TW: Body image (touched on very briefly)
Hello my girly swirlyssss! How are we? So, some of you may know but it was ‘burfdayyyyy’ on Thursday, and she’s now 22 -yes I did make full use of T-swift that day.
I thought this blog post, on this fine Sunday, we could do something fun and I’m going to go through some of things I’ve learnt being 21.
p.s. who’s enjoying this weather?! It’s so gorgeous I can’t deal! The serotonin levels are through the roof. Ok so, let’s get into it!
I would say the biggest thing I learnt in my 21st year of life would be that we have sooooo much time to make mistakes and not rush! Coming fresh out of uni and fresh into my twenties I really panicked, going full steam ahead into what I thought was my ‘adult life’. I couldn’t have been anymore wrong in doing this. I think we all do that though, where we think we have entered this entirely new big chapter of life, and don’t get me wrong it is new and exciting, I will say adults start treating you like one. But if I could have told myself one thing, I would have told myself:
‘Chill you’ve got a decade to make mistakes, have fun, try new things’
-and even more so in your thirties. But we aren’t quite there yet, not for a very long time anyways. If I’d have told myself that, I would have saved myself a few gallons of tears and a few less breakdowns to my boyfriend. I was acting like the world was on my shoulders when in reality, I was the only one trying to place that expectation there.
That’s the other thing it’s great to have expectations for yourself but make them manageable, have your dreams by all means, but set smaller achievements as well and you will feel a whole lot more accomplished. Setting crazyyyy goals keeps you determined and motivated but it can also bring you down when you haven’t quite got there. Focus on the small things and you will find yourself climbing that ladder a lot quicker.
And if you haven’t achieved as much as you thought, give yourself some slack!
Time actually flies. Like FLIES. I genuinely believe a year is so short and that’s why you need to revel in everything you do, because before you know it you’ll find yourself saying “Oh I wished I took more time doing that” or, “I wish I wasn’t so engulfed by that and spent more quality time with people”. Something my dad said to me a few years back that has always stuck with me is that “when you’re older you will look back at a ‘bad month’, or ‘breakup’, or a ‘sticky time’, and it will feel like a blip, and you will realise how big something can feel in a small moment of time. Don’t let it consume all your energy, look to the good”, and that’s SO TRUE. I remember being so sad about my first breakup and it’s so important to digest your feelings, but equally don’t make yourself sad. Look to the positives and things will get better!
I think my 21st year of life has been a huge learning curve in the way I look at things. Now, I’m not here trying to preach or say I’ve got it sorted, cause I most certainly don’t’. I AM NOT YODA. But I think even starting this journey with you guys, and writing down different hurdles I’ve been facing has really allowed me to process, think, and analyse.
I was never one for journaling, but I’m really starting to see the impact and find myself coming to terms with making decisions better. I really would recommend it; it doesn’t have to be a physical journal! Even if you prefer typing more, just check in one a week to a word document. It could be anything from writing one good experience and one bad experience but, you must always follow that bad with a resolution or a positive! My sisters a huge believer in that, she says it keeps you positive. And it does! Orrrrr you could put that writing to use and submit it to thegirliesloveto@gmail.com hehe!
Ok something fun that I learnt as a 21-year-old was how much I love Japanese food, I genuinely consume it at least four times a week and I’m not complaining! I love to cook, and I love cooking for others, even more for my boyfriend it’s so rewarding and always feel like it’s such a wholesome way to end a day. Sharing a meal with your loved ones, I think it’s often overlooked, but I think I bond best over food aha. Anyone else? Just me?
Not to turn that positive down a deeper track, but it’s something I’ve wanted to talk about for a while and share my experience. I’ve never really talked about body image or my experience of body image, nor my relationship with food. I think we all have our struggles with food once in a blue moon and I know for many it can be such a tough subject. But something that really stuck with me this year, was that I saw a video talking about how harsh we can be on ourselves about our body image at this age as we are transitioning further away from our teen bodies into our ‘adult bodies’. I know I’m a huge culprit for looking back at old photos and sometimes preferring what I see in those images, and came to a point where I was being really tough on myself about it.
But after watching this video and just hearing those terms ‘adult body’ it has given me so much peace and confidence. To not only love my body but appreciate it for what it is now and all the amazing things it can do. Like I said I’ve never really touched on this subject across any of my channels, nor my experience at dance college and how that affected me. So maybe that’s something we dive into at a later date. But for the now I just wanted to leave that there, because it’s something that has really helped me not critic my body as I’m growing.
Another thing I’ve learnt this past year is:
Knowledge is power!
Now I’m not talking about being the next Einstein. But through communication with friends, family, and strangers, you will learn so much not only about yourself but others. Experiencing new conversations and meeting new people I think will always be my favourite thing, because it never fails to enlighten, inspire, and open my eyes. That is why I truly loved my uni experience, just through meeting others I found myself growing so much. And that’s what inspired this page.
So, through the power of voice, pop one thing in the comments below that you have learnt about yourself in this last year. Your words potentially may help someone else who hasn’t quite learnt that lesson yet.
This was very relatable! I'm 25 in 3 months and I don't feel even close to where I thought I would be when I thought about 25 as a teenager. At your age (maybe even earlier actually) I fell into the same trap of thinking I needed to rush through my goals and be at a certain point in adulthood immediately - it's safe to say I ended up spiralling into depression. It has only been in the last 6 months that I feel truly at peace with my timeline and I've been enjoying the small things
Hello lovely ladies, 24yr old London based girly here. This blog just radiates goodness and I’m so happy to be here. One thing that I have recently learnt about myself and life in general is that doing things for external validation will NEVER fulfill you, and you are likely seeking it even if you don't realize it. I think learning to shed expectations from others and learning what makes you, you is important. Sending so much love to all of you🖤🌸🎀
Hi, I’m 23, nearly 24 years old now. I have learnt in the past year not to be so hard on myself and try to see the positives in life. As there is always something positive in your life!
I hope you have a good week! ❤️
hey girlies!! all the way from australia too- but I’m about to turn 20 this year which to me is very scary haha! but last year, when i was 19, i went solo backpacking around europe + the uk for 3 months and it was truly the best experience of my life. it taught me that i can do hard things; no matter how scary or intimidating change and stepping outside of your comfort zone may be, we are capable and we have the skills to do it. so in simpler terms, just because something is hard, or frightening, or nerve wracking, doesn’t mean you can’t achieve it. at the end of the day, what makes life so fufilling and…
Hi girls, all the way from Australia 🦘 something I’ve learnt recently is stress really is more damaging than we can ever realise!! My dad has always said, that if you worry about something and it doesn’t happen then you have spent all that time worrying for nothing and if you worry about something and it does happen, all that worrying didn’t stop it from happening !! And I try to remind myself of that most days, because stress and worry really has no purpose and all it does is make me upset, I am hard on my self, I take my frustrations out on those around me. It’s exhausting and after a while it does take a physical affect…