Changes and Hopes for 2018!

Good Morning All!

Not my image! Image found on Google.com

I want to start by saying that I hope everybody has had a wonderful Christmas and hope you're all looking forward to a great New Year! Our Christmas was fantastic, I spent a lovely morning and had lunch with my family and we then went over to Simon's family for the rest of the night, lunch as per was awesome and spending time with all of our loved ones was just perfect. Myself and Simon were completely and utterly spoiled and I can't thank our families and friends enough, we will have to treat them all in the new year.

I'm definitely looking forward to the New Year, I went out with Simon and his friend a few weeks ago and my mood was not positive; I was feeling really depressed and quite hopeless, I think Simon was too at that point to be honest. Both of us had been going through a very difficult period which was impaction on our relationship at the time, something Simon's friend said to us really hit home with me, I can't remember the exact words but he basically said that when you step back form the situation and find the things you like, use the knowledge about yourself in a productive way you can make 2018 the best year ever, it's ours to make basically. He is totally right as well and we just hadn't really looked at it through the lens he uses before. He's an awesome lad, can't say that enough. 

So, with that in mind I want to talk about New Years Resolutions, something I'm sure many many people will be akin this year. Thing is, I don't make resolutions because I don't like the idea of 'letting myself down' if I can't stick to them, but this year some changes really need to be made, therefore this year I'm making some changes, and some promises to myself, that I think will make my life better and make my 2018 as happy and healthy as possible. Here are some things that I'm hoping to accomplish this year.

Improve my health - I'm not the most unhealthy person alive but neither and I the healthiest I could be. There is little I can do about my POMC until the time is right and new treatments are available, new options given to us all; however, there is a lot I can do to improve other aspects of my health to make me happier and more able. I need to mix up my diet, although at the moment it is very restricted, I would like to speak to dieticians to see if I could add more nutritional meals into my diet or even more interesting ones, eating the same thing constantly can get boring. Physiotherapy is on the cards as well as I want to be able to stand for more than 5 minutes without pain coming on, posture is something that needs looking at as the curve in my spine impacts that a lot, I think physic would be a good thing for me even if it's not a cure but a help. Counselling to keep my mental health on track is something I also want to get into, there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to keep your mind healthy, I still have battles with low self-esteem at times and that's something I'm hoping to overcome this year. In terms of health I also need to be much more forward in telling the doctors what I need instead of just agreeing with their course of treatment, that is a very important one for me. 

My book on how to live well the Danish way! Exciting read

Change my mentality - This is a big one actually and pretty much goes hand in hand with the counselling aspect of the above mentioned point. I really need to change my mentality around... well everything. A little fact about me, I let people take advantage of me all the time because I don't have the confidence to stand up and say no. I've put myself, and in some instances, Simon, in very awkward, difficult and uneasy situations due to my inability to say no. Something I need to take heed of is the fact that if somebody else chooses to do (or not do) something because I'm not then that decision isn't on me, everybody is responsible for their own actions and I want to work on my ability to not take everything to heart. I need to be kinder to myself, I often think I'm a terrible person, berating myself for the smallest of mistakes, I put too much pressure on myself at uni because of this. I'm human too and this is the year I want to accept myself completely, flaws and all. Sometimes I try far too hard to please other people and get upset at criticism but I also want to try and be myself more this year, if I don't want to do something I won't. I should get back to my knitting, cross stitch, back into my reading and such. I got a book for Christmas about the Danish way to be happy and I can't wait to read it! 

Spend more time with family - Time with loved ones is precious, all time is precious but it's even better in the company of those you love most. Unfortunately there are some people I'm often surrounded by that, for my own mental health, I am going to have to step away from, regardless of the nature of our relationship some people just are not good to be around. Constant arguments, belittling, lack of support and compassion is not the kind of attitude anybody needs to be around. Therefore, this year I will be spending my time with those who truly matter, those who are there for me and I for them, I've heard over and over that surrounding yourself with good people is the best possible thing you can do for yourself, 2018 will be the year I take that advice and test that theory. Simon's family are included in that as I love them as my own and always look forward to spending time with them as well. It also includes spending time with friends, these are the people who help you up no matter how far down you fall and those people are hard to find, keep them close I say!

Be more of a 'YES!' woman - I remember watching Jim Carey's 'Yes Man' movie years ago and as much as a lot if it was so cringey (and still hilarious to me) you've got to admit he was much happier when he started just saying yes to the little things he usually would have said no to. This year I want to be a yes woman, I want to say yes to more days out and going different places without worrying about the price of things or how many days I have left to do my essays... I always get them done at least 1 week in advance anyway. I also have plans to start this little promise to myself as I want to go to the Hancock Museum in Newcastle, I hate history but love the cavemen, dinosaur type history, so that would be fun. I also want to go to a couple of art galleries, more movie nights out, trips to weird and awesome places. Another side promise to go along with this is that I want to make a scrapbook, or at least take more pictures to keep these important memories alive.

More me time/Learn to step back - Finally, I think something that I have been meaning to do for a long, long time is take more time for me. I love Simon and he loves me but everybody in a live-in relationship needs their own time and we don't get a lot of it these days with uni, family, work and everything else going on. So, with that said I want to take more time for me and learn to step back from situations that I need to remove myself from. I have already thought of how I can do this, I am at my happiest when I am listening to my music, this year I had to invest in a new iPod Touch as a replacement for the best piece of technology ever created... the iPod Classic (screw you apple for discontinuing those!!), so I've bought myself lots of new albums and I am ready to go! I've packed my personal care boxes full of body butters, nice smellies, my craft box is full and I'm fully prepared to give myself some me time in whatever way I fancy!

So those are my little promises and hopes for 2018, and you know what? It doesn't matter which or how many of these promises I manage to fulfil because even one of these things will make my life a little better. I hope you all are looking forward to a brand new year! Thank you all so much for reading and please let me know what your promises/wishes.resolutions are for 2018!

See you soon guys! xo

New Years Resolutions 2015!

So, it's finally arrived, the last day of 2014 and the anticipation of the forthcoming year (big words, I know right?)I thought I would post my resolutions. Anywho, I'm positive there'll be countless posts on this throughout the day on other people's blogs but I thought I would make my own little contribution to that; so here's my 2015 New Years Resolutions.

• Eat/Cook Better - I'm no different to the majority of people out there, I enjoy my food and I always eat more than I should at Christmas time but in 2015 I'd like to make an effort to eat at home more often rather than grabbing something from a shop or - eek- a takeaway when I'm too busy or running late. It's really important to eat as healthy as possible particularly as you get older and I haven't been the healthiest of individuals this year, well in the last 6th months at the very least. So, hopefully I'll learn to cook some healthy new recipes.

• Exercise More - This is really important to me as keeping health as I get older isn't just important for health it's becoming very clear that I'll have to have a significant amount of physical stamina if I'm to pursue the career I would like; midwifery. I'm not one of these people who sits idle most of the time, I exercise at home and I walk whenever I can rather than using my car however I'd just like to give my fitness level a little boost so I'm going to do about an extra 30 minutes of exercise per day and build up the time spent over a few months; I'm planning on holding myself accountable via this blog and posting about my fitness routines and plans in the very near future. 

• Find an Outlet for Stress - I'm a stress head. There's absolutely no denying it anymore. Stress gets to me far too easily and it's hard for me to wind down once I've reached that level of mania, this year I'm making a point to make sure I find an outlet for all of my stress to keep myself calm and relaxed rather than manic and uptight. I have a good few ideas of how to wind down after being so stressed, those being cross stitch, knitting, reading or writing. Hopefully I'll find something that suits me down to the ground. 

• Make Time for Blogging -  I adore blogging so as my fourth and final New Years Resolution I want to make it a priority to find time to post as often as absolutely possible, it may be difficult to post everyday for obvious reasons but I'd love to make time to post every second day and more often if I can. This blog is very important to me and I appreciate all those who read on a regular basis.

• Leave My Comfort Zone - This is pretty important to me, I've always been really shy and introvert but since starting college I've been much more confident. However, I still have difficulty leaving my comfort zone therefore I am going to work hard at leaving my comfort some whenever possible. Maybe through volunteering, travelling alone (I hate that) or even making a talent show audition. If I'm feeling really brave I may even try for X-Factor... unlikely but it's worth a try. 

• UPDATE: Learn a New Language: For about 10 years now I've wanted to learn a new language, literally any new language and when I was around 11 I discovered how much I love the German language and Irish Gaelic so I'm making it a priority to learn one of these two languages, I'll probably start with German as it seems much easier... if Imanage to learn two words in these languages I'll be happy. I may even move on to trying to perfect my English first haha!

So, there you have it. My new years resolutions have been made and I have to say it will be a miracle if i manage to stick to two of these, never mind four.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Do you have any New Years Resolutions? Please let me know I'd love to hear from you.

Love Katherine. X