Anxiety is not the best travelling companion, but for some of us, we can't decide to leave it at home for the week. I'm leaving the safety of my bed in six days to travel to my dream holiday spot, New York City, where I will be spending my 18th birthday (!!!). Even though this all sounds amazing, when you have anxiety travelling can stop you from enjoying the holiday to it's fullest potential. So, I have compiled a small list of ways to help you lower your anxiety levels a little, before you arrive and when you have reached your destination.

Tips for Flying:

1. Be organised.

Make sure you have an A4 wallet or small folder in your bag where you keep all the documents you will need to show, passports, boarding passes and even doctors notes. This way when you are running to the gate to catch your plane (Home Alone 2 style), you won't be scrabbling frantically in your bag to find your ticket - you will have it all ready.

2. Get there early.

At airports you don't really have any other option, they like you to check in hours before boarding, but I would recommend being a little early to everything. The worst thing for a worrier is being late.

3. Prepare for the flight.

You're allowed a bag on the plane with you, make the most out of it. Pack a pillow to help you sleep, an iPod with a playlist of your favourite songs or even a book of crosswords to take your mind of the fact that you still don't really understand how planes work.

Exploring the place:

1. Knowing what your doing.

Personally, my anxiety is helped by being super organised and knowing what I will be doing each day. Before you leave make a list of all the places you want to visit, work out which of those attractions are closest together and how long you might spend there. This will help you to plan you days and you don't wake up in a panic, not knowing what you're doing. However, don't over plan, if you try to organise it by the hour something will go wrong, inevitably, causing more unnecessary stress, don't worry if things don't go exactly to plan. (Leave a spare day towards the end which you will be able to fill with the things you missed, or just wandering around and eating).

2. Find your escape.

When your on holiday (especially in a city) the days will be long and busy, so try and find a nice, small place, where you can relax and have a few minutes to yourself. Whether it's a small coffee shop, a library or your hotel room, have somewhere you can escape to when thing's get a bit too much.

3. Know your limits.

When you feel yourself becoming anxious or panicky you need to recognise that and get yourself out of that situation. Don't let it built to an anxiety or panic attack, which could ruin your day. Try not to push yourself too far, and if you wake up feeling anxious know that maybe you shouldn't go too far out of your comfort zone today.

4. HAVE FUN

Holidays are meant for relaxing and exploring. Even though both of those can be hard for people with anxiety, you can't let it stop you having the time of your life. Buy silly gifts for your friends and take loads of photos, just have a great time.

P.S

When packing plan your outfits, look up the weather for your holidays, think through what you're taking and make sure you will be comfortable. But also remember that you're not going to know anyone there so be adventurous, wear the dress in the back of your cupboard you've been saving for a special occasion. This is your special occasion, wear it!

i've been watching a lot of youtube videos recently, mostly fashion and lifestyle vloggers and i'm always pleased when i find an 'alternitive fashion' blogger. over these past few days i have found a lot. including the youtuber, pixielocks, who inspired this post with her video 'my fashion identity'.



my fashion identity is something i think about a lot, which is odd because i think if you knew me you wouldn't think i care that much about fashion, but i do. i like knowing what's in fashion and what's not, even if i don't necessarily keep up with those trends. the 'style issue' i am dealing with at the moment is that i don't want my style to be the same as what is 'trending', but i want it to still be relatively stylish, i also like the idea of belonging to some kind of style. 

whether it be goth, lolita or pin-up, i like the idea of having a set style and sticking to it, throwing out everything i own that doesn't fit with the style and buying a whole new wardrobe. money reasons aside, this plan isn't feasible for me - simply put, i like too many different looks. and in the past when i have put myself inside a clothing box (not literally) i end up not feeling too good about it. 

i went through a phase earlier this year where i loved clothes that would usually be found in the men's department. i based what i chose to wear each day on the outfits worn by jack kilmer, cole becker or kristen stewart and for a while i really enjoyed it - i like the androgynous kind of look and wearing 'boys' clothes and no make-up was super comfortable. but something started to happen, the thing that is the bane of most teenagers lives and that is, comparison. i would see girls in my classes wearing make-up and dresses and heels and i wouldn't feel good about myself. similarly, if i went shopping and found a skirt that i liked i would tell myself that it didn't fit with my style, so there would be no point in getting it.

i restricted myself to the point where i had such little self expression and it was no longer fun to fit with a specific style.

then i decided to forget about the tom-boy look and just buy what i wanted and what i thought was cute. this is why now i have probably too many vintage items that in no way fit with any of my clothing. 

i feel like i'm not 'hipster' enough to be hipster (my purple docs hurt my feet) and i'm not grunge enough to be grunge (i class grunge as kurt cobain and it isn't true grunge if you're trying, i also get that grunge is a music style not a fashion but eh). i wish i could happily mix styles and most of the time i can, but sometimes i just really want a clear direction that i could base all of my clothing and hair choices around. 

i've tried recently to categorise my style myself, i was going with 'pixie grunge' - taking inspiration for creepy cute and j fashion. but i also really like 70's style clothing and wearing mom jeans, vans and scrunchies, so, to sum this up I Have No Idea what i am doing or what i am going to do. but that can be applied to more than style in my life.

p.s

i spend many hours on pinterest looking for style inspiration, most of it i gain from either vloggers, celebrities or specific decades, and as i would like something productive to come out of that time, i am going to make a style inspo post next, possibly along with a guide to thrifting. 

Recently I haven't felt like writing, the lack of ideas and my laziness is sometimes too hard to overcome, but I still want to keep this blog going, so I've decided do post something simple. 

I created a list of the top 10 songs I have been listening to this past month. From Marilyn Manson to Fetty Wap, it's all on there. There will be something for everyone. I can never categorise my music taste, I love freak folk just as much as I love industrial rock, don't feel like you need to stick to one genre or one band. It's the same way with fashion - just have fun!

For an attempted, but failed, psychology project one of my friends and I put together and posted a survey onto Facebook, asking about the mental health of 14 - 19 year old's. We got over 50 responses in the first two days and the results were, sadly, not surprising. Our survey was mainly asking questions about school as our hypothesis was that school had a negative effect on mental heath - this was confirmed with the results of the survey.*

86% of the people who responded to the survey said that the pressure brought on by parents, teacher and themselves, was negatively effecting their mental health, making them stressed, anxious and even in some cases, depressed. In turn, it was effecting their ability to work at school, with 80% of the teenagers who answered saying that they had experienced symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack at school or because of their studies. We then asked if the stress effected any other aspects of their lives, here are some of the responses:

Female, 17: I barely sleep or eat any more which doesn't help with concentration in school, and makes me feel so tired constantly.

Female, 16: I often forget to eat, and then I binge. In terms of sleeping I rarely get more than 6 hours sleep a night.

Female, 18: I rarely sleep well and have developed depression and anxiety whilst at school.

These aren't even the saddest responses, many went into details about home lives and work hours and their lacking ability in balancing all aspects of being a healthy teenager. All of them seemed to be struggling, whether it was with a small mental health issue or something much bigger, it was effecting everyone. However, over 60% said that if and when they needed emotional/mental support, they feel they would not be able to talk to anyone at school.

 

Reading through the results and personal comments was heart-breaking, knowing that the people answering these questions were walking past me each day in the hall but I had no way of reaching out to them. The answers were anonymous, but sometimes I wished they weren't.

Mental health is a topic discussed regularly today, in most aspects of the media and in general conversations. But, this conversation needs to be made bigger. Teenagers need to feel like they have support, especially at school, where they should be being protected and cared for - not just pushed for the best results.

Of course grades are necessary, but good and stable mental health is much more important. It's just taking people not experiencing it along time to figure it out. 

*Only 14% of the responses were from males, this is also a huge issue that should be being addressed, but seems to be being missed: men's mental health. A huge and ever growing issue in the UK and all over the world. However, my survey did get the majority of it's responses from women so I will not be able to comment on how this issue presented itself in my results. 

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are American writers, actors and comedians, who star in the TV show Broad City, which they have also written and produced.

Before Broad City, Abbi and Ilana created an internet show of the same name which they independently produced from 2009 to 2011. This was nominated for an ECNY Award for Best Wed Series and was received well by audiences and critics alike. It was picked up by Amy Poehler, who is now a producer of the show and has also guess starred.

I love these girls, They don't take themselves to seriously, their writing is funny and their show is weird but so so great.

Well, sun for a few days and cold again for the next isn't exactly summer, but, this does means you need a good playlist to get you 'in the summer mood'. Something to listen to when you're driving in the heat or laying outside soaking in the sun. So, I've made a playlist of summer of some of my all time favourite summer songs.

Including songs by: Grimes, SWMRS, The Front Bottoms, Wolf Alice and many more.

https://play.spotify.com/user/eviebubbles/playlist/1l8ikdZIhus9vSm4WDdX9F

photo by Ada Hamza

After being a fan of musical comedy for a while it was nice to stumble across some women doing the thing I love and doing it really well. 

Riki and Kate have successful acting careers separately, Kate appearing in shows like Scrubs and The Big Bang Theory and Riki hosting a popular comedy podcast, together they are at their best, even having their own TV show - Garfunkel and Oats. 

If your a fan of musical comedy, Bo Burnham, Tim Minchin etc., you should definitely give these girls a try.

My favourite songs of theirs currently are: 29/31, Handjob, Bland Job, I Don't Understand Job and Gay Boyfriend.

(also they are both super cute)

Being a teen right now, I can say some of the best movies to watch with friends or on a (Ferris Buellers) day off are films from the years of 1980 - 89. However, this opinion isn't common - a lot of people hate films from the 80's, Quentin Tarantino even said it was the worst decade for film. But, for once, I don't agree with him. I've spent a lot of my teenage years loving 80's films and I'm not stopping any time soon. 

Before I wrote this, I compiled a short list of my favourite 80's movies, it included obvious ones like The Breakfast Club or Heathers, but I felt like I was missing some, so I Googled it. During my Googling I realised just how many of my favourite films were made in the 80's and how many of my favourite actors and directors helped to create them. From Dirty Dancing to A Nightmare on Elm Street, the films that are most important to me are from this decade and most of them are teen movies.

Teen Wolf (1985)

Obviously, I am in this demographic, but I feel that these films would appeal to anyone. The 80's was filled with timeless classics, which will forever make it my favourite decade for teen films.

Some of the best teen heartthrobs also came from the 80's. Many of my tween crushes were boys from John Hughes' films and I'm not ashamed to say that most of them are still pretty attractive today. John Bender, played by Judd Nelson, is a character all girls will fall for. I mean, I preferred Brian, but Anthony Michael Hall was cute back then, okay? The Outsiders boys are all pretty perfect; Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon and C. Thomas Howell each with a ridiculously cute name. I mean - Sodapop?

The Outsiders. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola (1983)

Spader, Dillon, Lowe, Michael Hall, McCarthy, Nelson

John Hughes is a man that can't be ignored when talking about this decade. He is the king of the teen movie. Hughes created the most well known set of teen movies to this day. From The Breakfast Club to Pretty in Pink and Weird Science, these films are classics, still holding up today. And not just because everyone loves a good dance number. The films are funny, with interesting and hilarious characters - whilst still remaining truthful and unbelievable relatable.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

And obviously, you can't talk about John Hughes without mentioning the Brat Pack. A group of young actors in the 80's who frequently appeared together in coming-of-age films, a lot of the time directed by Hughes himself. Even though they may not have been friends in real life, they were idolised my many teens and the inspiration for every friendship group.

St Elmo's Fire (1985) The Brat Pack

The 80's is filled with some of the best films ever made - E.T, Ghostbusters, Back To The Future, The Princess Bride and The Shining.

But, I have the most personal connection to the teen movies - which shaped and inspired my teenage years.

Thank you, John Hughes.

1. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

This film deserves a whole post of 

it's own, it covers racism, sexism, 

culture, stereotypes and love, all while

being based around a female friendship 

began by a love of football. 

Bend It Like Beckham stars Parminder

Nagra playing 18 year old Jess, an 

aspiring footballer being torn between

her passion and her strict parents. 

It was also directed, written and 

produced by women. The director 

and writer being Gurinder Chadha who

directed the film of my tweens: Angus, 

Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

2. Erin Brockovich (2000)

Based on a true story this film is stars

Emma Roberts as Erin Brockovich a 

single and  unemployed mother who 

becomes a legal assistant and almost 

single-handedly brings down a California

Power company accused of polluting a

city's water supply.

Being the daughter of a single mother

I love any films where a woman over-

comes the stereotypes that come with 

raising a child alone. 

http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/02/23/21769649/is-secretary-just-as-bad-as-fifty-shades-erika-moen-on-the-other-mr-grey

Charlyne's stand-up performances aren't the traditional stand in front of a microphone and tell jokes. They include music, magic, games and even audience participation, during one performance she had her head shaved whilst singing 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. 

Aside from her unusual stand-up Charlyne writes scripts, her screen writing debut was the feature film Paper Heart, which she also starred in and composed the music for. Along side all that it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

She's also been doing charity work since 2010. Even starting her own charity, Caring Is Cool in 2011 and hosting a benefit show to raise money for the organisation. 

I first saw Charlyne in Knocked Up, a 2007 comedy film by Judd Apatow. I saw her again when I went through a strange Martin Starr phase and watched her film Paper Hearts. I was intrigued by her writing style so went on to watch her stand-up, some of the strangest stuff I have seen but I loved it. If you aren't a fan of more unusual comedy this won't be for you, but if you're bored of the more traditional stand-up performances, you should definitely take a few minutes to watch some of her stuff. Including her appearance on Conan which is still one of my favourite interviews ever. Her knock knock joke at the end is honestly amazing. 

Is Funny Thursday's to obvious of  title? What about Wild Women Wednesday's? Too Funny For TV Tuesdays? I'll work on it. 

One of the best things about being a girl is the friendships and connections you make with other girls. Whether it's the syncing of periods or that you bond over the fact that Nick is your favourite Jonas brother, I don't quite know, but there's something special about it. However, there comes a time in every girls life were the phrase 'I'm not like other girls' will fall out of her mouth. This is a time where she starts to hate being a girl, not because she is in the wrong body but because she just hates girls.

The media is especially guilty of the over use of this phrase. The female protagonist in the majority of teen films and books will confess they are 'not like other girls'. They are unique, they aren't obsessed with boys and they hate drama. These type of films confirm to young girls that they shouldn't aspire to be like 'other girls' and they shouldn't even attempt being friends with girls because they aren't nice people. Just furthering the Girl vs Girl mentality and separating them from their gender.

Mean Girls (2004) - a classic example of Girl vs Girl.

 I have had many female friends throughout my life. There has never been a time when I haven't had a best friend, who was a girl, or a group of friends, mainly consisting of girls, and I never thought there was anything wrong with this. Until, I turned 14 and I began to think that being friends with girls was wrong. 'I'm not like most girls. I just don't like the things girls like. I have more guy friends'. At the time I did have more guy friends, but I had girl friends too, but I had managed to separate them from the 'other girls', making it acceptable for me to like being with them. 

Me and my best friend would happily tell people that we didn't like having friends who were girls, we just got on better with the boys in our group. A very contradictory statement coming from two people who are both, female and best friends. But, again, we had separated ourselves, and each other, from the 'other girls'. The other girls are the enemy and we did not want to be associated with them. 

I'm still not sure who these, 'other girls' were and at the time it didn't matter who they were, all I knew is that I was not one of them. 

Every girl goes through this phase, maybe some girls do get on with guys better, but saying you're not like 'other girls' is a form of internalised misogyny, which sounds complicated but really isn't. In relation to this topic, it's basically being taught to think that girls are bad, everything to do with girls is bad and being a girl, well, that's the worst of all. As a girl you feel you should separate yourself from that, from the girls. This is not something you should do, unless you generally get on with men better, you should try to find a few friends who are girls. Don't let the fact that they are girls scare you away. 

There's nothing wrong with being 'like the other girls'.

These videos cover this in a more in-depth and personal way: 

Arden Rose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5VTVELhY0M

Savannah Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpelSFTFkHc

Steve Buscemi is most commonly known for his eyes. Granted, they are pretty unique, but he has done many other things that deserve a little more attention. So, I have created a list of all the things about Steve Buscemi that makes him the bomb. 

Fargo (1996)

1. He was a fire-fighter: Before he was an actor Steve Buscemi was a member of the NYC Fire Department. During the aftermath of 9/11, he returned to the department to help out in anyway he could. He still visits regularly, attending charity events and even making a small documentary series about them. 

2. He is humble and down to earth: He doesn't seem to take for granted any of his roles or his popularity as an actor, he's just so sweet.

3. He has had to deal with being known as the 'creep' and being ignored for a lot of roles he would have been great for: He's played a creep in a lot of films, from smaller ones such as Delirious, to huge films like Monsters, Inc. 

4. He's a great actor: Even when he is cast as the 'creeps', who seem like they have no features other than being just that, he still brings substance to the roles. In Delirious he plays a paparazzi who is constantly grumpy and mean, however, we see the softer side of this character when we meet his parents - he shrinks back into a child again, (not physically, but still) it's amazing to watch. From being constantly given smaller roles, in 2011 he was given the role of Nucky Thompson, a politician and gangster living and working in Atlantic City, finally the star of something. 

5. He has directed a few things too: Steve Buscemi has directed and starred in his own film, Trees Lounge, as well as directing a few TV shows, including a few episodes of The Sopranos and 30 Rock.

6. He also works on smaller projects: For example, Park Bench and AMEX UNSTAGED where he works with Vampire Weekend and Grimes - making funny and cringey scripted videos on Youtube.

7. He used to do stand up comedy: I love stand-up comedy and for me, this just adds to the fact he is the best. 

8. The characters he plays: In 1986 he starred in the film Parting Glances, where he played a gay man, struggling with HIV. This film was released at a time when AID's was a very controversial and rarely discussed topic, but he wasn't shy to take on this role - as many just starting actors would have been at the time. 

9. He's never done anything problematic: He once got stabbed above the eye, in the throat, jaw and arm when he tried to break up a fight between Vince Vaughn and a screenwriter in a bar. He has to wear make-up on set to cover up the scars. 

10. He's worked with some amazing people, e.g. Quentin Tarantio and Joel and Ethan Coen: Steve Buscemi starred as Mr Pink in one of Quentin Tarantio's first films, Reservoir Dogs, playing a slimy thief, who couldn't keep very calm. He also had a small role in Pulp Fiction, playing a Buddy Holly waiter in Jack Rabbit Slims. The Coen Brothers have had him in a number of their films, Fargo, Millers Crossing and The Big Lebowski. 

11. Probably the most important, he's just adorable. 

My favourite Steve Buscemi films include:

(When reading this remember: I am not a music critique or have any musical talent I just really like the stuff she creates.)

Soko's musical style is described as new wave, post-punk and goth-pop, her clothing style also perfectly fitting this description. I was first introduced to Soko's music when I found out she was rumoured to be dating Kristen Stewart (a huge celebrity crush of mine), I had to check her out. However, I was unaware that I had already heard her and most of you probably have too. Her song 'We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow' was featured in the viral video 'First Kiss', a black and white video of strangers kissing for the first time, her also being one of the kissers (in a dark coloured beanie).

Not knowing I had already listened to her, I found her first album, 'I Thought I Was an Alien' and listened to it with no interruptions. Simply this, proves she is an amazing artist, in my opinion. If the first time you ever hear someone's music you can't - and never want to - stop listening, it must be good. I hadn't heard anything like this before and I quickly fell in love with this album, it's soft and soothing, her accent and the slight crackle in her voice bringing something really amazing to the songs. My favourites from this album include: How Are You?, Don't Touch Me and I Just Want To Make It New With You.

I Wish I Was an Alien (2012) & My Dreams Dictate My Reality (2015)

Her second album, 'My Dreams Dictate My Reality' is very different from the first one, much more pop and sounding happier than her previous record. I really really like this album, her voice suits the more cheerful songs as well as the louder ones. There are songs you can really dance to, opposed to the last album where they were songs you could really cry to. If you don't want to listen to the whole album you should check out the songs: Ocean of Tears, Temporary Mood Swings and Bad Poetry. All great for dancing and shouting

Soko is also an award winning actress and she taught herself to play guitar, bass and drums. Pretty talented, huh?

Something about her music is magical, I feel like everyone will find at least one song of hers they will fall in love with.

2. Dope

This film focuses on two neo-cool teenagers, who's outfits include, leopard print, leather and green hair - "obviously, a 1977 original punk rock look". (also bucket hats)

With the best couple outfits, from cowboy boots to Hawaiian shirts, this film has every piece of clothing we hide our love for.