Monday Motivation

As we get older life becomes more chaotic the more we start to discover who we are in this world. Some of us leave home travel the world looking for adventure and self-discovery while some are able to find all that they are and need right at home.

But as chaotic and as challenging as life can become one thing should always remain the same... Family.

Not everyone in this world is fortunate to be born into an amazing family but everyone has the freedom to create a family that they are proud to be part of.

If you look up the word family in the dictionary you will see a range of meanings referring to parents and their children, single parents as well as marriage. While all of these definitions are true I believe that friends can also become family and hold as much and sometimes even more value than the family that you were born into.

Images sourced from www.onevelvetmorning.wordpress.com

After moving away almost 6 months ago I value my family more than ever and I know how lucky I am to have them, and that includes my friends and their families who have become members of my family over the years.

This week take some time to love and appreciate your family for all their beauty and all their flaws too because let’s face it, no family is perfect but they are always there for us whenever we need them no matter where we may be in the world.

Have a great week lovers xxx

Love Sara. xxxxx

Monday Motivation

Image sourced from www.forthedream.tumblr.com

This can happen to the best of us at times. Losing myself is a place that I feel like I visit too often these days, but in my moments of clarity I remember that when I feel like I’ve lost the girl that I used to be, or am unsure of who I am or what I want these days, I remember that it’s ok to have these feelings because I am just shedding the skin of what is no longer needed, taking what I have learned and what I’m still learning, and am evolving into the person I’m supposed to be for the next chapter of my life.

Yes feeling like you are losing yourself on the regular can be, scary, frustrating, lonely and bloody awful, but the key to losing yourself from time to time is making sure that all of those good ass friends and family that love you as much as the air they breathe are by your side physically, emotionally or in my case virtually, to remind you how bloody awesome, talented, beautiful and loved you are in those moments when you don’t know how to remind yourself! And with that... you will never truly lose yourself all the way because these magnificent lovers we call family and friends will never let you!

Have a great week love bugs and remember, it’s normal and fine to lose your shit from time to time... just don’t lose it forever! 

Love Sara. xxx

Inspired Interior Design

One of the many careers that I think I am supposed to have is as an interior designer! (I say one of the many because I struggle to stick to with one thing for long periods of time, for example some days I want to be Beyonce and other days I want to be Project manager.) I digress!

Anyway back to interior design, ever since I was a little one I’ve always loved beautiful homes and always dreamt about the type of home I would have as an adult and raise my imaginary family in. I even remember telling my aunt once when she moved house not to have any nets or blinds in her bay windows as ‘rich people with style’ simply don’t do nets or blinds! To my surprise she actually listened to me and yes her bay windows looked amazing, however my belief on the nets and blinds situation has changed slightly over the years.

Before moving to Lisbon I became slightly obsessed with interior design, Pinterest became my best friend and pinning images of beautiful home became my top hobby!

Image sourced from PLANETE DECO a homes world

Since moving, I think that my obsession has excelled to a whole new level!

I have always loved the old architecture in this city and I love strolling around and admiring the buildings and tile work here, especially the buildings that look like they need a good face lift, as I have all kinds of fantasies about what I would do with them! (I told you my obsession was at a whole new level.)

 

Recently I’ve noticed that my interest in beautiful interior and exterior design isn’t just about the fact that beautiful materialist things make me feel all happy inside, I’ve realised that it’s really about creating a space that represents me and makes me feel comfortable and relaxed after a hard day out in the wild west.

Most of us live in a world where we work stuck behind a desk for hours with crazy deadlines, so it’s important that at the end of long, hard day that you are able to go home to place that helps you to unwind, where you can leave all the stress from the office and the outside world at the door. This is why when decorating your home there are so many things to consider, like what colours you want to use.

For some, this is simply about choosing the colour they like but for others, it can be about how the colours make them feel and also what they mean. For example, yellow is a colour associated with sunshine, happiness and Joy, has a warming effect and can stimulate mental activity. Where blue is a colour that is associated with depth and stability, as well as trust, loyalty, confidence and faith to name a few and is also known for being beneficial to the mind and body. 

Then there are the choices of décor, Modern or country; retro or classic or my favourite... YOU. 

Have you ever been to someone’s home for the first time and said to them “your home is very... you”? Well I have and I’ve noticed that people often see it as an insult than a compliment.  But I assure you it’s a compliment, because the way I see it is that your home should always represent you! It’s where you live its where you share some of the most meaningful and intimate moments of your life, its where you’re supposed to feel safe and also where you can just let it all hang out, literally! I know I do. Seriously, my neighbours across the way regularly get a free lingerie show!

Feeling breezy is essential to life, the less time you take to de-stress or just take a breather can really affect your creativity and productivity. Have you ever noticed that you get your best kickass ideas when your vibe is set on chill? Relaxation is also a way of just having some quality you time and giving yourself a break to allow yourself to breathe and also reward yourself for working so hard. Making your home your into a haven is one way to start.

Images sourced from swiftsorchids.com

It doesn’t have to cost much as places like IKEA are great for designing you home on a budget. But as much as we LOVE Ikea there are also so many other ways to create the home of your dreams on a smaller budget, like going to flea markets and second hands shops. The things you find there are brilliant and you’ll have less chance of seeing the same things in other people’s homes. Also use websites like Freecycle, GumTree, Ebay and Debop and if you like to travel use this as an opportunity to take home so beautiful pieces of local produce and culture and make them part of your home.

However you decide to decorate and design your home just remember to fill it with colours and things that make you happy and that help you to feel relaxed. But above all, make sure that you have a home that you feel proud of that represents who you are!

Love Sara. xxxx

I Get By With A Little Help From Yoga

Yoga was always something that I’d always wanted to do however my initial reason for trying it out over 10 years ago at the infamous Pineapple Studios are very different to the reasons why I love it today.

Despite the relaxing effect it had on me and my friend in that studio all those years ago (we fell asleep!), I never quite cottoned on to the power and empowerment of yoga, I just saw it as something that was good for me to do during my days as a dancer to help keep me limber and strong, which is probably why I never kept it up as I completely missed the point of what yoga is really about.

However over the past few years I have found myself questioning so many different aspects of life and paying a lot more attention to the way I respond to life. So as a way of exploring this and finding balance and inner peace, in January 2014 as one of my new year’s resolutions I vowed to start my yoga journey and it all began with a £5 class which I had no idea would eventually play such a huge role of support in my life.  

Sadly only after a few weeks the class was cancelled and for a while I tried out a few other classes but I never quite connected the way that I did with my first instructor.

By the summer I felt like I had started to fall apart as my tank was on empty and I needed to slow down and as a result of overworking and neglecting myself in more ways than one I began to experience a lot of anxiety. I knew that what I was experiencing was simply a mind over matter situation and I was determined to restore myself in a holistic way. So I contacted my instructor and gave her the rundown on what was happening and booked myself in for a private session, but before diving straight in for a yoga session we agreed that I we would have a Reiki session that would help to understand where my issues were coming from and what areas we needed to focus on. This was and still is the most powerful spiritual healing experience I have ever had. It was the first time in what had felt like months that my mind found peace, even if it was only for a few seconds at a time because let me tell you, those few seconds felt like heaven (or at least what I imagine heaven would feel like.)

These sessions were the start of gaining back my control, managing and understanding my mind and emotions at a deeper level. Since then I have continued with my yoga and meditation practice and have had some really great experiences. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to some yoga classes where I’ve left and at the end said to myself “what the fuck was that all about”, and I’ve been to some where my body has had a better work out than my mind and spirit, but I’ve also been to classes that have left me in tears, or have unblocked whatever may have been preventing me from feeling grateful, happy, loved or free. My latest experience involved being turned on during a session!! Which I assure you, was as much as a surprise to me as  I think may be to you! The instructor did have on some insanely little tight shorts and he did also had a beautiful voice, but after having a quick chat with my instructor back home she assured me that it was completely normal and that he (the instructor) clearly acted as catalyst for whatever was going on in my body. (Horny hormones! HA!! Can’t believe I just wrote that!) Lol, no seriously yoga has all kinds of ways of awakening your subconscious feelings, energies and emotions. Especially at times when you least expect it, you can experience all kinds of emotions.

Yoga isn’t for everyone but for me it one of my top wellbeing activities that keeps me centred and grounded in this crazy western world. Since moving to Lisbon I’ve been exploring different classes to find my right match while I’m here which I think may have finally found. What makes it even sweeter is that it’s outdoors and it's free!

If you’re in Lisbon and would love to do some yoga check out the video below!

Or if you’re at home and don’t have the time to get to a class but really want to have some kickass guided practice, check out Yoga with Adrienne! She is amazing and I regularly do her sessions via YouTube. She’s fun as has a great way of making you feel at ease with whatever level of yoga you’re at. She also has a great 30 Daysof Yoga programme which I’ve found as great way to start the day.

Follow @yogawithadriene

Enjoy and  feel free to share any yoga stories or tips!

Love Sara. xx

F.R.I.E.N.D.S Do we Really Need Them .... Hell Yes!!

Last week was a very trying week and my friends simply were my saviour.

Sometimes in life you need to be told about yourself, not in a nasty way but simply because you’re being too hard on yourself and sometime you need someone to talk to help you make sense of the things in your life that you just can’t figure out alone.

You should know something about me that I have only really discovered in the past year… I am an utter control freak and being the control freak that I am is currently ruining my life! Ok that was a little dramatic… It’s not ruining my life it’s just making my life harder than what it needs to be.

You see my problem is this, I know the beauty of living in the moment because I spent the better part of 2013 doing just that, but I also have this thing that I do which is called being overly ambitious. This is not a bad thing, but this usually leads to me setting my sights on something that I want to be or do, working my arse off to get it and then once I have it, not exploring it and then setting my sights on the next big thing. In short this means that I live a lot in the future which equals major anxiety. This is something that I am working on and at times I’m better at it than others. However for the past few weeks I have been failing miserably and this is where the help and support of good friends come in.

Over the Christmas my good amiga came home from uni and we had a blast! So much of a blast I didn’t realise how much I’d missed having a friend around who gets me in every way possible and best of all, is as honest as f*@#! Some people hate that, but I love it! It sets the real apart from the fake and there is nothing better that having friends that call it like they see it and believe me, that is exactly what she did.

To put it simply, my dear friend verbally shook some sense into me and helped me to remember that there is nothing wrong with having ambition and goals in life, but sometimes I just need to give myself a flipping break and acknowledge all of the great things I have already achieved and be proud of them. She also reminded me to live in the moment and to stop spending so much time worrying and trying to control the things in life that ultimately, I have no control over.

All in all, having great friends in life is a must! And I mean real friends, one’s like my good mate that I’ve just spent the last 400 odd words talking about. Friends that never judge you, friend that will still be your friend regardless of the choices you make so long as you remain true to yourself whilst making them, friends that will not only just listen to your problems, but friends who are down to help you find solutions to your problems even if means telling you to get your head out of your arse, but above all, friends that you can be your complete and utter self with and have a good old fashioned laugh about everything and nothing all at the same time!

 

Image sourced from http://easy-safe-weightloss.blogspot.it/

Value you friends lovebugs… good ones are hard to find.

 

Love Sara (A little Lady with a Kick Ass friend called Arti!). xxx