happy – A Bit of This A Bit of That

June 5, 2017June 5, 2017

Only happy things here!

The world is a sucky place at the moment. And social media brings out all the negative naysayers and the horrible pictures and horrific stories of misdeeds.

There have been moments when I just want to shut down my social media accounts and ignore all the bullshit. But then I realised I enjoy interacting with people on social media. Its a way for me to keep in touch with family and friends and share the things that make me happy.

So instead of getting rid of the baby with the bath water I’m adding bubbles. Lots and lots of happy, shiny bubbles. OK, mostly accounts involving adorably cute animals. Cute animal bubbles!

Here are the accounts that I am following on social media that bring a smile to my day.

Facebook

Twitter

I hope you clicked through and added these awesome and fun accounts to your feeds. Let me know if you follow any fantastic feeds I should add to my list.

May 9, 2017

Book Smash

I have a Goodreads account and this year I decided to take part in the reading challenge.

I set myself what I thought was a decent challenge of 100 books to read in 2017. And then promptly smashed through it at the end of April, so I increased it to 250 books.

Some info on my reading habits:

I read mostly romance, fantasy and sci-fi with some chic-lit and comedy thrown in.
My average book in 2016 was 232 pages.
My average reading time per book is 2-3 days.
Although on the weekend I can read 2-4 books in 2 days.
I read on the Kindle app on my phone (and now on my iPad since I had the screen replaced).
I read pretty much everywhere, at the bus stop, waiting for the rice to cook, waiting for the bath to run, in the line at the grocery store, at the park while the kids play, if I have a minute here or there I am reading.
I do NOT read on the bus (major motion sickness) or in the bath (major klutz).
I’ve been known to read right through the night and go to work without sleeping.
Because of my voracious reading habits I tend to use BookBub to find free or really cheap books from Amazon.
Even though most of my books come free, I am more than happy to purchase an entire series or other books by an author (at full price) if I enjoy the freebie.
I also try and leave reviews wherever I can.
I am part of a 7000+ member secret (or not so secret) book club on Facebook.
I also review books for the member authors of the above book club.

All that being said, I am going to go back to putting up book reviews on my blog so keep your eyes peeled for some interesting reads.

August 18, 2016August 24, 2016

Smile (again)

We are still in summer holidays and the kids are at their last day camp this week (the next two weeks are a whole other story, school only starts on 1st September).

This particular camp starts at 08:00 and ends at 16:00. So I have been going to work early while Paul takes the kids to camp and then goes to work and then I leave work early to fetch them and Paul comes home a bit later. It all balances out.

But, since I leave for work early (06:30 to catch the 06:45 bus), I am not catching my regular bus and driver. And while the driver I do have is very nice he isn’t my happy go lucky regular driver and I’m definitely not getting my usual happy start to the day.

But not today! Today, as I got off my early bus and started crossing the road to get to my office, a bus at the opposite stop honked his horn at me, I looked up and there was my regular driver, madly waving his arm out the window and grinning at me.

Day made!

July 27, 2016

Smile

Many years ago, when I first started working, I was given this little nugget of advice, and it’s stuck with me ever since.

Even when you are speaking on the phone, smile. Your smile will be conveyed through the phone and the person speaking to you will hear it and respond in kind.

I’ve noticed, the happier the people around me are, the happier I am.

What really drove (haha) this point home, is my regular morning bus driver.

Every single morning when I get on the bus, he greets each and every passenger with a boker tov (good morning) and nisiyah tov (good travels). On a Sunday morning he adds the greeting sh’vua tov (good week). On a Thursday he wishes everyone a Shabbat shalom before they get off the bus. At the beginning of the month he will add chodesh tov (good month) too. He is always smiling, laughing, having a conversation with the passengers seated near him. He never gets upset at the traffic/other drivers and he plays an awesomely eclectic collection of music.

I tend to start my day with a smile on my face and a spring in my step and it is directly attributed to the awesomeness that is my morning bus ride.

On the odd occasion I take an earlier bus, the driver is usually quiet, mostly polite and will only greet me if I greet him first. My mood for the morning is definitely not as bouncy as usual.

So, when those mornings happen, I try to be the one with the smile, the happy greetings, the effervescent bounce and hopefully my mood will rub off on everyone around me.

'Cause this kid has the best smile ever! — ‘Cause this kid has the best smile ever!

I guess what I’m trying to say is, smile dammit!

August 20, 2013

Happy pills are happy!

I have new (additional) happy pills.

I cannot tell you the difference they have made.

rainbow — This is the image I sent to my Dr when he asked me how I was feeling a week after starting the new meds!

Instead of wanting to stay in bed and pull the covers over my head and not wanting to speak or interact with anyone and waking up in a cold sweat two or three times a night, I am happy, I am bouncy, I have been early to work every day for 2 weeks, I am gyming, I am eating properly, I am enjoying my children.

I cannot express enough how much better I feel.

Yes, I am going for therapy as well as taking the meds. No, meds are not a cure all.

But please please please! If you suffer from depression or anxiety, talk to your doctor about taking something. It doesnt have to be long term. In fact my new meds are only for a few months.

Dont forget, depression is/can be a disease. Its a medical condition caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.

My husband is diabetic, a metabolic disease involving the hormone insulin. He takes a 2 tablets a day to help regulate the chemicals in his body.

I have depression, it is a direct result of an imbalance of hormones and chemicals in my body, it is exacerbated by various life events. I take 2 tablets a day to help regulate the chemicals in my body.

We both have various therapies to help us cope.

Depression is not shameful, its not something you ‘just get over’. It is a real medical condition. Treat it like one!