Tips to make everyday AWESOME

With my 26th birthday fast approaching, I occasionally find myself feeling a little down about growing up due to all the stress and responsibility that go along with becoming a "adult" (I do not feel like one). 
So today I thought I would jot down some tips everyone should use to feel special when it feels like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.

1.) Put on red lipstick  Wear your favourite lipstick any colour you feel (keep in mind red is a power colour) and walk out the house with your head held high. That little bit of lipstick can completely overhaul how self confidant you feel for the day and all it takes is a few seconds.
2.) Make breakfast something special Breakfast is the most important meal of the day we all know that but it can also set our mood and intentions for the day, when you need a morning pick me up stop everything run down to the shops grab a great cup of coffee, some fresh fruit, flowers and croissants then head home, set the table and enjoy your morning moments.

3.) Put on your dancing shoes Sometimes a little dance is all we need, you should easily be able to find a few minutes every day to put on your favourite song and dance like no one is watching, there is something very comforting when your arms are swaying every which way to a song.
4.) Take a hike Literally! Sometimes you just need some time and space to breath, heading out for a walk or hike somewhere beautiful that takes your breath away can also help take any unnecessary thoughts away with it.

5.) Wash your hair Sometime you can feel heavy and weighed down because your hair is just plain dirty and is literally weighing you down. Jump into the shower and wash that bad hair day away, use your special shampoo that you use on special occasions because its expensive, spend time cleaning your body and shaving your legs. Enjoy your shower and you will be surprised how you feel after!
6.) Go on a mini adventure Feeling bored and miserable about deciding what to cook for dinner, jump in the car and use this as a excuse to go on a mini adventure. Find a tiny but delicious smelling Mexican restaurant to eat at, head down to the vegan place at the beach, drive to the other side of the city because you have heard about the amazing dumplings. Create a memory that you can look back on and smile.

7.) Call a loved one Sometimes we all need to hear a special voice, family and friends should help make your day feel wonderful just by chatting about regular day to day things. Call someone you haven't spoken to in a while and organize a catch up, that can completely change your mood.
8.) Put on your best shoes Let's face it sometimes all you need to face the world is a good pair of shoes, they can be new boots, platform stilettos or even your favorite colour crocs (I don't judge) put on whatever makes you feel like a boss and head on out the door one foot in front of the other.

Well those are my tips to make any day awesome, sometimes you just need to take a few seconds out of your day and do something special to make you feel like you.
What did you think of my list? What do you do when you are having a bad day?

Reclaiming myself

Coming off Valentine's day you can still feel the love in the air for most couples, everyone is still enjoying that special feeling that only Valentine's day can bring. Well not me! I am home alone this whole week. 
My sneaky husband and his best friend got me pretty liquored up a few weekends ago before asking if Dylan could take the spare plane ticket his friend had and head over to Surfers Paradise for the week, of course in my wonderfully intoxicated state I agreed but as I later started to sober up I began to develop a bit of separation anxiety.
My husband and I have been together for around 5 years, lived together for around 4 years and been married for 3 years this November. In these past 5 years we have gone through quite a journey together with all my health issues and I have started to become heavily reliant on Dylan for any decision big or small in my life. The longest time we have spent apart since he moved in is only 2 nights and I have almost developed a phobia of being with out him.
This is all coming from a woman who before she met her husband was fiercely independent, was working full time 7 days a week, had bought her own house and was living alone, dealing with all her medical issues and certainly didn't need any man to fly in and "save her". Somewhere along the way I lost sight of who I was and became someone that I don't really want to be.

This week alone is all about reclaiming that woman I used to be and allowing myself to feel safe and secure in my own decisions and thoughts. I am currently reading Wild for the February Book Club and this book is the perfect book to read at this time because I can relate so well to the struggles that Cheryl undergoes.
I have been thinking long and hard about where I lost my kicking arse and taking names attitude and I think it was after my kidney transplant. I felt so fragile, so exhausted from fighting so hard that I just gave up and allowed Dylan to scoop in and fight my battles for me. However once he had started making all the decisions for me I somehow started to lose sight of my self worth and suddenly I wasn't a full person without him there.
That certainly was a slippery slope and once I started doubting myself I quickly lost all self identity and have been so comfortable with being cared for that I completely lost sight of the woman I was and the woman I had hoped to be one day.
During this week alone I am going to really work on self discovery and gaining back my self worth which I know will be a struggle and I am going to create daily affirmations, nightly meditation routines and diarise all my personal feelings.
Of course there are a few silly things that I am also looking forward to completing whilst Dylan is away, they include:

• I am going to stack the dishwasher the way I want, I'm going to put plates and bowls where ever I want. Who cares about maximum dishwasher layouts I am just going to throw them in.

•  I am going to sleep right in the middle of the bed and snuggle in with as many pillows as I can find.

• I will put the air conditioner on so I get cold and then use extra blankets to keep me both warm and cold at the same time.

• I will explore my surroundings, I may just head down to the Saturday Markets all by myself and buy a big piece of lemon pound cake that tastes just like my wedding cake did.

•  I am going to sit in the shower for as long as I want!

•  I will order a horrible movie on foxtel and watch the whole thing.

• I will cook what I want when I want, hot chocolate and 3 spoonfuls of peanut butter for dinner at 10:30pm yes please.

• I will hop in to bed as soon as I get home and read till 3am in the morning because I am so engrossed in the book and don't need to worry about keeping anyone up.

• I am going to take sunset walks on the beach without whispering a word and just taking everything in.

• Saturday afternoon TV marathon I think so.

• I am going to let the cat sleep on the bed with me!!!

• I will be completely self reliant and look after the garden, the house, the dogs and the cat all without any help.

• I am going to write in my diary as much as possible and talk myself into feeling like I can do anything I put my mind to again and I don't need to rely on anyone.

• But most of all I am going to spend the week enjoying my solitude and focusing on myself.

I know it sounds a little silly and most of these things on the list are silly but these are the things I used to do before I met my husband. These are the things that made me feel safe within myself and feel like I could do anything I put my mind to, I could be the woman that I wanted to be.  I am really looking forward to this week and being self reliant yet still missing my husband and hoping he has a wonderful time away at the same time. Have you ever felt like you lost yourself? What did you do to reclaim who you where? Any tips or advice?