I'm Back From A Break!

Hey guys, I'm back!

I know it's a Thursday and I promise that I genuinely wanted to have this posted yesterday on my usual Wednesday/Sunday schedule, however I arrived home last evening feeling sick with a massive headache so I thought I would wait another day to make sure that I take my time with this post and I didn't rush through it.

So yes, I didn't post at all over the Christmas break and honestly, I think it was the right thing for me to do.

Admittedly, I'm not particularly close with all of my family. Whenever I see a few off my aunts and uncles, there's always a comment to be said about either my hair or jeans or class choice or song choice or personal interest.

There's always something unnecessary said about my personal choices and it gets to me. I usually get frustrated or angry, but this year I just felt down.

During the break I spent the majority of the time at my house, I left a few times but not too often, and I felt down about having to go see my family members because I knew what to expect.

If you ever start feeling down because you have to visit family, that's not a bad thing and you aren't a horrible person! If they aren't a positive motivation in your life, you don't have to put pressure on yourself and say that you have to love them because they're family, because honestly, you don't.

They say that you can't pick your family, but you can pick who's close to you in life and who you want to surround yourself with.

That doesn't specifically mean family.

Either way, I got through my holidays.

I had a few friends come over on New Years Eve and I was really starting to feel better, we only watched movies and I fell asleep 40 minutes before the New Year and was awoken in 2016.

A few hours later I did the polar bear swim! (For those who don't know what it is, it's when you run into water outdoors whether it's a lake/ocean/river)

I wasn't sure if I would do it this year but honestly it was probably the best year I've done it yet!

Later that night, I went to go see Star Wars with the same friends that were over for New Years Eve, and this is when things turned.

We got maybe a third of the way into the movie when I had an anxiety/panic attack. I don't know which one it was; I felt anxious because the theatre was completely full, however I calmed myself down during the previews and then laters had the anxiety/panic attack.

I want to say it was a panic attack because had it been anxiety, it would lasted until I got out of the theatre, but I'm honestly not sure.

That really set me back.

I was feeling pretty good, but then that happened and I fell right back down into my slump.

When school started back up, I came to realize that it's okay to be on a rollercoaster with my anxiety and depression because that's the reality of it. I'm going to have good days and bad days, I'm going to have anxiety/panic attacks. 

I want to get right out of those periods, but sometimes it can be really hard.

Things might seem bad now, but in a year I'll be able to look back on this and see how far I've come.

That was my break, tell me about yours! I hope you all had an amazing break that was both fun and relaxful.


One More Girl, no longer online

How To Deal With A Big Project

I have to huge project that I have to present tomorrow and I have had nothing but nerves since the day we got assigned this project. I don't do well presenting or having a healthy schedule for actually working on the project. This post is for anyone like me, someone who doesn't have the proper motivation to move along with the project and someone who is terrified to present.

I found this information not too long ago, so hopefully I'll be able to remember it for tomorrow and also that someone else will find it useful. 

How to stay on task:

• Don't Multitask.

It will have your mind scatter over many different things and some probably stents as important as this huge project that you have to finish.

• Break Up The Project

Instead of looking at the project as one huge roadblock, look at it as many smaller parts. Also, it's better to get the dreaded part that you don't want to do done, because then it's over and done with.

**

How to relax during a project

• Take Breaks

There's no need to do 7 hours straight of work, overwhelm yourself and cause ever more stress for yourself.

•Reward Yourself

There's nothing wrong with taking a break and eating your favourite snack, going out with friends, watching a TV show, playing a video game, do whatever you'd like!. As long as you don't overextend this reward, there's no problem at all with it!

How To Deal With Presenting

• Slow It Down

Don't rush through sentences to get the project over and done with. Your brain will be on fast forward and you'll be more likely to stumble over a few words. Instead, take a small pause between paragraphs and take time to breath between sentences.

• Practice Makes Perfect

Practice your presentation before the actual presentation day. I know from experience that it is ALWAYS better to have had a few trial runs before you present the real thing. It helps make you feel more comfortable with your material, so don't feel ashamed to talk to a mirror once or twice!

**

I hope that these few tips can help someone else. I know that during my project breaks and researching these facts have helped me towards the end of my project. Hopefully it will be done for Monday. I just have to glue my text onto the poster board, find some images, download some music and practice! 

Also, always please remember that your health should always come before any school or work project. Please try to not lose sleep, don't skip meals to get it done, don't let stress build up, take care of yourself. 

No project is more important than you.


One More Girl, no longer online

Don't Let Go of Love

Being on a sports' team, something you usually have to do is a fundraiser.

My team was selling raffle tickets over the weekend to win the prize of a one night stay at a hotel and a 100$ gift card to a fancy restaurant in the local area, and the draw for the prize will take place on February 13th, the day before Valentines Day.

During my shift yesterday, an elderly man came by to buy some tickets. He asked what the draw and everything was about, who he was supporting, what the prize was, and all of that typical stuff you expect to hear while trying to sell/raise money for something. At the end of it, I added "Draw date is February 13th, so it's right on time for Valentine's Day!"

He looked me in the eyes with a sad look upon his face and said "Well I lost the love of my life to ovarian cancer back in 1986 (I think that was the year he said, I can't remember that exactly). I did however find someone new, but it's not the same, you know? She's like a best friend to me, and I know that it's someone that she (referring to the love of his life that he lost) would've liked to known her."

I was speechless.

I have lost family members, yes, but to lose the love of your life, your soulmate, your other half, I couldn't imagine what that would be like. 

In Greek mythology, it's believed that humans used to have four arms, four legs, four eyes, two noses, basically double of everything. Zeus was afraid that someday, the humans would be capable of overthrowing the Gods, so he split them all in half, resulting in one half to search for the other. To find their soulmate.

After all of that looking, this man found his other half, was ready to spend the rest of his life with her, but cancer ripped that away from him.

This was just another eye opener for me.

When I lost my grandfather on September 1st 2014, that was hard for me. 

I didn't know how to feel, I didn't know what to do with myself, I didn't know when it was appropriate for me to cry, I didn't know what to do with all of the memories I have of him because I was afraid to lose them, and finally, I didn't know who to talk to about all of this.

"You can't close anyone out now...If anything this is the time to be close with your family. You need them and they need you. Having someone pass in your family shows you that you have to spend time with them and cherish it. You don't know how long the moment will last," is something that one of my friends told me when I confided in them how I felt, and I don't think that statement could be any truer. 

Those two events taught me something.

If you love someone, whether its a family member, a friend, a lover or a role model in your life, make sure you tell them how much you appreciate them or that you love them. You have to hold onto the love you have now, because you never know when it's going to be ripped away from you, or when you might feel those feelings again.

If you have a crush on someone or you have a strong feeling for them, don't play hard to get. Maybe someday, you will just be too hard to get that the person that's chasing after will let you go. 

If you have someone that loves you, I am begging you, grab onto that love with both hands and hold on. Hold on to it for as long as you can and don't ever let it go. Don't let it slip away, because hell, someday it might.

Love is such an amazing thing that we really do take for granted nowadays, but that elderly man with his story was a reminder to me to never let go of love, and I hope you take this post as a reminder.

If you're looking for a reason to tell someone you like them, call up your crush, tell your best friend how you truly feel about them...this is it. 

Don't take love for granted because now, it's a rare thing, so don't let go of the people you love.


One More Girl, no longer online