Wear your crown with pride!

Hii Guys! 

It's been a while I know. No-one's more apologetic than me… but I have good reason. Over the past couple of busy months, I've really took some time to look after myself; soul searching if you will. 

That said, it is not without its ups & downs. Such is life, for me. Today is no exception. I have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster all day. I'm blaming hormones (Yep. I'm passing the blame ha!) I'm also having a bit of a "hair-mare" so that's driving me round the bend- more on that another day!

The trouble with me, as my nearest & dearest know, the slightest thing can trigger me. I can get exceedingly angry if I'm passionate about something, you know? I'm working on that though. It's not pretty at all…. I wrote a post on my Instagram about a week ago discussing just this; so it's apt I share! 
        In the UK, we are now around a month in to Spring, which also brought the International Day of Happiness 😍🌾🌼 falling on the same day. It got me to thinking about the links of our differing seasons and how we can try and utilise them to help mental health issues but also understand how and why season changes can affect us in problematic ways. What do you think??

I certainly think that we all feel so much better when springtime arrives. Nature blooms and the time of growth, renewal and new life surfaces. I definitely aim to use the season to continue developing myself in positive ways. It's a great time for energy & exuberance and beneficial for those who suffer mental health issues; but as I noted above, we aren't superheroes and we don't always feel great but please do not feel inferior if you still suffer from low mood. It's very understandable. Take things one step at a time & seek support from whom ever you feel comfortable around. 

So, my main focus for today is about providing some tips really- let me know if they help and please do share this on! If you'd like to, you can also follow me on bloglovin'…Just click on the icon to your right :-) 

You may or may not be aware of the Facebook page: Action for Happiness. Check it out. It's quite useful for promoting a positive mindset to everyone & I came across this below image that struck a chord with me. Here's my top 5 thoughts: -

1) Inspire and motivate others: Lots of us face problems that can be very well hidden. It's a mask that can be used. So be aware that you never know what a person is facing every day. Put a smile on someone's face for no reason- make them smile or laugh, be kind or pay them a compliment. You'll find that the more you do this, you will feel better yourself.

2) Take time to be just you: In my previous post, I talked about my vow of becoming more spiritual; I stuck with this as much as possible & it's working. Even if it's an hour a day, take time to enjoy living in the moment. Try out some mindfulness, read a book, get out in nature..anything where you have time to reflect & rejuvenate. Give it a go! 

3) Drop the negativity: This is something that can be easier said than done and I need to follow my own advice. If anything or anyone is dragging you down then drop it. Let it go. Life's too short. Instead, surround yourself with what and who you love- any anger will slowly fade away.

4) Acceptance: We can all worry but it can be super intense when you may suffer from depression or anxiety. If you feel as if you've suffered setbacks or failed then please try to stop beating yourself up. We make mistakes but we learn from them. Accept that you can learn from any problem & actually use them to formulate a new direction. When you realise this & practice (1)(2)(3), your fears will be flooded by love.

5) Break the boundaries: You're here on Earth for a purpose; should you not feel that way, look harder & deeper. Sometimes we feel life's a struggle and you want to give up but stop right there; find a meaning. YOU are worthy! Try to stretch yourself and learn something new, fun and creative. This can be a challenge, I know; start small but think big. Every day you'll push yourself more & remember.. every great success requires some type of worthy struggle to get there. Know this!  

For now, I'll leave you with this cute, positive little quote; We may not always feel 100% o.k. with our day or progress, but try and wear your crown on top of your head at all times and you'll feel like a Queen/King/Boss…Leader!!

Optimism on a dull, grey day.

Hello lovely ones!! 

I wanted to take this opportunity to offer my thanks. I have had some very lovely comments and feedback from people about my Instagram, blog and the content. It feels so good to hear that people appreciate my words and that I may have helped them in some small way, inspired or cheered them up. So thank you; and keep the comments and messages coming! Let me know how I can help out :-) Insta link: Personal Instagram

It is exactly the direction I wish to take with this here blog. I would love to branch out more in to the blogosphere, as writing really does give me some cathartic clarification [So if anyone would like to offer some tips, please do…] 

I have found 2015 to be a pretty tough year for me, which to be honest, I wasn't expecting. It's funny isn't it, how life springs negative things on us eh?! As they say, life's a bitch…
       I ended 2014 hoping to begin a new chapter in life, after my relationship [[and potential future]] ended so abruptly, and in fairness, I felt optimistic and my job provided a lot of that. However, like at many other points in my life thus far, "God" or "someone" felt that I needed another pitfall!! Ha. Give me strength. I'd begun some new medication back in November '14 and it was going great until my new GP decided to use me as his guinea pig. Eurgh. To cut a long story short, it screwed with my brain big time and somehow I think some post traumatic stress was sprung upon me. Lovely stuff!!

I'm Agnostic if anyone is wondering! See: A question of Faith 

Working through all of this has been difficult, but sort've enlightening. Keeping up those ol' facades of mine has been an effort though I can tell you that! It has hugely frustrated me recently how some folk exclaim that they never get what they want, yet from what I can see, they clearly do. Yet those of us who, dare I say, deserve some luck, get nothing. Where is Karma - show yourself!
       Now that we are in August - Hang on, August, where does the time fly to!?!, I'm gradually beginning to feel better within myself, and I'm actually more or less content with my single status. I have days where I think I should just settle for someone so I can have all those slushy, couply stuff that humans crave [HA] but there's no way I'm doing that. I'm waiting for my man..prince..soulmate. He's out there somewhere. She says :-/          

For all of you out there who suffers with personal issues, whether that be mental, physical etc, please know that speaking out is the first step to recovery. There are always going to be triggers, but there is always help. So many people are empathetic and understanding to your needs. I really hope that I myself embody that. We sometimes may feel worthless, hard work or temperamental, but please do remember that inner strength is usually within you in spades! I came across these fantastic images recently, so I'll share them….

A New Year, A New Me Maybe

Hello! And a very belated Happy New Year to all :-) 

I've been, yet again, a slacker of a blogger for a few months…my only excuse is that I spent the previous few months taking my own advice [breakup wise], focusing greatly on my friends, work and the festive season, in which I hope everyone also enjoyed!! I really enjoyed my Christmas; it was very family oriented which is lovely when you don't always get see everyone frequently, isn't it? A couple of weeks ago I was on a course of antibiotics as I was diagnosed with a chest infection and sinusitis. Nice. It made sense, I'd felt rough since Oct/Nov! I had the flu jab as well so I was pretty annoyed that I didn't get away with illness. Grr. Winter is a pain eh. Great for the clothing wardrobe though eh! 
         Oh, and to top it off, I sprained my foot afterwards, think my body clearly thought I was an accident prone one woman show :-P

If you have read my previous posts, you will see that I am certainly an animal lover. Well in November, I thought it would be nice to adopt a new companion for my Tilda, since our senior cat had passed away. My first cat, god bless him, was a little boy, so I thought it would be lovely to have another, although I did pre-determine that perhaps a boy and girl will not get along too well. Fast forward, and I am correct. Tilda is a timid, precious, little girl, and to be greeted by a boisterous Tabby boy was probably not one of my greatest ideas. It began with a lot of hissing and growling from Tilly.  She is getting slightly more tolerable but prefers to stay away from him at all costs which saddens me as I don't want her to feel she needs to hide. Any advice would be great? Research into this behaviour will continue.

On to another furry love of mine..my hamster Pippin.  He will be two years old this May, so he is getting on a bit now :( Sadly, about a week ago, I noticed that his tummy seemed enlarged. He is eating normally but I'd say he drinks quite a lot and seems to be nesting. I have come to the awful conclusion that he has a tumour. He is old but most of my childhood hammy's lived to 3. So I am quite sad that he may soon die. I will probably take him to the vets for confirmation, but I fear they'll say he needs to be euthanised. I suppose that is the kindest thing to do….? But I will miss him very much indeed.

So, since my last post, I have been on a few more dates. I have been single now for six months, there's been tears, hatred, reflection..the whole lot, and it's fair to say, I'm still yet to find my true love, but you know what, I'm now 27 years of age and even though settling down is on my agenda, I am still young; as every one keeps telling me!! Now, on to the dates HA well, they've been fun but if they are anything to go by, either I am really picky or I was just lucky with my last boyfriend! My last relationship, as many can tell, was important to me but I can see it for what it is now..somebody gave up on me & I do not like that. If somebody really loves you, they try harder; but we all have limits in relationships and the other person hit theirs :-/ I am a true believer in fate and that life has a path for you. It still confuses me as to why certain things in my life have happened, but they have, and you have to learn to cope with it. 

What I certainly haven't been doing is judging men by the standard of the boyfriend which once was. There is no point in comparisons, it gets you nowhere, but I'm not rushing into anything that's for sure. I don't think you should invest into something with someone when you aren't sure if it is right. 
        Now to be honest, I've come to the realisation that analysing & thinking everything happens for a reason is a woman's game. Men can get away without even a goodbye but some of us girls spend time searching for knowledge, but those people are usually going through some kind've self-improvement….Well that's me done. Maybe there aren't always reasons. For the last three months I've worked on myself and what I do want to do is continue having interesting dates; if love comes along, great. If not, then I'm not seeking it WHOLLY anyways! I do have criteria though but don't we all? I don't think anyone should scrimp on that :-D  

Utilising your tools is a must. Have fun with single life, it definitely doesn't need to be lonely, there's plenty of single men out their ladies!! Just think, whoever let you go it's their loss, they've now freed you to find plenty of uncomplicated, attractive singletons. Just don't confuse them all ;-)