Three Taylor Swift inspired tips to help you thrive!

With loads of number one singles and albums, her sell-out global Eras tour, and her army of fans known as Swifties, Taylor Swift is perhaps the BIGGEST popstar on the planet right now!

Swifties form a huge and passionate fan base who are comforted by her music and inspired by her willingness to speak out on important issues, so to mark the release of Taylor's new album, Life of a Showgirl, we thought we'd take a look at three Taylor Swift inspired tips to help you thrive in school, and life!

So like Taylor transitioning into her Midnights set at the Eras tour, lets jump in! Are you "Ready For It?"

Friendship (bracelet) goals

Fans of Taylor are known as Swifties, and they are super passionate about the Shake It Off singer! Swifties are well known for exchanging friendship bracelets with each other at Taylor's concerts as a way to spread their Taylor love and make new friends, they've well and truly found their tribe.

Dr Amir gave us some tips about how to make new friends in secondary school, he said you should just be yourself! "Remember you don't have to be perfect or cool. Just be kind and interested in the other person. And don't forget to remember how brilliant you are and how lucky these people are to be hanging out with you!"

In our World of Wellbeing vodcast Dr T told us that you could look for some common ground when finding new friends, Dr T said: "I may know almost nothing about football, but what's really nice is, I could still connect with Kit in this vodcast in other ways. We were able to have fun and share ideas, even though we didn't share that major interest in footie." Your common ground could be your love of TayTay.

Shake off your stress!

Stressful situations can happen during school, especially around exam season. Stress is something that lots of students feel, so you probably aren't alone in feeling stressed, but just how can you "Shake It Off"?

In our World of Wellbeing podcast Dr T advises that it's really important to be able to notice the signs of stress early so that you can start to process them. Taylor Swift may sing "You Need to Calm Down", but how can you calm yourself at times of stress? Well, Dr T told us you could try a double inhale, exhale breathing technique he says it's an "instant stress reliever":

• Take a big breath in through your nose.
• Give yourself a quick top-up breath through your nose.
• Then a long exhale through your mouth.

Give it a try the next time you feel stressed and see how it makes you feel!

Journal your worries

Taylor Swift has kept journals since she was young, which she has used to write down her thoughts, feelings and even lyrics to songs. Dr T says that journalling is a good way to cope with changes in your life, he says: "If you don't have someone to talk to and are struggling with your emotions, you could process your thoughts in the form of journaling. It helps me to become aware of what I am thinking about."

Dr Radha also spoke about journaling in our World of Wellbeing podcast, she said: "Journaling or writing down your worries can help us get perspective on our worries. Often when we look at what we were worried about yesterday, the following day we realise that we didn’t actually need to spend our mental energy and time on those things at all."

So if you don't want your time at school 'CANCELLED!', you're worried about the fate of yourself (not the 'Fate of Ophelia') or you are 'Actually Romantic' about the thought of how good school could be, then use Taylor Swift as your inspo!

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.

If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on the BBC Bitesize Action Line page for young people.