Motivation is hard – but not really

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Motivation is hard. If you want to do a challenge, don’t do it in all one go – you’ll only put yourself under pressure then. Instead do small steps that will help you work towards finishing the goal.

Say you wanted to do a bit of art, first think what is it you want to do in art. Then decide whether if you are 100% committed to completing it. It also needs to be realistic, something that you see yourself finishing and being proud of what you achieved.

If you choose to proceed with what you decided to make, get the items you need to start to finish. If your not good at art, thats ok, it doesn’t have to be perfect. But with time and patience, you will get there. Take all the time you need, even do a draft of what you want to make – that way you can learn from your mistakes.

This is a picture I recently completed in an art class. I done it step by step with visual help from the tutor. She put masking tape around the edges and asked me and a few others to put numbers 1 to 9 down the sides so we could follow her.

Inspirational Quotes for you during the pandemic

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  • The only thing we fear is fear itself
  • Fear is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere
  • Dance in the rain! Better to be busy than to be busy worrying
  • Nothing in life is to be feared. Only to be understood – now is the time to understand, so you may spend less time in fear!
  • Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving
  • You just have to keep driving down the road. It’s going to bend and curve and you’ll speed up and slow down, but the road keeps going
  • You don’t have to make yourself miserable to be successful…success isn’t about working hard, it’s about working smart
  • If you feel ‘burnout’ setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself

Look beyond the label – part 3

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Anxiety for me is like being angry for someone else. There were times if I wasn’t sure if I was feeling angry or just anxious. What makes me anxious would be losing control of my anger. Before getting diagnosed with AS (Aspergers Syndrome), I became so used to the feeling of being angry, stressed and anxious, it was the norm for me. I became numb to the feelings that I didn’t realise what made me lose control. When I look back now, it was got to do with information overload. Maybe I did feel anxious but I just didn’t notice.

Look at it like this. I like to refer my anger and meltdowns as a volcano. Somebody says something that I didn’t like, I feel agitated, but I let it go like a pinch of salt. This is only raising my anger a small bit. Then something else happens – say if someone pushed or touched off me, that would make me a little bit more angry, considering that I don’t like people touching off me. Over the day or week, the same thing happens over again, by accident of course.

The volcano is at bubbling point at this stage. I don’t say how I’m feeling, not knowing how to express it on my face. Then with a blink of an eye, something triggers my meltdowns. The volcano erupts – and bam I’ve lost control. I insult, shout, cry and then eventually falling asleep over an hour later. This was a constant cycle until I got diagnosed with AS. Then I started to learn, accept, grow and acknowledge that I have AS, and I will have it for the rest of my life. My meltdowns are now controllable and I am well self aware of when I am feeling moody – I like to find my own peace by being by myself. This helps me to control my moodiness and prevents meltdowns

Be Kind to Yourself

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Your doing your best
Don’t allow your inner critic
tell you what you should and shouldn’t feel
You are only human
Nicole Marie B

Let them judge you

Let them misunderstand you
Let them gossip about you
Their opinions aren’t your problems
You stay kind, committed to love &
authenticity. No matter what they say or do,
don’t doubt your worth and the beauty in your truth.
Just keep shining like you always do
Scott Stabile


Wreckage

There is nothing beautiful about
wreckage of a human being.
There is nothing pretty about pain,
about heartache.
What is beautiful is
Their strength,
Their resilience,
Their fortitude
as they display an ocean of courage
When they pick through the wreckage of their life
to build something beautiful brand new
against every odd that
is stacked up against them
Nikita Gill

Source: Pinterest






No more excuses – just honesty

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Well what can I say…. Its been over a year since my last post (I think)!

You may be thinking where I have been these last few months… To be honest, nowhere! I felt like I was becoming bored of blogging, so I just simply stopped. I wasn’t trying to blog – I haven’t been trying to stop, I just didn’t have the same motivation which was making it harder for me to produce ideas of what I wanted to blog about. All of my blogs are positivity and funny quotes that I thought would’ve been funny for other people.

As well of not wanting to blog, I’ve had some sad news of losing a beloved pet that I adored to the moon and back. And I’ve also had happy news that I am now officially a God Mother and I started in a clubhouse called Phoenix Clubhouse in Dublin. I have been trying to focus on looking after my own mental health and knowing when to slow down and trying to blog something when I simply wasn’t in the mood was only starting to annoy me.

My posts are still there if you would like to read them

In the meantime,
Take care,
Amanda

The Anxiety That Lives Within Me

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Every sunrise and every sunset
Anxiety never leaves me alone
I wake up during the night
I feel tired the next morning
I’m grumpy for not getting enough sleep
And I wonder if anxiety will ever stop

When I’m in a group, I may appear to be moody
Even when I’m not
I feel like nobody understands me
Everywhere I go, no matter where I am,
I feel like I’m being watched

My eyes gaze across trying to spot an
escape route from my anxiety,
but theres no use
As I am just running away from myself

My head makes up scenarios constantly
Day and night
When I try to verbalise when my head is saying,
it comes out wrong,
Instead frustration in my voice comes out instead

I am fighting my inner demon – and winning
I am taking back control of my life
Turning that negative thought into a positive and productive one
It wasn’t easy, but its worth it.

Anxiety doesnt control your life, take back control, be strong, be happy, be positive, be vocal, because that is the number 1 ingredient that tackles anxiety.

Chinese takeaway-style chicken curry – Slimming World

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Ingredients

  • 2 onions, finely sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp medium curry powder*
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 chicken stock cubes
  • Low-calorie cooking spray
  • 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 3 mixed peppers, deseeded and cut into large chunks
  • 200g green beans, halved
  • 120g frozen peas
  • Plain boiled rice, to serve

Method

  • Place a non-stick saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the onions and a splash of water and cook for 8 minutes or until softened.
  • Stir in the garlic, curry powder, turmeric and another splash of water and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 litre boiling water and the crumbled stock cubes, give it a stir, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, spray a non-stick frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, green beans and peas and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Blitz the stock mixture using a stick blender (or use your food processor) to make a curry sauce.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, then serve hot with the rice.

Blackberry Drop Pancake Recipe – Slimming World

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I thought I’d do something new on the blog for a change. If you like this new style of blog, comment below to let me know. 🙂

Ingredients

  • 3 medium ripe bananas
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 25g self-raising flour
  • 1 level tbsp sweetener, plus extra to decorate
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 100g blackberries, halved, plus extra to serve
  • Low-calorie cooking spray
  • Fat-free natural Greek-style yogurt, to serve

Method

  1. Use a fork to mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, sweetener, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Mix well, then stir in the blackberries.
  2. Spray a large non-stick frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop equal-size heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the bases are firm and lightly browned, then flip and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm until you’ve used up all the batter.
  3. Serve 3 pancakes per person with a dollop of yogurt, a few extra blackberries and a dusting of sweetener to decorate.
Blackberry drop pancakes

Happy New Year

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Happy New Year to all my followers on WordPress. I know this year has been a difficult one for so many, not just in Ireland, but all around the world.

Let me share some positive things that happened this year in my life.

I’ll be an aunt again in early 2022
I’m more self aware of my feelings
I rely more on myself and less on other people
I turned the big 3-0 in April

Even though its been a hard year, never ever think that you’re a failure. Getting through last year and this year alone is an achievement in itself.

To all the healthcare workers, keyworkers, carers, schools, front line staff and to everyone else who is just getting by.

THANK YOU

All of you chose to put your lives at risk to save others from this nasty disease. There is no greater gift than a gift of life. Families were reunited for Christmas. And its because of you we all get to spend 2022 together. You’ve all proved that we as a nation can and will beat this disease together.

My weight loss story (Trigger Warning)

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During the past year was tough enough for everyone! Some people gain weight as a result of stress, while others lose it. Me on the other hand, I ended up putting on more than I bargained for. My clothes were becoming tight, my coat was becoming harder to zip up, so I took the plunge and decided I’d join Slimming World. I have never looked back since.

While my confidence grew, weight started coming off slowly but surely. A pound here and pound there I couldn’t be happier with the results. Of course, it is hard, temptations and cravings are the hardest for me. What keeps me going is the supportive family, the centre that I attend and the consultant. I’ve learnt that theres easy swaps to food or drink that I like, and I can eat or drink them without all the guilt. Thats where ‘Syns’ come in handy.

Every ‘slimmer’ in Slimming world have a certain amount of ‘syns’ they can use within the day, and its up to them how they use them. Syns can vary between person to person, depending on their weight. Some people use all their syns, while others use very little or none at all. Myself like to eat ‘free food’ (syn free) some days, while on the other days I use all of my syns.

Joining Slimming World cannot be easier. If you would like to know more about Slimming World, go to their website.

**I am not a professional. All the information above is out of my own personal experience**

Make a positive change

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I for one hate change! Change does not have to be hated, sometimes we have to go outside our comfort zones to realise the potential we have. It will not work over night, but it will work if you stick with it and take one step at a time. I remember watching the making of Frozen 2! Kristen Bell said she often suffers from depression and anxiety, and there was one song called Next Right Thing where she opens up about the song. She explains how she gets through those anxious or dark times in her life.


One thing she says is
“I think The Next Right Thing, it really is for anyone who is feeling low and struggling and does not know what to do. Because the only thing you can do at those lowest moments is one step at a time” You can read more here.

Someone who has Aspergers Syndrome, I find it sometimes hard to adapt to change. Especially when its sudden! I’m always saying that I need to be told in advance if something is going to change, otherwise I might be in bad form after it. So if you are like me and you would rather be told in advance, say it. Theres no harm of expressing your needs and wants, thats what makes us human.

I found this article that might help you. A few things it suggests is to write a diary (it can be anything from dreams to how you’re feeling or what ever happened throughout the day) Meditating is another one thats on the list.

I’ll leave it there so for now. Take care, stay safe