I always find
that the month of January is a month of reflection on the past year. Last year on my uni blog, I looked back on 2017 with my 2017 rewind and got some really good feedback on
it. This year, I want to do the same and look back on 2018. So, grab a cuppa
tea, a cheeky biscuit, get comfy and ready to look back on what I can only describe
as a roller coaster of a year!
The first word
that comes to mind when I think of 2018 is horrendous! This sounds awful I know
and I’m sure many of you are thinking it couldn’t have been that bad surely?
But for me, it really felt like a tough year. I don’t like to be negative,
however I want to be honest in these posts and so I am going to share the good,
bad and ugly and for me, 2018 wasn’t great and I couldn’t wait for it to end.
One of the
hardest things I learnt in 2018 is that friendship isn’t always plain sailing.
People change, and with that, so does friendship. When this happens it doesn’t
always mean you lose a friend completely, but you may not be as close. Sadly,
this happened to me and it was tough. It was totally unexpected, hit me hard
and left me feeling rather alone. Looking back, I found myself trying to get
things back to how they were and feeling rather upset when it didn’t. As a
result of these actions, I lost the closeness of other relationships and was so
worried of missing out with certain friendships, I missed out on others. But,
during the hard times of 2018 I learnt who my true friends really were as it
showed who was actually bothered and cared for me. Despite it being a tough
time that heightened other challenges such as anxiety and panic attacks, I
learnt a very important lesson. As we grow older, we don’t lose friends, we
learn who the real ones are. I now know I should just be who I want to be, do
what I want to do and if they are true friends they will always be there for
me.
February was
what I can only describe as the worst month I have ever had. I know it sounds
very dramatic, but it was a time where I kept saying it can’t get any worse and
it did. I was very stressed with a particular piece of uni work, cheerleading
competitions were just around the corner and I was 2 months into doing crazy
hours at a new job working in the wedding industry (my dream!). I had just
bought a new car especially for work and so was also under a bit of financial
pressure as most of my savings went into this. On top of all of this, I had
other uni modules, was trying to volunteer and have some sort of social life! Little
things soon turned to bigger things...
I had an allergic
reaction and ended up in A&E and I had a car crash resulting in insurance
stress, whiplash and buying a new car for work, putting me under greater
financial stress. Two weeks after my crash and a week after buying a new car
for work, I was let go due to being too committed to university. But it can’t
get any worse can it? Apparently it can, and I lost a member of my family.
If I’m being completely
honest, all of this hitting me at once broke me. With anxiety and stress at an all-time
high as I was still attending all of my lectures and more, cheerleading and
preparing for competition, I went home and didn’t want to come back. I had a
good pep talk with my parents and friends from home, I decided I wasn’t going
to let this beat me. Yes, university stress continued and I did feel lonely,
anxious and lost at some times. But I kept going, met all my deadlines and made
some amazing memories.
I volunteered
at the IAAF Championships where I met some amazing people and saw some great
athletes compete.
I competed with
my favourite cakes, won some trophies and had a blast at the summer ball!
Had some crazy nights
out with my housemates filled with laughter, dancing, cocktails and even went
to Leicester for the first time!
Had a lovely
holiday with my mum in the Canary Islands where we relaxed by the pool, did a
bit of shopping, topped up the summer tan and of course watch the football!
I had some
great time with family. Surprising my cousins, seeing the little ones, watching
Little Mix and having a great Christmas and New Year filled with laughter and
games.
One big thing I
did in 2018 was get a good hair cut which saw it go from my waist, to my
shoulders. I was so nervous, but given everything, I wanted a something fresh
to show a new start. Never would I ever think I would have gone for short hair,
as I have wanted Rapunzel hair since I was little. But now, having even more
off, I absolutely love it!
September brought
about the start of my final year and things began to look up more. I got a new
job working with some amazing people. I have had some amazing nights with my
housemates, booked a girly summer holiday and got my first first of third year!
I also started my own blog, worked with an amazing events planner on some incredible
events and had an amazing 21st birthday!
So, looking
back on it all, I can say that the start of this year was hard. I learnt some
tough lessons and met my breaking point. I would never want to do it again, but
I can hold my head up, say not only did I get through it, but I didn’t let it
beat me and was very happy with my overall uni percentage for my 2nd
year.
No matter how
hard it gets, keep your head up and know that it will get better. It may not be
straight away, but give it time.
