Girl Talk: Body Image

body image

Hi my girls, 

For this "Girl Talk" I have decided to talk about BODY IMAGE. 

This has recently become a problem for me and it's thrown me off a lot because I, myself, never thought I would have negative self-talk based on the way my body looked, but here I am having difficulty with the way my body is appearing to me.

 That's right, ME.

 Nobody has told me I look unhealthy, nobody has told me my body looks ugly, nobody but myself. The way a person sees their body can be based on the thoughts of others and the pressures of the media, but in my case it's just me. I have been loosing a lot of weight recently for unknown reasons and I feel absolutely terrible about it. I look in the mirror and all I see are bones and it makes me feel so ugly. Mind you, I never have been FAT, but I have always had a little extra weight in certain areas and going from being a girl with love handles and chubby cheeks to a skeleton makes me feel icky. It's hard for me to get ready in the morning because all of the clothes I own are now baggy and not the best looking on my frame anymore.

 Because of the fact that I haven't been feeling the best about my body I wanted to make this post and give you all some tips if you happen to be feeling not the best about the way you are seeing yourself. 

1. Replace your negative words with positivity

-Instead of looking into the mirror and picking out what you don't like about how you look, take time to bask in the glory of your beauty and say out loud all of the positive things you love about your body. Even if they are small things they are something that you think looks lovely so acknowledge them!

2. Learn to accept compliments

-A lot of times it's easy to throw out a compliment somebody gives you when you're feeling negative about your body. However, when you learn to accept those compliments it puts a little bug in your ear that tells you "Hey, I am pretty!" or "Hey, I do look good in this outfit!" 

So eat it up people, take those compliments and run!

3. Celebrate when you feel good

-If you happen to be having a particularly good day where you are feeling on top of the world about how you look GO WITH IT! Make that day spectacular. It can be a rare occasion when you feel body positive so when it happens make a whole day of it. Do your hair, put on makeup, get a little dressed up, and maybe even take a day out somewhere! Take time to celebrate the fact that you are a beautiful being!

Good luck, and stay positive. 

You're all marvelously beautiful, 

Paige (: 

Girl Talk: Periods

periods

Hi gal pals, 

I have a post specifically for you. Today we are going to get real about our periods.

From the time I was in 6th grade and started my period I've had awful cramps which usually end up with me not being able to function. I've gone to the doctor multiple times and have even eded up in the emergency room a few times because the pain can be so severe. The last time I visited the doctor I was told I most likely have endometriosis. Simply put, it's the devil in my uterus. 

I'm not sure how many of you deal with pain like this when it comes to your period, but if so I wanted to put together a little self-help guide on ways to make it through the day with satan in your abdomen. 
Good Luck, 
Paige 

TIP #1 

- Go for a hot bath 

I don't care what time it is, how much you feel like you don't want to move, or how sleepy you feel. If the cramps are so excruciating to the point of laying in a ball all day head to the bathroom and run a steamy hot bath. The heat of the water automatically relieves the tightness of the muscles in your abdomen.

TIP #2

-Yoga

One of the worst thing you can do while on your period is to get no exercise. I'll be the first to say that when I'm on my period getting up to do exercise is the last thing I want, but I've discovered that it actually relieves a lot of the pain. Specifically YOGA! The relaxing energy allows your body to relax along with getting your mind off of the pain you're feeling. 

TIP #3

-Water is your best friend

The more water you drink the easier it is to get rid of water from your body resulting in feeling a lot less bloated. It sound backwards, I know. Give it a try though! A little extra water never hurt anybody. 

TIP #4 

-Stay close to a hot herbal tea

Herbal remedies are always my favorite because of the huge benefits they provide for all sorts of things. Skullcap is the herb I choose to make my hot tea out of when I use this method to ease the pain. Add a little sugar and honey to your cup and soon the pain will be reduced. 

TIP #5

-Contact your doctor

It's important to know your bodies limit and sometimes there comes a time where the cramps are just too much. If you experience puking, extreme headaches, or pains to the point of not being able to function it's definitely time to see a professional. There are many things that can be done to try and alleviate the pain caused by menstrual cycles, but you have to remember to be patient with finding what works for you. 

Health: MENTAL HEALTH

Mental Health 

For me mental health is a huge part, and really the beginning to, my overall well being. Mental health is something that I struggle with and something I think everybody has at least been exposed to it. I struggle with depression and anxiety, and I will get into that more maybe if anybody asks me to. I really just want to be able to bring it to peoples attention that it is real and I want to be able to help people that are struggling as well. When it comes to my depression a lot of the time my breakdowns will just happen out of no where or because of something small. You can't always know when it's coming and that is one of the worst parts of it. You feel so out of control. My depression is the biggest reason I didn't blog over the weekend. I haven't been able to do much to help keep it at bay, but I am trying some things and thought I would share them with you. 

Fighting Depression and Anxiety

Like I said, recently I've been struggling a lot with my depression and today my anxiety has been acting a little funny, so I thought i would share some of what I've been doing to help a little. The first thing that has helped is keeping my environment clean. Even if the rest of the house isn't in the best shape as long as my room is clean then I have a space I can go to to calm down and not feel overwhelmed. With that being said, alone time has also helped. I never would have thought this because I always feel like if I'm trying to be happy with people I will feel better, but in all reality sometimes you just need a break. The best tip I have to help with calming down is to take a bath and allowing for quiet time. I can't even explain what it does. Give yourself an evening or day of pampering and relaxation and you'll be sure to feel better. There are even some DIY recipes for bath bombs on youtube. I'll link one of my favorite youtube videos showing a great Pamper Routine. 

If you have any questions leave them down below or if you just want to talk leave a comment and I will definitely reply! If i get enough questions I might film a question and answer video/tips and trick for fighting depression and anxiety.

With all good wishes,

Paige

                                              

Health: FITNESS

And this is what I'm here for. Fitness isn't my strong point. Heck, it might not even be one of my points at all, but the key is that I want it to be one of my points. I am by no where good at being consistent with my fitness, but my dad has been helping me get back to it. He generously gave me the most beautiful bike for my birthday and that is where I want my exercise to start. Bike rides are so easy to enjoy and half the time you don't realize you're working out until the next morning. That's when your legs feel it. TRUST ME! 

The only other thing I do for my personal exercise is yoga. Once again, I'm not the most consistent person with my fitness, but yoga is my absolute favorite. Hopefully I'll get a good job soon and have enough money to actually start a class. Until then however, I will continue to watch videos on youtube and do yoga on my own. It works just as well. Yoga has so many other positives besides the obvious one of getting healthy. Mental clarity is the biggest bonus for me because I can never shut my mind off, and yoga offers me just that. 

"Make it a lifestyle, not a duty." 

In the long run I just want to be able to put fitness in my weekly schedule. I don't want to think of fitness and exercise as a chore, but rather something I want to do to help myself. Getting exercise is one small key to my happiness.

Over and out,

Paige

Health: FOOD

Health

When the word lifestyle is mentioned people usually think about health, so that is where I have decided to start. Health isn't something that I'm by any means good at, but it is definitely something I have been wanting to work on. Today I want to focus on the food part of health and share a little of what I eat and how I want to improve what I am eating. 

Breakfast 

As soon as I wake up I usually just feel nauseous so I'm not up to eating a ton of food. Naked smoothies are the best option! They always fill me up, at least for a while, and they are something easy for me to get down. The smoothie I drank this morning was called red machine and it was so delicious; one of my favorites for sure. 

Snack 

I got a little bit hungry around 4:00 and thought eating something small would be good since i had a small breakfast. I'm usually much hungrier in the evening. Instead of going for some candy or something sweet like i would normally I chose to make a wrap. The wrap was so tasty even though it didn't have any veggies. I loaded a tortilla with cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and some sliced smoked ham, and then popped it in the microwave for 45 seconds. It was honestly the best snack I've had in a while. 

My healthy food plans

If there is one thing that I think I should change about my eating it is my eating schedule. I need to get back to eating three meals a day and around the same time every day. Obviously it would be nice to be able to eat healthier to, but I think I'll have to work on that when I move out. Which I'm working on; we'll talk about that later. Overall I just need to get on track with my eating and stay persistent. Eating better will lead to overall better health mentally and physically. 

Wishing you health and happiness,

Paige