#DontJudgeMeChallenge

Ok, so I've just recently encountered this new trend on the internet called "Don't judge a book by it's cover" or "Don't Judge Challenge" and for all those of you who haven't heard of it yet - it's basically teenagers recording short clips of themselves where they've modified their looks to purposefully make themselves appear 'ugly' with painted-on mono brows, pimples and wearing big, nerdy glasses for instance (who even told them that these things are what makes a person ugly??), they then cover the camera with their hand and when they remove the hand they are shown all styled up looking their absolute (and of course natural, ahem..) 'best'.
Now the seeming 'goal' of this was originally to promote tolerance for people who look different form the norm, hence are perceived less attractive and to ditch the dogmatic beauty ideals - but to be REALLY honest with you and to say it with quite blatant words (excuses for my language) this has really turned into nothing but bullshit! 
Do these kids really think they are helping people that can't help or change the way they look by shaming them for not matching society's (sometimes ridiculous) beauty standards and into believing they're ugly??
In my opinion, this challenge is just taking body shaming to a whole new level and all the shallow, superficial teenagers participating in this are just doing it to impress their crush and get attention really. 
There's no way to fight mobbing with even more mobbing.
Seeing nonsense like this I sort of wish I could just exit the planet to be honest.. 
To me personally beauty is about so much more than just appearance-

This was my opinion on the matter but what do you think?  

 (please excuse me if this sounded too much like a rant) 

xx ♡ Micky

Letting go of negative relationships

Since this vacation started I've just surprisingly noticed how good and balanced I finally feel again. 
For a while I thought it was just the fact that there is much less stress in my life at the moment and surely that will have been one factor but another, more interesting point I've noticed is that I stopped worrying about the negative people in my life so much. I'm not gonna lie about it, I've spent the past months surrounded by some really egocentric and narcissistic people and I'm pretty sure them being out of my life is one of the reason for me feeling so much better. . .

"Human beings are social creatures. We are social not just in the trivial sense that we like company and not just in the obvious sense that we each depend on others. We are social in a more elemental way: simply to exist as a normal human being requires interaction with other people." - Atul Gawande

Like you just have read in the quote above from Atul Gawande we all know we are social creatures and we need each other. We need relationships. Unfortunately no matter how much you want them to work, some relationships just don’t... Relationships can be real obstacles to a happy life. I've found some people I've encountered in the past (especially ones that turned into friends) to be surprisingly bad for me and my self confidence. I'm sure we've all known this one person that secretly hated us for no apparent reason at all and constantly tried to make us feel self-conscious by talking us down. 

Is a relationship of any kind filled with negativity or does it trigger you in some way? 
If, then you should consider to let this relationship go.

In a romantic relationship you can come to a point at which you have to think about whether you should continue or end the relationship. But ending non-romantic relationships isn’t something we think about that often.

There’s nothing easy about letting go of a relationship. However, getting rid of negative or triggering influences is crucial for living a happy life.

Here are some tips if you might find yourself facing an unhealthy relationship to someone:

#1 Create some space

By distancing yourself from a negative person in your life you can easily find out if they are really the reason for your unhappiness. If you notice you feel a lot better whenever a specific person isn't around, you can be pretty safe so say that this person is impacting your life negatively! 

#2 Be honest but realistic 
Try, if possible, to be honest with the other person. If there is something that really bothers you about them but you suspect they might be doing it unintentionally, just tell them about it.

#3 Celebrate the positive
Positive influences can make it easier to let go of the negative ones. So if you have just decided to distance yourself from a friend who had a negative impact on an area of your life, try spending more time with people that make you feel better.

#4 Focus on yourself 

 I've found this pretty important; The more you love, care and respect yourself the easier it will be to cope with letting go of someone. If you don't respect yourself, how do you expect other people to do so? 

I believe life is a journey and we are going to encounter all sorts of people on our way but in order to be perfectly happy we need to ensure that only the positive ones stay in our lives!

 I hope this entry was helpful for some of you :)

xx ♡ Micky

Feeling down? Here's 5 ways to use body language to make yourself feel great!

We all have those days, when you just feel like staying in bed all day with internet connection and food. Social interactions? No, thanks! You feel way too low to even fake the happiness and there's absolutely nothing you could do to change the way you feel today.. Wait - What? The title of this post is about how to make yourself feel better inaspects as simple as body language? Yes! And trust me, it's really simple! 

Need a quick pick-me-up? Skip the coffee, and instead, stand straighter, 
smile and even try imitating a cheerful walk to lift your spirits. 

So here are 5 easy ways to transform a 'using-bad-mood-as-an-opportunity-to-be-a-hermit' kind of day into a 'I-really-feel-like-going-out-today' kind of day! 

taken from:http://thespiritscience.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/happiness-is-a-butterfly.jpg

#1 

Increase Your Body Space

When you’re feeling nervous, uncertain and or afraid, you may find yourself crossing your arms or legs or may be putting your hands in front of our face or mouth. That’s called “body blocking,” and it’s a universal sign of discomfort, Carter says. To feel better, he advises flinging your limbs out and taking up more space. Making yourself and your space bigger conveys confidence, not just to those around you, but also to your brain.

#2
Walk like you mean it

Scientists at Canada’s Institute for Advanced Research had two groups of study participants walk on a treadmill, one with their shoulders slumped and with a slow gait, and the other in a more cheerful fashion. As they walked, the test subjects were shown a list of positive and negative words.
The depressed walkers recalled more negative words, while the cheerful walkers remembered the upbeat words on the list, suggesting that their body language during the test had affected their moods and memory. The lesson here? Lift your head and stand tall, and you may just see your spirits look up as well.  


#3
Flash those pearl whites!

You know the saying “If you fake it you can make it”? Well, it’s actually true when it comes to smiling. Since the 1970s, research has shown that even a manipulated smile can boost your mood. A genuine smile - one that involves both the mouth and the eyes - does all kinds of great things for you, like releasing endorphins into your bloodstream and boosting your immune system.
What’s more, researchers at the University of Kansas found that people who smile have better heart recovery rates after stressful events. So, if you find yourself in a stressful situation, a smile could just be what the doctor ordered.


#4
Pose it up

Try a power pose to restore your confidence. Either raise your arms in the victory pose or put your hands on your hips like Superman, and then hold for a few moments. “Power posing” can help reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels while increasing feel-good hormones.


#5

Laughter really is the best medicine

Laughter is a great mood booster—it allows your muscles to relax, improves blood sugar, and raises and then beneficially lowers blood pressure levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. Because laughing is a social thing (you’re 30 percent more likely to laugh with others than alone), it decreases isolation. But that laughter better be the real thing: It turns out that the brain can easily detect the difference between real and fake laughter.

You might find that some of these tips might work better than others on you but I can promise that you'll feel at least a little better if you try to integrate some of them in your daily routine. :)  

Keep smiling, it makes you look beautiful! 

xx  ♡ Micky