A Beautiful, Crisp Day

It was such a beautiful day today. I woke up nice and early and just felt so good today. It's rare that I have days where I just feel good and happy and perky, but today was one of those days and I went with it. My boyfriend had the day off so I got the bright idea to walk to the drug store so I could look for some cosmetics. He encourages me to walk when I am feeling up to it so I put on my makeup, put my hair up cute, and laced up my comfy walking shoes. I just felt really cute today. 

We were off and out into the crisp, cool air. It was just absolutely wonderful. I enjoy the cooler weather so this was right in my happy zone. Of course I took my camera with me just in case I found anything wonderful or magical. I did take some pretty cool pics. I love the bird houses on the tree. I can imagine little fairys living there. I want to leave treats for them. It's just so whimsical. Overall, it was just a wonderful walk and I enjoyed myself. It seems to be a little easier each time I go out, to actually go through the process of getting up and getting ready and actually going. Well, I get bribed with makeup too so that works. Enough of my silly jibber jabber. Here are the pictures I took on my walk. I hope you enjoy!!

I feel so pretty today!

Fairy Houses

I want to leave the fairies treats

If you would like to see what I got bribed with today, Click here for my haul video.

Feathered Beauty

Due to my depression and anxieties I usually don't want to leave my house. I don't want to interact with people. I don't want to leave my safe, comfortable cave. It's nice here and it has my dog and my bed and my food and nobody can hurt me in here. I don't have to put on my "I'm fine" face when I am withing my walls. I've been trying to get outside more since I have my new camera. I've been outside taking pictures of Gucci and the field behind the house and even the landlady's dog. My goal is to go a little farther from my house and take pictures too. I was really struggling with my inner lazy voice Monday morning. I wanted to walk to the Dollar General to get some stuff that we needed. My lazy voice said to just stay at home and relax, that it was cold and misty outside. My anxiety voice told me that it was so far and that I would be so sore if I walked and then there would be people there and it just wouldn't be worth the walk. 

Well I overcame my inner voices and I was rewarded. It was nice and cool outside so I knew I wouldn't get overheated which was a good thing. I took my camera with me intending to take a few pics along the way but I really wasn't inspired by anything. Until I got almost to the store. I couldn't believe my eyes. Sitting over on the fence about 15 yard away was this beautiful bird of prey. I couldn't get my camera out fast enough. I was just so excited! It checked me out as it posed for me. I'm not sure as to exactly what kind of bird it is but it is gorgeous. These pics are with no filters or edits. Just zoom. This feathered beauty is certainly an outstanding example of one of God's glories. I definitely plan on getting out on walks more often.

If any of ya'll happen to know exactly what kind of bird this is, please leave me a comment down below.

If You Just Smile

The first thing I would like you to do is to put on a smile. Studies show that smiling and laughing have a huge number of benefits to both mind and body. So by starting this blog off with a smile, we are becoming healthier already.

~     When you laugh, your body releases endorphins. These are brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which make us feel happy. They are also a natural pain and stress reliever.
~    Laughing reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and gives us a quick burst of energy.
~    A good laugh can be beneficial to the lungs, boost immunity, and could even burn off calories.

Many people deal with stress these days. Stress can lead to many health problems including heart attacks and strokes. Smiling has been proven to reduce stress and can literally help your heart to be healthier. I say that right there makes smiling a win in my book. 

We all have stresses in our lives. Stepping back and taking inventory of those stresses can be invaluable. Take a close look at them and see how many of them you can simply remove. There will be many that will still remain but there is one thing we can do. "Fake it til ya make it." Acknowledge that the stress is there but hold your head high and smile til you can overcome it. Those endorphins will kick in and make things a bit easier. The science backs it up that it is possible to smile your way to a happier, healthier lifestyle. The physical act of smiling and laughing can have a psychological impact on your body, going so far as to release “happiness” chemicals and hormones in your body to make you feel better no matter what you’re going through. Win.

Positivity attracts positivity. Smiles are contagious. People who smile more are said to be more attractive and tend to be more successful, by appearing more confident, attractive, and approachable. By being successful and achieving our goals, we tend to be less stressful and even happier so yet another big win.

There are just so many benefits to smiling. It doesn't hurt to smile. Smile at every person you pass, be they friend or stranger. Smile and laugh at the silly moments in life. Smile at the precious moments. Smile through the tough times. Smile always. Just Smile.

Final Fantasy 14

One of my coping methods to my depression and anxiety is to play video games. Well, I should say, a video game. I love playing Final Fantasy 14. I used to think I could not play video games because I had so much trouble using the controller. My boyfriend helped me set up a character on FFXIV one evening, and while he went to work I attempted to figure out the controller. It took a lot of frustration and me walking away but eventually I got the hang of it. I took a lot of pride in that. Some people may think that is weird but I do struggle with small things and I do get excited when I overcome those struggles. That's a personal right of mine ;-)

FFXIV is a massive multiplayer online role playing game. You create a character and explore the land and complete quests and dungeons to enhance your character. I am including a wiki link here that includes a much more detailed description of what the game is about. Final Fantasy is also offering a free 2 week trial. Just go to their website here. I'm on the Gilgamesh server if ya wanna join me.

This is a pic of my character, Azera, when I first started playing. I played mostly when my boyfriend wasn't home because I was embarrassed. I still felt that I struggled with something so simple that even little kids could do. I stuck it out though. I pressed on through the storyline and defeated monsters and even made some friends online. These are actually big things for me. I am a procrastinator and I don't like talking to people. So for me to stick to my guns and to even socialize somewhat, is an accomplishment in itself. I took pride in that. I told my boyfriend about my progress every evening and he was proud how quickly I was advancing. This gave me courage to begin playing in front of him more. It's surprising how a video game can actually give someone a sense of pride. I had been through a bad period prior to this and a video game brought back some confidence for me.

I've been playing for about a year now and Azera is just tough as nails. I still get anxiety sometimes when I have trouble defeating something the first few tries but I push until I defeat it. This is a method I need to apply more to life in general and one of the reasons I am doing this blog. For aha moments such as this. I let life moments knock me down all too often and I don't get back up. I stay down. I need to become more like Azera and get back up and keep on going til I defeat whatever is knocking me down. That is certainly a goal for 2017. I'm gonna leave ya'll with a few more pics of  Azera. Changing out her glamours is one of the most fun things.