Tag: travel

Dealing with Travel Anxiety…

Ruth IbbotsonLeave a comment

So it’s been about 5/6 months since I last wrote a post which is terrible of me! (Apologies, I know you’ve probably missed me 😉 )

I’ve been super busy working, finishing my course in Magazine Journalism and basically just not really having a massive spurt of inspiration to write.

I thought now it would be a great time to write something, but more importantly something that unfortunately effects me everyday and a hell of a lot of other people.

Dealing with Travel Anxiety…

 

9

 

It’s only been in recent years that I’ve really struggled with travelling, when I was younger my family would go on holiday every year to places like Spain and Cyprus, and I remember actually looking forward to flying – it never phased me whatsoever. Then gradually as I got older I started to get more and more panicky when I travelled. This could be from a bus, car or train. It didn’t really matter what mode of transport it was. The main thing for me is how ‘busy’ it is – so if I’m travelling on a train thats full I will straight away go into panic mode because I feel like I’m being closed in, that I can’t get off, that I’m around people I don’t know – the list goes on. I’m VERY good at thinking the worst in every situation so I’ll automatically think the worst when I travel which reeaallly doesn’t calm my nerves.

When I moved to London I really chucked myself in the deep end as it’s just a little busier than a small farmers village I grew up in, even now I really struggle to catch the tube and will only take it if I have too, thankfully where I work is only a bus ride away which I prefer but even that is a struggle sometimes. I fly to New York in the next week for a holiday, and as much I’m looking forward too it I’m freaking out because we have to fly there. In my head I’m just about putting every single scenario together that could go wrong.

But looking back to when I first moved to London I’ve become a hell of a lot better dealing with travelling. Yes, a lot of the time I will try to find alternative routes if one route is busier, but sometimes I literally just go ‘Screw this, why am I letting this control me?’ and force myself into that situation – and you know what? Everytime, I’ve come out the other end absolutely fine.

I know an awful lot of people that deal with anxiety and honestly it really needs to be talked about more – as I’ve said before in previous posts, theres a massive stigma around mental health and the more it’s talked about the more that stigma fades. I’m still learning what helps me with my anxiety and finding new tricks and tips to help me deal with it, and slowly but surely I can see a gradual improvement and that in itself it amazing. Daily achievements whether dealing with Anxiety, Depression or any other mental Illness should be celebrated.

If you suffer just know that It does get better – It won’t always feel this hard or tough.

So while it’s still a daily struggle, I take each day as it comes and always do what is comfortable for myself – It’s scary and uncomfortable but there is always light at the end of the tunnel, it never stays dark for too long…

inspirational-quotes-about-work-22-quotes-for-anyone-battling-anxiety-and-depression-but-you-will-win-it-rememb

A little list of things to leave behind in 2017…

Ruth IbbotsonLeave a comment
  • Leave your past behind – The past is in the past and no matter how hard you try and change that it will still remain there. Let it go. The more you keep looking back the more you’ll miss out on what is happening right now.

 

  • Leave the hate behind – Leave whatever hate you’re feeling inside of you and try and learn forgiveness. Forgive people that never said sorry, forgive people when they don’t even deserve it – don’t continue to feel hate because you’ll end up hurting yourself more.

 

  • Leave that lack of confidence – Stop listening to the voices in your head telling you that you’re not pretty or good enough. I can honestly say that it’s a load of crap. You are more than enough. Learn to love and look after yourself – the change has to start with you.

 

  • Leave behind comparing yourself to others – Don’t head into 2018 comparing yourself to people, you are on your own journey and walking completely different paths. The more you focus on someone else’s journey the more you’ll lose sight of your own.

 

  • Leave behind the things and people that don’t make you happy – You need to look after yourself first, leave behind the guilt you feel when what you want doesn’t match up with what someone else wants. This is your life, you’re not a puppet. Go and live it for you and only you.

 

  • Leave behind your phone – Physically leave it at home. We have become so attached and dependent on our phones and social media that we are missing what is really happening in the world. A text or a notification can wait, but the people that matter to you are in front of you now, and you never know for how long.

 

  • Leave behind perfection – Stop thinking that perfection equals happiness. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. Imperfections are part of who we are, it’s what makes us – us! Just try and remember that you don’t have to be perfect to be happy. You just have to be you.

 

  • Leave your comfort zone – Go and do things that you have never done before, try new foods you’ve never tried, go and travel to different countries you’ve never seen. Be bold, daring and brave. Go out and experience new things. There’s a whole world out there – don’t be afraid to step outside of your bubble, you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find.

 

  • Leave behind your mistakes – Whatever mistakes you’ve made in 2017 let them go. You don’t need to bring them over into 2018 – what’s happened can’t be changed but you can learn from your mistakes, it will help you grow into a better person. Don’t let them define who are you for the rest of your life – instead of letting your mistakes break you, let them build you.

 

BD9uwNACIAAD8iT

Top Tips for moving to London.

Ruth IbbotsonLeave a comment

Since it’s Sunday and I have absolutely nothing to do today (although I should really go to the gym, but I highly doubt that will happen…) I thought I would write a spur of the moment post – I have a few posts lined up to publish but I just really wanted to do something a little bit different.

So a few weeks ago I made the big move to London with some friends to start my new life down here, and its been wonderfully crazy to say the least… Before you move, whether that is moving from a previous house or moving out from your parents it’s always scary and you need to be VERY prepared – but you can’t always be prepared for everything!

So here are a few tips of what I’ve learnt so far if you’re planning on moving to London (or any other city in fact) I hope you enjoy 🙂

  1. SEARCH, SEARCH AND SEARCH AGAIN FOR FLATS

This is a very obvious one I know, because when looking for a new place you obviously need to look, but when moving to somewhere like London – places come and go in seconds. When we started looking it was months and months before we were even on planning to move down but getting an idea of what you want is so handy. You can get an idea of prices and places – you can figure out which part of London is cheapest and if it’s near to transport and shops. We wanted somewhere as central as possible but the more central you go the more expensive it is – keep looking everyday on Right Move, Zoopla, Gumtree and any other sites you can find. If you keep looking something will pop up just right for you.

 

anigif_enhanced-buzz-8612-1380625194-4

2. BOOK A VIEWING

Again, a pretty obvious one but I’ve seen a lot of people get a flat before even viewing it. This is VERY VERY risky. Most of us were based in Yorkshire so we booked a day where we could all visit London and made sure to have some viewings booked, and we are so glad we did because the property we thought we wanted to get was not as great as we thought. We got to see the surrounding area, have an in-depth look into what the flat was like, ask all the questions you wanted – and once that was done we were all in agreement that the other flat we viewed was actually what we wanted. Before you move make sure to book viewings and have a look around – you don’t want to get the property and then regret it when it’s not what you thought.

giphy-37

3. SAVE

I cannot stress this one enough – wherever you move too you need to have some savings behind you – but if you’re planning on moving to London you need to reeeaaallllyyy save! I knew London was expensive but DAMN it’s ridiculous. Rent is crazy high down here – and like I said previously the more central you go the more expensive it is. Make sure to have some savings behind you so you have that blanket of money just to give you that comfort.

7666c5db7e794ec68cd5433c1ead77c0

4. BUSES ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS

One of the best things about London is the transport – everywhere you go there is a tube station or bus and it is SO easy to get around – but once moving down I realised that buses are one of the best ways to get around. If you can, take the bus – firstly it’s £1.50 wherever you go and you hop on and off when you please. Don’t get me wrong the tube is brilliant but it’s double or triple the price of a bus – also it gets very manic especially during rush hour to and from work, and if you add the time it takes to actually get into the tube station, walking to which line you want to catch, catching the tube then finding your way out – takes you probably the same amount of time as a bus.

tenor.gif

5. LIVE BY CITYMAPPER 

Once you move down you have to download the app ‘Citymapper’ – I live by this now, it’s so handy to know where you need to go and how long it will take you, it will plan out everything for you and show you the nearest tubes, your route, buses, which number to catch, time, distance, how much it will cost you and so on. It’s so handy and makes travelling round London a little less stressful!

Apple-App-Store-Search-Down-iOS-iPhone-Users-UK-Apple-Down-Search-Not-Working-Online-Search-Not-Working-iTunes-Search-Broken-App-530595.gif

6. WALK AND EXPLORE

Once you’ve moved in go and walk around your area and see what’s about! Get to know what restaurants, bars and shops are around – and see what activities are on! We have a gym next door to us which is very handy, then down the road is a Mcdonalds. I bet you can guess which one I’ve been to more…Big superstores are great and there are a few little bar and restaurants near us too. Go and explore and see whats there! It’s great to know your surrounding area.

51e9ad50e2b7f73f6244c75c70e1dffd3e699b8212586b734b0460e38d362b5e.gif

7. DISCOUNTS ARE AMAZING 

I loved discounts before moving to London – I think everyone does but I LOVE them even more now – especially when I go food shopping!  I always go to the discount section and see what’s on offer. I’ve cooked some great meals for a very little price. You have to really know the time of day to go so you can really pick up some bargains!

3o7TKo6pw8wXuniUSI

8. MAKE FRIENDS AND SOCIALISE

Go out and have fun, make friends, go to bars and live your life! London is full of so many different kinds of people! It’s a bloody good night out – whatever you’re after! Shoreditch and Soho are great nights out, it’s always so vibrant and busy – cute little bars, cocktails and great music!

tenor

 

9. TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

London is a big city and with that comes a hell of a lot of hustle and bustle. It’s loud and busy whatever time of the day, something is always going on. That’s one of the things I love about London but at the same time I like my peace and quiet, and I like to spend time by myself. I live with 3 friends and we are super close but sometimes you just need to have some time to be on your own and do nothing. It can get a little bit overwhelming especially since it’s still new to us all. Take some time just to be on your own – read, listen to music, go for a walk. I always feel so much better when I do.

anigif_sub-buzz-14962-1489450308-4

10. BE YOURSELF AND HAVE FUN! – YOU’RE IN BLOODY LONDON! 

Have fun! This is such an exciting time in your life, moving to the capital where exciting things happen every single day! Yes, it’s scary and daunting – but it’s wonderful and so thrilling! You get to wake up each day and make it amazing – you have so many opportunities and things to do right on your doorstep, so many places to go, people to meet! I’ve fallen in love with London already and I can’t wait to see what this next year holds. Be yourself and have fun!

unnamed

These are just a few little suggestions there are so many more but I would be here for hours 😉

 

Have a wonderful Sunday and see you soon another blog! x

 

 

 

 

Life is only just beginning.

Ruth IbbotsonLeave a comment

So this is a really spur of the moment post but I’ve been wanting to write something like this for a little while but I didn’t really know how to write it, but I’m currently laying in bed with a cup of lavender tea (tastes WAY better than it sounds) and I’m finding myself just typing away on my laptop.

These past few weeks I’ve been scrolling social media and it’s round about this time now that everyone is graduating! It was only last year that I was doing the same. It’s weird to think that you were once a student that had no responsibility and suddenly you’re thrown into this big scary world trying not to drown. It’s hard. And extremely overwhelming. Even if you went straight into work you could still be there doing the same routine day in and day out wondering when something will just click.

After university last year I moved back home to sunny Yorkshire and got myself a job in my little town, I couldn’t really stay in Manchester as I had literally NO money whatsoever and in all honesty I needed a big break from the city and to come home and just breathe. I saw a lot of my friends stay in Manchester or move off to other cities and go travelling and I was just living back at home doing the same thing. As the months went on I became comfortable, I was up and out the door for 8 and then back at whatever time in the evening, I would watch some TV or read a book and then go to bed, and it was the same, Every. Single. Day. 

I’m 24 and I felt that my life wasn’t really heading in any direction. I felt stuck. I wanted to do all these things but somehow I couldn’t quite get there and I didn’t really know how to get there either. Especially since I’m at the age where my student days are long gone and real life is calling for me…

But after taking some time to really think about it, in all honesty it’s absolutely fine to feel like that. It’s okay to feel a little lost at 24. Or 30, or 40. It doesn’t matter what age you are you’re always going to feel a little lost at some point, and I think that it’s a pretty magical thing, that you can feel so lost and unsure of what the future holds but you eventually find your path, you get to rediscover yourself over and over again and become someone who is proud of who they are.

You might find that getting your dream job is a lot harder than you thought it was, or that your relationship has broken down and you have no idea which way to go next but the wonderful thing is you get to decide EXACTLY what it is you want to do. You decide which path you take next. Yes, you’ll feel lost and worthless and hurt, and it may seem like the world is against you and doing everything in it’s power to keep you from being happy, but it’s not. Every morning is a chance for you to wake up and make today the best day of your life, to go out and reach whatever goals you have set yourself. You don’t have to permanently feel lost, you just have to close that chapter in your life and move on to the next one, and the best thing is you get to write it.

Don’t be scared to try living out of your comfort zone, be brave and take chances. You don’t want 30 years to fly by and to regret all the chances you didn’t take. Have faith that things will work out and enjoy the journey. You might end up surprising yourself.

A few months ago I didn’t know how my life was going to pan out, and I still don’t. The mystery makes it that much more exciting, but I got off my backside and put working on my dreams into gear. I go travelling around Europe in 3 weeks and then I move to London with 3 wonderful friends to start a life down there and I couldn’t be happier, and for the first time in a long while I’m excited to see where the future takes me.

The best time for new beginnings, is now. 

 

80a0b69fe062690c16824c1d5eae7cae--wedding-signs-wedding-sayings-and-quotes