How to Not Wake Up Feeling Stuck In A Rut!

Some mornings I wake up and, quite simply, feel like ass. It's true! I open a bleary eye, peer at my iPhone to check the time, and know instantly to the core of my being that I'm in a bad, bad mood. I do not know why. I do not know how. But this grumble-bum phenomenon blocks my creativity, stems my flow of positivity and makes me snappy with innocent family members.

Life can be stressful. There are money worries, boy troubles, Horrible Bosses, family feuds and other worrisome whales to contend with. Some days, it seems that nothing short of a miracle will get you out of bed, let alone out of bed, smiling and being pleasant to telemarketers. While I'm not going to break down all the individual stresses of day-to-day life and perform an in depth analysis of the intricacies of  stress management, there are some simple ways to bring a little bit of joy back to the forefront of your Beautiful day!

Set your alarm to a song that gets your blood pumping

Music is a powerful motivational tool! Music assists with focus, drive, it can affect emotions and moods. Why do you think sports teams have anthems? Or why they play Enya at meditation classes? Music can help to get you back into a positive mindset. And if that's the first thing that happens to you in the morning, imagine what you could achieve armed with a few good beats throughout the rest of the day?!

Here's a few of my favourite 'happy day' tracks to get you started!

Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl

 

The La's - There She Goes

 

DJ Fresh - Gold Dust

 

Jennifer Lopez - Let's Get Loud

 

 

Start the day with a herbal tea

I know it sounds a bit naff, and don't get me wrong, I am a coffee addict. But there is something very natural, earthen and soothing about drinking herbal tea- particularly if you drink it out of an incredible teacup! Try T2, Teawana and T-Bar for energising blends, or anything with berries. And beacuse teacups make me happy, here is Tumblr's best selection!

Do your makeup differently


Well, obviously, this only applies to female readers! Try altering your morning routine. If you're feeling stuck in a rut, change your lip colour! Add a swipe of sparkle to your lids before applying your eyeliner! I'll be doing a few makeup tutorials in the coming months, so stay tuned. But in the mean time- if you usually wear lip balm, invest in a new coloured lip gloss. If you typically stick to bronzer, try a pink or peachy shade for your cheeks. Experiment with shimmer. Even revisit the nineties and give body glitter another whirl! Makeup is about self-expression, experimenting with who you are, and having FUN. What are you afraid of?! Afterall- it washes off!

 

Make an effort to be sincere

How many times have you stopped to buy your morning coffee and barely even looked at the barista? Do you say "thanks" or "cheers" without even thinking about it? Without even meaning it? The people who help to create your day- baristas, bus drivers, office cleaners, cashiers- are people, just like you. Make an effort to give them a proper smile. Ask them how they are, and be genuinely interested. And don't forget to give them a proper smile when you say goodbye. Smiles are contagious! Spread the love!


I'm not saying that whacking on a shade of fuschia lipstick will help you get out of a controlling or abusive relationship, or that sticking up a poster of a kitten hanging from a branch will grant your boss the wave of understanding that will finally get you a payrise and an invitation to hit the gym with him after work. But these tiny details are all under our control. We can alter small things in the course of our daily routines that can help to make life brighter, make your day better. They are accessible and easy and, well, who knows...? If you try them, maybe you'll find that you go to bed on one of these shitty days with the faintest trace of a smile!

Flowered teacups and Gold Dust sprinkles,

MJ x

An Addiction, An Affliction, A Profound Affection

It’s been a stupidly long time since my last post. I don’t really have an excuse- other than a ten day trip to Bali, starting University (which means hours and hours of reading like a total maniac) and job hunting. I don’t want to let this blog slip away though, so I will endeavour from now on to put something up every couple of days, even if it’s just an inspiring quote or picture!

I’ve just finished one of my text books for Uni. It’s called The Little Red Writing Book and it’s essentially a beautifully stylish, concise writing handbook. It’s got me to thinking about the way I write, why I write, why I choose words, why I omit sentences, why I’m petrified for others to read my work. In other words, I suppose, it’s had a pretty profound effect on the way that I think.

Call it what you will, the particular brand of ‘creative investigative journalism’ I choose to employ should be considered more of a preoccupied fascination with my surroundings. You already know I’m obsessed with colours, and lights and sounds and smells, and of course, all the wonderful weirdos who embellish the bizarre tapestry that is my own glorious Mess.

There may be others that would consider it more merely as a collection of muddled-up musings from a nerd with a minor inferiority complex... but, I digress.

Ever since I was small, I have been enthralled by words. A single word can inspire stupendous reflection in the mind. Rainbow. Glory. Insignificant. Lavender. Whale. Bland. Taj Mahal. Do you see what I mean? Describing words, names of things, names of people. I’ll take the lot. And people! Oh, people ... watching people, talking to people, listening to people talk to people. Laughing at people, laughing with people, dancing with people, watching other people dance, watching people cry and fight and walk and walk into things.

Cause and consequence, action and reaction. What a wildly erratic world we live in! I consider it to be a great privilege, having such a childish preoccupation with life, to sit and observe this wondrous phenomenon that is Mess. What I hope to be able to do (not only in the three microscopically small years I have at University, but over the course of a lifetime, or several, if I can swing it), is to be able to write about it. Clearly. Concisely. With colour and vigour and clarity.

"Why do you want to write?" a stuffy bean-pole of a man asked me once on a plane. "Because I have to," I answered plaintively.

To quote a man who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors in the universe, Mark Tredinnick: "A writer writes because he must: it's an addiction; it's an affliction; it's a profound affection." That is a far more eloquent and beautiful turn-of-phrase than my clumsy attempt (-"Because I have to"- idiot). But what Mark is getting at is true. I write because I have no other choice. There are few other outlets, few other places to channel excess energy. My head is too full of thoughts and imagery and noise to have it contained in the few square inches of space inside my skull.

What’s more- another idea from Mark’s wonderful book- is that writing is really just thinking on paper. Writing allows you to put everything you think down on paper, but is gracious enough to allow a level of filtering that enables only the most pure form of thought to be recorded. (If that’s what you choose to do. You could just leave a plethora of crap there if you wanted to. Ever read ‘War and Peace’?).

My best friend calls me a romantic at least twice a week. I’m happy to wear that- at least I know that I am slowly becoming a product of my own experiences. But I think that I’m slowly coming to use another term to describe myself. I’m a writer.

I write.

I’m a writer.

Engage Fabulous Style

Good morning darlings! I am in an unnaturally refreshed mood today as I selpt for FOURTEEN HOURS last night. Amazing! I feel like I could take on the Universe! (How appropriate- this blog is about me taking on my own world, after all.) Do you now what I'd love? To find some other people who want to committ to this project with me. We're right at the very beginning, here and now, this project is less than a week old- what better time than to recommend this page to a friend who might enjoy it, or someone who you think is ready to start Cultivating, and doing something new with their Mess.

Begin to Cultivate Your Personal Aesthetic.
Today is my first pay day (!) since deciding to embark on this fanciful journey. I'm filled with almost innappropriate levels of excitement over the fact that I will soon again have real, live money in my bank account. And while that is very exciting, as there are things I really do need to buy such as food, razors, shampoo and these leggings (because let's face it, they are gorgeous)- don't think that your creativity and Cultivation is limited to having a few dollars up your sleeve to bandy about buying fairy lights for your bedroom, or an entirely new nail polish collection. No, no, no. In fact, I'm going to help you out.

* Top 10 Money-Free Ways to Engage Fabulous Style and Promote Positive Change In Your Very Own Mess * 

1. Re-read a favourite book that you haven't picked up in years. Engage with the characters and get back to the roots of what your truly enjoy.

2. Pick some fresh flowers. Stick them in vases, jam jars, coffee mugs, anywhere that will make the whole house smell like a florist. (Just don't let the neighbours see you if you intend to pilfer their award winning roses).

3. Paint your nails in colour coordination with your outfit. Hurray, colours! You may even have a few nail art gems lying around the place- go crazy! Imagine having glittering jewel encrusted nails when you sip on your next triple-shot-latte at your local coffee house. You might make someone's day. And please, please, please wipe off any mistakes with nail polish remover before it dries on your skin. There is nothing that says 'unpolished' (forgive the pun) like a messy manicure.

4. Throw out anything smelly or rotten in your fridge. Have you ever noticed a person's expression when they've opened the door to a pongy fridge? It's repulsive, and yet so easily remedied! Stay on top of it! You know as well as I do, that ham went off two weeks ago...

5. Go through some magazines and tear out pictures and words that inspire you. You don't have to do anything with them just yet- we'll have a look at ways to use these things in the near future- but spend some time collecting and reflecting. Plus- it's fun.

6. Go through your iPhone/iPod/Andriod/MP3 and make notes of music you haven't listened to for years or don't like. Delete. Why take up precious space on your phone and in your Mess on things that don't thrill and excite you? Poo! Be gone!

7. Check out some different Blogs. Sign up for Blogger, or Tumblr, or any other blogging website that tickles your fancy. You don't have to post anything, but you should be granted to use of a 'next' button- once you view a blog, hit 'next' and it'll take you to another random one. Why not? Engage with others and add their beautiful, different colours to your Mess. (Just make sure you come back here evenually).

8. Apply a fresh coat of your favourite lipstick. Drink a coffee. Enjoy the coloured imprint on the coffee mug.

9. Air out your quilt. We spend almost half our lives in bed. We sweat in them, spill tea in them, other people sleep in them (including animals)... stick your nose deep down in your bedding and take a whiff. See what I mean? Not cool. Chuck it on the clothesline, or drape it over some chairs outside in the sun. Make your bed a bedbug free zone.

10. Get off your computer. It's not going to run away. Go outside. Sit on the lawn, or in your favourite deck chair, and get to work on numbers 1, 3, 5 or 8. And that, gorgeous reader, is exacly what I'm going to do.

M x