One Year Anniversary

One year ago today I made the decision to create a blog. It was something I had been familiar with for a few years but had never quite figured out what I should blog about or how exactly to do it. In fact, it was only this time last year that I had first started watching youtubers and had bought Zoella's (Zoe Sugg's) book Girl Online. It was reading that book that made me realise that I wanted to become a blogger and knew what I wanted to blog about. And that, my friends, is the life of a teenager.

What I wanted to do was create a blog that all teenagers could relate to. I wanted to share with you my own experiences during this period of my life to see if any of you had experienced the same thing or something similar. I also wanted to help give you advice on things that you weren't sure about and too generally be someone who you could talk to at any time without fearing judgement. This is because I find it's sometimes easier to talk to someone who you don't know because they can give you the best advice possible for you instead of giving you advice that wouldn't be that useful for you.

When I first started this little blog, I never imagined that it would get as far as it has. Right now, this little blog has 3,081 reads and people reading it in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Jordan, Russia, Brazil, Canada, Turkey, Ireland, Ukraine and Swedan. Never in a million years did I think that I, you're (kind of) average 16 year old teenage girl from a small town in the UK, imagine that my small little blog would have been read in 12 different countries; including my own.

I would just like to take this moment to thank youtubers and other bloggers for inspiring me to do what I do now. I have been so welcomed into this community and if it wasn't for you encouraging and inspiring me to keep doing what I'm doing, then I would have stopped this months ago - and maybe even never have started it. I especially thank Zoella who was the one who inspired me to write this blog in the first place and I don't think I would have started it without her. I would also like to thank anyone of you who has retweeted or liked the link I share on Twitter to my blog and the various posts on it. You don't understand how much that helps to get more people to view this blog and potentially help them, so thank you for that.

And finally, I would like to thank you: the reader. It is you who has, especially, helped me to carry on with this blog by your comments, and in general just by reading it. I am always so stunned as to why anyone would take a few minutes out of their day just to read the posts that I put up on here. Even after being here for a year, it still amazes me to this day as to why anyone would want to read any of this. I'm sure it'll continue to amaze me in the many years to come (if anyone is still reading this).

Thank you so much to you all for the past year - it's been a blast! And here's to the next year (and hopefully many years to come) of this tiny little blog.

Love Beth xx

Grades Don't Define You

If you've just taken your GCSEs, then on Thursday you would have found out your results. Whether they were good or bad, I just want to let you all know that whatever you got doesn't define you as a person. It's kind of like setting a load of different animals the task of climbing a tree and saying whoever could ever climb it the quickest is the best. If this was between a monkey, elephant and a fish then the monkey would obviously be seen as the better animal. But if this task was set for the same animals to see how far they could swim underwater, then the fish would be the better animal. These exams don't necessarily bring out the best in you. 

In fact, I think we shouldn't have exams at all. You spend months leading up to these exams trying to prepare for them and trying to find the right balance between going out with people and studying. If you're anything like me you would have done more of going out with people than studying. The night before the exam is the worst because you're constantly debating with yourself on whether you've done enough revision or not and if you try and fit a bit in in the morning or just leave it. Then you're lining up outside the hall and going over one or two things with the people around you (as well as realising that you know absolutely nothing for the exam and realise seconds before you walk into the hall that you should have done more revision). When you are finally able to open the paper and see the questions you're either really happy and could write for hours; or you're sat there trying to remember when (or if) you learnt anything that was on the paper and trying to come up with at least one thing to write down to try and get a few marks. Once the exam's ended you're glad that it's over and either realise that you did really well or really bad: but overall you're just happy that you can forget about everything that was on that paper. But once the exams are over it's the dreaded wait until you can find out how you did and constantly thinking that you've failed every single exam and that you're either going to have to retake a few of them or repeat the whole of year 11. 

Then when you open that envelope and look at your results, you are (hopefully) pleased with how you did and realise that you had nothing to worry about. And if you're not pleased with how you did then you shouldn't worry about it because there are plenty of things you can do to redeem yourself. You can always retake the exam if you did really badly. If it was something to do with being a grade off what you needed to get into a sixth form/college then I shouldn't worry about it too much. A lot of the time they will make an exception and let you in anyway because no one if 100% guaranteed to get the grades they're told they're going to get/need. There are always other options out there anyway.

I am really proud of myself because I now have 10 GCSEs and 1 equivalent. I took my first GCSE in year 9 because my school does it like that for some reason. Here are my grades:

Art: C (year 9)

ICT: pass (year 9)

Ancient history : C (year 10)

Core science: C (year 10)

Maths: C (year 11)

English language: B (year 11)

English literature: B (year 11)

Additional science: C (year 11)

PE: B (year 11)

Spanish: B (year 11)

History: C (year 11)

In just under two weeks time I'm going to my local sixth form and I'm going to be studying psychology, history and health and social care. I currently have absolutely no idea about what I want to study if I go to university or what job I want to do. But that's okay because not everyone will have an idea of what they'll be doing in five years time. Right now, if you don't know what job you want to have, it's just about taking subjects that you enjoy; but that also give you a range of different opportunities when you're older. 

I hope that the results you got on Thursday were what you wanted (and possibly better). If they didn't exactly go to plan then I shouldn't worry about it too much because a lot of people will be in the same position as you. There are plenty of things that you can do if you absolutely need to get a better grade for a certain subject if it will affect what you can and can't do in the future. A lot of employers won't necessarily be looking for that A* grade anyway: they just want to know that you passed you're GCSEs  so they know what you are capable of.

Thank you for reading this and I hope that none of you are disappointed with your results. Also, if you were only a few marks off the next grade up then don't constantly question yourself on what you should have done to get that grade. At the end of the day you did the best you possibly could and you should be proud of yourself for doing just that.

Love Beth xx

Never Think You're Not Good Enough

What I'm about to share with you is something that someone mentioned to me a few days ago. I was kind of shocked to hear this and couldn't believe what they were saying. At first I thought they were joking but from the way the conversation had been going and continued to go, I could tell that they weren't. 

I think I've mentioned once before about this boy who has completely changed my life. We're not together but have been talking for the past few months and he's had a big impact on my life. It's now gotten to the point where I never want him to leave. I find it weird how I've only been really close to him for the past few months and never want to let him go.

Anyway, this boy has been acting kind of weirdly this past week. It all started last week when he messaged me telling me that he was thinking about me and when I asked him why he told me that he'd tell me when we meet up (we haven't met up yet). Then, the conversation went slightly (just slightly) weird because he told me that he loves me.

I was so confused about what was going on. I know that in the months that we have been talking there have been plenty of times where it's felt like we're just friends but there have been other times where it's felt like we're more than friends. I guess it doesn't help that I have feelings for him and him saying all of that, especially that he loves me (apparently), is all that I've thought about for the past week. That was until a couple of days ago.

It had been a few days since we'd talked and the last thing he'd told me was that he loves me. I guess I never talked to him in those days because I had no idea what to say. He then messaged me telling me that he misses me. Ever since we left school he's said this so I didn't think much of it. Except for the fact that I miss him too. The conversation then got weirder than the other one because he told me that he thinks I'm beautiful and stunning. He has never said anything like that to me before so I was in complete shock. But at the same time my heart kind of melted by his words. I just couldn't believe what he'd told me. Then it got even weirder because he started asking me why I love him and when I asked him why he was asking me this he said it was because he wanted to know if he ever had a chance with me. He then said he thought he never had a chance with me because he thought I was too good for him. When I told him he did have a chance with me he said he was amazed.

Boys (and girls) never think that someone is too good for you or that you never have a chance with them. Chances are that you do have a chance with them and you're just making yourself think these things because, for some reason, you think they're better than you. So don't be afraid to tell someone how you really feel because chances are they feel the same way. And even if they don't, you at least know that you told them how you feel and were put in your place instead of not telling them and spending, potentially, the rest of your life thinking about what could have happened.

I don't know when or if I'm ever going to see this boy again and that hurts because I just want to hug him and tell him in person that he did, and still does, have a chance with me. I think that hurts the most from what he said because the way he said it made it sound like he thinks he's lost his chance with me. He hasn't. I know I've only been close to him for a few months but it feels like a lifetime and I don't ever want him to not be a part of my life. I have had, and let, too many people who I cared (and still do care) walk out of my life and have never seen them again. I have so many regrets from these experiences and I wish I could turn back time to get them back in my life. Unfortunately I can't do that so I have to spend the rest of my life without them. And it hurts me knowing that. It hurts me knowing that they're not that far away; and yet I haven't seen them since I allowed them to walk. 

If you have feelings for someone and you haven't told them yet then tell them. In fact, stop reading this and go and tell them now. I know that rejection is something that we all fear; but at the end of the day, at least you can live with yourself knowing that you told that person how you really feel. And let's face it, if that person has allowed you to be a part of their life so far without you telling them your true feelings, then they obviously must feel something for you too. I have led a life with far too many regrets and I want to change that. I want to start telling people how I really feel about them so that they at least know that. 

You know what, if this person does reject you then they're a fool. They obviously can't see how great you really are and they are not worth your time and effort. There is someone out there who is worth all that and so much more and you should go out and find that person. It could take days, weeks, months or even years: but don't stop until you find them. Don't waste your time on the wrong person when you could spend that time and so much more with the right one. 

If what has happened to me or the boy I've been talking to you about has happened (or is currently happening) to you and you want to talk about it then please don't be afraid to talk to me about it. All of my contact information is in the contacts tab at the top of the page.

Please remember this: no one is ever too good for you.

Love Beth xx

Forgetting Your Worries

We all have things in life that we worry and stress over. In fact, I often think that worry and stress has become a part of my everyday life - which isn't a good thing. These things that we worry and stress over often make it difficult for us to do our everyday tasks without having them in the back of our mind. But there are ways that you can escape these worries and stresses. 

1. Watch comedy shows

If you're worrying or stressing over something then you are most likely not smiling about it. Comedy shows can help you to forget everything you're worrying and stressing about and to just focus on what you're watching and laugh. I guess this is because you're so busy laughing at what's being said that you can forget about everything else that's going on in your life. I heard this tip from someone about a month ago and I never really realised before about how much it works. I've had a lot of stuff on my mind recently and I was watching a comedy panel show the other day and I completely forgot about what was worrying and stressing me out and I was able to focus on the show and laugh about it. 

2. Read a book

Reading is known to calm you down and relax your mind: which is why a lot of people will read a book before going to bed. I often find that by reading a book I'm able to ignore what's going on around me or in my life and focus on what's happening in the book. I also feel that it's almost as if I'm actually in the book and everything that's going on in the main characters life is happening to me. It's almost as if I am that character. Reading definitely blocks out all of the stresses and worries of your life and allows you to be in the moment of what's happening in the book and not what's currently worrying you or stressing you out in your life.

3. Listen to music

I know that with a lot of songs that you might listen to, you often find yourself completely relating to the song with your current situation which only makes you think about it more. However, just by putting your earphones in and listening to music, you're blocking out the rest of the world. Make a playlist with lots of songs in it that make you feel happy and that you want to dance to. It will make you feel so much better; I promise you. As long as it keeps you happy and distracts you from everything else that's going on then you'll be more than fine.

4. Take a bath

Another thing that I find works for me whenever I'm worried or stressed is by taking a bath. It helps me to relax and calm down; especially if I've been having a rough day. I normally find baths a chore because you've got to wait ages for the tub to fill up and it's always either too hot or too cold which results in me having to let some of the water out so I can put some more water in to get it at the right temperature. But if you put all of that aside they're actually pretty relaxing. It can also give you a chance to use a new bath bomb (or any bath product) that you've been wanting to try out for ages but have never gotten the chance to. Something that can make a bath even more relaxing is candles. You can just lie in the bath in the dark with some candles. You could maybe even listen to some relaxing music while you're in there and if it's light enough you could read a book. If you really wanted to you could even turn it into a pampering session. I just find the baths are really good at cleansing your body and your mind. 

5. Sing

You don't have to be an excellent singer just to sing. You don't have to sound like Beyoncé. I am probably the worst singer in the world but I still sing to just try and focus my mind on something other than what's going on in my life at that moment. Singing is supposed to release good endorphins which make you feel happy. Even if it's just singing along to one of your favourite songs on the radio; it will make you feel better. If I'm home alone I tend to go on YouTube and find the karaoke version of any song that I like and I sing that and any other songs I can find on there that I know really well and love. You can think this is weird if you want to but I've found that doing this makes me completely focus on the song and nothing else. 

I hope that this post has helped you find some ways of how to forget about anything that you may be worried or stressed about at the moment. You don't even need to feel stressed or worried to try out some (or all) of these things. I often use them whenever I've got a lot on my mind or if there's been a lot of things going on around me that can cause my mood to change quite a lot. I just think that they allow you to forget about everything else that's going on in your life at that point and to focus on whatever it is you're doing to forget about everything.

If this post has helped you, even in the smallest way possible, then please let me know in the comments below. If you have any other tips that you've found quite useful when it comes to getting rid of any stresses or worries you have then I would love it if you could put them in the comments below. 

Thank you for reading and if you have any other queries then don't be afraid to ask. All of my contact details are in the comments tab at the top of the page.

Love Beth xx