Reflecting on 2017, and Moving Forward

Hello!

Well, we've reached the end of 2017 in what feels like the blink of an eye. I thought I'd take some time to sit down and have a chat about it, and talk about what I want to do next year. All photos shown are from this year.

I began 2017 by kissing a man from Buenos Aires at a period dress themed ceilidh in an old country pub, and I think that pretty much sets the tone for how random this year was. I was single, and thought I'd never get a boyfriend but oddly enough, I had one by the 12th of January thanks to 6 days of being on tinder!

Joe has been a huge part of my 2017 and has taught me so much about what a respectful relationship is actually like. So, I'd like to say thank you in advance to him for giving me the courage to write some pretty gritty future blog posts! However, I don't want to ramble on about him here as it's our anniversary soon so watch this space!

As well as a beginning a relationship, I also began 2017 by making the RGS Worcester LGBT+ initiative public. This was a huge achievement for me as I'd been working on the project for a year before it went fully live. I had wanted to do an interscholastic initiative alongside my degree but after attempting to work with Hereford Cathedral School (not altogether unsuccessfully), I realised that such a big scheme would have to be put on hold for the time being. However, I will still be working with RGS.

The first half of the year was just a blur... I did trampolining competitions and concerts, signed for a flat (which I now hate - oops!), and made some fantastic friends. There are so many things I could say but I think the most concise is to say that anxiety wise, I'm so proud of myself for the things I did. With every trampolining competition came a wave of nerves. In fact, before the competition in Dublin, I sat in my room dry heaving and crying because of the flights, the competition, and the inevitable drinking, but I still went. I did every single competition despite the nerves, and to future me, this is proof that you can!! I handed in every assignment on time, and sang in every concert available to me. Sure, there were difficult bits, but I feel like I did my first year at university justice. Well done, me!

Saying well done to myself is actually something that I'm going to try and do in 2018, so saying well done for surviving first year seems a pretty good place to start!

This brings us on to the summer holidays. I suppose the most notable thing that happened was having my contraceptive implant taken out. It doesn't sound too significant but I had actually been forced into getting it by my ex boyfriend so it felt like taking the last remaining piece of him out of my life.

On a more lighthearted note, I spent most of my summer volunteering at my local library for the National Children's Summer Reading Project, spending my days chatting to under 10s about the books they had read and encouraging them to read more. Again, it doesn't sound like much but feeling like I played even a small part in encouraging them to read was a job well done. Also, myself and Joe went on a week long road trip around Ireland - a fantastic experience, and road tripping it was certainly the way to go!

Going back to uni for second year was perhaps the hardest part of 2017, but I certainly learnt a lot about myself in that time. Despite all the anxiety, the vomiting, and the panic attacks, I still went to every single lecture, and did my assignments to the best of my ability. I think that deserves another well done. I learnt that it's ok to not do things completely by myself, and I found out who my real friends are - you know who you are, and I'm thankful to you all. I won't ramble on about what the second half of 2017 was like, because my blog so far has covered it... which leads me onto the main achievement of this year: I started a blog, and I'm now live on the internet! I'm loving it so far and I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support!

So what do I want to do in 2018?

I know I definitely want to write about the grittier parts of my life as I find that writing things down really helps me, and I want to be able to put those things in the past properly. So look forward to that!

I want to continue with the mindfulness which will hopefully make the anxiety easier to cope with.

I want to find a better flat for next year. I'm sure I will, but it's a goal.

I want to be able to let go more and stop trying to be middle aged in my 20s!

Actually, lets build on that. I want to make mistakes. I want to learn from them and enjoy making them.

I want to get back into swimming as I really enjoy it.

Most importantly, I want to make people smile. So, if this blog ever makes you smile, tell me about it!

I hope 2017 was a good year for you, if not, I hope 2018 is better. Thank you for being part of my 2017, and thank you in advance for being a part of my 2018.

Remember to drink lots of water if you're getting drunk and I'll see you all next year!!

Lots of Love,

Sarah xxx

Today's track: The Chainsmokers "Something Just Like This" - brings back good memories of the last year.