London: The beginning

So I seem to enjoy putting myself in lonely, difficult circumstances I have come to realise. Last year, I decided to up and move to Australia on a working holiday visa alone. Everybody around me at the time thought I was crazy, as I didn't know anyone there and didn't really have a clue what I'd be doing for the year. But off I went and although it was hard at first, its one of the best decisions I ever made.

 Now I have moved to London alone. And right now I'm in the 'hard at first' stage. When you look back on this stage later on, with rose tinted, heart shaped glasses you say to yourself 'it wasn't that bad at all!' or 'yeah, it was a little bit hard, but it didn't last long at all and the next thing I knew, I made a friend for life and we went bungee jumping with dolphins!' or whatever. Hindsight is a beautiful thing I guess. Your mind glosses over the bad parts and because you know what good parts come next, they don't feel so desperate or difficult anymore.

So now I'm in the 'hard part' and I'm not sure what's going to come next, all I have is a blank page ahead of me with no clue what twists and turns will come my way. And yes it is exciting but its also scary and lonely and I wonder what's going to happen. I felt like I wanted to document this stage for myself to look back on when I've got my pink, sparkly, heart shaped glasses back on. And also for anyone else who has taken a risk and is feeling lonely or scared and wondering if they have been a complete nincompoop and they should just run home with their tail in between their legs. Just keep at it. It WILL get better and one day, you won't really remember these hard parts. Or when you do, you will remember them fondly and realise that they have helped you to grow as a person. They will help you to appreciate the good times all the more when they do come. And if you are feeling that way then I am right there with you! Just keep on truckin'.

Here's a few pics of all the fun things I have been doing since I got to London. Always remember how amazing life is :)

Moving to a new city alone...

Recently I have been thinking, when you up roots and decide to start a new life, you have to be prepared to have no life for a little while. Okay... so that might be a slight exaggeration but it takes time to build things up and feel at home in your new surroundings. This isn't a bad thing and I think sometimes people panic that they haven't got everything sorted and an incredible new life within a couple of weeks. They might start to think that they have made a big mistake and feel a failure, I know that I have in the past. I have learnt that this is not true, you have to stick with it and not give up.

Below is a list of 6 thoughts and tips for when you have decided to take that leap:

1. Stay positive! This one is first on the list as I firmly believe that this is the most important thing you can do. So what if things aren't working out exactly as planned straight away? You should be proud of yourself for taking that huge step that not everyone would be brave enough to take. Be positive that things will work out for the best and keep trying your hardest, apply for those jobs, get out there and don't let little set backs get you down.

2. Have faith in yourself. Remember all the things that you have accomplished in the past, remember that at some point during those moments, you wondered if it would work out or if you had made a mistake. But you hadn't made a mistake and you did it! So you will do it again!

3. Be your own best friend. If you get a setback the last thing you should be doing is beating yourself up about it. Imagine how you would comfort a best friend, someone that you love dearly. You would do your best to make them feel better, tell them how amazing they are and that you know things will work out. Do this in the mirror next time. I promise you, although you may feel a little bit gaga crazy at first, soon the negative voice will start to fade away and the best friend in you will shine out.

4. Keep putting yourself out there. Be friendly, keep applying for jobs/ viewing house shares/ join classes anything that you feel you need to do. Don't put it off for another day. Just keep at it even when things feel hopeless. You will feel worse if you don't and those small little steps you take everyday will lead to something great.

5. Take good care of yourself. When you are alone and don't have your usual support network around to guide you, sometimes it can be easy to fall into a trap of not looking after yourself properly. Make sure that you eat well, don't let yourself get into dangerous situations and look out for yourself and others.

6. Get out and explore. Say yes to things that may be slightly out of your comfort zone. This is such an exciting time, a time to try new things, meet new people and have some incredible new experiences. Don't get bogged down in worrying about every little thing. Enjoy this new life and always remember that life is an adventure and things can change in an instant! And if things do go a bit pear shaped then at least you will have a funny story to tell!