Christmas -Handle with Self Care

Christmas Handle with Self Care.

       

Christmas isn’t / wasn’t for me. I guess I’m not alone and for every person who gets excited for Christmas there’s another like me taking a deep breath and hoping it’s soon over. Don’t get me wrong as I do love aspects of Christmas, sparkly lights (who doesn’t love them!), the Salvation Army playing Carols, coming together with friends and family and sharing the Lindt Balls.......maybe not that ! I do tend to get run down at this time of year and catch a cold then add in general exhaustion. This year I had to forfeit a wonderful night out with friends so I was well enough for the big event Christmas Day.  Christmas feels like one big rush in the end after it starting to pop up in September, you can’t do the bulk of preparation until the end. Even present buying as children have this habit of changing their minds ! There’s the running around to buy presents and wrap said presents, buy the tree and decorate the house, write Christmas cards (if you still bother), shop for all the food, and then slave in the kitchen on Christmas Day, thankfully my mum is the main chef and I’m a kitchen hand. . It is such a busy period, for some of my friends it involves visiting different parts of their family for different meals, or over different days and that can involve a lot of travelling. Christmas just isn’t my kind of relaxed. 

                                                Parts of the run up to it I enjoy especially visiting Christmas Craft fairs and markets, actually that’s probably the only bit ! I often stand there during the weeks before the event wondering what the hell am I doing, I know nothing unusual there ! My lists need lists to stay ahead of the Christmas game and organised. I just find it all a bit crazy this mad dash for one day, one extreme roast dinner and the giving of sometimes unwanted gifts just because..... Actually I stopped that this year, decided no more going around in circles in Town until I was inspired to buy something vaguely decent. So therefore if you didn’t volunteer gift ideas you got the cash cop out ! Food shopping, why does my dad have to have a jar of pickled onions and a jar of beetroot ? Why do we need a huge selection of soft drinks when 50% of the household normally drink tap water. The cheese board when we only usually have cheddar, the selection of crackers when we usually have Jacobs cream crackers. On the point of crackers (the pulling kind), I forgot to buy any, oh my god, such a huge festive crime. Which led me to scouring the shelves of many shops after work on Christmas Eve. I eventually found some I was prepared to pay up for. Let’s just say there is a tray in the dining room with ten unwanted plastic items from said must have crackers !!!! Why have we gone so crazy ? Although I did wander what happened to all the unsold Christmas trees outside Sainsbury’s on Christmas Eve, just 24 hours later I walked past and there was no trace, well a pine needle or two. Oh and the supermarkets are now reminding me that it’s nearly Easter ! It’s like Christmas never happened but it did and it took most of December in its jaws too, swallowed up in the frenzy. Actually that may have been work that did that, I did work a couple of Saturdays !  

     Over Christmas I really, really miss my space as I have to surrender my bedroom to the old folks. I have to share a room with someone and listen to them breathe all night while I battle insomnia and need the loo, ahhh yes I miss my en-suite ! Oh and I live with white noise addicts and I’m the only one who sleeps without a fan. Over Christmas I miss my routine, I miss my walks, my gym trips, my swimming and my aqua aerobics. Those are the things that help keep me balanced, they provide what I need. It’s all about self care with me, otherwise the cracks begin again. Christmas provides me with too much thinking time without offering any respite. No going to bed when I want, no long baths, no candle lit bedroom, no getting lost in a book, in its place sitting around in front of the TV making polite conversation. Those that know me , know this isn’t me. I rarely switch on the TV, I hardly ever spend any time in my living room. I have the attention span of a gold fish.  So I find it a huge strain. I stay ok because I work hard at being ok, does that make sense ?  Going to work on the 24th and 27th helped, it broke things up. 

     We have all had enough of the party type food and want simple meals again, it’s like being on holiday and eating out for two weeks, you crave a sandwich or a piece of toast. I’ve had enough of all the weird food combinations because things need to be used up, trifle for breakfast is acceptable during this week of post Christmas weirdness. We are nearly over all of that so it’s obviously time to mess things up again with New Years Eve and Day. I won’t stay up to see the New Year in unless I suddenly stop waking up at 4.50am every day ! My 50th year, I better think of some unobtainable New Years resolutions to fail at !!!! Nah why bother ! So there you are my post Christmas muttering, I’m either bah humbug or I’m just honest, you can decide. ❤️ 

   Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year 2019 ❤️ lots of love Bec ❤️

                                         

    

          

Happiness- Love the Life You Live

Love the Life You Live - Happiness

   Happiness, I think you choose it. I like to or have to remain positive to get through certain aspects of my life otherwise the sadness would consume me. I just find it easier choosing happy, it helps me adjust my mindset and determines how I interpret what’s happening. Choose to be happy. Choose to push away negative energy. Choose to be happy rather than to suffer. I like to see the good in everyday, everybody and everything. Of course that doesn’t mean I always find the good in people or situations that I find myself in but I like to try ! Only you can you make yourself happy. I would advise not relying on anyone else to make you happy. If you aren’t happy with yourself, you won’t think you deserve affection and attention. So make yourself a priority.

 I like to find happiness in small everyday things , things that make me smile ahhhh Sheldon the Lobster, wearing dresses, eating cake, reading chick lit, swimming, earl grey tea in a gorgeous Cath Kidston mug, spending time with family and friends.......the list goes on. My far too many photographs document most of the things I love in life on a daily basis. I think my choices enhance my life and how I generally feel, I enjoy creating happiness.

       

I deal with life one day at a time , I recommend this as it’s easier to focus on the present, not yesterday or tomorrow. Now this is a huge thing for me, because of what happened with Eloise and a few other traumatic and unsettling life events I don’t look back too often. I cannot change what happened but I can change how I react to it. Obviously I do reflect, I do feel anger and great sadness but I deal with it as best I can . I just feel that time is now, I am here in this very moment. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring and that’s probably for the best ! I believe in staying focused on today rather than worrying about yesterday and tomorrow. I don’t want to miss out on the happiness that’s available to me right now.

 

The art of being grateful also plays it’s part. I like to try and turn negative thoughts into more positive ones. This is especially true when dealing with Eloise’s heart transplant. Yes it’s so bloody horrendous that a simple virus left her in severe heart failure but it’s a miracle that she received a heart transplant that 16 years on is still beating strongly. I’m eternally grateful for all those who saved her, especially her donor family. I think being grateful brings on a positive mindset change, a better way of thinking and dealing with life. Just my opinion and something that works well for me. Gratitude makes me appreciate all I have in my life, my beautiful family, fabulous friends, my home and all it contains, plus all the loveliness I embellish my life with.  So maybe take a look at all the happiness you already have in your life. Focus on the great things you have already and hug those beautiful people who fill your life with love and friendship right now. I hear people saying “I will be happy when…” I’ll be happy when I go on holiday , when its not raining, when it’s payday ,when I lose 10 pounds… but happiness comes from living in the moment. By putting happiness on hold until the future,you’re robbing yourself of precious moments. Love the life you live.

              

I like other people to be happy too, it’s lovely to make someone feel happy when they previously felt down. When you turn someone’s mood or mindset around by helping them, you can sense it and that happy feeling flows back to you. People like to be around happy people.Happiness and laughter are contagious. Even if I’m really stressed out, especially at work, I try to be positive and energetic because I know it will only bring others down if I am negative (except on Mondays when I’m not at my Sparkly best ! ) People tend to dwell on the negative and bring others down. It is best to choose carefully who you let into your life. I find my life is better if it’s filled with like minded positive people who lift me up and only want the best for me and themselves. It’s good to share and spread happiness around, it’s at the top of my to do list plus a sprinkling of kindness ! Look after your friends, nurture your friendships and show them they are appreciated. 

   Do more of what you like to do, make time for the things that make your heart sing. There is nothing wrong with self care and giving yourself time to just be. Free up some time to do the things that make you happy. I love making plans , especially planning days out with my children and my gorgeous ladies. The gift of time is one of the best things you can give yourself and those you love. We live in a busy World but we do waste time that we could use in a more positive way. There is always time that you can free up, you have a choice, choose happy.