Jessica Watts, Author at The Orbital

21Jun

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Lifestyle

Because you’re worth it.

You’ve probably heard the saying, before you can love someone else, you need to learn to love yourself… Well, the same is true of connections. Before you can create meaningful and lasting connections with anyone else, you must first connect with yourself. In today’s frantic world, we may forget to take the time to check in with ourselves, and we end up neglecting the most important relationship we have. Self-connection is the process of being in touch with the worthiness and wholeness of yourself. This may sound like a scary prospect, especially if you purposefully avoid being alone with your thoughts. However, forming deeper connections with yourself can boost your mood, help you understand yourself, and can even have a positive effect on other relationships in your life. If you ...

From Oxfam to “oh dayum!”: the rise of thrifting

12May

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Lifestyle

From Oxfam to “oh dayum!”: the rise of thrifting

Picture this… It’s 2013. Katy Perry’s “Roar” is blasting from your brand-new iPhone 5c and you’re getting ready for a shopping trip with friends. As you are yanking on some sexy mood rings and an edgy print New Look crop top, you get a message from a friend: “I really fancy going into the charity shops, can we?” You are stunned, offended even. Charity shops are for Grandmas, weirdos, losers…why would you ever want to step foot into those dusty antique collectors? Fast forward… It’s 2020. You’ve been in lockdown for four months and all you dream of is seeing the welcoming red sign of the British Heart Foundation. How you long to be browsing the aisles of Oxfam, arms brimming with treasures. What could be better than an afternoon of thrifting? A decade ago, buying clothes ...

Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby! Top tips for a comfortable uni experience

31Jan

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Lifestyle

Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby! Top tips for a comfortable uni experience

For many, this article might seem like a toe-curling embarrassment to read. The title alone might have been enough to bring a flush to your cheeks or you might feel the need to slam this page closed to protect yourself from the prudish judgement of nosey passers-by. Whatever it got you thinking is absolutely fine, but sex is everywhere, whether you choose to partake or not. At uni, sex is such a hot topic, to the point where it may feel as though ‘everyone and their nan’ is ‘doing it’, but don’t forget that not everybody has sex, not everybody wants sex, and not everyone is ready for sex at the exact same time. We’re all humans, figuring it out as we go along. Virgin or sex-veteran, it doesn’t matter; what matters is how comfortable you feel in yourself and around other people. If you ...

‘Secure’ the bag- tips for safe sex and healthy relationships

31Jan

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Lifestyle

‘Secure’ the bag- tips for safe sex and healthy relationships

Safety during sex is paramount for physical and mental health; in the words of Lil Wayne, “Safe sex is great sex, better wear a latex, cause you don’t want that late text, that ‘I think I’m late’ text”. When it comes to sex, university is a battlefield of chlamydia and misinformation, and it can be scary. So, here are some starter tips that might come in handy when approaching sex as a student: Test the waters This is meant literally; test yourself. STI tests are free from the NHS and can be the quickest and most stress-free way of determining your sexual health. For ‘same-day’ accessibility, Superdrug sells a variety of test kits from £20. Not only can testing be crucial in catching an STI before it progresses further, but regular check-ups are also essential in keeping sexually he...

Naughty or nice? Festive traditions and how to stay on the environmental ‘nice list’ this Christmas

14Nov

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Lifestyle, News

Naughty or nice? Festive traditions and how to stay on the environmental ‘nice list’ this Christmas

It’s festive season, folks! While this time of year can be a foggy mess of mince pies and mulled wine, turkey and family issues, the joyous cries of Cousin Bertha receiving her third Fenty lip-gloss are drowned out by the planet screaming at us to get our act together. The UK alone produces an additional 3 million tonnes of waste at Christmas and fills 100 million bin bags every time the season comes around. The problem here is the high levels of methane gas and CO2 emitted from landfills, which cause global warming. If that doesn’t make you stop and think, just one single tonne of landfill costs us £56 in taxes, which could definitely help pay for Auntie Jackie’s presents this year. These are some astonishing figures that may put a dampener on our yuletide cheer, but not to fear, w...

The appeal of autumn: Reasons to Fall in Love with Autumn

16Oct

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Features, Lifestyle

The appeal of autumn: Reasons to Fall in Love with Autumn

It’s that time of year again: the earth applies her sepia filter and autumn arrives. It’s the season that calls for dad jumpers, thick socks, and hot chocolate on tap. Scarves, bobble hats and fingerless gloves seep into everyday outfits and you start pondering over your boot collection, wondering whether last year’s Chelsea boots are still ‘in’. It sounds so romantic that it’s easy to forget the correlation between the fall in temperature and the rise in mental illness. Autumn and winter are largely polled as people’s least favourite seasons. The latter half of the year isn’t as romantic as it might seem, but is there a way to rekindle our love for autumn this year? S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a condition which affects up to three in a hundred people in the UK. A somewhat ...