ADVICE | GETTING OVER FEARS | HOW YOU CAN GET OVER IT

GETTING OVER MY FEAR OF THE DENTIST:

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Good morning Little Ones! This year I have set myself several goals ... And I want to tweak some of them, I want to post more on my blog, instead of three days a week, I'm thinking everyday? I don't know if I will keep up with this, but I saw how much I posted in 2017; and needless to say... I was utterly disappointed. Only 17 posts last year ... How disgraceful. I can inform you, that's not happening this year! At least I can guarantee at LEAST three a week; but I know loads of you adored me posting everyday, some of my content may be boring? But let's see what I can come up with.
Now, without further or do, let's get on with today's post! Getting over the fear of the dentist!

BACKSTORY: 

Just like the majority of you, I'm pretty sure you have a fear of the dentist, and I have mentioned this on my blog before; but I have had horrific experiences at the dentist.
But, just to briefly explain some of my traumatic events: DISCLAIMER IF YOU ARE SCARED DON'T READ THIS SEGMENT.
Where to begin? My dentist was disgusting, EVERY SINGLE TIME I went, she would always comment on how disfigured my teeth were, to the point where I would cry hysterically.
I literally couldn't help it, I needed braces and I couldn't get them because my jaw needed to grow; I was stuck with teeth I hated, my biggest insecurity ... Her taunting me really didn't help, (obviously).

Unfortunately, this was the nicest part of my visit ... The worst experience I had from this specific dentist, was when I was getting a filling re-done, she drilled behind the WRONG tooth, to which I couldn't brush properly behind, within a couple of weeks I suffered extricating pain due to an infection settling in.
She mentioned that it was HER fault, and issued me antibiotics for a week. It was then time to visit the dentist, she gave me three rounds of anastetic ... She brushed her metal tool against my tooth and I was screaming in pain. The infection still hadn't cleared, it was consuming the anastetic, I FELT EVERYTHING. 

Instead of giving me more antibiotics to clear the infection, she still went ahead with the tooth extraction. It took 5 nurses to hold me down ... By the way, my mother was in the same room, shaking with fear and anger. 

Eventually, I heard a crack ... Alongside with the taste of blood in my mouth, when I clambered up, blood poured from above, of which I cried and shook with fear. 

Needless to say, this was the breaking point ... I now visit a different dentist? Private, do you blame me?

You are all probably wondering, 'Amy, how can you get over the fear of the dentist, after all this', believe me it's happening. Let me tell you how.

GETTING OVER IT:

Believe me when I say this, I NEVER thought this was going to be possible until my recent visit at the dentist a week ago. As mentioned previously, I have a new dentist, private because I gave up with the NHS ... They had failed me too many times with my teeth alone. 

When it was time, I was chilling in the waiting room ... Anxious, tears forming in my eyes, fearing what was about to take place. 

Eventually they called me name ... My legs trembled to the point where I nearly collapsed, I saw my dentist, and said, "I'm petrified".
I told him everything that had happened, and he was repulsed. He explained what he was going to do, (which I never had), and stated that he was going to take his time. 

He was so gentle, everything he did he described, and if he saw me freaking out he stopped until I calmed down. Lucky for me, there was a television above me, which really did aid the anxiety.  

The appointment totalled to 20 minutes, and there was nothing wrong with my teeth.
Normally there is always something, not because I don't look after my oral hygiene; but because with me being born so premature, my teeth didn't form correctly. 

After such a positive experience at the dentist, I can now associate something great with something I thought was terrifying. 

Changing perception is key, I think I will still be nervous in six months time, but no where near as bad. I'm so proud of myself, for being brave, and being able to face a fear, I have obtained since I can remember. 

If you've had traumatic experiences like me, if not worse, you can get over it, first and foremost, you need to find a dentist which not only explains everything; but is patient and caring towards you. Another thing, you need to get on with them, if you can't have a giggle here and there; it's going to be hard to build a great relationship with them; which is what you need.
Especially if you don't have someone there to support you on your visit, luckily enough for me, I had my fiance with me, which I'm so grateful for. 

Little Ones, this is now the end of the blog post! I hope you enjoyed this one, just a tiny bit of advice? It's not the longest story, but I will update you every time I visit the dentist, as it's a growing process; I feel confident that it can only get better. 

This applies to everyone out there with the same phobia ... I'm 20 and I still need someone there to hold my hand. Is that embarrassing? Maybe, but I have my reasons, just like all of you. 

I love you all so very much, and I will see you tomorrow! Let me know what you want to read, or I'll do what I fancy! Remember to stay safe and stay tuned! :) x x x 

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Non-vegan date night recipe

Creamy chicken and spinach pasta 

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Good morning you lovely people! How was your day yesterday? I had a gorgeous meal with my man last night, I was also meant to post this yesterday but I was so tired due to my lectures; I just wanted to hit the hay. Any how, what are you up to today? I don't have another lecture until 2 this afternoon! I can relax until then :). 

I thought that it was about time to introduce something new to my blog, so here it is! Non-vegan recipes, I will post these throughout the week, I want to reach a wider target audience; and if that means bringing non-vegan meals into the equation then so be it :).

I hope you enjoy these romantic recipe, hopefully see you in the next one :).

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Fundamentally, the story behind this meal wasn't as romantic as it portrays. Me and my other half were so stressed, due to work and our own personal life; that toppled on moving in; it just got too much. We wanted our own time together, in which we have finally obtained. We created this meal to celebrate our new chapter together; in which I was so happy and he was too. We finally have our own home; it feels amazing to share a home with my Christopher :).

As shown in the pictures above the meal wasn't vegan, Chris didn't want an entire vegan meal, which I can completely understand ; I'm not going to make him change his diet because of me; that would be so unfair. So I ate the meal with him, I'm still vegan but I'm not entirely strict about turning other people vegan; if they want to do it then so be it; but I'm not going to kick up a fuss. Especially in this circumstance, Chris wanted to have a non-vegan meal, so I agreed to let that happen; it's not a moment of weakness; it's being respectful to the people I love. 

In addition to this, I was thinking about my non-vegan friends, and they wanted me to post non-vegan recipes, so that they can recreate what I do on the internet, so here I am, giving what the people want :).

INGREDIENTS:

• 100 grams gluten free pasta (I have to eat this pasta because gluten makes my tummy angry);
• 50 grams spinach;
• 50ml single cream;
• 50 grams parmesan cheese;
• 1 chili;
• 2 chicken breast;
• olive oil (for the frying pan);
• salt

STEPS ON HOW TO MAKE THIS;

1. Pour 500ml of boiled water into a pan, add a pitch on salt and stir;
2. put the pasta into the pan and put the lid in-top. Then turn the power onto a low simmer (1-2), cook for 8-10 minutes;
3. when the pasta is cooking prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken breast into fine chunks, this will make it cook faster. 
4. put oil in a frying pan and turn the heat to number 5, wait until it's boiling hot. When the pan has reached the correct temperature throw the chicken chunks in;
5. drain the pasta and add the single cream, when the creamy concoction is steaming and boiling add all the spinach until it wilts (this will take around 5 minutes);
6. add the already cooked chicken from earlier and stir well;
7. add the parmesan and stir until there is cheese everywhere;
8. plate up and add extra cheese on top (if you want);
9. ENJOY!:D 

WHY THESE INGREDIENTS:

Spinach:

Abundant flavonoids in spinach act as antioxidants to keep cholesterol from oxidizing and protect your body from free radicals, particularly in the colon. The folate in spinach is good for your healthy cardiovascular system, and magnesium helps lower high blood pressure.

Chicken:

Chicken as we all know contains an mass amount of protein, this repairs your muscles and insures that they won't rip or pull. This is crucial in your diet if you do weight-training or any form of sports. In a way I had to have chicken yesterday, since I'm now back in the gym. 

This is the end of my blog post, I really hoped you enjoyed this! It was highly requested to do non-vegan recipes, I just want to give to you ALL. If you are vegan or not. I hope that you respect the way that I have chosen to do my blog; I just want to give to everyone; I want to make EVERYONE happy :).

I love you all so very much, if you have anymore questions or requests please do let me know in the comment section down below; or my social media. Have a lovely day and I will see you again later!

Stay safe and stay tuned Little ones :) x x x 

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Vegan recipe-Smoothie cake

Vegan Smoothie Cake 

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Good morning Little ones! How are you today? I was baking to my hearts content yesterday! I was actually going to post this yesterday, but so much was going on I didn't have time! But here I am, writing away being happy, about to bake some rock-cakes for my Mum. Any how, what are you doing today? Please let me know in the comment section down below, or my social media :).
If you are interested in baking something new, or if you are vegan and want a new sweet recipe; have a little read down below :).

If you want to see another vegan recipe, click here!

Ingredients:

• 225g plain flour;
• 3 tsp baking powder;
• 100g brown sugar;
• 25g blueberries;
• 25g red currents;
• 50ml almond milk;
• 25ml sunflower oil;
• 50g icing sugar (optional);
• handful of blueberries and red currents (optional).

STEPS ON HOW TO MAKE THIS:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees;
2. line your loaf tin with grease-proof paper;
3. sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl;
4. put in a blender: almond milk,blueberries and red currents, blend for 2 minutes;
5. put the smoothie mixture into another large bowl, add the oil and sugar and stir until combined;
6. add the flour mixture into the smoothie concoction and stir until combined;
7. pour the entire cake mixture into the loaf tin, place into the oven for 40 minutes, turn the cake every 5 minutes so it cooks evenly;
8. optional step: put in a small bowl icing sugar, handful of blueberries and red currents, add 1 tsp on water and mix;
9. when the cake is out the oven and cooled, drizzle your desired amount icing over the cake;
10. cut the cake up and ENJOY! :D 

Why these ingredients? 

Blueberries:
The blueberry's fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamin C coupled with its lack of cholesterol, all support heart health. The fiber in blueberries helps lower the total amount of cholesterol in the blood and decrease the risk of heart disease this is perfect if heart disease runs in the family.

Almond milk:

Almond milk is filled with potassium, this helps prepare and enhance: cells, tissue and organs in the human body. This is essential in everyday life, you always need to repair yourself.

This is the end of the blog post! Thank you so much for reading this, I really hope you make this, and if you do show me your recreations on social media! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! I'm going to be writing another marketing essay, as well as planning other blog posts :).
I love you all so very much, see you tomorrow! Stay safe and stay tuned Little ones :) x x x 

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Advice-breaking down

My mental breakdown (nervous breakdown)

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DISCLAIMER: If you can't handle traumatic or upsetting stories I wouldn't read this blog post. 

Hello again! It's pretty grey where I am right now, I'm hoping the sun comes out soon :). I thought that this morning I would give you another advice post, you guys really seem to enjoy these; and I want to help you by telling you my experience; and giving you tips on how to avoid this situations. 

If you want to see how my depression and anxiety started click here. 

If you are out there are you are going through this, in my heart I feel awfully sorry for you; because this is when I hit rock bottom in my life and I know that's how you feel too. I love you all and we can get through this together :). 

I will be taking you through my BIGGEST emotional breakdown, what impact it had on me and my family and what happened after. 

If you want to see my personal experience, and advice on how to avoid this situations; keep calm relax and have a little read. 

In this blog post I can't say names, so I will refer to this particular person as: it, him, he etc. I also can't explain certain things this person did to me for legal reasons.

BACKSTORY:

This emotional breakdown was caused by another human being, someone that I thought I loved,someone that I thought cherished and cared about me ... But he did not. He hurt me emotionally and physically; which took it's toll on me in the end.

This person controlled me like a puppet: from telling me what to wear, what to say and how to act. As well as, telling me when I can and can't see him, what I should spend my money on. He would steal from me, or demand money by using mental and physical abuse.

But worst of all was the mental abuse, he would give me all the attention in the world, and then take it away from me in a heartbeat. He would be the love of my life one minute, and my stone cold enemy the next. He would tell me, "your life isn't worth living if you don't have me", "you wouldn't be able to cope on your own, no one would be with you", "you're disgusting, vile, hideous, why am I with you?" etc.

He made me feel that I couldn't live without him. It was a gradual decline, he was so manipulative and cruel. He wrapped me around his little finger until I nearly took my own life. I started self-harming when I was with him; the physical pain distracted the mental abuse. But he would still tell me to kill myself. He said I was "overreacting" and that it was "all in my head". He made me think that everything he did to me, was my fault. 

He then left me ... Everything he did and he left me, for no reason. I came home, previously having spent time with him; and he messaged me to say that it was over. At that moment in time I couldn't breath, I felt numb and had no idea what to do with myself. I wasn't upset that he was gone, I was devastated. He made me feel that I couldn't live without him, he made me believe that. He beat me emotionally and physically for him to leave? I broke, literally, I went to his home and destroyed his room. Everything he had stole from me, everything that he made me spend my money on ... I smashed. After all of that, I took him back ... He said he was sorry, that it was him and not me. And I took him back; at this point I wasn't a human being, I was a walking skeleton. 

Until one day I finally realised that it wasn't me it was him, I seeked  professional help without him knowing and left him. That was the best day of my life. 

THE BREAKDOWN:

After he had left I felt nothing. 

I came home, curled up on the sofa and stayed there for hours. I cried but said nothing. I did this for weeks. I couldn't sleep, everything I ate I threw up. 

To try and get me to sleep my dad had to rock me back and forth like I was a little child.

For weeks I didn't talk, the only sound I made was the tears that came before and eyes; at the tragic sound that came after that.

My eyes were red raw, they were as swollen as golf balls. My complexion was anemic, I looked like the walking dead. I forgot how to speak, I had no energy to do anything, this entailed, brushing my hair, washing my body. I just wouldn't do it. 

All I wanted to do was lay in bed and cry. On times when I had to go downstairs I would rock myself to feel at ease. Eventually I spoke, but only to mum, as she is the closest person I have to this day. I said, "maybe if I change he would take me back". Oh how I wish I never said that, how I wish that I didn't let him brainwash me; but at that moment in my life Amy was gone ... Amy didn't exist. Amy was kidnapped by him. He had taken her away, and replaced her with a dead soul. 

Eventually I learnt how to communicate, but only in the household and very close friends, being Eisha. On the night that this happened, she sat by my side and held me; bare this in mind she hates physical contact; and she held me. She made me feel safe, and for that I love her, I will love her forever. 

THE AFTERMATH:

The recovery process was draining. I had to live without manipulation. You may be thinking, 'that's fantastic'. But for 2 years of my life this person took over me, I was not Amy McGuire, I was somewhere else. I had lived by these rules for years, I knew nothing else. The anxiety of doing something wrong was ridiculous, I was scared to wear my own clothes the way I wanted to, as he had said that I couldn't do that. I would have been judged and called a slut, whore, ugly etc. if I dressed the way I wanted to. I would have been judged if I spent my money the way that I wanted to. Everything that I wanted to do I couldn't, because he was still there, controlling my mind. Even though he was gone physically, I was left with nothing. I was left with burning questions, of WHY? In which to this day I still can't answer. I still can't understand how he could treat me the way that he did. We are all human, and for him to do what he did to me, to another human being, is not only inhumane, but unquestionably vile. 

I still go to therapy, I still need to talk to people, because it's impacted my current relationship. I still get scared of being truly happy, because I am terrified of experiencing this all over again. 

I know that Chris (my current boyfriend) would never harm me in any way shape or form! But the anxiety is still there because of my past experience.  

I still have nightmares to this day, I struggle to sleep at night. The only time I can actually sleep is when Chris is by my side holding me; and even then I have night terrors. But I know he is there to protect me. Always. I love him so very much, and I'm thankful that I have someone like him in my life.

HOW TO AVOID THIS:

If I was as strong as I am now I would have said goodbye to that person a while ago. I was a weak and fragile person and he knew that; he took advantage and took me piece by piece until there was nothing left. 

If you are in a current relationship and he is even slightly controlling you, even if it's, "can I see your phone?", "I don't think you should wear that", "I don't think you should buy that", tell him to stop of leave! People like them start off small and then it gets worse! They get into your brain and then take control of it! 

PLEASE BELIEVE ME! 

I would not wish this to happen to anyone, this is the worst pain I have every experienced in my life, he took 2 years off my life ... 2 whole years I won't get back. 

Please stay safe and listen to what other people tell you about him, he they say that he's controlling please don't go there. 

I learnt the VERY hard way, and it still effects me to this day. 

If you want to know any personal details about what happened to me, you can message me.

Hopefully in the next year of so I will be able to tell you everything in detail about what he did physically. 

I want to say a huge thank you for reading this, and if you are going through this with a current partner, please leave them. I did and it was the best thing that I ever did. 

I am so sorry that you have had to go through this, but it will make you a stronger person. It sure as hell makes you view the world differently. 

I love you all so very much, and I will see you again later on today with another vegan recipe :).
Stay safe and stay tuned Little ones :) x x x 

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Advice-where it all began. Anxiety and depression.

How I ended up becoming depressed and anxious 

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DISCLAIMER: This is going to be a very raw blog post, I will try and keep it as positive as I can, but as you can tell by this title there's no sunshine and rainbows. If you are easily upset, and can't stand these personal experiences PLEASE DON'T read this post. 

Hello everyone. I never thought that I would be sitting here writing this blog post ... But I am. This is a very hard post for me to write, something I have always wanted to tell people but I never could. I'm still contemplating if I should be writing this; simply because I've dealt with these demons for years.
I have no idea how I'm going to start this blog post but what I will say is that it's a very long story, and it's not the nicest of tales. On the other hand, there are certain aspects that I can't explain or write in this post, simply because of legal reasons. No names will be named, I will refer to this particular person as 'he', 'it', and 'him'. 

Where do I begin? I suppose I'll start from when I was younger, specifically 6 or 7. Apparently I was a very shy child, I wouldn't talk to people, nor engage with everyday activities in primary school. I kept myself to myself and that was it. I was scared you see, children screaming around the playground, acting like wild animals intimidated me. The fact that I was bullied for being so timid and dainty didn't help. They would point, scream and shout as they knew I hated it. I would cry in a corner and wish for it to be over. This is where my fear of people began to rise ... Growing up was difficult, my social interaction with people was non-existent. I would hide away and avoid all contact, my fear of people grew more and more. I didn't know that I was battling with anxiety, I didn't even know what that word meant. 

Secondary School was utter hell. I remember my first day ... Oh what a first day it was. Coming face to face with thousands of students was terrifying. I remember crying as I entered the dull and frosty hall. I had warm and humble teachers either side of me telling me that "it was going to be ok". Their smiles filled me with hope. Until my first lesson arrived. I didn't know where to go, the fear of being late took over my entire body. Growing up, being late was seen as rude, being late was the ultimate betrayal, being late meant it was the worst first impression. With this in mind I scrabbled around school, trying to find my class. my heart was pounding, tears were pouring, my lungs on fire. I did was I knew best, I curled up into a ball and cried. 

There were many days like this. And it only got worse. My anxiety grew, it started eating away at me, it became a demon in my own body. There were times I would have panic attacks, simply because I was too scared to order my own food at lunch. The fear of making people wait, for them to shout at me, for them to bully me ... It all got too much. I couldn't engage with people, something simple like asking what you want for lunch was too much for me. 

The same applied to, putting my hand up to ask the teacher for something, or to answer a question. The fear of people laughing at my request, or the fact that I got an answer wrong was terrifying. 

Throughout year 7 to year 14 I NEVER put my hand up. I was too scared, and to be honest, I'm still terrified, I'm heading to University in September and I don't know if I can shout out the answers. 

Everyday simple actions was a battle for me. Even outside of a school ... I was too anxious to order food, I couldn't buy clothes as I didn't want to talk to the cashier person. Not that I didn't want to, bit I was too scared to. I didn't know how to engage in everyday conversation. 

The people I spoke to were online, I could hide behind a screen and everything was OK. The few physical friends I had were super understating and patient. My best friend Eisha has been a god send, I've been friends with her for 8 years and we have never had an argument or fallen out; I consider her my sister.  

My anxiety was something that developed over time, and was enhanced by a person in which I can't name, these are for legal reasons. 

This person became my boyfriend of which took over my life for 2 years ... He's not in my life anymore (thank God) and these are one of the many reasons why my anxiety and depression got worse. I wish I could go into detail with how and why but I can't. I will briefly explain how he made my anxiety worse. 

First and foremost I knew this person for 6 years, he was considered a really close friend; which is why I decided to make him my boyfriend; as I could trust him.

Slowly he made me feel small and pathetic etc. He did this by crushing my confidence, when I wanted to come out of my shell, for example, buying clothes, he would tell me that they would judge me; they would think I'm weird an strange for shopping there. If I bought items online he would say that I wasted my money, it was a pointless buy etc. This went on for two years. Within those 2 years the depression started to sink in. Having someone telling you are worthless, hurting you emotionally and physically brings you down ... Evidently. 

Again I wish I could go into proper detail, but I can't. 

He was awful and disgusting, so much happened, I don't think I will be able to write about it now, but I will try in a future blog post. 

What I can say, is that he mentally abused me to the point where I thought I couldn't live without him, he would ignore me or days for no reason; I would try and see him and he would call me all the names under the sun. 

As well as this he would give me all the attention and then take it away. He was the cause for my mental breakdowns, to the point where my dad has to rock me to sleep.

My depression was so bad I have tried to commit suicide, I self-harmed, I would not look after myself. I would not eat or drink, I wouldn't talk, I was nothing. 

He took two years of my life, and I'm still trying to get over it ... It's been 3 years since that and I'm still scarred, I'm still not better. 

After everything that he did mentally and physically I still have nightmares, I still have to go to therapy. 

When I can talk about everything, and when I'm ready I will. I just hope that somehow this has helped someone, because you really aren't alone. I was lead to believe that my life wasn't worth living, I hit rock bottom and I'v managed to get on with my life. I passed my AS Levels, I'm heading to University in September. 

If you want me to make a blog post on how I overcome these issues, please let me know. 

Thank you for reading this blog post, sorry that I was late with this post. I was writing it yesterday and I broke into tears. I really hope this helps someone, even if it's just one person.

I love you all so very much, and you are perfect! If you are going though something like this right now, you are not alone! If someone is causing you this pain LEAVE THEM! I did and it was the best decision I have ever made! I didn't think I was strong enough, but I did it! If you have been though so much pain, leaving them won't make it worse, it will only make it better :).

I will see you again today! I am posting a review, and I'll also be posting what I did yesterday :)

If you want to see them stay tuned and follow me :)

If you want to talk to me on my social media below feel free! I will follow you right back! I love you all again, and I'm here for you :)  x x x 

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Advice

Applying to university-personal statement

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Good morning Little ones! How are you doing? What are you plans for today? I know that I'm going to be writing a review later on! I can't wait to share it with you :).

Any who, I have decided to help people who want to apply for University; but first things first, your personal statement needs to be PERFECT! 

In this blog post I am going to be:

• Showing you how to plan your personal statement; 
• what not to put in your personal statement;
• how to write your personal statement;
• the rules and regulations;
• my personal statement
  If you need help, or just need some inspiration, have a little look! I just really hope this helps :)
• Also, I hope to make 'applying to university' a series. For example, later on I want to tell you my experiences with applying for student fiance, my first year at university etc. 

If you want to read other advice on my blog, click here!

When I started studying my second year of Sixth Form (A2), they drummed into our minds the importance of applying for University, and that your personal statement had to be perfect! I remember walking into the hall, and before we were welcomed back into the new academic year; our head of year had a long and boring speech based on just personal statements ... Yes my summer was lovely; thank you for asking. But with this speech were just words, they went over my head; they didn't explain how to do it; they just wanted it done ASAP. 

This meaning, we were alone, I knew what I was best at, and that was planning to the extreme.

TOP TIP NUMBER ONE:
PLAN

When it came to planning my personal statement I used various strategies. For example, when I needed a generic guideline I put the subject which I wish to study in the middle; which was Marketing, and placed hit words of why I wanted to study it. With this I branched out on the why, and started analysing this with: marketing articles, quotes from people in the marketing field etc. And used this valid piece of information and linked it back to the question of: why I want to study marketing, and why I am the best candidate for this course. ALWAYS have this question in mind or in front of you! MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS LINK BACK TO THE QUESTION! If you ramble out of track you aren't answering the question; which shows your university that you aren't right for that particular course. 

WHAT NOT TO PUT IN YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT:

As much as you want to, and as much as I wanted to ... Don't use intricate language. I know ... It's painful. But you need to make sure that it's easy to understand and to read. Keep in mind that your university has to read thousands of these applications they don''t have time to read your fancy writing. As much as you think it will set a good impression, it won't, it will do the complete opposite. 

DON'T PLAGIARIZER! I know it's a drag! Believe me I know you'd rather be doing your homework, but this needs to be done! Don't take the lazy way out and use someone else's personal statement! I have seen people doing it and their universities have turned them down! The sooner this is done the better! If you need to copy information, for example when I was writing my personal statement I needed quotes from famous marketing individuals, I referenced their quote. THIS IS OK TO DO! JUST REMEMBER TO REFERENCE ALL INFORMATION THAT ISN'T YOUR OWN. 

HOW TO WRITE YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT:

When it comes to writing your personal statement, it should flow. You should know what to write, as you are writing about a subject in which you want to study; in some way shape and form you have an idea of what to write.

If I was to give any advice I would suggest to:

• Write why you want to study this course;
• why you feel you are right for this course; 
• where did your passion come from? Have you learnt about it before? Reading online?;
• what extra reading have you done? (Use websites-blogs, books, personal experience-where have you been which links into your course?) For example, I went on a marking trip when I was studying media.
• who has influenced you? Why does this impact your course;
• what have you done outside of school, your hobbies, awards etc.

These key elements will be your guide, this will help you throughout writing your personal statement,

When writing your personal statement, make sure that it's short and snappy. Make sure you are always answering the question, and that you are to the point. You want to show your university of choice that you know how to write, and you know how to answer questions. 

RULES:

• Your personal statement has to be a total of 4000 characters, this includes spaces, commas, new sentence etc;
• if there is any information that isn't yours, ALWAYS reference;
• be 100% truthful, don't lie in your personal statement, your university DOES check! 

MY PERSONAL STATEMENT:

I wrote this personal statement on my own, it took me a total of 4 hours with one attempt. This includes planning by the way! It normally shouldn't take this long, but I took my planning to the max! With that being said, after I gave it to my head of year I only needed to change a few words as they were "too complex". Which is why I mentioned earlier, that your language should be simple!
My personal statement was a total of 3840 characters with spaces! And was a total of 628 words.

Marketing and advertising Personal Statement-Amy McGuire:

Marketing and Advertising is unquestionably an influential part of civilisation. I want to study this course because it would enrich my knowledge, and give me more information and experience in the Marketing and Advertising field; and would help me gain a better understanding of my future occupation. My passion started for this course in my A Level Media Studies. Additionally a key strength I have would be the capability to work independently and research successfully. A perfect example would be, planning and researching for my EPQ which was based on historical and modern architecture.

Another key strength would be my ability to work well within a team. An example would be, in Business Studies we were set a task of selling roses, making a profit and giving that to charity. My role was to compare suppliers, select the cheapest and to advertise the entire project. I did this by creating posters and placing them around school. This gave me a better understanding of what Advertising and Marketing would entail, because creating various forms of advertisements (posters) is a must in this type of industry, especially when you have to engage the public eye. We all communicated with each other to make sure everything went well, and also helped our team by dividing the workload. We made a profit of £138.76 and gave it to The British Heart Foundation. Furthermore another key strength would be, my problem solving skills, for example when I was supervisor at Cargo I had to tackle issues which entailed: refunds, customer complaints, furniture orders etc. I had to use my knowledge and understanding of the business to figure out a way I would solve these issues on a regular basis.

What I’ve done outside of School includes: volunteering at The British Heart Foundation, attending my weekend job at Sainsbury’s, which helped me develop my organisation and communication skills, purely because I have to speak to people on a daily basis, and I have to organise my time wisely when at work so I know what tasks to do without overlapping. I also write a blog on how to deal with depression and anxiety, which have enriched my writing and analytical skills, in which I would need to be able to analyse Marketing and Advertising strategies. Within my free time I read around Marketing and Advertising, my main resource’s being: “Advertising promotion and other aspects of integrated marketing communications” (2013)-book by Shrimp, Terence A; Andrews, J. Craig. Another book I’ve read into is, “Advertising age: the principles of advertising and marketing communications at work”-by Thorson, Esther; Duffy, Margaret (2011). I found these texts significant because it gave me a detailed overview of what Marketing and Advertising was, the history of many advertising companies, for example Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), in which they help take down advertisements which are inappropriate. Furthermore I’ve followed Marketing and Advertising blogs, such as: AdverBlog and Seth Godin, only because they deliver new advice, knowledge and encouragement; especially Seth Godin. For example his main moto is “make something happen”, this is helpful for me because it gives me motivation to work hard in my studies and aim for a better future. But the information provided by him is good, purely because he’s giving his own view of what it’s like to be in the Marketing and Advertising industry, “Only in the last 20 years have we seen marketing change”. On the other hand some of the material provided by him can be deceptive, he keeps it too brief. For example in one post he’s explains “The other element of guerilla marketing”, I would’ve liked it if he could’ve analysed the process properly, because I would’ve understood it more. Altogether I do find my resources extremely helpful, especially when preparing for university. 

I hope this has helped you! I know that when I was researching on how to write my personal statement, coming across a good blog post really helped me. I hope this has the same affect on you! I also hope that you find it easy and less stressful; as I know going into your second year of A Levels is tough! If you don't already know and would like to know my Sixth Form experience click here!
If I can do it, then I know you can to! 

I wish you a very good day! If you need to ask me any other questions about this or any other topic don't be shy! Talk to me on my social media platforms above or below this blog post!

I love you all so very much! See you later on today! Stay tuned Little ones <3 :D x x x 

Instagram:amymrmcguire

Twitter:AmyRoseMcGuire
Email: missamymcguire@hotmail.com

 

Dentist experience

My fear of the dentist 

Instagram:amymrmcguire

Twitter:AmyRoseMcGuire

Disclaimer: If  you are scared of the dentist, please don't read this! 

Hello and good morning! It's a grey start to the day in the UK, but I'm here writing another blog post for you. I'm going to be sharing, my fear of the dentist and why my fear took over my life. These are true stories of what I'm about to write, it doesn't mean that these will happen to you.

If you can relate to these circumstances, you will be able to understand why I' terrified of the dentist.  

If you want to know about my before and after braces transformation click here!

Brief teeth history:

I was born 3 months premature, this had a huge impact in the growth and development of my teeth. When my baby teeth came through as bruised and oddly shaped. Seeing this as a child is shocking and terrifying. especially when you are comparing your teeth to other children's which are pearly white and pristine. I thought that when my adult teeth would come to play it would be fine. But it wasn't. They also came through as bruised, grey and white, with a hint of yellow discoloration on a few teeth. Not just that, but I had teeth above the gum-line, overcrowding and extra teeth; I looked like a shark, and that was one of the many names I was called. When it came to looking after them I was good for several years, but the bullying got to a point where I thought 'what was the actual point'; I would brush them only once a day, a few days a week. I would lie to my parents about brushing them. This made the trips to the dentist interesting.

Early memories at the dentist:

I don't remember many, but from what my mother has told me. At the age of 3 I would sit in the waiting room and cry, and this was before I had even sat in the chair of doom. She would constantly say, "your teeth need improving, they are dinosaur like". She would be rough with my mouth and make me bleed. My mum would always hold my hand, she would sit here and keep quiet. But this was just the beginning of the dentist. 

Year 6 rolled around, I was 10 years old. I remember walking to the dentist with my mother beside me and I was shaking with nerves. We entered the waiting room, check in, I would sit in the chair and sob silently. As soon as my name was called my heart was in my mouth, tight chest alongside with a burning sensation. I would walk in slowly, little legs trembling. Sitting there in the chair, piercing light in my eye, same witch inspecting my mouth. She would pull vigorously on my mouth, stating that my sisters teeth were perfect, and that mine were "awful" in comparison. As she was checking my mouth with one of the metal tools she slipped and sliced the inside of my cheek. I let a a scream and cried. "Don't fuss". I ended up calming down, after 3 nurses were called into the room. She then said "she needs a filling". Her words hurt more than slicing my cheek, I cried with nerves, thinking that this was going to be the worst pain in the world. The sound of the drill made me numb, I had nurses either side, holding my hand as a shook with fear. She was rushing the entire process, it was extremely painful, and no numbing solution was applied. I was in so much pain, I cried through the entire process, I wanted her to stop and slow down, but she wouldn't. 

This terrible experience was one of the reasons why I was so scared of the dentist. her terrible attitude and lack of care for me was another. And the dentist I attended was unprofessional. For example, the receptionist looked dirty, she wore too much make-up for work, despite her boss telling her to tone it down; as it gave the wrong impression. The waiting room was dull and uncharacteristic, and there was nothing for children to do if they were nervous. 

Year 8, it was similar to other experiences, I would cry on the way there, and have a panic attack when I was called into the room. I was also due to have another filling, I had remembered my other experiences and I was terrified. This time they tried to inject me with local anesthetic, instead of hiding the needle, she showed me what she was about to inject in my mouth, and then said, "stay still or this will hurt terribly". That being said, and she knowing what I'm like, having seen me for 8/9 years she still continued to scare me. I cried hysterically, and she told me to "don't be so stupid". When she put the needle in, 3 nurses again had to hold me down, I shut my eyes as tight as I could and waited for it to be over. Fast forward to her drilling, the sound of the drill bought me back to my various traumatic experiences in the chair. I started to panic, and then stopped breathing as it made it easier for the dentist to do her job. Me being as still as possible, she moves and misses my tooth, she drills my tongue! MY TONGUE! She was drilling my top teeth, I was being still and she moved towards my tongue...

At first I was numb, a few moments later the burning sensation started emerging, I put my hand below my mouth and it was covered in blood. I screamed and tried to move out of the room. The nurses held me down and said "it will be over soon", my dentist said in a lighthearted voice, "ops, how clumsy of me". After getting me to calm down she continued doing what she was doing. I was sobbing in the chair looking at my mum and saying that I want it to be done and over with. 

Year 10, I was 15 at this point, and I was booked in for another filling, this is because my teeth were so weak I needed artificial support. You would think that with age I would become braver, but my fear of the dentist didn't fade. I still had my mum with me, talking to her calms down my nerves but hearing my name being called into that room sets me off and makes me panic. All the flashbacks of what's happened previously put me on edge. Again I walk in slowly, with small shaky legs. Sitting in the chair, bright lights in my face. Preparing what's about to happen, 3 nurses are there holding my legs and rubbing them to calm me down, another nurse beside me holding my hand, and my mum holding my other hand. The dentist says, "you are making such a fuss you silly little girl" and then tuts. A burning sensation exerts through my body, I was so upset and embarrassed; but this was her fault for why I felt like this in the first place. She started drilling my tooth, I was complain like the previous experiences, and yet again I stopped breathing. She then move and drills the back of the wrong tooth! I scream in pain and begin to cry. The experience was over. A few weeks pass and a throbbing pain starts to settle in, it gets worse over time. Because the dentist had drilled the back of the wrong tooth I couldn't brush it properly which caused a mass amount of infection. I was in the worst amount of pain, apart from suffering with severe IBS, but that's another story.  I went to the dentist with my mum again, I was not prepared for the amount of pain I was about to endure. I went into the consulting room, and my mum had said that this was her fault, she then said "if you daughters teeth weren't so misplaced I could have done my job properly". That was a tense atmosphere. She then said, "that tooth is coming out". I puked. I was terrified, I cried like I haven't cried before. I was shaking to the point where it was scaring my mum. They had to have a total of 4 nurses and the receptionist to calm me down. They injected me with the local anesthetic, she said if I could feel anything, and I could. She gave me 3 more doses, at that point she couldn't give me anymore because it was against the policy and the law. But I felt everything. I felt the clamp ripping my tooth, I told her to stop but she didn't. She ignored my duty of care and continued. The nurses as to hold me down, I was gripping the receptionist hands so tight I made her bleed. Their was a contrast wiggle and pull for 5 minutes. I was screaming, crying and having a panic attack. I felt my root leave my mouth. From then onward everything was numb, I was in so much pain I passed out. I remember waking up and holding my chin and I was COVERED in blood. I was told that this was not normal to loose that amount of blood. I started to panic, but I was so weak, the witch told me to "be silent". She shoved a cotton bud in the whole and pushed hard, and then said "sorry"; and then smiled. 

To this current day I am still scared of the dentist, I haven't been in 1 year 6 months as I have been getting my teeth checked at the orthodontist. But I have an appointment soon and I'm dreading it. Although I have a new dentist, as the other one was fired, or as she said "she's going away". But she's been "away" for quite some time. He's a nice dentist, but I'm still trumatised with what has happened. These aren't all the stories, these are just 3 out of the many horror stories 

This was just my experience with the dentist, my sister had NO trouble what so ever, and neither did my mum. It was only ME. I feel that she done this on purpose as she hated my teeth and wanted me to feel bad. 

This does not happen to everyone, this was just my experience, the people I have spoken to this has NEVER happened to them. The more people I spoke to, the more publicity this dentist got until she was actually fired. 

Thank you for reading this post, it was a very hard one for me to make, as it gives me subtle flashbacks of the traumatic experiences. Hopefully on my next appointment I won't be so sacred, as I'm 19 and been through a lot worse with my orthodontic treatment. 

Thank you for reading this post, if you are going through this then I hope this helps you because you aren't alone. It does get better in the end, I'm still hoping that my end is near :).

I hope you are all well, and if you need to ask me any questions email me or leave a comment down below :) 

Stay tuned Little ones, see you soon :) x x x