The greatest life of all!

 

This is to all those Instagrammers. You know who I mean. Yes, I have Instagram myself. I upload some great nature shots without saying too much about it. I like to see all those shots together and to dive into all those nice memories once in a while. I like that. But what I struggle with for some time now is those typical Instagrammers. I mean those people that put so much effort into presenting themselves and their idyllic and perfectly designed life. The nicely edited pictures of themselves, their body, their green garden or their dressed up dog. This is just too much.

I am sure that some of these people are as awesome as they pretend to be. And that’s great and fine and I don’t want to criticize them any further. I am talking about some people that I know – they either have been friends in the past or I got to know them in some way. And because I know them, I know how much they are lying to themselves and to everyone that follows them.

If you don’t know them and you read their post thriving with positivity and wisdom, they seem to be full of energy and strength and have an answer to everything. Oh, these super humans! How they manage to live the life we normal people can only dream of having! It seems too good to be true. And yes, that’s exactly what it is – it is too good to be true.

Because I know them – I have spent a lot of time with them and – it is almost funny, if it wasn’t so shocking and sad – they are completely the opposite of what they are making their followers believe they are.

The person that promotes happiness and positivity is one of the most negative persons in real life!

The person that writes about accepting others and about empathy is really jealous and mean to her friends!

There is someone who – judging by all the posts – must be a real treasure as a friend- but really is an evil and vicious person. A person you don’t want in your life.

So why do these persons lie so outrageously? Of course people also lie in real life. But so many more people think that it is ok to do so on Social Media. They probably wouldn’t (and couldn’t) do that otherwise. But it is ok to behave that way online.

It is important to be yourself. And you should be yourself on Social Media as well. Or in case you don’t want that, don’t show yourself. And don’t pretend to be something you are not. You can be that charming and wise person – but then please show this side of you to your friends and family as well. To all the people you engage with.

Be yourself. Even if you are an evil b***- at least be consistent and present yourself that way on Instagram as well! Don’t fool others. In the end you just fool yourself.

How to feel less anxious - 8 suggestions

Last week I published my post on daily life anxiety, which is widely spread among our fast moving society. During the last days I thought about some strategies that help me when I have anxious thoughts. I know that every person is different and therefore everyone needs their own strategy, but maybe my ideas are helpful and inspire you. 

1. Calm down and breathe slowly - I know it sounds silly, but if you are experiencing a sudden wave of anxiety, concentrate on breathing in and out for a minute or two. Your brain will focus on breathing and forget at least a little bit about the anxious thoughts. 
2. Talk to someone - If the anxious thoughts keep coming back, confide to a friend or someone you know will listen. The person doesn't have to be a specialist. The most important thing is to share your thoughts and let them out. Most likely you will feel better afterwards. 
3. Don't drink too much coffee or alcohol - you may think it'll help you calm down, but it mostly adds to your anxious thoughts and makes them worse after a while. So instead drink enough water and tea (fresh ginger is very good in tea!). 
4. Enjoy the moment - Don't think too much about the future. Anxious thoughts often relate to the future. But the future isn't always something that you can change. Be in the present instead. Every moment will soon be past and you don't want to miss it. So try to relish every moment instead of worrying about a time that hasn't even come yet. 
5. Exercise - Doing sport helps me a lot. If you haven't figured out what sport you like, start doing that. There are so many options and there is always a sport that fits you. During and after sport, I always feel so much better, relaxed and happy with myself. It's nice to have feelings of happiness. And it's a lot easier to fall asleep after having exercised. 
6. Travel - Travelling, seeing other countries and meeting new people always cheers me up. When you're travelling, you're far away from your daily routine, your work and your everyday problems. You are in a new situation and you have the possibility to figure out what you really want, because every time you travel you learn something new about yourself. 
7. Go outside - If the sun is shining, take a long walk. Breathing fresh air calms me down enormously and helps me focus on positive things. The sun has a super power and it's for free, so enjoy it!
8. Be yourself - don't let anyone change you! If someone doesn't accept you how you are (with all the anxious thoughts that you may have), then stop spending time with that person. Figure out what is good for you and what helps you be yourself, feel good about yourself and try every day to do a lot of this stuff so that you feel less anxious and better about yourself. 

These 8 strategies help me feel better and feel less anxious about things. If you have other ideas, please let me know so that we can share our experience! 

Anxiety

Anxiety - what a big word and certainly there are many forms of it. I want to talk about anxiety that one has to face in daily life. I for myself was recently exposed to it. After having spent some time at home recovering from my illness, I imagined what it would be like to go back to work. 

Normally, work isn't that bad. Anyway, the key is to make the best out of it. But when you haven't been at a place for some time and you know that you do have certain responsibilities and after your return you have to face all that trouble and probably your boss and colleagues will ask you all those questions you are uneasy to answer - then you feel uneasy!
So my head fantasized about my return and I imagined all those different scenarios that might happen. I really wanted to stay at home and felt a bit nauseated when I had to drag myself to work on Monday. 

In the end it turned out to be ok. Of course there were things that I had to do immediately, of course people came in and asked questions. But what I totally forgot while lying at home: I am strong and I am capable of dealing with that and after that day, I felt much better. Since then, every day was better and now I am relaxed again and I don't worry about the next day, when I have to go back to work. 

It is difficult to explain how those things that happen in one's head lead to anxiety. It is crazy what it does to you. The good thing is that I imagine it much worse than it actually is and in the end everything is fine. 

My goal for now is to work on it and to gather 5-10 ideas on how to reduce "daily life anxiety" and post it soon in my blog! 

The most important advice on Lifestyle

My new theme for my blog is lifestyle. There are unlimited possibilities on how to live, what to eat, how to exercise. My posts will rely on my experience, that's all. I cannot - and I don't want to - give advise on how everyone should live. Every person is different and there is no secret formula on how to live a "perfect" life. Because this one "perfect" life doesn't exist. Everyone has to find an individual path that leads to happiness and satisfaction. 
So my posts will only be based on my life choices and I will explain why a certain diet or a certain exercise helps me improve my life. 

So much for the introduction to this new theme. 

Before elaborating on lifestyle related themes in the upcoming posts, there is the one most important thing to remember! I myself am still struggeling with this lesson, but especially in times of uncertainty and sickness, the importance is more obvious than ever. 

Relish every day and every second! 

Life is short and unpredictable. It can be over in a heartbeat. I don't want to frighten anybody, I just want to remind everyone that life is precious and it is a great gift. So I try to not get annoyed by small issues that in the end don't matter. 
I try to just enjoy every day and spend as much time as possible outside in the calm and soothing nature. My everyday goal is to do things that I like, to treat myself and do spend time with loved ones. I know that words like "live each day as if it was the last" are frequently used. But it's true. As long as I keep those things in mind, I am actively doing something to make each day special. Doing things that I'm excited about and pursuing my goals help me realise that my life is worth living for. 

My message for today is simple: Listen to yourself, listen to your body and do what is good for you! Every day!