“If You Care About What You Do And Work Hard At It, There Isn’t Anything You Can’t Do If You Want

i was working an open day today, and a student helper went around all the stands and collected any trash anyone manning the stands had. she got to me, asked if i had any trash and i was like “not other than myself lol” and she was just like “you are the fourth person to make that joke in the last ten minutes, how is this the defining feature of our generation??” and if that’s not the real question idk what is

“You tell me i am not like most girls and learn to kiss me with your eyes closed something about the phrase—something about how i have to be unlike the women i call sisters in order to be wanted makes me want to spit your tongue out like i am supposed to be proud you picked me as if i should be relieved you think i am better than them”

Just a regular afternoon coffee with some reading. The upcoming weeks will be busy, so for now I just try to read and calmly think as much as I can

School is officially back in full swing for most of us, and with it comes lots of deadlines, pressure, and competition. So I thought I’d make a list of simple techniques, websites, and diys to help you relax and enjoy some “me time” in the midst of all of the stress!

write a letter to someone. you don’t have to send it.

listen to your favorite songs

live puppy cam//live kitten cam

make a list of everything that’s stressing you out and the action steps you can take to handle them

knit/crochet

let your thoughts float away

read some soothing suggestions

go for a walk

make a face mask

make a hair mask

meditate

take a long shower

do some yoga

do a seven-minute workout

watch paint-mixing videos

open a window and let some fresh air in

have a cup of tea

indulge in a snack

take a hot bath

listen to the rain

read a good book

practice aromatherapy

journal

vent anonymously

play with a stress ball (a real one or a virtual one)

talk to a stranger

play a game of cards

watch a movie

analyze your stress

skip rocks

cry, scream, punch your pillow. you’ll feel better.

call or text your friends

take control of your time

defeat perfectionism

create a virtual zen garden

take a nap

color in some mandalas

collect some virtual cats {iOS//Android}

paint your nails

practice guided imagery

make a music playlist that conveys how you feel

do a breathing exercise

create a nebula

look through photos of your favorite people/memories

make a glitter jar

find one good thing that happened today

find some quiet

play with your pet

receive some hugs

light a scented candle

practice progressive muscle relaxation

do an Epsom salt foot soak

turn the lights off, lay down, and daydream

laugh!!

take care of your plants

organize your school supplies

clean your room/closet

make a compress for stiff muscles

hang out at the pool

repeat positive affirmations

fold some lucky stars

give yourself a scalp massage

create sand art

list 50 things that make you happy

make stress your friend

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feedback, or post requests, feel free to drop me an ask.

+Click here for the rest of my original reference posts!

—Sophia :)

how to: stay focused // personal advice

I’ve got a lot of asks questioning me about what I do to stay focused, so here it is. 

I don’t force anything. I put a song and start to read / write down as if I wasn’t even studying. If I keep saying to myself that I “MUST FOCUS” or “HAVE TO STOP PROCRASTINATING AND FOLLOW THIS SCHEDULE MINUTE BY MINUTE”, that does not flow. It has to be a natural thing.

I do not impose limits. Personally, this business of “study such thing for this long and then look at the phone for five minutes and come back” does not work at all for me. Sometimes I’m the middle of the resume, stop, check my phone, and then come back. Sometimes limits can be an obstacle. How many times were you in the middle of studying and started thinking about your notifications? Do a favor for yourself, check it quickly and then come back. (Of course, you know yourself better than I do. You know you’re going to procrastinate and get even more distracted? Then don’t check.)

INTEREST. Man, if you’re studying as an obligation you already fucked up. It‘s important to create an interest for learning, not only a “must remember everything for the test!!!” because, guess what? You’re gonna forget the very next day. Just think of the happiness you will feel when you finally realize that you know the subject?

Yes, you CAN learn it. One of the most common situations I find myself in is “giving up” on a subject because I thought “oh my god I will not learn it !!” If you stop trying, then you won’t. Research, watch video class, read the school book, whatever. Just don’t stop.

Different methods. Can’t concentrate on reading now? Write. Can‘t write? Research. Not feeling like searching? Watch a video class. No? Read the material and then listen to it. As I said, just don’t stop.

Tried it all and still can’t focus? Newsflash, you have a human body that needs to be taken care of. REST, EAT and GET HYDRATED. Did it? Now try again. 

These moments.

There comes a time in your life when you have to make a decision. Choose one path to walk on, as they say. Well let me tell you, these are the hardest moments. Not only do you have to think about what you want but what others want you to want. People will tell you loads of things. What is cool & uncool. What is beautiful and ugly. What is right and wrong. But you have to block out all that noise. You have to try & find that quiet place, where you can take your decisions yourself. Where you can think about who means well. Take a deep breath & find that quiet place. Think carefully. Because this decision, is going to change your universe.

hi, here’s a messy desk featuring my cat who suddenly came up on it, made himself comfortable and decided to sleep there on the page i need without a care in the world. see why i love him? 

How to write a bomb ass personal statement

I’ve had a few asks about how to write - as one of you put it - a bomb ass personal statement. I’m a bit reluctant to write this, seeing as I haven’t actually got an interview/offer yet! But I guess it might be helpful to those of you applying around now :)

HOW TO START

Bullet point what you want to include - I suggest listing out what you want to include. It’s a good idea to do this at the beginning, to make sure you don’t leave anything out; and it can help form the basic structure of your statement.

Do not start at the start - this is one of the most important things I learnt when writing mine. It is so hard to write that first sentence - so just leave it until the end, and begin writing with the actual content, something you’re more comfortable writing about.

When you do get down to writing that first sentence - do not start with a cheesy quote or the typical “I have always bee passionate about…” as these are things that can immediately put off an admissions tutor. Try and be original, or just simple: “I want to study X because…”

THE CONTENT

Just keep writing - don’t worry about the 4,000 character and 47 line limits. Literally just write, and keep going, even if you think what you’re writing is bad - just get all your ideas out there, and put down everything you would want to include. It’s so much easier to take things out rather than adding things in. My personal statement was around 8,000 characters at one point!`

Get the balance right - different unis want different things from personal statements, so check their websites to make sure you’re getting in what they want. You need to get the balance of intellectual curiosity/passion for the subject with your personal qualities and extra-curriculars. 

Back up everything with evidence - don’t just say you are great at working in a team, give examples that demonstrate that you have worked well in successful teams in the past.What to include?

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Why you want to study that particular course

Why you are the right person to study the course

Extra things you have done to show commitment or interest about the course - volunteering, subscriptions to journals, further reading etc.

Any relevant work experience

Any relevant awards you’ve won (e.g. maths challenge or physics olympiad) or responsibilities within the school (e.g. prefect or house captain)

Demonstrate desirable skills for your course - problem solving, teamwork, leadership etc.

WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE

Cliches - like “Ever since I was born I have wanted to study…”

Quotes - this is a personal statement, so don’t start quoting other people! Plus way too many people do this to make it original.

Jokes - it may be that the person reading your statement has a very different sense of humour than you do.

Really long sentences - you want your personal statement to be as easy as possible to read, and long confusing sentences won’t help that.

Repetition - it’s such a short document, you don’t have space for this. Plus it gets boring!

Names of unis - the unis you apply to have no idea where else you have applied, so don’t name any of them in your statement.

THE ENDING

Do not end on a cheesy quote or joke. Just sum up why you’d be a great candidate and reinforce what you have told them throughout the main body of the statement - that you’re fabulous!

Once you have finished a draft you can start trying to cut down on the word count. Maybe ask a teacher to look at your spelling/grammar, and you can always get your friends’ opinions too, on what should come out, and what should be kept in. Make sure you don’t let other people have too much influence - it has to be a personal statement!

#favbookever

Working hard at my paper. This is how my weekend went. #studygram #studyblr #studymotivation #college https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqmqg0aFXEf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n2938k3n5tkf