Remove Toxic People From Your Life (NOW)

It was only when I began focusing on my spiritual journey that I became aware of how much I allowed other people to affect my emotions. I was always fully aware that I am quite a sensitive person but once I decided to improve my life I realised that for me to truly be happy I had to stop living for other people and start focusing on what was right for me and my mental health.

If you read this and anyone in particular springs to mind I hope these tips can help you to find some clarity.

• You Can Absorb Their Energy

It's important to remember that as humans we are vulnerable to other peoples energies. If you are constantly surrounded by negativity you will most likely feel it and as much as I would love to tell you to walk away from anyone who causes you to feel anything but good I realise fully that, that isn't always possible.

All I want to tell you is that we may only get one chance to experience life and it's so important that you recognise that. You are not obliged to stay around anyone who makes you feel worthless, unhappy or unloved. It may not seem like it right now but you ARE in control of your emotions and you choose whether people effect you or not. 

When I realised that my whole life changed. I look back on how much people used to effect me compared to how they do now and I can't even believe it myself! In fact, I don't think there is much anyone could say that would effect me the way it used to. 

• Love Yourself Enough To Walk Away

Before I started this journey I can truly say I didn't love myself at all. I didn't realise that I stuck around people who made me unhappy because I was so unhappy myself. 

I want to make sure that everyone reading this is aware that you are worthy of love in every form. You never ever need to settle for people who don't value or accept who you are and as long as you love yourself you'll have everything you will ever need. You do NOT need someones love or acceptance to love yourself.

• Ask Yourself Why You Keep Them Around

If you are in a situation where you can walk away from someone who you feel is toxic to you I want you to ask yourself why you are choosing to keep them there. 

If you can't find any good reason to keep someone around then it is time to let them go. I truly believe that some people are in your life so that you can learn what you do and don't want. Stop allowing yourself to be hurt. You never have to feel guilty for putting yourself first and I honestly believe that removing toxic people will open new doors to people who where truly meant to be in your life.

I really hope this helps some of you!

Love & happiness,

Katie. xx

How To Handle Stress

I realise that stress can be such a huge part of our lives at some point and if i'm completely honest this idea was sparked because recently I've been feeling super stressed for a number of reasons that aren't really that important!

Now, don't get me wrong if this is an on going thing or it is really effecting your everyday life you may want to speak to your GP. These things definantly can't change whatever it is that's bothering you but they are just some helpful tips to release stress instead of keeping it all inside & I'm hoping that it can truly help some of you.

So, lets get started.

1. Exercise

I know that when you're feeling down, stressed & over whelmed the last thing you probably feel like doing is exercising but if you give it a try you may find it really helpful. Exercise has been known to have a huge positive effect on mental illness' along with improving sleep and releasing endorphins which are chemicals within the brain that give you a 'feel good' feeling that can really lift your spirits. Not to mention that exercising keeps your brain occupied and will stop you from thinking about whatever is causing you stress. WIN!

2. Meditation

I tend to talk about meditation a lot when it comes to improving mental health & stress. This is because it truly does help. Meditating allows you to be in the moment and have a couple of minutes (or hours!) to yourself where you can gather your thoughts and get in touch with your true emotions. It also brings clarity to a lot of situations and can bring you peace & calmness when everything around you seems hectic and over whelming.

3. Talk

I'm really lucky to be surrounded by people who are always willing to listen when I need advice or just a good old rant! Not only does talking to someone allow you to release your thoughts but it also allows the person you're talking to to provide advice and support. Sometimes we can be so deep in our own thoughts that getting another persons advice can be great so we can look at situations from other perspectives. 

However, if you're reading this and worrying that you don't have anyone to turn to the best advice I can give is to write all your thoughts down. I done this a few weeks ago when I was feeling over whelmed and I can't explain how much of a relief it was just to get the thoughts out of my head! 

4. Breathe

I know this sounds ridiculous but sometimes when a person or situation is causing us stress it is so easy to build up so many emotions that you can actually feel the ball of anxiety in your chest / stomach, etc. Breathing deeply can really allow us to release all the tension we feel inside from stress and help us to relax our muscles and reduce that ball of anxiety you may be feeling.

5. Make Yourself Happy

I know that 9/10 people reading this will be feeling stress caused by other people. Remember that ultimately you are in control of what you allow to bother you. You are in no way obliged to stay around anyone or anything that is bringing you down. 

Make sure you take time to do all the things that bring you happiness and take control of your own emotions and don't allow others to be the reason you aren't living life to the fullest. It'll be the best thing you've ever done - trust me!

Wishing you all the love, happiness and peace.

Katie Ellen. xx

3 Ways To Lead A Happier Life

I'm going to give you some tips on what changes I have made to lead a happier life. Bare in mind only a few months ago I was struggling to get out of bed because I was so depressed and now I wake up every day with a huge smile on my face and I actually look forward to every single day. I'm not saying these things will 100% work for you but i'm just going to share what helped me in hopes that it could help you too!

So, lets get started!

1.  Meditate

I will never be able to explain to anyone just how much meditation has changed my life. I use an app called Calm (which will really help you if you're a beginner!) and I couldn't recommend it enough. Due to my anxiety since I was a child I have never been able to get a full and good night sleep; my mind would constantly be thinking and then before I knew it my alarm would be going off! Whereas, now I use this app every night to calm my mind before I go to bed and it works wonders!

If you try anything from this little list please give meditation a go - It's allowed me to completely change my life around and become more positive and stress free!

      2. Distance Yourself From Negativity

If you know there are certain people in your life that cause you negative thoughts and feelings do not be afraid to distance yourself. It's time for you to be selfish and love yourself enough to create nothing but happiness for yourself. If you hate your job - look for a new one. If you don't feel loved in your relationship - leave. You are not obliged to stay anywhere that drains your energy and please believe that you are good enough for something better.

      3. Smile

I've spent so much of my life looking down at the floor I can't even begin to tell you! Before the new year I promised myself that in 2018 I would make it my mission to look around me and smile at strangers more. It's been quite difficult as doing this makes me so anxious but once I done it I couldn't believe how it made me feel. It made me feel good knowing I was a reason that someone smiled today. You really don't know what other people are going through and something as little as a smile could really brighten someone's day! Not to mention you can't see all the beautiful nature that is around you if you're stuck staring at the floor! LOOK UP! :-)

I'm going to leave this there for now but there will definantly be another one of these in the future! I really hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope it inspired you in some way!

Have a beautiful day,

Katie Ellen. x

The Start Of A New Journey

First of all I would just like to say a huge happy new year; I'm wishing everyone happiness, peace, love and luck throughout 2018 - and on wards!

It's been a while since I last wrote a blog post so do excuse me while I shake the dust off!

I made a promise to myself that after taking a pretty big (and much needed) break from blogging I would start again in the new year feeling more focused and positive than ever and I definantly feel like i'm in that head space right now.

There's going to be some pretty big changes to my blog this year. Throughout 2017 I have been working so hard on myself and going through my spiritual journey. I've learnt so much about myself and I finally feel like i'm beginning a true awakening and I would really love to share this experience on my blog as well as sharing some tips I've learnt that could maybe help you too!

Of course I will still be mixing it up and there will still be all a variety of content coming to my blog. I will just be writing about whatever is inspiring me at the time! No limits!

I'm so excited to start a new journey with you and hopefully helping a lot of you along the way!

Hope you have a beautiful day,

Katie Ellen. x

Letting Go Of Control (Stop Overthinking)

Hello loves,

I was watching a video on YouTube from infinite waters (also known as Ralph Smart) the other day about over thinking and this video sparked so much inspiration in me. I feel like I could do a whole blog post on how much Ralph's channel has changed my life but I guess I'll save that for another day! If you would like to view his video please just click riiiiight here.

I'll be honest and say I am definantly guilty of being an extreme over thinker. I think that due to my anxiety I have a constant need to analyse every situation so that I can protect myself from all angles. 

During this video Ralph talked about how we over think because we feel like we can control everything but in reality we cannot control anything at all. This hit me super hard because I felt like it completely made sense to me. There have been so many times when my anxiety and over thinking have gone through the roof because I just didn't understand how I could control situations to stop bad things from happening to me when in reality I was just causing extra stress for myself. 

After watching this video I decided to try to take steps on letting go of that control. Realising that nothing and no one truly belongs to me and that over thinking will destroy my happiness which it already has done so many times. Don't get me wrong I am in no way close to saying I've stopped over thinking. I still struggle with it daily. However, I now have the motivation and inspiration to understand that I deserve to treat myself, my mind and the people around me better.

I hope that this blog post and Ralph's video can inspire you to take steps to a better life too.

Here's to a more peaceful life.

Thank you for reading,

Katie Ellen. xxx

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

My Valentines Story

Hello loves,

We all know valentines day is just a day away so what better way to celebrate than telling you the story of how me and my boyfriend Karl met. Some of you may already know him from my YouTube channel but for those of you who don't then I guess this is the best way to introduce him!

So, how did we meet?

We first became friends in high school in year 8 as we had a lot of mutual friends. We spoke often in school but had never talked properly outside of school until we ended up in some of the same classes together in year 9. We began getting the bus home from school together as we take the same bus and slowly became best friends over the years.

I remember him bribing me to walk the long way to the bus stop by saying he would buy me a cherry coke. "You where a cherry coke whore" says Karl - LOL. I was. Not even going to lie, I was obsessed with it.

Here's a little throw back picture of us on a day out to an arcade. I totes beat him on the motorbike games. (Not really.)

I'll be honest we where the type of friends that argued constantly. Mainly because his way of communicating with me was to annoy the living s*it out of me. I have always been a massive fan of music and back in the day 30 seconds to mars where my favourite band EVER. He used to always tell me that they where terrible to purposely wind me up. I got my own back though because a few years later he ended up liking them too!

So basically all the way through school we where best friends. I talked to him about anything and everything and could literally have the weirdest conversations and didn't feel like I was being judged. I always remember my best friend Katherine telling me he liked me but I never believed her, I was in a relationship at the time and sadly I just never saw us being more than friends. HOW WRONG I WAS, EH!?

So lets fast forward into college. We attended the same college and still talked pretty much everyday. However, I became a little bit of a party-holic through the first years and we slowly began to lose contact. Even though we barely spoke I knew he was someone I could turn to if I needed him and that was the type of bond that I could never let go of.

So, I began my third year of college and we began getting close again which sparked a lot of curiosity with our mutual friends. I remember sitting in the class next door to him and texting constantly and everyone giving me the 'why don't you just hurry up and get together' look. 

Most of the pressure came from our mutual friend Simon. He will be so happy he's finally getting some credit for this, haha! Me, Karl, Simon and another mutual friend always went to a pub after college for food and I remember us deciding to stay for a drink one day. I was a tad tipsy and Simon decided to bring up the fact that we clearly liked each other. AWKS.

That night we got home and started talking about what Simon had been saying earlier in the day and we decided it was about time we went on our first date. Although i'd known him for around 6 years at this point I was still super nervous. Here is a little snap from our first date.

Nothing calms the nerves like a glass of wine. AM I RIGHT LADIES!?

So the date was as planned - pub for 2 drinks and then the cinema. Instead we chatted so much we didn't end up going the cinema and just stayed in the pub chatting and I absoloutley loved it.

After spending a few hours talking we decided it was about time we went to get the bus home. 

On the way to the bus stop I realised that he seemed super nervous and quiet which I have NEVER seen Karl do before - especially around me. He slowly turned to me and said "Can I ask you something?" and at that point I knew exactly what was about to happen. Safe to say my heart almost fell through my arse. I was so nervous that we would lose what we had if we became more than friends. 

I laughed from nerves all the way to the bus stop and we sat down to wait for the bus. He sang and looked away from me awkwardly while I stared at him trying to figure out what to say and then we would laugh like school kids from the awkwardness of the whole situation. Eventually I asked if we could meet up again to talk about it. I look back at that now and I'm like Katie, you didn't even have anything to talk about, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY YES.

Anyway, that weekend he came over and we talked. I got the guts to say yes and we sat up till 8am watching the sunrise and I knew that it was the start of the best relationship I have ever had.

So, where are we now?

We have almost been together for 2 years and I have never been happier. Yes we are human and have our arguments - we aren't perfect but I like to think of us as a real life fairytale and I can't wait to live out the rest of our story together.

I was never someone who thought of the future before we became a couple. He makes me look forward to every tomorrow and that is something that hand on heart I have never done before.

I feel lucky to be spending this valentines day with him.

I hope that whether you are spending V-day with your friends or someone you love that you have the best day.

Thank you so much for reading,

Katie Ellen. xxx