Happy SAD Thoughts

Having SAd is something that is always with me. More often than not I forget I have it. However, I cannot forget forever. SAd has a way of knocking on my door and reminding me that it has a fixed place in my life. At times like that I realise  I need to work at keeping myself grounded and in the position where I can mange my SAd easily.

There are many things I do that help me stay centred. Getting enough sleep is a high priority. Exercise has helped me use my energy in a productive way and leaves me feeling good. I try to work out three times a week but most times it's once or twice. I have hobbies that nourish me, such as gardening and I recognise other practices which give me a boost. Having a chai latte is simple enough. It warms me inside and provides an excuse to relax and enjoy a few moments of solitude. 

One of the key ways that keeps my thoughts grounded is by reading and watching out for inspiration from other people and sources. Getting a regular fix of both positive and challenging ideas makes it easier for me to think positively and challenge the negative thoughts. I often look out on pinterest for meaningful quotes and I always welcome finding reports in the newspaper that shine a light on social anxiety.

This week I came across this clip via Life behind the purple door . Dayarne at Simple joys and silver linings  shares her experience of anxiety. She's made a video in which she speaks frankly and simply about what anxiety has been like for her. I think it helps immensely to know others out there have gone through what I have and to know I am not alone in this. It is also great to have role models and to see how others forge on - with their anxiety- and move forward with their life. 

I firmly believe the more we talk about social anxiety the easier it will be for those who have it but are not aware of it to find ways to manage it. It would have been so good, when I was young and struggling, to have had some strategies to turn to, or some role models to look up to and I'm talking about helping me just to get through the day.
If you would like to see more words of inspiration, have a look at my pinterest board of Happy SAd Thoughts.

This week I'd like to leave you with some words of inspiration.
As you can see I'm an amateur when it comes to presenting quotes myself.... 
Have a lovely Sunday.

Simple Living: Simple achievements

This year I've been living very simply, but in a different way.  I've had a run of ailments which means there have been days where I have been able to manage nothing more than staring at the TV screen. I had intended cutting down my screen time this year but in the last few weeks I've watched more than ever. 
I woke up yesterday with a very sore throat. Added to that my car has cut out completely three times in the last two days so I don't want to drive it until it gets fixed.  Because I had started getting better, Mr S and I had been looking forward to going out for a drive this weekend. Alas, it's the very, very simple life for us this weekend. Again. It looks like it will be a little longer before I can get back into my regular life.

Somehow, through all these pot-holes in the road of life, I have managed to get back to work and do  "light" things around the house. I noticed that many bloggers record their simple living achievements which appeals to the part of me that likes to make lists and tick things off. So this week I thought I'd list the very simple ways in which I have been "living simply".

• I am slowly decluttering by unsubscribing to websites I no longer use or no longer need. It feels good to be making a difference even if it is only a baby step. It's still a step forward in the right direction.

Providing nourishment but possible not a contender for the Royal Show.

Zucchini fritters.

No, I didn't eat these grapes. A two-legged creature worked its way through the netting.

• Picking vegetables from the garden and cooking with them. I'm learning! There's so much I don't know about gardening and I'm not sure that we've saved too much money but I think there will come a time in the future when this biding time  will pave the way for a flourishing and productive vegetable garden.
• I'm remembering to turn off switches. My "frugal" motto is Every little bit counts. Being frugal is a habit I want to cultivate rather than a major goal I want to throw all my energy into.
• My phone reminded me I need to check two bills and accounts this week to make sure they are paid on time. So I paid them.
• I've started tinkering with the making of  fairy garden after getting distracted from this goal last year. I've kept it simple by just using what's lying around the garden. It's a work in progress.

• I'm getting back into a routine: mid-week laundry and household "admin"  on a Friday night. "Admin" includes planning for work and home. I'm not an organiser by nature so planning helps me keep on track. Having goals and planning has helped me prioritise in the last few weeks when I have not been able to get things done so easily.
• When it was hot this week we kept the house closed  and didn't use the cooling. 
• And this one: Saving money by not going out and making do with what is in the house (trying to look at a challenge in a positive way :) ).

I wrote earlier this year about life delivering me a message:  embrace what is, as is, now!! I've got to admit it feels totally weird to be doing nothing, just sitting around, but my body seems to need it right now. I know I need to trust that all will be well. Besides, I am fortunate. I have much to be grateful for. I'm very grateful that in this hot, hot weather it is OK for me to sit around doing nothing. When I remind myself that getting sick like this has happened before, I know that it won't be long before life resumes its normal pace. I can't help thinking that life really is marvellous but it sure does have its share of potholes and the challenge is to embrace those potholes as much as the highs!

On being frugal in 2015

(My computer has gone "kaput" so no recent photos but I found some oldies. Enjoy.)

Well, my friends, 2015 is the year I incorporate frugality into my vocabulary. Don't get me wrong. I have always been relatively cautious with my spending, but the word "frugal" is one I have never wanted to adopt. 
Growing up we had little to no money for spending. Back then, it wasn't so much about being frugal. It was a matter of not spending because there was no money to spend. One had to be frugal to manage the pennies each week.

I think because I have social anxiety, asserting my needs and wants has been something I was never able to do. In many ways, I really didn't know what I wanted, let alone know how to impose that on someone else. When I was younger, there is no way I would have asked my mum for the latest pair of jeans or some cool top or a neat line of stationery. When I first started to work in a permanent position on a fixed income, I literally didn't know how to spend. I would constantly think of what might happen if I overspent and didn't have any money left. Again, social anxiety at work!
I had to learn to spend. I had to learn to enjoy my money. And eventually I did. 
But this was not about being frugal. This was about not knowing how to be with money, even though in the course of growing up and being fearful of overspending, I actually learnt many useful ways of saving money.

I think I have been averse to "frugality" because it often seems to be about putting money above people or money above the quality of a product or experience. Of course, different people have different priorities. 
For me, I want nourishing food over cheap, processed foodstuffs. I want a long-lasting garment which can be worn and enjoyed over a $3 bargain which was made by whom? where? under what conditions? and of what quality? 
For so many years I found it hard to connect with people and neither did I eat a wide range of food when younger. So as I got older, I made it a priority to accept invitations to eat with friends and colleagues, even though I might not each as much as them at a restaurant and we would be sharing the bill. A chance to (learn to) be with people was what counted.

Fast-froward to 2015. 
My partner is very frugal. He wants to finish off all the food in the fridge and not throw anything out. Every penny is important to him. I want to respect what is important in his life and I want to support his endeavours. So this year, 2015, I have increased the repayments of the mortgage. I've realised that if I practise some of Mr S's money-wise habits this is something we can manage, not forgetting the fact I love setting myself a challenge. 
I'm working on the philosophy of every penny counts. A lot of good money habits also resonate with my goal to live simply and make choices that are earth-friendly and people-friendly. In addition to keeping a budget, spending wisely and living simply, here are some of the ways I hope to save a little:

• think twice before grabbing a cinnamon roll or snack from the bakery
• use the wood heater for heating when winter comes, once a week, and sometimes use candles rather than electric light 
• return library books on time (which I did yesterday, knowing this was now part of the challenge - to avoid the fines which I always get)
• turn off the power switches when not in use
• turn off the TV when I'm not actually watching it (consider one TV-free day a week)
• use my phone to alert me to due dates so that bills are paid on time and no extra payments incurred.
• lunch at school gobbles up  my money....try to take food from home at least three times a week

I expect that by putting these things into practise it will actually make me think twice about all spending. So, 2015, here comes Ms Congeniality Frugality!!