As some of you may know by now, I've been going through a lot of important changes in my life and as a result my activity levels on social media have started to decrease. However, I've been spending the last little while settling into my new surroundings, and getting used to living with seven others, and I'm settling into a routine that will hopefully still allow me to express myself through this blog and all of my other accounts! So therefore, I just thought I'd give you this little update about the direction my life is going in right now before I get back to regular posting and (good-ish!) quality content.

I'm about to start my second year of university, and as optimistic as I felt last year, I still felt a little unsure about what to expect from a new, and totally unknown environment. But, this year I feel optimistic and quietly confident, I'm determined to be more involved with what I love. I want to break out of my comfort zone, become more social and expand upon the knowledge I've already gained. This year I'm going to be studying the areas of literature I enjoy the most, feminist and contemporary literature being just two of these, and I can't wait to see what I learn from it. 

I think that education becomes much more valuable when you finally find what you're passionate about and interested in. I know that it's a struggle for so many of us, especially after we're forced to study things we really have no drive, or enthusiasm for, for years. There's so much pressure to be a jack of all trades, and decide fairly early what we want to do with our lives. Yes, it is important to cover all of your bases, and learn as much as you can. But it's okay to dislike certain subjects and it's okay to not be the greatest artist, or mathematician, or IT consultant. You don't have to be everything all at once, for the rest of your life. As long as you continue to show interest in what you love, everything will click into place one day. I've changed my mind so many times, about what career path I want to follow, and that's okay. Maybe Ill change my mind again one day, and that's okay too. Once you find that one thing that drives you, that makes you want to wake up every day and face the world with a smile, then you'll know.

As I mentioned above, I've also just moved in with seven other lovely people, in a somewhat Big Brother-esque way, at least from my point of view. I've always been somewhat of a solitary extrovert, someone who likes being around people and isn't afraid of a social situation, but who also enjoys her own space and company. This is another situation I have a lot of faith in. I'm a Sagittarius (regardless of what Cosmo says!), and I'm not afraid to be blunt about how I feel.

Honesty, to both yourself and the others around you, is key when dealing with any kind of odd social situation, and it's the best way to start friendships and cope with what may be a very tense environment. You have to start as you mean to go on, and so far our house has been filled with a lot of fun and a lot of laughs, something I hope will never change. As long as we are able to connect as not only friends, but as a family and team, we will stop any potential problems and implosive situations. Of this I am sure. 

As well as all of this, I'm also about to start a new job, one that I know will bring me a lot of happiness and incredible experiences that I wouldn't get anywhere else. This is something I'll talk a lot more about in the coming weeks, after my first day next week!

Although everything has been a little bit hectic right now, I'm coping well. Of course my positive outlook has faltered once or twice and I've questioned myself about my ability to cope with everything. But I have picked myself up, brushed myself down and carried on. That's all you can do.

So if you're going through a huge change in your life right now, and you're struggling to cope, I hope my words have helped. It's okay to struggle and feel unsure about everything, it's only natural. There is comfort in every positive, looking at the benefits of everything you do is essential to grow as a person, and it's a great outlook to have towards life and the changes it will undoubtedly bring. It's okay not to be ready, feel unsettled or anxious about change, because it's bloody hard and totally unnatural to be totally content with everything all the time. However as long as you are able to keep going, you will be okay. No matter what.

Keep shining, Rachel