12 Things I Learned In 2014

I've seen quite a few bloggers do these posts as we've now entered a new year and I've got a lot to reflect on, so here are 12 things that I learned over the 12 months of 2014.

1. Live your life for yourself. People will always try to dictate to you how you should and shouldn't be living your life. Don't let people tell you what you should be doing and don't allow people to tell you that you can't do something, that it's not feasible to do something. Do what YOU want to do and when YOU want to do it (of course, as long as it's safe and not putting yourself or others in danger.)
2. Be kind to others. It costs you nothing to be nice to somebody, whether it's just a smile or letting somebody know they mean a lot to you. Kindness goes a long way and even brightens up somebody else's day. Treat others how you wish to be treated.
3. Try not to take everything to heart. I'm quite a sensitive person and through this year, I've had jobs at call centres where people have shouted abuse at me and I took it personally. The same applies for relationships with people. I've learned to shrug things off a bit more easily.
4. Try your best. That's all anyone can ask of you. Even if you fail, you should be proud of yourself that you thought "fuck it, let's give it a go" and gave it your best shot.
5. I am not worthless. I am good enough. I've had a really tough time coming to terms with a lot of things in 2014, especially towards the end of it. I need to realise that I am a unique individual and everybody is different. I shouldn't compare myself to others and feel like I'm always competing. I'm going to battle hard to get the confidence and self love I deserve.
6. Clean body, clean mind. One thing I'm going to try and do in 2015 is keep a solid diet and exercise routine in place. I have bipolar II disorder, so I find it very difficult to stick to one thing. One day I'll be all pro healthy eating and the next I'll flip completely to McDonalds and chocolate bars. I found that when I did keep healthy eating up last year, my mood was a lot more stable as my blood sugar wasn't fluctuating so much so I'm going to try and keep a stable lifestyle.
7. Do no harm, but take no shit. I've learned not to let people walk all over me and to stand my ground. I personally don't think I'm a bad person. I'm not spiteful, I don't say things to upset others (well, not deliberately at least) and I stick by the people closest to me, but just because I do all these things does not mean I have "mug" stamped across my forehead. I've been a lot more vocal the past year with my opinions and views on certain topics and I'm no longer scared to speak up when someone does or says something that I find offensive. 
8. Find something you enjoy and pursue it. I've ummed and ahhed about career choices and what I want to do and I think I've finally found a career path I want to follow. Though 2014 was full of crappy jobs and leaving college with only one A-Level, I want to turn this year around and pursue something I'm passionate about, regardless of money. 
9. Appreciate your loved ones. I so often forget to tell my family and friends that I love them and that they mean a lot to me and this is something that I want to change. My parents have been the backbone of my support system this year; my dad especially. When I've been feeling at my worst, he's sat up with me 'til gone two or three in the morning and I'm not sure he even knows how much those chats have meant to me. It's important to value the people who mean the most to you.
10. Acknowledge both your strengths and your weaknesses. It's important to know what you're good at and what you're not so good at. Continue to work on your strengths so that you're forever growing and learning but take your weaknesses into consideration. If your weakness is in the work place, can you learn from it? Can you teach yourself it? If it's something more personal, can you turn it around and make it a strength? Accept your flaws as ways to better yourself each day.
11. Don't be ashamed of your past. I've had a hard time accepting things that I've done or haven't done in the past, mainly based around my mental illness. For a while, I didn't want anybody to know that I had bipolar, mainly because of the amount of stigma behind mental health issues, but now I talk about it openly and I embrace it as it's given me more of an insight into mental health. I'm not saying that I like living with it because god knows how much upset it's caused me and how many days I spent in bed last year because of it, but you can take it on board and accept that it is part of who you are and you can build upon it. You don't have to let it consume you, you can be proactive and take steps to feel better, which is mainly why I started this blog.
12. Enjoy yourself. Don't be afraid to laugh or smile, as cheesy as it may sound. Smile at strangers. Laugh so hard your tummy hurts afterwards. Surround yourself with people who make you happy. Enjoy life. Take advantage of the opportunities presented to you and don't be afraid to be proud of yourself. 

So that's my list of things from 2014. I hope I grow more as a person this year and I become strong enough to kick my illness in the butt and start a new chapter for myself.

I pinched the photo from my good friend Courtney O'Flaherty as I'm still trying to work out what sort of images I want on my blog, so check out her pictures here.

Over and out, Rachel x