Self Love Summer Revisited...

Hey Everyone,

You may have seen at the beginning of summer I posted about how I wanted to decrease my insecurities and have a summer full of self love. Well as summer is drawing to a close I am reflecting back on the summer to see if my little experiment worked. (Featuring pictures from throughout the summer, some selfies, sorry)

(Giggles on a night out with friends)

Overall I would say that I am definitely happier. I started this summer ridiculously hung up on someone who was not worth even an ounce of my time and I shouldn't have let it effect me but I did and it did not make me feel great about myself at all! It is safe to say that I don't feel hung up on him at all and can stomach myself a little more (crazy how us girls let guys make us feel so bad) and looking back I realise it was just stupid. I am in a much better place and enjoying my own company and I am 100% ok being single and if I meet someone I meet someone and if I don't it is all ok.

(Spontaneous hair chopping = instant confidence boost)

Exercise wise I didn't do too great. The running didn't stick for long, but hey I tried. I did however join a gym last week and I just got loads of new gym gear so hopefully I can get the bug and then my body confidence will go through the roof. However I do love my lumps and bumps a little more. Diet wise as well I did start eating better but long days with no structure did take their toll and biscuits were well needed. I tried and I will definitely try again once back at work (even with tea and cake friday).

(Surprise birthday drinks, reminding me I have the best friends ever and I am more than loved)

I recently got into a whole new beauty regime and new make-up which has made me feel so much more confident with my looks. Buying new clothes every month although it has killed my bank balance has also made me feel 100% better about myself as I realise I can pull off the latest trends and in fact I do really enjoy a lot of them.

(This cheeky little pup has been making every day a barrel of laughs)

Even if we haven't had much of a summer (the weather has been awful) I definitely feel better in myself. Being that little bit selfish and focusing on me has done me wonders. I smile a lot more, which for a girl with a usual 'speak to me and i'll kill you' resting face, this has done me wonders as people have found me so much more approachable. Obviously I still have my moments where I panic about things and I have evenings where I get emotional and sad but those nights have gone down an awful lot. It really has been an eye opening summer and I am so glad I did it. I am also hopefully going to try and continue this mentality throughout the rest of the year and I'm sure in no time at all I'll be loving myself even more (but not too much, I don't want to be an arrogant diva, ok maybe I want to be a diva... just not an arrogant one).

(a night out in an outfit I thought I rocked)

Did any of you have an eye opening summer like me? Are you loving yourself a little more after this summer? Let me know on Twitter/Instagram.

See you Sunday,

Love Katie x

Last minute revision tips...

Hey everyone,

Hope you are enjoying your bank holiday weekend. I for one am not living my bank holiday weekend to it's true potential due to exams being on the horizon. If you are in a similar position to me you will love this blog post. It is all on revision tips to help you through exam time.

1. Take regular breaks.

 (Image from Pinterest)
Staring at a screen or notes constantly for hours will not help you retain any information. If you are reading through notes aim for short sessions with a small break or if you are making notes from Powerpoints complete a whole powerpoint (if it isn't 100's of slides long) and reward yourself with a half an hour break. In this break scroll through social media, watch an episode of something on Netflix (friends is on there now, yay) or take a quick 10 minute nap. I say take a nap as this apparently helps you retain information. Anything for a bit more sleep ey?

2. Motivation.

(Image from Pinterest)
If you don't have motivation to revise you wont want to do it and that wont help you pass your exams. Something I do is buy a bag of sweets/chocolate that have lots of individual ones (crispy m&m's are perfect). Then every few slides you make notes on or pages of notes you read, treat yourself with one of your sweets or chocolate. Rewarding yourself every so often will keep you going to the next few slides just for the next reward. Just try not to eat the whole bag on your first treat.

3. Take it outside.

(Image from Pinterest)
There is nothing worse than looking out the window while revising and seeing people enjoying the sunshine but that doesn't mean you cant join them. Grab your suncream and head out in the garden with your notes and get cracking. This will make revision seem a little more fun. However, the weather has not been too great lately so lets hope it picks up so we aren't stuck inside all day.

4. Keep hydrated and eat well.

(Image from Pinterest)
BRAIN FOOD IS KEY. If you are stuffing your face with sugary motivational treats you need to be sure that you are being healthy in your actual meals. This will help you have the energy to do all your revision and help your brain retain all the information. I am awful for letting my diet go downhill during exam season so I ensure I am keeping hydrated with lots of water to make up for it.

5. Sleep well.

(Image from Pinterest)
This is key especially the night before the exam. As I mentioned before sleep helps you retain information so it is essential that you are getting 8 hours AT LEAST. I have also found that reading over some notes before I go to bed (instead of scrolling twitter) really helps and actually makes me more sleepy.

I hope these tips help and that you all pass the exams you have with flying colours. Unfortunately due to my exams I will not be doing my usual Wednesday post next week. I will however, be back on Sunday. Also on a more serious note just a reminder that Thursday 7th May (in the United Kingdom) it is election day. If you are registered to vote, please make sure you get down to your nearest polling station and vote. If you aren't sure who to vote for or where to vote all the information is here.

See you in a week,

Love Katie x