5 ways to live a calm and happy life

April 10, 2025 54 Comments

WALKS

Walking is once of the most simplest and yet underrated forms of exercise with a ton of physical, mental and emotional benefits.

This is where I do a lot of my walking with my dog.

Nature is one of the best places to walk as it helps clear your mind.

Walking can reduce stress and anxiety, it improves your mood ( I can account for this one haha) boosts endorphins and can improve your memory and focus.

There are many benefits of walking including muscle strengthening, weight loss and better sleep, something so small but with many benefits. I always find that if I have woken up in a bad mood or if it is my time of the month and i’m feeling a bit irritated, that going for a walk with my dog really does boost my mood and relieves a lot of stress and gives me a much clearer head.

Overall I really would recommend walking daily even if starting off small 15-20 minutes, you will start seeing the benefits.

Reading

Reading also has many benefits when it comes to selfcare, reading is one of my most favourite things to do.

These are some of my favourite books that changed my mindset and actually changed my life.

Reading helps you escape everyday life and go into your own little world, I love settling down with a cup of coffee and just getting lost in a book.

Reading before bed lets your body know that it is time to wind down, helps your body to relax which gives you a better nights sleep, rather than scrolling through your socials which actually keeps your mind awake.

Reading a book you enjoy can actually help you to grow, make positive changes into your life and encourage you to take better care of yourself.

I enjoy reading a mixture of books, I do love a good thriller book, but I mainly read self help books or romance novels which have helped me to grow as a person massively, they help me to understand the mind a lot better which interests me a lot.

Reading for just 6 minutes a day can actually lower stress levels by more than 50%.

Give it a try and let me know the benefits you get from it.

Yoga

Yoga offers many benefits focussing on your body and mind.

Yoga has a ton of benefits, from muscle toning, to core strengthening, loosening tight muscles, helping with bad posture to reducing stress, a calmer mind and easing symptoms of depression. Yoga can help you to fall asleep faster and get a better nights sleep.

Before I started yoga I was sceptical about all these positive benefits it has but my friend encouraged me to join a class with her (pic above) and it honestly was one of the best things I’ve done. You really see the impact of it when you keep your sessions up. My first class trying to find my balance was non existent, but after a few classes I was able to hold my balance in all sorts of positions for an amount of time.

I found that I was falling asleep quicker than before and my mind didn’t wonder off as much with worrying. Yoga helps you to live in the moment and appreciate your body. Practising yoga releases endorphins which can help towards easing off symptoms of depression.

At the end of our yoga class we would do a 5 -10minute meditation where our body and mind would just completely relax and would come away feeling so much peace and calmness. I have a blog about meditation here. Yoga is truly a fulfilling class to attend I would totally recommend finding a local yoga class and giving this a try.

Gratitude

Gratitude is the most incredible feeling, its something that seems so simple but yet can create a massive shift in how we experience life.

We are all guilty of being ungrateful, and its true we are only truly grateful for something when it becomes something we HAD. I wasn’t grateful for my car until it had to go in the garage for a number of days, I wasn’t grateful for my job until there wasn’t enough shifts for me.

Learning to be grateful for everything we have can change our lives in the most magical ways, starting a gratitude journal can be the best way to start, in the morning write down 5 things your grateful for and really feel it in your heart, it sets you up for the day and really puts you into a positive mindset.

Gratitude boosts your happiness and is shown to increase overall happiness and give you a satisfaction of life. Gratitude calms the mind and can help to reduce negative thinking.

A lot of the time we focus on what is going wrong in our lives rather than what is going right, and at times we may feel that there is nothing going right but we can start small, that being a hot cup of coffee/tea, a roof over our heads, food on the table, a hot shower. If we didn’t have these anymore we would feel we should of been more grateful when we did have them.

Being surrounded by my family and feeling love gives me a great feeling of gratefulness, when we really look at our lives we can find so many things to be grateful for, and when we become grateful the universe gives us even more things to be grateful for.

Self Affirmations

Repeating positive self affirmations can build long term confidence and a healthy self image.

Positive self affirmations are known to reduce stress, and help you feel more confident in yourself. Try standing in front on the mirror each morning and saying 10 positive affirmations about yourself. Try doing this daily, you really will feel the benefits of it.

Affirmations can help you to bounce back after or even during stressful situations. Repeating them can lower your stress levels along with taking deep breathes.

Many athletes and students use positive self affirmations to prepare themselves and to improve their focus, motivation and performance. I remember going for an interview before and I was so nervous I couldn’t even think straight, so on my way to my interview I repeated positive affirmations to myself : ‘I am a strong and confident person’, ‘this company would be lucky to have me’, ‘I am going to ace this interview with flying colours’. When I came out of the interview I was so proud of myself as these affirmations really did give me so much confidence and I was offered the job on the spot.

Over time affirmations can help you to have a more positive mindset and attitude, which will bring a lot of peace and calmness into your life.

Ideally, say your affirmations out loud but if you feel more comfortable saying them in your head that is absolutely fine, say them in the present tense with confidence. If you can, try and pair your affirmations with visualization.

I really do hope you can implement these 5 positive changes into your life, these are just 5 of many and I will do another post with some more. Practicing these 5 changes into my life I noticed a huge difference to how much peace and calmness I started to feel, I had a new outlook on life and I started to feel like a more positive person, I stopped thinking about so many negative things and when a negative thought did pop in my head I would replace it with 5 positive thoughts.

Thank you for reading

Hugs

Pink Panther x

Selfcare

How meditation helped me live a more calmer life

January 22, 2025 No Comments

Hey guys,

Let’s talk meditation!🧘‍♀️
When I first heard about meditation I honestly didn’t think it was for me, but it wasn’t until I had a snippet of it at the end of one of my yoga sessions that I thought maybe I should give this a try.

If you would like to hear about how yoga helped me please click on how yoga helped me live a more peaceful life.

Let’s get to it, so after a couple of yoga sessions where we did 10 minutes of meditation at the end of our session I thought I would give this a go.
After I would finish our meditation I really did feel calmer.
I decided to try some YouTube meditation for beginners, at first honestly I did find it hard to keep my mind still i would say I struggled the first few session as my mind just kept wondering off.

Now, I am a big over thinker and I do think about things more in depth than I probably should.

I did persist thou as I really did want to give it a chance and after doing some 10 minute morning meditations I really did start to notice a difference.

At first I would find that things that would bother me before stopped bothering me as much, I would be walking my dog and feel a sense of peace and have some really lovely conversations with some other dog walkers.

I just felt calm like I could handle situations better and with more patience and calmness.

I know that meditation doesn’t work for everyone and I didn’t think it would me at first either, but after being consistent with it I really did notice a difference with my outlook on my life and how my mind felt more still and I didn’t overthink as much as I usually would.

here is some more insight into how to start meditation and a little more information.

Meditation for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Finding Inner Peace**

Meditation is a powerful practice that has been around for centuries, helping people reduce stress, improve focus, and cultivate a sense of inner peace. If you’re new to meditation, you may have some questions about where to start, what techniques to use, and how to make it a part of your daily routine. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll cover the basics of meditation and provide simple steps to help you get started.

**What is Meditation?**
Meditation is a practice that involves training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. It can take many forms, including mindfulness meditation, guided meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and transcendental meditation. The goal of meditation is not to completely silence your mind but to cultivate awareness, presence, and a sense of calm.

**Benefits of Meditation**
Regular meditation practice can have numerous benefits, including:
– Reduced stress and anxiety
– Improved focus and concentration
– Enhanced self-awareness
– Better emotional well-being
– Improved sleep quality
– Lower blood pressure

**How to Start Meditating**
Starting a meditation practice is easier than you might think. Follow these simple steps:

1. **Find a Quiet Space** – Choose a peaceful location where you won’t be disturbed.
2. **Get Comfortable** – Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Keep your spine straight but relaxed.
3. **Focus on Your Breath** – Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths. Pay attention to the sensation of air entering and leaving your body.
4. **Acknowledge Your Thoughts** – It’s natural for your mind to wander. When it does, gently bring your focus back to your breath without judgment.
5. **Start Small** – Begin with just 2-5 minutes a day and gradually increase the duration as you get more comfortable.
6. **Use Guided Meditations** – If you’re struggling to meditate on your own, apps like Headspace or Calm can provide helpful guidance.

**Common Challenges and Tips**
– **Restlessness:** If you feel fidgety, start with short sessions and gradually extend the time.
– **Racing Thoughts:** Instead of fighting your thoughts, observe them and let them pass.
– **Inconsistency:** Set a regular schedule, such as meditating first thing in the morning or before bed.

**Conclusion**
Meditation is a simple yet powerful tool that can bring balance and clarity into your life. By starting with just a few minutes a day and gradually building your practice, you’ll begin to experience its profound benefits. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to meditate—just find what works best for you and enjoy the journey toward inner peace.

I would love to hear your feedback on those who tried this out, please do let me know.

Hugs
Pink Panther
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Selfcare

How Gratitude helped me live a more positive life.

January 20, 2025 No Comments

I remember the day I decided enough was enough as I was laying on my sofa in tears, so unhappy with my life. I never thought I would be where I am today living a much more happier and positive life, below I will share with you how gratitude helped me on my journey of selfcare and a more positive life.

I found gratitude one of the fastest ways to feel more positive, I started to take note of the things in my life that I was generally happy and grateful for rather than the lack in my life.

We’re all guilty of looking at our life’s and noticing all the things we want but don’t have. I am guilty of this, I actually done this for an extremely long time and all it did was make me feel even worse.

So one day I woke up and decided to think of all the things I was grateful for, whether it be big or small, a cup of tea, the food I was eating for breakfast/lunch/dinner, I started to feel grateful for hot water so I could have a nice hot bubble bath, the list goes on. Sometimes I notice we’re not actually grateful for something until it becomes something we HAD, this was my case when it came to my car breaking down and ending up in the garage for a few days, I honestly didn’t realise how much i relied on my car until i no longer had it.

I always felt like i didn’t have any clothes until I actually went through my wardrobe to have a clear out to realise how many clothes i actually had.

If you can try and start your day with listing 5 things your grateful for to start with, big or small you may notice a shift in your mood, it definitely helped and still helps me today.

Gratitude is just 1 of the many things that helped me personally to live a more happier and positive life and I really hope you can start your day with this and it helps you too.

Hugs

Pinkpanther

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