My Drama At My Old Flat.

This has taken me a while to write about, but I think I am ready to talk about it.

So, backstory. I started talking to this girl back in June/ July time in 2020. We were on the same University course, and also the same flat! I thought she was quite pretty, but I wasn’t talking to her because of that reason. She was really cool, and made me laugh a lot.

We would FaceTime almost every day, besides the days where we would be on a phone call when she was walking her dog. It was cool. Before this, I had never really spoken to anybody on the phone before, I had that anxiety, but she definitely helped dissipate that.

It wasn’t until August, where our first hurdle began. Once of my school friends had recently started talking to her. They were not going to the same Uni, nor were they anywhere near each other. I felt a vein of jealousy, but I was more concerned for her. This friend had never displayed any creepy vibes, but I was unsure of his intentions. Eventually, I asked her to stop talking to him, it did make me feel uncomfortable. At this time, we had specified that we did not want a relationship or anything other than friends between each other.

Before University started, we did stop talking as much and calling. This was a result of my feelings being blatantly obvious. But, when I recall, I wasn’t that star struck.

Then it came to moving in. We were so excited to see each other. Though we had been talking the night before, it was ungodly weird to see her in real life. I was so awkward and nervous, though I knew her so well.

Then, the second day came about, we were set to do drinks in the night. I had met up with my friend during the day, which was awesome. But, once I got back we were ready to go. Obviously it started slowly, I’m not much of a drinker, but thought I should have a few at least. It got to around 10pm, and the idea suddenly sprung up in her mind of sleeping with me. Bearing in mind that neither of us were drunk, we were quite sober, I was shocked to hear it. As the night went on, I thought I should go to bed, as I have lectures in the morning. She blocked the door, and did not want me to leave. As she kept drinking, and I did too, she asked me again, and I said to her, “We are too drunk, we should talk about this when we were sober”. This was how I truly felt, and she respected that.

The night turned, and one of my flatmates had thrown up everywhere on the floor. Whilst they dealt with cleaning it up, I had started to feel incredibly drunk and sick. Being a non drinker, this feeling was weird! Once this was sorted, one of my other flatmate’s entertained the idea of myself and “her”. I still said no. Then we got the drunk flatmate sorted, but this time it was close to 2 AM in the morning. I was exhausted and drunk. This same idea came up again, to the point where she came onto me and sent everyone to bed. Long story short, nothing much happened after that. We were way too tired, and I could barely keep my eyes open.

After this night, everything changed. I had a lot to think about, since she had mentioned she “loved” me at one point in the night. My feelings were confused and unclear. We spoke the next morning, both clarified that we shouldn’t do it again, cool the air was clear. I said the night was fun, though it got interpreted as if I was talking about her. Rule #1: Always specify what you are talking about. It became increasingly awkward between myself and her, I wanted to give her space, when she wanted me to comfort her. We even recorded a tik tok together of the ghost meme, it was really funny, but it was so forced that it was uncomfortable. She was still upset, after speaking to the other flatmate, she told me her distress.

So, I did what any person would do. I apologised a few times. Rule #2: Never apologise when you don’t know why you are apologising. It made the responses come across disingenuous and rude, hence the situation escalated.

This is where it gets out of hand. I began to feel a sense of isolation from the rest of my flat. Whenever I walked into the kitchen, it would become desolate and quiet. I realised this straight away, trying to ignore it. But after some time, it didn’t work.

I started hiding in my room, only going into the kitchen when nobody was there. I cooked all of my meals when nobody was there, 6 AM in the morning. It takes a lot for me to be down, but my mind was out of control then. I would overthink everything, to the point where I felt as if my brain would explode.

So, I left. After 3 weeks, I left my flat. She spoke to me on my train journey home, and it seemed like we cleared up the air. I felt good, deserving my break.

After this, the state of COVID got worse, and we were about to go into another Lockdown. Obviously, I wasn’t going to go back to uni now, there was no point, and I did not want to be stuck there. Staying at home with my parents, was the best decision I made all year. It gave me time to think about what I’ve done, and what I want to do. I want to create, I want to live and give 100%. But I can’t do that living in my percieved failure. I thought everything was my fault. Basically, I thought I had ruined her life.

It took a shimmer of light to get me out of this hole; my mother. I spoke to her about the issue, and how I felt about it all. She asked me one simple question ” What have you done wrong?”. I went upstairs and wrote it down, when I looked at it, I realised I had not done much wrong. I’m not perfect, but everything wasn’t my fault. My escape rope was given to me, and I clung onto it with two hands. Rule #3: Talk to those you trust about your problems.

Another week passes, and I reach out to her, to ask how she is doing. Just after the party, I did bombard her with texts, trying to be over-friendly, to act as though we were over it, in reality we weren’t. She replied with the usual one word answer, but when I brought up that we still have to live together, she responded fully. She said (paraphrase) usually those when they make a fuck up as big as this, they are cut immediately from her life. This was my breaking limit, and I exploded in my response, outlining how this was not just my fault, in reality nothing much happened, but the situation had escalated out-of-hand. Rule #4: Always stand up for yourself.

As I have spoken about in a previous blog, I felt like I had finally left my hole, there was only one more thing to do, leave the flat. I had learned so much, and hurt a lot too. But, in a weird way, I’m kind of grateful that it happened. If it hadn’t, I don’t think I would have met the amazing people I have, spoken to my biological father, or learned so much about myself that I can break past my previous boundaries. I am not the same person, I think I am a better person because of it. Rule #5 There is gratitude to be found in every situation.

I have no hate towards any of those involved, but this post is a cathartic way of ‘closing the chapter’ as my mum phrased it.

Let’s go.

Thank you so much for reading this, take care!

Note: I’m not a guru!

Moving Flats!

Due to the drama that occurred in my previous flat (will be discussed in another post) I only saw it right for me to move out, and find my sense of happiness again.

Minor backstory, there was a dislike present between myself and some other members of the flat. There was no big wrongdoing, besides a minor sexual tension between myself and the big leader of the flat. It was something neither of us could anticipate, but it happened and we had to deal with it.

Why do I bring this up, well my dear reader! It is because the fallout created increasing unhappiness for me and for her. Though attempts were made to correct this, it is important to note that you cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people around you. One of my favourite quotes from ‘The Minimalists – http://www.theminimalists.com’. I have no feelings of hatred towards her, but our friendship ( for now) cannot be fixed. Feelings of isolation and depressive episodes were present for me, and when I’m paying £6000 for accommodation fees, I better be enjoying my stay. It is okay to be selfish, you are your main character.

The moving process took a couple of hours. This happened during the Coronavirus Pandemic (for future readers- I hope!) meaning only I could be there to move all of my stuff into my car and to the new place. Luckily I had left some boxes in my flat ( I haven’t lived there in over 2 months) to help move my stuff, it is almost like I anticipated it!

These boxes were heavy. If I wasn’t a minimalist before, I definitely will declutter now. It was so annoying!

My new place is great though, my room has its own air freshner, and it looks really comfy. My old place gave me knockoff Pot Noodles, my new place gave me Original!

I think this will be good 🙂

Thanks for stopping by, remember I am not a guru.

Onwards and Upwards!

I am back! This time better than ever.

I do feel a bit of guilt for abandoning this blog, but I found it was the right thing to do since all that has been happening over the past few weeks.

So, I have been studying at my university for my assignments that were due in just before Christmas. They have been lots of hard work, but I have found them to be rewarding once you hit the ” Submit” button. Before, back in Secondary school, I would not care as much when it came to homework and tasks. I would do them as soon as I got them yes, but I would not soak in the information from the tasks to apply this to my understanding. This made them pointless.

This is one of the first things i have begun to comprehend, is to Engage with your work. What i mean by this is to not only complete your homework, or tasks, but to consider “What is this telling me?”.

Let’s say for example, you are doing a maths question, focussed around pythagoras’ theorem. You answer the question. Done, easy peasy and off to relax-town. But, if you asked yourself what it was teaching you, it would become clear the task was showing you when to use it, on right-angled triangles only!

Besides the maths lesson, looking at the bigger picture should always be at the forefront of your mind. Not to the point where you overthink life entirely, but enough for you to learn the reasoning behind certain actions and tasks.

In social situations, the ‘bigger’ picture concerns the “Why” in people’s behaviour. For example, I was driving on the dual carriageway recently, and this woman was constantly beeping at me. I was driving at 70, and was following the road rules, but I couldn’t understand why she was beeping. I could easily get angry and try to react, but I thought to myself, I don’t know this woman, something may have happened in her life to make her act this way. People should be treated the way they wish to be treated, but if others fail to meet that criteria, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t either.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, remember I’m not a guru.

Stand Up for Yourself

Today was the day i finally did it. I stood up for myself.

So here is just some anonymous backstory.

Back in late September, I had made a mistake. I fell for the wrong girl. I think the correct phrase to use would be a “One Night Stand”. Flashfoward, I did not know how to handle this. Being in a contained environment, I thought it would be easiest to give her and myself some space. This was not the case, as it was interpreted to be an act of selfishness and avoidance, cowardice from tackling the real issue, how was she feeling.

Of course, I later realised this and reacted in the best way I thought possible. I sent her long messages about how sorry I was, conditioning myself into thinking this was all my fault.

That is where the downward spiral started.

I hated myself, I regretted everything that had happened, and yet i tried to put on a brave face. I went home, and confided in family and friends. This was the closest I have come to a Depressive episode, but I have not been diagnosed.

It only occurred to me a couple days ago, that I have been conditioned into thinking that everything was my fault. This isn’t the case. Everybody makes mistakes, but I had taken the responsibility of the whole world on my shoulders. Her friends and her had made me feel completely isolated and hated, misinterpreting the event to be almost criminal, though it was a mutual honest mistake.

So what have I learned, you should ALWAYS stand your ground. No matter the event, no matter the circumstances, make sure your voice is heard. Once I had stood up to her

Unus Annus

So, here it is, the last hour of Unus Annus. If you are unaware of what it is, it is a YouTube Channel created by Markiplier and CrankGamePlays, centred around the idea of death, and memento mori.

The channel was designed to be deleted exactly 365 days since its creation. The have the timer present in every single video, reminding you of how much time is left. Now we have come to the end of the road, exactly an hour left to experience what this channel had to offer.

Now the videos aren’t just “Cooking with sex toys” or getting tased and pepper sprayed, they demonstrated a deeper meaning. We all have a limited time on this earth, with a small amount that we can do in this time. Mark and Ethan have both exemplified that we should cease evey single moment of every day to do what you want in your life.

The end is now here, are you ready? You may not be. No one knows how much time they have left. It is time to let go, remember, celebrate. Go out and live their message: Memento Mori, Unus Annus.

Goals and Dreams

Our goals are important. They are what urges us to get up in the morning; brush our teeth, work out, walk the dog and get to work. Our Dreams play in par with this. We stick to our goals so we can follow our dreams.

I have struggled with my goals and dreams for a long time. I try to set myself a goal, to accomplish a task, but i have never had a clear dream. When i was younger, i thought i was meant to be an electrician, because it was solid money and would make my parents proud. I have wanted to be a psychologist, because I love understanding and helping people, though the idea came from idolising someone else, and what they had accomplished.

Is this a bad thing? No, everyone has people they look up to. Look at the big companies: Apple, Tesla and Microsoft. I would be lying that I have never dreamt I was successful as Tim Cook. But there is a distinct difference between idolising and being inspired by successful figures. Though i will not be implementing Tim’s impressive work ethic, I would implement his dedication and passion for his job. When you love what you are doing, you will be more inspired to continue working. This is not something that hasn’t been said before. Falling in love with your work will help you achieve your goals, consequently achieving your dreams.

But, it is not so cut simple. If your working in a dynamic industry, such as social media, doing the work does not guarantee your success as an “influencer”. You have to adapt, overcome your obstacles and be unique. There is no set process to success. You have to make a commitment and stick to it.

With goals and dreams, it is difficult to complete the goals without the dream. I have struggled with this for a long time now, but I think I have found one.

I want the world to be a better place because I was apart of it Life is a bitter sweet amount of time, our lives are our memories. So if we don’t have memories, then who are we really. Though I am unsure of the right direction for my life to go in, it is fair to say that if I can improve the world, just a little bit, because I was here, my job is done.

My best advice for those without direction or a dream, no matter what age, you will find something that you will fall in love with. There is no direction in life you need to go, there are windy roads that take you down all sorts of paths. But, by making smart decisions, even over little things such as the food you eat, you will find the right roads leading to the right destination.

I won’t let fear hold me back anymore.

So for a bit of context, i am a 18-year-old University student in the UK. I’m studying Psychology, but i have found that i am really bored. I get on with my work, do well in tests, but i am left with all of this free time. I don’t know what to do with it. Usually, i would just go on my phone, and watch YouTube to pass the time, until the end of the day. Due to this, i have been unable to learn what makes me happy, and what i like to do.

I constantly stress about what will make me successful in the future.

I want to be successful, but i always second guess myself. Any decision i make, i will interrogate myself afterwards until the decision is either changed or removed. Just recently i bought myself the new Apple Watch, but my mind will say to me “You don’t deserve this, and it will make you poorer in the future”. There has been an abundance of times where i have sold things because i don’t feel like i deserve them.

This low self-esteem is too toxic, and now i have begun to realise this. I need difference and change in my life if i have any chance at being happy. I am going to leave this time behind me . I have wanted to commit to doing YouTube videos, so why the heck not give it a try?I wanted to improve my art skills, then just do it! Shia Laboeuf does put it very clearly. No more fear for the future, i’ll make a decision and go with it. Life has no time for regrets and drawbacks.

Moving away from Home

The day this happens, is one of the most daunting, exciting and anxiety-inducing that you will experience in your life. When you move out from your home, for the first time, it is a big event.

This happened for me over a month ago, when moving to University. The car was rammed with chopping boards, food and kitchen accessories ( not excluding clothes!). Coming from someone who likes to live with less, i was overwhelmed by how much i was taking with me on this journey. This is a key point: Control your stress. I have this bad habit, when i get overloaded; usually when having things, do not take this out on others. This feeling will pass, but your actions last forever. Though nothing big occurred, it is clear to me now in hindsight, don’t be a dick.

Another key point: Take into consideration how others feel. The day of the move, my parents came down with me to help get everything sorted. My anxiety had never been so high, unfortunately it overtook my mind. I was unable to understand how my parents were feeling about the situation. I thought they would be fine, almost better off without me. This isn’t the case. Understanding how others feel is important to developing as a person, making you more likable.

When it came to saying farewell, it was emotional and hard. I understand that it was necessary for me to just go in and get settled, but i didn’t want to let go. But, the hardest moments is when you know change is needed. In this case, the change was necessary.

Once i had settled in, the situation improved and i felt so much calmer. What i learned from this day was to go for what scares you. Whether this be a lifestyle change, or a new career, if there is an opportunity for you to do something, your gut is telling you but you are being held back by fear, just do it.

Now, that was a mouthful, but seriously try it!

Hey!

Good morning, afternoon or evening reader! My name is Thomas, and welcome to my blog.

This is where i will be discussing personal development, productivity and anecdotal events in my life, and what i have learnt from them.

Would love you to join on the journey!

🙂

Everybody is on their phones too much

This is a topic that I have been overlooking and observing for the past few months. After a clear example of what I am feeling, it seems poignant that I express my view on my site.

Everybody is on their phones too much.
For example, when I was on a dog walk today, there was two people. One, who was on the phone to their friend whilst walking their dog, ignoring their pet who only wants their attention to through their ball. They were texting just before I saw them, but it was clear that they were hooked on their phone.

Then there is the other person, me. I was walking with my dog; playing fetch and having fun. The other dog came over to play with us, the owner came to get her and apologised for the intrusion, claiming the dog was “annoying”. It is clear to me now where the owner’s care lies, and it is definitely not with the dog.

The realisation of how my generation has increasingly become attached to our phones has stifled me into a new way of life. I used to spend all my time on my phone. Ironically, I am writing this blog post on my phone, but I feel it is right to do so, because there is no alternative.

Our phones are a treasure and a curse. They give us many benefits, but also have the ability to absorb us away from what’s important.

Recently, I’ve stopped plugging music into my ears when I am out and about (besides workouts) and I have found so many benefits. For example, I feel as though I am more in touch with my surroundings, than ever before. I enjoy nature so much now and before I was so glued down to my phone, that I never looked up.

My m