SPRING DAYS

SPRING DAYS!

Firstly, I wanted to apologise for the lack of activity on my blog over the past month. From starting a new job, to struggling with the up-coming end of my University module, I have had little to no time to blog! I've hated being so busy when the weather has been gorgeous! There is nothing I would rather do than read a good novel in the sun, with the view of our blossom tree blooming in the garden. Yet, as I have an end-of-module assignment due in little over 3 weeks, any moment where I can catch the sun is welcomed. I just hope this beautiful weather is giving us a snapshot of what we should expect from summer this year.

With the start of spring well and truly here, I felt it was important to take onboard the motto "Out with the old. In with the new" in all aspects of my life. Firstly, I did this by succeeding in getting a new job!

Having applied for an interview at the beginning of the year, I never thought my anxiety would have allowed me to complete a 4 hour training session and actually go through with beginning a new job - a scary experience for anybody, even without the added stress of anxiety. But once again, with the support from family and friends, I proved to myself that I can conquer anything I put my mind to. It hasn't been easy and I have spent several mornings physically being sick before heading out the house for work, but I finally feel comfortable in my amazing work place with my brilliant colleagues who are all so supportive. I still have moments in my new job where my anxiety takes over and I wonder why I pushed myself, causing so much extra stress. However, I know the benefits of going to work and pushing myself far outweigh the stressful moments. As each day I push myself, I know I am beating my anxiety and getting stronger overall in my mental state. I have managed to achieve something I never thought possible, even 6 months ago - working and feeling like an "ordinary" 19-year old. I feel with the start of spring, I am finally on my road to becoming more settled in my mental health, with more good days than bad days, after 6 years of struggling with crippling anxiety and panic attacks. Who wouldn't feel more settled when your work place looks like this?!!?!?

 With Spring and "new beginnings" came the chance to start afresh and begin spending more time with my family, something that I didn't feel well enough to do before. I love my weekly lunch dates and coffee mornings with my Mum, a chance when the two of us can sit down and enjoy each others company without the stresses of every-day life ruining communication between us. Over the past 6 years, she has been my absolute rock, and continues to take everything I throw at her on my worst days. I wouldn't have got to the position I am in at the moment, being able to enjoy lunch dates and quality time, without her continuing support. Now, I look forward every week to our coffee sessions!

After watching a poignant video by Carli Bybel on clothes recycling and the importance of helping our planet, I felt inspired and influenced by the meaning of spring, to de-clutter my bedroom cupboards, wardrobes and dresser...to make space for the new of course!! Anybody who hasn't watched the video I'm commenting on, please find the link here. It really put me into the spirit of rummaging through my wardrobe and removing the clothes that perhaps don't fit, that I haven't worn in forever, or I just didn't really like in the first place when I purchased. I also felt having a de-cluttering session really helped clear my mind and not just wardrobe space. I used it as the chance to re-organised my room and make my space more me-friendly in order to create a perfect study-come-relaxing room which I love being in, whilst doing some good for the planet and recycling my unwanted items.

My overall message in this post is to think about what things in your life you wish to change and instead of whinging about it, MAKE the changes and improve your lives.

Love,

Hannah x

Pond Photography

Pond Photography

It's been a gorgeous day today, so I decided to take my Nikon out with me and record my day. Enjoy!

Love, Hannah

Breaking the Stereotype

Breaking the Stereotype

Being a student with The Open University entails masses of work behind the scenes which people tend not to realise, and although I had thoroughly investigated this beforehand, it definitely took me by complete surprise.

I have had conversations with several people regarding my decision to become a member of The Open University, especially when I first came upon the decision during the end of my Sixth Form life. Many of my friends were planning on attending “brick” universities – I was over the moon for them, but this just wasn’t the pathway I wanted for my life and my career. As a matter of fact, I didn’t actually know what I wanted until I began my studies in October 2015. Some may say at nearly 19 years of age, this is rather late in your academic life to begin thinking about possible career paths, and it wasn’t as though I hadn’t thought about them, in comparison to, I hadn’t decided on which path was most suited to me.

It blew me away, the amount of people who made comments such as, “Do you get a real degree?” “But this is only a practice run for Uni, isn’t it?” “Surely that is so much easier than a ‘normal’ university?” Before I begin to answer these questions, I think it’s important to define what a ‘normal’ university actually is. Trust me, you will get many responses to this. You can use the Dictionaries definition of a University:

 “an institution of higher learning providing facilities for teaching and research and authorized to grant academic degrees; specifically :  one made up of an undergraduate division which confers bachelor's degrees and a graduate division which comprises a graduate school and professional schools each of which may confer master's degrees and doctorates”

But, in simpler terms, here is how I would define a university;

•   Enables you to gain a degree through study and research
• Enriches your knowledge and understanding
• Broadens your capabilities 
•   Something that makes you more aware of the society around you
•    A place to carve friendships and develop social skills 
•     A place of diversity, which is challenging and rewarding

Honestly, I can’t imagine a university, better equipped than The Open University to fulfil my definitions. If this is the case however, then why do I (and many other OU students), still get plagued with the same questions regarding its authenticity as a place of higher education?

The answer is simple: STEROTYPES.

Before I had established an opinion or an understanding of what The Open University entails, I sat on this high-horse of judgement, creating a personal stereotype about how this type of distance-learning works. It’s bound to be easier right? WRONG. Now-a-days, I think it’s wrong to assume that the only way to carve a successful career for yourself is in the shape of these “brick” universities who have specialised tutors, guidance in the form of lectures and end-of-year examinations. Not forgetting the prestigious status of being a member of “The University of….”. Suffering with anxiety, I did look into attending a ‘normal’ university before coming to the realisation that it just wasn’t for me – attending lectures for hours at a time, each and every day, was not something I could have managed at that time in my life. If I’m brutally honest, YES, I did believe The Open University would be the ‘easy option’ of achieving a degree – something which I soon realised would not be the case.

I am enrolled on 2 modules currently - each module lasts about 6 months (AA100 & A105 will make up YEAR 1). Combining both these modules, I have a total of 10 books, all with corresponding Audio CD/DVD’s. This breaks down into 41 chapters of reading, with an additional 7 set books. All this work, including 14 assignments and 1 exam, in less than 12 months.

Not to mention the fact it is completely independent, with little help from your assigned tutor unless you request it.

An Open University student, compared to a “brick” university student, has the struggle of teaching themselves the entire module. We have the challenge of having little direct tutor contact, unless we decide to email or call for help. This means as a student, we have to unravel any mis-understandings ourselves, or through a forum pathway. We have tutorials at our local university campuses about once a month (some modules may have only 3 a year) where we are taught specific pieces of module material to aid our knowledge. On the other hand, a “brick” university have constant teaching lectures to help with their studies.

It’s a challenging process, but one that I am very glad I have taken. The main point of this blog post, is as the title suggests – a chance to break the stereotypes that seem to be connected to the OU. I have met some of the most hard-working, diligent and conscientious people through my studies, who have come across challenges and pushed through them. Yet we are still classed as the lazy university. Trust me, we are anything but.  

Love, Hannah

January Tumblr Favourites!

JANUARY FAVOURITES

I adore Tumblr. Simple as that. I spend hours per day re-blogging and commenting on posts, which creative people have beautiful taken to inspire all of us. This has obviously amounted to masses of posts per month, and I wanted to share the few I felt most inspiring and beautiful through January. So, here are my January favourites. I hope you find them as beautiful as I do.

This quote really stood out to me as it has many meaning behind it, unseen from the outset. Some people think money is the only thing that can cause happiness and make them rich. However, being rich isn't about how much money someone has. Being rich to me, is having my friends and family there whenever I need them. It's having their support, love and sense of pride about myself and what I'm achieving. That's what being rich is. Not what you have physically. But what you have emotionally.

I don't think there is anything to be said about this photography. I love the vibrant pink colours, the white of the box as a background. I find this photo so pretty and delicious!

I found this photograph incredibly strange but amazing. It shows nature, and the true beauty of what it offers us. And that's something that cannot be ignored.

This photography I found gorgeous. It sums up everything I would like my work desk to be - beautiful, creative, inspiring. The little sketches show a creative mind at work, drawing and pencilling their thoughts as they arrive, pinning them up to remind themselves of that day, that time, and that thought.

 

I loved this photograph as I found it seriously pretty, and traditional. I adore girly tops like this which are super feminine and lacy. Combined with the cute little necklace, this is the ultimate feminine look.

I love mini sketches such as these, and I wish I had the artistic ability to manage these myself. Instead, I blog them 24/7 and brainwash myself with pretty images!

There is nothing more beautiful and simple than letters. I feel many of us lead lives that are too busy, too technically involved. We all need to step back every so often and reflect. I think letters are the perfect way to do this. Whether you write a letter to yourself in a journal to remember a certain event or emotional, or whether its a letter to somebody special, I think the process of writing and reading letters should never be taken for granted.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love golden, brown, metallic colours such as this. I love the shin and vibrancy of this eye shadow!

I think this tea set is just so beautiful. As simple as that.

What's in My Bag?

What's in My Bag?

My handbag is full of knickknacks from my everyday life, and the content of my bag definitely shows a lot about myself.  This blog post was a chance to throw away all the crumpled receipts, count my change and of course, filter through the content of my bag:

This is my current bag of choice for my everyday adventures! It was from Primark and I absolutely adore it. It's very sturdy, holding its shape well, whilst being large enough with enough pockets to hold all my everyday essentials!

I never leave the house without my daily planner, it holds my life together in one neat pink package! Its a week-to-week view style which I prefer, as I can see my weeks laid out simply. It is a re-fillable style also, making it easy to replenish the planner when it runs out.

I always keep a notebook and pen in my handbag for organisation. As I am a University student, its important for me to be able to do my work wherever I am and a pocket size notebook is perfect for jotting down ideas, and planning my next study steps on the go!

I bought these Study Skills booklets to aid my University degree. I love the fact they are pocket sized and can easily fit inside my handbag to ensure I can study on the go!

I always have a small deodorant in my handbag to freshen up during the day, if my perfume has dulled. Also, I adore the Fat Face body lotion to ensure a moisturised face and hands at all times whilst busy and out of the house. The same applies for the Nivea lip balm which I love due to the lack of taste, application and the goodness it does to nourish my lips on cold days!

Another thing I tend to keep with my in my handbag, is a small roll on perfume if my perfume has dulled throughout the day. I also always keep a 4 Head roll on stick on hand for headaches, as I like to avoid taking tablets whenever I can. Another thing I always take with me is plasters, as I have very sensitive feet when it comes to shoes!! Plasters are always advisable just in case!

Having a puppy, my jean pockets, coat pockets and of course, hand bag, becomes littered with poo bags! Luckily these are fragranced so smell nice enough to leave in my bag!

I don't leave the house without my Beats Ear Bud Headphones. They are fantastic! The sound quality is incredible and they really do dull out all outside static noise which is just what is needed when on public transport, or you need to block the world out! With my love for photography, I always keep a spare memory card with me also in case I use mine up which usually occurs. I never want to be caught short!

In this winter weather at the moment, when its absolutely freezing, I can't leave the house without my plain black, touch screen gloves. They are fabulous for keeping the cold out, and I don't need to take them off when sending a quick text or email!

Keys, keys, keys! I think these are a given.

Another essential but I adore my Kate Hill purse. This was bought for me on a birthday, and being my favourite colour I fell in love with it! Its the perfect fit for all my cards, receipts and coins, with many compartments, whilst being small enough to fit in my bag without taking up too much space.