Tag: birthday

Goals for my 25th year

Published on by oliviagaskill2 Comments

25.

Twenty. Five.

Half way to fifty…

If you haven’t already guessed, I recently turned 25. Despite trying so hard to stay closer to 20 than 30 it was inevitable, and just like the New Year’s resolutions that I fail to uphold every year, I think of birthdays as a chance for self-improvement over the coming year.

For this year’s goals I’ve tried to look on the broader spectrum that could encompass a number of things, rather than super specific goals like “lose weight” or “eat healthy” (I do need start to do more of the latter of but let’s ignore that for now…)


1. Feel the fear and do it anyway
I first heard this piece of advice listening to a podcast with Jera Foster-Fell, one of my favourite Instagram influencers at the moment. Too often I find myself saying no because I’m scared of either failing, getting hurt, or avoiding the anxious feeling the situation creates. But I also think that if it makes you uncomfortable, do it. If it scares you, do it. So that’s how I’m approaching life this year, otherwise I’ll never grasp new opportunities to grow. And besides, being courageous isn’t about not feeling fear at all, it’s about -coming full circle here- feeling the fear and doing it anyway.


2. Happiness first
As someone who’s battled with an anxiety disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, for almost 14 years now (time flies), I’ve been finding myself spiralling and getting into low states more often recently. To me, prioritising happiness means that I’ll do things and surround myself with people who contribute positively to my mental health, not holding on to toxic friendships, or continuously doing things that I know are making me feel pretty shitty about myself.


3. Feed the soul
I’ve always had a bad relationship with food. I binge, I feel guilty, I feel motivated to change, I get into a low state or stress, and I binge again. Instead of sitting here and saying “I’m going to eat so healthy this year!” knowing full well that’ll last a couple of weeks at most, I’m choosing to say that I’m going to try to fuel my body and soul with what feels right at the time and not hold myself to unrealistic expectations and restricting food I love. I think this could be the way that I build a good relationship with food, along with having my personal trainer hold me accountable and keeping me motivated (she’s a star).


4. Build better habits
This is kind of an umbrella for a range of things. From limiting phone screen time and avoiding getting stuck into blackholes of social media scrolling, to taking up meditation a few times a week and dedicating more time to my hobbies and interests, I need to start doing these things more often so they become a habit within my daily routine. I hope that in doing so I’ll be working towards goals 2 and 3 as well, contributing to my overall happiness and feeding the soul with these better, healthier habits.


5. Be comfortable with doing things alone
We’re all guilty of not going to watch a film we want to see or not eating out just because none of our friends want to do it. Getting over the anxious feeling of going out alone and not feeling judged or embarrassed is something I definitely need to work on seen as I’m –dare I say it– a grown adult.

…okay maybe I’m not ready to be a full adult yet but still! I’m sick of missing out on life (a bit dramatic) because I’m too afraid to be content with my own company in public.


6. Stop ruminating about the future

Uni lost my exam paper? No worries they’ll find it.

Car broke down in the middle of the Peaks? Eh it’s a story to tell.

I’m a pretty chill person when it comes to the little stressors in life, you know, the ones that aren’t life threatening or about money. But when it comes to uncertainties, that’s when I start to worry. Recently I’ve found myself ruminating more and more about the future, over aspects that I either can’t control or shouldn’t even be thinking about just yet. Constant worrying can affect your mental health and prevent you from enjoying the chapter of your life that you’re in right now. It happens so easily and it’s hard to stop once you start to spiral, but I think meditating and practicing gratitude for the present will help massively.

So there’s a couple of things I want to work on in my 25th year on earth. Notice how for once I didn’t say I was going to start blogging again and more often? Because we all know how that will go…

As you were
LG x

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BIRTHDAY DINNER @ HOME SWEET HOME, MANCHESTER

Published on by oliviagaskill3 Comments

For the past four years, with the exception of last year because I was on the other side of the world, I’ve spent my birthday with my friend Taylor. Although a group of us were already going to Junkyard Golf on the Saturday to celebrate my birthday properly (because working life restricts mid-week drinking), I wanted to at least go out for food on the actual day. So this year when Tay asked where I wanted to go for dinner, my word-for-word response was “somewhere instagrammable”. I know, I’m ashamed of me too…

So with that in mind we chose Home Sweet Home in Manchester’s Great Northern area. I had walked past this place before and remembered stopping to drool over the cake display, whilst making a mental note to eat there asap.

The dinner menu had just started when we arrived, so I ordered the ‘Chicken in the Basket’ and Tay opted for the ‘Pulled Pork Pile Up’. It was definitely a filling dish and so tasty (I looove me some good chicken), but from the moment we walked in my eyes were on the dessert menu.

These cakes make you gain weight just by looking at them, but it was my birthday so yolo, and you certainly get your money’s worth when you buy a slice (read: 10lb chunk). I knew I wanted to try ‘Honey I Robbed the Kids’ as soon as I laid eyes on it, covered in bright blue icing and topped like a Woolworths’ pick n’ mix section, my out-of-control sweet tooth was more than satisfied. I had to take half of it home in a box because I couldn’t finish the whole slice in one go, so imagine my happiness when I opened the fridge the next morning and ate it for breakfast!

I’m so glad Taylor suggested we go out for the afternoon, and I know my relationship with Home Sweet Home will be like a revolving door (I give it a week until I’m back in there ploughing my way through the breakfast and lunch menus). So if you’re looking for a diner-like place to eat in Manchester and can’t resist eating a dessert that’s bigger than your actual meal, then visiting this restaurant should be at the top of your list.

 

Until next time,
Liv
xo

23 THOUGHTS FOR TURNING 23

Published on by oliviagaskill1 Comment

Okay first of all, holy crap I’m now 23. I’m closer to 25 than 20… And yet I feel no different than when I turned, say, 19. I’ve definitely grown as a person since then, but I still can’t cook, I still get my Mum to ring up the doctors/dentist/opticians to schedule my appointments, and evidently would still rather have a dog than a boyfriend (because Huskies can’t break your heart, right?).

I’ve read a ton of these kind of ’25 things to do before 25’ or ’20 thoughts on turning 20’ posts before, and I always thought it would be fun to do one myself when my birthday comes back around. So to celebrate my new-found OAP status (at least amongst my friends) I’ve compiled a list of 23 things that I’ve learned over the past few years and will be keeping in mind from now onwards.

 

  1. There’s no place like home. Dorothy really knew what she was talking about.
  2. Everything is temporary. My cousin said this to me last year when I was feeling homesick in Oz and it’s really stuck with me since then.
  3. Just eat the damn chocolate bar. I know I want to lose weight and be healthier, but depriving myself of things I love just makes me miserable.
  4. Listen to your body. Yes eat the chocolate bar, but learn to love it in moderation. I need to start realising when my body is telling me to stop, and nourish it by eating healthier options.
  5. Travelling solo will make you a stronger person.
  6. Keep asking questions. Some people find it annoying that I ask so many, but hey, that’s their problem to deal with, not mine.
  7. It’s okay not to be okay.
  8. Everything happens for a reason.
  9. You can say no to things without having to justify yourself. Sometimes all you need is a night at home with a cup of tea and the boxset of Friends.
  10. Don’t stress so much about the little things, especially those you can’t control. I’ve gotten pretty good at being more laid back this past year by asking myself “will this matter in 5 years?”
  11. Learning not to be insecure about my body is taking longer than I would like, but that’s okay, I’ll get there eventually.
  12. But on that note, I’m probably not as big as I think I am.
  13. People actually like freckles. I hate hate hate my freckles (but love them on other people) even though everyone else says they’re cute.
  14. Trying to hide that I have a heart and * gasp * have actual feelings is exhausting, and I’m done with it.
  15. Stop saying sorry so much. It’s such a Northerner thing to do, and I’m a very polite person, but if they bumped into me or something happens and it’s the other person’s fault, I’m no longer apologizing! I’m also going to stop apologizing for the things I enjoy.
  16. Quality over quantity when it comes to friends.
  17. Learn how to be comfortable with your own company. Travelling solo definitely taught me this, because you’re not always going to meet people straight away, and sometimes you might want to do something that no one else is interested in.
  18. Exercise!!! My goal over the next few months is to become as physically fit as I was this time last year, and I want to take on Tough Mudder next summer, which means the gym is going to be like my second home this year.
  19. Learn to cook, for goodness sake just learn to cook, otherwise you’ll end up like me; 23 and still living off bagels and Heinz tinned soup.
  20. Don’t feel guilty for spending money on experiences.
  21. A smile goes a long way.
  22. Make an effort every day, especially on your bad days. I find that it improves my mood even just slightly if I at least feel good about what I look like/what I’m wearing on an off-day.
  23. Forget what Blink-182 said. People will still like you when you’re 23.

 

 

Liv

xo

PHOTO DIARY: START OF SUMMER

Published on by oliviagaskillLeave a comment

Hello hello! I know I’ve not posted anything since September, but between exploring Sydney, looking for day jobs, working, and applying for Masters degrees I’ve found it difficult to dedicate enough time to just sit down and write. Hopefully this post will be the kick up the ass I need to start blogging regularly, especially now that it’s nearly Christmas (yay blogmas)!

This post is just a little collection of photos of Emma’s pool party in celebration of her birthday and sponsorship to stay in Australia. All photos were taken on a Go Pro Hero+ by taking stills from videos I took throughout the day. The weather was boiling hot and I feel so lucky to be able to have these experiences and spend them with people who I now consider my second family.