I’ve been umming and ahhhing about what to write for this post and after putting together the final images last night I felt a sense of achievement. Mainly because usually after the type of day I had I would crash out on the sofa and waste a couple of hours in the evening fighting over a faux fur blanket with Gurpreet while we catch up on sitcoms and series.
I’m smiling while looking at these pictures because I’m happy with how far I’ve come, mentally and physically. I’m at a stage in life where my actions are keeping me happy, not only is this feeling evident in my day to day activities, my general wellbeing has improved tenfold.
It’s common knowledge to many of us what keeps us happy but I find writing here so therapeutic I’m going to share with you what it is that makes me feel good.
1) Self-love
I live by the mantra ‘Let it be’ there are so many things that happen to us daily which are not within our control and over time I have learnt to not let them get me down, feel anxious about or even upset, I simply remind myself of the path I am going down and to focus on my own goals. Unfortunately there will always be spiteful people out there that get you down, love and respect yourself enough to eliminate them from your life.
The minute you surround yourself with people who cherish you for who you are, you naturally start treating yourself better. And by not focusing on the negative your energy is then shifted to completing goals and moving forward with life. When you love yourself what others think and how they act become irrelevant to your life.
2) Maintenance
I love myself by respecting my mind and body. Every day I exercise, I eat healthy and practise gratitude wherever possible. I’ve noticed when I don’t follow through with these my moods alter and become erratic. The negative energy has such a knock on effect to so many things in life so I find it is key for me to make sure my eating habits are clean.
Eating unhealthy leads to tiredness, which means I’ll skip the gym, then I start feeling like a little fatty, which means I don’t feel like dressing up, that leads to me feeling yucky and my skin starts to show it and then when I look in the mirror I feel crappy, all of this turns me in to a sour faced Mitika.
Whereas when I eat well, I am motivated to exercise; after having a successful workout I am more inclined to spend extra time on my appearance; if I feel like I look good I’m more confident and determined to achieve my goals. I’m sure you get my drift but it’s so easy to snowball either way.
3) Spreading love
Have you ever told anyone but your partner you love them? I have, I whisper it to my dog every other 5 minutes :) but jokes aside, a saying I've popped up in conversations lately is 'communication is key' I strongly believe relationships fall to pots because of lack of communication. I am open with those close to me and express my feelings clearly towards them, if I miss them I let them know, if I love them I let them know, if they mean anything to me I let them know. The point I'm making is, if you realise you have people you cherish in life let them know this. Just by sending my love to my sisters I feel better, loving others is very rewarding and knowing you have said everything on your mind when you had the chance is the best feeling.
I don't like the idea of waking up tomorrow wishing I should have let someone know what they meant to me when I had the opportunity. This life is too short for those regrets, love freely : )
4) Something new
Something new doesn't have to be in the form of a new bag or new shoes, new to me is a different experience to what I'm used to. Theres a little part of me that gets so excited from experiencing 'new' things, this weekend we will be visiting The London Illustration fair which I cant wait to see, last weekend we had a change of scenery and dinned in GBK. It was lovely but I'm not going back anytime soon, even though I enjoyed the meal £35 for two burgers and milkshakes gave me a heart attack, maybe I'll go again when I become a millionaire, HA!
I look forward to experiencing new as it gives me a buzz and don't get me wrong I'm still a sucker for good old retail therapy but thats on hold as the wardrobe isn't closing very well at the moment (it's a sign to stop shopping!)
5) Music
I am so thankful to be able to listen to music, it has this magical quality that can take you away from any type of feeling and switch your mood instantly. That sounded a bit cheesy right?! Well try sitting a day or two without sound and then read that line again, it's something we are so used to and programmed to be around we don't realise how much it can impact our moods. I find music so therapeutic I have a trillion different playlists that are like the soundtracks to my life, one for mornings, train journeys, gym time, even right now I have one playing in the background so I can concentrate on writing. I love the emotion music brings out in people and the passion it shows, it for sure is a big part of what makes me feel good.
6) My dog
I used to dream of having a pet when I was young, luckily 6 years ago my brother came home with a little bichon fris and maltese mix. We named him Jambu (after an Indian sweet dish) He is literally the light to my life, I love everything about him, his innocence and character make me SO happy. No matter what mood I'm in his enthusiasm to greet me remains the same, he is always so loving, playful and embodies this skill to be excited about literally EVERYTHING. Sometimes you can feel like humans fail you and that leaves you feeling a little low, In those types of situations Jambu has never failed to put a smile on my face. Animals are such wonderful creatures, my love for him is a big reason for why I chose to turn vegetarian 3 years ago and over the past couple of months I have been refining my diet to be Vegan, I want no part of causing harm to these wonderful creatures : ) I love all animals and they make me so happy.
7) My hobby
My art and this blog are my outlets for expressing myself. I absolutely love sitting down with pen and paper to sketch, I love drawing fashion, models, garments and designing new things. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I make something out of nothing. Everyone has a hobby or something they are passionate about, whatever it may be I would recommend exploring the avenues that lead to expression through it. It's never too late to take a course or learn more about it. I think we all need a slice of happiness that isn't linked to work stresses. A hobby doesn't have to generate money, if it does that is a bonus, but I think when someone is passionate about something it can be an escape route; when they are stressed they can dive into what they love doing and its almost like a free therapy session.
8) Writing
When I think about it, this list could go on forever, there are so many things that keep me happy but if I had to pinpoint it to a handful this would be it. I am so happy I changed the style of this blog and started to open up a bit more, I find writing so therapeutic and love getting my thoughts out, whats even more rewarding is my thoughts go hand in hand with yours, its so nice for me to connect with people that read this and on days I feel like don't fit in, I can remind myself of the online family I have created through this site : )
Outfit - Cami/Mango Skirt/Handmade Choker/MissSelfridges Earrings/KateSpade
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