Good afternoon everyone,

Good afternoon everyone,

For those of you Americans or Europeans reading this, it's currently summer in Australia. And when I mean summer, I mean hot, sweltering weather, with the odd storm and even though the rain is lukewarm, it still cools us down considerably (that's when I think you know its summer. haha.). Today's post is going to be quite a small one, as I thought it might be nice to give you a few of the tips that I've found in helping deal with stress. I know around this time, there's a fair few people gearing up for exams and I just wanted to say good luck and I hope you find these ideas useful.

Twenty Way to Stress Less

1. Find the type of music that soothes you, lie down in a comfy place, and play it through a pair of noise cancelling headphones.
2. Put on a song you can dance to…and dance, dance, DANCE!
3. Run yourself a bath with your favourite Lush product or face mask and pamper yourself.
4. Ben and Jerry’s – It’s okay to treat yourself every once in a while.
5. Buy some cheap ceramic plates and smash them.
6. Coconut oil.
7. Make a list of things that are good and things that are bad in your life at the moment, and what you can do to change them.
8. Tidy up your bedroom (I know, sounds horrible, but it actually helps)!
9. Exercise; it may be the last thing you want to be doing right now but I promise you’ll feel 1000000x better.
10. Try not to worry about things you can’t control.
11. Volunteer at a shelter of some kind – It may help you to appreciate the good in your life.
12. Adopt a pet.
13. Go to bed earlier than you usually would, sometimes a good night’s sleep is all we really need.
14. Find someone you love and give them a hug.
15. Go on YouTube and search videos of cats being jerks - even if you aren't stressed, you won't regret!
16. Eat potatoes – it boosts your endorphins, and endorphins make you happy.
17. Go through your old clothes and give the ones you don’t need to a charity/thrift shop.
18. Bake a cake from scratch…and then eat it!
19. Understand that everyone feels this way at some point or another, and that you aren’t alone.
20. Remember that somebody out there loves you more than you could possibly imagine. 

Flaws and all
A short poem by Gina Hartley

Hey everyone, how are you feeling on this warm summer's afternoon?

I'm currently writing this while relaxing on Stradbroke Island with my two best friends, but I do know I have a few apologies I have to make.. First of all, I know I promised you guys a 4-part Christmas series (and due to a few of your messages) I know I may not have totally stuck to my promise. I'm sorry, I know I promised I would write a lot more often and this Christmas series would have been the perfect way to prove this. But the sun is hot and the weather is too nice to be cooped up inside, writing blog posts. I have been trying to travel and soak up the Australian sun as much as possible before Autumn comes again, and the uncertainty of the new year reveals itself (okay maybe not that intense, hey, it sounded cool when I wrote it). Speaking of the new year, I think it's about time I did that classic blog post that everyone does called New Years resolutions, and some of my personal achievements throughout 2015, and goals for 2016.

Now before you all roll your eyes, I think it's really important to reflect upon different things that happen throughout our lives. Otherwise, we can lose our sense of what's important to us, and what we have to be grateful for. So without further ado, here are my 2016 New Years resolutions that, like the 4-part Christmas series, I will probably forget to do.

1. Drink at least two full bottles of water a day - I've been trying to do this throughout 2015, and I think it's a healthy habit to try to maintain.
2. Meet new and interesting people - with a lot of unknowns happening in 2016 for me, I feel it's important to meet people willing to support me embracing these challenges. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I will attempt to cut out people who have a negative impact on my life.
3. Give all my old clothes and unused belonging to a thrift shop.
4. Travel to at least one other country (technically I'm on a island right now though).
5. Try to do at least one nice thing for someone a day - I made this exact resolutions at the start of this year and while, I don't believe I totally achieved it, even something as simple as smiling at someone having a bad day could be considered helpful.
6. Try to write a lot more regularly and periodically - and to post more short stories since I know how much you love them!
7. Love unconditionally.

So there we go, there are some of my New Years resolutions. Whether I'll stick to them, no one can know for sure, but I sure as hell will try! Looking back at the year just gone, there's been a lot of both firsts, and lasts on the list - some memories which I know will stick with me throughout my life.

So here's a toast to you, 2015. What a year!

As for next year, Bring. It. On.

Gina xx

Welcome back everyone to part 2 of my Christmassy series!