HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED AND INSPIRED (WHEN YOU REALLY DON'T FEEL LIKE IT)

Sometimes life gets so busy and you forget to do the things that make you feel like you.


My beautiful friend Marina De Buchi* has created an amazing collection of bracelets to help you through those moments in life where you just need a bit of encouragement, or when you feel like scattering a little bit of inspiration to the people around you. Each bracelet comes in the most beautiful packaging with an extra (pink!) gift box if you're feeling like treating one of the girls in your life. And the best part? 10% of every sale goes directly to help victims of human trafficking through the charity A21. More about their amazing work here!

1.Work somewhere different ft. The 'personalised name' bracelet

They (whoever 'they' are) say that you should try and separate your work place from your sleep place to avoid not being able to do the latter properly. I never used to get the whole 'work from your bed' thing, because I love being at my desk (more on that here) but sometimes, i'm at my most productive when i'm sat away from my desk, and comfy in my bed. I think it's because I feel more relaxed, and in a less pressured state to be productive. As much as i love being surrounded by my colour coded notebooks, or sausage dog sticky notes, sometimes I work more when i'm not being reminded to work more every second, if that makes sense. Of course there are more distractions sometimes (netflix, i'm talking to you) but if you stay focused, and go out of your way to not get distracted, a change of scenery might be good. If you're somewhere warm, why not take your things to the beach or a park and set up a work station there?

2. Grab a coffee with your Besties ft. 'The follow your heart' bracelet

Some of my favourite conversations have happened when i've sat down with some of my closest friends, and just chatted. No time pressure, no surface conversation (you know the ones that start with "hey how are you?" and end with "yeah i'm good thanks" and don't really go much further than that?) and no subject off limits. Sometimes, when you're feeling extra stressed and like you don't want to talk about it (trust, that's me 99% of the time), the best thing you can do for yourself is pick up the phone or send the text to that person that you know will make you talk about whatever it is you're stressing about.

3. Buy yourself some pretty flowers ft. The 'Life is beautiful' bracelet


Every time my mum brings me round a bunch of daffodils it makes me smile to know that she has thought of me (and my love for flowers) to bring me a little pick-me-up. Surrounding yourself with things that make you feel inspired will only help create a better space to work, create and be productive in. For me, a room is not a room without vases of flowers in all different colours lining all possible surfaces, they bring a little bit of the outdoors inside and that's always a good thing. (Unless you have hay fever, then i'm sorry!). Why not buy a bunch for one of your friends next time they're feeling a little bit down? I can guarantee that it will make them feel 10x better.

4. Write a list of everything you want to achieve this year ft. The 'Unlock your dreams' bracelet

I am definitely a list maker. Whether that's a shopping list, a list of things I need to do that day, or a list of things that I need (want) to buy, it's something that helps get the thoughts out of my brain and on to something external where I can prioritise them without getting stressed or forgetting things. Sometimes I like to take one of my extra nice notebooks and write down my goals this year- things I want to achieve academically and personal. sometimes i write down what i want to achieve in each month, or sometimes it might just be a list of ideas i've had and don't want to forget. It's nice to look back on to see what I have achieved, and what i'm still working toward.

5. Try something new

People say that you should try one new thing every day but when i heard that, my first thought was that I barely had enough time to do the old things i have to do each day, so fitting a new thing in would be way too stressful. But actually, when you think about it, you subconsciously do one new thing every day, we just don't aways notice it when they're 'small' things. Things like speaking to someone you have never met before, taking a new route on your dog walk, trying a coffee shop you've never been to, making a new friend, trying a new food you said you'd never eat. We all do new things each day, so being more aware of them will make you more conscious of all the little things in life that actually, over time, make the big moments and memories you don't want to forget. Sending a gift or writing a letter to someone you wouldn't usually get gushy with is such a nice way to let people know that they're your favourite, and will hopefully encourage them to keep the good-deed train rolling. Everyone loves acts of kindness.

6. Take some you time

Whether you would consider yourself an introvert, or an extrovert, everyone needs some time to just be them, doing whatever it is that makes you feel relaxed. Whether that's making yourself a hot drink and sitting down with a good book, having a bubble bath or watching that film that's been on your netflix list for the last few months, we all need time where we don't have to think about anything else other than enjoying that moment. I think this is so important especially if you work a job that requires a lot of person to person contact, or even if you're a student who has too much work to even think about doing something for yourself. You do! Being around people all the time can be draining, and it can be equally as draining working your hardest at school, college or university. When things are so piled up high that leisure time seems like a far off fantasy, put the books down, shut the laptop, leave the library and take an hour out. There's no point doing work that won't be your best because you're flitting between a breakdown and stress. It's not a crime to take some time for you, to refresh and rethink before returning to your work feeling refreshed and ready to take on the rest of your tasks. Trust me, you're your own worst enemy in this. Other people will be doing the same, you aren't the only one and it won't make a difference in the bigger picture- but being unnecessarily stressed will!

So there's 6 ways to stay encouraged when you don't always feel like it. I hope that these were helpful and you leave this post wanting to go buy some flowers and paint your nails! That's what I will be doing...

*PS. The beautiful bracelets in this post were gifted to me and is in collaboration with Marina De Buchi.com. Check out her website and let me know if you treat yourself!