Self-Improvement• Wellness Words

Why Life is Completely Weird, and How to Deal With It

15/05/2021

A thought process of mine since buying my first home, is that like is completely weird. It just is isn’t it?

Everyone is here on this planet doing different things, achieving things daily, or achieving things slowly. I’m not sure if it’s because I spent almost a year feeling excited to move out, every penny I have ever made was spent buying furniture or used for the deposit.

Now I’m here, I feel like… What’s next?

Which is an extremely, rather stupid thought. There is SO MUCH MORE TO COME for anyone in anyones life.

I feel bad when I am just sitting down watching tv. Feeling like I should be doing something to feel productive, or to make money, or to experience something new.

When really, no one is doing something 24/7 and living slowly isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, living slowly is rather peaceful, it’s calming, and it’s way less stressful. You just have to learn how to live slowly first.

Social media tells you that in order to be successful you need to be working hard all day every single day. But what if you don’t get any joy out of doing that? Then don’t do it.

It’s all about how YOU feel, not what people think, or see online. Life is what you make it for yourself, and what makes you feel happy.

Success isn’t measured in money.

Success is measured in what you are getting from life. If you’re happy, healthy, and living the way you have always wanted to, or are working towards that, then well done!

Things that are OK but feel like they aren’t

  • Binge-watching a series on Netflix ISN’T A BAD THING
  • Spending two hours in the bath IS FINE
  • Taking a chill day and only making your bed IS OK
  • Skipping a workout because you feel shitty, is absolutely REASONABLE
  • Having what feels like no money in your account because you have recently worked hard towards a very large purchase IS NORMAL.

The list could go on. The meaning behind this post is to portray that yes, life is completely weird. Life works for us all in very different ways, and we all want and need different things.

Don’t feel pressured into living your life the way someone else is. You need to live it to your means, and what makes you feel like you’re fulfilling your own life.

Obviously, you can still grow as a person. You can achieve. Learning never ends. You aren’t stuck, life is just going slowly. You aren’t wasting time. What else do you want to be doing? By all means, get the jobs ticked off your list that need doing, don’t push things and hope they go away. But just chill, everything is fine.

Slow Living

Living slowly will help you to feel more understanding of what life is really all about. It’s all about you. What you learn, how you act, your feelings, the people in your life and so on.

I will be creating more posts on living slowly here on the blog so don’t miss out and subscribe for monthly updates!

I hope you enjoyed another rambling from me. If you’re feeling the same, I would love to know what you think in the comments below!

Don’t forget to follow my Instagram to keep up to date with what’s going on with me, and to see my daily shares of life inspiration and TONS of slow living.

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Lifestyle

A Complete Word Jumble

09/05/2021

This post is pretty much like one of those page a day entries. I haven’t written on this blog for some time now, and I am really feeling the lack of creativity in my life at the moment.

So I thought I would grab some mint tea, sit down, and just spill out a load of words in the hope that someone reads this and finds it even an inch entertaining.

What’s Been Going On?

On the 25th of March, I moved into my first home with my boyfriend Liam. We waited five months for this move, and its the best thing I have ever ever ever ever done in my entire life. I say every day that this just feels so right. I never feel doubt in my mind. I don’t miss living at home with my parents, in fact, I enjoy it so much more when people come to my house and I have to make them a cup of tea! (Or coffee in the fancy machine).

We of course took Winnie with us. Winnie is our 9-month-old cocker spaniel, and she is loving it here. Blessed with a chilled out dog who pretty much sleeps all day long!

Life is just a bit fab.

We moved our holiday for this summer over to next year, so I’m pretty excited about that, and we have a trip to London coming up which is great!

I have also started the slow living, and slow fashion lifestyle. More will be shared on my Instagram here –

Recently, whenever I ordered clothes online or bought them in the shops. I always hate it, the clothes never fit, and I find them so expensive?! (I just hate spending money…)

So, yeah. Thats a little ramble about whats going on.

Anxiety

Since moving only half an hour away from my parents home, my anxiety about actually leaving my home has been huge. In the sense of getting into the car and driving somewhere.

I hate driving when I don’t know how to get to where I want to be. I know, this is what satnavs are for…

However, recently, after a minor breakdown. I decided to just push myself.

I went out for most of the day, by myself. The other half of my anxieties is leaving the dog at home alone. She is a covid dog, so her separation anxiety is sometimes rather bad.

We have just discovered that if we leave the TV on for her she calms right down and sleeps the whole time we were gone.

Conclusion

So yeah, I guess this is why I am writing this. I’m feeling a lot better mentally, and like my life is actually going somewhere. I just miss the creative freeness of just doing something I want to do and getting enjoyment from it.

I have a sewing machine upstairs that is crying for me to use it, but im not sure what to make.

Instagram is also seeming a little like a chore but I’m trying to get back into that. Creating content is fun, but it’s all a bit boring at the moment! I’ve just ordered a tripod to start taking some photos of the outfits I have thrifted, so stay tuned for that.

***

Let me know how you’re feeling right now, whats going on with you?

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Self-Improvement• Wellness Words

How Setting Intentions is Powerful for Personal Growth

21/02/2021

There are plenty of reasons why we need to set intentions for personal growth. You may want to increase your skills you are already growing, or you may wish to become a certain type of person in the very near future or right now.

For instance, you might want to improve your confidence, feel more grown-up, be more independent. By setting powerful intentions you can outline how to personally grow and the steps to take to get there.

The law of attraction also comes into play when setting intentions. Once you emit your intentions into the world, then the world will emit them back, but only if you REALLY want it, and work for it.

If you haven’t read up about the Law of Attraction, you can find some helpful information here:
Very Well Mind / Understanding The Law of Attraction

Think of intentions like affirmations, however, you will be physically acting upon these intentions by believing and seeing what it is you want, in order to create change.

Why Should I Set Intentions for Personal Growth?

Personal growth is a subject we are all interested in, why wouldn’t you want to grow as a person? So, by setting intentions you can not only grow how you want to, but you can also enjoy your journey along the way.

Setting intentions for yourself is different from setting goals. There isn’t one end sight for setting intentions, it is more like opening a door to find three more doors, then five more doors. At each door, you will have learnt something new about yourself and had an enjoyable journey that feels more fulfilling. Whereas a goal is just one door that takes a longer journey to open.

Goals:
Your goals are very end sighted, there’s an end goal and once it’s completed, it’s finished. Goals are also very future-focused. There is also a sense of pressure when setting a goal. Goals can also be limited to something money motivated or materialistic. For example, earning an amount by the end of the month to be able to purchase X item.

Intentions:
Intentions can also focus on the near future but are more about your current self, beliefs, values and motivations. You can receive your intentions by choosing to be positive towards yourself and acting upon positive decisions. Intentions keep you grounded to where you are right now, rather than what you want in the next few weeks. That is why setting intentions for personal growth will work better than setting goals. Your intentions will eventually change you overall, thus creating growth.

There are a few ways you can set your own intentions, and the key is to figure out what really works for you. Some ideas are:

  • Writing “I WILL” Statements in your journal, on your phone, or anywhere you will read them often.
  • Think about who it is you want to become and who you can change characteristics of yourself to become this person. Write down your current behaviours and narrow down the ones you want to change. You can then think about how you can do this every day.
  • Set guides for yourself. You may want to focus on one thing at a time. For example: Being healthier, being more confident, having more involvement with the community.
Setting intentions for personal growth

How to Set Intentions

To begin with, just choose one or two intentions to set, otherwise, your mind can become overwhelmed and the process won’t work and you will end up feeling deflated! However, don’t despair, now you are on the path to setting intentions, your life will now change forever and your personal growth journey has started.

Tips on setting intentions:

Like I said previously, just choose one or two things you want to focus on.
For example, I want to play an active role in looking after the planet.
You can think about this daily, perform an action that supports this intention, and go from there. This may lead you to tons of different outcomes and experiences.
Another example could simply be: I will feel happier each day. You can spend more time thinking about your day and what made you happy, thus creating a better mindset.

Think about how someone else acts, especially if you were more like that yourself. Observe behaviours, take notes, and perform this way yourself. For example, someone you love may always see the positive in things. This doesn’t mean life has negative areas, however, this person manages to see the good and accept the bad. You can learn to do the same.

You could create a list of words that make you feel a certain way. These words may inspire you to be a different and better person just by reading them each morning or night.

For instance: Happiness, good vibes, calm, slow, warm, and so on. Just by reading these nice words, you can set intentions for the day ahead, creating a domino effect in your personal growth leading to many more positive experiences.

Thank you for reading this lengthy post. I hope you have found some powerful inspiration here somewhere.

Other posts similar to this subject are:

How To Unselfishly Practice Self-Care

Handling Stress – When Life Gives You Lemons…

Positive Affirmations to Enhance Your Life

I would love to hear what you think below in the comments!

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Lifestyle• Personal Life• Self-Improvement

Things I’d Tell My Younger Self

06/02/2021

We all have things we wish our younger self could know now. The reality is; there was a reason we didn’t know it back then, but we do now…
Although that’s true, there are a few things I wish I had known. Or even listened to when I was younger.
Probably from the age of 12 until 18, it would have been great to have had a guardian angel or someone who told me to act a certain way, and what to do.

So, here I am 24 years of age, almost 25. Dwelling on who I was as a teenager, who I have become, and who I still want to be in the future (very near future at that).

Why am I writing this post? Well, I hope someone reads this and can relate to some of the advice I am about to give. I hope that unlike it did for me, these words of wisdom may sink into someone else, or maybe someone’s child, friend, relative.

I’m also writing this because I still want to evolve myself now. I am not who I want to be just yet, I might not ever figure that out. I just know I want to keep on learning, changing, and moving forwards.

This post won’t be long, so let me know what you think in the comments! What things were you told as a child/teen you wished you’d have listened too back then?

What I would tell my younger self.

What I’d tell my younger self knowing what I do right now…

These are the main things I felt like I have struggled with my whole life, and the things I wish I knew back then.

Appearance

I can remember being slightly obsessed with my weight. Not that I thought I was overweight, I was extremely thin and everyone else knew it too.

However without many people knowing, I had really silly rules for myself like; only one piece of bread a day, don’t eat after 5 pm, I would make myself do some exercise right before I got in the shower.

This caused me to pass out, looking like I would snap, and feeling extremely horrible as soon as I ever gained any weight. Only just now have I became a weight I wish I was all those years ago.

Dear Younger Self;

You do need to eat more, you’re not too big, your clothes will fit better when you eat breakfast more often. Also, it doesn’t really matter what any else thinks of how you look, every one looks different. Just relax, find the things you like to wear and do it. You’ll never be overweight from eating an extra biscuit or having sugar in your drinks.

Friends

Friends is a hard one because it always been something that has been hard. I know that I’m a super-sensitive person but when you’re younger, your friends are your whole world. Whereas now its all different. People hold different value to your life now. It was all so dramatic and is so dramatic when you are younger.

Dear Younger Self;

You will have different friends as you get older. You don’t need to impress everyone and do what anyone else says of you, or how you should look, be or act.
Eventually, you’ll realise who you want to have in your own little bubble and those people will feel the same way about you, as you feel about them. Don’t let anyone make you feel as though you’re worth less than them because of who you are.

LIFE

Ugh life was just SO ANNOYING wasn’t it? Honestly, school, college, boys, clothes, hair, makeup… All the stuff people bothered about daily that really don’t even need to make an indent on your life anymore. I was so worried about how I would live. I told myself I would be in my own home by 20, married by 24, kids by 25 well WOW Charlotte…

Dear Younger Self;

Stop putting pressures on time frames for different life goals. Everything happens for a reason… Just enjoy the moment and watch your life unfold and have fun whilst doing so. You don’t need to have it all figured out yet. I don’t even have it figured out now! Take each day at a time, and relax.

Relationships

Relationships in every sense was just hard. I never knew what I wanted, what I deserved and so on.

Dear Younger Self;

You don’t need to be with someone to mean something. It doesn’t complete you being with someone else. Nobody in the whole world can make you feel happier than yourself. You are your most committed relationship and you are the most important person to you. Stop taking and accepting what you don’t deserve. When you aren’t happy, you can just LEAVE.

How Others See Me

It’s such a huge deal to everyone how you think others perceive you. It still feels the same now, however, you just end up caring less I suppose. When I was younger I was always so self-conscious about saying the wrong thing, wearing the wrong clothes…
I wouldn’t wear certain shoes, or types of trousers even though I liked them, just because other people weren’t wearing the same, or had already judged them.

Dear Younger Self;

You do you. It really doesn’t matter! The people who will eventually be in your life don’t care that you’re wearing Dr Martens that make your feet look a bit big, or sometimes you look like a librarian. (#relatable)
Just own it. Feel happy within yourself and don’t think about anything else. If someone is going to bring you down about how you look, then they aren’t supposed to be in your life. Only allow those that lift you and make you feel lifted.

***

Thank you for reading this, I hope it is helpful! I would love to know the one thing you would tell your younger self.

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Self-Improvement• Wellness Words

Handling Stress – When Life Gives You Lemons…

16/01/2021

I don’t know about anyone else, but the first few weeks of 2021 have been/were stressful. So I thought I’d write a post to cover ‘handling stress’ incase there ever becomes a time you may need some help for yourself no matter what you’re going through.

Since March 2020, I personally have found myself struggling HARD with my mental health, my thoughts, and how I felt about myself. For 2021 I promised myself that things are going to change. I am sure this is also the case for many of you reading this post right now. Some of the feelings that I had, and you may have are;

  • Not feeling good enough.
  • Can’t be bothered for anything, just wanting to sleep.
  • Feeling erratically emotional.
  • Anxious about everything.
  • And a few more but I won’t dwell into it!

Anyway, here is the post. Stemmed from me feeling like I have no idea what is going on with life and feeling stressed 24/7 and deciding to do something about it.

handling-stress

Handling Stress
What Is Causing It?

The first thing you will want to do is recognise what is causing your stress and anxiety. This is a hard task, I know…
However, grab a pen and pencil and jot down even the smallest things that make you feel any kind of way.

For example; you may feel anger towards someone or something even if it is small. You might hate your journey to work (or working from home) OR you may still be working and feeling unsafe. Write down anything that comes to mind, then take a moment to breathe.

You may see a whole page full of things that make you feel upset. Now, all of these things are floating around your mind every single day. No wonder you feel the way you do! Its now time to think about the following;

  • Can I personally change this?
  • Am I able to receive help for this?
  • Is this thing completely out of my control?
  • What can I do to make this situation better for me?

Taking Action Upon Feeling Stressed

You should now have your list of things that you believe are causing you stress. Now take one thing at a time and think about the ways you can change this to make you feel better. Is it something you can make a difference to? Is there someone you can talk to in order to resolve the situation? Or, is this thing of no fault of your own or anyone else? If this is the case, sometimes you have to just ride things out, not let them get to you, and know you are strong enough to live through however long this thing may take to pass.

Some of the things you can do to take action upon your feelings and make difference to the things that are causing stress are:

  • If it is about a person/people
    – If you are feeling brave, or like there is any point, talk to them! They may not know how you are feeling, or that they have caused you to feel such a way. On the other hand, if you have tried this to no avail, then cut it off. I know it seems drastic, but just push it away. People causing you stress is not worth it when there is no real solution or when you can still live your life to the fullest without them.
  • Feelings towards yourself
    – If you are feeling as though you don’t like how you look, then how could you change this? Don’t just think going on a diet or exercising will improve this, because a lot of the time, unless you really WANT to start working out, eating healthier and all that stuff, in the long run, it’s just going to make you more miserable. You need to learn how to love and accept yourself for the way you are. By all means, do your hair, have a pamper, buy some new clothes! At the end of the day, you are who you are, everyone is different. Only you can change how you feel within your mind about yourself.
    Here are some self-love posts that may help:
    – How To Unselfishly Practice Self-Care
    – Practising Self-Care After Work
    – Importance of Reflection Time & Taking a Break
    – Hello Relish – Practicing Self Love
  • Handling stress caused by a situation you cannot control
    – This is probably one of the most difficult things to do when it comes to handling stress. when you cannot control the outcome or what is currently happening, it can be hard to come to terms with it, or feel okay with it. The only real things you can do is; seek the positives from the situation, even if they are super small. Remind yourself that it is out of your power and that you are strong enough to make it through. Also, remember that nothing goes on forever, it will get better eventually.
handling-stress-reading-a-book

Ways You Can Unwind

Handling stress for whatever reason may have caused it can always be helped by giving herself time to relax, and wind down. Sometimes even ‘sleeping’ on the matter will help. Here are a few ways you can blur your mind for a while, forget what’s going on, and give yourself time to unwind. When handling stress, it is important to remember to put yourself first, when things get too much, time out!

  • Have a slow morning. Spend some time creating a nice breakfast, have some coffee or tea in your favourite mug, then watch or listen to something to take your mind off the world.
  • When getting ready, choose to put on something that makes you feel good, and empowered. Spend a little more time loving yourself and how you look and feel.
  • Communicate with people who will make you laugh, or talk about something different!
  • Go for a walk and practice breathing.
  • Have something extra nice for dinner, or go out for dinner!
  • Take a long bath, listen to a podcast or start reading.
  • Create something, or start creating something you have always wanted to.
  • Organise or tidy your space (even decorate that room you’ve been waiting to finish!)

Basically, do something that will make you feel great. Everyone will have something that they’ve been wanting to do for so long but have been putting it off because they feel stressed. Paint the picture, finish the drawing, write the blog post! Do things for you, and unwind.

The Finishing Point.

I have included this section because one of the main things that ended up helping with my own personal stress management was to finally understand that some things are purely out of my control. sometimes there is no going back, no changing the past or even the future. You may not always know 100% what is going on and how things are going to play out. Your only choice is to take each day, each hour even, a step and a breath at a time.

So that is the finishing point. It all boils down to what you can do. You can manage you feelings and your stress but sometimes it is just going to be hard for a little while, but it will ALWAYS get better.

***

Thank you for reading this post, I really hope it has helped!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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Lifestyle

Setting New Year Resolutions/Goals 2021

27/12/2020

We can all agree that 2020 has been something we never expected. For a lot of us this year didn’t turn out to be how we wanted, and it’s been hard! So, I asked on Instagram if any of you were setting New Year resolutions or goals. To my surprise, most of you said there is no point! And I agree, to a certain extent. I never usually set resolutions quite simply because I never stick to them. However, in 2021, I want to make my life different. I want to live differently and I want to do the things I have never done.

Here is a little post about some of the New Year resolutions I will be setting for myself, and some small ideas you could also do to change your 2021 no matter how it turns out.

You may be thinking that resolutions and goals are the same things (they probably are) however, I view them differently.

  • A resolution; something you do and continue to do, like a habit. For example, start running.
  • A goal; something you want to complete or do that may have an end date. For example, write a book.

I haven’t included anything like travelling or anything that you couldn’t do this year due to restrictions just in case… No one likes to get their hopes up! Instead, these are all things that you can do for yourself wherever you are.

New Year Resolutions For You

A list of resolutions for you.

These resolutions will be easy to begin, good to start, and will make small changes to your life!

Don’t choose to do them all, pick a few and try them out.

Personal

  • Start journaling (blog post about journaling)
  • Ten mins of self-care a day
  • Listen to your body more
  • Learn a new skill
  • Get a new hairstyle
  • Meditate more often
  • DON’T go on your phone first thing in the morning

Changes

  • Stop stressing over the people who don’t have time for you
  • Change up your mindset – have a half cup FULL attitude
  • Swap things to become more eco friendly
  • Create a new daily routine
  • Eat healthier
  • Drink more water!
  • Start saving more each month (I have a blog post about how to save here!)
  • Stop buying fast fashion, start thrifting!

Short term goals

  • Write and self publish a book
  • Reach fitness goal, for example; lift a certain weight, learn the splits.
  • Decorate your home/room
  • Reach a certain amount in savings
  • Start a side hustle
new year resolutions - List of goals and changes to make for 2021
PIN IT!

My New Year Resolutions and Goals

Here are the few things that I want to make sure I do during 2021.
2020 made me realise that I want to be more and do more. So, my resolutions aren’t too big, but things that will make me feel so much better, and create a better year!

  • Stop buying fast fashion items from new. Start thrifting more, and buying more high-value pieces. Create a smaller wardrobe full of things I LOVE. Sell or charity shop the clothes I never wear.
  • Actually, start doing yoga. My back has been killing me recently so something needs to change.
  • Cut my hair short and actually look after it. Stop dying it, and make more effort.
  • Talk to myself in a better way. Stop putting myself down.
  • Be healthier (very broad statement but more fruit and veggies and water!)
  • Grow my Instagram and earn money from it. I want to reach 10k by the end of the year.
  • Grow my blog and earn money from it.
  • Create a small side hustle (could be Instagram.) I want to earn an extra £300 a month.

How to stick to them!

The best way to stick to goals and resolutions is to hold yourself accountable!

You could also find someone who is doing the same as you, and you can hold each other accountable that way.

Reward yourself for completing something. Once you have achieved a goal, celebrate!

Share your journey! If one of your resolutions is to bake more, share what you have made online. Create a little community for what you love to do.

Let me know what your New Year resolutions are over on Instagram!

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Self-Improvement• Wellness Words

Things To Redirect Your Mindset – Mental Health

13/12/2020

Sometimes you may feel as though you are so stuck in your current feeling, that there is no way to get out of it. So, I have written a little post about some of the ways you can redirect your mindset into feeling semi or a whole lot better within some time.
Remember, your mental health is more like a marathon than a sprint… There is no overnight fix, nothing is going to make you feel 100% in five minutes. But there are a few things you can do to stop yourself spiralling into feeling even worse.

You need to learn what works for you. Find out the things that make your mind feel better for now. Discover what makes you feel calm, collected, and ready to tackle the next obstacle. All of the following pieces of information and advice are from my own experience and research. (Scroll to the bottom for the list!)

Redirect Your Mindset

Recognise Your Feelings

The first thing you need to do before you take action is to recognise how you are feeling. You could be feeling; angry, emotional, sad…

You may not be able to understand why you are feeling a certain way, don’t stress about this! There may be loads of reasons you didn’t even know where happening.

Try to think about what kind of emotional state you are in. If you are really worried about yourself or don’t want to be alone, then don’t be! Always seek help no matter what.

If you are on your own, or you need some help, here are some resources below:

Phone Numbers:

  • Samaritans – 116 123
  • SANEline – 0300 304 7000

Once you have recognised your feeling, then you can start to look into how to redirect this feeling into something postive.

For example: If you were feeling extremely angry, then take yourself out of the situation you are in.
If you are feeling sad, try a few things that may boost your mood, even if you have to force yourself to do it. This could be something as simple as listening to music, having something to eat, or a phone call with a friend.

Take A Moment to Breathe

Before you act on anything, take a moment to breathe. This is my favourite thing to do when I am starting to feel overwhelmed… There are tons of different breathing exercises.

I learnt the breathing exercise I use whilst listening to the Headspace App

Breathing Exercise –

Breathe in on count one, breathe out on count two, in on three, out on four. Keep going until you reach ten. Once you reach ten, start again. This helps you to focus, and redirect your mindset into a calmer state.

You could also use your hand to carry out a breathing exercise.
Open your left palm and use your right-hand finger to trace up and down each finger on your left hand. As you go up to the tip of your finger breathe in. When you go down each finger, breathe out. Flow around your hand counting to ten. You should hopefully find your mind is redirected.

Imagine you are breathing in clean, crisp air, and breathing out thick black smoke. Think about the darkness/bad thoughts or whatever it is leaving your body, and the fresh air cleansing your mind.

Try a Few Ways To Redirect Your Mindset

Here are a few ways you can redirect your mindset. I have personally found that these things work for me. You do really have to work yourself up to making yourself feel better sometimes, but it is always worth it. Even if you spend five minutes doing something for yourself, you will eventually learn what works for you.

  • Remove yourself from the space you are in
  • Get some air
  • Stop talking to someone who is making you feel upset
  • Reach out to a friend
  • Practice some self-care
  • Have a shower and get changed
  • Listen to a podcast
  • Follow breathing exercises
  • Cook yourself something different
  • Put on some music in your room
  • Tidy your space
  • Spend some self-reflection time
  • Watch random videos on youtube!
  • Exercise in whatever way you want
  • Clean
  • Paint your nails, pluck your brows, something pampering for yourself.
  • Book yourself in to get a haircut or a treatment
  • Watch a Disney film!
  • Unpopular opinion – Go shopping!
  • Change your bedding
  • Read a non-fiction book
  • List the things you want to achieve
  • Make a daily plan for yourself, even if it’s one thing you want to get done
  • Get a diary and spill your thoughts. Don’t read it again!
  • Daily Affirmations

The list could go on! Please comment below anything you do to redirect your mindset. I would love some new ideas!

Evaluate – What Works For You?

Once you have started to feel better, this may be in a couple of days, or even in the morning. Evaluate the ways you redirected your mindset and remember what worked and what didn’t.

This way you can learn how to quickly feel better before your emotions get out of control.

An important thing to remember is that it is okay to not be okay. If you are really not feeling like doing anything, then that is fine! Don’t stress yourself out more.

Just remember that you are the only person in control but you can always ask for help and advice!

***

Other Posts to Read

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Lifestyle• Self-Improvement

Creating a Minimal Mindset – “Do I REALLY need it?”

06/12/2020

“Do I really need it?” The question you have to learn to ask yourself every single time you are about to buy something, acquire something, or when you are decluttering your home or space.
This is the biggest key to creating a minimal mindset, and once you have mastered this, then you’re on your way to having more space, saving money, and having a healthier mind with more room to do the things you want…

It’s also a good idea to create this mindset in order to save the planet by only buying useful and reusable things!

Why would you want to create a minimal mindset?

  • If you are feeling overwhelmed in your space or don’t have enough space.
  • If you have found that you own tons of things you never use.
  • You need to learn how to save more money.
  • You want to boost your productivity.
  • Your wardrobe has so many clothes yet you NEVER have anything to wear?
  • You can never have a tidy space because you have so much stuff in every single corner, shelf, or cupboard.

The list could continue, so to put it simply. If you need a mental, physical and financial change, keep reading.

creating-a-minimal-mindset

Minimal Mindset – MONEY

The biggest difference I have noticed since adopting the “do I really need it?” phrase is that I have managed to save so much money. who doesn’t want to save money? Asking yourself this question not only minimises the stuff you have and don’t really need, but it also saves your bank.

The best way to minimise your spending is to only buy something if you need it;

Things you NEED to spend money on:

  • Food
  • Your home/rent etc
  • Bills
  • Personal health products
  • EMERGENCIES (You never know when you will have an emergency that requires you to splash some cash.)

Things you WANT to spend money on, but you don’t really need too:

  • Clothes
  • Takeaway food
  • New phones/gadgets etc (if you need one, then, of course, this is different, but if your current one is fine, why replace it!)
  • Impulsive buys eg; Random bits and bobs to decorate your space
  • Storage boxes when you don’t really need to store anything you just like the pretty box
  • Pampering yourself (I am not against this, self-care is a must, but if you need to save, cut out something you spend a lot on each month, for example getting nails or eyelashes done…)
  • Eating out when you can eat at home.

Again, the list will probably be different for everyone depending on the lifestyle.

The best way to start minimising your spending is to take a look at what you have first. I find this the best way to save money too.

Once you get paid at the start or end of the month, take a look at how much you have. Now do the following.

  1. Write down the whole number, for example, £1,400.
  2. Take off your monthly direct debits.
  3. Move money you spend on NEEDS into a different account, for example, Food account/House Fund etc
  4. Now have a look at what you have left…
  5. If you have enough put money into your savings. This could be from £50 to £200 if you can afford it.
  6. NOW what you have left, you can either save for the rest of the month, treat yourself, or just leave it!

Once you are aware of where your money is going, you will want to save and you will want to be in control of it.

I have some other posts about saving money here:

Minimal Mindset – SPACE

Probably the most obvious thing when you begin to adapt to having a minimal mindset, is space. The amount you have now and the amount you will have once you have really started to change your ways.

Lots of people view being minimalist by having and owning nothing. For me, my take on it is different. You don’t need to just have a bed in your bedroom, or a tv, or only enough plates and mugs for the people living there. If it makes you happy, then have the things you need to make you happy, of course!

However, its when your space begins to get clogged up with stuff you really don’t need, or use, or have any value for. If you don’t LOVE it, then you don’t need it.

Ways you can save your space and declutter your life:

  1. Choose a room, to begin with. Bedroom/bathroom and so on. I would suggest tackling the hardest one first and working your way down.
  2. Get some bags or baskets to collect the things you no longer want/or are throwing away.
  3. Sort through every cupboard, wardrobe, shelving unit and throw away the rubbish, save the good enough things for donation, and keep the things you are using or need. (If this is clothes, then try to donate as much as possible as long as it is still in wearable condition!)
  4. Now, take a step back when it is all done and appreciate how much space you have left.
  5. If you do not need those storage units anymore get rid of them!
  6. Finally, promise yourself to not fill the space OR get rid of more things to create space.

You may think its not a huge deal to save space, own less, and have less clutter. From my own experience, having less and having a clean empty space makes me feel so much better. Theres nothing like a tidy space for your mind to feel more productive.

Try it out, give your office space a declutter and only have in there what you use. You will see the benefits right away!

To Conclude

It is super easy to change your mindset to save money and to create a better living space. Once you have figured out your spending and what you need to save, you will buy less. Therefore you will have fewer things to clutter up your space that you don’t really need. So remember, ask your self “Do I really need it?” If your answer is no, don’t buy it!

If you want to do more research into being a minimalist, these guys are the real deal – The Minimalists They also have a series on Netflix that really makes you want to rethink the way you live your entire life.

Another good post is this one here – 2O Simple things you can do to Declutter and Live Minimally

You can also find tons of useful posts on Pinterest and Youtube! Remember, you don’t need to commit to being completely minimalist if you want to just declutter and live with less within your own lifestyle. Once you have created your minimal mindset, you never know where it will take you!

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Thank you for reading! Please comment what you think below, and if you have any other tips of beginning a minimal mindset.

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Lifestyle• Personal Life

Getting a Puppy – The Reality!

23/11/2020

Who doesn’t love puppies? I am sure you either want a puppy or are trying to convince whoever you live with into getting a puppy.

Well, here is a post all about what it is like to have a puppy. The actual reality from someone who has a puppy in a home with other adults and older dogs…

Winnie is our baby cocker spaniel, currently, she is 12/13 weeks old at the time of writing this post. Here is a picture of pure cuteness. Despite the fact she is the devil in disguise she is extremely adorable, and we love her to bits.

getting-a-puppy

The Reality of Having a Puppy…

This isn’t going to be a puppy bashing post. So if you’re here trying to convince someone WHY you should NOT get a puppy, this isn’t the post for you. Sorry!

(Here is a little secret – I am currently writing an ebook about getting a puppy and the ins and outs of the process up to the first night at home, so stay up to date with me for that!)

The following points are all from my own experience and my own point of view since bringing Winnie home. Life is different for all dogs and all dog owners, remember this!
I like to think dogs are actually like people, they have their own personalities, quirks, things that they hate or love… But they’re just better than humans.

The First Night

Bringing your puppy home is so incredibly emotional and exciting. I cried on the way home from picking Winnie up because I just felt so happy we finally had her.

She was tiny, tired, and so perfect. In a blink, I imagined our life with her. She will be with us when we move out, have children, watch us grow as people and we will watch her and teach her everything she will know.

Gosh, it’s very emotional.

She slept almost the whole way home and even when we put her in our living room. The biggest stress for me was the other dogs. One of them quite likes her now and then, the other wouldn’t go near her. Still to this day, he freaks out when she is near and he growls at her a lot.

Winnie actually slept very well for her first night and we were quite surprised at how well she does sleep. She now sleeps all through the night and we never have to get up. But the reasoning for this is due to the fact Winnie was actually poorly, so of course, she slept, and now she is just used to it!

first night with puppy

A Poorly Puppy

Continuing from the last paragraph, Winnie was a poorly pup when we brought her home. Although she had her vet check and there was never an issue before bringing her home…

Winnie ended up having a really poorly stomach. She was fine for a day, but not eating, normal for your pups to not eat when they’re in a new home.

Then she was pooping blood and we ended up taking her to the vet and paying £85 for some tablets, and some special food to fix her.

So, whilst we think we have a super cute chilled sleepy puppy, it was all because she was ill.
Her little belly was all bloated and she was exhausted.

Luckily, after a week she was on the mend. Now we have a normal hyperactive puppy who chews our fingers off.

@winniecockerspaniel

Wakey wakey #timeforschool #cockerspaniel #cockerpuppy #spanielpuppy #TFBornThisWay

♬ time fo scoo – braden🦓

Biting/Teething/Growling

I have to be honest here. I would see people talking about how much their puppy bites and how they think they’re aggressive and my reaction would be “chill, they’re just a puppy!”

HOWEVER.

Now that I have my very own puppy I can strongly say that this phase is not the nicest. I have even questioned if I would ever have a puppy again.

It hurts, the teeth are sharp, they don’t give in, and it’s frustrating! I think all dogs are different in this area.

It happens, and you have to just get through it. It truly is a phase, but how you handle it is important.

puppy-teeth

All The Stress

My biggest stress with Winnie is that we live at home with my parents, and we have two older dogs.
Due to her being a jumpy, annoying puppy, she can’t be left alone and I don’t trust the other dogs with her. (although they’ve only ever growled at her, and never hurt another dog before, its just my anxiety!)

The other thing is that, and maybe it’s just a personal thing, I’m always thinking she doesn’t like me because she bites and growls etc… Ridiculous I know!

But fearing that your puppy may be harder to train, are just some of the thoughts that go through my head, and I’m sure it goes through others too.

With this said, I know its all going to be fine. She is an adorable puppy who is just a puppy! But sometimes I can’t wait for the biting stage to end, and for her to be completely obedient!

Other than that, she’s been great at toilet training, and eating, and being brushed because her ears get so dirty! We have already taught her how to; sit, paw, lie down, and she can nearly ‘leave it’ and she’s getting better at her recall.

Now, at the start of this post, I said this isn’t to put you off buying a puppy but to think from another point of view before you buy one. All of those statements are 100% true, however, its the in-between you need to think about!

All The Love

To conclude, if you do really want a puppy, I promise you it will fill a hole in your heart you didn’t know was there.

It is so lovely to see that you are caring for this baby animal, and everything you do is helping them learn and grow and be healthy, just like a human baby I suppose!

But they just never learn to talk back, they just growl and bark instead…

The cutest thing about puppies is when they sleep, its just so adorable, and you get some peace!

Getting a puppy is a lifetime commitment…

You’ll be in this job for at least 12 years, you have to go through the puppy stage, the teenage regression stage, and the old age phase when you really start to think your time is limited.

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Thank you for reading this post! The first one I have written for a while…

Don’t forget to follow Winnie over on instagram to continue seeing updates on her!

Here were my other most recent posts!

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