New year, same me

January is always a shitty month for people, weather isn't great, finances aren't doing as good as they could be, motivation is low and your trying this new year new me diet but still finding leftovers chocolates from Christmas and eating them in hiding. If this is you and your feeling super guilty of all of the above right now, then I’m here to tell you it’s time to cut the bullshit of being so hard on yourself.

 Why as humans do we feel like because its a new year everything must change, everything will be better and I’ll be a bikini model in 2 weeks time. As humans we have this thing called our ego and with our ego comes expectation. We hold so much expectation of what January should hold for us, instead of just cutting ourselves some slack. The word should is an expectation, I should be back doing exercise by now, I should be back eating correctly, I should be doing dry January. How about you allow yourself to be bloody human.

 For me I think people look at January all wrong, I take January as a trial month, a month to simple just try survive the 31 days. January is the month of preparation, the month of preparing myself mentally and physically to bloom into spring. For me my new year starts in February and that way I have allowed myself a month to slowly get back to normality. We spend the month of December rushing around getting things ready for Christmas, then we spend our Christmas rushing around visiting family and friends, eating, drinking, being merry and then January comes the kids are back to school, your back at work, your hungry and tired all the time and you wonder why you can't find your motivation to move your ass off the couch. Hello, did you miss the part of all the rushing around? It’s a lot on our bodies, we jump straight back into things without even allowing the time to listen to our bodies or minds of whether we are ready to jump and then we wonder why we can't stick to things or why we get sick and run down so quickly. If a runner doesn't warm up their bodies before a marathon, they will either finish the marathon with a injury or they will push themselves and not be able to move their bodies for days afterwards. So why not allow January to be your warm up before your marathon.

 if your finding yourself stuck in the I should be mode, It's time to change that, let go of the should be and allow yourself to just be in the process. Tell yourself it's okay if I’m not where I thought I would be this January and let's begin to look to the future of what you could be. A runner can only complete a marathon by taking it step by step and stopping if needed and so with life so can you, take each day step by step.

Here’s my 6 self care tips for you for the rest of month:

1. TRACK YOUR WINS - For some people getting up in the morning can be a victory, never knock yourself of the little things you accomplish in day, give yourself a pat on the back because nobody else will.

2. List what your grateful for?- A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles. Whether it be last thing before bed or first thing in the morning it’s so important to list what you are grateful for.

3. Take 2 minutes to write about a positive experience over the past 24 hours- everyday may not be good but there is always something good in everyday.

4. Meditation- create space for yourself, 5 - 10 minutes of meditation can help relieve stress and anxiety.

5. Check your circle and social media- are the people around your inspiring you or widening your expectation of what you should be like, should be doing, should wearing etc.

6. Let go of expectation- enjoy doing something without an end expectation, allow yourself to just be in the process of the journey.

The stories we tell ourselves on a daily basis, let go of them. Comparison is the thief of joy, it’s okay to not be on the same page as others around you, it’s okay to say no and listen to your body. It’s okay to try again next month….

Love,

Mindful meg x

The ocean and me

Blue is a color of sadness and despair, but blue to me is protection, the freedom of the ocean if you dare. 

I stand in front of you and watch you ripple and flow. 

I stand and see my reflection,

Who am I, I want to know ?

I am gentle and I am soft,

I am strong and I have fought. 

Through the storms,

I raise and fall. 

Just like the ocean I know where I belong. 

Mysterious, beauty,

Wild and free

The ocean is everything 

I want to be

I stand in front of you and watch you ripple and flow. 

I stand and see my reflection,

Who am I, how far can I go.

I am gentle and I am soft,

I am strong and I have fought. 

Through the storms,

I raise and fall. 

Just like the ocean I know where I belong.

Sometimes it rains,

Sometimes there is sun,

Sometimes there is wild crashing waves and sometimes there is none. 

I stand in front of you and watch you ripple and flow. 

I stand and see my reflection,

Who am I, but the ocean replies,

can’t you see, 

The reflection of you is the reflection of me. 

This poem is a reminder to always remember what you see good and beautiful in others is a reflection of the good and beautiful qualities that you have inside yourself. 

The bigger picture

As a child we are bubbling with curiosity & imagination. The world is our oyster and the word fear doesn’t control our every move. The curiosity of a child’s mind is something that never fails to amaze me. They want to know and explore every aspect of life, and just like sponges their tiny minds takes in every detail of information and they learn from it. To see a child using their Imagination is the greatest thing you can witness for each child has an imagination like no other and they can create a magical world through their very  own eyes.

Curiosity & imagination, Two things that as we get older we seem to begin to lack, so why is this???

Simple, As we grow up we begin to not Believe. From Santa to the tooth fairy our world of belief and imagination was amazing as children. But we all have to grow up it's part of life and our magical worlds are met with knock backs and stress that we forget about our sense of belief and wonder that lies within our inner child. The word believe is an important word to me, so important in fact, I have it tattooed on my left wrist as a daily reminder to always believe.

 I recently had a chat with a friend who was in a funk , her mood was low about her weight, her job and just about life in general, she said the words “ I’m finding it hard to see the bigger picture.” Press pause right there, because here we have a clear example of someone who has lost their curiosity & imagination of their inner child but why?? Life and fear has made her begin to not believe.

I’m a strong believer in what you put out to the world you will receive back but first you must believe!! To see the world through the eyes of a child is the most magical thing , children actually have a  very positive outlook on life they believe they can do anything and they usually can because they use positive words such as I can do that, can I try that. So although they don’t even realise it they are putting positive energy out to the  world and they are receiving back. Children don’t see the negative, everyone is equal and if they fall down they get back up and continue the rest of the day, they don’t dwell on the negative which is something as adults we find hard to do. My point is that  if you are only using negative words in everyday life you are bringing the negativity upon yourself, if you wake up thinking today is going to be terrible I can guarantee your day is exactly going to be that. Negative language & thoughts creates walls & barriers that you yourself are allowing the fear to stop you from seeing the bigger picture, you are the one that is standing in your way.

Here’s 3 simple steps to remember each morning:

•Step 1 :You need to be very careful about the wording you use, like a child start adding the words I can, I will or yes to your everyday vocabulary and begin to notice a change.

•Step two: stop allowing fear to control you, the word “what if” can have the power to haunt  you forever but “what if” you just went for it and took the chance. Fear holds so many people back from being truly happy within themselves. Allow your curiosity to wander free and take life’s adventures as they come.

•Step 3 : it’s time to see the bigger picture, imagination allows you to imagine your life how you want it to be, just like a child you get to create your own magical world.

Imagination allows you time to connect with yourself through your hopes and dreams for  the future.

So if you find yourself in a funk or feeling low, just Take a step back, you have the power to change your thoughts, remain positive & Allow the curiosity & imagination of your inner child to be free.

mindful meg x

its okay to have a bad day

Sometimes it’s okay to not feel your best, to feel alone, sad, anger, anxious , it’s okay to have a bad day!! 

We’re in a time where social media is our biggest stage and we are the biggest performers ...we put on a show for our audience posting our best lifestyles, fashion, selfies etc ....but yet why is everyone so afraid of posting about real life.

 Let me tell you this I class myself as a strong person and to my disadvantage I don’t show my emotions often but when I do Boy do I get hit hard and you know what it’s okay, I don’t sit and beat myself up about it, I'm not ashamed to tell people I deal with anxiety issues, I’m not afraid of coming across as a sensitive person.

I decided to open up and speak openly about my anxiety because people are always so quick to judge , my success, my smile, my bubbly sense of humour would of course only make people see one side of me , the side that was being posted on social media. 

Yes most days are great but there’s always days when things are not . 

And when those days creep upon me without any flashing warning signs, I allow myself time, the time to be gentle and care for myself. During times of feeling down I allow this time to ask myself a few simple questions that help

Me understand and process my feelings better, by sharing this I hope that it will help you in someway! 

1. what has led me to this place of not feeling myself ? Maybe it’s a broken relationship, loss of friendship, maybe it’s a toxic environment like a job, maybe it’s a past issue that resurfaced out of the blue...find your trigger and ask yourself what led you to this place of feeling this way ? Write it down let your feelings flow out on paper and release your emotions. Nobody needs to ever see what you write you can burn it as soon as your done writing it but trust me there is a healing benefit to writing it all down . 

2. What lessons is this trying to teach me ? There is a lesson in everything, I always find myself asking this question and it’s important for you to find the answer, if not straight away then hopefully you will find it eventually...to be able to take a negative emotion and twist your train of thought to asking this question and finding an answer is allowing you to look at the situation in a slightly more positive way. You know that saying “forgive and forget... “ simple but good, your probably reading this now saying Megan are you crazy why would I ever forgive those who hurt me, okay I’m not saying go be besties with them but when you forgive you are allowing yourself to heal by releasing all that resentment, anger, hurt. Ever watch a bird being released from a cage well your that bird and the cage is all the hurt, when the bird lets go and flies out of the cage full of colours & singing loudly it is a beautiful sight to witness. Don’t stay in the cage, learn from your lessons and allow yourself to be free .

3. Do you ever Cut yourself some slack or do you just feel guilty? If you answered yes then Stop right there. It’s okay to cut your some slack. Eat your favourite chocolate, get your nails/hair done , have a movie marathon day on the sofa or listen to your favourite songs & have a relaxing bath!! Because when life comes to knock us down it’s important to make self care a priority.

4. Be your own cheerleader, it’s probably one of the things we find most hardest to do! But kicking yourself when your down is only going to bring you lower. It’s important to remember that yes although people & events may be the cause to you feeling all these emotions but it is you that holds the power to change it. For example: if someone brings you down, causes you hurt & anger, they only have the power to destroy you if you let them. This is where all the above questions will come into play. If you could answer question 1 & 2 and turned your negative into a positive, if you allowed yourself some self care from question 3 then the next step is loving yourself!! Its time to cheer for your your new favourite team me,myself & I, Grab your lipstick and write on a mirror in your bedroom/bathroom the words “I am beautiful and I am enough” , although you may not believe it now, trust me as time goes on and you read these words everyday your mind and that voice in our head we call ego will begin to feel empowered and you will begin to believe it. 

So next time your feeling not okay and not yourself, I hope you remember ways that this can be dealt. 

You are beautiful and you are enough, 

Because you are a warrior , determined & tough.