Surviving Silver Duke Of Edinburgh

Last summer I went on a 5 day expedition to the Lake District

IT WAS AMAZING 

I know, I know, hours of walking, camping and carrying heavy bags does not sound amazing.

BUT honestly, it was.

It was an incredible experience, the relationships you build with people are so strong and the laughs you have are awesome. 

ALTHOUGH:

There are a few things that kept me going during D of E that I probably wouldn't have made it without...

SO!

Here are:

My Top 10 Tips to Survive D of E:

1. Don't take lots of clothes - I know it's gross to wear the same clothes 3 days in a row but, being a bit gross for three days is much better than having an even heavier bag than is necessary. Yes, the weather is unpredictable so knowing what to pack is near impossible but what ever you do- DON'T PACK LOTS. 

2. Get Compeed Blister Pads- they are a little bit more expensive but they are so much more effective. I felt a blister forming on day 2 and that blister pad lasted me a good two days (including showers). They are so worth using and save you a lot of pain! ALSO: Apply them as soon as you suspect you might be getting a blister, whatever you do, don't wait until you're in pain. 

Your group will be thankful you all stopped when you're not crying and collapsing two hours later! 

3. Take snacks- whether you're into healthy eating or not (I'm not) this is an exceptional circumstance where eating sweets all day is totally OK. I also took lots of cereal bars and brioches. I highly recommend Jelly Babies and Nutella sandwiches. As well as them being high in sugar and good for energy- they also provoke happiness and smiling. Dependant on the weather, Boost bars are also incredibly effective (and delicious). Just think- all the walking you're doing is working it off anyway!

4. Take at least 3 pairs of socks- if your feet get wet, you're finished. Keep your feet warm and dry and the walking won't be a problem. 

5. Take easy food to cook- it may be boring and bland but trust me, packet food such as Mug Shots, pasta and sauce, porridge in sachets. Mainly things that you only have to mix with hot water, prove to be the easiest and lightest foods to carry and make. When there's torrential rain and wind, you don't wanna be outside your tent for more than 10 minutes! Don't make cooking difficult for yourself.

6. Try and sleep as early as possible- if you've eaten, tidied and are tucked up by 7pm, SLEEP. Staying up late will not make the next day any easier. Getting refreshed makes the days easier to handle, emotionally and physically. 

7. Take each day as it comes- if the hike ahead of you seems daunting, don't worry about it. You have to do it whether you want to or not so you might as well just try and enjoy it. Make it a laugh, support each other and get through it. Just keep thinking of your delicious Nutella sandwiches you can have at the top of that mountain!

8. Don't rush- you set off at around 8/9am every morning, and you don't have to be done by 9/10 at night. The walks take around 5-6 hours if you are really pacing them so don't try and rush it. You have hours. Just take it slow, have a leisurely walk and enjoy being outside! Take regular breaks for food and drink and enjoy yourselves. It is what you make it. 

9. Try and keep your phone turned off until you're at the top of a mountain- don't waste battery listening to music or trying to text when there isn't any signal. There will occasionally be signal on high ground for a quick phone home but don't run your phone down- you might need it! 

10. ENJOY IT! You and your friends have 5 days to explore and make some amazing memories. Its easy to be sad about carrying your bag or being tired or missing home but you only have 5 days. Make the most of it. 

I made some memories I will never forget, with some amazing people. 

It's not easy, but its possible! 

Watch my D of E Experience : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3leT2KU4FME

Tell me some of your D of E experiences or feel free to ask any questions! 

'til next time...

Hannah xoxoxo 

A Level Pressure

HAPPY 2015!

Although with a new year comes a new exam period and a whole new level of stress, panic and hormones.

When it comes to being under pressure, I'm probably the worst person for coping.

Having found GCSEs incredibly stressful you can imagine how I'm finding A Levels. 

I think the worst thing about A Levels is that there is such a short period of time before your exams! I've only just started and we're almost ready to finish. 

The main reason behind my stress is that there is so much expected of us as students and not only with our school work. There is application after application of opportunities that we MUST take in order to live past the age of 19. 

It's a stressful time for everyone whether they show it or not, but the one thing that I'm forgetting that I really need to remember is:

Stop freaking out. 

Despite my inability to cope with pressure of exams and the ever looming shadow of university myself, I will now try my best to advise you on how to deal with it, and maybe even reassure myself in the process. 

Top 5 Tips On How To Deal With Pressure

1. Stay organised- this is one characteristic of myself that I will forever be thankful for. Despite my messy room and lack of ability to wear clothes that go, when it comes to school, I am (if I do say so myself) very organised. Keeping all of your work filed and neat has made revision so much easier. This is, I guess, an advantage of A Levels. You only have 9 months worth of work to organise, opposed to 3 years worth during GCSEs when you didn't care in Year 9 then to realise that the flashy light thing you learnt in physics was actually necessary. 

2. Concentrate on yourself- there will be people around you doing 100 hours of volunteering and sorting out their work experience 6 months in advance! People going to top universities for residential trips and practically reserving their space. There will be people getting As straight away regardless of the jump from GCSEs to A Levels. The most important thing you need to focus on is knowing what you want to achieve and making sure that you do everything you can to reach that goal. 

3. Keep on top of your work- no matter how tired and unmotivated you might feel, use every free moment that you have to make sure that all of your deadlines are going to be met. I have benefited hugely from doing my work as soon as it is set even if I have a 2 week deadline. Doing your work in free periods or as soon as you get in allows you so much more free time to relax (appreciate the relaxation) and then revise when it comes to it. ew. 

4. Know that you're not on your own- everyone else is feeling exactly the same at this point whether they show it or not they are. You have two years to work harder than you've ever worked before in order to set yourself up for your future. Everyone's in the same boat. Speak to each other, help each other out. I'm lucky enough to have a very close group of friends that all talk to each other and all support each other when we're down, don't think it's just you that is struggling because it's not.

5. SLEEP- being tired achieves nothing. Staying up all night working or worrying will put you in a terrible frame of mind for the next day. I find it easiest to stop working at around 8pm latest and make sure I relax and take my mind off work. Being exhausted makes everything more difficult to process. 

yet again I don't know if any of my rambling will be of any use to anyone!

also, it's OK to be worried and a little stressed out, but there isn't any need to panic! (should keep telling myself this stuff, daym)

'adios!

Hannah xox

Do What Makes You Happy

I don't want to sound cliché...but life is too short to live your life for other people.

I'm not going go all philosophical! But I do think it is important to look after yourself.

As a teenager I am far too easily influenced by my friends and other people around me, which isn't always necessarily a good thing.

But recently, I've started to stop caring what other people think and do what makes ME happy.

It has been a successful venture I give you that!

Top 5 Tips On: Looking After You 

1. The quicker you stop caring what people think, the easier it'll be to do what you want. It's good to have a good reputation for yourself and to be pleasant to people, but the moment people's opinions stand in the way of what you want to be/do...STOP. You don' need tha' kind of negativity gurl!

2. Take time out of whatever you're doing to allow yourself to do what you love. I taught myself to sing and play the piano, it took a lot of practice and perseverance, but despite people's comments I carried on. I always take time to learn a new song, especially at Christmas! Just adds some extra happiness to my day!

3. Don't be influenced by the media to force you into the shell of a 'perfect' person. There's no such thing. Don't be afraid of being unique, being different will get you further than just being another copy. All you hear is about how you should diet and work out and wear the highest end make up, which is a lifestyle choice not a guide. Everyone is different. As long as you're happy being who you are, that's all that matters. 

4. I know I say this a lot in my posts but, BALANCE SCHOOL AND YOUR OWN TIME. School is important I'm not saying it's not. But believe it or not, it's possible to do well and still have a social life and time for yourself. Too much work will get you down and having a negative mind won't allow you to work to your full potential. If you're having an unmotivated day, take some time out and relax, your motivation will come back! 

5. Life doesn't have a title. Your life is exactly what you make it, no one else, you. Give your life it's own title! Life is too short to hold yourself back, do everything you've ever dreamed of and do it NOW. 

Sorry for the preach, but I honestly think people let themselves get down when it'd be so easy to be happy! 

This is my opinion, 

Comment what you do to make yourself happy on a bad day!

'til next time

Hann xox