2017 Aspirations & How To Be In The Moment

Welcome to 2017.

This is the year that I want to start fulfilling my dreams. I've spent quite a few years floating along, now, the time has come for me to create a life that I love. Whilst using that phrases jars with me just slightly since Zoella started using a similar one - it's still something I can aspire to. Also, I don't hate Zoella.

This year I want to blog better, work harder and earn more. I want to be a better mother, a better girlfriend and a better friend. I want to love my life, my career and myself harder and I want to strive to live a more positive existence but there's one goal, one aspiration in particular that has been the focus of my thoughts for the past few weeks. Like many people, I fail at resolutions. I can go back over old diaries, paper and digital, and tell you a hundred resolutions that I have made throughout my life that I never kept,and probably quite a lot that I ended up doing the exact opposite of.

A lot of people scoff at setting goals and aspirations at New Year. Oh, "it's just another day" and "what's the point I've never kept them". But I see the New Year, despite definitely being 'just another day' where things go wrong, as a chance to look at what I am not achieving that I definitely want to - and there aren't a huge number of other days in the year that I bother to sit down and mull over that.

I spend a lot of time rushing from one thing to another. Rush to get my son to school before the only bus that won't make me late for work sails past. Rush from the bus stop to the train station because there is only a few minutes connection time. Rush from the station to work because there's only just enough tim to run there and not be late. I rush through the morning trying to get everything down and I rush around at lunchtime because I have a 20 mins period to do things like, eat, go to the bank, take a top back, go to the post office. I rush through the afternoon willing the day to end so I can go home and then I rush to the school to pick Ramsey up before the 6pm deadline. We then rush to the shops and home before I collapse and I make dinner as quickly as I can because bedtime is approaching then we rush through a bath...

You get the idea.Life is a rush. All through these days (eat sleep repeat), I'm willing the time to hurry up so I'm one day closer to the weekend and at the weekend, I rush from eating to meeting to cleaning always thinking of the next thing I need to get done.

I found myself saying a few times after the holidays ended this week - it just rushed past. One minute I was drinking Prosecco at work and the next minute I was back at work opening my brand new desk diary you know? There didn't seem to have been a moment of time that took the duration that it should have. I freaked myself out a bit, is time speeding up? Am I going to wake up tomorrow and I'll be 78 and my life will have gone in a flash? I still think the answer to that question is yes, but now, I have a plan.

I am going to recognise each moment that happens.

It's a big one, I know. It's also impossible because who could do that? Every second? No-one. Maybe some mindfulness supremo that lives every second with intent or whatever, that isn't me. But if I set the goal to try and be in the moment as much as possible, perhaps the terrifying rush of life will at least seem to be going just a little slower and I can try and revel in the existence that I have.

When I was younger time seemed to pass incredibly slowly. I would lay awake at night sometimes and not be able to sleep and the time would seem to be taking eons to slip past. I've sat in bad jobs before and looked at the clock, only to look four hours later and see that just five minutes have passed. That doesn't happen anymore. Maybe because I really love my current job and there isn't enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to achieve with it, maybe because I'm older.

I've rambled a little here, but I don't really mind and I hope you don't either. I really love looking at at my New Year posts and seeing whether or not I have fulfilled my goals for the year - back in 2012 I wrote a list of goals that I wanted to achieve and it's been a real benchmark in how I feel my adult life is going, even though they are all pretty silly. You can read the full post linked here. I hope I can look back at this in the same way towards the end of year and have some input into whether I was able to put more of a focus on appreciating the moments of my life.

Blogwise, I want to ramp things up. I'll be posting more regular content giving insights into how Influences are making money and developing a whole industry under the umbrella of marketing, I'll be sharing behind-the-scenes look at some of the marketing projects that I'm working on with some major e-commerce and high street beauty and fashion brands, and I'll be looking to share plenty of gig and festival reviews and info. Happy 2017!!

Seasonal Affective Disorder - 6 Tips For Boosting Your Serotonin

Many of my posts recently have been about digital marketing, and I definitely want to carry on sharing those things - but I also want to share other types of content that I hope will be enjoyed and today is one of those posts - I would be more than interested in hearing about your thoughts and experiences so please leave a comment or come follow me on Instagram

I've been planning this post in my head for a really long time, since August, basically. It's kind of a scary thing to write about because in the most part, people don't really talk about depression openly. I'm starting to think that isn't because of a fear of seeming weak, but because suffers are worried that by speaking out, they risk looking like they are asking for sympathy or attention.

I should say here that none of these tips are in any way meant to substitute for getting advice from a doctor. There is nothing to be ashamed of in going to your GP- even if it just means getting a diagnosis and then seeing if you can boost your happy hormones yourself - if you can't GO BACK!! There is no need to suffer unnecessarily.

75% of the time, I feel fine. I've always been a huge worrier, but this gets significantly worse in the winter months.

Seasonal Affective Disorder has a hit rate of about 1 in 15 people, depending on what you class as SAD. It's characterized by a variety of symptoms, including anxiety, lack of interest in normal activities, feeling hopeless, changes to sleep patterns and weight gain & craving carbohydrates. The causes aren't completely known, but seem to be a combination of an increase in the production of melatonin and a change in the body's circadian rhythms, both of which affect sleep patterns. There is also significant evidence to suggest that a reduction in the body's production of serotonin has an impact on happiness levels in the winter in SAD sufferers.

There's quite a lot more information on SAD on the NHS website (click here) This post isn't meant to supplement doctor's advice, but I wanted to share a few things that have helped me and might help you or a friend.  These things might seem silly and insignificant, but they are proven to boost serotonin and might give that little extra needed to get through the day a bit more easily. Don't scoff until you've tried every single one!

Dark chocolate boosts serotonin production - this is a fact. Dark chocolate contains serotonin and L-tryptophan, as well as carbohydrates from sugar, which can signal the body to produce even more serotonin. Personally, I don't love it, but I try to eat a few squares a day just to give my serotonin receptors a little boost, We tried Montezuma's geranium and orange chocolate last night and it was incredible, but a bit much for my tame little taste buds.Green and Black's 85% Dark is my go-to.

Obviously, just eating chocolate won't help. Eating right and drinking lots of water will make you feel  better at any time of the year - I kind of feel that's a given here.If you eat properly, you will feel better than if you don't.

'Bear' with me - I know the majority of people will probably think this is silly, but there is some research to suggest that watching baby animals doing funny or cute things can boost the serotonin production in your body and therefore ease the symptoms of depression and SAD just a little.

Here are some of my favourites:

• 23 Baby pandas in a pile
• Pandas doing naughty things
• Bear cub meets a fawn
• Puppy swarms

Anxiety sucks. It can cause a huge range of symptoms both real and imagined. It can convince you that you are going to die or that everyone is against you. The key to fighting rising anxiety levels is to learn about it. First, you need to recognise when you are feeling anxious and when you are actually in danger. When you start to recognise that certain situations are creating anxiety, you can avoid them, or manage them appropriately. Reminding yourself that it's just anxiety, it's just your body and not an external threat of any kind can help to calm you in a situation that could otherwise develop into a panic attack. Even during a panic attack, calmly telling yourself:

"This is a panic attack, I have had them before and it always feels like it's the worst one. This will be over shortly"

can be enough to see it off. Learning about anxiety and ways to fight it can make a significant difference to your quality of life,especially if anxiety is stopping you from doing anything. There are lots of tips and tricks online to fight panic attacks, such as having an elastic band on your wrist, mantras and exercises to help with breathing and blood flow. Do your research and find what works for you.

Here is one of my favorite serotonin-boosting facts. Hugging for 8 seconds gives you a surge of the happiness hormone! I've tried this out many a time, in fact if you are reading this and you know me in real life, chances are you've had a slightly-too-long semi-awkward hug with me at some point. I've learnt it helps to explain what you are doing before you grab someone for an 8 second hug, otherwise they might feel like you are a little crazy and perhaps are not planning to let go. Or maybe that you doing that thing where you shake someones hand for way too long just to see how they react. Often, if you tell people that hugging for 8 seconds will give a chemical happiness boost, they are up for it - this is tried and tested to the point where many people in my life now will hug me for 8 seconds anyway when we greet, just so they don't have to listen to my speech about serotonin. Good times!

Hands down, the thing that has made the most different to managing the winter blues for me, as been this little piece of equipment. (Here's a link to Amazon)

It's a Lumie Bodyclock and it's changed my sleeping habits completely. It creates a sunset in your room - I have a completely white bedroom wall so I have it on a pile of books in front of that, the slots in the back create a sun pattern and the light dims slowly, it wakes you up by getting brighter and brighter. An alarm eventually goes off if you leave it longer than 15 mins or so before you get up and press the button. My parents got it for my birthday and I love it. I live in fear of the bulb going and having to order and wait for a replacement (it's just occurred to me that I should order one before it goes - I am getting so much better at adulting). But anyway, if you struggle to get up in the morning this might help. Being jarred awake in the middle of a deep sleep isn't the best way to start your day and a decent night's sleep is essential when you are trying to fight seasonal depression without the use of traditional pharmaceuticals.

I also have a new sleep toy to play with which I will be sharing in the next few weeks!

It's not a cure, but trying to lead a positive life WILL make you feel better. This means smiling at people, trying not to get frustrated in public over people taking too long to use the ATM or standing in front of the good cheese at the supermarket so you have to pretend to be looking at the garlic bread but really, you want the cheese. The rule is, for every negative or mean thing you say, whether out loud or not, you should try and create 5 positive things too. It doesn't always work, but it's a nice ideal to aspire to.

I know people who know me in real life will probably not agree, but I am trying  to reduce my complaining. If I hear myself complaining, I try and stop and I wish other people would to. People complaining for hours about something instead of putting that time and energy into finding a solution really bother me and I often can't help but to complain about that! It's a cycle that I want to break - if you cannot be positive, at least be quiet.

These are not steadfast solutions, I know that some people will need extra assistance to fight seasonal depression (and all-year depression, obviously) however I know I would prefer to try every option before going down that route and so far it's done me pretty well. I still dread the nights getting longer every year but if you build yourself a toolbox of ways to deal it can be a lot easier.

Katy xx

The Road To Success

When I was younger, this poster was hung in my house. It got taken down and probably thrown away when my parents moved, I spent a number of years trying to recall exactly what it said...

It's pretty intense, so many ways to end up in Failure River, only a few tiny stick figures reaching success. 

The poster was originally printed in 1913 for the National Cash Register company, one of the first examples of a 'motivational poster'. I definitely prefer this to a generic picture of some balancing rocks, a sunset or a snow-capped mountain - I hope you like it too.

Rumbellion Festival with The Turner Brothers, Theydon Bois

I'm writing this sat in bed because my body hasn't quite recovered from the weekend yet, I think I might possibly have ingested way too much rum...


I've been hanging out with The Turner Brothers recently, an eleven-piece band from Watford whose style is difficult to catagorise (you get a different answer depending on which Turner Brother you speak to) but their website says "their sound is sprinkled with Ska, Indie, Folk, alternative and Rap..." so that probably covers it. Check them out below...

This weekend I headed over to Theydon Bois (much of the journey was spent working on our pronunciation of that...we have been pretty much convinced it's Theydon Boys now though...)

This was the first year of a little festival in the countryside just outside London, called Rumbellion. It was run Pirates Grog, who make rum and Green Yurts who provided tents and yurts at festivals. We didn't know what to expect, but we had an amazing time and I can't wait to go back next year!

We arrived on the Saturday, quite a few people had started the party on Friday night and were already completely covered in glitter...

The Turner Brothers were playing to close the festival on Sunday afternoon, so there was plenty of time for testing out the rum and dancing to the great selection of music. I was especially excited about seeing Craig Charles (Lister from Red Dwarf!) do a funk and soul set, which was incredible, he played Heard It Through The Grapevine and the whole yurt was absolutely loving it, climbing up shoulders into the rafters and crowd surfing...

After a night partying under the stars, followed by being squashed around a campfire (thanks to the photobooth guy for letting me eat his last Tracker bar - if anyone knows who the photobooth van thing was provided by, please let me know in the comments) Sunday dawned with the most perfect weather for sinking as much rum and eating as much great food as possible! We started the day off with crispy bacon and herby mayo rolls with brandy coffees...

Still going to #bringbackcosmic by wearing cosmic clothes and saying cosmic a lot!

And then played ping-pong, danced, ran about wearing a goat mask, watched an impromptu brass band procession and generally just rolled around in a field, drowning in rum and sunshine...

Beating Patrick Turner from The Turner Brothers at ping pong

Would love to give these guys a shout out if anyone managed to catch their name...

... then they realised, ten minutes before The Turner Brothers set, that the equipment the band needed to perform live wasn't there and the guys were not going to be able to perform. The festival organizers were extremely apologetic but said that the equipment had already left.

It would have been a fantastic way to close their brilliant little festival, but we all drank some more rum and ate some lime & chilli corn and it didn't seem so bad after all :)

Getting the organiser guys wearing band shirts!

What a brill weekend, I hope TTB get invited to play next year at Rumbellion (and that there is ever-so-slightly MORE glitter). Thanks for having us to Beth, Gaz, Phil, Alex, Jamie...and whoever else was involved in putting on such an amazing little oasis of music, glitter and love...

I'm off to detox now!

If you want to catch The Turner Brothers performing this summer, a list of their gigs is available on their webpage here. The next one is Rhythms Of The World festival in Hitchin, 20th June. See you there?

** Please check out my Linkedin page if you are a band, small business or organisation and are looking for a Social Media person, I can help :) **

#BRINGBACKCOSMIC

When did you last hear the word COSMIC?

If you are one of my friends, or in fact have met me in the last few weeks, you may have heard it from me. I've started a little project to try and get COSMIC said a little more. It's a great word.

So, #bringbackcosmic is a thing now. Well, I'm trying to make it a thing. So far, I've asked everyone I have met in the last week to try and find an opportunity to use it and spread the word!

You might hear some especially cosmic music, see a particularly cosmic film, or even be standing under the night sky and suddenly feel a little cosmic. If you see an opportunity to  describe something as cosmic, please use it, and let me know using the hashtag #bringbackcosmic on Instagram or twitter 

Saw these two at a festival recently and told them both they were extremely COSMIC.

Wednesday Inspiration 1.0

September is one of the most difficult months in the year for me. I don't know if it is the onset of the longer nights, cooler days, lack of sunshine, rain or general nostalgia. A lot of my major life changes have happened in the back-to-school month and not all of them happy, I try to combat the September blues by looking around for stuff that inspires, motivates and lifts my heart...much needed on this deary old Wednesday.

1. This super-blunt advert

One of the very first and only adverts I've ever seen that actually sprung me into immediate action. I've signed up to donate my organs after I die. Whoever designed, I hope they are pleased with the effect their work is having.

2. People Doing Stuff

So many people that I know are doing amazing things right now! It's really inspiring to look around you and see people all around reaching for their dreams. I especially want to mention my lovely friend Mary Louise who has recently started a business selling pull-along wagons for kids & adults.

Check these fabulous contraptions out:

I imagine towing my son around pick-your-own fields, carrying our outdoor toys to the park, visiting local fairs with no complaining about tired legs....there are literally a hundred reasons why I want one. Have a look at their website here and follow Mary Louise and her fun business here on twitter.

3. This incredible DMT art by Alex Grey

 I've seen pictures like this before, in seed shops in Amsterdam, at festivals, in the odd persons home, but I never knew the workings behind them. This picture has resonated with me all week and I hope it will with you too. I'm looking to buy a large print and have it up in my bedroom to remind me that we are all connected to the universe in more ways than we will ever understand ♥

More of this guys awesome art is available on his website here.

4. Healthy Eating

These are from my instagram feed. What a cliche huh?

I mentioned a little while ago that I was going to try to be the healthiest of eaters this summer. I was low on energy, enthusiasm and dopamine just a few short months ago. Although right now my body is fighting off a bout of summer flu that's left me with a strangely satisfiying cough, I still feel super proud of my progress over August. I've managed to shed nearly a stone in weight (That will go straight back on when my winter cheese-eating habit kicks in) and I feel all round healthier and happier. I can't tell you enough how adding wheatgrass to my juice in the morning has made such an incredible difference to my vitality levels. You can buy a huge bag online for really cheap, it's worth it.


5. My Guy ♥

I can't help it, I'm just so proud of this handsome little fellow. He loves Minecraft, eating cakes, making jokes, skipping in the street, cuddles, squirrels, Transformers and loud music. There is nothing better to get you through a grey September day than those sweet eyes ♥♥♥ 

Hope you are having a lovely week. I have a great post on CV tips coming up at the weekend, please follow my blog to stay up-to-date :)

Katy

Be Happy - 5 Ways To Focus On The Positives

source

It's important to focus on the positive aspects of you life, especially when you are going through a hard time, or struggling with a life situation that has come out of the blue. My focus for 2013 has been to lead a more positive life. Through setting empowering goals and forcing myself to get out of my comfort zone, I've been trying to make improvements in the way things are for myself and my son.

Here are 5 ways that you can focus more on the positive aspects of your life.

1. Get Something Awesome Out Of Each Day

At the end of every day, I sit on the edge of my sons bed and ask him what the best thing that happened to him that day was. Sometimes he can't think of anything and I have to help him out by reminding him about aspects of the day that he has smiled at. I hope this routine will stick in his heart for his life, and as he gets older and doesn't want me sitting on the edge of his bed anymore, he will still thinking about something nice that has happened to him as he falls asleep each night.

2. Go Back To Your Goals

One of the real benefits of setting yourself goals and aims for the year in January is you can look back at it and see that you have made progress. It's June, and I've completed quite a few of my 50 goals for the year, as well as being well on my way to completing more! It's never too late to set yourself some goals to reach by the end of the year. If I feel that I'm not getting anywhere, I look at my goals, pick one, and do something towards completing it. Being productive is a sure-fire way to boost your happiness levels :) 

3. Adopt A Mantra.

A long time ago, when I was feeling under the weather for longer than I should have, I read a book about positive living. The book suggested that adopting a mantra would remind your brain that things are not so bad. I've since tried to find the book again but I haven't been able to. The mantra the book suggested was "it's all going wonderfully". It's a kind of divine suggestion that everything is happening exactly as it should, even if it seems bad at the time - try it yourself. 

4. Get Away From Technology

You spend too much time in front of a screen. This is a fact, for every single person that I know in real life and in the blogging/social media world. The problem is that it's almost impossible to walk away once you sit down in front of a computer, There is too much to consume, and some of it is dark and even macabre. I've been looking for tattoos of flowers and ended up on a forum for people who want to become eunuchs. There is so much to consume on the internet that you can't ever be 'finished'. Take a break. Get up and go away, spend the day doing something else. My son and I went on a long walk to a nearby village and splashed in a stream for a few hours...it felt good.

5. Remember It's Temporary.

One of my favourite ways to stop myself getting down, is to remember that sadness and worry comes in waves. It's kind of the same coping mechanism as you are taught for child birth. The pain comes in waves, and all you need to think of the peaks is that you'll soon be in a trough. When I feel sad or worried about something, I try to focus on the last time that I felt okay, but still knew about the worry. I was okay at that point, and I will be okay again (It's all going wonderfully)

Now for my positive thing of the day...

I am featured on the Picmonkey Blog today - I got an email about it a few days ago and the post is due to go up today - how exciting for my little blog. I've just checked and it's not up yet, but you will be able to see it here hopefully :) 

Don't forget you can follow me on twitter if you so wish. My radio show is carrying on until July and you can listen here, weekdays 10 - 12 x

Take A Chance, Take A Risk

It's easy to do the same thing every day. Get up, faff about, eat, sleep, get up...

Sometimes everyone needs some encouragement to break out of their comfy routine and do something different that could lead you down a different path. Sometimes I look back over a week and feel like I haven't gotten any further towards my goals in life than I had a month ago. I want this to change and the only way you can change your life is by doing something out of your comfort zone.

So I looked at my list of goals for the year and had a think about some things that I have always wanted to do and thought what the hey, let's just go for it.

Here is my little list;

1. Apply for a gameshow
2. Make a move on setting up a creative business
3. Send a message to someone that I haven't spoken to in an age
4. Try a food I haven't ever tried before
5. Enter a competition.

So those were my dares. I didn't go too serious on them, as you see. But they have given me a little spark this week and I would highly recommend that you set yourself a little challenge like this and do something fun and different.

I applied to be on some game shows and I got a call back! I can't say much about it at this second but I'm waiting to hear my today, very exciting. I also applied for a local business initiative  putting forward an idea that I have been working on for what feels like forever. It really would be a dream come true for me to be able to take that forward.

I sent a few messages to old friends requesting catch-ups and I had a really disgusting experience with canned salmon. What ARE those little round bones? Why would I want to eat a scaly, fatty, boney mess? People who eat canned salmon (and pay twice the price of nice, clean fillets) are ridiculous.

Finally, I've been going competition mad, entering everything I see that has a free web-entry option. I'll let you know how I get on.

I hope this has given you a little inspiration to do something, however small, out of the ordinary today ♥

10 Random Acts Of Kindness To Try Today

I'm a sucker for cute videos. I watched this last night whilst I was stuck in one of those "I've gone down a trail of links on the Internet and can't remember how I got here" type situations.

It reminded me of a blog post idea that I had: Random Acts Of Kindness.

Here are ten ways to spread a little love without inconveniencing yourself or your day. I hope you will do something nice for someone today. Sometimes a little boost, or even just a smile, can really make someone's day.

1. Smile at someone you don't know. You'll feel like a crazy person. They will look at you like you are mad. But as they walk away they'll be thinking "Why do I think it's weird for someone to smile at me?" not "That person must be crazy to smile at me". And they, hopefully,will go and smile at someone else. Try it!

2. Put that 1 penny change in the charity box at the checkout. Then go and add the charity (even if you have never heard of it) on Facebook or Twitter. Often local (and nationwide) charities are extremely grateful for every single follower to help spread their message.

3. Send a card to a relative who you haven't seen in years. Include a brief update on how you are getting on and a return address. Don't have the address for anyone? Elderly family members are excellent sources of actual, real-life addresses. They have address books because they don't have smartphones.Fact.

4. Pay someone a compliment, completely out of the blue. A few weeks ago a girl came up to me and "I love your shoes".t I was thrilled with the compliment.. Other peoples validation of your taste can go a long way, offer the same boost in confidence to someone else. A simple "I love your bag, it looks great with that coat" or "That jumper really matches your eyes" will genuinely make someone's day.

5. Suggest that your followers on twitter add someone you know with a few followers who is trying to grow their business or online presence. Try saying something like "Have you followed @katy_clouds yet? She posts amazing content on leading a positive life!" They will really appreciate it, and may do you a similar favour when they achieve social media stardom!

6. Not every Random Act Of Kindness has to involve getting something back for your trouble. If you walk past someones garden every day, and they always have a beautiful display of flowers, why not post an anonymous card through their door with a note saying "I love your garden, it makes me smile every morning".

7. Take a pack of doughnuts into your workplace. This works especially well on rainy Monday mornings when everyone wants to be in bed. No one can resist a squidgy doughnut.

8. If you see someone struggling for the right change on the bus, and your pockets are heavy with small money, help them out. There's a worry of being knocked back, but it really doesn't hurt to offer, especially if it is only a few pennies. Someone will do the same for you one day, promise!

9. Call someone on the phone who lives on their own - it's sometimes hard spending evenings alone, a friendly call for a chat could brighten up someones lonely evening.

10. Leave enough change in a payphone for the next person to make their call without having to pay. This also works on vending machines! I've seen pound coins taped to the sanitary product machine in public toilets, and twenty pence pieces left in gumball dispensers - imagine what a happy bunny you would be if you needed to make an emergency call, or had another type of emergency :-)

I hope these ideas have inspired you to do something kind and random for someone today. If you need more ideas this is one of my favourite websites to have a browse of .