Things to do when you're having a bad day..

Hey guys.
I thought I would do a post on this in an effort to help others, because today I am having an awful day and have done some things to just make this day that little bit easier. Today it feels like everything is getting on top of me, I feel irritable, like everyone around me is going out of they're way to wind me up and like I just wanna go to bed and have a fresh start tomorrow. It just feels like one of them days when it's one thing after another and I can't quite hold it together. Here's some things I did today and some tips for you which can help you if your having one of these days:-

1-
Go about your normal day.
Even though sometimes this may seem impossible, going about your normal day and doing what you already had planned can be really helpful. It can distract you from thinking about all the inconvenient things which have happened to you, and if your day includes seeing a friend or a loved one, this could really pick you up.

2-
Have some time to yourself.
This could be anything that you love. For me, that was snuggling on the sofa watching YouTube on my iPad with one of my favourite scented candles burning. By making sure I allocated some time to myself, it allowed me to have some enjoyment out of the day, even if overall it wasn't the greatest of days.

3-
Getting some fresh air and some peace.
When things are really taking their toll on me, sometimes I feel like I just need to have some space and get out of the house for a bit. When I'm feeling like that, I get in my car and drive to the top of the downs, near where I live. There's something about the peace and stillness of it which calms me down and helps me to get everything into perspective. Having a place like that, somewhere where you can get some peace and clarity can be really helpful.

4-
Writing down your thoughts.
I don't know about you, but whenever I write things down I can suddenly see things in a different way or a different light. It almost has a similar affect to the tip above; it gives me some clarity. I've always found this really really helpful and when my anxiety was at its worst, keeping a thoughts journal definitely helped, as it creates an 'unloading' affect, sort of like talking through a problem with someone.

5-
Having a bath.
Ahhhh. There's nothing more relaxing then running a bath, putting in your favourite bath cream or lush bath bomb and having a good old long soak. You can read a book, listen to some music or a podcast and just feel your troubles drifting away. This is something I've done since I was younger, grabbing a good book (usually a Sophie Kinsella), and dipping into a calming, lavender scented bath. It doesn't even have to be long, just a 10-15 minute soak could make the world of difference.

I hope you all find something useful from these tips and il see you all in my next blog post!

Yasmine x

Finally beating anxiety and depression!

I wanted this to be one of the first blog posts that I did. This is because I want to tell the story and want others to see my progress to give them the confidence in themselves and see that they too can progress! If we rewound to even 6-7 months ago I was a completely different person to how I am now. It’s actually scary to think how much can change in such a short amount of time. Back then, I  was quite possibly at my worst, mentally. I was pretty much bed bound- I did try to go work and did go a lot of days. But not without great difficulty. A normal day for me consisted of constant panicky symptoms- a racing heart, sweaty palms & a head on my shoulders which I couldn’t make sense of. Every thought that came into my head seemed more scary than the last and I just felt terrified all the time. My head didn’t really make sense a lot of the time and I convinced myself that there was something majorly wrong with me. I became more and more withdrawn, and just felt numb. I stopped laughing. I didn’t have a proper bellyache laughing moment for such a long time- which looking back, is actually really sad. I lost all my confidence. I didn’t like myself, I couldn’t accept what was happening to me and would constantly be arguing all the irrational thoughts in my head- it was truly exhausting. I became quite depersonalised, almost feeling like I was in a trance or my own bubble, which made it difficult to communicate with people. I got to a point where I didn’t really see the point of life anymore; I felt like a constant victim of myself. It almost made it worse that it was something that was happening in my own head because I felt like that was something I should have control over- I just went into self pity and went into a deep depression.

Despite all of this happening, I still continued to try and see my friends, go to work & leave the house. It was hard because the only place I felt a little bit safe was in bed. No one could judge me there & no one could see what a weirdo I was. That’s how I used to think, it was like a self hatred. In front of other people, I put on a front. I was quite open with talking about what I was going through but there are very very few people that saw me in the midst of a panic attack or crying frustrated tears. In fact, the only person that often saw me like that was my other half, Bert. He continued to cuddle me through it all, to try and soothe me and make me feel better and he really and truly kept me going. He didn’t really understand it so I know he found it difficult to know wether he was doing or saying the right thing, but I didn’t really need him to say anything, just him being there was enough and I will forever be grateful for that.

I don't know why I got anxiety, I just had a panic attack one day when I was 19. Just a normal, actually very confident 19 year old! I was very care free & happy. It's just one of those things, it happens, its life.

Now I've told the depressing bit, and I've never really gone into it in that much detail. It feels very exhilarating! I wanna give some tips on what I've done to overcome my anxiety and depression. What works for someone might not work for another person, but the key is to NEVER GIVE UP! Never let even the worst of your days take you- fall down seven times, stand up 8. So without further ado, here's some things that have helped me:

- Telling a family member, friend or someone you feel comfortable with what you are going through
- Getting medical help from a G.P
- Seeing a therapist
- Taking anti-anxiety medication
- Reading self help books
- Meditation
- Doing things that I enjoy such as reading or watching my favourite youtubers
- Talking through what was happening
- Attending church
- Changing my attitude towards myself

Now I'm absolutely no doctor or therapist. Everyone is different but I just wanna get the point across that things DO get better. I know it's the most exhausting thing in the world when you feel like there is no way out and no light at the end of the tunnel, but there is. It takes perseverance, and it's really not easy. Some days you feel back at square one. It can be a very long process. I read a book that  really helped me and I've recommended it to a couple of people who love it! It's called 'Being Happy' by Andrew Matthews, I will link it down below.

I hope this post has been of use to someone. If you ever feel you need a chat, drop me a message. I'm not sure if my anxiety will ever go away, but I actually don't care anymore. I've learnt to enjoy life again and am growing my confidence back and that to me is worth the world 😊

Yasmine x

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Being-Happy-Handbook-Confidence-Security/dp/9810006640

WELCOME TO MY BLOG.. 😊

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog. I hope you find something on here which will make you feel happy, at home, inspired and full of love.

A few things about myself:-

🌟 I ALWAYS like to be positive in every situation 

🌟 I work as a clinical assistant in a hospital in Brighton 

🌟 I've often struggled with accepting myself over the last few years 

🌟 I am due to get Married to the other half of me, Mark (nickname Bert) in December this year 😁

🌟 I am very close to my family

🌟 I have the weirdest, amusing, most beautiful American bulldog called Alfie 

🌟 I LOVE shopping of any kind and always spend too much money🙄

🌟 I looooove food. Food food food. 

🌟 Anxiety and depression have been a big part of my life since I was 19

🌟 Tea, Harry Potter, YouTube and makeup are other big loves of mine

I've been planning to write a blog or start up a YouTube channel for a few years or so. Now it's a new year, 2018. Where 2017 went, I really do not know. Ive finally realised that I've been sitting around, going through life, wishing for all of these things to happen to me e.g. waiting for happiness, waiting for my anxiety to go away. THEN I could start living my life & being happy. That's what I used to think to myself. I was searching for an outside source to cure me; to make me better again.

'HAPPINESS COMES FROM WITHIN.'- Brian Weiss.

So cleashay. Not helpful at all. Just words.

But dya know what? It IS true. It may well be typical words we hear when we're suffering from depression or anxiety or anything similar, and we get sick of hearing it. But for the first time, I sat back and had a think. I realised I will never be truly happy from an outside source. Yes my family, my friends and Bert make me feel better and have got me through some of my darkest days. But for a TRUE change, I needed to change my attitude. I needed to stop being scared of my own thoughts, to stop being so scared of all of my anxiety symptoms. I had to realise a bad day was just a bad day. Rushing thoughts were just rushing thoughts. A pounding heart is just a pounding heart. Life isn't easy and we can't always control or choose the situations around us but we CAN choose how we react to these situations and how we deal with them. Through going back on anti-depressants, seeing a therapist, starting to attend church and most importantly and most effectively, changing my attitude towards myself and my life, I have become a much happier, stronger person. Yes I still have anxiety, bad days and whatever. But it doesn't matter! I can feel anxious and still have a good day😊

I wasn't planning on going into the whole anxiety thing in my first post, but as I've rambled on in this post, it turns out it's actually the story of how I've ended up here, finally writing my blog. I hope I can help someone who's suffering and if that's you reading this, you are not alone! You can be who you want to be no matter what, no matter what you are feeling, or what's going on in your head. Here's to supporting each other, being happy and encouragement!


Yasmine x