So, exams are FINALLY over! I am so relieved, it feels like such a weight off my chest. The day after my final exam, I took a day's holiday from work and went into town with my lovely friend to do some bank account damage! We both agreed that this is our last major spending day in a long time as we both need to save some money so we kind of went all out! Here are the goodies that I picked up!

Monday

• Exam!! This afternoon I have my cognition exam and I am absolutely terrified! Despite the amount of work I have done, I feel so unprepared! Spending the morning revising in university before heading over to the exam building
• The exam went fairly well! Going into to town with Chloe for some food (not sure what food yet) and a little bit of shopping! Just picking up a couple of storage baskets for my chest of drawers and bedside table organisation.
• We went into Fred Aldous to look at stationery and I am so proud of myself for not blowing all my money on notebooks, no matter how tempting they were!

• Chloe and I went to The Bagel Shop in Manchester and had the most amazing sundaes! I had a hot cherry pie sundae and she had a mud pie sundae! I am obsessed, the food there is so good and even though I am super full, I really want more! We then popped into Thunder Egg, the Arndale and, of course, Primark! What i'm most excited for though, I bought some books from Waterstones!! I managed to get all the storage baskets I need for organising my drawers later and now i'm about to walk ALL the way home from town. My feet are going to hurt so much!

• Organised my underwear drawers and my desk and now i'm doing some statistics revision. What a rollercoaster of a day! After revision, I am going to have an early night!!

I am a big fan of meditation and mindfulness. I used to attempt to meditate when stressed in high school and college but fell out of the habit fairly soon because I was of the mindset that if I was doing something other than studying, I was wasting my time. Nowadays, I know that this mindset is damaging and wrong and so I try to set aside a good amount of time for self-care. One of my favourite methods of self-care is mindfulness. I fell back in love with mindfulness when I was attending a low-mood therapy group, run by my university counselling service. My counsellor/therapist recommended me to the group when I first started attending counselling with her and I turned up, reluctant that group therapy would help me, but hopeful nevertheless. At the end of each of the group sessions, our group therapist would tell us all to get comfortable and close our eyes before she ran us through that session's mindfulness practice.

The feeling that comes from mindfulness is hard to explain and I imagine it is different for each of us. For me, mindfulness makes me feel rested and very calm. I feel carefree and almost as though I am suspended in the space around me, and that nothing else is happening in that moment other than the practice. This feeling mostly comes when I am attending a mindfulness class with the person leading the practice in the same room as me and surrounded by others practising mindfulness with me. However, I have found apps to also be incredibly useful to get in the practice at home!

The way in which mindfulness helps me in my recovery and control of my depression is how it treats thoughts and feelings. You have a negative thought or feeling, such as self-doubt, you acknowledge that it is there and that it is okay to think or feel like that in the moment, but you do not have to accept it. It is about noticing the thought or feeling without automatically accepting it. By practising mindfulness more, I hope to apply this ability to notice and acknowledge my negative self-beliefs without accepting them and taking them as truth.

My favourite mindfulness apps

Headspace
This is possibly the most well-known mindfulness app out there! It has some free features but it's really really good on the full subscription. My friend paid for a full year and gave me a code for a free month of the full package and I'm so gutted that it's about to run out because all the programs that I find really helpful are in the paid version and I can't afford it at the moment! I love the range of programs available on the paid version of the app and I love that you can set a reminder for the app to get you to meditate each day!

Calm
The free version of this app is wonderful. There is a good range of programs and the app is super easy to use. However, as with Headspace, you need to pay to get the full potential of the app. One feature of this app which is not found on Headspace is its music section, which features a collection of instrumental tracks lasting about an hour each. They are categorised with purposes such as 'sleep', 'focus' and 'relax' and there are a handful from each section which are available on the free version of the app. Another feature is its Sleep Stories feature, which is a section full of bedtime stories "to help you fall into a deep and natural sleep". I usually fall asleep to podcasts but this is a lovely idea with a similar approach! They are all narrated with soothing voices, especially the one narrated by Stephen Fry!

Oak
This app has a lovely layout! It has three main sections; 'meditate', 'breathe', and 'wisdom'. In the meditate section you can choose your discipline, instructor voice, and the duration of the meditation. This allows you to meditate flexibly, making your session as short or long as you have time for. The breathe section features three breathing exercises to calm, awaken, or heighten concentration. It features live instructions along with a visual representation of the breaths to keep you on track with the exercise. I have found this feature to be very useful! Finally, the wisdom section contains videos and audios with advice and lessons on meditation, excessive thinking, and the world around us. The most individual feature of the app, however, is the home screen. It features, at first, a sapling. The more you meditate, the more the plant grows until you have grown a tree.

Breathe
This app is a gem! The first thing you do when you enter this app is check in with yourself. The screen dims for 10 seconds while you close your eyes and think about how your mind and body feel. You let the app know how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally. They then recommend exercises for you based on your results. This includes meditation, breathing exercises, soundscapes, walks, and more. This is super easy to use and is currently my favourite app for mindfulness and self-care! I think it's super useful to check in with my emotions before diving into a mindfulness activity and it gives you a wide range of recommendations based on your check-in, so you have plenty of options!

To Be Continued

I am about to attend an 8-week intensive mindfulness course (combined with CBT) through my university counselling service. I will update you all with my progress through my weekly Pull Yourself Together posts and I will definitely do a follow-up to this post after I have completed the course and have an even more in-depth knowledge of mindfulness!

Let me know if you have any app recommendations or if you try out one of these! I hope that you are all well and that you enjoyed this post!

For years I have been trying to find my style. I was an emo in high school, a bit more experimental in college (hello rose gold fake docs and cute short hair) and now I'm a bit all over the place. I feel that now I'm in my twenties (oh goodness), I should really pin down a style or at least be consistent in my apparel!

I bet you're wondering if I dug up some old photos for the sake of this post... Yes, I did. The things I do for you! The first image was taken in September 2013 and the second was taken in January 2016. To be fair, I do really miss having short hair sometimes, I loved it so much!




This post will be a few musings on my personal style, a wishlist and a compilation of my favourite bloggers/YouTubers/celebrities who I look up to in terms of style.

My style

So, I've gone through so many different phases and looks that my style is all over the place! Recently, I have been super busy and so have been opting more for comfort than anything else. I live in black jeggings and baggy jumpers. In terms of makeup and beauty, I have been neglecting my face a bit. This has left me feeling pretty unconfident and uncomfortable in my skin. I want to make more of an effort in my day-to-day appearance as I feel so much more confident and ready to tackle the world when I am well dressed and have even minimal makeup on! I feel most confident in a comfortable but classic outfit, well dressed from head to toe but also snug, warm and unrestricted by my clothing. A sneaky jegging, a warm jacket, a high-neck jumper, and a coat of mascara. In 2018 (I cannot believe it's already here) I hope to build up somewhat of a capsule wardrobe. To find a way to look good and dress well on my student budget!




Wishlist

This wishlist is full of beautiful pieces which I mostly cannot afford. It is a list of items I would either like to buy or like to find a cheaper dupe of...

• Dorothy Perkins Check Button coat - £65
• Dorothy Perkins Belted Wrap Coat - £69
• Topshop Suede Biker Jacket - £195
• ASDA George Zip Front Biker Jacket - £20

• Miss Selfridge Grey Volume Sleeve Lash Jumper - £35
• Oasis Chenile Tinsel Funnel Knit - £35
• Topshop Tall Moss Boxy Jumper - £34

• Topshop MOTO Super Rip Jamie Jeans - £46
• Monki Wide Leg Trousers - £30 
• Mulberry Joanne Trousers - £540

• Mario Badescu Drying Lotion - £16
• Mario Badescu Facial Spray - £11
• Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion - £7.33
• Burt's Bees Peach & Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub - £10.99
• Benefit They're Real Mascara - £20.50
• Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey Cologne - £90

Inspiration 

How could I kick off a list of the ladies that inspire me without mentioning Anna from The Anna Edit??  Her classic style is timeless and she makes it appear effortless! The style section of her website is my constant source of inspiration, as well as her Instagram feed and YouTube videos.

Another blogger who's style I absolutely adore is Samantha Maria. I have enjoyed her YouTube videos and blog for years and I have loved watching her style evolve.

I love Keira Knightley's street style. Even when in baggy jeans or the comfiest clothes, she still looks classy and elegant. I do not understand this sorcery but I would love to be able to look as put together as her all the time!

Get It On is a podcast by Dawn O'Porter. It features chats about fashion with many household names and successful people, male and female! Her list of awesome guests include Dermot O'Leary, Amanda Palmer, Jameela Jamil, and the fabulous Dawn French (my ultimate hero)! Dawn is a wonderful host and the interviews are fun, enlightening, and often hilarious! I would definitely recommend as it gives me so much insight into the fashion of others and provides a bit of inspiration!

Finally, Fearne Cotton has an amazing style! Her Insta feed is full of cute and quirky outfits and garments and her outfits on the red carpet are to die for! Dressed up or dressed down, she always looks effortless and incredibly stylish!

Thanks for reading! Who are your style inspirations?

Monday

• First exam this morning! I'm heading over early so I have plenty of time to spare before the exam to read over some last minute notes!
• The exam went pretty well! Heading over to the veggie cafe near campus for some stew for lunch before I head home to revise for tomorrow
• Got home and started revising for tomorrow! Ordering bagels from Bagel Factory because I am CRAVING some good bagels!

Sometimes we just need an entire evening off! To switch off and recharge for a while! While it is always lovely to light a fancy candle and have a Lush bath, having a tight budget can prevent you from having these luxuries and even discourage us from giving ourselves a treat and a pamper! Fear not! Here are a few items which can help you to pamper yourself and have a proper 'treat yo self' evening without any guilt!

The bath



If you are fortunate to have a bath and haven't made use of it for a while, this is your sign to run those taps and create some bubbles. Let the warm water melt away the tension in your body created by stress and being on the go. If you have the budget for it, a Lush bath is always a fave (Twilight bath bomb, yes please)! However, having a Radox bath is just as good! A big bottle of Radox bath is only 98p at the moment in Superdrug and it smells so good! It creates loads of bubbles and fills the room with relaxing scents! Alternatively, this little Zoella bath set is on offer for just £1.99 in Superdrug and is a nice bathtime treat with bath milk powder and bath tea bags!


In the bath, take the time to pamper your skin! Exfoliate away all your dead dry skin and leave the bath with baby-soft skin and a clear mind! I found this lovely scrub in Primark on sale for just £1! After wanting to pick it up for ages, I snapped it up and I cannot wait to use it in the bath on my pamper evening!

The surroundings

When you want to get into that relaxed frame of mind, your surroundings can make all the difference! Make sure that your room/flat/house is fairly tidy so you don't feel stressed about having to tidy it later. I let my room get so untidy when I am super busy and stressed and tidying it all up again and getting to be in tidy surroundings once more is such a great feeling and lifts my mood so much sometimes!

As a student, I am not allowed to have candles in my room, so I make up for it with a pretty ridiculous amount of fairy lights! All my fairy lights are the battery operated cheap ones from Primark. They are super affordable and do so much to a room! When I switch them on my room feels so much more pretty and cosy! Because I can't have scented candles, I always make sure I have a good reed diffuser in my room! My current diffuser is a fresh linen scented one from ASDA.

The treatments

Can't afford a fancy face mask? No problem! Primark has really upped their beauty section and they have a massive range of face masks for all skin types (not sponsored, I just work there so I see their products all the time)! I have a bit of a thing for rose scented products at the moment so I cannot wait to use the rose cleansing rinse off mask! Plus, 80p for a face mask is super great value!


Go through the whole works for your face, doing a complete skincare routine and pampering that lovely face of yours! I have a massive obsession with the rose water range by Garnier at the moment! Their products are super affordable and leave my face feeling wonderfully clean and taken care of!


Don't just pamper your face! Give your body a proper treat too! Superdrug has several super affordable ranges of body products and the products I have tried have never failed me! This big bottle of cocoa body lotion is £1.49 and is a lovely moisturising product at an incredible price! This hand cream was also £1.50 from Primark and smells lovely! Cheap and cheerful products are wonderful finds and great to pick up when you're on a tight budget!


Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post! I hope that it gave you some inspiration for the greatest cosy night in ever! Take care and let me know if there's any posts you would like to see in the Self Care 101 series! Always open to suggestions! xo

Starting yet another series on this blog, but it's something a bit different! These are just a few book recommendations I have picked up, recently and not so recently! I have a massive passion for reading and I am excited to write a bit more about the books which have inspired me and affected me. These will be a mixture of genres and titles as I love so many very different books!

Get Your S**t Together // Sarah Knight


This was the first self-improvement(ish) book I fully got into and it started my obsession with this whole genre of books! In the coming posts, you will probably see a number of self-improvement books but this is the one that started my addiction! It is witty, hilarious and completely blunt and managed to really motivate me in my first year of university! Sarah Knight is brilliant and I cannot wait to read her other books because I know I will love them if they are anything like Get Your S**t Together!

Kitchen // Banana Yoshimoto



Kitchen is such a beautiful little book! It is made up of two stories, both about young women coping with loss and grief. It is easy to read and the narration has a beautiful simplicity to it. It takes the mundane and makes it magical. The way that the kitchen is seen as the life and soul of a home is so simple a concept, and yet Yoshimoto makes it feel extraordinarily beautiful!

The Secret History // Donna Tartt

Hello!

My exams are about to start (when this gets published it will be the day of my first exam). Because of my busy study schedule and lack of time to keep updating a PYT post as usual, I will be posting about the highlights of my weeks for the next few weeks instead of a full diary post! I still wanted to get the usual scheduled PYT posts up so this is what I have come up with! I know these posts are some of the most enjoyed posts on my blog!

Monday