happiness

4 Ways To Live A Happy and Healthy Life

July 23, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 3 Comments

We all know that following a healthy diet and getting enough exercise and physical activity is beneficial to your overall health, but they are far from the only things you can do to stay healthy. There are plenty of things that you can do to improve your physical health and your mental health, too, and stop you from turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Image credit: Pixabay CC0 License

Get a good night’s rest

Sleep is essential for maintaining both physical and emotional wellbeing. However, these days, it is not given the priority that it deserves. We are so busy working and caring for others and doing everything else that our active lifestyles demand that we tend to fall into bed exhausted and wake up feeling pretty tired still.

Try putting your sleep first for a while and see how much happier and healthier you feel. It is recommended that you get seven or eight hours of sleep a night, but of course, some people need more, some people need less. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning to get your body into a routine. Cut out or reduce caffeine in the run-up to bedtime, drink plenty of water, and put down your cell phone and other technology devices for at least an hour before bed. Spend this period doing something relaxing and let your body and mind rewind. Some people find warm, milky drinks, or a hot bath can help them.

If you still wake up feeling tired after all of this, take a trip to your doctors. It may be that there is something that is disrupting your sleep cycles. The good news is that there is sleep apnea treatment available and other sleep disorders.

Start saying no

There are only so many things that one person can do. Not only is there only a certain amount of time in a day to do things, but everyone has a mental and physical capacity, and when that is full, anything else can lead to exhaustion and mental health stresses. The best way of dealing with this is knowing when to say “no”. Whether it is turning down an extra hour or two of overtime at work or declining a social invitation so that you can get a good night’s sleep, learn to say no to things that will take you over your mental and physical capacity.

Reach out to others

Loneliness and feeling isolated are two of the biggest causes of depression and other mental health issues, so if you do feel like you are struggling, reach out. In an age where we are surrounded by technology, it has never been easier to communicate with other people, whether that is face to face, via video call, social media, or email. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a friend or family member. There are support groups available for almost everything and online groups and forums where you can chat and make friends if doing it in person is a challenge.

Seriously Consider Professional Help

We mentioned that you should reach out to someone that cares about you, but it’s also wise to consider further action if you feel as though those close to you cannot be enough. A one-on-one meeting with a psychiatrist might help to save your mental stability if ever you look to be falling a little. Even something as significant as a NAD Treatment Center could come into your thinking if you feel as though your own self-improvement might not be enough. You need to do what you can to improve your life, and there’s no shame in admitting you need assistance.

•What are your tips for living a healthy and happy life?

Thank you for reading!

Lifestyle

A Guide To Making Every Day of Your Life As Special As Possible

May 29, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Many people hate the idea of routine and the mundane and want to bring as much magic as possible to their everyday lives. However, if you can’t find the magic inside of routine and the mundane, you’ll never find it elsewhere! In this guide, you’ll see how you can make every day of your life as special as possible. Take a look:

Take Time For Authentic Connection With At Least One Person

Speaking to people isn’t the same as making an authentic connection. This could be with somebody you know, or somebody you don’t. Make an effort to speak to people, listen to them, and don’t just wait for your turn to speak. Ask them questions and show a genuine interest in them. Don’t look at your phone while you’re with another person, as it sends a message that you’d rather be elsewhere.

You’ll feel so much better when you’re authentically connecting with people, and it could have a big impact on them, too.

Watch Your Wording

When speaking to other people or checking in on a loved one, watch your wording. Don’t just ask “how are you” for example. The only acceptable answer to that is ‘fine’ or an uncomfortable conversation if they absolutely have to tell you that they are not fine. Instead, ask them something specific, like how work is going. You could also say, “I’ve been feeling like this lately, how have you been feeling?” Sharing how you are feeling first is a much nicer way to open up conversation!

Get Dressed Up

You don’t need a reason to get dressed up. Saving clothes for a special occasion might make sense if you don’t want to do your food shopping in a sequined, luxury dress, but if you do then do it! Wear the clothes that make you happy and don’t be afraid to dress up. Wear your best clothes for no reason!

Develop A Routine Baggy Enough To Live In

Routine might seem boring, but it can be a great way to build healthy habits. If you build a routine that you’re happy with, you’ll actually want to do it every day. Not only that, you should make it ‘baggy enough to live in’ – a quote from author Matt Haig. Give yourself time to do the things you enjoy, and make sure you have down time. You don’t want to rush from pillar to post every day getting things done.

Being productive can feel good, but filling your day with tedious tasks just so you don’t have to sit with yourself or think about the fact you don’t have any hobbies you enjoy isn’t great! If you feel like you always have to be ‘busy’ try to turn yourself inside out and ask yourself why.

Appreciate The Little Things

Huge, magical things don’t have to happen for life to be special. Learn how to appreciate the little things. Notice things that would pass you by in everyday life. Pay attention to the sounds, smells, and sights that you probably ignore every day. If you don’t look for magic in the ordinary, you won’t find it. Believe it’s there, believe you will find it, and you will.

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Make Gratitude Lists

Making gratitude lists can help you to start and finish the day off right. If you’re just getting started, try writing one out before bed. When you feel ready, you can start doing it in the morning to start your day off right, too. You can include anything and everything. It may be hard at first, but you can find plenty to be grateful for when you look.

The more grateful you are for what you have, the more you’ll have to be grateful for. Try to think of 5 unique things every day. List three great things that happened to you that day, too. Again, you may need to think hard about this, especially if you’ve had a ‘bad’ day, but you will be able to find it if you think about it. You’ll eventually retrain your brain to find the positives in every day without having to think too hard.

Create A Vision Board

A vision board can help you to think more about what you really want out of life. You can make one board for your whole life, or multiple boards for different areas of your life – whatever suits you. When you fill the board with things that genuinely inspire and resonate with you and look at it every day, you’ll likely come into contact with these things a lot more. What you focus on, you attract. Make sure you’re focusing on what you want, not what you don’t want.

Pay Attention To How You Treat Your Body

If you treat your body right, it’ll reward you by keeping you healthy both physically and mentally. Fill your diet with vegetables and other whole foods, but don’t deny it chocolate or cake! Drink plenty of water. Have whatever else you like in moderation. You’ll feel much better when you eat filling, balanced meals rather than junk.

For the day to be as special as possible, you may also decide to boost your energy early on. You can do this with exercise, coffee, yerba mate, or you could buy kratom. It all depends on what you have planned, but a little energy boost will always do you good if you’re planning a busy day.

Take Time To Do Nothing

Doing nothing doesn’t have to mean being bored or unproductive. Many people find that they get their best ideas and solutions to problems when they take the time to do nothing. Actively planning to do nothing could leave you with a new creation or idea. It could mean reading that book you’ve been meaning to read, getting into that mediation habit, or doing whatever else you fancy. Try it and see what comes to you.

Get To Know Yourself

Spending time alone is healthy, but for many it can be uncomfortable. This is usually because people don’t ‘know’ themselves very well. Learning to become your own best friend and understand yourself and what you like/don’t like will work wonders for this. You’ll realize your worth and how valuable you are. You won’t waste time with people just because you’re afraid of being alone, and you won’t try to fill that empty space inside you with alcohol or another distraction.

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Try New Things

Get out of that comfort zone and try new things as often as you can. Being comfortable is nice, but nobody ever grows when they are comfortable. Getting out of your comfort zone is so important. Smile at a stranger, strike up a conversation, go to a workshop or class. Do something – anything! Aim to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself as often as possible. You’ll soon realize you’re more capable than you thought!

Reframe Your Thinking

It can be difficult to reframe your thinking when you’ve been thinking a certain way for so long. However, when you do the work to reframe your thinking, you can quickly realize how you were holding yourself back before. Turn yourself inside out and question your beliefs. Ask yourself why certain things trigger you and make you angry. Where did your beliefs come from? Are they yours, your parents, societies? Reframing your thinking will help you to look at things in a brand new way. Don’t get stuck in your ways.

Practice Random Acts Of Kindness

Random acts of kindness feel great, and they can be a lot of fun. You could give money to charity, leave inspiring quotes dotted around town, and pay it forward in your local coffee shop. It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture or anything expensive – just do something kind for somebody else.

Buy Yourself A Gift

You shouldn’t need an excuse to buy yourself a gift. Do it because you love yourself! Buy yourself some beautiful flowers, write out a note, and admire them every day. You could even buy yourself a balloon if flowers aren’t your thing. If you have a bigger budget, go for a new outfit, or a luxury hair product. Give yourself some of the love and attention you give to others. Don’t feel guilty, as long as you can afford it!

Meditate

Meditation encourages those with a regular practice to pay attention and focus. You pay attention to your thoughts while letting them pass by without attaching to them. You focus on your breathing. You pay attention to how your body feels. You pay attention to what comes up. Meditation often helps people to feel less stressed and more creative. It helps them to sleep better. One thing is for sure: if you start meditating regularly, you’ll no doubt begin to notice the special things in each and every day.

Making every day of your life special doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. You don’t even need to have anybody else there with you. Remember, always do what makes you happy!

Thank you for reading!

Health

What Do You Need To Live Your Best Life?

January 9, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

There are times when we wake up, and everything just seems to be going our way; we look and feel great, we’re in a good mood, and the world seems to be smiling with us. And then there are those days when the opposite is true: we just lack that spring in our step. And sometimes that’s just the way that it goes. However, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to leave your life up to chance. It’s possible to influence the quality of your existence, and what’s more — it’s not even that difficult. Below, we’re going to take a look at a few tried and tested tips that’ll lead to you living your best life.

Pexels – CC0 Licence

A Positive Outlook

Life is half of what happens to us, half how we respond to those events. And really, you could probably take this a little bit further: attitude might just turn out to be the biggest player when it comes to our lives. It’s a bit of a cliche to extol the virtues of positive thinking, but it does work. Every morning, you have the choice to adopt a negative state of mind, or a positive state of mind. Choosing the latter will help you to face the day with gusto, and who knows what positive ripples might just follow your optimistic outlook?

Knowing Yourself

It’ll be difficult to live your best life if you’re forever trying to contort yourself into unnatural situations, ones that go against who you are. Of all the journeys that you’ll take in life, perhaps the most important is one of self-discovery. There’s a lot of value in trying new things and engaging in some introspection every now and again. Over time, you’ll come to learn who you really are, what you stand for, and what you want to do with your life. Once you’ve figured that out, you’ll be able to create a life in your image — and what could be better than that?

Plenty of Exercise

If you want to live your best life, then a good starting point is looking at the things that all humans need in order to feel thrived. Exercise, for example, is one such thing. We’re all so used to driving to work, sitting at a desk, and then watching television at night, and it’s easy to forget that this way of life would seem highly unusual to our ancestors. They moved a lot more than we do. Working up a sweat won’t just keep you fit and healthy, it’ll also give you more energy, and improve your mood — when we’re working out, mood-boosting chemicals are produced in the brain. So be sure to build exercise into your busy schedule.

Vitamins

There are many studies that show lots of us are lacking in vitamins and making sure that we keep a close eye on this is a great way to stay healthy. We don’t always eat as well as we should, and we know there are things that are lacking in our daily diets, but when looking at vitamins and supplements there are a few things to remember. Checking that your high CBD content oils are the right ones for you, ensuring that the vitamins you are taking are going to cover the deficiency or areas you are lacking, and also making sure that you are taking high-quality supplements is the best way to start. A lot of people use CBD products like the best CBD gummies in order to relax and stay healthyNot only this but getting enough sunlight safely, can keep your vitamin D levels high and help you avoid SAD.

Self-Confidence

Everyone has hopes and dreams, yet not everyone goes on to achieve them. While there can be some external circumstances that make it more difficult, usually the biggest factor in determining success or failure is self-confidence. Confidence plays an incredibly important role in how a person feels and what they’re capable of, yet it’s also hard to define and pin down. You know it when you have it, though. If this is one area where you struggle, then look at making a few changes. There are plenty of things you can do that can push your confidence levels in the right direction.

Handling Issues

Your health and fitness are vitally important to anyone trying to live their best life. While you can exercise and limit the amount of junk food that you eat, it’s also important that you’re handling any issues that have the potential to derail the quality of your life. This might involve learning how to manage a genetic condition that you suffer from. It could be learning exercises for back pain, or stocking up on hearing aid batteries if you require a device to help you hear. No matter what your issue is, there will likely be something you can do to make it more manageable.

A Broader Perspective

One of the reasons why so many people fail to live their best life is that they don’t realize how good they’ve got it. You may also be living an extraordinary existence, but if you don’t have the perspective to see it as such, then you’ll always be unfulfilled. Moving forward, look at broadening your perspective and practicing gratitude for all that you have. By looking at your life, you might just find that you’ve got everything you need right in front of you already.

This post was a collaboration.

Health Lifestyle

7 Things You Can Do Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For

August 21, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

As you get older and understand more about life, learn about yourself, and plan for the future, you hopefully won’t have any regrets. However, the more you learn and grow, the more you realize what you could have done differently and what you might do differently in the future. There are a few things you can do today that your future self will thank you for!

Be Proactive

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” and he was absolutely right. If there’s something you want to achieve, the first step is to start. Don’t wait until next month to start your own business, start an exercise regimen, eat healthier, or start meditating. Don’t wait to go to the doctor. If there’s a health issue bothering you, get it checked out now. Eye tests, trips to the dentist, and hearing tests (which you can learn more about here), should not be put off. The time you’re waiting for is now, so take advantage of it!

Invest In Yourself

The best thing you can invest in is yourself, and whether it’s time or money you invest, investing in yourself will give you the greatest rewards in your life. Prioritize yourself, it’s important.

Be Yourself

Don’t allow yourself to be defined by others or your career. While it takes a lot of insight and courage to be your authentic self, it is the best thing you can be, and if people don’t like you for who you are, it doesn’t matter. Move on and find the people who do. Your life will be much richer for it.

Create Healthy Boundaries

Whether it’s for exercise, dietary choices, relationships, your job, or spending habits, setting some limits for yourself will pay off in the long run. It might be that you choose to save money each month so you can take a long-overdue vacation, or adopt a healthier diet comprising of whole foods so you can finally run a marathon. Boundaries mean that you have the courage to say “no” to what doesn’t work for you, and say “yes” to things that will serve your best interest in the long term.

Never Stop Learning

You can never know everything, and there are always things to learn. You might need to learn how to learn for this to make any difference, because it’s not just about retaining the information; it’s about what you do with that information.

Be Flexible

In life, there are always going to be things that happen that you don’t expect, and that is the joy of life. You never know what’s around the corner, so going with the flow is the key to getting where you want to be. You will rarely achieve things the way you thought they would occur, so don’t try and control everything. Let it be. 🙂

Live a Life of Gratitude

Look around at what you have and be grateful for it. A positive attitude in life does wonders for you and will do so for your future!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Personal

I’m Choosing To Live In The Moment; Who’s With Me?

September 1, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 9 Comments

Something that’s been on my mind a lot lately is living in the present moment. With all my thoughts about whether to move back to Ohio or to stay in Southern California, I’ve found myself constantly thinking about what’s going to make me happy.

But then I realize I am so consumed by the thoughts of my future self/happiness, that I completely neglect my present self/happiness.

The only thing we truly have is this moment. The past is but a memory. The future will never truly be here. We only have right now.

It’s important to remember that every action has a consequence/reaction. It’s not wise (in my opinion) to go throughout your life without a care of how your actions will affect others. That’s selfish. However, it’s also important to remember that we don’t need to think about every little detail and plan out every little thing that will happen next. Because truthfully, nothing ever goes as planned.

Image Source: notsalmon.com (I LOVE her Insta)

Before bed every night, I find myself going over and over the stresses of my life in my head. I never come to a conclusion (because truly, how will that happen while laying in my bed at 1 o’clock in the morning?). I only end up with more stress. So I started actively thinking about things that were more calming, like my breaths as I try to fall asleep. Nothing too serious, just simple breathing patterns. I found that I was able to fall asleep much easier and faster, and I was having fewer nightmares. I truly lived in the present moment, and I felt peace. So now I do this every night, and I love it!

I don’t want to waste away my days focusing on petty things. I don’t want to waste my days sitting in my apartment and waiting for the next great thing to happen. My life is happening right now, and it’s up to me to make it what I want.

And it all starts with living in the now.

Who’s with me?

XO, Lyndsay

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Ambassador Personal Reviews

Looking For Happiness In Your Life?

June 26, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 6 Comments

No matter our situation, we can always use a bit more happiness in our lives. There’s always room to be happier! But how, you ask.

Happify.

Happify is a website and app (iPhone only) that uses recent scientific breakthroughs to develop tracks/activities to help improve your happiness. For physical fitness, we do activities (workouts for the body) to become stronger. It’s the same idea, except for mental fitness. Happify provides workouts for the mind to become stronger and happier! Scientists and game designers created the S.T.A.G.E. framework, which helps you to master the five essential skills of happiness: savor, thank, aspire, give, empathize. I’ve gotta say, it is a pretty awesome website!

It’s really simple to use. Go to www.happify.com and create a profile (this is FREE, by the way)! Then you take a quick questionnaire to determine your “happiness score.” The first time I took it, my score was in the low 30s (aka not happy). I took it again recently though, and it raised to a 59! Yay! After you take the quick questionnaire, you are then able to click on activities recommended to you (or you can explore tracks). These activities/tracks are quick and each have an explanation of why it works. They range from things like cope better with stress, to get motivated to get fit, to maximizing your money and happiness!

My first activity was a short, three round game where there were hot air balloons with positive and negative words. I was to click on the balloons with positive words, and it gave me points. I was actually smiling a lot by the time I was done; it was so fun! After that, I did a two minute meditation session where I was able to pick the mood and moving picture/video (I picked a sunset over the ocean) with background music. It helped me to feel calm and relaxed.

Here are some screen shots from the hot air balloon activity on my iPhone:

I had the amazing opportunity of teaming up with Happify as an I’m Fit Possible ambassador for a Happify Campaign!

Click my link-> Happify -> Sign up, complete one track; if you like it, keep going! If not, no problem. But don’t forget, there’s scientific evidence behind all the Happify tracks. Plus, it’s pretty fun. 😉 Let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

To a happier life,

Lyndsay

Ambassador Fitness Nutrition

New Delta Labs Ambassador & A GIVEAWAY!!

April 21, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 7 Comments

I’ve got nothing but love for the company Delta Labs and their supplements!! I found Delta Labs through a fellow fit friend, and figured I would try it out. They currently have 8 different supplements- all for women, and all gluten-free! Some of them are vegan-friendly, as well!

I have every single supplement except the prenatal and postnatal! Love love love them all! I was so excited about the company and the products, that I became an ambassador for Delta Labs! It’s an amazing community dedicated to women’s health, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. As a welcome, Delta Labs sent me this amazing package of gifts:

I feel so incredibly special!! I get to represent this amazing brand with a backpack, a couple super cute tee shirts, etc! What’s even more awesome about this is that I have samples of the green tea+ that I get to GIVEAWAY to 5 people!!!!! This is my very first giveaway and I am so incredibly excited about it! The green tea+ is probably my favorite product of them all. It helps with weight loss, more energy, more control over emotional eating, and food cravings! It might sound too good to be true, but it has helped me SO much already! If you read my post from last Monday, you’ll know I have a sugar addiction that I am working to get over. The green tea+ definitely helps!!

Okay, so this giveaway is going to be pretty simple! There are 3 things you are required to do to be eligible to win 1 of the 5 sample packs:

Comment on this post about why you want to try the green tea+
Follow me on Instagram
Like my Facebook page

This is what you will win:

Let the games begin!! The giveaway ends on Monday, April 28, 2014!!

Good luck! 🙂

OH, and one more thing: if you’re excited to order any supplements now, go to deltalabsusa.com, and at checkout, enter code GETFITWITHLYNDS for $5 off your order!! They will also send you a prepaid label so you can send back your empty bottle for another $5 off your next order! I love that this company is all about decreasing our carbon footprint! 🙂

Bipolar Disorder Fitness Nutrition Personal

Health Coaches Need Coaching, Too; My Struggle With Sugar Addiction

April 14, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 28 Comments

As most of you are already aware, I am a health & fitness coach, and I also live with bipolar disorder. A couple weeks ago, I was talking with my psychiatrist, and he said to me,

“Lyndsay, you are always taking care of your clients and inspiring them. You’re taking care of the kids you babysit and the dogs you care for. It’s great, but let me ask you, who inspires you?“

A simple question, but it hit me hard. In that moment, I wanted to break down and cry. I absolutely LOVE what I do as a coach. The progress my clients make, the breakthroughs, helping others to live longer.. it’s absolutely amazing! I am in awe every day of how wonderful my clients and friends are. I love the feeling of being needed. I’m sure there is a specific reason behind that, but like Miss Maudie said in To Kill A Mockingbird, “All anyone wants is to feel needed.” My career brings me satisfaction, happiness, and hope.

But at the same time, I am giving all my energy to my clients, and completely neglecting myself. How can I be a good coach/mentor if I am not taking care of my mind and body? Who can I go to when I am not feeling strong? When I need inspiration, motivation, and help with my nutrition? Yes, I know a good amount about health, nutrition, and fitness, but I don’t know it all.

As much as I don’t want to admit this, I am going to, because honesty is incredibly important. Not only for the people you’re talking to, but also for yourself. I have a sugar addiction. Like a hardcore, legit, anxiety-fueled addiction to sugar. I have dealt with this on and off throughout most of my life, but when I get incredibly stressed, I lose control completely.

I have felt myself slowly spiraling out of control over the past two months. Poor nutrition, poor fitness, poor mental health. It is a vicious cycle. I feel sad/stressed, so I want to eat something that will release dopamine and endorphins, so I eat sugar (it’s comforting). But the comedown from that sugar causes me to feel depressed/anxious/stressed… and the cycle continues.

This photo represents the cycle of addiction. Any addiction. Did you know sugar addiction is similar to heroin addiction? It is very, very real.

This is specifically what happens in your body when you consume sugar. Endless, awful cycle.

You know how they say that people come into your life for a reason, and at the perfect time? It’s amazing! I was searching through blogs and stumbled upon Lifelong Wellness Coaching with Nellie Russell. I originally found her through her blog, Bipolar Out Loud, and saw that she offers mental health coaching. It’s something I’ve never considered, but something I definitely wanted to try. It’s similar to therapy, but I also get a meal plan catered to me and my physical/mental health issues.. plus Nellie has bipolar disorder as well, so she totally gets me. It’s a little different getting life coaching from someone who lives with what you live with, as opposed to someone who only studied it. Totally not discounting what therapists do, but it’s just a different experience.

My first session was tonight, and oh my gosh, I already feel like a new person. I have hope again. I don’t feel stressed (and I’ve been stressed ALL day.. hellooo taxes). It feels so good to allow myself to be the client, and to go into a coaching program with an open mind. I get so caught up in helping other people transform their lives (which again, I LOVE), that I forget to transform my own life. I am excited for what these sessions bring, and I am excited to improve my life. Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand, and it is time for me take full control of them both!

Have you ever dealt with any type of food addiction? If so, how did you get through it?
If you are a coach (or in any profession like it), how do you stay inspired? Who helps you?

Fitness SoCal

Eternal Happiness

April 12, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 8 Comments

Being active and carefree makes me so happy! I love hiking with my boyfriend Tim (see picture below) because we have such a child-like excitement about life and each other! We have fun with everything we do. This moment was actually us falling in love. So amazing having that in a photo.

Quick back story about my relationship with Tim. My best girlfriend growing up, Amanda, is cousins with Tim. So I have known Tim since I was 6 years old! I am now 26. So yep, 20 years! We were best friends growing up, but only that. He went on to the navy after high school, and settled in California. I was visiting him for a week in November 2012 (just as friends), and we fell in love! It was totally unexpected, and totally magical. My love for Tim changed my life forever! I moved to California to be with him three months later. <3

This is us hiking through Eaton Canyon on the same day the above picture was taken. We didn’t realize we loved each other, but it was clear that something was happening! Things were starting to change, and these pictures are amazing because we were falling in love in them. Love captured on camera.

I love the picture of me so much because pure happiness was captured, in that exact moment. And it makes me so happy to see it! Some cultures used to believe that taking pictures stole your soul. This is the complete opposite. This picture has immortalized my soul and happiness.

Do you have moments of pure happiness caught on camera??

Hop on over to my Facebook page and share YOUR moments of happiness captured on camera!! 😀

Bipolar Disorder Personal

Trying to Improve Myself While Still Accepting Who I Am

March 17, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

Photo Credit: tinybuddha.com

I’m not sure if the title makes sense, because in my head, this topic is still fuzzy. My intention is that by writing it out, it will help me to sort it out.

I’m trying to find a happy balance. Between improving myself as a person, and accepting who I currently am. I love Eric Thomas’ quote, “Be obsessed with improvement.” It’s simple and straightforward. I feel like every day, we should get better in some aspect. Whether it’s not eating a cheeseburger, or trying a new workout, or not lashing out when you’re mad, whatever. It’s important to get a little bit better each day.

But at the same time, it’s so important that we accept ourselves for who we are now. This is where I falter. Part of me feels that if I accept who/what I am, then I won’t want to improve. I will be complacent. I don’t want complacency, I want self-acceptance. I feel that only by loving and accepting myself, I will be able to improve as a person. Does that make sense?

I have accepted that I have a mental health condition and I have triggers I need to avoid. I have accepted that I have to work a lot to support my family right now. I have accepted that I have a sudden love for chocolate (seriously though, I used to hate it!). So how do I make daily progress without putting myself down, whether it’s intentional or unintentional?

I have yet to find this balance, but I think I’m getting closer. How do you find balance?