Write Down & Always Keep Near You...

I came across this photo while I was scrolling through my tumblr dash and I really liked it. I'm all for doing things to help improve your day/life and things that make you feel more positive about yourself. Thought I would do this here, so lets give it a go!

3 Nice things people have said about you: 

(For this one I couldn't remember anything specific, so I decided to go ahead and ask some of my friends. They replied very generously so I'm gonna put just a bit more than 3)

1. I am very passionate about the things I love, specifically music.

2. I have a good sense of humour.

3. I'm not afraid to speak my mind.  

4. That I am selfless and care about the world a tremendous amount.

5. I'm a good friend. 

3 Nice things you've done for others:

1. Became vegetarian and working on being vegan. This is one of the nicest things I have done in my opinion because I am standing up for animals who don't have a voice and am trying my best not to contribute the downfall of our ecosystem and the slaughter of innocent beings.

2. My grandma has Alzheimer's and when she was still somewhat there, I would go visit her once a week. I stopped going so much because it got to the point where she wouldn't even speak to me or acknowledge me; I still went from time to time when I was in Canada.

3. If a friend needs me for something/really upset, most likely I will drop everything to try to help them. Now I can't always just drop everything but I definitely try my best to make my friend feel better, whether that be sending them silly photos or attempting to give good advice.

3 Good Memories:

1. Concerts. Hands down any concert I've been to I've been the happiest. The ones that stand out are the 1975 (Toronto & NYC show), Kodaline, Andrew McMahon (and Jack's Mannequin & Something Corporate), the Maine. 

2. Being at the Cliffs of Moher in Galway, Ireland. I have never felt more at peace and more at home than when I was there. It had always been a dream of mine to go to Europe and that moment when I was standing on the cliffs looking out to the ocean, it just felt so right. 

3. A snow day in grade 7 or 8. My two friends and I decided to have our own snow day and that day we decided to make a horror film. This wasn't unusual for us and I was the scary character that day... I was called "the Smudge". 

Body Positivity

For some reason, a lot of people think how we look is the most important thing in our lives. I personally think the media has a lot to do with this but also people around us. It's the first thing you notice about someone, how they look. But soon after meeting someone, you notice more things about a person.. the things that matter; like their personality and their favourite songs and their views on life. I think those things are way more important than someones appearance. Both men and women have body issues and it is a huge thing in our culture. People get shammed for being too thin but oh, you can't be too big..also you need muscle but not too much muscle. People have unrealistic expectations for themselves and sometimes for other people, which is totally unacceptable in my eyes.

I saw somewhere how it seems like bigger girls can't post a photo without a caption along the lines of "proud of who I am" or some justification for posting the photo. How ridiculous is that?! That they feel like they have to justify that they are proud of their body whenever they post a photo of themselves just because they are bigger? I know this goes both ways (I am speaking mainly about women here) how some people insult others for being too thin. We just can't get it right, can we? We need to create a world where everyone has their own, different body and are happy with themselves. No one needs to bring down girls with a slimmer frame by saying "real girls have curves" and no one needs to call someone "fat and lazy" just because they are bigger. There are plenty of bigger girls out there who are perfectly healthy.

I myself, struggle with body issues. I used to workout like crazy and count every calorie but I enjoyed the way I looked. I wasn't too skinny and could do almost every workout. People told me I was starting to get crazy, so I toned it down.. just a bit too much. I started to not care about it and not exercise and eat like crap. So now I'm a lot heavier and probably really unhealthy. Im not happy with myself and I'm not happy with the way I look. But I know I should be focused on my health and not the way I look; my health should be the only thing that matters. I'm starting to be more body positive about myself and I am learning to accept myself. Yes I want to lose some pounds so I can fit into my clothes better and feel more confident, but I can't stop living life just because I don't like the way my body looks.

I wish everyone would just accept themselves and love themselves for who they are, regardless of how they look; along with myself.

Gratitude

One of my favourite YouTubers, Louise recently did a blog post about gratitude which you can find here. She mentioned how having gratitude for things in your life can hugely affect your mood and make you realize the stuff you are worrying about can be silly sometimes. Now that doesn't mean that your worries aren't insignificant but I must admit, sometimes I do worry about things I really shouldn't be worrying about and forget how great my life really is. I know I can't control the way I think and how I worry about some things and get quite anxious but I am going to listen to Louise and list of a few things I am grateful for in my life.

1. My family. While being away from my family and meeting many new people, I have realize that not everyone is super close with their family and have good relationships with their parents and siblings. I am very lucky that my family are like my best friends. I am so comfortable with my parents and my sisters and will talk to them everyday, whenever I don't talk to them, I miss them so much. They are always there for me and understanding for the most part. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family. 

2. My friends. I don't have a whole ton of friends but that is my choice; I like to think of it has quality over quantity. The friends I do have mean the world to me and are amazing friends. They will listen to me rant and rant for hours about anything. They're so caring and remind me to be confident and always look on the bright side of things. 

3. One Tree Hill. One Tree Hill may be just another teen drama to you but for me, that show has taught me so much. Whenever I am upset or stressed out about life and have time I will always slide a One Tree Hill dvd into my laptop and watch a few episodes. The writer always seems to have a way with words and that show just makes me happy and makes me think about life, in a good way. It's also a bonus that the music on that show is incredible. 

As Louise said, those are some big things.. I do have other small things I am grateful for, such as: candles, books, music, tumblr.. tumblr always makes me feel a little less alone, being able to workout, and coffee. 

I think it's good to write a list every now and then of things you are grateful for. People often forget how good life really is and all the amazing things that they have but take for granted. 

A new start....

About six months ago I made a huge decision, in a very short time. I got offered a job in New Zealand, that's right, New freakin' Zealand! I only had about one or two days to make up my mind if I wanted to take that leap of faith and accept the job. Me, being extremely impulsive, decided in one day and accepted that job.

Fast forwards four months later and I was at the airport saying goodbye to my family and one of my closest friends. I didn't realize how hard it would be to say goodbye to them and unfortunately I couldn't stop the tears from coming. All I kept on thinking was "I cannot believe I am actually doing this. Me. Lyndsay. A person who has never been away from home for more than two weeks, is moving across the world for at least 6 months!" It was just insane. After the first flight to Vancouver, I was no longer upset, I was excited for the new adventure ahead of me.

Now it has been two months since I have been here. Two months may not seem like a long time, though it feels like I have been here for ages! Sadly, the job is not what I had expected. It has been extremely difficult trying to cope with everything and being completely isolated with no one I know around! I have had my days where I feel like I am going crazy, where I cry myself to sleep, where all I wanna do is go to the airport and hop on the first flight back to Canada but I've learned something. In life we all make decisions and even though sometimes we don't like those decisions, we owe it to ourselves to stick it out, whatever situation you may be in, for at least a little bit, to give ourself some time to experience and learn new things.

Last year, I got a tattoo on my arm that says "be positive". I got it to remind myself to try to be positive in all situations, life isn't fair and bad stuff will happen but if I just stay positive, everything will be okay. I will admit that I was not always so positive and I did go through some hard times in my life but don't we all? Well, this journey of mine I have really stuck with that whole "be positive" mind set. It can COMPLETELY change any situation you are in. Although the situation I am in sucks, I am choosing to see the goods things I am gaining from it. For example...I am focusing on myself a whole lot since I've been here, I make sure I wash my face everyday (which I used to be terrible at) I floss! I have also joined a gym, so I can be fit and healthy. I have decided to focus on myself for the next four months I am here. I did not come all the way to New Zealand for a completely shitty experience. I am going to choose the positive route and make the best out of it.

The way we think really does affect us. If we don't think that we are going to achieve something, most likely we won't achieve that thing. Life is all about experiences, good ones AND bad ones. My advice is to just live each day in the present, don't worry about anything else. Focus on making yourself better. If you are in a bad situation, focus on how you can make it better; find a silver-lining! I know, trust me, I know, that sometimes it seems like all there is in your mind is negative thoughts, but if you try really hard, you never know what will come of it. The worlds gives back what you give to the world.

Hope you have a lovely day and enjoy my first blog post about my adventures here in New Zealand.

Lots of love,

Lyndsay xx