We All Have Bad Days – Here’s How I Pick Myself Up | #ThisGirlEats

No matter how great things are, we all find ourselves in a bit of a slump every now and then. I’ve been having a bit of a rubbish week myself, for literally no reason whatsoever – which, in a way, makes it harder to shake off because you don’t really know what brought it on in the first place!

I’ve got a few techniques in my back pocket that I pull out at times like this, and they’ve got me out of more than one sticky situation in the past…

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1. Spruce myself up

I’m not talking about some expensive luxe spa day, but it’s always nice to pamper myself when I’m feeling down in the dumps. It’s only ever something small and simple, like finally refreshing my chipped nail varnish, or getting rid of those nasty roots with a fun new hair colour. Just a little self-maintenance makes me feel like I’m presenting the best version of myself to the world, even if I don’t feel like it on the inside.

2. Get some fresh air

I’m not exactly the outdoorsy type, but there really is nothing like getting some air in your lungs when you’re in a bad mood. Moping around the flat by myself only makes me more miserable, but getting outside for a walk or run (if I’m feeling particularly energetic!) always helps me feel as though I’m one step closer to getting out of whatever funk I’m in.

3. Quality cat time

I’m a cat person – I think we’ve all established that through the constant Instagram stories of my rescue Chinchilla Persian floof, Flora. It might sound silly to those who aren’t “animal people”, but anyone with a pet – be it a cat, dog, whatever – knows how important those precious playmates are to the household. I adore my little munchkin (yes, I call her disgustingly soppy nicknames like that) and she never fails to cheer me up when I’m feeling down with plenty of fluffy cuddles.

4. Get productive

One of the most common causes of my bad moods is when I’m unsatisfied with how I’ve spent my day. If I’ve wasted an entire weekend doing nothing, or I planned to get loads of things done and just didn’t get round to it, I always end the day feeling seriously frustrated – which sucks, obviously. A quick fix for this is simply to do something. Anything! Write that blog post, send that email, upload that video, edit that photo; the more I tick off my to-do list, the better I feel when bedtime rolls around.

5. Do some spring cleaning

This might surprise you if you’ve ever dropped in on me unexpectedly and seen the chaos littered throughout my flat, but nothing puts me in a negative head-space more than mess. When the washing piles up and the layer of dust on the telly gets thicker and mounds of crap stands between me and my bed, I can instantly feel a migraine coming on… Going on a de-cluttering spree or a cleaning frenzy helps organise my home as well as my mind.

6. Throwback

I know puberty was a traumatic time and most people wish they could just forget their teenage years but, for me, I’m one of the lucky ones; I got off pretty easy. Despite the usual teenage girl drama, those years hold some of my fondest memories and remind me of a time when life was, for the most part, fun and carefree. So when I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the real world, I take myself back to that time, whether it’s by playing tunes I loved listening to on the walk to school or flicking though embarrassing Facebook photos taken on my Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot.

7. Cook up a storm

It’s not for everyone, but cooking really relaxes me. Sure, it’s a bit hectic when you’ve got a million pans on the go, no-one in the house eats the same meal and the stuff on the top shelf of the oven is burning while the stuff on the bottom still looks anaemic – but hey, it’s all part of the fun! Giving myself a challenge in the kitchen distracts me, allows quality time by myself doing something I love, and I always feel proud as punch when it all comes together and tastes delicious in the end.

8. Grab a big mug and fill to the brim with herbal tea

This trick is especially handy when I’m feeling physically sluggish; if I’ve eaten a lot of junk food over the weekend or I’ve found my eyes to be bigger than my belly once again. I never get a good night’s sleep if I’m going to bed feeling uncomfortable, but a lovely cup of green tea is a great pallet cleanser and refreshes my digestive system. I also find camomile helps when I’m feeling restless and irritable, and lemon and ginger is great for banishing the sniffles.

9. Make plans

Sometimes, when you feel stuck in a rut, it’s really hard to find your way out of it. It can almost cloud your perspective and feel impossible to see through the fog of your current state of mind. Something that pushes me to get out of wallowing in the present when things aren’t so great is to make plans for the future; not always easy when you’re feeling down, I know. But if you can muster up the energy to look ahead, having something to look forward to – a holiday, a date, a day out – can give you back some of the focus that you might’ve lost.

10. Take a deep breath

Simple, but always effective.

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Dazed & Confused: Life in Your Mid-Twenties | #ThisGirlEats

Hi. I’m smack-bang in the middle of my twenties, and I have no idea what I want out of life.

When I was little, your mid-twenties was a whole different ballgame. That’s when “stuff” happened, you know? My parents, and most of my friends’ parents, had all us kiddies in their twenties, and pretty much all of them were married to boot. They had houses, proper jobs, big cars and their lives were pretty much sorted. It was work Monday to Friday, dinner on the table by six o’ clock and go to the local pub on the weekends. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But us lot? We’re a whole new generation, and we’re doing things very differently.

Growing up, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted and, more to the point, I thought I knew exactly when it would happen. I’d fall in love with my childhood sweetheart, get a good job, be married and have kids by 25 and live the rest of my days in my three bedroom, semi-detached house with a garden, two cats and a cocker spaniel.

I don’t know when I changed my mind about – well, all of it. Except the cats and cocker spaniel. But here I am, 25 years old, with no childhood sweetheart (my boyfriend is almost six years older than me so that’d be weird..), no house, no plans for kids and only just about to start my first ever job that actually leaves me with a few scraps after rent.

These days, it’s almost frowned upon to do any of those things in your twenties. With most of my social circles, if you’re walking down that aisle or sharing sonograms even at the age of 25 – when most of our parents were doing, or had done, exactly that – you can expect some raised eyebrows at the very least.

The weirdest part is, most of those raised eyebrows are from us! I’m one of the worst, absolutely recoiling at the idea of babies, feeling completely baffled by the world of mortgages, lying awake at night bricking it about having a “proper job”, and getting queasy with anxiety at the mere thought of a marriage proposal.

I think I might want some of those things. Maybe. One day. But the problem is, if I don’t want them now – at the age I always thought I would, and the age our parents did – when will I want them? Unlike my younger self, I’m clueless about what I want. And if I don’t even know what I want, how the hell am I meant to know when it’ll happen?!

I guess the truth is, I don’t. I don’t know when these things will happen, or if they ever will. Our parents think we’re at the age where we should be getting our lives together and they’re expecting those sorts of milestones from us, while our peers think we’re still way too young. It’s very confusing, it’s a lot of pressure, and it leaves me feeling like I know very little about my future.

But what I do know is this: I like my life right now. And for me, for now, that’s enough.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Opportunities | #ThisGirlEats

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Right?

But what if life gives you lemon, after lemon, after lemon? And what if you don’t want lemonade? What if you keep trying to reach for the cola, or orange juice, or water, but every time you think you’re getting close life just throws a whole load more lemons your way?

Our lives are full of obstacles. Some are self-inflicted by our own insecurities, while others are hurled at us out of nowhere. Relationships, health, work, things we might think we have control over can turn on their head in a matter of seconds and leave us wondering where to go next.

Things get a whole load more complicated than just “making lemonade”. We’ve all experienced moments that shift the entire dynamic of our lives right before our eyes, and it’s pretty impossible to spring out of bed the next morning like nothing’s happened (unless you’re some sort of superhuman, in which case please teach me your powers and show me your ways).

You can’t always just slap on a smile and make the best out of a bad situation, despite that British stiff-upper-lip mentality that is inherently ingrained in anyone born this side of the pond. But maybe you can find opportunities.

Things like this very rarely just fall into our laps. We have to work for them, make an effort for them, learn and struggle and strive for them. It’s hard to get into this motivated mindset when you’ve taken a knock-back, but if you can muster up some gumption and get yourself back out there, this can be the absolute best time to open up new doors in your life.

Think about it – what have you got to lose? If you’ve already taken a hit, what else is there to be afraid of? The worst (or, at the very least, something a bit shitty) has happened, so now is the perfect time to throw caution to the wind and GO FOR IT.

They say that when one door closes, another one opens. But you’ve got to make yourself walk through it, or you might never find out what’s on the other side.

 

 

What Do Women Do When We’re Not the “Right Type” of Curvy? | #ThisGirlEats

“I like curvy women!”

No, you like women with big boobs, small waists and peachy bums. You like the right kind of curves.

The hourglass figure has been held on the highest pedestal of beauty for as many years as I can remember. Growing up around the time that I did, big bodies weren’t really represented, at least not how they are today. It was all about the Kate Mosses and Victoria Beckhams and, if you didn’t stand a chance of looking like them, the hourglass was what you aspired to be.

There’s no denying a bodacious hourglass figure is a beautiful sight to behold, and I have absolutely no intention of saying otherwise. I’m not here to detract from any body type. But what about the rest of us curvy women?

For years people used Marilyn Monroe as the poster girl for fuller figures. She was, of course, a glamourous pin-up admired by – well, pretty much anyone with a pulse. Beyoncé is another example, with her ‘Crazy in Love’ curves back in 2003 being a refreshing antidote to the super-slim late ’90s / early ’00s.

Black and white shot of Marilyn Monroe

These women are gorgeous, and it’s true, they are curvy women. But the reason photos of their bodies are slapped up as the remedy to size zero culture is because their curves are socially acceptable. They fit the beauty standard of that voluptuous, seductive, buxom hourglass figure, so these women – and many like them – are what most people associate with the idea of a “curvy woman”.

But what if you don’t have the right kind of curves?

I have curves, but I sure as hell don’t have a body like Beyoncé! I have a waist, but it’s cushioned between multiple tummy rolls and it sits on top of some pretty sizable love handle hips. My bum is more Bridget Jones than Beyoncé and my boobs are there – just about. It seems unfair that I seem capable of gaining weight just about everywhere except my boobs, but there we go.

Holiday snap eating ice cream in Ibiza

It’s hard to feel like the “curves = good” mantra applies when you don’t look like those representing fuller figures on clothing websites, social media and in the magazines. When you can’t squeeze into an hourglass and your boobs aren’t big enough to distract from the spanx lurking just beneath, it can be hard to feel like your body type is valid at all.

What do you do when your body is too chubby to be conventionally attractive (i.e. slim), but your curves aren’t the right kind so no-one is celebrating them?

I guess it’s up to us to become our own cheerleaders.

We’re Halfway Through the Year – How Are Your 2019 Goals Going? | #ThisGirlEats

Is it just me, or is this year going suuuuper quick?!

We’re already in June (not that you’d know, thanks to the horrible weather we’re having!) which means we’re officially halfway through 2019. If you ask me, that’s the perfect time to check in on any goals or deadlines you might’ve set yourself back in January.

You might be absolutely smashing it so far, in which case – awesome! That’s great. Maybe it’s time to up the game and outline a couple more things you’d like to achieve before the year is out to keep you focused, motivated and on the incredible roll you’re having.

For those of us that aren’t doing so great? Well, that’s okay. Checking in on your goals at this point might feel like extra pressure when you know things aren’t going quite as well as you’d hoped. But it doesn’t have to be! It can just be friendly nudge to get you back on track, the perfect time to set yourself new goals if your path has changed since the start of the year, or a reminder that you’ve still got a whole six months left and there’s no need to stress yourself out.

It’s unrealistic to think that some of those long-term, big-picture goals would be done and dusted by now. This sort of thing is a marathon, not a sprint, and you can always rely on life to throw down some obstacles on the way.

I had a few things I wanted to achieve myself this year. A few of them are going well, but others are still very much a work in progress. I’m happy to share them because I think it’s important to reflect, and hopefully it’ll encourage some of you who might want to do the same to – well, do it.

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BLOG. I wanted to grow my blog and see better engagement, higher numbers and a fresh, new look. Although it’s not perfect just yet, things are definitely on the up! I’ve changed the vibe of my site, found an exciting new direction for my content (hello, Disney!) and have seen traffic increase. I still need to work on my social media and engagement for sure, but it’s going well so far.

Sitting on the wall in Toy Story Playland at Disneyland Paris with my Marvel ears

WORK. This one is a big thumbs down 👎 I haven’t really managed to progress in the workplace this year and haven’t found any new opportunities that really take my fancy either. I’m not going to let it get me down though – I’ve got another six months to turn this one around!

BODY. I wouldn’t say there’s been much positive change here just yet, but I can confidently say that I’ve been so much more accepting of my body these past few months, which is a huge deal for me. I’ve really embraced self-love and felt better about myself than I have in years, not to mention the effort I’ve made to heal my relationship with food this year too. I’m actually getting ready for a run as I write this, and I’ve recently set myself some newer, more specific goals to improve my health and fitness, so things are looking up!

Crispy halloumi bites with a citrus salad and jalapeño jelly

MONEY. It’s no secret that we’ve had some money struggles over the past couple of years, but that has started to improve this year. Things aren’t quite comfortable yet, but we’re in a much better position and the positive effects of that are really starting to make a difference. My main goal was to get out of my overdraft this year; I’m not sure I’m going to achieve that completely, but I do feel sure that my bank balance will look much healthier by the end of 2019.

 

Don’t Blame People Who Buy Detox Teas – Blame the Culture That Promotes Them | #ThisGirlEats

Tea detoxes – skinny teas, tea-toxes, etc. – are a diet fad that has stuck around like a bad smell for years now, promoting flat tummies and rapid weight loss just by drinking a couple of magical cups of tea every day. Who knew it was so easy?!

Well, most of us know that, actually, it’s not. Almost all of these tea detoxes contain ingredients that work as laxatives and digestive aids which give the illusion of weight loss but, really, just make you go to the toilet all day. Makes sense that you’d loose weight if most of it goes down the loo!

Thankfully, people have started to see the light with these skinny tea diets and many influencers are now urging their followers to avoid like the plague. Loads of the brands that sell these “miracle” teas use celebs with massive online followings to promote them – Khloé Kardashian, Cardi B and Iggy Azalea are just a few recent examples – but, luckily, people are finally fighting back.

An unfortunate side product of this, however, is that some people who have joined the crusade against tea-toxes are directing their frustrations towards, in my opinion, the wrong people.

I’ve been there, in that place. I’ve been that young, insecure teenage girl with serious body image and self confidence issues, battling feelings of anxiety, desperation and helplessness. I’ve seen the ads for these “amazing” tea detoxes, sharing before and after photos with noticeably flatter tummies that I so badly wanted and testimonies from customers who swear they lost 20lbs in two weeks just by drinking a few cups of tea. I fell for it.

“All it takes is twenty quid and a couple of cups a day, and all my insecurities would be gone? Sounds too good to be true – sign me up!”

Shameless mirror selfie taken somewhere along my recent journey to loving myself

When people see a young girl online tweeting about how she’s thinking of trying a skinny tea diet, or posting a photo of her tea-tox haul with a caption about how she’s excited to try it out, a flood of comments soon follow, brandishing her stupid, ignorant, unhealthy, all sorts.

But she’s not. She’s naive, sure, but she’s just another victim of this diet culture. She’s just a girl looking for a way out and falling into their traps. One day – hopefully – she’ll learn to love herself, she’ll realise that these fads are dangerous and looking after her body comes first. But she’s not the bad guy here.

If you want to blame someone, look at the companies that sell the damn things in the first place. Teasing audiences with photos of miraculous weight loss, tempting us with their discount codes and trying to promote products under the facade of health when, in actual fact, they are ridiculously dangerous.

We’ve also got to point the finger at celebrities who are telling their young, impressionable followers that losing weight is apparently important enough to fill your body with laxatives twice a day and worth damaging yourself with quick fixes. I know advertising for brands helps you lot earn that dollar but, please, think about what you’re doing. Think about the times you’ve been in a bad place, when you haven’t loved yourself and would’ve risked anything to help you get out of that funk. Think about that before you propel this kind of bullshit to your fans (or at least be honest, as Jameela Jamil hilariously demonstrates in this parody video).

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A post shared by Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil)

Young women aren’t the ones to blame here; don’t let the brands trying to sell unhappy people a fake dream and celebs refusing to take on the responsibility that comes with millions of followers get away with it.

Feeling the Positive Effects of Social Media (Yes, They Do Exist!) | #ThisGirlEats

Social media can be a scary place. Trolls, cyber bullies, hate groups – it’s no wonder most of our parents are technophobes and the older generations boast about how things were “better in my day!”.

Well of course it was better in your day Susan, the bank was handing out zero deposit mortgages like nobody’s business, the planet wasn’t dying at a catastrophic rate and you could buy two pints down the pub with a fiver and still get change!

I digress…

Anyway, yes, social media can be a breeding ground for negativity. One minute you’re bombarded by online slanging matches between strangers on Twitter, the next you’re stewing in a pit of jealousy over beautiful influencers showing off their perfect(-ly filtered) lives on Instagram. It’s a minefield.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. These sites give us the option to mute, block or unfollow people that make us feel, well, shit – and that’s brilliant! But what’s even better is finding people who make social media a bearable – maybe even positive – place to hang out.

I’ve enjoyed scrolling through my phone so much more since I made a conscious effort to erase the trashbags and put some bright, affirmative, supportive women at the forefront of my feed.

Now whenever I flick between my apps (the modern day equivalent of channel hopping while the ads are on, right?) I’m confronted by educated words of self-love and self-confidence, photos of women who are happy in their own skin and promote body positivity and blog posts bursting with advice and encouragement and reassurance.

I know social media is always going to be dangerous to navigate – you can never be sure when a bigoted idiot will pop up spouting nonsense and retweeting Piers Morgan with the caption “He just has the balls to say what the rest of us were thinking!” You can’t win ‘em all.

But by just filling my timeline with people who make me feel good about myself, inspire me to do better and brighten my day I’ve found my phone a much more pleasant companion.

Let’s be honest, we spend half our lives with our heads buried in social media so we might as well make it half decent place to be!

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If you want to check out some of the awesome people I follow, here are my top picks!

• Lucy Mountain – calling out fake diets and making fun of fitness fads (@thefashionfitnessfoodie)
• Stephanie Yeboah – plus-size blogger advocating fat acceptance (@nerdabouttown)
• Helen Anderson – all about that self-love life! (@helenanderz)
• Amy Kennedy – vegan food at budget prices (@amythevegan)
• Jen Brett – stamping out diet culture and promoting positive body image (@jenbretty)
• Emily Clarkson – straight-talking blogger who oozes confidence (@EmilyClarkson)
• Jameela Jamil – star of ‘The Good Place’, creator of the @i_weigh movement and voice for loving the skin your in (@jameelajamil)
• Carrie Hope Fletcher – musical theatre star and general ray of sunshine (@CarrieHFletcher)

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things (Christmas Edition!) | #ThisGirlEats

Christmas is now officially on its way, with only a few weeks left before the big day is here. I’m super excited (duh!) because I love this time of year – and here are my favourite things about it!

1. Food markets in every town. Doesn’t matter what size, there’s a food market popping up on every corner and they’re full of delectable treats to indulge in.

2. The local Christmas fair. Everywhere has a local Christmas fair, right? They’re great for gift ideas, crafts, food, drink and just general festive cheer.

3. Prosecco on tap. As soon as December hits, it seems like there’s no reason too small to pop open tho prosecco and, to be completely honest, I am down with that.

4. Presents – for other people. Sure, receiving presents is great, let’s not lie. But I actually prefer coming up with awesome ideas for other people and when I stumble across the perfect present for someone it really makes my day.

5. It’s always dark enough for candles. Now it’s pretty much always gloomy we can have candles on all day long. Gingerbread, cinnamon, cranberry… think of the scents!

6. Wearing novelty jumpers is compulsory. I don’t even mean Christmas ones, necessarily – just an excuse to wear any fun, loud ones is good enough for me!

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7. Rotating my 1,007 pairs of boots. I’ve honestly got so many pairs that are forgotten about half the year, but now it’s time for them to come out of hiding and be shown in all their glory once again!

8. Decorations. Tacky or classy, I don’t even care. Christmas decorations are the best and I’m so excited to see everyone’s homes covered head to toe in them!

9. London at Christmas. My nearest city is London so I’ve done lots of Christmas shopping there and I just adore it this time of year. The lights, the window displays, the general vibe – oh, and Winter Wonderland, of course!

10. Parties (and party outfits). Christmas always comes with parties, or at least some fun get-togethers with your nearest and dearest. And you know what that means – new party clothes!

11. Christmas dinner. Need I say more? I mean… really?

12. TV specials. We all binge watch a load of telly over the festive season, right? I love lounging on the sofa nibbling leftover pigs in blankets and finding out who’s going to die in this year’s Christmas episode of Eastenders, this time of year just isn’t the same without it.

Does Anyone Else Get “Sick Day Guilt”? | #ThisGirlEats

In lots of ways, I’m very lucky. I don’t have any ongoing conditions that keep me off work for extended periods of time, nor do I have to explain mental health days to people who don’t see past the stigma. On the whole, I’m pretty healthy (touch wood!) and very able to work.

But I do have a weak-ass immune system 🤒 I don’t know why – maybe I just need to eat more oranges or something! In the past year I’ve picked up colds, flus, sickness bugs and a viral infection and when I’m ill, of course, I call in sick. If I’m just a little under the weather I’ll go into work – it’s close to home and not a physically demanding role – but if I’m ill to the point where I know it’ll have an impact on my working day and make said day incredibly tough, I’ll call in sick and take the day to recover.

But I always feel bad. Even when I’m stuck indoors all day feeling really, truly awful, I still feel guilty about not going into work. It’s as though I’m just taking a day off, which isn’t the case – trust me, any girl will tell you being doubled over with period pains so bad that you can’t get out of bed is NO FREAKIN’ HOLIDAY!

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It’s just an underlying sense of guilt which I think (or at least hope!) other people feel too. Of course I know it’s important to look after yourself and if you need to take a day to care for your own wellbeing, be it your physical or mental health, then you should definitely do it. People understand. Colleagues understand. Any good employer will understand.

I just get this horrible voice in my head asking “what if..?”
“What if it gets busy and I’ve left my work friends in a sticky spot?”
“What if people think I’m faking it?”
“What if my boss is annoyed at me?” 
“What if I miss a day’s pay?”

I spend so much time worrying about things like this – and I’m sure I’m not the only one – that I forget about what’s really important: my health.

You can’t guarantee anything in life. You can’t guarantee your health will last forever. You never know when something might come along out of nowhere and destroy your happy, healthy life. We need to look after ourselves; yes, we want to work hard, do our bit, take responsibility, but we also need to make sure we’re in a good, fit, healthy place to do just that.

 

8 Reasons to Love Winter This Year! | #ThisGirlEats

It’s colder, it’s gloomier, the days are shorter and the weather is harsher. I’m afraid the days of summer are behind us for another year and winter is truly starting to settle in for us Brits. It’s pretty easy to get down about that.

You might not feel like it right now but, trust me, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about winter coming around again! From comfort food to comfy clothes, cinema dates to TV binges, winter definitely has its own unique upsides.

If you’re feeling a little glum about the approaching months, I’ve got a few reasons to look forward to winter this year!

1. At this time of year, TV is like a cuddly comfort blanket. There are some staples of British wintertime telly that just remind us of the season, year in, year out, and it’s like greeting an old, familiar friend every time they come around. Family favourites like Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor and all the soaps building up to their Christmas storylines might not be BAFTA-worthy watching but they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside each year and I love watching them!

2. Grab some popcorn and your 2 for 1 cinema tickets, because there are some fantastic movies coming out in the next few months! There’s something for everyone – the latest Marvel character is being introduced with ‘Venom’; the life of Freddie Mercury is explored in Queen biopic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’; Lady Gaga takes a turn in her first starring movie role with Bradley Cooper’s ‘A Star is Born’; we’re on the next train to the wonderful wizarding world with ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’; another addition to our Disney collection is on its way with ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’; and we’re going back to our childhood with the sequel to one of my all-time favourites, ‘Mary Poppins Returns’. I’m excited, are you?!

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3. Now that festival season is over, loads of bands and artists are going out on their own headline tours in the winter, and this year sees some cracking tours making their way up and down the country. Personally, I’ve got some awesome gigs coming up which I’m super excited about – Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish, Dashboard Confessional, You Me At Six and Enter Shikari are just a few! Are any of you heading out to any tours this winter? I’m open to recommendations!

4. Possibly my favourite thing about the cold weather is digging out my winter wardrobe! Summer clothes are beautiful but for me – someone who’d wear black in a heatwave and prefers to hide her wobbly bits than parade them on the beach for all to see – winter clothes are my preferred choice. Cosy knitted jumpers and killer boots accessorised with stylish scarves and funky jackets… I just can’t wait! Many high street stores are already advertising their latest range for the new season.

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5. Christmas markets are on the way and, as far as I can tell, that can only be a good thing! My favourite Christmas festival is London’s Winter Wonderland, which has been announced as returning for yet another year to the gorgeous Hyde Park. It’s an amazing free festival and I’d recommend it to anyone in the area, but there are plenty of local Christmas markets up and down the country that will be opening up in the next couple of months and they’re always worth checking out for gift ideas and yummy festive food and drink.

6. Let’s face it, from Sunday roasts to midweek stews, comfort food reaches its peak in winter. There’s nothing better than a plate of hearty to food to warm you up on a cold day – check out these recipes for slow cooked pulled pork, veggie chilli with baked potato and carrot and coriander soup for some great winter recipe ideas.

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7. It’s the festive season, and that means it’s also the party season. An excuse to dress up and drink up, whether it be the office Christmas party or getting together for New Year’s Eve, is definitely on its way. Winter invites parties and if you love socialising, dancing, getting dolled up and painting the town red, this is your time to shine…

8. … and if parties aren’t your cup of tea, that’s fine too because winter is absolutely perfect for staying in! Cosy nights indoors, with the heating whacked up and the glow of the telly lighting up the dark nights, nursing a mug of hot chocolate and filling your belly with warm food to protect you from the wind and rain outside… Honestly, is there anything better?!