10 ways to show yourself some love

We’re probably living the busiest and darkest time of the year. Holidays aren’t here yet and we have like 204583405 things on our to do lists. No wonder that we might feel “a little” exhausted. Or at least I do and I can’t even tell how happy I am, because today is my last school day in this year, yay!

But when we are living the dark times like this, it’s so important to show ourselves some love. And if you have no idea how to do it, don’t worry. I’ve made you a list, hurray! I know you must be so thankful for me but you are welcome, I’d do anything for you babes. And here it comes.

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xx Iida-Emilia

Checklist: Sleep better

Everyone loves sleeping. Sometimes we are just too busy to sleep or maybe we have troubles falling asleep. Whatever your problem is, here is a checklist for better sleep.

1. Go to bed at the same time every day, even when it’s weekend. It becomes a routine and falling asleep gets easier when your body and your mind are already waiting for it.
2. Paint your bedroom walls blue or another calming and relaxing color. Avoid aggressive colors like red.
3. Keep your bedroom tidy, messy bedroom will distract you and you won’t fall asleep.
4. Bed is for sleeping. Don’t work, eat or watch tv on it!
5. Turn off the tv, computer and your phone an hour before you’re going to bed. They keep your brains working too quickly. Try reading or yoga instead.
6. Do not exercise hard after 6 am. Walking, yoga or stretching are good for sleeping though.
7. Get some beautiful and cozy sheets, you can’t wait going to bed. Also keep your sheets fresh and change them often.
8. Don’t eat too heavy meal just before going to sleep
9. Don’t go bed when you’re hungry either. Try warm milk with cinnamon or natural youghurt with honey.
10. Do deep relaxation exercise before going to bed
11. Avoid drinks with caffeine, try herbal tea instead. I love camomile tea and drink it every night.
12. Buy yourself a good pillow, I used to have those weird backpains and headaches and then I bought a new pillow… after that nothing! New pillow can really save your life, babe.

+ 1: We have our own unique rhythm and what suits you, maybe won’t suit for everybody. For example my boyfriend goes to bed at 9.30 pm every night. I’ve tried to do the same, but I just can’t. If I fall a sleep that early, I wake up at 2 am and stay awake at least an hour. And because of that I’ve decided to go to sleep later, at 11 pm.

Good night!

Little injury and the power of positive thinking

I’m so sorry about this silence, but like I told you, my last week was very busy at school and last weekend I hurt my knee so bad that I was on the hospital. I fell from a horse when I was riding and I hurt my knee and we had to call an ambulance to help me up the ground and they took me to hospital. No bones were broken and there was no blood in my knee so I came home yesterday. But the pain was so bad that I really screamed and cried out loud when they took my boot off at the hospital. It was just horrible.

Today my leg is already better and I can even walk a little bit and I don’t need to take any painkillers anymore. I’m so relieved, because I want to get back training as soon as possible. The doctor said that if I don’t have any pains, I can go running already next week. And maybe swim already at the end of this week. But I just try to remember that my health is the most important thing and I need to rest as long as there is any pain in my knee. But I admit it is sooooo frustrating right now.

But this is really good opportunity to learn some positive thinking. I’ve always said that I’m positive person, but when this happened, my thoughts were so negative and dark that they really made this injury feel like a end of my world. I really had to work with my mind and really force some positivity to come. I just told myself that:

• It’s October, this isn’t ruining my goals, because there is still plenty of time for training
• My motivation gets bigger because of this
• This will teach me to be patient
• It’s just my knee and nothing is really bad broken, so I’ll survive

I just tried to find some silver lining from this cloud. I was still angry and frustrated because of what happened, but this positivity really made me feel better. At least I felt better than thinking those negative thoughts like “what if I’m never gonna run again??!!”.

But like I said, it’s already better and I will run again very soon. I’m happy and this little injury only made me want to achieve my goals more than ever. I’m so motivated and no one will stop me!

Try new things and ignore those negative comments

When I’ve told my friends and family about my new hobby (training for triathlon :D) I’ve heard so many negative comments. And I’m actually very surprised about them and a little confused too. Most comments are like “I think you have more important things to do than just run or bike all day, what about your school or work?” Uhmm..I never said I’m gonna quit school or stop working because of my new hobby. I mean what the hell, I am a woman and I can focus on multiple things at the same time. Or maybe not at the same time but there is plenty of hours in a day, so I think I can handle it all.

The second thing I’ve heard a lot is that no one can take me seriously, because I always start doing things and then just stop it when I get fed up with it. Well, that’s true. But I want to say that I haven’t stopped everything. I still do ride a horse, write, paint and blog. I get excited about things easily, but when I notice that this thing is not for me, I don’t hesitate to quit it and start doing something new.

Now when I think about this I don’t understand why people think it is a bad thing. I think it is great to try out new things. If you never try things, how are you supposed to find your passions. So maybe triathlon isn’t for me, I can’t say it yet. Only thing I know for sure is that I enjoy running, biking and swimming. I enjoy it now. Maybe I’ll hate it in the future but maybe I won’t. No one knows it yet and only thing I can do is keep going and see what happens.

So try new things. Don’t listen to those negative comments. And remember that if it’s not for you, you can quit it any time you want to.

Feeling tired? Here’s some tips to boost your energy!

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Last night I was lying on my bed eyes wide open at 2 am. I just couldn’t sleep and I was wondering why. I had troubles sleeping last time when I was in high school and my life was, well I didn’t have any routine in my life. I didn’t exercise, I ate unhealthy and I went to sleep too late every night.

And last night I realised my life has been a mess after I came back home. Not like mentally mess, but I have absolutely no routine on my life. I go everyday to university, but I only have school like 2 hours a day. I stay awake at night, wake up at 9 am and also take naps. I eat only garbage food like chocolate and sweets. I don’t exercise or drink enough water. No wonder I can’t sleep!

I’ve also felt very tired lately and I think it’s because of autumn. Everyday there is less light. That’s why it’s so important to get some enrgy from food and from exercising.

Here is some tips to get back your energy:

• Do yoga
• Eat lots of fruits and berries
• Go to bed early, before 11 pm!
• Sleep enough, 8 hours a day
• Eat green vegetables, try to add salad on your smoothie for example
• Don’t spend too much time online or watching tv
• Try to be outside couple of hours every day
• Exercise, run, go to gym, dance, play football, whatever feels good for you
• Eat regularly – I try to eat 5 times a day
• Drink enough water
• Avoid drinking coffee, at least don’t eat it in the evening
• Don’t eat too much sugar

I’m not a big fan of losing weight and by eating healthy I don’t try to get thinner or fitter or anything. But nutrition and physical activity are very important. And I hate when women always just think about their weight. Health is what really matters. I’ve met so many thin girls who have said that “I eat only at Mc Donald’s but I’m still that thin.” And you really think that’s a good thing? I want to courage everybody on healthy eating. I think taking care of your health means respecting and loving yourself.

Your life is like an empty canvas – fill it with beautiful things!

I love to paint. I’m not very good at it but I just love to play with the colors and create something. It’s relaxing and it really helps me to catch the moment. When I’m painting, I don’t think anything else. I just watch how colors take different shapes and become part of one big picture. It’s so relaxing. When I’m painting I don’t think about how my school sucks or how I should clean my apartment. I just paint.

I like to think that life is like painting. When you wake up, there is this empty canvas, or paper like in those pictures above, in front of you. It’s up to you what you are going to do with it. You can fill your canvas with beautiful and colorful things or with melancholic sadness and rain. It’s up to you. You create your days. You create your life. Always remember that.

I know that no one can totally avoid problems, sadness or rainy days. But it really does matter what’s your attitude. You can get angry, cry and pity yourself for the rest of your life. But lying down on the ground won’t take you anywhere. If you decide to walk on the sunny side of the road, life will be much gentler for you. So, be positive and fill your life with butterflies and pink roses!

Say no to boredom – 15 Things to do when you have nothing to do

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I’m that kind of person who needs always something to do. I can’t just BE and do NOTHING. I hate to watch stupid tv programmes or just lay on the couch. I need to do something. And if you feel the same way, here’s some advices for you to avoid boredom.

1. Invite your friend for a coffee. Hanging out with a friend is always the best way to cheer you up. It’s never boring with a friend. Chat, drink coffee and plan your future adventures.
2. Visit your grandparents, if possible. I enjoy so much to hear when my granma tells me about her youth and childhood. The whole world was so different then. Grandparents have so many stories and I think they are worth hearing.
3. Write a letter to your friend. Not an e-mail letter but a real letter. Get some beautiful paper, write nice things and then post it. I know no one send real letters anymore, but that’s stupid. I mean, who doesn’t want to get a real, handwritten letter? I definatey do.
4. Learn to cook something new. I like to read some cooking books and find recipes I’d like to try. I’m not the best cook in the world, but I enjoy preparing new, delicious foods. The best part is of course eating the meal.
5. Bake. I like to bake sweet things, but actually I prefer baking bread. There is something very relaxing on baking.
6. Do yoga or meditate.
7. Read a book. I go to a library every week because I absolutely love reading. Right now I’m addicted to Jane Austen’s books.
8. Arrange your clothes and take useless clothes to the second hand shop.
9. Help someone. Volunteer or babysit your friends baby so she can spend some quality time with her partner. Helping others makes you happy. I use to bring animal food to an animal shelter. It makes me feel good and it’s also very important thing to do.
10. Go to some event. I’m sure that there happens quite a lot in your city. Sports, concerts, markets or whatever. On Friday me and my boyfriend went to an ice hockey game. It’s very big thing in Finland and especially in my city. And it was really fun! Maybe you should try something like that too.
11. Go for a walk. I like to walk in the woods and it really calms me down, when I’m stressed out. It’s healthy too.
12. Learn something new. Even when you weren’t studying in any school, you can still improve yourself and learn new skills. Participate some course or start a new hobby. I’ve been really excited about painting lately and I’ve been learning it by reading books about it.
13. Create something. Write, paint or play some instrument. I write a lot short stories and I also have a diary. And I love to paint and draw.
14. Go to a theme park or aquarium. Have a nice day there riding roller coaster and eating loads of cotton candy or admire some beautiful fishes.
15. Hands up if you have visited all the museums and art galleries in your town! I’m never been in any museum here and I think it’s a little bit embarrassing. So next time I’m bored, I’m definately gonna visit at least the museum of arts, because it sounds interesting. You should do it too!

Know your fears but don’t let them win

I was going to surprise you guys with a videopost today, but I have to admit that I was too scared to publish it. I’m usually brave and like to go out of my comfort zone, but a video post is quite big thing for me. I watched it and thought that maybe you wouldn’t understand my English at all and I gave up for this day. But I will do it I promise, I just have to practice my accent a little bit.

I usually don’t think about my fears. I have even thought that I don’t really have them, but today I just had to face my insecurity and it wasn’t the nicest feeling. I think that you should’t think your insecurities or fears too much, because that gives them more power. But sometimes it’s good to face those scary things. Today I continue this fear theme and reveal my fears and insecurities. Maybe this will help me to fight agains them too.

I’m afraid of flying. That’s an irrational fear, but still I’m terrified and seriously every time I need to go into plane, I’m sure I’m going to die. I’ve traveled by plane a lot, but when I was like 20, the fear just suddenly hit me.

I’m insecure if I have to talk out loud when there are loads of people listening. I can do it but I hate it and I’m scared if I have to do it. I’m scared of my voice, because I think it’s not strong enough.

I’m embarrassed of my accent and it’s hard to speak any other language than Finnish, even I love learning new languages.

I fear that something bad happens to my family.

I’m scared of the fact that my dog will pass away someday.

I’m afraid of revealing my truth self to the others. It’s hard to me to tell people what I really feel or what I think. I don’t make new friends that quickly, because of that. Some people think I’m a little cold person, which is not true really.

I’m afraid that my life isn’t going to be what I want it to be. My biggest fear is that I work hard and give my everything and still nothing happens.

I’m scared of cancer. My granma had breastcancer, she made through it and no one else has it in my family, but I’m still scared of it.

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So there were some of my biggest fears. I think it’s good to know your fears, so you can fight against them. It’s important to know your strenghts and weaknesses. But remember one thing: I’ve acccepted my fear of flying, but still I do fly. You should not let your fears limit your life. Don’t let them win. I won’t and I promise you will get my video post in just couple of days.

Catch the moment they say, but how can one do that??

Recently I’ve been thinking about living in the present. I’ve always loved making schedules and lists about what I’m going to do in the future. Almost as often I’ve been stuck in the past. But very seldom I live in this moment.

Carpe diem

That sentence was written with huge letters in the wall of my secondary school. I never thought about that then, I used to think that’s a little bit tacky motto and that it means absolutely nothing. But no when I’m older and at least a little bit wiser, I feel that living in the present and catching the moment are really important things. I just wish I could live like that.

When I think about last night, we were watching tv with my boyfriend. There was this movie he wanted to see and I promised to watch it with him. But honestly I wasn’t there at all. I was thinking everything but the movie. I was thinking about my school stuff, what should I wear tomorrow, should I start dancing again and all kinds of not so important stuff. This is actually kind of sad.

Living in the present is much harder than one would think. But there are couple of things that really force me to catch the moment. One is yoga. Last year I took yoga lessons and I think I should start doing it again. In the lesson I forgot anything else and just focused on asanas and breathing. It was so refreshing. Now when I’m writing this I really started to miss it and I think I’ll start doing it again. In yoga lessons there was this meditation part also and it really made me stay in this moment quite effectively.

Second thing is riding. My parents have two horses and I’ve been riding since I was a little girl. It is very important part of my life but now when I lived summer away there has been a break. I haven’t been on a horseback in 3 months now. I should start this again too. When I ride, I can’t think anything else. And that’s very good for me, because I’m thinking and stressing things way too much. I need to have a break sometimes.

I’m also afraid that while I’m thinking about future, the life will pass by. I miss lots of things if I’m just making plans and never living. This is something I have to pay more attention to. And so do you and I’d love to hear some of yor experiences, is it hard to live in this moment for you? And if it’s easy you should definately tell me HOW do you do it?

Things that made my week: pink blush, coral lips and being creative

Oh, what a week has it been! My school starts next week, so I haven’t had any work or studying stuff to do. But I’ve been busy meeting my friends and hanging out with my boyfriend and my dog Luna, who was missing me so bad when I lived in Helsinki. It’s been busy but also an amazing week. So I made you a list of those little things that made me smile during these days.

Luna, my dog. She is always happy and I love her so much. I think this doesn’t need other explanations.

My boyfriend and our anniversary. It’s such a blessing to have he on my side.

You guys, I can’t believe I have already so many readers and followers on Facebook. You can’t believe how happy I am! I hope you enjoy reading my posts.

My friends, it’s been great to see my old friends who live here in Tampere. I haven’t had a change to see them much during summer. And it’s also great to have these new friends. Today one girl from work called me just for chatting and I can’t tell how nice does that feel. They haven’t forgotten me even when the summer is over.

 

Books. I love reading and during this week I’ve visited library twice. After doing so much work in summer, I don’t have energy to read anything difficult or fancy. So I’ve read books of Jane Austen, Marian Keyes and Cathy Kelly, so love is in the air.

Sleeping, really. I love these late mornings and taking a nap every afternoon. No work, no school, just sleep.

Sunshine, today weather has been really nice. Sun is shining and it’s over 20 (celsius) degrees. It feels like summer.

My new cosmetics, I bought this BB-cream from Kicks and it’s perfect. I mean it covers enough, moisturises enough and it’s still so light. And the tone is perfect, and that’s the most important thing. I’m so pale that it’s really hard to find any product that fits. I also bought that pink creamy blush from Kicks. And I love the color of it.

Burning candles, evenings are getting darker, so it’s nice to burn candles again. It’s also very romantic.

Coral lipstick, I’ve had this lipstick for a while, but I hardly ever use it. Today I did and it actually looked very nice.

Doing creative stuff, I’ve been painting, drawing and working on my scrapbook. I love to do things like that, it’s very relaxing and it also gets me to flow and after that I’m full of new ideas and plans. I love it.