Valentines is an odd celebration. Personally I don't like the idea of making people feel obliged to spend money and show someone that they love them on that one particular day each year. I think you could do it any day of the year and make someone feel really special. Love is for life, not just Valentines. That being said, I do love the idea that people who may have secret crushes find the courage on v-day to send a card or confess their feelings. I guess that's just the hopeless romantic in me. I also don't shun a little attention because it's flattering and a great pick me up.
Happy April. I cannot believe it is April already. All the magnolia and blossom is out and weather is amazing, although I am off to the Snowdome today for some now un-seasonal ice skating and tobogganing. April though is national stress awareness month and I thought I'd discuss about how stress affected me recently.
""What" and "If" are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if?"
The quote above has long been a favourite of mine from Letters to Juliet as I feel it helped me have a mini revelation about dwelling on the past too much. Flip that thought upside down and sometimes I now feel that I can focus on the future too much. I'm an avid goal setter and organiser to help me achieve what I want but I seldom stop thinking ahead and embrace what's going on around me to live in the now but I've really been trying recently to do just that. I've been trying to stop worrying over deadlines every day and my ever expanding to-do list and embrace the moments and activities going on around me. Here are the things which have helped me to live in the now.
Turn off your phone
I find that learning to unplug from social media and just live has been so rewarding. Rather than checking all those emails coming through or social media notifications i've stopped to surround myself with real physical life. Technology has well and truly taken over and i'm guilty of grabbing a bite to eat with friends but still constantly checking my phone, not only has this lack of manners become accepted by society, but it's become perfectly normal distracting us from the great company we have right at the table. I now don't feel lost if I don't have my phone with me, or if it's tucked away in my bag.
Let go of those grudges
Growing up I could hold a grudge like nobody I knew. I could recall dates and times of when something horrible was said to me and who said it. I could probably even tell you what shoes they were wearing. Maybe it was because I wasn't exactly popular in school but it made me stupidly bitter. Letting go of all those grudges has been such a weight off my shoulders. As I've grown up, I've realised that people come and go in your life and that it's natural for this to happen, I shouldn't be holding grudges against those who have. I still wish them the happiest of birthdays and say hello if I see them out and about and I feel so much better for it.
Don't hold back
This is another thing that I'm still guilty of sometimes. Holding back and/or saying no when really I should be saying Hell Yes! You can't live in the now if you're too scared to embrace it with both arms. As I said, i'm still working on this one but since actively thinking about not holding back I've done some awesome things that I wouldn't have done before. Even if it is getting up on the nightclub dance floor stone-cold sober.
Surround yourself with positive people
As I mentioned above, people will come and go throughout your life and it's actually perfectly normal. As everyone grows and blooms, people can grow apart and it doesn't have to be a negative thing. Surrounding yourself with like-minded and positive people can do the world of good. There is nothing to hold you back from being present in your life than negativity or people who stop you from believing in yourself. If you surround yourself with limitations and limiting people, you will always be limited.
Do you try to live in the now and embrace the present?
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Hello Lovelies, I hope you're all having a good weekend. This morning is the first time all week that I have been able to have a lie in and think about myself a little before I embark on a day full of assignment writing. Yesterday was my gran's 90th birthday party which I threw and after all this rushing about my skin has been a little neglected so I'm excited for a sunday morning pamper.
The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself
I'm the type of person that will give my all for the people I care about and put myself into second place. If you need a lift to the airport at 3am, I'm there. If you need a shoulder to cry on at the last minute, I'll be there. I guess with putting all the people and things I care most about in my life first I often forget about myself because I'm afraid of letting people down. As a child you are taught to be kind and help others without being taught how to love yourself but it's okay to be a little bit selfish sometimes.
The definition of 'self-love' is regard for one's own wellbeing and happiness with emphasis on the word own. It seems to be that self-love is something that everyone struggles with in one shape or another. I'm no different as I've definitely had my own battles, one of which I spoke about recently in my small boobs post, and I'm still guilty of not being able to accept a complement and not quite getting the work, life, study balance right. We are all striving for perfection without assessing how achievable it is, we are too hard on ourselves and social media, magazines and the media often hinder this rather than help. With valentines being less than a week away I think we should all be focussing on and celebrating loving ourselves for our own wellbeing and happiness.
Many people think New Year, New Me, and while I'm all for setting goals in the New Year of what you want to achieve for the coming year ahead, as you can find here, I'm not sure I now totally agree with the new me part of the saying. I think we should all be encouraged to embrace what we've already got.
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