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World Mental Health Day! /  by Monique Nadeau

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


What motivates you to keep pursuing your passion? /  by Monique Nadeau

What motivates you to keep pursuing your passion?

This is a question I almost face everyday but it’s an easy answer, “because I love it.”

If you love to do something why stop? It seems pretty simple but I can understand why some of us want to stop or we actually do stop pursuing our passion and dreams.

You will have obstacles that will interfere and disrupt your journey but that’s life. If you love to do something you will fight for it. Just go for it, you have nothing to loose.

Here are some points from my experience I have faced in my musical career so far.

Realities:

As an artist you are judged by others. Whether it be from professionals in the industry, peers, family, etc. there is always going to be a subjective opinion about your art. This isn’t a bad thing it just means that some people will like what you produce and some people won’t.

As artists we also get questioned “what do you really do?” and if we make any money from our music. Success is different for every person. Just because you don’t sell thousands of albums or don’t have a ton of Spotify, Soundcloud, Youtube plays doesn’t mean your music sucks. There is a whole business around the industry and it can be extremely difficult to be successful at it. The internet is saturated with millions of artist’s music. It makes it so exciting and accessible for any artist to put there music out worldwide but you can get lost in the ocean of songs on the web. Don’t get discouraged we are all trying our best to get our music out there for the world to listen!

The performing arts has a lot of rejection but that doesn’t mean you are a failure. You keep going because you love what you do. Ya it’s a tough gig but will you kick yourself if you didn’t try hard enough? I know I would. It’s the easy way out to stop when things get difficult. I am definitely one of those types of people that if you tell me “no” I’ll do it even more.

Positives:

How did I discover my passion?

For me I was pretty serious to continue pursing classical piano and voice and musical theatre ongoing but then realized that I loved creating my own music much more. I sometimes look back and say “I could have kept going with the classical music or kept auditioning for roles,” but I knew deep down that my passion laid in creating my own songs and performing them to the public.

Motivation:

Do I ever get discouraged? Yes of course I do! It’s inevitable in the arts but I can’t quit. Music is my life.

There is a constant voice inside my head that says “just keep going!” It doesn’t matter whether or not people or situations put you down. Use that negative energy and turn it into positive motivation to get better and pursue your dreams. No one is stopping you but yourself! If you want to pursue your passion that is all that matters at the end of the day.

Wishing everyone all the best and take care XOX

From the Heart /  by Monique Nadeau

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

Happy Canada Day! /  by Monique Nadeau

To celebrate Canada Day i thought it would be appropriate to post my music video of my original song “Hold On” that was filmed in the beautiful city Kelowna, BC. I worked with amazing renowned people in the Canadian film, style and makeup industry. It was an experience I’ll never forget and definitely my favourite video yet! Check it out on my Youtube channel. Happy Canada Day! XOX