Laugh Everyday

Today I’m going to talk about something that I think is crucial to keeping me sane during these crazy times. I try to laugh every single day. With all of the current events happening right now I think we could all use a good laugh. Hahahaha. Laughter is the best medicine.

No seriously though, I need to laugh every single day or I will literally go insane and get really depressed. It’s a heartbreaking and stressful time right now, I feel for everyone. It is not a great time right now. It’s pretty crap. I just hope everyone is ok.

So how to I get myself to laugh every day? Well I have a few things I do:

1) I find funny memes / meme videos and post them on my stories almost every day. It reminds me to not take life so seriously and giggle every time I look or watch the meme

2) I watch stand up comedy, live comedy sketches, comedy shows or funny movies. I like a pretty wide range of comedy, however some of my favourites are Tim and Eric, The Eric Andre Show, Trailer Park Boys, South Park, etc, Yes I do like the crude, bizarre and random humour! I also love The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Mel Brooks movies, The Office, Peep Show, The IT Crowd, anything with Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, John C. Reilly in it to name a few, etc, etc. 

3) I hangout or talk with my friends, all my friends have good sense of humour, they make me laugh. 

What I’m saying here sounds so well “duhhhhh???! Of course you should do that to get out of a doom and gloom state of mind and negativity, just watch some comedy or hangout or talk with funny people .” Ya it does sound simple but it works! I’m making it a routine every day. 

This helps me stay sane and happy during these tough and sad times.  Maybe it will help you? 

Thanks for listening. As always be yourself, lots of love and stay weird my dudes……………….

Bye for now  XO

World Mental Health Day!

World Mental Health Day

First of all, sending bigs hugs to everyone!!
I haven’t posted in a while as I have been working on myself to achieve a happier mind and body.
It’s World Mental Health Day today and I just wanted to share a few things from what I have learnt over the years and most recently about how to continuously improve my mental health.
I am no expert whatsoever in regards to mental health but I can share with you what has helped me achieve a happier mind.
My list that I’m sharing is always evolving from my experiences.

1. Follow your passions
Music is my passion. I always feel the need to keep creating, recording and performing music to feel whole.
Also anything artsy makes me happy - whether it be seeing a live show, drawing, dancing, watching film, etc.

2. Surround yourself with people you love and who make you happy
I really need my space but also need to be surrounded by people whom I love and make me happy. I need a balance between solitude and socializing. I’ve learnt to weed out toxic people in my life, and I’m still working on that to nourish healthy relationships.

3. Exercise
Enough said. Your body just needs it and my mind feels a lot better after exercising!

4. Seeking professional help
This shouldn’t be stigmatized anymore but it still is. We need guidance and help sometimes so don’t feel ashamed to seek help. I know this can be expensive depending where and what treatment you do. For me its worth it as I can’t have a healthy body without a healthy mind.

5. Be content with the NOW and be proud of what you have achieved
I usually really struggle with this one. I am always looking at pursuing future goals and dreams that I set for myself. I feel like I go hardcore on this sometimes that it makes me unhappy when I’m constantly trying to succeed my expectations. It’s hard for me to be satisfied with the now! Sometimes things take time and that’s ok. I just need to chill sometimes, sit back and enjoy the ride.

6. It’s ok to say “NO”
If you aren’t feeling something, don’t do it and just say no! Done.

7. Stop pleasing people
The more I stopped always pleasing others the more I started to please myself to make sure I was ok. People can think what they want to think, you don’t have control over that. The stress of trying to please everyone is not worth it as it’s impossible to please anyone anyways.

8. Putting yourself first isn’t selfish
I love to give and care people but sometimes you just can’t do it constantly. I used to put others first all the time and it started making me unhappy and physically unwell as I was not taking care of myself. It doesn’t mean you are selfish if you need to take care of yourself first.

9. Just don’t give a shit.
Sometimes we have to not really care that much! Life is too short.

6. Follow your heart and your gut.
You know deep down what you feel. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. If something feels right, do it. Be strong and stand your ground. We all have self empowerment, so take control of your life.

I preach these statements but I’m always still working to improve my well-being.
I hope this maybe helps in some way.
Just let it out. Be free. All you need is love.

Lots of love,
Monique XO

From the Heart

Sorry I have been MIA lately. The reason being is because I’ve been feeling blue and I’ve been trying to keep my spirits up. I have been dealing with depression for a while and I’ve even written songs about it, such as my song “Hold On” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkFxdQuTL9o

I used to be scared or unsure of telling people because there is always the question of “what’s wrong?” or “how can you be depressed when you have so much going for you?” or that people judge you and think you are not “normal” ora are “crazy.” Honestly, it sometimes has nothing to do with any of that. Sometimes the dark feeling is just there and it doesn’t come from any situational circumstance. If it does come from a situational experience sometimes it can linger for years and possibly always stay with you.

For any of you who don’t feel ok, it’s ok. You can find help and you can get the support. Everyone is different on how they cope with depression. For me I find it helpful to turn to music, draw, run, dance, read, spending time with friends and family and therapy. I still have difficulty sharing with people that I deal with depression because there is still the stigma attached to it. I still feel ashamed to admit to people that I have this and I know other people may feel ashamed to tell people too. It shouldn’t be like this anymore. This is why some can’t get out of the darkness and don’t have the support they need to get better. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Your mental health can 100% affect your physical health. I want a society that allows people to feel comfortable talking about their feelings, not be judged and get the help they need.

I just want people to know that you are not alone if you are not feeling ok. There are professionals and therapies that can help you. Writing and performing music has helped me so much to express any painful feelings that I have. It doesn’t fix everything but it’s definitely an outlet and a therapeutic way of dealing with depression for me. I hope that everyone can find their own way to help them. Don’t be afraid to speak up and share how you feel because you are not alone. I will revisit this subject again in the future. This was not easy to write about so hopefully next time it will be easier.

Talk soon everyone and lots of love XO