EXCITING NEWS!

Oh hey there blog friends! I don't know if you're wondering why it's been so silent around here on my blog, but the reason for it is this. I've moved blog hosts from blogger to wordpress. The reason why is I find wordpress is so much easier to make my own and customise, so since I'm blogging more and more these days I thought I'd make the transition now!

If you'd like to continue reading by blogposts, my new web address is...

hervalueaboverubies.wordpress.com

My Year Abroad Diary - One Week to Go!

Year Abroad is here. The adventure which once seemed so far away has arrived. I'm feeling all the emotions ever created in this really sudden run up to the start.

I guess I should tell you where I'm going... Well first of all this summer I'm off to Dutch-speaking Belgium to au pair for a bilingual Dutch/French-speaking family. From what I've seen the family seem lovely, the kids seem adorable and the house and area look beautiful! I'm so excited to be their au pair, it's such a wonderful opportunity and I can't wait to meet them, but the dual language thing scares me. Considering I study three languages I should be okay at switching from one to the other, but using them almost side-by-side seems like a bit of a challenge! Also I'm scared of being lonely, how do you go about meeting people? I've spent my entire life in the education system where you kind of have in-built friends, so suddenly being launched into a situation without that network is a tad unsettling... And on top of that, as a Christian having the strong support of my church family has always been really important to me, and living with two Christians who challenge and encourage me in following Christ this past year has been such a huge blessing that I don't know what I'll do without them!

After my two months in Belgium I have a bit of a break and some breathing room in England before going off to Köln in Germany for a Teaching English as a Foreign Language course. Then it's time to head down south to Baden-Württemburg to start work as language teaching assistant in a school! I'll be there until the end of February when I'll move to France where I'm hoping to find a job to do with media/journalism/publicity. Ooh la la!

Anyway that's all of my year abroad ramblings for now, if anyone who reads this has any great tips on living abroad etc, please pass them my way! I will be forever indebted to you!

I like your shoes.

Today I want to talk about compliments.

no, that's not a compliment...

As a very girly girl, I love giving (and receiving!) compliments. It feels good to be complimented, and complimenting others makes them feel happier, not to mention makes everyone think more positively.

But, in light of all the compliments given out, are there so many women who feel like they're not good enough? 

Maybe part of the problem is that the majority of these compliments are hollow. The majority of compliments are about your external appearance. And those make you feel good for an instant, but they don't last. Why? Because clothes, hairstyles and makeup are all temporary. And therefore, so are the compliments.

We live in a world based on materialism, and appearance... so that's what we compliment. And complimenting looks is not necessarily bad, they're lovely and complimenting others is something that comes naturally to many girls. I in no way want them to stop. But maybe we should also be telling our friends how clever/funny/caring/talented they are! (Because, let's face it, if they're our friends they definitely are!)

We as girls and women need to be telling each other that they are valuable because of who we are and what we do. Let's face it, one day we'll be old and wrinkly (and therefore by societies standard's "ugly"), but the impact we make on the world will last.

One day, I would like to have a daughter (or a few!) and I hope to encourage her in the things that matter. I want to encourage her to be talented, passionate, caring and thoughtful. And I want her to know, that no matter how she does her make-up or her hair, or what clothes she wears, that she is valuable and important. That's not to say I don't want her to enjoy putting on make-up, wearing nice clothes and doing her hair... In fact, if she's anything like me, she probably will! But it's not all that matters in life. I would love her to grow into a woman who tells others that she loves their creativity, or their easy-going personality, who makes people feel really good and tells others that no matter what they look like, they have something great to offer the world.

Because we all do.

My Response to German Plane Crash in the French Alps.

When tragedy strikes, a lot of confusion follows. The shock of it leaves people asking 'how', 'why' and 'could we have stopped it?'. My heart goes out to all those affected by the recent plane crash, and I pray that you would know comfort in your grief.

But there is something I need to say. This was not simply a suicide. It was not the story of a man who wanted to end his life, but of a man who tragically ended the lives of 150 people. The co-pilot was not the only person who died that day. He may have been a victim of depression, but 150 innocent people were victim to his actions. We must not forget that. By treating his case as simply a suicide, we add to the stigmatisation of depression. It's not uncommonly known that 1 in 4 people have a mental health concern, and of that the majority have mixed anxiety and depression. Out of the many people affected by depression, you would find it extremely difficult to find one who would even consider taking the lives of so many people whilst ending their own.

But more importantly, as a result of this, we must learn. Learn to talk more openly about mental health and attempt to understand that it is not a cookie cutter diagnosis. Depression affects people in different ways and to different levels. The more open about mental health we are, the better we can help those who are struggling with it. By keeping it taboo, we only make it worse for both those with depression and also their loved ones to reach out and receive support and help.

I want to encourage you that if you are struggling, you are not alone in this. There are people   who will be there for you and care for you. And also in the words of Christopher Robin, "You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

If you or someone you love is struggling, please either tell people you trust or contact the Samaritans day or night on 08457 90 90 90. 

How Running changed my Life... My Couch to 5k Experience

Okay so bear with the overly dramatic title here, it probably didn't actually change my life. But it did change a lot of my outlook on life, more than I ever expected it would. To take you back just a little bit, I started the Couch to 5k (C25k) programme at the start of last summer. I knew a few people who had done it and loved it so I thought I might as well give it a stab. I've never thought I could run, in fact I would use any excuse to get out of PE at school and the prospect of Sports Day would loom over me like a terrifying monster each summer. But this programme changed that.

Its combination of walking and running to a podcast of admittedly rather strange music helped me get over my feeling of 'I can't do this' by making me feel like I'd achieved something great, and I barely noticed it building my stamina and endurance. Now when someone says let's go for a run, it doesn't fill me with dread. In fact, I rather enjoy the chance to get some fresh air and clear my head!

I'll be the first to admit that since returning to uni I haven't run nearly half as much as I would have liked to, but I still enjoy the occasional Park Run on a Saturday morning. Doing C25k gave me the confidence to start playing netball too, something that I would never have dreamed of doing just a year ago.

It's also crazy how it's changed the way I view my body. Especially when I'm running regularly, my mind is changed from thinking of what my body looks like, to what it can do. It makes me feel happier and more confident in my own skin when I know that my body is fit and healthy, the sort of confidence you could never get from viewing your body as a shell!

Long story short, I think everyone should do C25k. It's about more than just running!

Underweight models could go to prison under French proposals

A few hours ago, the BBC announced that BMI regulations for models in France have been proposed. Models now with a BMI under 18 (the upper limit of the underweight range) could be fined up to 75,000 euros or even given prison sentences for their weight. This is all part of the ongoing crackdown on anorexia in the fashion industry.

But I'm not hugely sure what I think of this new regulation. Should it be solely down to the model and their agency? Or maybe should the fashion industry itself be changing it's view of beauty? After all, fashion labels are the ones who chose which models are in and which are out. Models may not be given much choice except be that weight if they want a job.

Like I'm sure I've mentioned before, I am a firm believer that we need to be focusing on health instead of idealised beauty standards. And I believe it is the industry itself that has the power to change, not models. There's simply no point in penalising models for simply trying to better there chances of getting work in a unstable industry, whilst companies and brands themselves are choosing the slimmest of the slim.

Instead of focusing on the models, maybe we should be campaigning for a change in beauty ideals. I've been noticing recently, especially with the growth of blogging, youtube and pinterest; that strong and healthy has become the new skinny. I love that. Now all we need is for designers and magazine editors to think the same way. I want to see healthy, happy models walking the runways this season, not ones who have scraped through with a borderline unhealthy BMI to get a job. These rules are an attempt, but a misguided one that doesn't really get to the root of the problem. How can we change this? I'm not really sure, but these regulations are not the solution.

What do you think?

5 Free iPhone Apps that if you don't have, you probably should get.

Phones. Love them, hate them, we can't live without them. One of my favourite things is finding a new app that I love, so here are a few of my recommendations...

She Reads Truth

Recommended to me by my lovely friend Lizzie, this is possibly the best Bible reading app ever. Not only does it have your usual bible, but it also has a bunch of different Bible reading plans with well-written, encouraging and challenging commentary. For each days of study notes there is also a live chat feed where you can read other peoples responses to the study, and add your own as course. As if that wasn't enough, it is beautifully styled and formatted, and also offers lots of lock screen bible verse images to remind you of God's love every time you look at your phone!

Bloglovin'

To be honest if you don't have bloglovin' but read lots of blogs, then you may be living under a rock. Bloglovin' compiles all your favourite blogs into one easy feed so you never miss a post again. It also has a 'popular' feed which is a great way to discover your new favourite blogger!

Quizlet

This is such a great app if you, like me, have loads of vocab or terminology to learn. It's basically an electronic flashcard app, but it not only allows you to read them, but gives you a couple of games to test your knowledge. I love doing this if I have a spare five minutes, just to keep the words ticking over in my head. One of my favourite aspects of Quizlet is that you can add words on your laptop as well on your phone, just log into your account online and all your vocab is there!

Period Diary

Oh yes Ladies, I'm about to get a bit personal. Period Tracker is great, you just tap in when your period starts and then when it ends, and then from your average cycle it predicts your next period. The more you use it, the more accurate it gets. So useful, especially if you're going on holiday or something! Also in case you were wondering, no the logo isn't anything obvious or awkward, no one has to know!

Blackboard Mobile Learn

If you're a student at university then this app will change your life for the better. It gives you quick easy access to MOLE so that you can access all the content your tutors and lecturers put up with just a couple of pushes of the button. So handy for finding information out in a rush.

I hope you love these just as much as I do!