Dealing with mean girls

Hi,
It is a simple fact- at some point everyone is going to have someone be mean to them, no matter who they are and sometimes for no apparent reason. Today I am going to share a few researched tips on ways to deal with people who are being horrible to you, or you are in an argument with.

Everyone, at some point, will experience being the 'mean girl' and being the victim. Being the victim is no fun, and we have all been there. It is hard, and horrible and sometimes it feels like there is nothing you can do. Try these few things next time you are the victim, and see if it makes a difference.

1. Don't assume someone is horrible
It is important to remember that just because someone is being nasty one day doesn't mean they are a horrible person- you have no idea what is going on in their life. This is no excuse for being mean, but you still need to understand that there is almost always a reason behind this- it may just have nothing to do with you. Remembering this when you are being targeted is hard, but will almost certainly help you understand why this is happening. For more information, make sure you look at some websites, such as this one, about reasons behind bullying and nastiness.

2.Tell and adult.
You don't have dob the person in, but make sure that an adult knows that something is going on. They can then support you, and it will be much easier to explain when something that needs their attention happens. A lot of people think they can deal with it on their own, but having someone else (preferably an adult) know what is going on can be invaluable.

3. Don't spread it.
One of the worse things you can do, and one of the ways to most upset the 'mean' girl, is telling everyone about the issue- and getting more people involved. It is best to just leave the issue, and only tell one close friend if you absolutely have to.

4.Don't be mean back.
Don't give them anything they can use against you. If they say something, don't retaliate, and don't send messages when you are angry. And perhaps most importantly, don't give them back what they are giving to you.

5.Try and avoid talking/messaging on social media
Texting or sending messages is not the best way to deal with any situation. Try and avoid confronting or talking to someone who is being mean to you any way that isn't face to face, especially because messages can be taken the wrong way or used against you.

6.Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a form of emotional/mental abuse that involves manipulation of events, conversations and actions to make the victim believe they did something that they didn't do, or that they are actually the one in the wrong. Make sure you are aware of how to recognise gaslighting, and how to respond to it. It is really important to stop yourself from believing this stuff, because it can be really damaging and affect you dramatically.

Hopefully you'll remember these tips when you are next in one of these situations. If you need some more information this and this website may be useful.

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Relaxation

Hi,

I've been going through a lot of stress and pressure lately, especially with the end of assessment time at school and all the things that have been going on. I know that it is really important to relax and take some time out, especially when things are super busy and today I am going to share some ways to relax.

Why should you relax?

Stress is often seen as such an ugly word, and a horrible thing. Whilst this is not always the case it is important to take some time out, give your mind a break and relax. Relaxation does (according to this site) have some important health benefits including reduce your risk of some disease, improving your mood, reducing risk of depression and assist with decision making. It is actually a necessary part of your lifestyle. Believe it or not!

How do I relax?

Relaxing doesn't always mean sitting on the beach looking out to the horizon and day-dreaming. Although I wish it were true that is very rarely the case for many people. There are heaps of different ways to relax, google ways to relax and thousands of ways appear, today I am going to share a few of them with you. (I used this website)

Journal
Journalling (or maybe bullet journalling?) gives your creative side a chance to have a go, and that is really important. It gives you a chance to unwind and let all of your problems go. Try grabbing a notebook and a pen and give journalling a go, I'd love to hear if it works.

List the good things
Make a list of some of the things you are grateful for, or that you did that you are proud of. I've never tried it but apparently this is a great way to let go and be happy.

Be in nature.
Going outside and sitting in the garden, or (if you are lucky enough) onto the beach can be a great way to re-evaluate the situation and remember what is important.

Do some colouring in.
This is one of my favourite ways to relax, and there are so many 'adult' colouring books out there you have so much to choose from. Spending anywhere between 10 minutes and hours colouring really helps me to de-stress and relax. Particularly if I am having trouble sleeping.

Do something you love
If you get nothing else out of this list, I hope you take away that finding and doing something you love is the best way to relax, there is no magic solution- you have to find what works for you.

Hopefully you can get something out of this post and feel better by giving yourself time to relax. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Have a great weekend.

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Having an Creative Outlet

Hello,
Did you enjoy my bullet journal post? I loved writing it! Writing blog posts gives me a chance to have a break from school, and all the other things I have to do, it lets me be myself and have a chance to share my ideas. Today I wanted to share some thoughts about having a creative outlet, such as this one, and what it does for me...enjoy!

Before you go 'oh, I'm not creative', consider this: creativity doesn't have to be painting drawing (which is lucky for me, I cannot do either), it, by definition, is use of imagination or original ideas to create something. Creativity simply means using your imagination to create something. And that something can be anything...from a photo, to a story, or even a blog. Don't tell yourself creative outlets are never going to work for you because you aren't creative. Everyone has an imagination- it's the thing that keeps you up at night worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow, and the thing stopping you from climbing a tree- because you are imagining falling. Don't let your imagination be wasted- use it for good!

Our world has become so obsessed with doing everything 'right' that we are losing our creativity. At school, I am constantly told exactly how to do something- and that there is no alternative. We almost never do something just to 'get it out', everything is about meeting deadlines, being good and getting it done well, quickly. Having some way to keep a hold of your creativity is really important, and it can make a whole lot of difference in later life. Expressing yourself and taking some time to do what you want is vital to staying mentally-healthy.

For me, having a creative outlet is really important, everything is always so serious and fact-based that I need some time to just do whatever I want and not let it be right or wrong. A creative outlet allows me to be free to express myself, without worrying about how it will affect me later. Even art classes at school cannot really be counted as a creative outlet because there is a lot of pressure to do something, and that can take the fun away from it.

One of the ways I use my creativity is through blogging. Whilst blogging is not necessarily entirely creative- it does give me the freedom to say whatever I want, without having to worry about what other people will think. It lets me get my opinions heard, when they may not be heard otherwise...

I find that blogging, and the other creative things I do, helps me de-stress and re-focus. When I have a huge day with lots of studying and/or homework, taking a small break to blog, take a few photos or just write helps me concentrate and be much more focused on what I need to do. Having a break to do something I love, and use some of the other parts of my brain really is one of the most effective ways for me to get a lot done.

Hopefully, from reading that, you understand why I believe a creative outlet is important. I assume, that you are now considering taking up some form of creative outlet yourself (if you don't already have one). Remember, when you are choosing \what you want to use to express yourself make sure it is

• Fun and enjoyable- having something that just stresses you out is not going to achieve anything.
• Not too time-consuming- make sure that you can fit whatever you choose into your schedule i.e. don't take up blogging if you will never be able to find the time to post.
• Not based on what other people think- it's their loss if they don't like something you do, and choosing something just because that's what everyone else is doing is not a great way to find a way to express yourself. Different things work for different people.
• Not full of pressure- doing something creative with pressure to do well, or succeed is sometimes great. But never forget that it is important to have some no-pressure time to just express yourself too.

I'd love to know what you do to express yourself, maybe I can find a new creative outlet, let me your thoughts in the comments below. Don't forget to take some me time once in a while.

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5 tips to help you manage peak-assessment time.

Hey,
It's just past the middle of term 3 for me and that means that all the assessment is piling up, there are so many dates to remember, things to write and bibliographies to write. Sometimes it all feels a bit too much and like you will never be able to get over the workload but using the tips and websites below will hopefully help make things a bit easier for you, and help you achieve your best. (I know they all help me a lot).

1.Make an assessment calendar! This is a super simple and easy way to know what is coming up. Assessment planners are pretty much a calendar of the term or semester in which you write all your due dates, tests, exams and distribution dates. To make one simply create a table with a row for each week of school you have (plus one extra) and 6 columns. The way I organise mine is to have the weeks down the right hand side, and the days of the week across the top. (That wasn't a very clear explanation so I've added an image below). You then add the dates (like a calendar) and fill in the assessment.

2.Use a diary/planner. A diary or planner gives you a chance to record all the things you have to do for each day, the classes you have and assessment that could be given out or due.

3.Start as soon as you get the task and work on it steadily. You've probably heard this a million times before but starting the assessment as soon as you get it makes a world of difference the night before it is due (you get that amount of time to do it for a reason). But make sure you do a little bit most days (or starting early will be pointless)

4.Break the task into mini-tasks. I find this a great way to make the task a bit more approachable. The day I get the task I usually spend about half an hour working out 'mini-tasks' and creating ',mini-due-dates' for the tasks. This helps me see how far along I am and how much I have left. It also helps you to not panic about how much you have left to do.

5.Use some of these websites. I use all these websites for pretty much all my assignments and they make things so much easier. Hopefully they will help you too.

Wunderlist- wunderlist is super useful for point four, it lets you create folders for different assignments and break the assignment into chunks. You can create due dates for each chunk and even break your afternoon up into sections (more about wunderlist coming up next week)

Cite this for me- I'm sure you've all heard of cite this for me but it is soooooo useful I couldn't leave it out of this list. Basically it creates a bibliography for you, all you have to do is copy and paste the website url.

Instagrok- Instagrok is like a search engine mind map. You type in a key word and it brings up heaps of relevant information in a mind map format.

Grammarly- grammarly isn't quite as helpful as I'd hoped but it still works pretty well and can really help push your grades up.

Hopefully these websites and tips will help you as much as they help me. Don't forget to let me know in the comments if you have any other tips or websites that might be useful.

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5 ways to find a new book

Hey,
It's Poppy once again.
Finding a new book is always a struggle for me. There is so much to choose from and I never know where to start or what I even want to read. Today I've put together a list of 5 ways you can find your next favourite book.

1.Look at books similar to the one you've just finished, or recommended books for next. -on the Kindle it automatically recommends similar books when you finish one that you have just read, I find that there is usually a good book or two in this list. If you don't have a kindle you can look up similar books on the internet.

2.Look at more books by that author- assuming you liked that book this is a great way to find another different yet similar book. Simply searching an authors name will bring up books that they have written. And if the author hasn't written any other books keep checking to see if they publish a new one.

3.Ask your friends- ask your friends or some people who have similar interests to you what they have been reading and if they are liking it. This is a great way to find a new book.

4.Ask an adult- ask your parents what they read when they were your age, or go to the book store and ask one of the staff members for a recommendation.

5.Read blogs/goodreads- blogs (like this one) often have lists of books to read, or book reviews and goodreads has heaps and heaps of different book suggestions and reviews.

Hopefully this list will give you an idea of where to start next time you finish a book. You can see all the posts we have written about books here. Let me know how you find a new book in the comments below.

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Doing the harder thing

Hi there, It's Poppy again.

Today I came across this video on YouTube. !Click the link if the video below doesn't work! I thought that it was a really good video and had a great message- so I wanted to share it with you. Go ahead and watch it then read the rest of the post and feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments.

At the beginning of the video Hank talks about having to get up and go for a walk early in the morning. Although it is unpleasant to get up early and he doesn't feel happy right then he feels better in the future. I think that this is a really good point- while it might be hard to do something it will be worth it in the long run. It is an important thing to remember and I know that I could certainly do better at it.

Let me know in the comments what you think of this video and if you would like to see more of this kind of post.

QOTD: What did you do today?

AOTD: Went to school

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