How To Get Motivated

Since I started this blog I have always been open about my struggle with depression & anxiety. I'm sure anyone who struggles with mental illness too is aware that one of the common signs of depression is losing all motivation to do anything at all.

I am fully aware of how hard it is to get your motivation back once it's gone and although I try my best to live a positive, motivated & happy life I can't pretend that I don't struggle when it comes to motivating myself. 

However, for a few months I have been trying out different things to help motivate myself and I really want to share with you what I found helped me most in case it helps you in any way at all.

Lets get started,

1. Music

Music has been a huge part of my journey when it comes to motivating myself. The first thing I do in the morning is pop in my earphones and play music that I know will make me want to get out of bed and put me in a great mood! When you start the day right it really has a knock on effect for the rest of the day. 

I've also found this REALLY useful when it comes to motivating myself to exercise!

(Image not mine - credit linked)

2. Wake Up Early

Now for this to really work you will need to go to bed early too because if you wake up tired your most likely to fall back asleep during the day rather than getting things done!

I've found that watching the sunrise in the morning really gives me so much inspiration and puts me in a great mood for the rest of the day. Having some time alone allows you to gather your thoughts and plan out your day without distractions. Not to mention that waking up early means you have more time to get whatever you need done without stressing for time!

3.Write A To Do List

I cannot even explain how much this has helped me. I tend to do this on days when i'm not in work so that I keep myself on the go. 

I will even put simple things on there like 'get a shower', 'have breakfast', etc. Because although they are pretty normal everyday things it's so important to praise yourself for even the smallest achievements. Don't ever feel like you're not doing enough, baby steps are EVERYTHING.

4. Motivation Talks

Most days I try to listen to a motivational talk on YouTube. I've really found that after watching them I feel like nothing can stop me. So many times they have helped me get out of a rut when I've found myself feeling unhappy and unmotivated. It's true that anything is possible and you just have to believe in yourself!!

I hope this helps some of you and I will definantly be revisiting this topic when I discover more things along my journey.

Love, peace & happiness to you all,

Katie. xx

Time To Change

Hey guys,

I am writing this just as World Mental Health Day is coming to an end and I'm feeling super emotional so obviously I had to write a blog post! Haha.

Firstly, I wanted to talk to you about a post that I wrote for the Time To Change campaign website. I always express that whenever I talk about mental health there will always be a reason behind me doing so - and that reason is always to help the people who are struggling.

Time To Change campaign against mental health stigma - which believe it or not still exists! And I had the opportunity to share my story and how I have also been stigmatised for having a mental illness. This was / still is a HUGE deal for me. To be able to potentially help so many people makes me almost want to cry and i'm not afraid to say that I feel really proud of myself for being able to open up beyond the comfortable space of my own YouTube channel or blog.

If you want to read the post I will have a link at the very end of this post. If you feel like my story or anyone else's on there could help someone then please do share them! It would mean the world to myself and everyone else involved.

I also wanted to say how days like WMHD make me super emotional. To see everyone coming together to support each other makes me so happy and fills my heart with so much love. As a person who struggles with MH I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that it's extremely nice to feel like someone cares.

I would just like to end this post by saying that if you have a mental illness I want you to know that you're not alone. There are so many people out there feeling the exact way that you do so please don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help. There is nothing to be afraid of - I promise you there are people who love you and want to help you.

Let me know in comments how you felt about world mental health day!

Thanks for reading,

Katie Ellen. xxx

TimeToChange.com/KatieEllen

Dog Therapy

Hey guys!

Today's post is going to be all about those little 4 legged human / animals that live in your house totally rent free and eat more food than you do. Yes, I'm talking about dogs! *fangirls*

So, first of all I would like to begin by saying that I wasn't always a huge dog lover. I have always loved dogs and animals in general to an extent but never really understood how people become so passionate about them. I remember having a conversation with my boyfriend Karl about his dog Jake (this is before I had my own dog) and I remember him saying he would take a bullet for him. Honestly, at the time I thought this was such an insane thing to say but I can completely say that my view now has changed 100%.

This is me and Jake, he's such a little sweetheart!

I guess before I carry on I should introduce you to my dog, right!?

This is Phoebe my little 10 month old Cavachon and we have had her since she was around 16 weeks old. She is a little a bit crazy (in the best way possible) and I honestly couldn't imagine my life without her.

It's absolutely no secret to the internet that I suffer from anxiety and depression but I truly do believe that Phoebe has helped me through bad times more than humans have, surprisingly! There have been multiple times when I have lied on my bed curled up in a little ball crying my eyes out due to depression just wishing I had the courage to ask someone to help me when this little fluff ball jumps up onto my bed and starts trying to lick away my tears and curling up onto my lap; suddenly I find myself crying with happiness. For once I didn't have to reach out to anyone and ask for help as she was already there. I'm honestly welling up just typing this!

I feel that she has also helped my anxiety more than I can even put into words. I struggle a lot to walk places by myself so before having Phoebe I severely avoided leaving the house unless I was jumping into a car. However, knowing that I have the responsibility of a dog I force myself almost everyday (other days my family members take her out) to take her for a nice long walk and having her by my side makes me feel so much less anxious and on edge; even if she does like to bark at everything! Haha. 

I honestly believe that if you do suffer with mental health issues that a dog can be a real help in your recovery but always remember that you have to show them just as much love, too! I would give cats a shout out too but I have never owned one so I'm not sure if they act the same. Do let me know in the comments below if you feel the same about your dog or any other animal you may have as I am always happy to talk about animals, haha!

Thank you so much for reading,

Katie Ellen. xx