Even though 18 and 21 are typically considered to be the biggest age milestones to reach in western culture, I myself feel that turning 20 was also a massive event. It marked the age where I could no longer identify as a teenager, and was officially embarking on my ‘twenties’ - this is a terrifying prospect, even now when I have been this age for 4 months. Seeing it as such a personal milestone, I thought it’d be interesting to reflect on my 20 years of life, good times and bad, and see what I’ve learnt - hopefully giving my readers, both younger and older than me, some useful advice. Here goes!
Don’t take life so seriously!
This is something that I’ve gotten a lot better at now that I’m a 20 year old - I can laugh at myself, making difficult situations easier to handle. However, when I was younger, as young as primary school, I tended to take life and school so seriously, and it brought me nothing but miserable times. Whilst some people look back on primary school as a happy and easy going time, I think back to how scared I was of getting into trouble, or getting in with the wrong crowd, not realising that seven year olds really aren’t capable of being terribly awful people. I continued to be well behaved throughout my time at school passed primaryof course, but I slowly learnt that having a laugh and being a good student can coexist.
Being shy will wear off
Again looking back at primary school Hannah, I was cripplingly shy for the majority of time I was there. I know that this is common for a lot of young people, but my shyness was often very restrictive, even hiding from visitors when they came to my house, or just fearing talking to anybody new in general. I feared at the time that the shyness would never go away and that it would hold me back from important opportunities in the future - this of course has not been the case. If I could tell my younger self that at 20 I’d be living with people that were strangers little over a year ago, have a job, and be almost totally in charge of my life, I know she wouldn’t believe me. Whilst answering the phone to unknown numbers or having to call my bank aren’t things that I totally enjoy, at least now I can do them. That’s something I’m very proud of.
Having a solid group of friends is the most important thing in the world
I cannot stress this enough. Having a genuine group of good people surrounding you is one of the greatest feelings in the world. To sit in a pub or in someone’s house, laughing and chatting and just generally enjoying each other’s company is something that money simply can’t buy. Being on this earth for 20 years, it is inevitable that I have seen some friends come and go. Now however, I am confident that I have not one but in fact a couple of solid groups of people who I greatly value having in my life. When you reach this age you realise that pretending to like or get on with someone is completely useless, and you should ensure that your circle is perfect for you, and that they care about you. Whether it be school friends, my flatmates, my course mates or friends of friends that have become friends of my own, I believe I now have a multiplicity of great people surrounding me that I can share anything with; free of judgement, full of helpful advice, and care for my wellbeing - that’s a great feeling.
Do not let people mess you about, or take advantage of your kind nature
More on the romantic side of things, I cringe at the amount of wasted time and energy I have spent on people who simply did not care for me as much I did them. I don’t understand how people are capable of being misleading or unkind to someone who clearly cares a great deal about them. When you finally find yourself in the company of someone who doesn’t play games, who is honest about their feelings and is genuine in their feelings for you, you realise that all of those times you had to second guess people’s words and feelings and find yourself being led on for no good reason, where a complete waste of time. Realising this is a very important part of me maturing.
Do not let stress get the better of you
Even though I know this lesson to be very true, I am certainly in the midst of tackling this still - I stress a LOT. I wrote a post a while ago about A Levels, which I definitely think was the main contributor to my ongoing issues with stress. Though A Levels still seem like they happened yesterday, I have to remember that I was merely 16 when I started them; still a very shy, hormonal gal who didn’t know what her identity was. Specifically in year 13, I let things totally get the better of me in many ways, meaning that I was quite unwell. Though in the end I got the results I needed, even better in fact, there is always going to be a negativity attached to that part of my life, because stress was the only thing I knew. I would have rather looked back on those days as more fun and positive, but all I can do now is try and make uni more positive and more stress-free - this is going to be a big work in progress for me.
Moving schools for sixth form was the best thing I ever did
Though I think that my shyness significantly wore off throughout my time in secondary school (up to year 11), I was still very much someone who kept in her comfort zone. I didn’t talk to anyone outside of my tight-knit circle of friends, and my social skills outside of those people was almost non-existent. I still can’t believe I had the courage and kept my nerve when moving school - a school where I knew hardly anyone, where friendship groups were already tightly made and where everything was done differently. The first few weeks were very tough and I thought about throwing in the towel and going back to my familiar, comfy school many times, but I’m so so glad I stuck at it. It’s quite scary how astronomically different my life would be had I not moved and it’s difficult to imagine that I’d be anywhere close to where I am right now - so it’s a good job I love where I am so much.
You cannot get away with exams without revising
I feel like a lot of these are in relation to school - sorry, I can’t help being a nerd. This particular lesson is something I learnt specifically at the end of year 12. I totally underestimated A Levels, and thought that just because I was now specialising in subjects I knew I was good at, that I could pretty much blag my way through with hardly any work needed at all - wrong! Not only was this ashamedly cocky and ill-founded to think, it meant that AS results day goes down as one of the worst days of my life. I didn’t do bad by any means but I realised there and then that hard work is the only thing that really pays off. This was definitely the trigger for the whirlwind of stress that was year 13, but at least I knew how to put the work in by then, and in turn, did so much better than the previous year.
Know your limits when drinking
This is going to make me sound super boring, and it’s not like I don’t enjoy going out and getting drunk with friends, in fact it’s one of my favourite things to do. However, I couldn’t even count how many times, especially under the age of 18, that I have taken a sip of the drink that will be the one-too-many drink, and instantly knowing that my night is about to go downhill. There’s a difference between getting pretty drunk, to the point where your inhibitions are a little lower, you’re giggly and loud and laughing at everything - that level is ideal. What is not ideal is drinking to the point of vomiting, of passing out, and of not being able to remember everything. I have never woken up after one of those nights and felt at all positive about it. It doesn’t matter if what happened pre your drinking meltdown was a laugh, all that you’ll remember is how gross and ill you felt. While I still consider myself a typical uni student when it comes to drinking - I’m glad to say that now I know my limits a lot more.
You will be roasted for your One Direction phase for the rest of your life, but you know how great those days were
On a more lighthearted note, I can’t possibly talk about my 20 years of life without mentioning an aspect that literally dominated it for at least 4 years; One Direction. From the moment they were formed on X Factor my 12 year old heart was absolutely transfixed with this boy band. There was something about them that gave me so much joy and being a part of the fandom community online at that time was all I cared about, and loved every minute of it. There was always something to get excited about or discuss with fellow fans both in person and online, whether that be a new single or music video being released, new girlfriend rumours, or IS LARRY REAL (ok it was quite an embarrassing time but I never believed in Larry I swear). Listening to their music, watching interviews and going to see them live was all that my life consisted of for so long, and I was genuinely so happy for those years. I might not have a bedroom covered head to toe with their pictures anymore, nor is my music taste anything close to them now, but I still look back on these days so fondly, and it’s not like a girl ever grows out of her love for Harry Styles.
Do not brag about your music taste !!
On the subject of music, this is also something I regret and that I’ve now learnt from. When my music taste expanded from chart music and One Direction, I started to discover different bands and musicians, and started to think I was the coolest kid about. I was obsessed with bands like Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Pink Floyd, who I still love to this day of course, but I was constantly flooding my social media with pictures and lyrics, only for the reason to make others think I was edgy. Cringe. I am so much less of a snob when it comes to music now, and while my taste may be considered alternative to some, I simply listen to music that brings me enjoyment, whatever the genre, and I don’t pass judgement on other people’s tastes anymore, whether it be mainstream pop or heavy metal - each to their own.
You do not have the science brain to be a vet (lol)
Through the many things I’ve had obsessive phases with, animals was definitely one. Naturally, when I was quite young and a big animal lover, I decided that being a vet was the perfect career for me, because I could care for sick animals. This was still my goal years later, even in year 10 I did my work experience at a vetinary surgery, still convinced by this career and that it was for me. What I failed to realise until later that year, was how much better I was at essay subjects like English and RE, and how much better my grades were than in science. Realising this was very important to me, as I realised where my strengths were and what I should be carrying onto at A Level and eventually uni, and that was a very important realisation for me.
Theology is your thing!
When I realised that essay subjects where my thing, the logical subject everyone always thinks of is English, and whilst I did do language and literature at A Level, it was in fact my RE lessons that made me realise where my real interests did lie. Even through the most stressful moments of sixth form, I always enjoyed RE; I had great teachers, it was a great class, and it was never a chore. I’m so glad I had the experience I did with this subject because it has helped to shape who I am and where I hope to go in life in the future - I hope that everyone can experience this sudden spark of passion for a subject or specific topic just as I did, because it’s a very rewarding feeling.
Don’t be a uni snob
Interestingly, I think I was more guilty of this before I actually went to uni, and am completely against it now. When I was applying through UCAS, I felt like I had to pick the top rated unis, rather than ones that were going to be the best for my degree. Luckily, King’s has an amazing theology department and I definitely ended up in the right place for me. However, I did also apply to Oxford and now, I think it was definitely for the wrong reasons. I guess now I can say this because I didn’t get in, but I honestly don’t think that such a place was ever right for me, and I just applied purely for the status of the place. If you’re about to apply for uni, do not do this! The quality of the department you’ll be a part of is so much more important than the status of the uni, and if you’re spending 3 years living in the place, any status would surely wear off in your mind at some point.
Learning guitar is worth it - but it requires a lot of effort and practise
I started playing guitar when I was ten years old, so by now, you’d think I was Hendrix. However, yet another life lesson I’ve learnt in my twenty years is that practise does make perfect, and I really wish I’d dedicated more time to it than I have done. I definitely go through phases with guitar, sometimes playing every day and sometimes not for months, and being expensive and difficult to transport on trains with my luggage, I never take them to uni. There’s still time for me to get back into it, and I’m hoping this summer will be my opportunity. Hobbies like that this take a lot of time and patience and I have learnt over ten years of playing that these are things I definitely need to work on - and this is the year I’m going to try!
Family is THE most important thing in the world
I’ve already stressed how important friends have been to me over my 20 years of life, but my family also deserve a huge mention, for I honestly would be nothing without them. As many will relate to I’m sure, I’ve definitely been guilty of the typical angsty teen stereotype of acting out against your parents and feeling like they are the worst people in the world. There are definitely still moments where we don’t see eye to eye, but what I know now, being, hopefully, a little more mature, is that the amount my mum and dad do for me is incredible, and respecting and appreciating that is so so important. Living away from home most of the year, I have realised how dependent I was on my parents, even through arguments and disputes, they always gave me whatever I needed and offered an amazing support to me. I know not everyone is lucky enough to have the typical ideal of a nuclear family, but whoever you consider to be family, whether that be your single mum, your grandparents, foster or adopted parents, appreciate what they do for you, because stepping away and looking at it all, really makes you realise.
Everyone should experience living in London
Due to the absolutely ridiculous prices of homes in London, I know this might be a useless bit of advice for people, and I can only afford it here due to my dear old friend the student loan. If however you are luckily given the opportunity to live there, even for a short time, I would totally recommend it. The speed of life in London, and the constant energy of the city, is something that I have never experienced anywhere else. London is a place I couldn’t tire of, because there is so much to it, that even after living here for over a year, I still don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface of the place, and that is extremely exciting to me. Even if after uni, I can never live here again, knowing I was able to spend my late teens and early twenties in such a vast and interesting place, is something I’ll always hold onto.
Sometimes the world is bloody awful, and sometimes you won’t understand why
On a pretty grim note, a huge downfall of getting older is that you become more socially and politically aware of the world around you and often, what I’ve seen has not been pretty. Whether that be the horrific terrorists attacks on Manchester, London, and so many other great cities, or Donald Trump being voted into the presidency, I and many others may age I’m sure, question how people like this exist, and how on earth can they be stopped. I don’t have the answer to this, I really wish I did, but all I can really offer to anyone reading this is that there are glimmers of hope and positivity to hold on to, and trying to make even a small difference to something you don’t agree with, is a step in the right direction. I have so much faith in the generation I am a part of, and think that though dark times may still lie ahead for now, there is hope that one day all the wrongs will be put right.
It’s okay to praise yourself and be confident
Generally I’d say I have quite a self-deprecating sense of humour, and for that purpose I think that attitude is fine. However I myself have sometimes struggled to believe in myself, to take praise and compliments from people, opting for a low confidence approach to everything about me. This could have also stemmed from A Levels because I was so convinced that I was going to do badly in my exams that I was never able to say to myself ‘you’ve done good, you deserve a break’. I have tried much harder in uni to do this, to reward myself and recognise that often I do work hard and I achieve things, and knowing that it’s okay to feel content in yourself and what you’re doing, is a piece of wisdom I hope I can pass on.
Take pictures and document things for memories
Social media and smartphones often get a lot of stick and backlash from the media as being the worst thing to happen to my generation. Whilst I agree that some people misuse and exploit the internet for all of the wrong reasons, I do also appreciate that there are so many benefits to it. I enjoy the fact that social media provides a somewhat permanent account of my life, that I am free to look back on. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scrolled back on my old Instagram or saved Snapchats, just to reminisce. It’s interesting how much of a story a picture or short video can tell, and how looking at them can make you think back to what your life was like when you took that picture, how you felt, and what people meant the most to you at that moment. I understand that social media may not last forvever, and theses memories may not be permanent, but for now, I am so happy I have so many means to document the pinnacle moments of my life, and would urge everybody else to do the same.
Writing a blog is worth the effort and really fun
I have written for other larger blogs for a while now, but having my own really makes me feel like I have an outlet and a freedom to discuss whatever I want. Committing to a weekly upload schedule can be quite demanding and sometimes it’s hard to know what ideas will work best, and though I am aware that my audience right now isn’t massive, even hearing one person say they enjoyed what I wrote makes it all worth it. I would urge anyone with an idea to write a blog to just jump right in and do it, because it provides a personal outlet for your interests and is a welcome distraction from mundane daily tasks. Write a blog! You will not regret it.
There we have it.
This is by far the longest post I’ve ever written on here, so if you made it this far, congrats. It was really fun and quite interesting to reflect on my life and what I’ve taken and learnt from it so far, and would advise others to do the same, because it’s amazing what things pop into your head! I hope you found this interesting and took away some useful advice. Here’s to the next twenty years!
Love ya
H x
 |
| A rather fetching throwback to one of my cooler moments of my 20 years I think (feat. my brother definitely trying to strangle me) |
Don’t take life so seriously!
This is something that I’ve gotten a lot better at now that I’m a 20 year old - I can laugh at myself, making difficult situations easier to handle. However, when I was younger, as young as primary school, I tended to take life and school so seriously, and it brought me nothing but miserable times. Whilst some people look back on primary school as a happy and easy going time, I think back to how scared I was of getting into trouble, or getting in with the wrong crowd, not realising that seven year olds really aren’t capable of being terribly awful people. I continued to be well behaved throughout my time at school passed primaryof course, but I slowly learnt that having a laugh and being a good student can coexist.
Being shy will wear off
Again looking back at primary school Hannah, I was cripplingly shy for the majority of time I was there. I know that this is common for a lot of young people, but my shyness was often very restrictive, even hiding from visitors when they came to my house, or just fearing talking to anybody new in general. I feared at the time that the shyness would never go away and that it would hold me back from important opportunities in the future - this of course has not been the case. If I could tell my younger self that at 20 I’d be living with people that were strangers little over a year ago, have a job, and be almost totally in charge of my life, I know she wouldn’t believe me. Whilst answering the phone to unknown numbers or having to call my bank aren’t things that I totally enjoy, at least now I can do them. That’s something I’m very proud of.
Having a solid group of friends is the most important thing in the world
I cannot stress this enough. Having a genuine group of good people surrounding you is one of the greatest feelings in the world. To sit in a pub or in someone’s house, laughing and chatting and just generally enjoying each other’s company is something that money simply can’t buy. Being on this earth for 20 years, it is inevitable that I have seen some friends come and go. Now however, I am confident that I have not one but in fact a couple of solid groups of people who I greatly value having in my life. When you reach this age you realise that pretending to like or get on with someone is completely useless, and you should ensure that your circle is perfect for you, and that they care about you. Whether it be school friends, my flatmates, my course mates or friends of friends that have become friends of my own, I believe I now have a multiplicity of great people surrounding me that I can share anything with; free of judgement, full of helpful advice, and care for my wellbeing - that’s a great feeling.
Do not let people mess you about, or take advantage of your kind nature
More on the romantic side of things, I cringe at the amount of wasted time and energy I have spent on people who simply did not care for me as much I did them. I don’t understand how people are capable of being misleading or unkind to someone who clearly cares a great deal about them. When you finally find yourself in the company of someone who doesn’t play games, who is honest about their feelings and is genuine in their feelings for you, you realise that all of those times you had to second guess people’s words and feelings and find yourself being led on for no good reason, where a complete waste of time. Realising this is a very important part of me maturing.
Do not let stress get the better of you
Even though I know this lesson to be very true, I am certainly in the midst of tackling this still - I stress a LOT. I wrote a post a while ago about A Levels, which I definitely think was the main contributor to my ongoing issues with stress. Though A Levels still seem like they happened yesterday, I have to remember that I was merely 16 when I started them; still a very shy, hormonal gal who didn’t know what her identity was. Specifically in year 13, I let things totally get the better of me in many ways, meaning that I was quite unwell. Though in the end I got the results I needed, even better in fact, there is always going to be a negativity attached to that part of my life, because stress was the only thing I knew. I would have rather looked back on those days as more fun and positive, but all I can do now is try and make uni more positive and more stress-free - this is going to be a big work in progress for me.
Moving schools for sixth form was the best thing I ever did
Though I think that my shyness significantly wore off throughout my time in secondary school (up to year 11), I was still very much someone who kept in her comfort zone. I didn’t talk to anyone outside of my tight-knit circle of friends, and my social skills outside of those people was almost non-existent. I still can’t believe I had the courage and kept my nerve when moving school - a school where I knew hardly anyone, where friendship groups were already tightly made and where everything was done differently. The first few weeks were very tough and I thought about throwing in the towel and going back to my familiar, comfy school many times, but I’m so so glad I stuck at it. It’s quite scary how astronomically different my life would be had I not moved and it’s difficult to imagine that I’d be anywhere close to where I am right now - so it’s a good job I love where I am so much.
You cannot get away with exams without revising
I feel like a lot of these are in relation to school - sorry, I can’t help being a nerd. This particular lesson is something I learnt specifically at the end of year 12. I totally underestimated A Levels, and thought that just because I was now specialising in subjects I knew I was good at, that I could pretty much blag my way through with hardly any work needed at all - wrong! Not only was this ashamedly cocky and ill-founded to think, it meant that AS results day goes down as one of the worst days of my life. I didn’t do bad by any means but I realised there and then that hard work is the only thing that really pays off. This was definitely the trigger for the whirlwind of stress that was year 13, but at least I knew how to put the work in by then, and in turn, did so much better than the previous year.
Know your limits when drinking
This is going to make me sound super boring, and it’s not like I don’t enjoy going out and getting drunk with friends, in fact it’s one of my favourite things to do. However, I couldn’t even count how many times, especially under the age of 18, that I have taken a sip of the drink that will be the one-too-many drink, and instantly knowing that my night is about to go downhill. There’s a difference between getting pretty drunk, to the point where your inhibitions are a little lower, you’re giggly and loud and laughing at everything - that level is ideal. What is not ideal is drinking to the point of vomiting, of passing out, and of not being able to remember everything. I have never woken up after one of those nights and felt at all positive about it. It doesn’t matter if what happened pre your drinking meltdown was a laugh, all that you’ll remember is how gross and ill you felt. While I still consider myself a typical uni student when it comes to drinking - I’m glad to say that now I know my limits a lot more.
You will be roasted for your One Direction phase for the rest of your life, but you know how great those days were
On a more lighthearted note, I can’t possibly talk about my 20 years of life without mentioning an aspect that literally dominated it for at least 4 years; One Direction. From the moment they were formed on X Factor my 12 year old heart was absolutely transfixed with this boy band. There was something about them that gave me so much joy and being a part of the fandom community online at that time was all I cared about, and loved every minute of it. There was always something to get excited about or discuss with fellow fans both in person and online, whether that be a new single or music video being released, new girlfriend rumours, or IS LARRY REAL (ok it was quite an embarrassing time but I never believed in Larry I swear). Listening to their music, watching interviews and going to see them live was all that my life consisted of for so long, and I was genuinely so happy for those years. I might not have a bedroom covered head to toe with their pictures anymore, nor is my music taste anything close to them now, but I still look back on these days so fondly, and it’s not like a girl ever grows out of her love for Harry Styles.
Do not brag about your music taste !!
On the subject of music, this is also something I regret and that I’ve now learnt from. When my music taste expanded from chart music and One Direction, I started to discover different bands and musicians, and started to think I was the coolest kid about. I was obsessed with bands like Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Pink Floyd, who I still love to this day of course, but I was constantly flooding my social media with pictures and lyrics, only for the reason to make others think I was edgy. Cringe. I am so much less of a snob when it comes to music now, and while my taste may be considered alternative to some, I simply listen to music that brings me enjoyment, whatever the genre, and I don’t pass judgement on other people’s tastes anymore, whether it be mainstream pop or heavy metal - each to their own.
You do not have the science brain to be a vet (lol)
Through the many things I’ve had obsessive phases with, animals was definitely one. Naturally, when I was quite young and a big animal lover, I decided that being a vet was the perfect career for me, because I could care for sick animals. This was still my goal years later, even in year 10 I did my work experience at a vetinary surgery, still convinced by this career and that it was for me. What I failed to realise until later that year, was how much better I was at essay subjects like English and RE, and how much better my grades were than in science. Realising this was very important to me, as I realised where my strengths were and what I should be carrying onto at A Level and eventually uni, and that was a very important realisation for me.
Theology is your thing!
When I realised that essay subjects where my thing, the logical subject everyone always thinks of is English, and whilst I did do language and literature at A Level, it was in fact my RE lessons that made me realise where my real interests did lie. Even through the most stressful moments of sixth form, I always enjoyed RE; I had great teachers, it was a great class, and it was never a chore. I’m so glad I had the experience I did with this subject because it has helped to shape who I am and where I hope to go in life in the future - I hope that everyone can experience this sudden spark of passion for a subject or specific topic just as I did, because it’s a very rewarding feeling.
Don’t be a uni snob
Interestingly, I think I was more guilty of this before I actually went to uni, and am completely against it now. When I was applying through UCAS, I felt like I had to pick the top rated unis, rather than ones that were going to be the best for my degree. Luckily, King’s has an amazing theology department and I definitely ended up in the right place for me. However, I did also apply to Oxford and now, I think it was definitely for the wrong reasons. I guess now I can say this because I didn’t get in, but I honestly don’t think that such a place was ever right for me, and I just applied purely for the status of the place. If you’re about to apply for uni, do not do this! The quality of the department you’ll be a part of is so much more important than the status of the uni, and if you’re spending 3 years living in the place, any status would surely wear off in your mind at some point.
Learning guitar is worth it - but it requires a lot of effort and practise
I started playing guitar when I was ten years old, so by now, you’d think I was Hendrix. However, yet another life lesson I’ve learnt in my twenty years is that practise does make perfect, and I really wish I’d dedicated more time to it than I have done. I definitely go through phases with guitar, sometimes playing every day and sometimes not for months, and being expensive and difficult to transport on trains with my luggage, I never take them to uni. There’s still time for me to get back into it, and I’m hoping this summer will be my opportunity. Hobbies like that this take a lot of time and patience and I have learnt over ten years of playing that these are things I definitely need to work on - and this is the year I’m going to try!
Family is THE most important thing in the world
I’ve already stressed how important friends have been to me over my 20 years of life, but my family also deserve a huge mention, for I honestly would be nothing without them. As many will relate to I’m sure, I’ve definitely been guilty of the typical angsty teen stereotype of acting out against your parents and feeling like they are the worst people in the world. There are definitely still moments where we don’t see eye to eye, but what I know now, being, hopefully, a little more mature, is that the amount my mum and dad do for me is incredible, and respecting and appreciating that is so so important. Living away from home most of the year, I have realised how dependent I was on my parents, even through arguments and disputes, they always gave me whatever I needed and offered an amazing support to me. I know not everyone is lucky enough to have the typical ideal of a nuclear family, but whoever you consider to be family, whether that be your single mum, your grandparents, foster or adopted parents, appreciate what they do for you, because stepping away and looking at it all, really makes you realise.
Everyone should experience living in London
Due to the absolutely ridiculous prices of homes in London, I know this might be a useless bit of advice for people, and I can only afford it here due to my dear old friend the student loan. If however you are luckily given the opportunity to live there, even for a short time, I would totally recommend it. The speed of life in London, and the constant energy of the city, is something that I have never experienced anywhere else. London is a place I couldn’t tire of, because there is so much to it, that even after living here for over a year, I still don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface of the place, and that is extremely exciting to me. Even if after uni, I can never live here again, knowing I was able to spend my late teens and early twenties in such a vast and interesting place, is something I’ll always hold onto.
Sometimes the world is bloody awful, and sometimes you won’t understand why
On a pretty grim note, a huge downfall of getting older is that you become more socially and politically aware of the world around you and often, what I’ve seen has not been pretty. Whether that be the horrific terrorists attacks on Manchester, London, and so many other great cities, or Donald Trump being voted into the presidency, I and many others may age I’m sure, question how people like this exist, and how on earth can they be stopped. I don’t have the answer to this, I really wish I did, but all I can really offer to anyone reading this is that there are glimmers of hope and positivity to hold on to, and trying to make even a small difference to something you don’t agree with, is a step in the right direction. I have so much faith in the generation I am a part of, and think that though dark times may still lie ahead for now, there is hope that one day all the wrongs will be put right.
It’s okay to praise yourself and be confident
Generally I’d say I have quite a self-deprecating sense of humour, and for that purpose I think that attitude is fine. However I myself have sometimes struggled to believe in myself, to take praise and compliments from people, opting for a low confidence approach to everything about me. This could have also stemmed from A Levels because I was so convinced that I was going to do badly in my exams that I was never able to say to myself ‘you’ve done good, you deserve a break’. I have tried much harder in uni to do this, to reward myself and recognise that often I do work hard and I achieve things, and knowing that it’s okay to feel content in yourself and what you’re doing, is a piece of wisdom I hope I can pass on.
Take pictures and document things for memories
Social media and smartphones often get a lot of stick and backlash from the media as being the worst thing to happen to my generation. Whilst I agree that some people misuse and exploit the internet for all of the wrong reasons, I do also appreciate that there are so many benefits to it. I enjoy the fact that social media provides a somewhat permanent account of my life, that I am free to look back on. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scrolled back on my old Instagram or saved Snapchats, just to reminisce. It’s interesting how much of a story a picture or short video can tell, and how looking at them can make you think back to what your life was like when you took that picture, how you felt, and what people meant the most to you at that moment. I understand that social media may not last forvever, and theses memories may not be permanent, but for now, I am so happy I have so many means to document the pinnacle moments of my life, and would urge everybody else to do the same.
Writing a blog is worth the effort and really fun
I have written for other larger blogs for a while now, but having my own really makes me feel like I have an outlet and a freedom to discuss whatever I want. Committing to a weekly upload schedule can be quite demanding and sometimes it’s hard to know what ideas will work best, and though I am aware that my audience right now isn’t massive, even hearing one person say they enjoyed what I wrote makes it all worth it. I would urge anyone with an idea to write a blog to just jump right in and do it, because it provides a personal outlet for your interests and is a welcome distraction from mundane daily tasks. Write a blog! You will not regret it.
There we have it.
This is by far the longest post I’ve ever written on here, so if you made it this far, congrats. It was really fun and quite interesting to reflect on my life and what I’ve taken and learnt from it so far, and would advise others to do the same, because it’s amazing what things pop into your head! I hope you found this interesting and took away some useful advice. Here’s to the next twenty years!
Love ya
H x
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