Self-Careathon Day 14 & 15 – ‘Squad’ and ‘Kindness’

The term ‘squad’ is one I’ve never really been comfortable with, but perhaps that’s because I’ve never really had a ‘squad’ mentality. Back when I was in Sixth Form, which was the last time I was seeing my friends every day, ‘squads’ weren’t really a thing. It was just your group of friends. I didn’t really hear anything about ‘squads’ until I came to university just under three years ago. But I…

Self-Careathon Day 13: Doodle

Some people see doodling as a lack of concentration, especially when it happens in a school lesson or a meeting. For me though, doodling has been a focusing habit. It may sound strange – how could I possibly be focusing when I’m sat drawing all down my margin? Looking back, I know that my urges to doodle were especially strong on days when my head felt overfull: the days when I couldn’t…

Whatever you call them, I love dogs. Especially my pets.

My pets are incredibly important to me, and over the years have given me invaluable and immeasurable comfort. At times when I have felt inconsolable or have been struggling with an issue that I don’t know how to vocalise, just having one of my dogs nearby is an indescribable relief.

← Especially Roxy. She’s my baby.

Not that I don’t love our smaller two, but we’ve had Roxy for roughly half of my life. I’ve grown up with her, and I feel a special connection to her. I remember sitting on my bed once, upset about one thing or another (I can’t remember what now), and Roxy came up to sit with me. Just having her beside me was a huge comfort, but the best thing? She didn’t judge me. She didn’t run away because I was crying loudly, just let me sob into her fur. She sat with me until I was finished, and then followed me back downstairs, tail wagging.

Her teddy-bear look when her hair grows out is one of the many reasons why she’s so precious to me, but it might also be because she doesn’t want anything more than to be beside you and to be stroked.

    Joey and Tilly have brought me so much joy as well. Tilly’s still got her puppy energy, which means she is normally the only one who still plays. Sometimes Roxy will get a spurt of energy, but it’s rarer nowadays. There’s also no risk of feeling unloved by Tilly: she will find you, and she will lick you. She’s not as into hugs as the other two: she’d much rather bring you one of her toys for you to throw, or jump up and lick your face all over. She’s possibly the most adorable when she’s sleepy, and that’s not just because it’s the only time she’s still. I can’t quite explain it, but there’s something about her face that’s just soft. She’s beautiful.

  Joey is by far the most pampered. He expects to be allowed to sit on your lap no matter what, and is happiest when snuggled against to someone’s warmth. He’s fussy about his food, but by now it’s just endearing how weird he is.

He’s the smallest of the three, but has a huge attitude. I’ve never known another dog like him, and I’ve met quite a few dogs in my 22 years. I love that he’s got such a unique personality, even if that means he’s a little diva, but quite honestly I wouldn’t want him any other way.

  My boyfriend and I have already discussed which dogs we’d like to have as part of our family once we’re in a place that will let us have one (oh, the joys of renting). Neither of us have ever considered a future without a dog. I don’t know if I could handle not being able to have a dog. There’s something about them that I connect with. Whether it’s my dogs or someone else’s dog, I adore their company. I feel a connection with these beautiful animals.

To be honest, I don’t have much more to say, so I’m just going to post some more of my favourite pictures of our little trio ♥

Until tomorrow,

Amy ox

Self-Careathon Day 7: Learn

I really need to learn to actually write these blogs on time… Today I want to talk about self-care in relation to an issue that can affect everyone, whether they suffer from anxiety or not: I want to talk about the importance of knowing how you learn. In my whole academic career, the one thing I have always issued with is figuring out the best way for me to learn any subject, from English to…