Blog: Lick My Cupcakes
Date: 22 October
It's been a pretty lousy few months for me happiness-wise. Being unhappy with my body, my job, my lack of friendships. On Friday, I said enough is enough. It was a beautiful day, everyone was happy, I was sick of being miserable! I decided to let myself smile again. To make myself feel good, to draw, and be creative, and do the things I don't find time for anymore. Just as I made this realisation, a pretty little butterfly landed on my bag, and as lame as it sounds, made me see things differently. I gathered up a bunch of my favourite things to do and decided I am going to be ME again! Give them a go, maybe they'll help you too.
Bathe in something delicious
It's awesome to pamper yourself once in a while. I try to do a "mini-pamper" every Friday evening after work, to scrub away the cruddy work week & get myself feeling good & happy for the weekend. I take a bath, shave my legs, use a hair treatment, exfoliate, do a peel-off face mask, use hand & foot moisturiser. All the little things you don't find time for during the week.
It makes me feel so great to bathe in something delicious smelling & luxurious. Not just any old soap you think smells flowery, but something you REALLY love. I love cake, as you may know Therefore I use a "Vanilla Birthday Cake" Shampoo/Bubblebath combo, A Vanilla Soap that looks & smells like a cupcake with strawberries on top, and "Cinnamon Bun" body cream. Not only is it all fantastically glittery, and smells awesome, it also looks adorable, which is always a huge plus! Find something that reminds you of the things you love. It always makes me smile when I'm sitting on the train & I catch of whiff of myself smelling like freshly baked cake!
Wear Makeup
I don't wear a lot of makeup most days,generally just foundation. And I'm also the queen of snoozing 5 or 6 times and leaving myself 20 mins to get ready for work. As hard as it can be to get out of bed some mornings, I feel A LOT better when I allow myself plenty of time to get ready & make myself look nice. Nothing sets the mood for a day than waking up in a panic & stressing out about being late, so make it a calm, relaxing morning.
It doesn't have to be a lot, just throw on some foundation, a slick of mascara & some shimmer dust or lipgloss, and you'll look great. If you feel good about yourself you are much more likely to have a happy day & look good too, as I believe the way you feel definitely radiates through to how you look.
Exercise
Yes, It can be hard to get motivated some (ok, all) days, but as much as I look for excuses to not bother, I feel great when I go to the gym. It might not always feel great at the time, but you will feel good about it afterwards. It's also a great way to get out any anger or stress from the day without punching anything (unless of course you're into boxing). Go to the gym, go for a jog, hop on an exercise bike, jump in a pool, whatever works for you. You'll feel better & eventually look better!
Dance badly
Nothing helps me feel better than a good old fashioned running man while I'm tidying the house. I LOVE to crank my music (screw the neighbours, you need this!) when nobody is home and dance around the house like a complete tool, singing horribly off-key at the top of my lungs, while I tidy up or wash the dishes. Try it, you'll like it. Terrible 80's rock & hip-hop are a must.
Listen to music that makes you smile
And I mean SMILE, not just songs you really, really like. Those special songs, that for whatever reason just brighten your day. The ones that may not be super-happy, but for whatever reason to you they can change your mood completely, just from hearing the the first few notes.
A few that always make me giddy the second they begin:
Matthew Sweet – Farther Down
MGMT- Electric Feel
Prince – Raspberry Beret
Dog's Eye View – Umbrella
Matt Wertz – Everythings right
Metro Station – California
The Used – Paralyzed
Paramore – Decoy
Saosin – Seven Years
MC Solaar – La Belle et La Bad Boy
Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing
Kisschasy – Strings and Drums
The Goo Goo Dolls – Naked
John Mayer – Bigger Than my Body
Outkast – Miss Jackson
Robyn – Be Mine
Royksopp – Rainbow Styling
The Killers – When you Were Young
Womack & Womack – Footsteps on The Dancefloor
Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue
<3 & Cupcakes, Em.
*eLLa*