Frantic

Frantic

Source: Pinterest

To be frantic is almost to be ironic in my mind. In highly stressful situations, becoming frantic is a natural response but one that it extremely counter-productive due to the level of clarity it throws out of the window.

Clarity is key.

I missed my connecting train yesterday and thought I was going to be stranded in a station all night. I instantly went into a frantic state of mind, then managed to realise that if I asked one of the station staff I would probably find an alternative route and that I did.

I shan’t bore everybody with how clarity is important, we all know this!

The best we can hope to do in most situations is breathe and think, in that order.

Radiant

Radiant

You folks wanted a post regarding radiance? Look right there, that beautiful glow, the little butterflies above my head, the wonder as I think “why did I think this would be amusing?”. I think the only person to be amused by this is myself, and that’s just grand.

To me, radiance is just as much a state of mine as it is a physical glowing or emanation of light. It’s obviously an incredibly positive feeling, with pregnant women often described as looking radiant or glowing. The body certainly goes through some changes when a woman is pregnant, but it’s the knowing that a child will soon be born and the happiness this makes people feel that really allows that glow to emanate!

I’m often curious as to how someone can achieve this glow. I understand that Snapchat can help with this issue as it has done with me. I feel however, like there is a more long-term solution to this.

If individuals were able to glow and be radiant based upon what good fortune they deserved, they the world would certainly be a much brighter place – if people could see the impact their efforts were having in a physical sense, perhaps more people would try and do a little more for the world.

Betrayed

Betrayed

Source: Quote Ambition

Until I started thinking about betrayal, the quote never really occurred to me. Betrayal is horrifying due to the fact that it has to come from people we care about by definition. What a scary concept!

I’m pretty fortunate in the sense that I haven’t been betrayed – as far as I know – but this could be due to the fact that I could count my friends on one hand after having 3 fingers removed.

Betrayal does have an obvious positive connotation in the sense that it has to be assumed that the emotions experienced by both people were genuine, at some point. It wouldn’t be fair to state that all people face betrayal in the same way and because of the same reasons, so we shan’t go down that road!

It could be argued that I have yet to face betrayal as a result of protecting myself from it, with my lack of friends and pretty small family. Who’s to say? All I know is that I am one of the lucky ones. I have seen what being betrayed does to people and it is a horrendous emotion to witness unfolding.

I have to admit, I did feel a little betrayed when my mother consumed all of my chocolates that I had bought for myself – though I wouldn’t attempt to suggest that is the worst betrayal one can face. Albeit close.

People are capable of sucking, and life is capable of sucking as a result of people sucking. I think we’re all going to have to face a bit of betrayal at some point, here’s hoping that you’re in the best place possible to handle it.

Micro

Micro

Source: Quora

When going about our lives, it’s easy to constantly focus on everything on a large scale. We focus on the interactions that are meaningful to us and we don’t often think about the micro interactions that are going on around us.

Wouldn’t it make a pleasant change?

When I was in the cafe last week, I found it really relaxing to just people watch and let my mind have a little wander in a different direction for a change. What’s that person doing? Do they study? What do they do when they get home?

Of course I don’t just fixate on a particular person or thing, I just go wherever the mood takes me. From a personal viewpoint, focusing on micro interactions helps me focus a little less on my own mood should I be in a bad one. This isn’t to say it’s an escape that will always help you run away from your issues, just a brief relief from whatever may be eating you up a little.

The past week or so has been quite difficult for me for a number of reasons – relationship issues, university pressure, employment pressure, the typical things that are able to wear a person down should they all choose to hit at once. Taking the time to focus on the small things, the individuals you may never interact with and the sights you normally don’t see, is a great relief and helps to show that there is more going on that what you’re feeling at that moment in time.

Foreign

Foreign

Source: Sara T, MD

In the past couple of years, Britain has seen what are (in my opinion) dark times regarding those who we would call ‘foreign’.

Personally, I can’t imagine how we can expect to have a more understanding world if we’re determined to keep building these monstrous walls and erecting barriers to shut the outside world off from us. Globalisation is an incredible thing and we’d undoubtedly not have any of the technology or culture we currently have without opening our minds and arms to it.

It would be easy to turn this into a mega-rant regarding the state of the world, but we’re all probably aware of this and have been for some time.

Quite simply, I will always have a large amount of time dedicated to understanding others that we would call ‘foreigner’ and in my experience they have much more to contribute to society in terms of both resources and culture than the majority of citizens who are from this country.

I can’t fathom living in a country that would be so stubborn as to blame a foreigner for their own shortcomings, purely because it feels as though it’s the easiest thing to do.

Talisman

Talisman

Source: Prostate Cancer UK

I’ve never believed that a particular object can bring you luck beyond its function, but I have recently started to believe that there are certain objects that may make you feel more lucky and as a consequence bring on more favourable outcomes.

For me, this object is my Prostate Cancer UK badge. Whenever I have an event to go to, job interview, presentation, any smart event, this little guy will sit on the left side of my chest watching the world go by. The badge itself is to help raise awareness of prostate cancer, a charity focused upon the the discovery and treatment and prostate cancer.

I bought this little badge as a spontaneous charitable act, and thought it’d be nice to wear. I didn’t think much of it initially. It then however became a talking point for people who were curious, even children started asking about it when I was teaching. This badge helped me to build a rapport with people whilst also allowing me to convey a message about a fantastic cause.

This little badge helped me realise that awareness isn’t always about grand campaigns, it’s about being informed and being able to briefly mention what the cause is, hopefully inspiring others to donate a small amount of money or raise awareness in their own way.

It’s funny how we gain an attachment to these talismans. I do believe that we create our own luck a large amount of the time, but these little objects are certainly a way of helping to focus that luck.

If you’d like to buy a pin to support Prostate Cancer UK, please click the source at the beginning of this post.

Invisible

Invisible

Source: Overcoming Social Anxiety

There are not many things that can be considered on worse or even on par with being bullied. Being a victim of bullying is horrifying and often leaves scars that the victim will carry their whole lives.

What about invisibility?

There are those people who float through life barely being noticed or acknowledged and we only seem to notice when something bad happens to them. The people in our classes or workplaces that are unable to interact with others, the people in our student accommodation who are not seen for a week and nobody questions it, the people who are just trying to get by and potentially have a day with of somebody saying hi.

I’m at a point in my life in which I have very few friends, but know what it’s like to have people make an effort to chat to you throughout the day and even just wave if they’re unable to spare the time. I can’t imagine being invisible.

We can never claim to know what someone is feeling, though fortunately there is a way in which we can gain this information – we can ask. Whether or not that person tells us the truth is only part of the story – making the effort to extend that ‘how are you?’ could be the difference between that person having a good day or a bad day. Isn’t that incentive enough?

If anything is to be taken away, it isn’t that you should engage in conversation with every single person your gaze falls upon. No, simply that if you notice somebody who seems to be sitting on their own, throw them a wave or a smile. What may seem like nothing to you, may be all someone else wants.

Identical

Identical

Source: Jeppe Hein

We have a very odd relationship with the identical image we see when we look at ourselves in the mirror. Pretty much everybody I’ve ever met seems to be guilty of this and it’s nothing to be ashamed of in the least. Why do we hate our reflection?!

I say we because I’m the same. I can be feeling great when I wake up, feeling like a gorgeous model-like guy then as soon as I see a mirror all I can seem to do is tear myself apart. How silly.

Personally, I’m quite sure that we see what we think we’re going to see. We associate our reflection with being a negative thing and sure enough, that negative thing is what we see. We could change this. We could stop relying on mirrors for the truth and start relying on the ones we care about.

For some reason a lot of us are shy about complimenting people. This seems to be the case with men a lot – guys can’t seem to compliment other guys because it may make them seem feminine but are also scared to compliment women for this same reason. I am a man and can’t notice anything womanly about a woman because I am not a woman. Typical male bullshit.

Fortunately, I’m quite camp and it works for me. I used to be quite paranoid about acting a little camp. No longer. I see my friend walk in and I compliment her new haircut, she’s happy and I’m happy. What’s wrong with that?

Blush

Blush

Source: The Balance

Initially I was a struggling a little for what to say regarding this prompt, then I found a little inspiration.

You folks!

There are not many instances in which I have blushed – I genuinely don’t think many people have complimented me, if I have blushed it’s mainly because I’ve done something a little embarrassing.

The one thing that makes me blush now however is the appreciation and the great responses I receive from you folks. This blog was and is one of my favourite things to spend time on, hence my thoughts regarding potential podcasts. The initial reason for this blog was to get things off my chest and say things that I wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to say.

This has now evolved.

Now, I really love writing for you guys. I can’t say that I have a large follower count, but what I can say is that I receive some great feedback and compliments regarding my posts. I have a small handful of followers, yet sometimes I’ll see those with 50x my follower count receiving the same level of response as I – that’s fantastic!

It’s great to see that I can have an impact on the blogging community whilst also doing something I really care about. Ultimately, I just want to say thank you. You’re a fantastic bunch of people and whenever I least expect it, I’ll see a post that’ll knock me off my feet and that’s a feeling I believe I’ll have for an especially long time.

You folks are the best.

Wrinkle

Wrinkle

Source: Wecomed Clinic

Being afraid of growing older is something we all have to some extent, whether this is due to a fear of frailty or the unknown, it’s something many of us share. The truth is, a few wrinkles here and there are not the end of the world – they’re probably going to occur whether you want them to or not so either remedy it or own it!

Depending on where you are within your life, you’ll most likely have different anxieties. I for example, worry about the future and what I will be doing after my Masters degree, whereas others may worry about job security or whether they’ll be able to support their children as much as they feel they deserve.

I don’t believe that people are actively afraid of ageing, we’re all just afraid of what will happen whilst we age. To be frank if you’re not afraid of the future even a little, I either envy your strength or pity your ignorance.

I’ve known a great deal of people. I’ve met people who were 80 acting as if they were 20 and met others at university who are 20 and are acting like an 80 year old. It really does bring light to the expression “you’re only as old as you feel”.

Unfortunately, you’re going to age. It will happen, and if you don’t already know this them I’m sorry for being the bearer of bad news but yes, time does indeed pass! Time will carry on going, so go with it.