'Anti' Social Media

So, I've been staring at a blank screen for the past while trying to come up with stuff to write about, great blogger that I am :D and I couldn't think of anything, literally. My mind just went blank. I was trying to figure out why as usually I have a zillion ideas, but tonight the light bulb just wasn't flashing in my head for some reason.

I was staring in between checking notifications on facebook, instagram, twitter etc and it clicked with me that I was too engrossed with a faux fur coat someone showed me on twitter, or something somebody commented on, on facebook to be thinking about what to write. It then clicked with me how many other times this has happened, maybe not while typing a blog, but while reading a book, studying for school or during a lunch hour at work. In fairness, I do realise that blogging depends on these social media sites, but what would life be like without them? I know for a fact if it hadn't been for facebook I wouldn't have stayed in touch with half my friends from school. I wouldn't know about the concert they went to, who's broken up with who, or even engaged. They have become such a walking contradiction, you are in a term 'social', yet while being on these sights, ignoring those around you!? 

I have a couple of hundred followers on twitter, s

ame on Facebook, same on instagram. I might talk to about ten on each site every day, this is including family! I literally cannot remember a time before them, what did I do with my phone? Played Snake or solitaire? Our generation and the ones before us are lucky to be able to have had a childhood compared to the one that is currently growing up. To be honest I'm happy to say that my instagram was a magazine, 'shout' and 'sugar' or a V tech camera. My YouTube was the home radio and an empty cassette tape that I could tape songs on. Facebook was calling up my primary school friends and asking them could I come over. We would watch some TV, but mostly play games that our imaginations came up with. And Twitter? That was a smash hits diary with the faces of boy zone and spice girls on the front cover. In ten years time, hopefully I will have children to take care of, but I can guarantee they will not see social media until they reach their teenage years. I know my little sister is feeling the pressure as some of her friends have Snapchat and Facebook already and she's not aloud. But maybe she will also look back on her childhood and be thankful for this, who knows?

It is known to ruin relationships, partners, friends, careers, many more. People are becoming more open about their lives and therefore less secure in themselves. I know myself that I would grieve over a person having more friends, more likes, better pictures than myself. I still do. I reckon that this is a reason that Mental health issues have risen over the years, not the main reason of course, but one of them. Yet people still turn to it like a drug, before we go to bed, when we wake up, on our breaks. Will this ever change? I honestly don't know. I know that by now people are probably saying what a hypocrite haha! I'm not asking people to stop using them or anything, but just to consider what I have said :) It is scary to think how much of our lives are controlled by these sites!

I for one tried to type all of this without using any of them and I only looked once :D (wow, such an achievement) 

Hope you enjoyed reading :)

Sandy.S

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Letting go of a grudge :)

Hey heys! So I'm back alot quicker than I thought :P but sure, what harm!

So this one is a little random, I was just thinking about grudges lately, and I really am the type of person to hold one, but I can't help it :) If I have an argument or fall out with somebody I will always have this held against them, unless they apologize. I got to thinking that this is really the wrong way to be, forgive and forget is going to be my new way of thinking. Why? Because at the end of the day, life is way too short!

So what is a grudge? 

Not this thing :P

A grudge is a 'persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury'. Basically it is the act of hanging on to intense anger or dislike for someone based on something they wrongly did to you in the past. So, it could be a teacher that ate the head off you for not doing the right homework, a work partner who pushed you too far in work, or made some smart comment about your new pencil skirt or silk tie, it could be the ex who broke your heart or cheated, your partners ex causing you hassle, a sales person who keeps calling to your house, the list is absolutely endless! As I said above, I am so bad at holding grudges, but what's the point at the end of the day? Your just doing mental damage to yourself and causing yourself unnecessary stress. 

Dis someone hurt you intentionally in the past? Do they deliberately cause you trouble? Do you feel like they are 'out to get you' or compete with you socially? All you can do is be the bigger person, move on and forgive them. Sometimes we confuse the ability to hate someone with the inability to understand them. These people are obviously hurt themselves, insecure, jealous or angry. Just like me and you they make mistakes, and we have to learn to forgive them. You're not just doing better by you but better by them too.

I hope this helps you guys :) There really is no point in holding a grudge, just learn to forgive and forget :) 

Thanks for reading :D 

Sandy.S

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Winter Tag!!

Hey Guys!! Sorry it's been a while, I moved house and everything with my boyfriend so I'm all over the place basically :( 

I just said seen as we're nearly at Christmas ( YAAAY) I'll do a Winter Tag :) Also because I have moved house I might not be able to do videos for a while yet :D 

So here goes :) 

Happy Christmas!! 

 Top 2 Winter Beauty Essentials

I have to say Nivea Cold Creme because my skin is so dry :( And definitely my Body Shop Shea butter lip balm, it's amazing and badly needed for the dry crisp weather :)  

 Top 2 Winter Fashion Essentials

My owl hat from Penneys( Primark) that I bought last year and my Black gloves, also from Penneys ( I live there!) I got a pair of two for €1.50, where would you be going wrong? 

 What shoes do you tend to wear the most in the winter?

I would say Uggs :) and fluffy socks, they are amazingly comfy, I secretly wear them with my pajamas too :/

 Favorite Winter Accessory

My owl Pocket Warmer that I got as a gift :D it's SOOOO cute!!! and actually works too!

 Favorite Winter Nail Polish

I got a gold metallic varnish from NYC which my little sister stole :( but it was amazing! It looked silver in the light but was actually gold.

 Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider?

Hot Cocoa :) defenitely with cream and marshmallows.

Favorite Winter Candle?

The Vanilla Tea lights from Tesco are so nice, I love the smell of the smoke from those candles :) I think they were only about 2.50 for 29 !

 Snowboarding or Skiing?

Oh lord neither, but I can remember being really young, filling a bag of cattle feed with straw or hay and sitting on them sliding down a hill :) ( I live on a farm :P)

Have you ever gone Ice Skating? Are you any good or do you FAIL miserably?.

Nope haha I have SUCH bad balance :/

 Does it snow where you live?.

Sometimes, but I live in the middle of a valley and it snows up to twenty feet on the tops of the mountains! 

 Have you ever made a snowman?

Yes of course, I can remember making a girl snowman when I was really small and putting a really old pink t-shirt around it and the snow turned pink ! 

What holiday do you celebrate?

Christmas, St Stephen's Day and New Years :)

 Favorite Christmas/Holiday song?

Probably Snow is Falling by Shakin' Stevens, such a feel good song :)

 Favorite Christmas/Holiday movie?

Probably Love Actually or Gone With the Wind always comes on, but you can't beat Home Alone :)

 What is your favorite winter treat? (candy cane, gingerbread, etc…)

Probably the selection boxes :P I love the galaxy box, or maltesers from the Celebrations Tin :D

 If you were to ask Santa for one thing and you were guaranteed to get it, what would it be? 

Probably a good job, I know that sounds so pitiful but it's all I want at the moment :( If I had to say an object or thing probably a Laptop :)

 Do you have anything fun planned for this winter

I am going to Lanzarote in two weeks and I am so excited to have a tan for all the Parties! :P 

Ok guys, thats it!! Feel free to do this tag yourself :D 

Enjoy!! If i don't write soon, Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to every one of my readers and followers :) 

Lots of Love!x

Sandy. S

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Summer saviours :)

Heyyy everybody!! :) hope your all having an amazing summer like I am! :) The weather here in Ireland has been fab this past week, reaching 30 degrees some days! So who needs a holiday when you can just step outside! :D 

home :)

The only downside to this weather, is that you have to take extra care of your body, because the suns powerful rays can take their toll on your skin and hair! :)

So in this blog I'm just going to suggest some products to protect you during the season :) 

First of course, I suggest a high factor sun lotion and after sun cream. The one I find the best is Hawaiian Tropic factor 20 :) It actually works! :P Bonus is it smells amazing too like you've just stepped off the plane to a sunny country! 

Where I live is in the west of Ireland, in a very rural part, where most people live on farms. Because I'm in the country alot, especially during this weather I notice I get a tonne of insect bites or nettle stings, even just from lying out on the lawn. What I recommend to help this is a cream called Anthisan :) Sometimes I even react to these and it can swell up and be extremely irritating :( But anthisan really cools it down and I notice an improvement almost immediately! :)

Just as you need SPF protection for your body, you will also need it for your lips! :) The best I find is Badger lip balm :) It's unscented, protects your lips from the sun as well as dehydration! It's even water resistant so you can go for a swim while wearing it! It's also completely organic, so you can relax your conscience about added chemicals and such :)

To protect your hair, especially from chlorine in the pool or ocean water, you should wash your hair before you go for a swim. Dry hair is extremely absorbent and can pick up chemicals etc like a sponge, at least if your hair is wet already it provides a layer to protect. I know it's a bit late to say it nearing the end of the season, but if your planning on cutting your hair do it before summer, or at least wait until mid-end of august. If your hair is damaged at the ends, the heat from the sun will only exaggerate your problem, so even if you wait until August, you can get it treated by your hairdresser and even use some conditioning treatment to repair it! If your on a budget try a homemade hair mask, I personally like the Honey and Olive Oil hair mask :)

To make this you will need: 1/4 cup of honey

                                          1/4 cup of olive oil, coconut oil can also be used :)

First heat the honey for a few seconds on your cooker, after turning it off add the olive oil and stir it well. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature. Apply it to the hair and scalp gently using your fingers, then wrap both your hair and scalp in a warm towel. To warm the towel all you need to do is dip the towel in warm water and rinse off excess water. Leave to settle for half an hour. When it is ready, remove the towel and wash out using shampoo. This mask is best suited to dry hair, which is perfect for the summer :) 

One other tip I have, is make sure that you hydrate! Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate! Carry a bottle of water with you everywhere even if it's just driving to the shop to get food, keeping hydrated will prevent sunstroke and keep the body nourished and cool. 

Ok everyone, until next time!! :D 

Thanks for reading :)

Sandy.S

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Keep Calm :)

Hey again everybody!

This time I decided to write something different;  coping with stress, as I felt its something I've had to cope with myself in the last month or so. So here are some hints and tips that I find helpful when I feel under pressure, hope you can all relate to them and find them useful. Just remember to stay calm and that things can only get better :)

So what exactly is stress?

Stress is the body's way of responding to any kind of demand in life. There are so many types of stress, from worrying about small things like, where did I leave my phone? to How am I going to keep food on the table? 

Personally I am the type to worry about the smallest little things, like what people think of me, or what if my clothes aren't nice on me, such stupid little things to worry about when I think about it! But I often worry about the future as well, where will I be, what job will I have, will I be secure? Stress can really depend on alot of things, your lifestyle, your age, even your gender! Thankfully I managed to get past my teenage years but they can be so stressful to both boys and girls, worrying about their appearance and whether they'll be liked in society. All I can advise to any young people is just be yourself, no matter what you do, feel or look like. You're made that way for a reason. It took me a long time to realise this, but it's true. 

If you are stressed about your appearance, look at the video for Christina Aguilera's song 'Beautiful' and just think, she wrote that song for a reason, even somebody as successful and amazing as her had doubts about herself. Each person is their own worst critic. You just have to look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful inside and out! 

When I get stressed, I feel down, I find it hard to put a smile on my face. Because I'm usually such a bubbly happy person, EVERYBODY notices when I'm upset, which is a good thing really, because then I realise no matter what, I'll never be alone!  This is a very important thing to realise when you are upset, DO NOT be afraid to speak to somebody, its so unhealthy to keep it bottled up. 

When I get really tense about something, maybe money worries or an exam, I always feel muscle pain in the back of my neck and shoulders, sometimes I even feel sick in my stomach. Some people I know experience insomnia, headaches, even shortness of breath. In worst case scenarios it can lead to a mental breakdown. 

If your feeling stressed, you should never let it get that far, always remember there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. 

What do I do when I am stressed?

When I do feel stressed, I make sure I tell somebody about it, luckily I'm blessed with a great bunch of family and friends to get advice from. I always feel so much better after I tell someone what is worrying me. After all a problem shared is a problem halved! 

I also like to listen to feel good music, yes even the really cheesy ones! Some songs that help me are Don't worry be happy by Bobby McFerrin (a personal favourite since I was a child) One Republic- Good life, Eliza Doolitle- pack it up, The lighthouse family- High and of course Don't stop believing( which helped me through my exams in secondary school) 

One of the best cures I find for stress is a really long walk, somewhere peaceful, wether your alone or with somebody because it can really clear the mind! You could also take up a new hobby, maybe an adventure sport, go to the gym, or even join a local book club or cinema club to meet new people and  help take your mind off things! There are endless possibilites! 

Ok so everyone, I hope this helps if you are finding yourself under pressure, please don't let it get to you too much, as I said above talk to people, find a new hobby, go for walks, anything to help take your mind off things! 

Until next time, 

happy blog reading :) 

Sandy.s

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