Recently, I feel as if all the stress in my life has been lifted, and I'm now stuck in a permanently happy mood. I used to be a miserable, moping mess at times at uni, often sleeping in until late, and staying wrapped up in my duvet with snacks and my Friends boxset. I have no idea how I ended up in such a depressing state, but it had to be stopped. Since I've come home, slowly it's like all the rubbish has been filtered out of my life, and I've managed to completely change my mood. I'm not knocking this one bit, in fact it's been a long time coming after the incredibly stressful and emotional year I've had so far. This got me thinking; what bought this all on?
Quite simply, I stopped all the bad habits that were making me such a moody cow. I stopped eating so much rubbish, and became much more optimistic about life. I let go of the past and fully embraced the future, making plans and changes in my life which allow me to move on. I know it sounds crazy, but it was really easy to do, you just have to be willing.
Here's what I did to turn my frown upside down, and inherit this bizarre constant happy mood.
- Remove all the negativity - I was sitting on Facebook a few weeks ago, when a post popped up about some person I'd not even spoken to in a few years. After reading it, I thought to myself, why do I care? I don't consider them to be a friend any more, in fact, they remind me of things from my past that I really don't care about any more. And I certainly did not care about the fact it was raining wherever they were, and how miserable they felt about it. So I de-friended them. I had a huge cull on Facebook and Twitter, as well as deleting mobile numbers for people I haven't talked to in years. It felt good. I don't need to worry and think about what all these people are up to any more, we can all get on with our lives without interfering with each other. Now all I see is what the people I care about are up to, and my phone is only full of numbers of the people who really matter to me. By removing all this excess negativity in my life, I have the time to focus on my close friends and family, without the doom and gloom of strangers bringing me down.
- Focus on yourself - I've always been that person who never had a clue about what I wanted to do 'when I grow up'. I've had ideas, from being a teacher, a psychologist, and even opening my own coffee shop. Slightly varied! Since I've been at uni, I've discovered that I'm actually not that bad at writing, probably because I sound like I know what I'm on about when I type, and I have the knack of being able to blag my way through an essay. So I took the time, and set up this blog, just to get into the habit of writing more often. It seems to be working! Have a look at what you enjoy doing, or what you seem to have a natural talent for, and work on it. Summer is the perfect opportunity to step back, and have a go at doing something different. You could discover a new passion you never knew you had, which can help to shape your future.
- Keep healthy - At uni, I'm the girl who eats her feelings. It's awful. So it came at no surprise to me that I put a fair bit of weight on over uni, and I knew this had to be stopped. I couldn't go on living like that. So I cut out junk food, and everything that is bad for me. I stopped snacking because it dawned on me, I ate because I could, not because I needed to. I've lost quite a lot of weight since I left uni, and feel so much more full of energy and more alert and enthusiastic. The plus side of this, is that I seem to always be motivated to do things now I have the energy, instead of sitting around on my arse all day waiting for change to happen. I've also started getting a decent amount of sleep. At uni I never went to bed before 2am, and often survived on as little as 4 hours of sleep a day, I have no idea how I managed. I was a walking, talking zombie. I've been going to bed earlier, and sleeping for 8 hours each night, and I've noticed so much difference!
- Turn off your phone - We live in the technological age where everybody seems surgically attached to their phones. I'll even bet yours is sitting next to you right now, or you're on it! It's crazy how much we rely on them to keep in touch with the world, but it is all really that important? I always find myself aimlessly scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, refreshing, and scrolling again. Why do we all do that? So I've started turning off my phone, or leaving it in my room or my bag. I've stopped being so obsessed with looking online, and have found other things to do with my time, such as reading and writing. I've read so many books, and have completely fallen in love with it again. Nothing is better than sitting out in the garden with a good book. Nothing.
- Have something to look forwards to - I always find I'm happier when I have something to look forwards to, or to work towards, otherwise I feel a bit lost and as if I'm working for nothing. So I booked a few holidays to keep me motivated in the next few months. I'm jetting off to Gran Canaria on the 5th July with a group of friends, which I'm unbelievably excited about, especially as this is my first 'girly holiday'! I've also booked a week in Belfast in September with Em, which is going to be so much fun, I've always wanted to go to Ireland to sight-see, taking in the history, and listen to their gorgeous accents. (Hopefully I'll meet my future Irish husband there..) Knowing I have these things in the pipeline makes my days go so much quicker, and reminds me that I'm working for something, and that it'll all be worth it. Plus it gives me a good excuse to go shopping, which makes me ridiculously happy. (Except when I look at my bank balance..)
So that's what I've been up to these last few weeks, but it has really made a huge improvement on my mood. I completely recommend you try a few of these things, and you'll see the difference it makes to you.
Much love ♥
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