The Person You Really Need To Marry

Hello, lovely people !

Happy Valentine Day! I know some people are cynical of valentines day but I think a day specifically dedicated to have nice it is to show love to everyone is a lovely idea. However I wanted to share something a little different this Valentines day, for those in relationships or single or anything in between.


Now, if you've been around for a while then you'll know how important I think self-love is. Looking after yourself and creating a healthy, happy you is the best thing you can do for both yourself and everybody else because to love somebody in the way that they need, you first need to love yourself.
I learnt everything I know about self-love on the wonderful blog Rainbow-Rose Blossom
So if self love is something that you'd like to apply to your life ( and I really recommend you do ) then please have a little read over at Rainbow's blog. You won't regret it, I promise !


A few months a go, I watched a video and it really affected my life in a positive way. This video was  a Ted Talk discussing "The Person You Really Need To Marry" and I urge you to watch this video because I just don't want any of you to miss out of the change this could make to your life.

Let me know in the comments what you think of the video! I'd also love to hear if there are any inspirational or interesting ted talks that you recommend because I'd love to see them !


Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :)

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

Monthly Goals | February 2016

Hello, Lovely People !

First thing's first, I just want to quickly apologise for not being around much over the last two weeks. My girlfriend was taken into hospital and so I have been a little busy and tired so I didn't get chance to write. She's feeling much better now and is back on her feet, so no need to worry, but if you could send her some love in the comments I know she'd appreciate it ! I also haven't been to yoga for a couple of weeks because of being at the hospital with my girlfriend so this Friday will be a normal post and then we'll get back on track next week !

Now we've got that bit of house keeping out of the way, lets get on with the post ! So, it's coming into February and although January was good, I feel like I was finding my feet a little and in February I am all prepared to give everything my best shot ! But before I set my goals for February, I'd like to reflect a little on January's goals.

Last Months Goals

1) Exercise 3 times a week

At the beginning of the month I did quite well but as my girlfriend was in hospital it all went a little haywire but we had a great time trying spinning ( even if our bums killed afterwards) and I was starting to improve again in yoga !

2) Take smoothies to college

This goal went really well, although we had a week off last week, I have picked it up again this week and I was really noticing a difference, I had so much more energy and actually started craving fruit.

3) Have more "Me Time"

I failed miraculously at this one, but I'm going to keep trying . What do you guys do in your me time ? I'd love to hear some ideas to help me out in the comments.

February Goals !

1) Exercise 3 times a week

This is sounding a little familiar but this month to keep myself on track I've decided to tweet each time I exercise each week and mark how many out of 3 I've done ! To be kept up to date with this you can follow my twitter @MyHappyBubbleXx and we can support each other !

2) Spend quality time with my girlfriend

I spend everyday with my girlfriend but we never get to spend some good quality time together and I wish we did. I mean time that we have set aside just to be with each other. I'm not sure how I'm going to make this work but I was thinking of arranging a date night each week.

3) Eating Healthily

In January I learnt two interesting things:
a) When I eat healthily I feel happier
b) Oreos are not an adequate breakfast ( Who knew eh ? )
So this month, to make myself feel happy I'm going to really focus on healthy eating because I feel so much better emotionally and physically when I'm eating well. If you guys would like to see some recipe posts then let me know in the comments!

4) Stay organised on my blog

This month, I'm going to post on time and be prepared and I'm going to set aside time to take quality blog photos in advance so that I don't let you guys down because you really mean the world to me and I don't think I tell you that enough but I really appreciate the support of all you lovely people who read and comment each week.

5) Study hard

I'm under a lot of pressure to do well at college and get into university and It's really getting to me but I don't seem to be able to sit down and focus on my studies. I think I could combat this by spending quality time on studying and removing myself from everything else for an hour a night.

So those are my goals for February ! I'm really excited to make some positive changes this month get myself focused. The key idea for this month is focusing on quality not quantity. Instead of freaking out and trying to do everything at once, setting an hour to purely focus on one thing like studying or being with my girlfriend or preparing and eating a nutritious meal. I feel a lot of this comes down to mindfulness so like forward to seeing more mindfulness posts coming up !


Let me know in the comments, what are your goals for this month ? Do you think quality or quanity is important ? I can't wait to hear from you ! Don't forget to follow me on twitter and other social media ( I'll leave links at the bottom of the post ) because I'm going to be a lot more active on there and will be using my accounts to keep us all motivated !


Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :)

Lots of love, Marianne xxx


Twitter : @MyHappyBubbleXx
Facebook : Don't Burst My Bubble
Instagram : myhappybubblexx
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Five Easy Ways to Practise Self Care

Hello, Lovely People ! 

One of my Monthly Goals for January is to be kinder to myself. So, today I thought I'd share with you five easy ways to practice self-care. It has become very clear to me that very rarely do we show ourselves the compassion that we show to others, which is rather silly considering how much you do every, single day. YOU deserve to be loved and respected by yourself. Practicing self-care isn't selfish or a waste or time, it's essential. Let's get going, shall we?

What Are You Excited About ? 

Ask yourself every morning " What am I excited about today ?". There should be something that you're excited about every day. It doesn't have to be big, some days it might be going on a date and others it might be going to yoga class. If there's really nothing then you'll know that you need to add something that makes you feel happy and excited to your day. Perhaps you could make a list of things that you do that make you happy and you could pick something off this list to do on the days in which you have nothing that excites you. 

A Lil Bit of Glitter 

Whether it's your favorite lippy or a pretty new top, glitzing our selves up always give us that extra boost! I was feeling really rubbish about myself last week so I went shopping and spent some to me finding clothes that I feel good in and I felt so much more confident wearing my new clothes it was unbelievable! You deserve to feel that good, I promise. 

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

If you look after your body and eat well and exercise well, you will be amazed on the improvement you feel in your mental well being in such a short space of time ( I'm talking days, seriously ! ). Making sure you're getting the correct nutrients that your body needs is key to making sure that you feel great from the inside out. Think of it this way, think of your body as a petrol car, if you keep putting diesel (ie.junk food) into a petrol car it won't be able to run and will feel awful and sluggish.However, if you give it what it needs and fill it with petrol then the car will feel great and be bouncing around like a bunny! My point is, if you give your body what it needs, it will give you what you need. ( But please don't actually try and drink petrol hehe ) 

Me Time 

In our busy lives it can be hard to find time to just be with yourself, so try to schedule some time each week to sit with yourself and do something that you enjoy. You could go to a yoga class or do some cross stitching or read a book ! How do you like to spend your me time ? Let me know in the comments! 

Learn to Say No ... and Yes 

Firstly, trust me when I tell you that you do enough. It's okay to say no every once in a while. Too tired for that night out? Say no and have some rest. Don't have time for another extra-curricular activity? Say no, you're doing enough. On the other hand, don't turn down fantastic experiences that will make your heart race because you're afraid. Take chances and let yourself explore the world. Fill up your time with the things you love and nothing else. 

I hope these tips are helpful, I'd love to hear how you practice self-care in the comments and perhaps we can always learn something! 

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :) 

lots of love, Marianne xxx

P.s. I'm very sorry for the lack of photography at the minute, I'm balancing A-levels with running a blog so I will sort this soon ! 

Monthly Goals | January 2017

Hello, Lovely People! 

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my absence in the past two weeks. I moved house two days before Christmas, so unfortunately we could only get the wifi connected today. I promise there will be regular posts on a Tuesday and Friday from now on. 

If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of fresh starts. So, new year’s resolutions are right up my street! However, this year I’ve decided to try something a little new and although I will be setting five overall goals for the year, I will also be doing a monthly goal post each month where I will set a few little goals at the beginning of each month and will review my progress at the beginning of the next month. By doing this, I’m acknowledging that situations and needs change and develop throughout the year and by adapting to this I will be more likely to succeed and become the best version of myself! 

So, first I’m going to run through my new year’s resolutions/goals to achieve in 2017 and then I will let you know about my goals for the month of January. Ohh this is all very exciting! I’m certain that this year is going to be amazing because … well because that’s how I’ve decided to make it. 

My Goals For 2017 

1)Stop biting my nails

I’ve always wanted lovely long nails that I can paint and show off but I’ve never managed to stop biting my nails long enough to do it! I’m going to try to keep my nails painted because I think that helps me to avoid biting them so hopefully that will do the trick. If you have any tips that helped you to stop biting your nail’s then PLEASE let me know in the comments. 

2)Focus on healthy living 

This year I am determined to use eat far more healthily and exercise more so that I can give my body the nutrition that it needs and the exercise it deserves to keep me happy and healthy. I’m going to be blogging about this a lot in the new year, including my Yoga Dairies series that will be restarting next Friday when the classes restart after the Christmas break. 

3)Refocus my blog on healthy living for the mind and body

I want to really focus Don’t Burst My Bubble on self-care, mindfulness, looking after your body and positivity this year because I think it could definitely help me and hopefully a few of you guys as well.

4)Get into University 

This one is pretty self-explanatory but I’m very worried that I’m not going to get into the university of my dreams so I really want to buckle down this year and get in! 

5)Practise Self-care 

I’ve realized that I don’t spend much time focussing on myself and making sure that I’m happy, so this year I’m going to make sure that I have more me time. 

My Goals For January 

1) Exercise at least 3 times a week 

I'm hoping to achieve this by signing up to classes rather than just going to the gym on my own because I feel that way there's more pressure to stick with it. 

2)Take smoothies to college with me 

I worry a lot about the lack of fruit and veg in my diet, so, in order to change this I'm going to take a smoothie to college with me every day ( apart from Friday ) to help me get the vitamins my body needs to keep me happy and healthy. 

3) Have more me time 

I really want to focus on being kinder to myself this year. I was thinking of doing this by scheduling an hour or two each week when I get to just be with myself. I'm thinking of making a little "Me Time" Box with relaxing bits and bobs in, so if that's something you'd like to see on my blog then please let me know in the comments. 

I really hope you enjoyed this post because I had so much fun writing it and I feel that it has really benefited me in understanding what I want to achieve and how I'm going to do it! My inspiration for my monthly goals posts came from Kim's blog over at The Thirty Something Life so be sure to check her out. 

I'd love to hear from you in the comments. Let me know one new year's resolution and one goal that you want to achieve this month! I find it so interesting listening to people's plans to improve their lives. 

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :) 

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

How to ... Budget For Happiness

Hello Friends !

How are you ? I hope you're happy because everybody deserves to be happy. Unfortunately from time to time when money gets tight it can be a lil bit difficult to budget in a way that allows you to pay for the things that help keep you smiling. Especially when you're a student struggling along on very little money and a lot of stress from studying which is NOT a good combination. However, recently I've been working with Earnest.com to learn about ways you can control your money. They have a new system that allows graduates to refinance their student loans to fit their post-college life, with the ability to skip or change your monthly payment. It got me thinking about ways I can break down all this complicated money malarkey into five key areas that I'm going to explain in simple, no fuss terms so that YOU can budget for the happiness you deserve.

I like to divide my monthly wages into four. This allows me to see what I have to spend each week and makes it harder for me to lose track of my budgeting and over spend. I then split the weeks money between five key areas for happiness.

Nutrition

Without the nutrients that your body needs then how will you be able to feel happy and healthy in the most important part of your body, your mind. Spend some time planning out healthy meals filled with plants and whole grains that won't cost the earth. A healthy diet can fit to any budget. Buying frozen vegetables is a great way to bulk up any meal and adds a delicious twist for a low price ! You can even reduce the price of your favourite meals by removing expensive meats. For example switching the mince beef in chili con carne for extra kidney beans and some quinoa ! Alternatively, you can switch your expensive super food smoothies for the fresh homemade kind or even the healthiest drink of all, water!

Fitness

Keeping with the theme of  Healthy Body = Healthy Mind and it's important to keep yourself fit ! There are lots of ways to do this. Some budgets will allow for gym memberships, if so then makes sure that you shop around for the best membership deals. Think about inclusive exercise classes, good equipment, Is it in walking distance ? I always look for a gym that I can walk to because that walk acts as a warm up for my session ! However if a gym is a little out of your price range there are lots of alternatives. How about taking up yoga. You could go to weekly classes or if that's not fee-sable then how about using YouTube videos to help you to learn, for example Yoga With Adriene.

Treating Yourself

Every now and then it's important that you treat yourself to a little present to remind yourself of how special you are. It doesn't need to be something big, perhaps a little nail varnish or a bar of chocolate for a little pick me up ! You could even save up your extra money over the month to buy yourself something bigger like some new hair straighteners or a nutri-bullet !

You Time

There is very little more important than spending time with yourself, it's essential for learning who you are, who you'd like to be and how you're going to get there. There are lots of ways to spend time with yourself. You can simply curl up with fairy lights and a good book or if you have a little more money, what about a spa day? There's no better way to relax than a lovely massage or a facial. It's the perfect reminder of how wonderful you are and how much you deserve happiness.

Time With Friends And Family

However important it is to spend time learning to be grateful to yourself, it is also important to spend time with your loved ones. Sometimes, especially as a student you can begin to feel very isolated when you feel that you don't have enough money to go out and socialize with your friends and family . But there's no need ! If you have a slightly higher income then how about a trip to the cinema with student discount and pre-bought snacks from the supermarket. If you have a lower income then don't despair, put together a picnic and take your family to the park to enjoy it ! It a lovely day out and think of all the fun the younger members of your family will have !

How do you budget for happiness ? I'd love to hear from you in the comments ! If you found this post helpful and would like some more ideas then head over to the Earnest Blog for lots of brilliant ways to take charge of your spending habits and continue to live a happy and fulfilled life

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :) Stay In Budget

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

P.s. I wrote this post in collaboration with Earnest.com but all opinions are my own.

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Things That Everyone Should Remember #2

Hello Gorgeous !

As I grow older and learn more things I've found there are some things that I wish I knew sooner . So I've put together a list of things that I have learnt that have made me a better, happier and healthier person and I would love that share that with you .

• If you stick a blazer on almost any outfit then you are then able to:                                                A) Go to work in said outfit                                                                                                            B) Look hot as hell in said outfit 
• Don't stand still. Always think , how can I be moving ? 
• Every hug should be like you mean it. Squish them until they know how loved they are or don't hug them at all. 
• Flash cards are the best form of communication. Whenever me and my girlfriend are studying for exams together we always write each other little notes on flashcards.
• Get up ten minutes early and have a tidy up ! You'll feel so much better throughout the day. 
• Never apologize for your positivity. It's a brilliant trait to have ! Don't let the world get you down because they couldn't be bothered to get up/

• Bake cupcakes more they taste brilliant. 
• Don't let people make you feel ashamed and awkward for doing what you want to do. Be who you are and live by your morals. 
• Do not leave the house unless you're covered in glitter
• Don't buy any clothes unless they make you feel like a princess or like you can go up to your high school bully and tell them where to stick there comments.... preferably both. 
• Date who you want to date, it will be okay. Nothing will hurt more than not being with the person you love . 
• Don't spend too much time in closets they're RUBBISH

• Forgive yourself for lost time, it's okay. You're there now. Enjoy it. 

These are just a few things that I've learnt over the past few years. I i

Time To Get Up

" Rock Bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

- J.K. Rowling

I've had this quote in my head recently , this is what it did for me :

Life can get bad... like really bad. It can hurt and it's scary because you're out of control and everything's gone wrong and your heart feels like it's dropped down into your stomach, it's painful how heavy it feels and nothing could get worse.

So tell me about tomorrow. I imagine it's better. In fact I know it;s better. Take some time, be sad. Cry, swear, shout, feel rubbish for a few days and accept that's how you're feeling and just take it in all its intensity.

Now get up. 

Tomorrow's going to be better because you're going to make it that way honey. Have a shower, paint your nails, make an action plan and tell me what you're going to do about it. You don't deserve to feel this way. If you need help then get help ( I promise it's out there... seriously, google it. ), If you need to drop the subject that you've tried and tried but are leaving every lesson crying then drop it. If you need a fresh start then have one. If you need to be with the person you love then be with them. What have you got to lose ?

Rebuild your life and let yourself have what you need, find what makes you happy and know that you are loved. I love you. You can do this . If for no other reason ... J.K.Rowling is a pretty damn impressive woman so she's probably right about this as well as most other things !

You're doing good and I'm proud of you. I once got asked how my week was and I said " Up and down.". I was expecting the reply " Why, what's wrong? " but no. He said " That's normal, life is full of ups and downs, it's about handling them in a healthy way ". So be sad, pick yourself up, make an action plan and rebuild your life.

Life can get good... like really good. You can make a change and it can be hard and you might go through hell to get there but I'm telling you it's pretty good when you do. Feeling happy, in control and like it couldn't get any better. If you need a reminder of that then this is for you.

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :) 

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

Time To Detox

Helllooo !

I'm in an excellent mood because I've just come from a really good singing lesson and it's made me realise just how much happier I've been lately. But why ? I wondered for a while what on earth could I have done to make this much of a change. Then I realized that I'd been detoxing my life and I'm at the happiest I've been in .. way more years than I care to remember ! So I thought I'd just write a short post about how I've got to this point :)

As many of you know my boyfriend and me separated after two and a half years, a few months ago and for me this marked a fresh start to finally be myself and love who I love and suddenly as things began to come into light I naturally began to focus on the things in life that make me happy. I began to move things around. I stopped going to debating club and joined creative writing, I spent more time focusing on my french, I made a bucket list. I wore clothes I love but was always afraid to wear because I thought they were too " Quirky " . 

Bit by bit and somehow all at once I began to feel so, so much happier and when you start to feel happier you realize you deserve to feel that good all the time. I was adding more and more things into my life, simple, easy things that made so much of a difference and then it struck me. I could be even happier if I got rid of all the unnecessary toxic things and people in my everyday life that made me less than happy because what reason did I have to keep them ? So I detoxed. EVERYTHING. I switched my meals from junk to more healthy energizing options. I gradually moved away from people who made me feel bad about myself or just life in general. I began to work on accepting myself and who I am. There is no point keeping unnecessary things that don't make you happy ! It's not selfish, it's self love.  

The next step for my is, I'm going to make a list of things that make me happy and implement them into my everyday life. I might even post the list when I'm done to give you some inspiration if anybody is interested. I'm not talking massive things like going to the zoo ( as much as i would love to do that everyday hehe ) but little things like switching my shampoo to one from lush that smells really good and cheers me up in the morning or taking the time to practice piano or song write a little each day . I truly believe this will make such a big difference to my life because I've already started and I feel amazing :) 

Anyway, these are just my thoughts, what do you think ?

If you fancy trying something this week, here's a little challenge. Choose one small thing you want to do for yourself and do it ( paint your nails, start music lessons, wear cat ears ... okay maybe that last one just applies to me ). Think of something unnecessary in your life that doesn't make you happy and change it. ( hate running ? Get a membership at your local swimming pool instead or if you have that friend who's always moaning and making life seem rubbish, get rid ) and then make find something that makes you happy and find away to do it everyday !

I'm really interested to see how this works out !

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :) 

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

Tips and Tricks for Self-Love

Hello !

On Tuesday I talked about how to treat you body and a few ideas on how to feel better about yourself from the inside out ! ( If you missed it you can read it here ) So Today lets talk about a few simple bits and bobs that you can incorporate into your everyday life to increase your happiness and self esteem :)

• Make a positivity book ! Buy a small notebook and keep it by your bedside. Every night write one good thing that happened or made you smile each day no matter how bad your day was. When you look back through it, you'll see it was a pretty good life :)
• Just let yourself live. Get rid of the endless routines and scheduling ( I speak from experience here ) I got to a point where I had to have a schedule and if it went wrong then I'd get panicky but that meant it had to be planned to the minute which made me feel overwhelmed and snowed under ! Neither of these are good. I found the best way to break off from this is to make a list of 3 things each day that you'd LIKE to achieve. Just little things and it doesn't matter if you don't do them. I just find it helps me give my day a sense of purpose !
• DRESS FOR YOU ! I can't highlight this enough. Dress however you feel most confident. This is about making you feel good in yourself. Take some time to go shopping, try on lots of different clothes and don't buy anything unless it makes you feel ready to take on the world ! There's a brilliant chapter on this in Louise Pentland's new book, Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter . A book I would happily recommend to anyone :)
• Do something you're good at ... or find something you're good at :) It's really important to have a hobby that makes you feel good about yourself , it could help you meet people, build your self esteem, help you relax and way more ! If you haven't already got a hobby that you enjoyed ( If you have one already but you don't enjoy, just leave it. If it's not making you happy it's not worth your time ) then don't sit there thinking that your useless with no talents. You are talented but you're not going to find out what at , if you don't go out giving stuff a go <3
• Do something you're not good at ! ... Seriously, try something new . You're not going to be good at it at first but stick with it and you can do it :) I really wanted to start yoga for ages and then the other week I joined a class and I was AWFUL ! I fell onto the woman next to me. I fell flat on my face. Honestly, you name it, I fell on it hehe :) But I'm going back because I want to be good at it and that's going to take a long time but it will be worth it :)
• Self Date. I've only started thinking about it recently but I've found it really beneficial . Take some time to get to know who you are without the influence of other people. Buy a new book and go to the local coffee shop and treat yourself to reading with a yummy hot chocolate and extra marshmallows ! Or plan a perfect duvet day just for you . ( YOu can find my post " How to ... Duvet Day " here ) Dress yourself up and cook yourself a fancy meal for one ! Because you are worth it ! Let me know your ideas for self dating in the comments :)
• Be compassionate. Be kind to others and you will feel so much happier and warm and fuzzy in yourself ! Try leaving a few hopeful notes a week or smiling at that stranger who you walked past this morning .

Finally, work for what YOU want to achieve. Many people realise way too late that they have been making their life choices especially with choosing careers, around what is expected of them ... no . You are better than that ! You are an amazing, complex human being and you can make your own choices and work to become whatever will make you happiest within yourself :)

I really hope some of these tips are helpful ! Let me know your favourite in the comments or if you have anymore tips feel free to share them :) And be sure to come back tomorrow for the final post of Self-Love week, I'm doing a DIY on how to make yourself a Self-Care box for those days when you're feeling a little crappy and need a lift or just a bit of TLC <3

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :)

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

Pinterest : Little Hopeful

Twitter : @MyHappyBubbleXx
BlogLovin : Don'tBurstMyBubbleXx

Self-Love | Quotes Posts !

Heyy there !

Welcome to day three of self-love week ! If you've followed my blog for a while ( If not you can follow me on bloglovin here to let you know when I post ) then you'll know that I'm a bigger lover of inspirational quotes ! So today I thought I'd share with you just a few of the quotes about self-love that I well .. LOVE !

"Self worth is do vital to your happiness. If you don't feel good about you, it's hard to feel good about anything else "
- Mandy Male

"Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else"
-Judy Garland

"When I accept myself I am freed from the burden of needing you to accept me"
-Steve Maraboli

"Love people with all sincere attention, but don't over do it as if you are not special. Don't lose yourself in the process of loving other people . Remember, you are special too!"
-Israelmore Ayivor

" Love yourself enough to have a meaningful life"
-Millen Livis

"Love is who you are, don't resist it "
- E'yen A. Gardner

" Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway "
Eleanor Roosevelt

" Instead of wondering when your next vacation is maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from "
-Seth Godin

" Be very, very, very gentle with yourself. The world is very, very, very hard on you"
- Srividya Srinivason

" You are nature. You are already perfect, peaceful and powerful. You don't need to become anything. You simply need to remember yourself "

Which was your favourite ? Are their any other inspirational self love quotes that you'd like to share ? Let me know in the comments !

Come back tomorrow for lots of tips and tricks on how to involve self love into your day to day life, in lots of different ways !

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :) 

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

Pinterest : Little Hopeful

Twitter : @MyHappyBubbleXx
BlogLovin : Don'tBurstMyBubbleXx

What Is Self-Love ?

Hello ! 

Welcome to Self-Love week ! I'm really excited about this project. It's such an important topic and I can't wait to talk to you about it :) I'm going to be posting everyday for the next five days about different things to do with self-love. From quotes to self care boxes and little ways you can incorporate it into your day to day lives, We've got it all ! I mean we even have a snazzy little logo for the week hehe :) 

So today I thought we'd talk about, what actually is self-love? First lets get rid of a few misconceptions, here's what self-love isn't :

• It's arrogant 
• It's pointless 
• It's vain 
• It's for people that are stuck up 
• Selfish 
• It doesn't matter 

Wrong, WRong, WROng , WRONg, WRONG ! 

Here is what self-love actually is, by dictionary definition :) 

self-love

noun

1. regard for one's own well-being and happiness.

Self-love is about being comfortable, confident and happy within yourself. It can be difficult to achieve, especially with all these horrible misconceptions surrounding it. But I'm glad to say it's becoming more accepted and more people are talking about it and coming to understand that it's not vain it's necessary. 

It can play a massive part in helping people ( male and female - many people think this is only important with women ) gain more self confidence as it increases their self-esteem and lets you accept yourself for who you are, making you more comfortable with yourself. This opens so many doors! Either to being happier doing the things you already do or to try knew things you never thought you'd have the confidence to ! . You can't tell me that's not important ?

When I broke up with my boyfriend for a while about a year ago, although it was a sad time for me, after a few weeks I began to notice something new. I started to look at myself in the mirror and think : "You know what ? I'm actually looking okay today .. no I look pretty .. I'm actually quite pretty!" This was a massive moment for me and I honestly believe it was because I became too reliant on needing somebody else to tell me I was beautiful and that should not be the case . Once I got back with boyfriend, although I was and am happy, that confidence again became reliant on him. I'm telling you this for two reasons:

a) People often think of Self-Love as something that only single people need. form of confidence so that they can see their happiness should not depend on being in a relationship ( which it shouldn't ) . But what people forget is people who are in relationships also shouldn't have all of their happiness and confidence depend on their boyfriend or girlfriend. This is something It took me a long time to get to grips with. Yes my boyfriend is lovely and sweet and makes me extremely happy and yes he regularly tells me I'm beautiful and all the rest. BUT there's also a lot of other things that make me happy that are completely separate from him and I am trying to get to a point where I have enough self esteem to not need his reassurance that I look nice . 

b) There's no reason that somebody else telling me I'm beautiful should be worth more to me than accepting my body and allowing it to be beautiful to me . In fact , I'm living in here ! Surely I should have more of a say than anyone else on what defines my own standards of beauty !

So , give yourself time to love and accept yourself. To stand in front of a mirror and say "You know what ? Its not that bad . Actually I'm kind of pretty looking !" Allow yourself to be comfortable, make a list of things you like about your personality and a list of things you like about your body ! You can find lots of little challenges like this in my " 30 Day Happiness Challenge " Let me know 3 things you like about your body and three good things about your personality in the comments !

You could ever take it a step further and use a sharpie to write positive words over your body ! I saw this recently in a post by Rainbow-Rose Blossom ( She's a brilliant blogger who frequently promotes self-love and you should definitely check her blog out )  that I'll link to here . I thought it was a really empowering thing to do !

Anyway, that's it for today ! It would mean the absolute world to me if you could share this around however you can because I think this is a really important topic and I'm so excited about raising some more awareness of it ! Check back tomorrow for the second instalment. It's all about how to make yourself feel good about yourself from the inside with lots of tips on everything from healthy eating to getting descent nights sleep !

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :)

lots of love, Marianne xxx

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