birthday

Last month I turned 25.  I always find birthdays quite difficult and stressful – I put so much pressure on myself to have a perfect, stress-free, love-filled day that inevitably I always end up disappointed.  This year I was determined to have a stress-free birthday, and while it was the best birthday I’ve had for years, it still had its stressful moments.

So, inspired by my friend Jo Moore’s birthday post – Being 25 and Learning to Like Myself – I’ve decided to start a new tradition and celebrate all the great things I’ve done each year around my birthday.  I hope that this positive post series will help me feel proud and accomplished when the date comes around each year, and help towards my goal of liking myself. 🙂

What I did as a 24 year old:

  • Completed Couch to 5k and ran a 5k Race for Life
  • Played 20+ gigs
  • Performed in front of 500 people
  • Released a live EP
  • Tried yoga after years of wanting to do it
  • Moved in with my partner and redecorated together
  • Got 2 tattoos (here and here)
  • Appeared on TV
  • Started CBT and worked on my low self-esteem
  • Became the secretary for the Swansea Feminist Network
  • Spent a fortnight in Japan (my first time in Japan, my first time outside of Europe, my first long-haul flight, my first holiday without my parents, and the furthest I’ve ever travelled!)
  • Became the co-chair of the Swansea Uni LGBT+ Staff Network
  • Tabled at 3 zine events
  • Wrote and published 3 zines
  • Went surfing for the first time
  • Got a new desk job that I love and am good at
  • Worked in a print shop for a month
  • Completed a vocal technique online course
  • Redesigned my website
  • Went to Alive in Berlin and had one of the best weekends of my life!
  • Travelled abroad alone
  • Visited Germany for the first time
  • Performed live on the radio twice
  • Attended my first Comic Con and cosplayed for the first time
  • Played my first music festival
  • Came off my antidepressants for the first time since I started taking them 5 years ago
  • Played 3 corporate gigs
  • Came out to my work colleagues
  • Sold a load of my junk at a car boot sale and made £100
  • Learned some Japanese phrases
  • Went for 2 minibreaks in London with my bf
  • Set up a regular newsletter
  • Did a DIY photoshoot
  • Made a pillow fort
  • Visited the UK’s best beach (Rhossili)
  • Made a (tiny) profit from my music career, for the first time!

IMG_5491

feminist tattoo swanseaIMG_5404

My hopes for my year as a 25 year old (I set my proper goals every year in January, so these are more like overarching hopes for my year of being 25 years old):

  • Finish my 2014 scrapbook, and start a 2015 one in the new year.
  • Record more material
  • Release at least 1 EP
  • Play more gigs
  • Add lots of new products to my shop
  • Run a 10k
  • Keep doing yoga, maybe as often as 3 times a week
  • Generally get fitter
  • Set up a morning routine and a bedtime routine, and stick to them!
  • Read more books, zines and comics
  • Grow my own herbs and vegetables
  • Be calmer and happier

rhossili bay swansea gower beachradio tircoed on the radio

IMG_4615Alive in Berlin party

torii gate Miyajima Japan Hiroshima

 


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