Best friends forever?

Writing this post took me a long time. I didn't know how to start but I also didn't want to seem like a complete asshole by offending my so-called 'friend'. Before I start, I just want to say that she's not a bad person, she just wasn't the right person for me.

When we first met it seemed like a our friendship was a destiny. We kinda found each other on the Internet and back then we thought it was just the best thing that could happen. It wasn't. After a couple of years we changed, or maybe only I changed... Whatever it was, our meetings and our 'friendship' was not the same anymore. There was something missing... There was no comfort in meeting her, I wasn't enjoying it and I was only doing it because she was my one and only friend and I was scared to be alone. But after another year it became even worse. Meeting her was like meeting someone for the first time and not in a good way. Every time I was stressed and worried that our conversation would be awkward and that we would have nothing to talk about. In the end I think our conversations were based on the same things. At the beginning it was fine, especially with the fact that we had the same idol and I think that was the one and only thing that was keeping us together. But you can't just talk about the same things over and over again. We didn't know each others secrets because there was no trust in our friendship, she couldn't make me feel better, all she could do was tell me that everything's gonna be alright and that wasn't enough for me. 

As a person who struggles with social interactions so badly I need to someone to push me, to encourage me to try new things and with her it was the opposite, maybe because she was nearly as shy as me and we were just stuck.

I don't know why our friendship has ended. At first I thought it was her fault, but when I think about now I think it was all me. Because I set my expectations so high that she couldn't reach them. I was expecting her to the perfect friend. She wasn't, but that doesn't mean she was bad. She just wasn't enough for me. It might sound terrible but this is how I feel and I think if you don't enjoy being with someone and if they don't bring out what's best in you then you shouldn't waste your time on being with them. Like me and my friend, some people are not meant to be together. 
I think that maybe I'm just meant to be alone for the rest of my life... maybe I don't deserve friends if I can't appreciate them... or maybe, there's someone waiting to be my friend? I don't know. All I know is that I just want to live my life and leave all the people who don't make it any better behind. 
And to my "friend" if you're reading this, I wish you all the best. I hope that you'll be happy and that you'll find a better friend. And also... I'm sorry.

That it I think... If you have any questions or you've been in a similar situation, feel free to leave a comment below!

Much love
Joanna xo

Relationship goals

If you're here to read a soppy story about how I found a perfect boyfriend, you are in a wrong place. Although it is a love story, just a bit different one. It's a story about loving your body and loving who you are. This a story about how I became (as odd as it may sound) my own best friend.

I think that I should start this story by saying that I've never been really fat/overweight, but for a long time I've had a fake image of my own body.
When I was young I've never really paid attention to the way I looked. It all started in high school. I started seeing all these people, who in my eyes were perfect. They were slim and fit, they had nice clothes and make up and I wished to be more like them. I started looking in the mirror and criticizing every single thing about my body. My legs, my stomach, my face, everything... I was never happy with the way I looked.

After a year of hating on myself, I decided to start doing something to make myself feel better. I started working out and it was a bad idea, now let me tell you why...
I'm a really impatient person and I wanted to see the results there and then. It obviously doesn't work like that. After every workout I was checking myself in the mirror to see if I looked any better. I didn't.
Looking back at it, I know exactly why it didn't work.
First of all, my diet was not the best. I was eating a lot of crap because I thought it would make me feel better. Second of all I was doing exercises that were not enjoyable for me. Quickly my workouts became a punishment for me, for my body. This stage of my life lasted for almost three years.

It all changed two years ago when I was doing a list of New Year's resolutions. I know that a lot of people have this on theirs, but I decided that I'm really gonna stick to it. I decided to work out every day and start eating better (I'm still a chocolate addict tho). I try to pick healthier options and I don't feel guilty anymore when I eat a huge piece of cake or a chocolate bar. I also picked workouts that were extremely enjoyable for me. After 6 months I realized that I am kind of addicted to working out and that was the best feeling in the world. Finally, I wasn't exercising to lose fat and to punish my body, I was exercising because I wanted to and I was enjoying every second of it. As I realized that, I started seeing my body in a different light. I started noticing small changes in the way I looked (or maybe I just stopped looking at myself through my flaws). Now two years after committing to this healthy lifestyle I can proudly say that I am happy about myself. I'm happy about the way I look and the way I feel. Of course I still have those days when I just look in the mirror and think to myself "what the hell is wrong with my face?!" and when the bags under my eyes are as big as my school bag, but whenever this happens I try to point out at least 3 things that I love about myself and usually I find a lot more! I really recommend doing this. Just stand in front of the mirror and start counting the things that you like about yourself. You will feel so much better, even if it's something small like "my freckles are cute" or "I like my hair today". Trust me, it might seem weird talking to your reflection, but it really helps. Once you learn how to make yourself feel better and how to cheer yourself up your life will become so much easier.

I also think that my confidence increased when I stopped comparing myself to other people. I realized that I'm never gonna look like a model (mainly because I'm 5'2") and that's ok. I can still be beautiful and feel great in my own body. I chose to accept my flaws, like the fact that the left corner of my lips lifts up whenever I raise my eyebrows because I had Bell's Palsy or the fact that I don't have a gap between my thighs (which I think is not that big of a deal anyway). What I'm trying to say is that your flaws don't define who you are. It takes a lot of time to realize this, but once you do your life becomes 100x better!

I think I'm gonna stop rambling now because this is probably the longest post that I've ever written. At the end, I just want to tell you that you are beautiful in your own way and don't let anyone tell you that you are not and I really hope that you really liked this post and that it has encouraged you and gave you the motivation to start loving yourself. And remember that looks are not the most important thing in life! There's so much more to you than just a thigh gap and flat stomach!

If you guys have any questions, thoughts, want to tell your story or you want to know more about my story, feel free to leave a comment down below!
You can also find me on Twitter @Just__Joanna if you want to tweet me or DM me go ahead!


Much love
Joanna xo

More memories...

I haven't posted anything in such a long time!! I actually have been working on a really cool post, but I want it to be perfect and it takes a lot of time to put everything into words. In the meantime, I decided to share a couple of pictures that I took while exploring my city and also when I was in the middle of nowhere for my annual family holiday. Enjoy :)

22 thinngs I've learned in 22 years

So the time has come... I'm officially 22 even though it doesn't really feel like it.
In this post I've decided to share 22 things that I've learned in those 22 years of my life. Some of them are quite obvious and some of them are more deep, but either way I hope you'll enjoy them!

1. God is good.
2. Your health is the most important thing. Both, physical and mental. Always put your health first before doing anything else.
3. Take care of yourself as you would take care of someone you really love.
4. Learn how to be your own best friend. Love yourself. It's not easy, but it'll make you so much more happy.
5. It's ok to have bad days. Everyone has them. Just remember that a bad day doesn't mean a bad life.
6. Other people are not your opponents. You don't have to compete with them.
7. Enjoy your life. Try to find something positive in every little thing.
8. Success tastes better if you work hard for it.
9. Saying 'yes' to more things can be scary, but that's how most of your best memories are made.
10. Don't take anything for granted.
11. Don't judge other people unless you REALLY know their story.
12. Don't focus on what other people think about you, focus on yourself and your happiness.
13. Exercising is not a punishment, make it fun, enjoy what you do. Your body will appreciate it.
14. Don't criticize yourself. You don't need that in your life.
15. Start every day of your life by saying something nice to yourself. Or at least smile to yourself in the mirror.
16. Cherish the moments spent with your family while you can. The older you get, the less time you will have to hang out with them.
17. You don't need a boyfriend to fit in and prove to others that you can get one. Find someone who will make you a better version of yourself.
18. Social anxiety is not the part of you. Don't let it take over your life. Don't learn how to live with it, learn how to conquer it and live without it.
19. Life is full of tough choices. Choose wisely
20. Learn from your mistakes, that's what they are for.
21. People come and go, don't get too attached.
22. Don't let other people tell you how to live your life. Listen to their advice, but don't let them decide.

I've obviously learned a lot more, but those are the main things that I think everyone should know. I hope you liked this post and found some advice/inspiration. As always, feel free to leave a comment down below if you want to share something with me and others!

Much Love
Joanna xo

Don't stress

Guess who's back?! It's me! I'm finally back! The reason why I decided to write this post is because I just graduated college and now I have plenty of time to do whatever I want. This post is about handling stressful situations. The past few weeks before my graduation have been really stressful for me and now that I no longer have to worry about anything I can share with you some of the general tips and tricks that have helped me survive this crazy time in my life. I know that some of the tips may not work for all of you, but I hope that you'll find some useful pieces.

1. Write down everything. As you may or may not know I'm a huuuge lover of planning, making lists and just writing about everything all the time. I think this is the best way to kinda 'declutter' your brain and also to separate the important things from those a little bit less important. It's also good to make a plan to know how much time a certain task is gonna take and when you can take a break. It really helps to use your time more effectively. A lot of the time when you write down the things that you have to do, you'll find out that they are not actually that hard nd you'll feel so much better knowing that you have everything under control.

2. Don't break your routine. I know that when you have something to do and you're really stressed it's hard to maintain a routine, but breaking it is the worst thing that you can do. Doing something that you are used to helps lower the level of stress and anxiety. For me keeping my daily routine was really important. It wasn't easy, but I was trying really hard to do the things that I do everyday. I was getting up at the same time, I was eating 5 meals a day as always and I was trying to find at least 30 minutes for my workour which I think was one of the very few things that were keeping me sane during that time.

3. Share your fears. Talk to someone about how you feel, write about it online or find someone who's in the same situation. Luckily for me I was going through the whole graduation process with one of the boys from my group. I could always talk to him when things were getting a bit too crazy and we could complain about our supervisor and gossip about him (we both have a really good imagination) and I could always count on him. For me that was really important because usually I have to deal with everything on my own and it's so much harder! Seriously, if you have someone to talk to just do it! And if you're too shy just remember that we all go through those things and it's ok to ask for help!

4. Imagine what's gonna happen after you finish all of the things that are bothering you. For me thinking about what I'm gonna do after I'm finished with all of the work was really helpful. I was imagining myself soaking up in the sun, roller skating, reading ALL the books that I wanted to read for ages and doing other fun stuff. Every time I was panicking I was reminding myself that in two weeks or three weeks time all of this will be done and surprisingly it was really effective!

5. Remember that things get better. This is really important! A lot of the times I write in my diary the things that are worrying me and after a couple of weeks/months I read them back and I realize that it wasn't as hard as I thought at the beginning. I know it's easier said than done, but honestly, there are gonna be situations in our lives that are gonna be tough, but we have to remember that at the end things get better and we are all stronger than we think!

Sooo those are all of my tips. I of course didn't mention all of the classic things like music and stuff, mainly because I've done a post about these a couple of months ago and you can check it out HERE.
I hope that you enjoyed this post and that it was somehow helpful. If you want to share your tips or just want to talk, feel free to leave a comment down below!

Much love
Joanna xo

More thoughts...

This is that time again when I share with you some of the thoughts that have been floating in my head for a while. I don't really know what else to say about this post so let's just jump straight into it, shall we?

• I want to be more independent and get a job, but I'm also scared of all the responsibilities.
• I've been thinking about continuing college and get a master's degree, but I don't know if I can do this because every time I think about it, I get stressed and also I'm tired of learning things and then forgetting them five minutes later because we don't have enough practical tasks at college.
• I wish I could just stop being scared of everything.
• I never appreciate myself. Even when I'm good at something I still doubt myself. I'm the biggest critic of myself and I often think that I could do certain things better. Sometimes it helps because I do everything to be a better person, but sometimes it just sucks and all I want to do is to believe my brain and admit that I'm useless.
• I wish I was more excited for things and I wish I had more desire to try new stuff and go to new places.
• Sometimes I feel like the things that I do make no sense and I don't know what I want to do in life.
• I wish people cared about my life a little bit more.
• I'm so scared of what people are gonna think about me that I just isolate myself from them and I'm slowly getting more and more anti-social and more things make me anxious and uneasy.
• I feel like I can't enjoy my life unless I graduate college and also I feel like it's gonna be so hard and I don't know if I can handle all of this stress.
• I need someone to ensure me that I'm not a complete failure.
• I feel like I do a lot of stuff just to get them done and I don't actually enjoy doing them.
• I don't actually know where I'm going with my life and that really scares me, I mean I know where I want to be and what I want to do, but I don't know how to get there and I'm afraid that I'm never gonna achieve the things that I want to achieve.
• Because I'm quite shy and I don't really like drawing attention to myself, people don't appreciate me and they don't really believe that I'm actually really smart and intelligent and when they find out (usually by accident) they are really impressed. And even though I know that I have to fight for myself and I'm really trying to change my attitude I underrate myself a lot.

I think those are all of the thoughts that I want to share with you. I know That some of them probably don't make any sense to you, but I wanted to share them anyway. As you can imagine, sharing something that is quite personal can be hard, but once you get things off your chest and look at your problems from a different perspective, you can work on the things that are bothering you and also when you write things down, they don't seem as scary anymore.

That's pretty much all I wanted to mention in this post. I really hope you liked it and also let me know if you have any crazy thoughts that are filling up your head, feel free to share them in the comments down below. Also, if you can relate to any of my thoughts, let me know so I don't feel like a complete psycho ;)

Much love
Joanna xo

April & May favourites

It's this time of the month again, not THAT time of the month of course! It's time time when I share with you my favourite things from April and May. The reason why I do this is because I've been so busy recently with writing my bachelor thesis and finishing little bits and pieces for uni and I've been basically buried under many different books about intellectual property law, copyrights, international business and many more... Anyway, I'm done with all that jazz for a moment (until my supervisor rejects my bachelor thesis and I will have to start all over again) and I can share with you a couple of things that I've been using in April and May.

1. Clothes: first thing that I want to mention in this category is this pair of black Nike shoes (this model is called: Nike MD Runner 2 in case you want to buy them) and I've honestly been living in these shoes! They are sooo comfy and I just love how they look and I can wear them with almost every outfit! I also couldn't forget about these beautiful trainers from New Look and again they are such a great addition to every outfit and I thought they would be perfect for summer and also I got them for a 1/3 price so that was a good bonus too.


























2. Entertainment: recently I thought it would be a good idea to start learning a new language as I'm already fluent in Polish and English. Of course I didn't want to go to a course because of college and also a lack of money, but I found a perfect solution. Duolingo app. It's the best thing if you want to learn new language or just improve your current knowledge. This app is really easy to use and every lesson takes like 5 minutes. I decided to start learning Spanish as it's quite popular and also we had exchange students from Spain for a couple of months and I wanted to learn more. This app is of course free and I really highly recommend it!

3. Fitness: surprisingly, I have a lot of favourites in this category because even though I've been busy with college, I did not want to give up on my workouts because I knew I would regret it. All I did was to find a workout that is effective but also short. And I found a perfect one: PIIT (Pilates Intense Interval Training). I've been doing PIIT for two months and I've noticed that my body is stronger than ever and I'm just in good condition. The best thing about PIIT is that it only takes 28 minutes, but is really really effective! I'll leave a link to a playlist so you can check it out to: PIIT.
Another activity that I've been loving is roller skating. My sister encouraged me to buy a pair of rollerblades and it was such a good decision. I just love it so much!

The last thing in this category is another app called Endomondo and this is the best app if you want to track your progress. It shows you everything from the calories that you've burnt to the amount of water that you should drink after your workout! So if you love workin out and you don't have this app you should 100% get it!

I think that this is everything worth mentioning in this post. As I've mentioned before, I didn't have much time to try new things, such as books, make up products and food, but I'm slowly getting back to life so you can expect more posts from me during the summer!

If you enjoyed this post, or if you have any questions or if you just want to chat, feel free to leave a comment down below!

Much love
Joanna xo

Keep calm and...

That's it. Just keep calm. Do not stress about everything and teach yourself how to relax and unwind.
Well... it's easy to say it, but definitely harder to do right? I know it because I struggle with staying calm and with relaxing. That's why I came out with a couple of tips that are great if you have a lot of going on in your life or you're stressed or you just want to have a bit of relaxing time. I thought that these tips could be useful, especially now when exams are coming and everything is getting a bit more hectic.


1. Write down the things that are bothering you. Whether it's just the task you have to do or something that is stuck in your head and you can't get rid of it. Writing is really good. I do that all the time. Even when it's a small thing that bothers me, I still think that writing it down helps a lot. You can then look at the things that you wrote and think if they are really that scary. A lot of times when I write something in my diary and I read it later on, I think to myself "wow that was a really stupid reason to feel that stressed about it". Even right now, when I have a lot of work to do and a lot of projects for college and I have to finish my bachelor thesis, I feel relaxed because I love writing so much!

2. Take little breaks while working. The best thing to do is work for one hour and then rest for 20 minutes. And by "rest" I mean close your computer/book and don't think about work for that little while. You can either make yourself some food or go for a little walk. Let your body and mind calm down and get ready for more work.

3. Exercise! That's the second thing after writing that helps me stay calm and relaxed. Whenever I feel like life is getting a bit too hard or I had a bad day at college, I just roll out my yoga mat and start my workout! The best thing about this, is that you don't have to do anything really hard. You can just go for a walk or do some light exercises or (my personal favorite) you can do a dance party in your room! Trust me, play your favourite songs and start dancing like no one's watching! You will feel 100% better!

4. Make yourself something yummy to eat. Food is life, we all know it. If you feel bad make something good. Something healthy and colorful (smoothies work wonders!) and just enjoy! If you don't feel hungry just make yourself a cup of tea or coffee. It's not only about eating or drinking, but about taking some time for yourself. Even staring at the window and letting your thoughts go is such a great way to reset your brain. If you have time to go out for a meal or a coffee that's great too. Even when I think about sitting in a small cute cafe with a cup of coffee makes me smile!

5. Listen, watch, read. Play your favourite music, sing along if you want to or dance (look at #3). Watch a movie, or watch your favourite TV series for the 1001st time because what's the best way to forget about your problems than watching other people's problems? And lastly... read a book! Works as well as music and movies! You just can leave your problems behind and get lost in a world of your imagination.

Those are all of my tips for staying relaxed and calm. Remember that the things that work for me may not work for you because we're all different, but I really recommend trying these tips and maybe you'll find your perfect one.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, if you did please leave a comment down below and tell me what are your best tips for relaxing!

Much love
Joanna xo

March favourites

Here we are again. End of the month. I can't believe how fast time goes by! For today's post I of course have a couple of things that I've been loving in March and this time I took a little photo of all the things so you can see them (duh). Here are all of my March favourites:

1. Books: this month I found another book from my favourite author and I think that this book was not only my favourite one in March but also my favourite one from this author! I finished it in a couple of hours. The book is called "Shadow games" and was written by Charlotte Link. It is about David Bellino, who receives threatening letters. He thinks that one of his friends wants to kill him for what he did in the past. He invites four of his friends to his house to find out who wants his death.
That's all I can say without giving too much away. I really highly recommend this book to everyone who loves criminals with an intriguing storyline!

2. Accessories: when I first saw this bag I knew that I was gonna buy it. It's not too big and not too small. Just perfect! I can fit all of my essentials in it and I don't look like I carry all of my belongings with me. Also, it has a really simple design so it goes with absolutely everything!

3. Make up: as you may or may not know, I don't wear a lot of make up. I just use some BB cream as my skin is not really bad (touch wood), some eyeshadow and a mascara. This BB cream is apparently new on the market, but I fell in love with it already. It evens my skin tone and is really gentle and I really appreciate it as my skin is quite sensitive. Unfortunately, I think that this BB cream is only available here, in Poland and I'm so sad about because it's so amazing and I wish everyone could try it!

4. Skincare: I'm a big fan of tonics for my face. I especially love using them after my workout to clean my face and feel a little bit more fresh. I had my favourite tonic, but for some reason it was getting more and more expensive, so I decided to find a different one. This Garnier one was on sale, so I thought that I was gonna give it a go and it was the best idea ever! I had a problem with little spots on my forehead and I tried everything to get rid of them and this tonic worked wonders! My skin is looking so much better now! This tonic is a perfect way to refresh your skin and I'm definitely gonna purchase more of these!

5. Random favourites: mints. I know it sounds funny, but these Orbit Mints are really my favourite thing! I'm not allowed to chew gum so these are a life saver! I have two flavours. One is spearmint, classic, and the other one is forest fruits & mint, and these ones are perfect if I'm craving something sweet but also want that refreshing mint taste. Both are so good and I keep buying more and more of them!

That's it for today's post, I really hope that you enjoyed it. If you did, please leave a comment down below and tell me what are your favourite things!

Much love,
Joanna xo

Thoughts...

I think a lot. I think all the time about everything, sometimes I get a little bit lost in my thoughts and I start thinking about weird stuff, but usually my thoughts lead to something really important and in today's post I would like to share with you a couple of those random thoughts that I've collected.

• Sometimes I feel like I don't have the right to love my body because I'm not skinny and that's really wrong, because you should love your body no matter what size you are!

• I hear people saying "how can he/she be happy with a body like that?". This is not alright. We have to learn that humans come in all sizes and that your body doesn't define who you are as a person!

• The fact that I work out doesn't mean that I hate my body. It means that I love my body so much and I want to take care of it because if I don't do it then nobody's gonna do it for me.

• You can insult someone in a lot of ways so be careful with your words.

• I don't wear makeup to cover my flaws, I wear makeup because I want to and because I enjoy it. You don't have to wear makeup just because you're scared that people are gonna judge you if you don't. We are all beautiful.

• Sometimes I feel like a goddess and sometimes I feel like crap. This is how life is. We all feel that way and you should not let those bad days define your whole life. A bad day does not mean a bad life.

• Success feels 100% better if you put a lot of work to achieve it.

• I always stress out too much about everything, but it's almost never worth it.

• The feeling of getting stronger and stronger with every workout that I do is the best thing ever.

• Sometimes I feel like I'm such a disappointment for people that meet me. I feel like a lot of people think "oh, I thought she was different". I don't know why I feel this way, but I'm always trying to stop those thoughts because I know that this is not true and people enjoy my existence.

• I really want to find a good job after college. I can't wait to buy my own house and be more independent. I'm a little bit scared, but still really excited for what the future holds for me.

I think those are all of the thoughts that I want to share with you today. I really enjoyed writing them down because I feel like sometimes my brain is just overflowing and it's always good to empty it a little bit.

I hope that you enjoyed this post. Feel free to leave a comment down below if you enjoyed it or if you want to share your thoughts!

Much love

Joanna xo

February favourites

I can't believe February is almost over! It's shocking, but also really exciting because that means that SPRING IS COMING!!! It's my second favorite season! The days are getting brighter, birds start singing, everything is colorful and just better in general.

But before spring comes here are my favorite things from February:

1. Favourite song. Obviously I couldn't just pick one song because I have way too many favourites. But this month I've been listening to a lot of Disney's songs. I don't what it is about those songs, but they just make me really happy. When I listen to them, I always have a smile on my face and I immediately start singing along! I've become a little bit obsessed with Disney but there's nothing wrong about that right? C'mon, I'm sure we all have a little bit of a Disney princess inside of us! Or a prince charming!

2. Favourite TV show. This is an exciting one because the only TV show that I've watched from the first episode to the last one was "My Mad Fat Diary". The show that I've been obsessed with in February is called "Mr. Robot" and is amazing! Even though I wanted to throw my laptop and my phone through the window after watching it. I'm not really good with describing things like this so I'm gonna put a link to the imbd page so you can check it out. I promise you won't regret it!! I finished the show in like 3 days and I can not wait for the second series!

3. Favourite book. I've only read two this month, but they were both really good. As you may or may not know from one of  my previous posts I'm a big fan of criminals so my favourite book in February was obviously a criminal.

The book I'm talking about is called "The bone collector" and was written by Jeffery Deaver and is quite an old one but it's a really good psychological thriller.

The plot is so unpredictable and you never know what's gonna happen next. I seriously couldn't put it down! 

Actually, I've also watched a movie based on this book which was good, but not as good as the book. 
So if you're like me and you really like criminals, you're gonna love this book!

4. Favourite piece of clothing. For this one I'm actually posting a picture (not a really good one) so you can see better. I got this jumper in the beginning of February and I AM IN LOVE WITH IT! I got it in C&A and it's the coziest and the most comfortable jumper I've ever had! Plus, it has the cutest print on it! Oh, and did I mention that Minnie's head is covered in glitter?! It's so sparkly and I just love it so much! 

5. Random favourite. This month I got a new phone. It's not that random, but I wasn't really planning on getting a new phone, but my old one broke so it was kinda unexpected. When I got that phone I could not believe how much faster it is compared to my old one. Everything on this phone is better than in my old one. I just love it so much. It has a really good camera, great processor speed (I'm not an expert, but my brother told me that it's good) and the most important thing... I don't have to charge it every five minutes and I don't have to worry about it dying in the middle of the day! The phone that I got is Prestigio Muze C3 and I'm really pleased with it so far.

Those are all of my February Favourites. Hope you likes this post. If you want to feel free to add a comment down below!

Much love

Joanna xo

Love yourself

First thing first... this is not a review of Justin Bieber's song. In fact, this post is about loving who you are every single step of the way.

I thought it would be a good idea to bring up this problem because I know a lot of people struggle with this.
I have to say that I've been through the same thing a couple years ago. I felt ugly, fat, stupid, not good enough... the list goes on and on, but now I feel pretty confident about myself. Of course I still have those days when I feel down and I don't even want to leave my house, but I'm trying to get over that feeling as fast as possible and to do that you have to learn how to become your best friend.

Only you can change yourself. You have to feel good in your own body and you have to love yourself before you start loving other people. I have four steps/tips on how to start loving yourself and how to be more happy and positive.

1. Don't compare yourself to others. I think this is the most important thing in order to start loving yourself. This doesn't mean that you can't look for an inspiration in other people, but just don't try to compete with them! You are your own definition of success and the only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday. I've heard those quotes when I was working out with blogilates and they really inspire me to be a better person. Also, her workouts help me feel better inside and out! I look better, I smile more and I learnt how to love my body every step of the way!

2. Failure does not define you. It's ok to fail. Failure is a part of our lives and it doesn't mean that you're a bad person. Failures makes us stronger and we learn from them. Don't hate yourself just because you failed once or twice at something. Just keep going!

3. Spoil yourself. Take some time for yourself if you need it. We all need to be alone for a little bit. Get some "me time". Play your favorite music, read a book, make yourself a mini spa in your house. Just do something for yourself. It doesn't have to be something big. Sometimes even the smallest thing, like making yourself a cup of hot chocolate or a cup of coffee can make you feel better! It's also alright to reward yourself for your successes, even when it's a little one. Buy yourself a nice dress or a bracelet or a bath bomb because you really deserve it and don't let other people tell you different!

4. Take care of yourself as you would take care of someone you really care about. This is pretty self explanatory. When your family or your friends feel bad you don't hate on them, you help them get through that hard time and that's what you should do with yourself! Take care of your mind and of your body. Treat yourself as you would treat your significant other!

I really hope that you liked this post and that it was at least a bit helpful!
You you have anything to share, please leave a comment down below!

Much love!
Joanna xo

Set your mindset

In this post I want to talk about changing the way you see the world and your problems and how to live a happier life.

A couple of months ago, I decided to change my mindset and start being more positive. I saw a little quote which was about laughing when things are really tough, so when you look back at your year you're gonna think "wow, it really was a great year". I thought it was a good idea because when you can't change something, why not just laugh about it?

Now, I'm the first one to say this and the last one to actually do it. I'm still learning how to do it and I think I'm doing a pretty good job. I obviously still get stressed over the smallest things because that's just how I am, but now whenever I'm in a stressful situation I'm always looking for a bright side of it.
It's not always easy, I'm not gonna lie. Especially when you're like me and you hate when things are not going exactly how you planned them, but it is possible.

Recently I've noticed that I whenever something goes wrong instead of stressing about it forever, I just think about all the good things in life and I tell myself that it's just one small thing in my life and in a month I'm not even gonna remember it. Surprisingly, it works, not every time, but most of the times. I started to enjoy life instead of worrying all the time.

At the end of this post I just want to give you a little advice.
You can choose the way you feel. Only you can change your mindset. You choose your happiness.
I promise that when you learn how to see the bright side of every situation, your life would be so much easier.

That's it for today's post. I hope you liked and that it was helpful.
If you have any tips on how to be happy, please leave them in the comments down below.

See you soon!
Joanna xo

January favourites

For this post I decided to share a couple of things that I really liked in January. I thought it would be a short post as I don't have that much time with finals going on.

I picked a couple of things and put them in different categories. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I really didn't even have the time to do them.

The first category is body products and I have one favorite thing that I bought at the beginning of the year and the reason why I bought it was the fact that I really don't like moisturizing my body because I don't like that my body is sticky afterwards and I can't put on any clothes and it take forever to dry.
When I saw this product I knew that I would love it! I'm talking about Alterra Orange and Vanilla Shower Cream. I picked it because I've tried some of Alterra products and I loved them! They only use natural ingredients and that's always a good thing. I love this product because it's a shower cream and a moisturizer at the same time and it leaves my skin all smooth without that sticky feeling! Also... it's smells like a cheesecake and who doesn't want to smell like a cheesecake?

Next category is make up and my favourite product of this month was Maybelline Lash Sensational. I usually don't wear a lot of make up so I always make sure that the products that I use are really good and that mascara is honestly the best I've ever had. It just looks amazing and makes my eyes pop! I've also seen a 'super black' version somewhere and I really want to try it!

Another category is fitness. I honestly don't know how I survived without this. My new yoga mat. It's the best thing ever! I bought it in a supermarket (weird, I know) but it's such a good quality! it's thick, it has 3 layers which makes working out super comfortable and what's even more important, it's not slippery at all so I don't have to worry about breaking my leg or something.

The last category is food. Oh yeah, I love me some good food! When I decided to start a healthier lifestyle I started paying attention to what I put in my body. Now, it's all about eating less processed food and eating more of the natural things. This month I decided to give Greek yogurt a try. I've never been a fan of this product because it wasn't sweet enough for me and it's been quite sickening, but I think because I'm older, my taste buds have changed and I'm starting to like things that I've never liked before and Greek yogurt is one of them. What I love the most about it is the fact that you can eat it with everything! Granola, fruits, honey, oats... EVERYTHING! And it's cheap and that's always a good feature for a poor college student like me ;)

That's all for today's post. It was my first ever post with favorites and I really hope you liked it!
Also comment down below what was your favorite thing this month!
See you soon!
Joanna xo

Planning

I love planning and I plan every single thing in my life. I do this mostly to reduce my anxiety. I don't like unexpected things and I hate not having a control. I know that I can't control my life completely, but I can at least do something to make it more organized and easier.

In order to do that, I created my own planning routine (yes, I have a planning routine) and I thought it would be a good idea to share it with you. It only contains 3 steps, but it's really effective and works perfectly for me.

The first step is monthly tasks. I do that at the end of every month and I plan all the big things that don't really have a specific time, but I have to do during a month, such as dentist appointments, birthday gifts or Christmas gifts etc.

The second step is weekly plan where I basically make a list of the things that I have to do during a certain week just to see what I have to do and how much time I will need to do everything. Because I'm a student, I have a lot of exams and essays and other things that I have to do to pass so I put all the deadlines/exam dates in my calendar and then I also plan the days when I'm gonna study just to make sure that I'll be ready for all my exams. I also give private English lessons so I put them in my calendar as well.

The last step is daily tasks. I plan a certain day a night before and those are usually small planes like shopping, my workouts, meals etc.

That's the end of my planning routine. It might not make sense for you, but it is so helpful for me and maybe you can find it useful too.

I hope you liked my post and let me know in the comments if you have any special routines to stay organized!

See you soon!
Joanna xo