Why Eating Is Important: Concert Edition

Hello friends!

So I have a tale to tell, and hopefully, a lesson will come from it. But in honesty, it's mostly about some more wild misfortune on my behalf.

Yesterday, I went to the O2 in London to see R5. I was extremely excited, seeing as I had such a good time the last time I saw them. I was up bright and early at 5:30am without even having trouble getting out of bed - I was SO ready. So after a four hour journey to London, we reach the point where they day begins to go swiftly down hill. As we were on the tube to North Greenwich, I began to feel really sick. Not just the horrible feeling in your stomach, but the next stage, where every part of your body is silently screaming "oh god, I'm actually about to throw up." A truly horrible start.

So as we arrive at the O2, my gut instinct was proven correct and (TMI alert) I pretty much threw my guts up. Gone were the minimal nutrients of my McDonalds snack wrap breakfast. And I'm certain that I'm not alone when I say that the last thing you want to do after being sick is eat, so popping somewhere for lunch was well and truly off the cards for me. I just joined the queue and felt sorry for myself for a solid four hours. On top of the sicky feeling, I was also shivering uncontrollably. No matter how much I tried to warm myself up, or how many jackets I had draped over my body, I just couldn't stop. I was hoping that moving into the venue itself would warm me up, but that wasn't to be either. And this is where things take yet another turn for the worse.

Let's weigh things up here. I had been up and about since 5:30am after just over four hours sleep. I was running on empty because of my little stomach mis-hap. I was shivering as if Elsa had just struck my damn heart with the coldest of ice blasts. Things really were not looking good, and it really didn't come as a surprise when I started to feel faint. I was struggling to stay on my feet, and after classily blacking out in the bathroom, a member of staff took it upon themselves to escort me to the medics room, which meant I missed the support acts, which is a shame. After being poked and prodded, they declared my blood pressure and sugar to be low and summoned me to buy some food. And reluctant as I was to eat, I honestly felt so much better once I had. I still wasn't right, but I was better, and felt well enough to be able to actually enjoy the concert.

So with my new found energy, I sang, clapped and cheered my way through R5's set, which was absolutely fantastic, may I say. We were treated with a surprise appearance from The Vamps, too, which was awesome. I may have had an awful build-up, but they certainly didn't disappoint. Here you go, have a picture.

So what's the lesson here? Well, what I learned from the whole day was that it's really important to look after yourself on the day of an event like this. And here is how I recommend you do so:

1. Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is a good thing, but also try to drink something with some sugar in it, like full-fat Coke or fruit juice. My blood sugar is what let me down!
2. Sleep when you can. I didn't sleep on the bus to London and I really should have. I also should have gotten more than 4 hours the night before. A school-girl error on my behalf!
3. Eat! Even if you're feeling sick, or you're not particularly hungry, you need to eat something. Because it's going to get hot in there, and who wants to be that lame person who faints and has to be dragged over the barrier lacking consciousness in front of people they idolise?
4. Bring emergency drugs. I was genuinely ill yesterday, aside from my stupidity. I would have killed someone for two paracetamol every four hours just to stop the cold sweats and headaches.

So that was my day yesterday! Not the best concert experience I've ever had, but we live and learn. I hope that none of you ever have the misfortune of going through something like that (because meeting some of your favourite people and being so out of it that you can barely remember the encounter truly sucks) and that all your concerts are filled with fun and good health!

Until next time, amigos!

xoxo

Hello 2014!

When older people say to you, "the years fly by as you get older!", I assure you this: they are not lying. 2013 was without a doubt the fastest year of my life to date. Another January is upon us, and time already seems to be flying. So what better way to say hello to 2014 is there than to say goodbye to the previous with a condensed paragraph of reflection?

2013 was infinitely better than 2012 for me. 2012 was a dark year in my life. It was doomed to oblivion from the very first week, so last year really didn't need to do much to be considered an improvement. The first few months weren't great, though. I was on anti-depressants, a decision I had made the previous November. With the medication came some nasty side effects which slowed me down quite a lot. But with the appropriate distractions, I made significant progress. January was filled with preparation for the school show, and February followed with the production itself. A change of image came in tow for me as I finally gave in and became a brunette. March brought the wonder of McFly once again, and the realisation of A-levels began to dawn on me. April and May brought the same old same old and June brought an explosion of awesome. I came off my anti-depressants, and aside from a few little blips through the year, never really felt like I needed them again. Secondary school: complete. Exams: complete. I turned 18 and celebrated in style, with a good three weeks of non-stop action and partying. A fantastic holiday to Malia with the best friends I could ask for was July's gift August brought the dreaded A-level results day, and the huge sigh of relief as I sailed into Swansea University. October saw me really settle into student life, and one of the best Halloweens I will ever see. November gave me the Catching Fire I so desperately desired and definitely did not disappoint. It also brought another little experience I'm not likely to forget. And we rounded off in December with another Christmas and of course, another epic New Year's Eve. Over all, a pretty darn good effort.

I now welcome 2014 with open arms, and intend to enjoy as many days as I possibly can as a human being. That is, of course, after the dreaded exams are over mid-January. But to get the most out of my year, I want to set some targets. There is very little point in me making set-in-stone "New Years Resolutions" because ten times out of ten, they will be ignored entirely. So I have decided to pick some things I would like to do. If I stick to them, awesome. If I don't, well it's really not going to be the end of the world.

Blogging: The world is absolutely full of stuff. Good stuff, bad stuff, controversial stuff, revolutionary stuff, everyday boring stuff. With everything around me, I'm sure I can find something to blog about at least once a month. So that's what I'm going to try to do. 12 blogs - surely I can manage that?!

Living: I really need to start living more. I waste so much time. A friend and I have a mini bucket list. What's on the list is expensive, but I am determined to do at least one of them this year. I want to have more fun, and if the people around me don't share this sentiment, I'll just find someone else who does. I don't want to sit around any more. I probably will, but I don't want to. So living more has made this list.

Image: What I need to do is to find a way to be happy with how I look. There are two ways to do this: I can change myself physically until I am happy, or I can change my mentality to embrace what I am. Now, I am not a particularly motivated person (and that really is an understatement; I am closer to a sloth than a human), so the first option may be a struggle. But it isn't impossible. In an ideal world, I would like to combine the two. But who knows.

Positivity: Over the last two years, I have experienced many lows. And now that I'm back up to where I need to be, I want more than anything to stay there. Of course there are going to be fluctuations and there are going to be bad days, but I want to be able to climb back up. But if for whatever reason I find myself unable to get back up myself, I make this promise to myself now: I will find help and I will find a way. 

So that's what I have as a vague plan for the next 12 months. But it's just a plan, and anything could happen. I want something to surprise me this year. I want a huge curve ball to appear, to shake the boat a little. It'll keep things interesting. But who knows? What I do know is that I am so ready.