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Thursday, 30 April 2015

Combating Stress #2 - Music

As part of the combating stress series I have compiled a playlist of music to help you relax and de-stress. I specifically chose music that is calming as you take time out from things that are causing you to become overwhelmed. Have a look and a listen to the playlist linked below. If it doesn't work I have all the songs listed below.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3k_QDnzHE&list=PLTfcbG_jvYQEEPFuINQE4t9LMj34u1QWB&index=1

1. M83 - Midnight City
2. M83 - Outro
3. Adele - I'll be waiting
4. Beyonce - Superpower
5. Chet Faker - Talk is cheap (with cello) 
6. Chet Faker - 1998
7. Coldplay - Paradise
8. Ellie Goulding - Anything Could Happen
9. Eminem - Lose Yourself
10. Flume - Holdin On
11. Lorde - Tennis Court (Flume remix)
12. Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World
13. Sigma ft. Paloma Faith - Changing
14. Broods - Mother & Father
15. Golden Coast - Break my fall (Rainer & Grimm remix)
16. Jarryd James - Do you remember
17. Sia - Elastic Heart
18. Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

Combating Stress #1 - Pampering

Stress is when we have too much pressure put upon us. In most cases a little bit of pressure is good to get us motivated but sometimes life can be busy and we become stressed. In my experience dealing with stress can sometimes be confusing and we don't know how to manage. My best advice is too take a step back from what you are doing (usually multiple things at a time). We become overwhelmed and can't see the big picture when stressed. By taking a step back we can analyse what is causing the stress and what we have to do.

To help you with dealing with stress I have created this series. Each post will go in depth about one way you can relieve stress, by taking a step back.

Today's post is about pampering yourself and relaxing. Now there are many ways to pamper and relax but I'll share one of my favourite things to do. That is to take a bath and use products from my all time favourite pampering shop, LUSH. They have a great selection of bath/shower products, treatments and cosmetics. All cruelty free using premium ingredients that support many people all over the world.

I like to catch up on my favourite TV shows while soaking in all the nourishing ingredients from a bath bomb. The one below is a bath bomb/bath melt called 'Golden Egg'. It helps to moisturise my skin and leaving me smelling like honey and caramel.




Some more Lush products that I love!
There are so many types of products that all do different things, and some specific products have special calming properties like calming scents, and made for the purpose of relaxing.




My all time favourite Lush product is the Yog Nog soap because it smells so good and is really creamy and soothing.

Definitely try having a bath and maybe using some products to pamper yourself. Taking this time out not thinking about stressors will calm your body. This is by far one of my favourite ways to treat myself and relieve stress quite often. 
Stay tuned for more posts in this series!





Celebrating Diversity and Tolerance


We are all unique and special in our own way, so we need to treat everyone with equality no matter who they are.

Some things that shape our identity and diversity are:
- gender
- relationships
- values and beliefs
- our goals and aspirations
- personality
- education
- life experiences
- family,friends,where we live and culture
- our abilities
- perceptions on how we see ourselves and the world
etc.

As you can see their are many things that form who we are, and our perception of ourselves, which ties in with our sense of self.
What is your favourite food? Colour? Singer/band? Animal? TV show? Sport?

Have a think about how you are unique and different to others,and what makes you special.

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Now diversity is one thing but having tolerance and accepting others for who they are is another thing all together. Just think of it as treating others which respect, acceptance and dignity as you would like other to show to you. As we found out everyone is unique and people will have differences in beliefs, hobbies, ideas etc.

Tolerance is the act of respecting people's differences.

Embrace other people's differences and you can learn from them. A world filled with tolerance is a world of peace, compromise and acceptance.

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I hope this post helped us to recognize our uniqueness and celebrate not only our qualities, but other people and how to accept difference and diversity.



Wednesday, 29 April 2015

20 Things You Should Say More Often

I want to share with you all today a short funny video that has a deeper meaning.
I especially like number 20 and 15. This is a sweet simple video but a lot of these things we actually can say more often, and they could make a huge difference in someones day.

So have a look and say at least one of these to someone today. I'm sure they will appreciate it and it will make you feel good!


Sense of Self

Your sense of self is important because it is how you carry yourself. You need to create a good sense of self to help improve your well-being.
A sense of self is what you fell, think and believe about yourself. Only you truly know the answer to this.You can answer these topics from identifying your skills, qualities, skills and behaviours. Knowing what you are good at will make you feel good. Don't worry if what you thought you were good at has changed and you have different interests and skills, because our sense of self is always changing.
Remember a person with a positive sense of self believes in themselves and what they can achieve, knowing they have control over their own lives.

Today I will be helping you with your sense of self through questions about your relationships, experiences and interactions, which form your sense of self.

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First I took a quiz which helped me identify my personal qualities. There were quite a few multiple choice questions which provided a detailed response at the end. The quiz took be about 10 minutes and I was really interesting looking at my top 25 qualities. I felt a sense of pride and achievement looking back at what I am good at.

Have a look and discover your top qualities:
http://www.viacharacter.org/www/
My top three qualities were: humour, social intelligence and judgement. A definition of the qualities comes with the strengths profile.

Now grab a piece of paper and divide it into three sections. In each section answer one of the following questions:

1. What are positive aspects of your sense of self?
2. What areas of your sense of self would you like to work on?
3. What are some interesting facts about your sense of self?

Some examples and my answers are:

1. - I love making people happy because their reactions make me happy.
    - I believe strongly in social justice and equality for all
    - I am proud of who I am and the things I have achieved
    - I love to have a good laugh and enjoy spending time with friends and family

2. - Taking more responsibility and initiative in helping out
    - Improve my memory (because it's not that great and I forget things A LOT!) so I can be more             helpful and productive
    - Remember to put myself in others shoes and be open to many ideas

3. -  I will act differently depending on my mood, physical health and the amount of sleep I've had.

It's OK to have a different sense of self in different situations as long as you are striving to be the best person you can be.

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Our sense of self can impact our health in all areas; physical, mental, social, spiritual & emotional. When we have a low, negative sense of self it can cause us to become inactive, on set mental illnesses, not socialise, forget what we believe in and become emotionally unstable etc. 
It is important to have a positive sense of self in order to have a good well being.

In the following posts I will go more into improving your sense of self and the effects of a negative sense of self.

Keep a positive attitude, believe in yourself and others and always look for the good in situations.



Tuesday, 28 April 2015

Welcome

We should all strive to be happy right? But sometimes lots of things are going on and we forget to care for ourselves. Maybe it's time we take care of ourselves both physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

You might be stuck on what to do for yourself and how to improve your overall well-being. This blog is a toolkit providing guidance, support and information on caring for yourself and making you happier.

Remember it is a good thing to look after yourself and you do not need to feel guilty for taking time out to achieve this. 

I hope you enjoy what this blog has to offer and that you gain a better well-being.