5 WAYS TO FIGHT DEMOTIVATION

Everyone on this planet will go through ups and downs. That's a given.



If you're down in the dumps right now, let me tell you something. It won't last forever.







Why? 

Because at the end of the day, LIFE GOES ON. 

To be really honest with you, I've been down in the dumps for a few months now and I'm not saying I'm perfectly fine at this very moment, but I know I'm finally in a healthier place. In fact, I've actually been in this healthy place for the past couple of weeks.


This post is coming up today because I don't want to write about it after everything has been said and done. I am still very much going through ups and downs every.single.day with the jobs I'm doing and the industry I'm in and the people I'm with.


Trust me. The amount of "How to Get Rid of De-motivation" articles I've read over the past couple of months have been substantial. Don't get me wrong, some of the articles did help and did provide some pointers for me. But of course, it's all up to you to do something about it.

I'm in a healthier place now because I decided to do something about it, so I do hope these tips I'm sharing will help any of you in any kind of way.


1) Take a break

Like a lot of 25 year-olds out there, my main stress comes from work. In the month of August, my work definitely took a toll on me. I could feel tension building up on my shoulders every.single.day. So, I decided to take a few weekends off. I went away with a couple of friends and just took some time off. It is amazing how taking a break can work wonders.



2) Self-realization 

When you get time off, the amount of thinking you do, the things you think about - they all tend to be a little different from your daily thoughts. While I was on my weekend getaways, I realize that no matter how scared my thoughts made me feel, I kind of know what I want. Some things just seem clearer than when you're daily grinding. I did learn more about myself and what I want in life. But learning about yourself is an everyday process. So, it's good to take some time off to check in with yourself.



3) Do the things you love

Honestly, for me - a person who loves writing and blogging - to have a meltdown and not write anything for a couple of weeks is just unacceptable and unfathomable. Because I find joy through writing. I don't care if it's not as perfect or well put together as other bloggers/writers out there, but I still love to write. Taking pictures, having a couple of drinks with some friends (or even alone), writing, filming - they're all things I love to do. And if you do the things you love, I don't see why you can't be happy.



4) Surround yourself with laughter

The amount of laughter I get from my colleagues at work is actually scary. Too scary. I could laugh every 5 minutes from 9am-1pm every.single.day. And I have a couple of friends who actually make me so happy everyday too. I remember one time last month, I was having a really bad day. Honestly, I couldn't take my mind off things, I had so much on my plate, all I could think about was my problems. But my friends manage to get me out of that stage. And it's all through talking and laughing.



5) Inner peace

Something that I've been practicing for the past couple of weeks. Trying to see everything in a positive manner. Let me tell you, it's no walk in the park. It will always be a working progress for me, I admit. But each day I practice inner peace, I find myself at ease. I sleep better at night. I focus better on what I want. Definitely a good way to start being happy.

Some people are big believers of karma and the whole "what goes around comes around".

I'm more of an "everything happens for a reason" kinda gal. So, no matter what happens, good or bad, I know that everything happens for a reason. Your action, your decisions, your choices, they make you who you are and they make up for those reasons.

I always like to tell myself that there are no right or wrong decisions, only good or bad ones. But at the end of the day, everything still happens for a reason. You made that choice for a reason, you acted that way for a reason.



But don't worry. Because whether it's a good or bad decision, nothing lasts forever. LIFE GOES ON.

5 WAYS TO OVERCOME STRESS

Hi friends.



I know I haven't been the best at blogging lately, and don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE blogging and writing but I've just had loads going on - in my mind, at work, with people.

To be completely honest with you, I've been all over the place really. 

And I wanted to take a break from blogging because I didn't want to hurt my blog by posting some useless nonsense on how my life is actually going at the moment (but I really think I'll update you guys on that in the next one! I mean, it's only fair).

I used to post frequently before because ideas could hit me anywhere and at anytime. A car could drive past me and I would have an idea. I could look up in the sky and an idea would come to me. The wind could be blowing through my hair and an idea would come to me. 

It's just more difficult lately because of all the stress and obstacles surrounding me. As I mentioned in my July Goals, June was no picnic for me. In fact, it was stressful AF! 



So, one of my closest friends and I went out a couple of nights ago. And she asked me this very interesting question: How do you get rid of stress?


I didn't know exactly how to answer that question because I'm not a doctor or a psychiatrist and all I had was my point of view. And not forgetting that I'm not the best at dealing with stress, hence why, all the random hiatus. However, I have come to terms with it. That's what I've been doing lately. Taking a break from everything to recollect my thoughts and how I want things to be and how I want to be.

There will be stress wherever you go. You can't hide from it. It's inevitable. You can only deal with it and move on. So, over the past couple of months, I've tried various activities on how to overcome stress. You know, the kind of stuff you'd normally read from articles and whatnot. And no, I'm not going to ask you to exercise. Because I've tried that. When I'm stressed out, exercising only makes me agitated. You HAVE to WANT to exercise. 

But anyway, everyone's got their own way of dealing with stress. Some of them might work, some might not. Here are 5 ways I overcome stress:



1. Talk to someone


Bottling up your feelings won't help you or anyone else, for that matter. It only hurts you and everyone around you. So, talk to someone - a good friend, a person you trust, your partner, a therapist, your parents. Whoever you feel comfortable with and no matter what, just make sure it's someone you can trust.



2. Light a candle & Listen to some music


For me, settings are really important. You're already really stressed out. You don't want to come home to a dark, messy house. And one of the reasons why I'm such a candle whore is because candles help me deal with stress. And with some nice background music, it's just the perfect way to de-stress. All you need to do is close your eyes.

3. Drink tea 


Because alcohol doesn't work. Trust me. All you do is end up crying and feeling sad for yourself and feeling like shit. There was a time when I used to turn to alcohol when I was feeling stressed out. That doesn't work for me. So, I turned to tea. Chamomile or peppermint - precisely. Not only does it help you sleep better, but it helps with de-stressing too.



4. Write it down


Whatever shit you're feeling right now, if it's bringing you down, write that shit down. It doesn't have to have any structure. For example, I could be feeling so stressed out right now and I have absolutely no idea why. I would write "I'm feeling like shit right now and I don't know why. I hate this feeling". From 2 sentences, the whole thing will turn into an essay. By the time you've finished writing them down, you'd already feel nicer. And once you've finished writing, put it aside and don't read it. Only read it a week after or when you're feeling better and you'll actually laugh at it. No joke, I promise.



5. Take a shower


Showers are a godsend. Something so simple. Something that we take for granted every.single.day. And I only found out that this trick worked on me when I was coming home from a very stressful day at work a couple of weeks ago. And I felt helpless, restless. I decided to take a shower and OMG, I came out of the shower asking myself what was I so stressed about? So, taking a shower - quick or long, hot or cold - definitely helps!

Like I said, everyone has different ways of dealing with stress. I've been stuck in that tunnel for quite some time now and I actually learned how to crawl out of it. Hence why I'm writing this post. To help any of you who are still in the tunnel.

Just remember: Stress is everywhere. You can't let that stop you from doing things you love. Deal with it and move on. The quicker, the better. #YOLO :)