Hello Everyone!

We all have things we like to do, but don't want to freely admit them to everyone, right? There are certainly things that only my family knows about me. But the older I get the more I realize how much it really doesn't matter what people think of you and what you like. Plus, you have to enjoy life and find things that make you happy, no matter what they are. 

Here are some of my guilty pleasures:

Teen Mom
This started years ago when 16 and Pregnant first aired. I only really watch the original girls, Maci, Catelynn and Amber (I fast-forward the Farrah bits...) I don't know why I love it, but I do! I like to know that they are doing well and get an update on everything. It's a bit like being nosy at what the people you went to high school are doing with their lives now.

Project Life Scrapbook
I'm a very sentimental person ( I keep my movie stubs and everything) combined with my natural creative side and love of journals, and you'll find scrap-booking is a lot of fun for me! I started my Project Life book after watching a Lily Pebbles video on YouTube and I was hooked.I fell out of love with it for a while, but now I try set aside time to work on it.

One Direction
There I said it. I really like 1D, OK? Their music is fantastic and it really got me through crappy days at my last job. Every time I think I'm over them, they pull me right back in. I guess you never grow out of boy bands. I like my pop music and theirs is bloody good. 

Pinterest
There are two tabs that I always have on my browser at all times: Blogger and Pinterest. I can honestly say that I am obsessed. I think it's because I'm a very visual person and I have to stay inspired in my job, so it's the perfect site for me to browse. I'm usually looking at #Bossbabe quotes, beautiful work areas, or fitness inspiration.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians
Let me just start by saying that apart from Teen Mom, this is the only reality TV I watch. I've watched it from about Season 2 and have been hooked ever since. Yes, their lifestyle is stupidly extravagant, but they are one entertaining and fabulous family. I don't watch them as much anymore, but I know what to put on if I need some girl time.

Waking up to notifications  
I know, "Don't do it for the likes," but I think we can all admit that it's nice to see that people like was you say and post. It lets me know that whatever content I'm putting out is getting a good response from people. I'm enjoying learning more about social media and seeing that something worked makes me feel good.

Watching Mamma Mia 
I don't know if it's the heavenly Greek island setting, the catchy music, or just Meryl Streep, but I really love this movie! No, the singing is not perfect but that makes it more fun for me. I usually get it out on a Sunday night to just have some chill-time before bed. It makes me crave a holiday in Greece so bad!  

Kinder Surprise Eggs 
When I was a kid, my Dad would pick up one of these each for me and my brother when he came home from work every Tuesday night. My parents didn't make much money back then, so it was like a special little treat we could look forward to. Now, as an adult (kinda) I can buy them whenever I want! (which is probably the only good part about growing up, to be honest.) I'm sure even when I have kids of my own I will buy one for myself too! The chocolate is the best part : )

Deep-fried Camembert Cheese
Probably my guiltiest pleasure of them all, just thinking about it is making my mouth water! We have a pizza chain in NZ that has this as a side and OH. MY. WORD it's heaven. Add some cranberry sauce and cheese never tasted so good. You have to try it, trust me!

Well, there you go! I think we all have to remember to love whatever we want to love in life.

 What are some of your guilty pleasures? 

Steph x.

5 Ways to Have Happy Mental Health

 
Hello Everyone!

I hope the new year is treating you well so far. I myself, am incredibly happy and excited that it's  finally 2016. Last year was a bit of a roller-coaster for me, and judging by social media 2015 wasn't kind to any of us. With a new job and a hovering existential-crisis I had to learn to take better care of my mental health and learn how to deal with new situations. I spent a lot of my time learning to listen to what my mind was trying to tell me, as well as dealing with anxiety issues like never before. 

No one's mental health is perfect and it's something that needs to be talked about more regularly. We all have bad days and thoughts that plague us, it's what makes us human after all. A lot of us are over-thinkers too, which never helps.

I thought I would share with you how I keep my mental health in check and be as happy as I can. I'm not expert, but it's what works for me, and can hopefully be of help to you guys too.

To stay happy I...

Question my own thinking 
My mind tends to be a bit scattered sometimes and I stop myself from doing something because of a really silly reason. I've learned to ask myself "What's the worst that can happen?" or "Do you really care what a stranger thinks?" and it really does help in an anxious situation. I've also learned to simply ask someone a question instead of being too shy to say anything. I promise it's never as scary as it seems.


Plan essential me-time everyday
Being introverted, this is really important for me. I find it very draining to be around other people for even a few hours. If I can have time to just put my headphones on and browse the internet by myself, I'm one happy girl. It's all about recharging yourself for the next day; you could do yoga, watch TV, go to the gym, or have a bath. Make sure there's a time in your day just for you.


Allow myself to have a bad day
Despite what all the inspiration posts on Pinterest tell us, we don't have to be happy every single day. It's great if you are, but I don't put pressure on myself to be perfect and up-beat 365 days a year. If I've had an experience that has set off my anxiety or my hormones are turning me into the Hulk, I just do everything to stay afloat that day and start again tomorrow. Bad days happen, we all have them, so just eat some chocolate and wake up the next day with a positive attitude.


Do something everyday that makes me happy
Because that's what life should be about! Sometimes it's the small things like wearing my favorite lipstick, finding new blogs, or watching The Sacconejoly's on YouTube. When I was working full-time, starting up my blog made my life so much better because it became my creative outlet. Working on it a little everyday made me feel productive and happy. It made the work days worth it (kinda. Not really.) Find your happy things that set your soul on fire and do them everyday!


Take care of my body
I can't stress enough how much your mental health is linked to the state of your body. We all know how amazing it is when we've had enough sleep, eaten good foods, and had lots of water. When you respect your body, it will reward you. Exercise is another essential for me, it has taught me to be tougher with myself and that there are no excuses to be had. I have honestly never been happier, and I owe a lot of it to how I treat my body now. This is the most important step for me and it has taught me more than I ever thought it could.

So those are the five things I do regularly to stay happy. I think 2015 was either going to make me or break me, and realizing how important my mental health is really made all the difference.

How do you guys take care of your mental health? 

Steph x.

Making the Most of Flaws

Hello Everyone! 
It's going to be a bit of a rambly/personal one today, so get yourselves strapped in. I think we can all agree that our flaws are the hardest part of learning to love ourselves. They're like built-in challenges that everyone receives (and I mean EVERYONE, no one is perfect.) They can be hard to ignore around other people, but that doesn't mean that we can't use our flaws to our advantage.

One thing I want to make clear, is that flaws don't have to be a negative thing. Personally, once I accepted mine they were so much easier to deal with, and they're just a part of who I am now. I think it's really important to view these personality traits as something that can empower you, rather than tear you down. Now, get prepared because I am going to reveal my greatest flaws to you and how I make the most of them:

Impatience

This particular trait drives my family nuts. It comes in two different forms, the first being that I have this insane fear of missing out and I have to go and do it ASAP. The second is my fear of wasting time, which makes finding car parks at a busy mall pretty impossible. I usually have to talk myself out of it with logic, or simply letting go of those things I can't control.

How I make the most of it: It means I can enjoy being spontaneous! I don't mind making quick decisions either, which can make handling a workplace easier. It also means that I'm a passionate person who gets really excited for things to come. I think this is a big part of being a fangirl!

Stubborn
This is actually one of my most dominant personality traits and it seems to be getting stronger with age. If anyone is pushy with me, every instinct tells me to either push back or flat out refuse to do what they tell me. I'm not kidding when I say that I would rival Katniss Everdeen for not budging on things.

How I make the most of it: The funny thing is, it's actually one of my favorite things about my personality. Being stubborn means that I don't let people walk all over me by saying yes to everything. It also means that when I really want something I don't give up in it. Even when people tell me I can't do it, I'm the type of girl who will say "Just watch me." There's a certain amount of bravery and confidence that come with being stubborn, and I'm really grateful for it. 


Anxiety 
This is by far the hardest flaw to deal with. It's obviously the trait that has the biggest impact on my life. I've always been that shy kid that didn't want to speak up in class and even now going to an unfamiliar social event or talking to new people is terrifying. I know I don't have it as bad as a lot of others, but it's still something I deal with everyday.

How I make the most of it: My anxiety has actually taught me a lot about myself and I've seen it more as my own personal challenge than something that will always hold me back. It's not something I will ever apologize for and it's made me be picky about who I hang around with. I've learned not to make time for people who make me feel bad for my emotions.


Now it's your turn! I want you to think about the things in your personality that might be holding you back and how you can turn them around to benefit you everyday. I truly believe that there's a silver lining in everything and you shouldn't have to punish yourself for the things you can't change.

Loving yourself means accepting every part of who you are. None of us are perfect, but for me that keeps life pretty interesting.

What's a flaw that you love most?
Steph x.

Things That Make Me Feel Confident

Hello Everyone!

I think we have all had times where we have felt our best and it's like being the person you want to be 24/7. Unfortunately, confidence comes and goes. I've grown pretty confident in the past few years, but there are still days where I'm just not feeling it. It happens, we are human after all!

Each of us is different and we find confidence in different ways. Personally, I love anything that makes me feel like a bit of a bad-ass and sets me apart from being average. For me, it always starts with taking care of my body, then wearing my favorite outfit with makeup to go with it. There is nothing like a little black dress to make the boys do a double-take (true story!)

Here are the things that make me feel confident:  

Working out/running to feel strong

Blogging (of course!)

Wearing a fab outfit 

Walking with my headphones in and tunes blasting

When I don't compare myself to anyone else 

Wearing makeup (bad, but true) 

Acknowledging everything I have achieved 

Wearing a leather jacket  

Getting tattoos (and rocking them)

Participating in blogger chats 

Wearing red lipstick 

Eating the right foods 

Accepting my flaws

Wearing my favorite necklace

Listening to girl-bands 

Doing squats at the gym 

Attacking a to-do list 

Striking up a conversation with someone 

Pulling off a crop top 

Wearing a little black dress (the tighter, the better) 

Being around people who are as motivated as me 

A touch of lip gloss

Being inspired by other bloggers and YouTubers

We all need a boost of confidence sometimes, especially on bad days. Make a list yourself, then aim to do them more often! Sometimes just a touch of lipstick or some productivity during your day can work wonders. Confidence reminds us of how awesome we can be, and it makes us feel pretty great about who we are. 

What makes you feel confident?

Steph x. 

Love Myself Tag

 Hello Everyone and welcome to day one of #LoveMyselfWeek!

Every day this week I will be posting about the topic of self-love and how we can all improve on it in 2016. It's one of the most important lessons in life, and a very necessary one too. Trust me, you have no idea how amazing life can be when you love who you are. 

I think we all find it a bit hard to talk about ourselves and what we like best about our personalities. I know it's easier to just put yourself down, but who wants to live like that? Not me, and you shouldn't either.

I created this tag so that everyone could shout the awesome things about themselves that they love, and to help us all be proud of who we are.

The only rule: no negativity!

Write five things you love about yourself 
1. My passion for things.
2. I can rock a pair of glasses.
3. My olive skin.
4. I've never needed everyone to like me.
5. I ain't no push-over, mate. 

A moment that made yourself proud
It's probably a tie between graduating university and finishing my first half-marathon.


Favorite song that gives you confidence
Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld. I belted it out all through 2015 and it's a gym favorite to keep me going. 

The color that suits you best
I wear a lot of black, so I will probably go with that. Although I feel like I can pull off most colors, even yellow!

Favorite personality trait
I'd have to say my independence. I'm really self-motivated and 100% my own cheerleader. I learned early not to rely on others and it's served me very well.

I feel most beautiful when I...
am standing in front of the mirror, half naked, checking out my workout results. Fitness has given me a lot of confidence and appreciation for my body.


Favorite way to treat yo' self
Coffee, always coffee. But only from my favorite cafe, which is conveniently placed next to my gym. They make amazing raw caramel slice too...


Something I'm good at (no matter how small) 
I've always been able to mimic drawings perfectly. Like, if you give me a drawing I can copy it to be exactly the same. My best attempt was Van Gough's A Starry Night. 

Which awesome fictional character is most like you?
I'm gonna have to go with Katniss from The Hunger Games. Both of us are VERY stubborn, don't make friends very well, love to rebel from authority, and aren't really cat people. I spent ages not liking her as a character, until I realized it's because we are just too alike! Not sure I could win the Hunger Games, though.

What defines your personal style?
My Clark Kent glasses, tattoos, and killer curves (I cringed a bit writing that last one, but hey! I love them.)

Now it's your turn!

I tag everyone to do this Q and A, even if you just answer the questions to yourself. I want to learn more about you awesome people : ) 

Steph x.