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I’m sure you all know about everything that’s going on in the world now, and I also know how stressful and troubling these times can be. However, in this article I want to focus on the positives of being housebound. You can completely change your perspective on staying at home by simply taking up a few new hobbies.
At first, I must admit, leaving school a month before I had expected and being told that the past two years of work have been for nothing made me feel completely useless and obsolete. Still, I decided to put all of my revision guides and textbooks away, accepting that it was over, and actively deciding to move on. Instead of dwelling over lost hours, I sat down and wrote a list of everything I want to achieve in the next few months. Of course, this is easier said than done. Telling someone you are going to learn how to play the piano or learn a new language is very different to actually sitting down and doing it. Therefore, in this article, not only am I going to give you a few ideas on goals you can set yourselves, but also ways to ensure that you achieve them. First, I would recommend writing a list of all the new hobbies you’d like to pick up. For me, this included playing the clarinet, learning a new language, writing a play, writing music, and learning to draw. Second, you should write a schedule which loosely includes time to work on your new hobbies. What I’ve found most important about this is being realistic with the amount you want to achieve, and at what times you factor these into your daily schedule. It’s almost everyone’s dream to have the ability to draw but if you honestly think you will achieve this by scrolling through artist’s Instagram accounts, I’m afraid to say you are probably wrong. I have planned a way for myself to improve this skill over time in what I hope is one of the best ways possible. After a long, hard day working, I realised that the perfect way to both relax as well as gain another skill is by watching Netflix and drawing whatever I want. There is no pressure on what you draw, how, or for how long, as long as you sit down and actually do it. I’ve found that this is most effective after I’ve just eaten dinner, because I honestly can’t face doing anything else. Learning a new instrument is a great hobby to pick up. Of course, you may not own an instrument, but if you do, I would really recommend going online and finding a tutorial on the basics. My Grandad has wanted me to learn the clarinet for years, but I’ve always complained that I’m ‘too busy’- well, I clearly can’t use that one anymore! I would recommend practising your new instrument early in the morning to wake yourself up and prepare for the day. One hobby that is easily accessible to pick up is learning a new language. There are various ways you can do this, from using Duolingo to simply watching films in a different language with subtitles in your language. I have decided to learn Spanish, and I am doing this by using Duolingo, and I found a great Podcast on Spotify called Spanish Lessons with Pablo- Learn Spanish. Honestly, I think learning a new language is one of the most important hobbies to pick up, because it will clearly help you later in life. Personally, I have decided to do little bits of Spanish learning throughout the day. So, it might help to allocate maybe three 10-minute slots into your day dedicated to maybe reading a book in the language you are learning, watching a movie, listening to a podcast, or going on Duolingo. Another key hobby we all need to pick up when at home is exercise! I know, this isn’t the most appealing one to some, but science clearly tells us that exercise is good for us as it not only burns off fat and builds up our strength and endurance, but it also releases endorphins, or, as I like to call them, ‘happy hormones’. I would suggest trying to spend at least one hour every day doing something active. Before you start complaining, let me just explain that this really isn’t as difficult as it seems. First, you do not have to do it all at once, you could split it into two half-hour slots, or maybe four 15-minute slots. It doesn’t matter! Next, exercise does not mean forming a sweaty heap on your bedroom floor as you follow a toned and perfect instructor on a YouTube video. Of course, this is a very easily accessible and recommended method to do exercise, but I understand that this really isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. There are so many other ways you could fit exercise into your day: maybe you want to learn a new dance; maybe you want to go outside (into your garden) and practise your netball or rugby skills; maybe you simply want to go outside for a walk in the fresh air. Whatever it is, it will release endorphins and ultimately make you feel better than you did at first. Baking is another great hobby to pick up. Instead of leaving your parents or guardians to cook your meals every night, maybe you could offer up your services! If you are a beginner, like me, I would suggest starting off with a classic mac and cheese or risotto. Both dishes require learning some of the basics when it comes to the food world, and they taste really good! Of course, you can also go online, maybe to BBC GoodFood, for some more inspiration. If you want to work on your cake or cookie skills, I would recommend using anything Mary Berry, she’s honestly magic! I try to do any baking around an hour before dinner, as a nice round-off to the day. So, if you find yourself stuck at home, why not try to find a new hobby! This will be so beneficial in helping to pass the time, as well as making sure you are doing the best you can to keep yourself growing as an individual whilst stuck at home. I hope this helped :) Have a fantastic day! - Chloë
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It starts as a whisper gliding on the wind, strong yet fragile, it battles the never-ending tide
Of hate and evil constantly breaking the peace of the bay, suffering in silence against The relentless storm like the roll of the drums as the sun rises. Birds fly from their nests. It continues to grow, a spark of hope in the darkness surrounding it, beating down on it, Trying to conquer it. It will not prevail. Peace sows its seeds of hope and support and Comfort, aiding streams of light, piercing the darkness, guiding more to join the quest As it travels further into the abyss of humanities worst desires and greatest nightmares. Its radiance reaches each corner of the Earth, forcing all evil into Hade’s cavern as it blossoms In every blemish and scar and tear from the Old World. It will not give in. For peace is the force, The almighty force, searching, seeking to rectify all evil in the world. Until it stops, admits defeat, Ceases from existence. The bite has been taken, the bell has been struck, the world forever in evil Will remain. I found out about TWE on Instagram and, since then, I haven’t stopped loving it. So when my application to be a writer was accepted, I was over the moon. The experience so far has been very different to what I had initially expected. In fact, it has been much, much better. Everyone here has been so incredibly kind and helpful, even going out of their way to make sure I feel comfortable and fully understand my role. They’ve made me feel like a part of a community, and I am so grateful to them for that.
Ever since I was five, I’ve dreamed of becoming a writer, but I never really thought I’d get anywhere. I would sit in my room writing stories, imagining one day becoming a well-known author or journalist. TWE has given me the opportunity I never thought I would get. It has allowed me to write in a friendly, supportive environment, creating articles which are really important to me. If you think that being a member of TWE sounds amazing, which it is, but you are nervous or worried about being a ‘newbie’, you really don’t need to. I was scared too, but regardless of my relentl was ess questions to Kaitlyn and Emily, they continue to guide me to become the best writer I can on this site. I would strongly recommend joining this team of caring people who all have incredible stories to tell. I found it quite daunting when I applied for a writing position, so I’ve decided to write a few tips on the application process and on writing my first:
I really hope this article has helped you to understand more about what joining TWE is like - have a great day :) xx - Chloe Netball has been in my life since I was seven years old and it has honestly been a horrific journey for me to get to where I am today.
I first realised that my club only saw me as a player, rather than a human being, when I was seven years old and I was being let down. At every single game, I sat at the side-line watching my teammates improving and having fun. I can’t count the number of times I wanted to just give up nor the number of times I cried on the way home from another humiliating game where I never played. However, rather than giving up, I carried on and I tried even harder at my training sessions. You’d hope that would have been. When I tried harder, automatically my netball ‘career’ would improve. Nope, not for me. I was moved down from my team at the next try-outs. All my friends stayed together and I was put with people I’d never met before. I know this sounds shallow, but the only good thing was that I was one of the better players and actually played in matches. This gave me a massive boost in confidence. However, we were still losing every game. The main problem was our shooters. They were amazing people, but they didn’t do much practise outside of training. I decided that I’d had enough of losing. I spent the whole of that summer learning how to shoot. My team started to win and I was so happy with all my new friends. At the next try-outs, I was shocked: I got moved up. Finally, I had been noticed. The new team was incredible but, once again, I knew no one. It was so much harder to make friends this time because the whole team had already played together for a year. I was the newbie who no one wanted. Even still, I kept practising. My team did really well and I was finally feeling good and playing well. The only problem was that I wasn’t close to anyone on the team. In the following season I moved up an age group. This is where things went downhill. The team were still winning, but I began to slack off with my practise. My stats were honestly shocking. However, instead of pulling myself together, I just cried for most of the year when my stats got worse and worse. We went to Regional Qualifiers and didn’t get through. which was a major set-back for the whole team. After that, no one really bothered trying. I, regretfully, gave up. At the next try-outs, I got moved down again. I was so close to quitting, but something made me stay. My friends had been moved down as well to make room for better players, but they didn’t seem to care but, I did. The coaches knew it. Over summer, I did some intense training, working on my foot work, ball placement, and my shots. When I came back, I was happy with my team. We weren’t the best by far and we weren’t even being put forward for Regional Qualifiers. Our coaches didn’t really care about us and we’d only trained together once. Then, I heard that someone on the higher team had quit and there was an extra place. I knew I was being watched by the coaches so I tried hard in every training session. A month ago, I was invited to one of their training sessions and was asked to be on their team. My team is incredible and I’m finally happy. I have Regional Qualifiers next week and I honestly think we have a shot to get through. I’m so excited! So, overall, I hope, if nothing else, that this story inspires you to never give up! No matter how hopeless it seems, this netball club has taught me more than I thought. It’s taught me how to build myself back up, be a team player, make new friends and to love myself when it feels like no one else does. Just remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going (Joseph P. Kennedy). I hope this helped :) Have a great day! - Chloë |
ChloËI write articles to reach out to other people and hopefully bring a smile to their face. |
