Finding your ‘why’
When it comes to our careers I think one of the most important things we have to ask ourselves is ‘why?’. Why have you chosen this path? What’s the purpose behind it? What drives you? After studying media writing at uni I wanted to be a music journalist. I reviewed gigs and interviewed bands, but after a while, I decided it was just too competitive a market and not for me.…
The joy of food
I love food. Going out for meals is one of my favourite things to do and I’m pretty sure chocolate literally soothes my soul. But do you know what I love more than food? I love loving food. I love that I can go to Byron, eat a burger and shake and not feel a shred of guilt. It wasn’t always that way. I’ve already mentioned this (and I promise…
How to ease anxiety
Anxiety feels a bit like a buzzword these days. It seems like every Hollywood actor suffers from it and every other news article is about how stress/anxiety is affecting the nation. But, why is this? Is it just the media focussing on a buzzword? Or is it simply that people are more anxious? I think it’s the latter. I think fast living, social media and social pressures are making us…
The Radical Monarchs
I used to be in the Rainbows, the Brownies and very briefly the Girl Guides. From what I remember, I enjoyed it. It was a great way to gain social skills and learn more about the world. I wasn’t particularly outdoorsy (I’m still not) so I didn’t love that aspect, but it was a nice way to spend time at that age. But what if there was a group that…
Finding happiness when… living at home in your thirties
Within my little ‘happiness‘ section on Blue Jay I wanted to have a series on ‘finding happiness when…’ and for my first one I thought I would talk about living with your parents in your thirties. Thanks to unaffordable housing, for our generation it’s almost the norm to be back home with the parents. I turned 30 last February and I was so happy that I was celebrating it in a…
How to start a yoga practice
I am not an exercise lover. Sure, I love the way it makes me feel after, but getting over that initial ‘urghhh I don’t wanna’ voice in my head is hard. If I could, I would laze in bed all day every day watching Grey’s Anatomy, reading magazines and eating all the chocolate. But apparently that is frowned upon… So instead, I do my best to exercise. Keeping a routine…
How to survive Blue Monday
Today is Blue Monday. Blue Monday is supposedly the most ‘depressing’ day of the year. Christmas is over, you’ve already failed at your New Year’s resolutions and your bank balance hates you. At work, we’ve looked at the concept of Blue Monday and said - nah. Feeling sad (or ‘blue’) is normal. It can happen any time and for no reason. I’ve had times when I’m driving home from work…
8 podcasts to inspire you
How many of you listen to podcasts? I’ve been aware of them for a long time, but have only really started listening in the past couple of years. I started with the one most podcast fans started with - Serial. Season one was just so gripping, I immediately fell in love with the medium. Since then my library has grown and I now have a playlist of wonderfully diverse podcasts…
How to find happiness in every day
For my first ‘happiness’ post, I wanted to talk about what happiness means to me and how everyone can find joy in every day. I used to think happiness was this big ball of magic that was always on the horizon, always out of reach. I thought if I could just do X… or if Y happened… that would be it - I would be happy. It was an elusive creature I…
My relationship with my body
As the first post in Blue Jay’s ‘Health’ category, I thought I should divulge my own relationship with my body and physical health. To be totally honest, it’s a complicated one. Back in my teenage years I hated my body. I had an eating disorder and still carry the scars from my self-harming days. Suffice to say, it was a bad time all round. I have come a hell of a long…