What Sophie Said

Yesterday marked exactly a year since I moved to London. I didn’t think it would ever be a move I would make, but it has led to one of the busiest years of my life and probably the one in which I have changed and learned the most. The move was about breaking out of my comfort zone, and throwing off the comfort blankets I’d surrounded myself with. Without challenging myself, I was never going to overcome a lot of the fears I had built up and learned to live with. The timings suddenly clicked. I was really unhappy in my job, living alone with the flexibility to move, and there was nothing tying me to stay in the same place. When the job hunt began, I was offered a role at a company I’ve admired for years, which sealed the deal and to London I came. It’s been a year of extreme highs and some very real lows, and one year on I can say it’s been one of the biggest learning experiences I’ve had. I’m in a new city, facing ‘fears’ like the tube, living with stranger...

Finding a place to rent can be a bit of a nightmare. Finding a room to rent in London is on another level. It’s definitely stressful and it’s definitely fast-paced, so almost a year after moving I thought I’d try to share some tips. There are places out there. It can be very easy to panic as places move quickly and the process can be overwhelming, but people are always on the move and there are options out there if you keep calm and look properly. Know what you want. Do you want an extension of university life, living with people who are also going to be your friends, or do you want a quiet place you can head home to after work or socialising? Think carefully about the type of environment you want to be in. Visit multiple places. So many places look ok online, but the reality can be a different story. I saw places that looked about triple the size online, I went to a house where the other three occupants smoked and left beer bottles everywhere, I went to one house tha...

I had a conversation recently about solving problems. My aunt and uncle were visiting London and we met in my lunchbreak, then somehow ended up on the topic of problem-solving. I can’t remember how it came up, but we were talking about how important it can be to just change one element of your approach or thinking and amazing things can happen. It’s so easy to get frustrated and stuck in a rut, especially when the problems you’re trying to sort out are big ones, or you feel like you’re in someone else’s hands. I’ve got two examples connected to pretty big life changes. Getting a new job In early 2015, I made the decision my next step would be moving to London. I left the job I was in, because I knew interviews in London would mean taking whole days off work, so wanted to give myself the time to job hunt properly and avoid the awkward questions of requesting whole days of work with little explanation. I was looking and applying, but role after role wasn’t quit...

A couple of weeks ago, we headed for a weekend stay at The Lodge Hotel, Putney. Booked in December as part of a Christmas gift, there had been plenty of time to get excited about it! The hotel is only a 5 minute walk from South Putney tube station, and near to plenty of nice restaurants and bars if you want an evening out. There's a red telephone box by the entrance, which certainly makes it stand out as you walk down the road, and the entrance is clean, fresh and the look is polished and woody. The bedroom was fairly small, but roomy enough for the bed, a small table and armchair, a desk, television and wardrobe, Everything was clean and inviting, although there were no features to make it feel extra special - it very much did as it said on the tin. The bed was comfortable, and there was a simple, clean en suite bathroom. The hotel itself looks like it has been created from a couple of houses, and this feeling is consistent as you walk through to the bedrooms. Th...

You’ve come round quickly. January seemed to last for weeks on end, but February crept by without me really even noticing. I’ve had a fairly quiet month, mainly working then relaxing in good company. March is a busy one, this year. I’ve filled up my weekends with things I’m really looking forward to. There’s the day my mum is coming to London for food and museums and exhibitions. There are two shows in my diary. There’s an overnight stay in a place which looks beautiful and calm. We have a big event at work mid-month which I know will be a long day, but I’m interested to see how it all runs, as I hadn’t joined the company yet when it ran last year. I’ve started seeing a new counsellor. More to come on that soon, but those sessions will be another key feature of the month. We had our first appointment last week and I’m feeling good about it. Apart from that, there are catch-ups with friends lined up, and a couple of my favourite people have birthdays...

I love living in London. It's so different to where I grew up (Cheshire) and to where I went to university (York). There's so much to do in terms of work, culture, socialising and the opportunity to see this amazing city. In many ways, London is great. But London is busy. It's pace is like nowhere else, and nobody slows down.  Which is why it can be so important to press pause. Sometimes, you need to escape the city for the weekend and press the refresh button. Fresh from a weekend away recently, here are the top five benefits of that weekend escape: Pause. We're not designed to run at full speed 24/7. Sometimes you just need a break. Reassess. Time away allows time to think about what you're doing and when you're doing it,  Reflect. A break from the day-to-day allows you to re-order your priorities, and think about what matters most. Refresh. Unwinding properly is like hitting the reset button, allowing you to return to London with ren...

When I moved to London in August, it was for a new job. My office is just off Oxford Street. I like to think that was me throwing myself in at the deep end, ‘doing London properly’. To be right in the centre of the city, on one of the busiest shopping streets around, was me entering into the heart of this exciting, busy city. Commuting to and from Oxford Street has taught me a few lessons over the last few months. Here are my top five: People can be really rude. And apparently have zero awareness that there are any other people anywhere near them. Either that or they just don’t care about anyone else, and believe themselves to be the most important people in the universe. Oxford Street at around 7am can be pretty great. Especially if there’s a nice sunrise that day. It’s quiet, it’s open and the world is waking up. Oxford Street at around 5pm is horrible. My walk from the office to the tube is downright unbearable, which is not what you want after a day in the of...

Let me start by saying that yesterday’s trip to see The Woman in Black wasn’t my first. Or my second. Or my third. According to my last count I think it was viewing number six. But I've never seen it in its West End home, never before sat three rows back from the stage, and not been for the last three years, so managed to justify another trip. The Woman in Black is one of those shows many people have seen; it’s got a (well-deserved) fantastic reputation, and is celebrating 25 years in the West End. Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s wonderful novel manages to maintain the tension and atmosphere of the original tale and delight and terrify audience after audience. I feel like it’s one of those shows you have to see to understand its impact. When I tell people it’s effectively two men and a wicker basket, and really scary, I can see why some just look a little confused. But the way this script is put together, and the way that combines with sl...

Storytime today! Because one year ago today was potentially one of the most nerve-wracking days of my life. At the beginning of January, I had started a new job based just south of Manchester. I knew I would be working with both my office and colleagues in the London office, but I don’t think it had quite registered that that would involve trips to London. You see, at that point, the only trains I had managed post-anxiety were 5 minute local-stopping trains. I had never travelled to London alone. I’d only been there a handful of times in my life. I’d never stayed alone in a hotel, apart from trips with family where I was maybe in a room next door to my parents. I was doing pretty well in terms of my anxiety, but those were still big hurdles. Anyway, when it was dropped into conversation that I’d be making my first trip to the London office in a couple of weeks, I replied just as casually that yes, of course that was fine. It would have to be! I knew I would find a ...

I’m a theatre-lover, especially when it comes to musicals. One outcome of that is that I regularly get asked by friends and family for recommendations, and what my favourites are. I think I’ve now done it. I’ve come up with my top five. Well, I was aiming for five and ended up with five plus two 'special mentions', but that’s close enough. Three are, in fact, shows which I only saw for the first time within the past six months, which quickly cemented their place in my favourites. These aren’t in any particular order as ranking them is too hard, but here is my list: Wicked Of course. I love, love, love this show. This potentially wins out in my favourite soundtrack award, and I just love the story. It’s an intricate storyline and so cleverly tells the prequel of The Wizard of Oz. I went with my mum when it first came to London. I went with my friend Rosie and her housemate back in April, and I went in Manchester when it was on tour with my dad only a month or so...

Gypsy has been a musical I’ve wanted to see for years, but has never quite been top of my long list of things I want to see. Until I saw Imelda Staunton was taking on the lead. And then the even better news came: BBC4 would be broadcasting the show live from the Savoy Theatre over Christmas. It offered the perfect opportunity to see the show without having to justify to myself the ticket prices, and is something I’m so pleased they decided to do. To be able to see the production on stage as it’s done at the theatre, with audience in situ, but with camerawork allowing close-ups of the actors, was a fantastic chance and one I really enjoyed. I knew very little about the show, except for a single song, ‘Some People’, which I had performed in a show aged about 13. Gypsy, the musical, tells the story of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee, but is really the story of her mother, Rose. Focusing on ‘Gypsy’s’ (originally named Louise) childhood for the first part of the show, Ros...

Before moving to London, my only experience of living with strangers was in my first year of university, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Before my move to London in August this year, I had been living alone. I loved living alone. The freedom. The space that was totally my own. The chance to be ‘selfish’ – as in, to do what I wanted, at whatever time I wanted. Not having to run plans past anyone. Not having to share any rooms or cooking equipment. Not having to think twice about having friends over. Being able to wander round the house or cook or shower at all times, on those nights I can’t sleep. Can you tell I miss it? I absolutely loved living on my own. However, that’s just not an option now I’m in London. And don’t get me wrong, my living situation could be much worse than it is. My room is big, my rent is reasonable (BY LONDON STANDARDS), and the other people in the house are friendly. I’m also the only one who uses the...