Depression - guest post

My depression began a few years ago with a gradual decline of my mood and emotions. I was under a lot of stress at the time and was going through quite an emotional and unstable period of my life, which I am sure contributed to the

cause of it. At the time I was surviving, putting on a brave face over my troubles and trying to carry on as normal. For the most I succeeded, I was busy and energetic and to those who knew me no different, but inside I was slowly losing it.

I began to get very tearful and would cry for hours on end, my sleep was disrupted and I began to isolate myself.i had panic attacks. My appetite disappeared but still I strived to carry on as normal in my day to day life, it was only in the evenings when I was alone that I gave way to my feelings.

This went on for a while until suddenly things went downhill rapidly. Virtually overnight I went from being capable of struggling through the days in the face of others to not being able to cope at all. I lost all spirit of independence and was incapable

of the smallest task. My motivation was zero, my mood was at rock bottom, I wasn't really living, I was existing. I had no emotion apart from to cry - which I did frequently - and could not be left on my own. My partner had to take long term leave from work to look after me. Looking back it was a wonder I wasn't hospitalised at that stage. It really was a dark and awful time.

Two years followed of attendance at various mental health day centres and clinics. I was admitted to psychiatric hospital three times. The doctors struggled to get my medication right and I was prescribed many anti depressants before they found the right combination for me. When they finally did that was my salvation. I truly believe that I would not be here today if it wasn't for medication.

Living and coping with depression is tough. In my early days I had no choices to make, it was all done for me. I went to a certain day centre on a certain day, I took my medication when they gave it to me. At that early stage I was incapable of thinking and functioning for myself. Apart from help and support from medical agencies and my family, what got me through it was routine. I had a timetable of tasks I had to do each day - get out of bed, have breakfast etc and this routine gradually gave me stability as I had a reason to get up each day, if only to tick each check list off the timetable. It is very important whilst suffering from depression that you try to have activities in place, however small. You need to have that motivation forced upon you to do something other than ruminate with your thoughts and distraction is definately key.

I started CBT with my psychiatric nurse and that was very useful, although at the time I didn't understand it. I had to write my thoughts and feelings down then write next to it what I thought the outcome would be. Then my nurse would go through it with me and we would discuss what the real outcome would be, which was never the result I had written - the result of my dark thoughts and worries was totally unrealistic.

Over time my depression stabilised and I began to be able to function again. Through therapy and medication I have got to where I am now, but I can never forget those early dark days. To anyone suffering from low moods, anxiety etc I would say seek help as soon as possible - the earlier it is treated the better. Don`t put on a brave face and try to carry on regardless like  I did because you are doing yourself no favours. There is no shame in admitting you need help.

Remember that even in your darkest days you will get through it, it will pass. Things that can help you are having activity to your day, have something in place to do every day so you have a reason to get up in the mornings - it is so easy to just want to stay in bed or not leave the house otherwise. Go for a walk, go window shopping, meet someone for coffee - anything to get you up and out of the house. If you feel a low mood or episode of anxiety coming on, distract yourself. Bake, listen to music, have a shower, colour, go for a walk - anything that can take your mind off the present situation. I remember phoning my crisis centre in absolute despair and being told to vacumn the house - at first I thought they were crazy, but you know it worked. Any physical activity will distract your thoughts away from your present mood.

Writing out your thoughts and feelings also helps. Don`t worry that it may not make any sense, no one apart from yourself is going to read it. And be kind to yourself. Don`t have unrealistic expectations of yourself, a broken mind (because that's what depression is) takes time to heal. Its ok to rest or nap during the day, or do something that you know you will enjoy. To survive depression I think you definately have to be a little selfish and put yourself first. You have to do the things you know that make you feel better, and if you`re the type of person that always put the needs of others first, as I was, that is a tough lesson to learn. But you have to learn to recognise your own needs and how important they are. Its ok to say no to things.

With help and support it is possible to get through depression, always believe that. Its not easy, its the toughest thing I have ever done. But work with the sources of help and support you have available it becomes easier over time. And never give up no matter how dark your thoughts or how desperate your situation appears to be. There is always help available be it from friends or family or medical help. And in times of crisis there are mental health organisations and helplines.

Never feel that you have to struggle on alone or that your thoughts and low mood isn't important. You are important and how you feel is important, you just have to find the courage to reach out for help.

Depression recovery stories - guest posts

Ii know this may be a sensitive topic and subject but if anyone ever wants to write a guest post about their depression recovery or if you have fully recovered from depression or just any advice you have that would be very much appreciated. I know it would be inspiring for myself and motivational for others as well, but of course it isnt always so easy to write about, but even if you have some advice or inspiration to share, that would be great!! And of course, you can be anonymous and use a fake email or whatever if you want to email me, so your name wont be attached or anything.

If you ever want to share a guest post/your story/advice regarding an eating disorder or depression just email me at: [email protected]

It does inspire others and myself, but of course it is not always easy to share personal stories and can take alot of courage to write about it. But if you have a blog and have ever written a post you might want to share you can also email me and attach your blog link/post link so i can add that as well!

What is healthy to you - Guest post

One of my friends and readers, Tonje, wrote a very good post about health. Sometimes it is good to hear about other peoples views on health and what they see as healthy, so below is her guest post. Can also be found on her blog HERE

Today it seems like many people thinks health is defined by only eating veggies, a little fruit, chicken, cod and maybe some healthy fats. All other form for carbs, meat and fats are the devil, and if you are really going to enjoy yourself you might eat some extra fruit or buy some sugar free, fat free, guilt free treat. Still you expect to kick ass at your workouts every day, be a good student and/or employee, girlfriend/boyfriend and have a social life. Truth is that you find yourself exhausted and you no longer associate workouts with energy and enjoyment. And the thought of being social is exhausting in itself. You stress so much about being healthy and active that the stress itself makes you unhealthy and sick. You forget that being active require A LOT of food and rest and that working out is supposed to be a tiny part of your life and not life consuming. We are human, not machines. We NEED to be maintained and refilled.  A stressed, depressed, malnourished and overworked body will never look healthy or 'fit' and the soul it carries will never be happy and content. 

You might eat adequate of food to not be underweight, but that doesn't mean you're not malnourished. 

So if you think that the only way to health and happiness is a fat free, sugar free and overly active life style I am sorry to say that your goals will never be reached. And body wise: the more malnourished and stressed you are, the more you will hate how you look. Evil cycle, I know.  

But hey, there's always hope! Once you manage to turn your focus around and realize that no food is dangerous and that over exercising only makes you exhausted and less fit you will also experience the joy in life. Your stress levels will sink, your mood will rise, and you will glow and be happy with yourself. When you learn to listen to your body and the signals it gives you, you will find a balance in life that makes you want to get out of bed every day! I'm not saying it is easy. Trust me, I know how hard it can be. I'm simply saying that with hard work and determination anything is possible. 

You body is not a calculator and you will never know exactly how much energy you need in a day. Your focus should be on getting enough energy and nutrients to fill your bodys needs. Food is fuel, without it you won't get anywhere. 

Now, I feel a little hypocritical writing this, because one of my favorite hobbies is to cook healthy food and snacks. But by healthy I don't mean calorie- and fat free. I mean good food that gives my body something. I eat primarily food with a lot of nutrients to have a healthy and happy mind and to be able to be as active as I want to be. I eat well and I eat a lot. I don't count a single calorie, but I listen to my cravings and fuel up with nutritious food. Sometimes I want a brownie or chocolate, most times I make it from scratch and fill it with awesome ingredients to keep my blood sugar stabile and energy long lasting. Sometimes, though, I go to the store and buy sugar-filled chocolate with a bad nutritional value because my body wants and needs the energy and I make sure to get my vitamins and minerals from other sources. I eat tons of fruit and veggies, I eat bread, rice and pasta and I eat meats and dairy. I eat a little bit of everything and I have no no-nos. I have never been happier, stronger or in better shape. I have found a balance and you can too. 

To me only broccoli isn't healthy. To me only burgers aren't healthy. But combine the two and you have health on a plate.

When all is said: if you ever feel that your relationship towards food or exercise is changing, feels forced or makes you stressed, please seek help! It's hard to admit, but if you deep down inside know something isn't right, take action. And never feel embarrassed. It might not be serious yet, but suddenly you are stuck in a hell you can't get out of and that should be avoided at all costs. Life can be so good if you are brave enough to fight for it! 

Guest post by Zelda running

The post below is from Zelda running (their code name as they want to be anonymous!) and i thought it was great and very true!!!

I have tried every diet on the planet. Hclf, lchf, vegan, 801010, you name it, I've done it. But none of them worked for me. So I decided to come up with the perfect diet. I “invented” it while running (that's the time when I am super creative) This is one everybody can go on. It is called *drum roll please* EWYBN!!

It is short for Eat What Your Body Needs (creative, huh?) There are just a few rules:

1. Calories: you must eat X, Y or Z calories per day  *Note: amount varies from person to person, from day to day, from situation  to situation, from mood to mood. Some days you eat less, some days more. Don't get fixated on a specific number!*

2. Macros percentage: X% carbohydrates, Y% protein and Z% fat *Note: amount varies from person to person, from day to day, from situation  to situation, from mood to mood. Some days you eat less, some days more. Don't get fixated on a specific number!*

3. What you are supposed to eat: foods you like, fear foods, whatever is served, new food, what you want to try, “unhealthy” food, etc.

    What you should not eat: foods you are allergic to, foods you physically can't eat due to a physical sickness (diabetes, etc.)

4. When to eat: when you are hungry, when you need energy, if you feel like it

    When not to eat: when you are not hungry (unless a) someone made something for you, then you should eat some out of politeness or b) you need to gain weight), if you feel a binge coming

5. This is a VERY important rule: don't compare yourself to others! Everybody is different!

(If anyone wants to write a guest post or has something they want to share or some advice then you can always email me, and write "guest post" in the subject :) And if you have a blog link i can share that, though i dont share Instagram links ;) )

Guest post by Jess

So, it has been about 1 year and 9 months since I first started to develop anorexia and about a year since I first started recovering. 

And now I can finally say that I have fully recovered from my eating disorder. 

It's really quite scary saying this out loud because it has been a part of my life and a part of my identity for so long that it feels like I'm losing a part of myself. 

But I haven't, anorexia was just an unwelcome visitor that I have now evicted from my life.

And let me tell you all, recovery is tough, it's really tough! 

I had my days where I wanted to relapse and I had days where I wouldn't eat a thing, I had days where I just didn't care about anything at all, days where I couldn't care less if I was dead or alive. 

But I also had great days, days where I overcame a huge fear, days where I would eat ice cream for tea just because I could, days where I felt almost normal again, days where I felt on top of the world because I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now that I'm recovered I don't obsess about the number on the scale, I don't have any anxiety around food, I can eat whatever I like whenever I like, I can go out to eat in restaurants, I can have takeaways, I don't count calories anymore, I'm so much more fun now, I have my personality back, my hair is getting thicker, I'm not constantly cold, my skin is no longer grey, but most of all, I'm free now.

I'm free from the clawing grasp of anorexia, the horrible thoughts in my head that ruined my life and wouldn't let me eat, that made me lie to everyone around me, that told me I wasn't ill enough to recover, that told me I had to lose more weight, that tried to make me kill myself slowly and painfully. 

But not anymore, I'm free, I'm stronger and I'm living my life the way I want, on my own terms. 

I don't have any thoughts in my head trying to control me anymore, they're gone. And what remains is me; Jess, the true Jess, the Jess that has been hidden by anorexia for too long, but she's back now and stronger than ever before and she's here to stay.

Also, I have a Tumblr so if anyone would like to follow me my URL is: 

I-cant-have-the-usernames-I-want

YOU have to make the decision

Something which i have often written about and told people when they ask me for recovery advice.... how do you recover?There are lots of different things you have to do and think about, but in the end to fully recover YOU need to want it. Because its YOUR life, its YOUR body. Its YOU who will take the consequences when things go worse or you do something wrong. So you need to want to fight for YOURSELF.  Fight for your own life and health. However sometimes it can be good to hear it from other people, not just one person... so here comes Julias post where she hopes to inspre you all and remind you all that YOU need to make the decision to want to recover. Because its not enough to want to recover for your family, or for a holiday somewhere... that wont keep you going through the toughest times. So find your motivation and find your will to want to fight and recover for YOU.

Check out Julia's blog: Lord still loves me

This post has been in my mind for a long time, but I have put off writing it because I have been afraid that it may come off as too harsh. However, I decided that it is now time to be brutal with you guys. 

Just know that this post is coming from a very deep place in my heart and I mean everything with love.

Now, I realize that probably the majority of people who read my blog are recovering from eating disorders, have recovered, or want to recover. I am grateful to every single one of you who take time out of your day to catch up on what I am up to. I am honored to every single person that emails me asking for advice. To know that some of you out there in the world look up to me is one of the most humbling things, and I am blessed to have strangers out there that think of me so highly. 

I have to be honest though- I am frustrated. I am frustrated that eating disorders have taken over so many beautiful souls. Seriously, some of the emails I receive are so wonderfully articulated, yet I can feel the utter despair in them. I get distraught sometimes reading emails or seeing people’s Instagram posts because they sound hopeless. They look everywhere for the answers and are left stuck.

That was me. I have been there.

I would spend all day scouring the internet reading articles about gaining weight and bloating and calories and everything else related to my eating disorder. I looked to every external source that would help me recover. I became an expert on eating disorders, but you know what? None of that helped.

You know what did help though? Deciding that I had to be the one to make the change.

I could admire others that have recovered or envy those that could eat without a care, but nothing would make a difference unless I decided to make serious changes to my life. The life I was living was not going to give me recovery.

We cannot have it both ways. 

We cannot recover from an eating disorder and maintain our lowest weight.

We cannot excessively exercise and be mentally free.

We cannot skip lunch and expect our eating disorders to vanish.

We cannot starve ourselves and expect our bodies to function normally.

I guess… I am just really tired, and really sad, because as much as I want to help those of you who reach out to me for help, I cannot be the one to make you recover.

I still LOVE receiving emails, so please do not take this in that way. Please, always feel free to email me whenever. I will always do my best to support and encourage anyone out there, but I do not want to feel like I am responsible for motivating anyone to recover. does that make sense? I cannot motivate anyone to recover. And neither can anyone else. 

I cannot give you the answers you are looking for. I SO wish I could, but I cannot. YOU are the only person that can make this better for you.

source.

Sure, people can force you to go to treatment facilities and inpatient programs, but the only way you will make significant progress is if you allow yourself to do. It is probably the most difficult thing you will do in this lifetime, but it is also completely worth it. I promise. I cannot make the decision for you and neither can your family. 

As morbid as this may sound, if you do not allow yourself to want to recover, you never will, and you will forever be stuck in the grips of a debilitating mental illness. I do not say any of this to be mean, but rather to make you aware of the cruel damage you are unearthing onto your body. You and only you are capable of fixing this for yourself.

source.

Again, I am hesitant to even press “publish” on this post because I do not want to come off offensive whatsoever. That is not my intention for this post. I want people out there who are currently struggling to understand that the desire to recover has to be internal. No external source will ever be worth it. Maybe initially, your desire to recover comes from other people. I know mine did! Initially, I was tired of hurting my family, but ultimately, at some point I had to learn how to love myself. Heck- I am still learning how to love myself. However, I know that I would have never progressed this far into my recovery had I not taken the steps to dive under the surface and look inward to my feelings. It is uncomfortable, it will sting, and there will probably be a lot of tears, but it is the only way I can see a way out of it.

People may disagree with me, and that is 100% okay. I just really needed to air out my feelings on the matter. I want to see every one of my readers be recovered. I firmly believe that everyone out there is capable of recovering. I am not a special case. If you truly do work hard, there is a light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel.

Once again, I love you all, and I am grateful for every blog read, comment, share, and email I receive! I am thankful for the amazing support I receive, and I sincerely hope this post was nothing offensive, but rather, perhaps it was a “wake-up” call.

Sending you all love. 

Guest post - Julia @ Lord Still loves me

Hi everyone! My name is Julia and I blog over at Lord Still Loves Me 

Izzy was kind enough to allow me to guest post on her blog, and I wanted to choose a good topic. Today I wanted to chat about weight redistribution, as it is something I often worried about! 

One of the main concerns that I often get emailed about, and one of the main concerns that I personally struggled with is the weight gain. It’s inevitable and it is necessary in order to establish a full recovery, but that certainly does not make it easy.

Initially, I was astounded by the amount of bloating I would experience each day. On some occasions, I could have passed for a pregnant lady! To make matters worse, no weight was going to my arms, specifically my shoulder blades. Though, I do need to be mindful that my clouded mind probably made it out to be worse than it actually was. Either way, it was difficult for me to continue to eat at least 3,000 calories a day knowing that my stomach was going to expand.

The distribution of the weight I was rapidly gaining was uneven, and it completely infuriated me. My mom had to constantly remind me that I was beautiful and that what I was doing was right. She told me it would go away and everything would balance out. I would nod my head and wipe the tears away, but there was still a little demonized thought stuck in the back of my head that thought it was all a lie.

My mind would play tricks on me to get me to think that I would forever look this way. Many nights were spent crying over my new body that had come to me during recovery, and I could not stand to think about gaining even more weight. However, I kept going on this path and decided to give recovery my all. After all, I could already focus more, clothes were actually beginning to fit (though I was not pleased with what I looked like), and I was eating many more types of food.

Once I finally reached the weight that my parents thought would be a good base weight for me to stay above, I began to really work on my self-image. I knew from research that in can take up to 18 months for the body to “go back to normal,” and that now, my body was adding weight to places it desperately needed it to go. All of my vital organs are in the stomach region, of course the weight will go there! That’s where the energy is necessary. I kept that information at the forefront of my mind and often used it as my mantra. I knew that as long as I kept my eating strong and did not overdo it on exercise, eventually things would all normalize.

Well, I am now a YEAR (wow, I cannot believe it), into being weight restored, and I can honestly say that weight redistribution is a thing. In fact, I now weigh about 15(ish) pounds more than that goal weight (I gave up the scale so I am not entirely sure) originally set by my parents, and I can still see the redistribution. That first goal weight was way too low for MY body, though at the time, we did not realize it. That is why BMI is so meaningless when it comes to recovery!

In the above picture, I actually weigh approximately 20 more pounds in the blue swimsuit than I do in the red suit. It may not be too noticeable to others, but for me, I am astounded at the difference between the two pictures! Now, I obviously look fine in both pictures, and in no way do I look chubby or fat at all in the first picture- so please do not take it this way.

I really just wanted to provide some hope to those of you who are in the thick of it now. Your body will find its happy place if you continue to remain steadfast in your recovery. On the days where you feel like you cannot handle the bloat, remember that distribution will occur. Right now, your body is handling things in a strategic fashion: it’s giving extra care to the places it needs it most. Your body is making you healthy again! After so much damage, this is a wonderful thing.

Initially, you may experience some bloating, but that is okay! The bloating will dissipate the longer you continue to eat adequate amounts. As of right now, your body might be not used to the larger amount of calories, and that is perfectly normal. Keep in mind that everyone bloats- there is no way around it. My brother bloats, I bloat, my best friend bloats: it is 100% normal and it will be around for the rest of your life. I do not say that to scare, but rather to encourage that others around probably do not notice such a small difference in your stomach region!

If you are really concerned with the bloating, there are a few things that you can do that may help, but they are not necessarily foolproof:

• Avoid eating too many foods with fiber: I am not one for telling people to avoid certain food types, but fiber has been shown to increase bloating. This does not mean to avoid it completely, but if you can, go for white pasta instead of whole wheat.
• Do not exercise: I know this sounds counterproductive for reducing bloat, but the more you stick to recovery, the faster things will go. Also, in my personal experience, I had more bloat on the days that I was exercising. Once I gave up exercise, I found the bloat went down dramatically. I also believe others in recovery have experienced similar results!
• Wear baggy clothing: I was all about the leggings, dresses, and loose shirts throughout recovery. They are easy to make look cute, and you don’t need to worry about tight clothing.
• Drink tea: I know I have seen all over the internet that tea helps with bloating, but I don’t know if there is any medical evidence of this. Also, I don’t like tea particularly, so I cannot personally advocate for this. But try it, and it might help!
• Love yourself: Your body is working hard for you. It deserves a lot of respect. Also, take care of your mental state. If you are having an exceedingly difficult day, maybe stay in bed of an hour and catch up on your favorite book or show.

So, with all that said, stay strong. Your body is a masterpiece that is currently under construction. You should love yourself at every stage. That may be excruciatingly tough, but recovery is not just a physical process. While people focus on the exterior problems, there is a huge element of mental awareness here. The bloating will pass, but try to accept yourself with the bloat!

This is just a phase of your life, you can get past it!

Guest post: Dayna

I love that a few of you have been interested in writing a guest post for my blog :) 
  Dayna who has just started a blog: http://fulloflife123.blogspot.com was willing to share her story. And i am glad she did because i am sure that many people can relate to her story, just like people can relate to mine. She has come a long way, and i can say that i am truly proud of her. How she is now turning her life around, realising that being sick just isnt worth it. There is more to life than being sick.
  So check out her blog: http://fulloflife123.blogspot.com  And READ HER GUEST POST BELOW:


I'm Not Fighting Anymore

I am Dayna and I have had an eating disorder for eight years. It started during a challenging transition for me- moving to college. After one semester, I was kicked out of school for refusing to gain weight and continuing to lose weight. My family immediately put me in a treatment program and I got 'well enough' to move back to college.

The next few years were a rollercoaster with the eating disorder. I managed to keep my weight *just* high enough to keep from getting kicked out again. I blamed my low weight on a high metabolism, assured doctors I was eating as much as I could. When the eating disorder became stronger, I would be referred to various therapists for a few months and then quit just as things were getting better. I was eventually referred to an eating disorder nutritionist. I would go in her office, say what I knew she wanted to hear, and walk out, barely changing anything about my diet.

I have labeled this 'chronic anorexic'. It wasn't acute- I managed to always keep myself above the invisible line that was the 'danger zone' where people start to worry too much and force you into programs. Yet, it wasn't living at all. I was still controlled by my eating disorder thoughts- I still had rigid rules and was still terrified of eating. 

I also started to include overexercising as a way to cope. After only a couple years of running semi-competitively, I managed to do some things to my body that created chronic pain in my leg. I have since gone to physical therapy, orthopedic surgeons, and chiropractors to try to fix it, but no one can quite figure it out. I personally believe that after years of abuse, it will take years of proper care to heal fully. 

Finally, this past year, I started a new full-time job. The stress pushed me to my limits and I had the worst relapse (if you can call it that since I was never truly recovered) in years. I was involuntarily put into therapy and an eating disorder group.

This time, I wasn't as resistant to treatment. I saw how much the eating disorder was destroying my life- my ability to do my job, my ability to be active, my ability to ENJOY life. Although I did not want to go into therapy or the group, once I got there, I embraced it.

This time around, I am stopping the fight.  I'm not fighting what the nutritionist says- I'm listening to her. I'm not fighting therapy- I'm embracing it and using all the skills I can. I did not fight group therapy (it has ended now)- I used it as another way to be accountable. I am NOT fighting recovery.

This summer, I made it a goal to do SOMETHING towards recovery every day. This included therapy, nutritionist, group, reading a recovery book, blogging, talking with a friend for support, and more. I wasn't able to hide from it this way- every day was a new day.

Incredible improvements have taken place. The other day, I was very triggered by something. I thought about all the negative eating disorder behaviors I could do, but then I thought about the negative side effects of them (not even the long-term side effects, but the immediate/day after effects). I didn't want to deal with that. Just months ago, I wouldn't have cared about the side effects- I would have even felt that I deserved them. 

I'm seeing emotions as waves- waves that come, seem really intense, but then recede back into the ocean. All feelings, positive and negative pass. The trick is learning to ride out the wave instead of trying to numb it out with behaviors. 

I'm recognizing society's skewed view on weight and health. I'm noticing the diet talk around me and I'm able to think about how silly that is. I'm able to see advertisements and think about the airbrushing. I'm listening to children talk about weight negatively and I'm stepping in to say, "That's not right. Do you like what is INSIDE you?"

I still have a ways to go, but I am doing far better in recovery than I have ever done before. I am determined to stick with recovery and get rid of this ED once and for all. Who wants to live a life tied to calories, weight, and numbers? 

I want to live a life full of love, joy, and peace. 

Guest post: Kendel (Just another teen blogger)

I have followed Kendels blog for more than a year. And think she has a great blog, with lots of interesting things to say! And i often find that i can relate to her :)
   Her blog is one, which i'm sure you will love!!! So follow her:
 http://xjustanotherteenblogger.wordpress.com/

And i was so happy to hear that she wanted to make a guest post for me :) And i am sure she is glad to know that her guest post, is the premiere guest post! And hopefully others will want to make a guest post, about anything!!!

Hola mis amigos!

My name is Kendel and I blog over at Just Another Teen Blogger! It’s my own little corner of the inter-web where I feel comfortable enough to ramble and occasionally rant about life’s ups and downs while living in New Zealand. I’m nineteen and a freshman at university; majoring in Linguistics and specializing in Spanish. In three years I am going to be jumping on a plane and taking a little trip to Europe; to France, Spain and England mainly but I am open to any other suggestions, so don’t be afraid to shoot me an email!

-

Since I’m a teenage girl, I’m in love with the idea of love. I’ve been having a little bit of a hard time lately but I am trying to get through it. That is the only thing that counts, right? However, living with my friend and her boyfriend, love is never far from my mind. So, keeping with this theme of ‘love’ I’m going to be posting a couple of things that are a sure fire way to my heart.

1} Spanish or French. As world-renowned romance languages, it is something that really gets me going. There is just something so beautiful and fluid about those languages, it makes the simplest of sentences sound like a song lyric. If you say anything to me in Spanish or French, it will 100% guarantee a silly smile from me.

2} Coffee or a good chardonnay. Those are my two drinks of choice. The only difference is that one usually results in a drunk, blonde girl and the other one turns me from a grumpy troll into a lovely angel. Take your pick; if someone got me coffee or wine - even just once or twice – you would definitely leave a good impression.

3} Sushi. The food of Gods. If I had one last food wish, it would probably be an unlimited supply of sushi. I could happily eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. I always say that I’m too poor to go out and buy {insert other generic food here} but as soon as someone mentions sushi…I always find the money. Want me to date you? Ask me to go out to sushi with you.

4} Cuddles. Some days I think that I love cuddles more than sex, if that is possible. I will never, ever deny a spoon. Cuddles are amazing.

5} Friendship. The foundation of any relationship is based upon friendship. If I like you as a friend then I will love you as my boyfriend. Simple as that. I want to be able to go to someone and talk to them about anything in the world and receive nothing but support, encouragement and advice. I want to be able to share laughter, tears and triumphs with a partner. I want a rock. I also want someone that I can laugh at occasionally. I’m a firm believer that all the best relationships stem from friendship.

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So, now that y’all know what makes me tick…Feel free to go visit my blog! I swear I don’t bite…Hard ;)

I’ve been following Izzy’s blog for a while now and I love it. I love her. She’s just so honest with everything she says and does. It’s hard being a blogger. There’s some expectation, no matter what you write about, that you must reflect the ‘perfect’ image of your life while online. The perfect family, the perfect group of friends, the perfect pet and the perfect degree. Now, if you have all of that then well done and kudos to you! Please tell me how to achieve that. Truthfully, ‘perfect’ gets boring after a while. I’m not saying that anyone should blog about every bad thing that happens to them but they just need to be real. Izzy is real and she is amazing – inside and out. Y’all already know that, of course ;)

So thank you Izzy, for giving me the chance to post on your blog! You’re amazing. Keep doing exactly what you’re doing lovely! <3 span="">