New Year Resolutions!

It's 2016...how fast did 2015 go! Did we have a Summer? Did Halloween happen? Did i have a birthday? I'm unsure...everything happened so fast!

I always give myself such a hard time for not making something of myself every year...I didn't learn Finnish so i can chat to my Finnish fella and family...i didn't lose 100 stone in weight and become a supermodel...i didn't move out on my own and leave my poor Dad to himself. I know he would miss me TERRIBLY...whilst watching whatever he wants on the old television (I constantly want to watch Four in The Bed and do a running commentary to him...in case he missed anything) and i'm sure he couldn't live without my emotional rollercoaster ride on a day to day basis. I'm fun.
 I get annoyed at myself for not fixing whatever is going on in that old noggin' of mine...Like it's an easy fix...stopping anxiety and depression...sure. 

SO THIS YEAR...i am going to be easy on myself. Kind of. Easy-ish things to stick by...

1. Be kind to myself and others. 

I am mean to myself quite often. I honestly don't think very much of myself at all. I find it difficult to look in the mirror and be like...'You look nice today...' or think 'good job, Harris...you worked hard!' Instead i bully myself into thinking how awful i look, or how much better someone else did. 

I'm a green eyed monster, I bitch and moan...how is that positive? Everyone does it, we do. People say its healthy...i don't think so. I feel shit afterwards and worry...then i panic...then all hell breaks loose and that's it. Valium me up and call it a night. 

So be kind. Kind to you. Kind to me. 

2. Walk more

Walk more...don't worry about joining a gym...just walk and be chill. Walk and chill. That is all. Just do it. 

3. Help others.

I watch adverts for charities about children, elderly, sick people and poor animals...it hurts my heart. So this year i would like to help as much as i can...we signed up for the 'Spare a Chair Sunday' already...keen beans, i hear you say! Whats it about...let me tell you! Its a charity where an elderly person comes to your house and has a roast dinner with you, someone who doesn't get to have the company that we sometimes take for granted. I obviously won't be cooking...don't want to kill them. My Dad loves a good roast dinner cookin'! 

4. Stop worrying so much.
I'm a worrier...either i talk about my worries...or keep them deep inside the worry pit. Classic.
 I worry about small things like cleaning my room and getting enough sleep and of course i worry about other...less small things...like the end of the world, gravity failing us and we fly up to space...yep...I worry about my family and friends, my furbabies, death, illness, just everything!
How do you stop that? I'm not sure. I want to find ways of  relaxing my worried brain and enjoy myself with what ever is going on.

5. Take care of myself
Last one, something i should really be doing anyways. Take care of myself properly! Drink more water...i went DAYS not drinking water. I drank most things but water over the Christmas holidays. Water is good for you. Drink it. And Moisturize...so i will get id'ed when buying booze. All my pals get id'ed. Whats the cashiers problem?! I look youthful. Kind of...BUT i would look more youthful if i moisturized...and drank water...and relaxed...and walked more...Take my inhalers EVERYDAY not just when i feel i need to. Asthma is crazy. Take care of it. Just take care of myself...if i lose weight cool. No pressure me...but it would be cool...but no pressure...at all. None. Stop eating though.

2015 wasn't bad, it wasn't the worst, but it wasn't the best. I lost friends i thought were kind souls, but i made new friends that mean the world to me. I made lots of brilliant memories, and sad ones. Things changed that were scary at first, but we got used to them and now i couldn't be happier about them.
Anxiety is still here, it always will be, but i am going to find ways of controlling it better. I won't let it take me down like it has so many times before. I want to make it a positive, not a negative,
I have so much to be thankful for, so why let that dark cloud take over me.

It's not a new me, its just a better one in the making...but no pressure...but don't fail.

Love Kara <3 

Have some Apple Pie, then Panic.

Apple Pies. They are the shit.

I never used to like them at all...in fact fruit is an obstacle for me full stop. So an apple pie was just a horrendous pudding in my mind, until my Dad made me try it with gritted teeth. And Boy George was i surprised. I loved it.

I'm not going to lie to you though, i thought making an apple pie would be really hard so I kind of talked myself out of it, i felt like i had set myself up for an epic pie fail. Dick move. 

So i made myself anxious over something that usually helps calm me down...what a twisted world we live in. BUT it was actually quite easy, and super fun! I got somewhat of a bakers high, if there is such a thing! My Dad was more then thrilled as well and has requested more pie baking for the future. This guy! 

This was one of the things from my Halloween check list that i can tick off! TICK! 

I found a good and easy to follow recipe online  - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2052/ultimate-apple-pie

Apple Pie! 

For the filling

• 1kg Bramley apples
• 140g golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp flour

For the pastry

• 225g butter, room temperature
• 50g golden caster sugar, plus extra
• 2 eggs
• 350g plain flour

1. 

Check out the size of my sugar...thanks Costco! 

Weigh out the sugar

2. 

 Add the butter and blend until it has just mixed together.

3.

Add 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, set aside the egg white to use later! Mix together for 1 min, it will look like scrambled eggs. Gross.

4.

Add the flour into the wet mixture a 3rd at a time with a wooden spoon, finish up with gathering the flour mixture with your hands and making it into a ball!

5. 

Like this dough ball right here! 

6.

Wrap the dough in cling film and put it into the fridge for about 45 mins.

7.

Check out these apples. Big right. Impressive. These are Bramley apples. Peel and chop these bad boys up! 

8.

Place the apple slices on to kitchen roll and pat them dry. (I didn't do this too well and had quite a bit of liquid in the pie when it was baked...rookie mistake) So make sure they are quite dry!

9.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together...Take the pastry dough out of the fridge and roll it out on to a floured surface. Try and not add too much too the dough as it can make it too dry. 

10.

Once to dough has been rolled to the right size for your pie tin, line the pie tin with the dough. I messed up with this part...as i used quite a large tin and ran out of dough for the top...so maybe follow the website i linked above for this part. I am useless! Mix the apples in cinnamon/sugar mix, until completely covered and chuck them into the pie tin!

11.

Cover the pie with the rest of the pastry dough...if you have enough like i did decorate as much as you like! My Dad suggested i took off a few of the Bats as the top would be too thick...he was right. Buh. Use the egg white from earlier to wash over the pie top. Put the pie into a preheated over (190) and bake for about 40-45 mins. 

12.

Clean the kitchen whilst the pie bakes. I am so messy!

13.

Make pie dough bats...

14.

And....ITS DONE! Yay! Made my first pie from scratch! Wonderful fun! 

The Bats...so cute and tasty :D 

I struggled a tad with the pastry, as you can see...but in the end it was fine...just made it look even more homemade ;D 

Enjoy with tonnes of custard...from a can...Brilliant.

All pie'd out for the week. My Dad was very happy, which made me happy. Happiness all round. Until Tuesday...Tuesday evening i had a pretty intense panic attack from out of the blue.
After dinner, sitting with my dad eating pie...when i felt a pain in my chest. A little something about me, i have had pleurisy twice now...once when i was super young and then another time as a teenager. Its awful and i never want it again. So every once in a while i will get a pain in my chest and immediately think its that...which it isn't...but try telling that to someone with crazy anxiety. I felt a pain and it was gaaaaame over. I got the chills all over my body, especially the back of my neck and arms. My chest got super tight, i felt sick and my stomach dropped. Brilliant. I felt this insane amount of dread and panic. I had to stand up and move around, i couldn't sit or talk, i just had to keep moving. I went upstairs to take my inhaler and grab my Valium...came back downstairs in a rush and started to shout at my dad that i was having a panic attack and i need help...he just sat there and calmly said 'Sit down and tell me what to do' I told him i couldn't breath and felt like i was going to pass out...in my head i sounded pretty calm and collected whilst talking to him...but in real life i was a panic ridden fiend. My dad told me if i am talking, then i can breath...logical. Made sense i guess...so i sat down and took deep breaths and tried to focus at one thing at a time. I took my sweet Valium and wrapped myself in a blanket until i felt like it was safe to be by myself and go to my room...too watch Muppet's Treasure Island. Brilliant choice of film. Spoke to my Mum, Faye & Jesse for a little bit and then felt calm enough to fall asleep.
I felt like the wind had been knocked out of my sails for a little while afterwards. I was doing so well with my anxiety and panic attacks! BUT before i had taken the Valium, i had calmed myself down which i haven't done before. I knew what was happening and i knew that i wasn't going to pass out or die because of it. My Dad, Mum, Faye & Jesse really helped just because of how calm they were towards me as well. So it is getting better...positive thinking! I have felt fine after this too. Just have to keep focusing on the good things!

Positives of my week!
* Went out with Kirstie for a little celebration Dinner
* Felt happier for the past few days.

Love Kara
<3

Top 10 Halloween Movies

If you hadn't guessed by now, I bloody LOVE Halloween! 

We have already started to decorate the house. I can't even tell you how excited i am! 

One of my fave things about Halloween are the movies. 

So many good ones. Too many good ones! Halloween should be a week long holiday, am i right! 

Horror films are my favorite genre of film, i can watch them all day, errry day! 

I force them upon people who really don't enjoy them. Jesse refuses to watch them with me, although i did get him to watch the 'Saw' films with me and he really enjoyed them. I tricked him once into watching 'Case 39' with me and 2 of our pals that flew over to Texas to see us. I didn't really explain what the film was about...long story short...he wasn't happy. 

My sister will have none of it either...I have often tried to get her to watch them with me. She has always said no, but i am determined...i will break her soon and we will enjoy a good old Scream marathon! 

These sort of films don't bother me in the slightest, if anything they keep my mind occupied so my anxiety is often at bay when i am watching them. 

So this leads me to sharing with you my Top 10 Halloween Films! Took me ages to think of which ones to put in this list...like i said before...too many to choose from!?

My Top 10 Halloween Movies 

Hocus Pocus (Of course!) 

How on earth could Hocus Pocus be any lower then number 1! Best movie ever. 

Winifred, Sarah & Mary Sanderson are a couple of witches brought back to life by a virgin lighting a magic candle on Halloween night...(When i was younger i thought a virgin was the airline. So i thought Max, the lead fella was an employee of Virgin Airlines. True Story.) The Sanderson sisters try to steal children's souls so they can live forever...its brilliant. Watch it now. Right now. Go. 

Nightmare on Elm Street

Whatever you do, don't fall asleep! This film. Freddy Krueger comes to the children of the mob that killed him in their dreams...and kills them...boom. Lots of wonderful gore. Jesse bought me all of the movies from his pal, i just love them. 

The Conjuring 

I love this film, its so good! Lorraine & Ed Warren are paranormal investigators that help a family living in a horror house filled with spooky ghoooosts. This film also has the doll Annabelle in it, which has its own movie now! Very creepy stuff. Very jumpy and the music gets me every time.

Nightmare Before Christmas 

One of my all time favorite films ever. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown finds a Christmas tree door which opens up into Christmas Town. Jack becomes obsessed with Christmas and takes it over with a Halloween twist. Aaaah, i love it!

Scream 1-4 

What's your favorite scary movie? 

Sidney and her pals in Woodsboro are terrorized by a killer dubbed Ghost Face. Ghost Face will call you up, make casual small talk about gutting you like a fish...then shows up and does just that...unless you are Sidney. That wily minx always gets away! All 4 movies are pretty good, i know i enjoyed them all. And i loved that the whole cast were in the 4th movie. All killers are surprising, so jump aboard the Scream train this Halloween! 

Halloween 

When i started babysitting, i was generally concerned Michael Myers would get me. He loves a babysitter or 2, am i right! 

Michael Myers starts his rampage after escaping the institution he was put into after killing his sister when he was 6 year old on Halloween. Micheal starts to stalk a young babysitter and her friends on Halloween whilst being chased down by his doctor. Creepy, jumpy and that music will get ya every time!   

The Shining 

Heeeereeee's Johnny! 

Stephen King doing what he does best! Scaring us. 

Jack, his wife and his physic son, Danny go to The Overlook Hotel as the winter caretakers whilst the hotel is shut for the off season. For the first few days, everything is normal for the writer and his family, but soon the evil spirits of the hotel start to influence Jack into violence! Sweet little Danny tries to use his power to save his family. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

The Orphanage

Such a fan of this film! A proper ghost story. The Orphanage is a Spanish film, so subtitled. So you will need to concentrate...unless you understand Spanish, then good for you and teach me. 

Laura and her husband raise their son in the house where Laura grew up in as an orphan. Laura wants to start her own orphanage for handicapped children, but her son disappears after making an invisible friend and spooky goings on start in the house. Boom. 

Paranormal Activity 

A couple move into their new home, they start to notice a demonic presence during the night. They start to film their bedroom whilst they sleep...then shit gets real. 

My pal, Chrissy and i had a small Paranormal Activity marathon a few years back...The 1st one made us jump, but the rest of the films are very same-y, we got bored and then got the giggles. We looked like a couple of nutcases laughing at a film that is ment to be scary. So if i were you, stick to the 1st film...and then move on. 

Insidous 1-2  

This film got me preeeetty good! 

A family just moved into their new home (Isn't this how a lot of horror films begin!?) and whilst exploring the house, Dalton, one of the sons falls in the attic and falls into a coma. Then begins the demonic and spooky activity around Dalton and the house. The family must wake up their son before he is stuck in another realm...jumpy movie! The 2nd movie is just as spooky, and explains alot more about what happens in the 1st movie...i just saw they are bringing out a 3rd movie too...excellent. 

A few more wonderful movies for you to feast your eyes on!

* Beetlejuice

* Frankenweenie 
* What Lies Beneath 

* Sinister 

* Child's Play 

* Texas Chainsaw Massacre

* American Horror Story (TV Show i know, but it's brilliant!) 

* Night of The Living Dead 

* The Purge & The Purge Anarchy 

* 28 Days later & 28 Weeks later 

* Frankenstein & The Bride of Frankenstein 

So there we have it, a few of my fave Halloween movies to watch with your pals or by yourself! What films do you like to watch on this most Spooky time of year!

One of my sweet work pals suffers quite a bit from anxiety, so i asked her what she does to keep calm when she is feeling her worst. One things she does is a technique called 'Grounded'. She places her feet firmly on the floor whilst sitting on a chair and lets the thoughts travel through her body whilst taking deep breaths. She said it helps her feel grounded (Hence the name) and stable. Another thing she will do is leave the room and have a good cry...i think alot of us are guilty of that too!
Her Halloween film of choice is Psycho!

I am going to be doing a tonne of Halloween baking soon!? Just focusing on getting rid of this annoying cold i have! buh!

Positives of this week -
* Had a wonderful night in with 2 wonderful pals, then had pancakes for breakfast!
* My anxiety has started to calm down :)
* My Halloween outfit is nearly done

Love Kara <3

October! Halloween To Do List!

Hello!

Happy October!

This week has been a little bit of a struggle. 

It's annoying as this is my favorite time of the year and i would have liked to have started it in a positive mood! 

After upping my dose of anxiety tablets, i feel like i am off to a better start again. 

So, now i need to find good things to focus on instead of dwelling on the things that are getting me down! Force myself out of the house! Get to livin' again! Otherwise, i will never leave my room. Don't get me wrong, i LOVE my room...even the childish butterfly wallpaper from the previous homeowners, but there is only so much Netflix and staring at the walls a person can do! 

As October is the month of HALLOWEEN, my favoritest holiday EVER...Christmas is a very close second. I love presents. So. Much. 

Lets make a Halloween to do list!? 

Things to do when we have days off and find ourselves pondering what we can do with our day. 

Arts and Crafts!? Baking!? Decorating?! Socialize!? 

Halloween To Do List.

• Carve Pumpkins 

• Decorate the house for Halloween 
• Bake an apple pie (My Dad will be thrilled with this one!) 
• Dress up! Buy an outfit or make one! 

• Do Halloween nails! 

http://beautyhigh.com/top-25-halloween-nail-art-ideas/

• Go to a Halloween party. 
• Have a Halloween Movie Night!

• Make your own Halloween decorations...Pinterest has a trillion ideas!?
• Bake Halloween goodies...Cupcakes, cookies, etc 

• Make caramel apples. 
• Make a Halloween themed drink. 

http://lilluna.com/halloween-hot-cocoa/

• Go for a walk around Devils Punch Bowl with some pals!
• Make scented candles (Autumn-y smells...i will go and look at Yankee Candles for inspiration!) 

• Go to a Haunted House - http://www.halloweenattractions.co.uk/shocktoberfest/
• Make Trick or Treat treats! 

So Many ACTIVITIES! 

I am already excited about all these things! Positive thinking! I like it. 

I am going to do a whole bunch of Halloween themed blogs this months...keeps me happy and thinking! 

What ideas do you have?

A few of my friends have started talking to me about the anxiety they suffer from recently. I love that they are approaching me and telling me what they do as coping methods and what their positives are <3 I feel very privileged indeed!

<3 1 of my pals uses music to calm them down when they feel their anxiety coming on. It distracts them and keeps their mind busy on something else. 

<3 Another one of my friends sent me a text about a positive in their day. This made me feel positive too! 

Positives in my week; 

* I got a job interview

* I got a good Mystery Shopper score at work and my manager got me some chocolate and a card.

* Went to Bills for breakfast with one of my lovely friends 

Have a good weekend! 

Love Kara 

<3 

Public Panics!

Good day.

Ever had a panic attack in public? 

I have.

I had a panic attack. In Asdas. Brilliant.

My family and i go food shopping once or twice a week...i love food shopping. 

Not just because of the food aspect of it, i just love shopping in general. So going grocery shopping isn't a big deal whats so ever. 

This day though...wooo! 

My Dad and i walked into Asdas as if we owned the place. Classic Harris behavior. I was feelin' fine! Anxiety was at bay and woke up happy and ready for the day! 

Shopped around the DVD section, making a 'To Buy' list for when i am filthy rich in my head, walked over to the frozen section with my Dad...still feeling good...THEN some crazy shop fella walked past me with a big old food trolley thing. It made me jump...and that was it. 

I felt a wave come over me and I started to panic. Every noise in the shop startled me, people were talking far to loud and my Dad was no where to be found. I was by myself, surrounded by random shoppers and frozen peas. Hell. 

My chest started to get tight, my hands got clammy, and then the room started to spin. I felt like i was about to lose control of myself. Once it gets to that point, i usually just go to my room to lay down and repeat to myself that i am ok whilst take lots of slow deep breaths. Or if i am with Jesse, Faye or my Mum, they will breath with me so i can breath in their rhythm. But this is in public, i can't quickly go to my room and relax myself, i have to deal with it right now! When i finally spotted my Dad, he could see that i was struggling and we headed to the tills. I tried my hardest to chat to the friendly till lady, but in hindsight she probably thought i was quite rude, i can't even tell you what she was saying to me...i don't remember. All that was running through my head was 'My chest shouldn't feel like this' 'Am i going to have a heart attack?' I held it together for a few more mins, then cried as soon as we got out of the shop. My Dad is pretty good with crying, he has 2 daughters...so he really has to be ok with it other wise he would have a mental breakdown! 

We got to my Dad's car and i jumped in. All the way home i was on edge. I just want to get into my Disney onsie, jump into bed and cry it out...So that's what i did for the rest of the day until my sister, Faye got home from work. 

I struggle with public panic/anxiety attacks not very often, thank goodness. I'm not to great with dealing with them in public. I feel myself withdraw from everything and clam up! 

 If i am with friends, i will take myself off to the toilets and try and calm myself, but i feel like a burden and my night is most of the time ruined. 

So what do you do with public panic attacks?! 

A few days later, i decided to look around the interwebs for ideas on how to help panic attacks whilst out and about! Here are a few ideas i found; 

1. Tell yourself you are ok! You aren't going to faint, you aren't going to die that very second! Panic attacks aren't dangerous and this feeling won't last forever. 
2. Learn some breathing exercises. If you are breathing like a women in labor, settle down! Slow, deep breaths. Breathe in for 3 seconds, hold this breathe for 2 seconds then breathe out for 3 seconds. Do this until you can stable yourself.
3.  No one knows what is happening to you, that sometimes can help. Everyone else is going about their business and not fussing over you. Just take your time. Wander off somewhere else until you can go back to what you were doing. 
4. If you are with someone and you do want them to know, talk to them. Talking is a massive help if you are comfortable with that person. They can breathe with you and help distract the craziness going on in that old noggin of yours! 

So, yeah! A few ideas! Hopefully none of us will have to try these out in the near future, so lets just keep them in mind just in case. 

If you have any other ideas, please do share...i will add them to my list! 

Have a good night! 

Love Kara 

<3 

Baking Day

Good evening :) 

Last Saturday I had a baking day with my sister, Faye. 

 I woke up feeling quite anxious...and hungry for cookies. So my kind Daddy drove us to Sainsburys for baking goodies and Starbucks!

 I have found some pretty impressive gluten free cookies on pinterest! 

Flourless Brownie Cookies. 

What! Flourless? Brownie...cookies? Yep! They are outrageous and so easy! 

Like chocolate? Yeah, me too!

Flourless Brownie Cookies Recipe 

• 1 cup softened butter 
• 1 cup brown sugar (not in the picture) 
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 egg
• 1- 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

* Preheat oven to 190 

* Mix together the butter and sugars.

* Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

* Add the soda, salt, and cocoa to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined.

* Stir in the chocolate chips.

* Using an ice cream scoop (so the cookies are mostly the same size) place the cookie dough onto a baking sheet.

* Bake for about 10 - 12 mins. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few mins before transferring on to the cooling rack. DONE! 

This is the website i found the cookies on. Defiantly have a look! So many good gluten free recipes!  

http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com/2013/10/flourless-brownie-cookies.html

These cookies are awesome.

Give these a go for sure, super yummy and easy like i said before :)

I felt very calm and the happiest i have felt for a while on Saturday, so took full advantage of that feeling and went out in the evening too see some lovely friends too! Good weekend all round! 

Positives from this week - 

* Saw my Bestest, Kirstie on Friday for dinner and kisses! 

* Caught up with a few friends on Saturday night <3 

Love Kara 

<3 

Keep Calm & Carry On

It's true..I try my hardest to stay calm...but alas...anxiety has me in a pretty tight head lock. We sometimes wrestle like a couple of pals! I win every now and then, but this sassy mistress gets the upper hand and brings me to my knees. Such a bitch. 

When i feel like my anxiety is about to take over I have to keep my mind active. Trick it into thinking we are ok...we aren't about to have a heart attack. We're havin' a good time! Livin' life! And so on...

So i have a list...a brilliant list of 'How to calm yourself down!'

These sweet little things help me when i am at my worst. They keep me on the sane train! 

Let get down to business!

1. Walking 

I LOVE a good old walk! My Dad, Sister and I just moved house, so we have a whole new walking world ahead of us! I love exploring new places. I love nature, and I love walking. I just love it! WALKING! My Dad knows that when i am getting upset and anxious that all i need sometimes is walkies! I run to the door and wait for dad to grab my lead!? Just kidding ;) I can walk by myself without a lead.

When I am out in the fresh air i feel better. I take deep breaths and focus on the trees, birds, and everything else around me. I could walk for hours. Sometimes i have to force myself out, but once i am outside i feel tonnes better. 

2. Baking

This. THIS! I love baking. In our old house, our oven was shocking so for a short while baking stressed me out. Which made me sad. Now we have a fabulous new oven, which bakes like a champ! With baking you are so focused on ingredients and measurements that you have to force out any other thoughts. And once everything is baked, you will have a tasty treat! Win/win situation if you ask me! 

3. Watching TV

Putting on a funny film can sometimes help. When my Ruffies passed away, Faye, my sister put on 'Step Brothers' & 'Pineapple Express' on for us to watch whilst i tried to sleep. That really helped settle me. DON'T watch anything too screamy! Like 'War of The Worlds'...i watched that on a plane once...yeah...a plane...watching a movie on a PLANE where you see other PLANES falling out of the sky is an awful idea. Plus that little girl screams like 90% of the film and it panicked me! Stick to funny films/shows...OR David Attenborough...because he is wonderful and can do no wrong. 

4. Games

I am a big fan of pc/xbox games. The Sims is one of my biggest weakness. If i am feeling sad or anxious, i will just stick on the Sims and make huge houses, make a skinny, beautiful me and the world is all right again. Halo is also a big old help...becoming The Master Chief and kicking The Floods ass makes me forget about my woes and concentrate on not dying all the time. I truly am awful, but its the effort that counts.

5. Pinterest

Pinterest is brilliant. I am pretty good at pinning. If you don't know what Pinterest is...look it up! I will pin for hours on end. I am concentrating on finding cool ideas, Disney pictures. bird pictures, baking tips and funny pictures to even think about anxiety! I have so many boards and pins its outrageous. I may add it to my CV...'Good at Pinterest' 

6. Colouring Books 

My Aunty Mary once told me that when i am feeling anxious, i should start colouring. At first i thought it wouldn't work, and felt a little silly buying pens and children's colouring books...But it really does work! You are keeping your mind busy and focused on colouring in pictures, your anxiety just goes away! I love it! Tiger in Woking does adult colouring books, they are awesome. So give that a try for sure. Who doesn't love colouring!?

7. Baths 

A nice hot, bubble bath with a book or just in silence is brilliant. I do this when i feel myself start to feel a little edgy and need to relax myself. It helps you with your breathing too with the steam, and you are getting clean! 2 birds, 1 stone! Good stuff. 

I asked one of my sweet friends what calms her down when she is feeling anxious as well. One of her calming things to do is to listen to ocean noises whilst having a lay down. She has an app on her phone called 'sealife sounds' which she downloaded for free. I found one called 'Nature Sounds Relax & Sleep' to download on to my android, so i shall give it a go tonight and see if it helps me sleep! 

If you have any other calming techniques, i would love to hear them and give them a go too! Always looking for new ways to relax myself. 

I hope my list is somewhat helpful! 

Positives from my week - 

* Had a La Di Da Cupcake lunch date with lovely Meggy <3 

* My David Attenborough DVD i ordered came today...waiting for one more!? Eeee! 

Lots of Love 

Kara 

<3