is not sponsored in any way, I am just super in love with these little jars of goodness! 
So overall, I was so so impressed with these and you should expect some of these as Christmas gifts because I think they would be the sweetest presents. But also, if you are really bad at baking in general then these are a super good idea. They don't ever go off so you can store them in your cupboard for a long period of time and they are so so cheap. I don't think there is another, cheaper way to make muffins ever. Honestly, I am so impressed, I would highly recommend.
Hello there! I have an extremely interesting blog post for you today!
So, before Christmas, I sent a lovely tube of my spit to a company called Living DNA. Now, I have, like many people, questioned my origins. Where am I really from? What makes me, me?
I have seen many influencers take part in DNA tests to figure out where they are from and it really inspired me to do work with Living DNA.
Okay, let's start from the very beginning. What was my knowledge about my origin before I started looking into it? Hardly anything is the short answer. I know that both my parents are British and that I was born in Poole, Dorset. But that is pretty much where my knowledge stops. Hence why I wanted to actually take this journey.
Something I was worried about when looking into having my DNA tested was the process that is involved. A lot of companies make it seem really complicated to simply learn who you are as a person. Which frankly, I don't have the time for. But Living DNA made it so simple. They sent over a booklet which gave me all the information I needed. Everything was also marked with labels and numbers to make it clear which order to do things in.
After thoroughly reading the booklet, you simply take the swap out from the airtight tube and rub it on the inside of your mouth. Attach a label with your name and address (which is also provided) and it then, send it off.
They also give you a free t-shirt for using them!
Check them out here.
*Drum roll please*
I am extremely white and British...
Here are my overall results:
So I am nearly 100% from England and my family actually has some distant relative in Ireland, which is nice to know. Living DNA made the information really easy to understand by using maps as well as graphs.
To break it down even further:
The majority of my ancestors are from England and Ireland but I also have some Kurdish, which after much research (and please correct me if I am wrong) is Turkish. Now, obviously, it is only 1.1% but it's still extremely interesting. Which is also similar to Asia. Only 1% of me is from Asia. This is why I wanted to do this test, I wanted to see where else my family hailed from. I knew there was more!
I loved this test. Living DNA genuinely has to be one of the best brands I have ever worked with. Thank you Living DNA for helping along with this journey. Another thing that Living DNA offer, is your mother's DNA. I chose not to share it on this blog post because it isn't my information to give away. However, I will definitely be informing my mother about where she is from!
I highly recommend doing this! And if go with any company, I do recommend Living DNA. They were lovely over email and genuinely made the process so easy. Their link will be below and so will the pictures of me in their free t-shirt to show support to their mission and company.
Thank you for reading! Go find out who you are!
Check out Living DNA
*This post is sponsored but all opinions are my own
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