Small Things To Change Your Life: Task #1

Hello all!

Today I'm here to talk to you about the simplest but one of the most important things one can do to make their life shine just a little bit brighter.

BREATHE.

It's as simple as that. Obviously, you already do breathe around 28,800 times a day but I mean really breathe. As someone who struggles with sleep problems and is a huge worrier, concentrating on my breathing as become a big thing in my life. It's subtle and silent. Nobody has to know that you're doing it. That's the beauty of it. It's not attention grabbing or embarrassing. It is simply breathing in and out.

When I'm stressed out or upset I normally clean or tidy up. It's an odd habit but it helps me to calm down so there we go. But obviously, if my room is already tidy or if I'm out in public I don't anything to organise. So breathing is my go to. In through the nose; out through the mouth. You all know how it goes. Below are four different techniques you can do for circumstances of stress, anxiety or the general for relaxation.

7/11

In for seven, out for eleven. An easy-peasy one that I normally try to do for around two minutes if I can. You can also vary the speed depending on your circumstance, but try and keep it as slow as possible without feeling dramatically out of breathe in between. 

300 Backwards

A more time-consuming one that is I would go to if I'm desperate for sleep. Start counting backwards from 300, breathing in at '299' and out for '298' and so on. This requires a lot of concentration and is generally quite relaxing. Also don't worry if your mind wanders whilst doing this: once you realise that you've stopped concentrating on your breathing, just bring your breathing back into the rhythm and start from the last number you remember thinking. 

Balloon Breathe

This is my favourite and one I've been using for many years now. Start breathing in through your nose and allow your tummy to expand like a balloon. When you breathe back out, let you tummy drop and make an effort to push slightly more air out than comes out naturally. This is a breathing technique used in yoga and is very relaxing. 

Figure of 8

This one is slightly more unusual but it works well for me. With the edge of a duvet or blanket/rug or even the tip of your pinky, begin moving this around the edge of your nostrils, coming up in the middle. Breathe in whilst going down and out whilst going up (or the other way if that feel uncomfortable to you). Again, you can vary the speed but a slow and steady speed is best. Also don't apply too much pressure to your nose otherwise that'll be very uncomfortable!

"Feeling come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor."  - Thích Nhất Hạnh

I hope this might help some of you and I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday!

xxxx

Maddy

Peanut Butter Goodness - A Healthy(ish) Cookie Recipe

I adore weekends. I mean, don't we all? The opportunity to laze around, eating good food and watching equally great films, without feeling guilty. Weekends are also a great time to catch up with your favourite hobbies. This weekend was spent catching up on vlogs and blogs whilst in the kitchen making these guilt-free beauties: my healthy(ish) peanut butter cookies. 

If the mention of 'peanut butter' makes your excited then these are the cookies for you. They are flourless and butter-less and taste yummy. 

(One thing to bare in mind: they are healthy so don't expect sweet, light cookies. Once you remember that, they are actually rather delicious)

The recipe is easy-squeezy-lemon-peasy with a few ingredients and a 30 minute chill before baking to allow you time to wash everything up… or take photos of your dog being quite frankly adorable 

What You'll Need:

two-thirds of a cup of oats 

two hundred and fifty grams of peanut butter (it's better if you use organic)

ninety grams of light brown sugar

one large egg

one half of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

one teaspoon of baking soda

seventy grams of dark chocolate chips - optional but completely necessary

What You'll Have To Do:

Temperatures:

- 180C

- 350F

- Gas Mark 4

1. Toss together the oats, cinnamon and baking soda

2. Beat the egg

3. Mix the peanut butter and brown sugar with the egg 

4. Mix in the dry ingredients slowly and you don't want to over-beat the egg 

5. Pop the mixture/dough into the fridge for half an hour to chill 

6. Line two baking trays will baking parchment 

7. Scoop the dough onto the trays - aim for about 1.5 tablespoon sizes (I did mine much bigger and they ended up as monsters!)

8. Press down the cookies will the back of a fork to flatten them and get a rigid effect - use a spoon if you are going for a neater look

9. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool on a cooling rack 

and ta dah! 10-14 delicious cookies that are perfect for pre/post workout or just for guilt free snacking and are helpfully very filling. They also taste gorgeous when eaten with raspberries - something I just discovered on the way back to school.

I assure you, they are much better than my dreadful food photography and presentational skills- I'll be working on that! 

Happy baking and have a fabulous week into the new month - crazy how fast it's gone already!

Love and Cookie-Crumbly Kisses,

Maddy x

Going on an Adventure: A Walk in the Woods

Fortunately for me, my boarding school has large and lovely grounds which one - or two - can wonder around when a cooped-up Sunday becomes too stuffy and boredom strikes. Today was one of those days and my friend and I were those two. A walk in the woods to get some fresh ended up as an sun-set adventure and because we had a big giggle trying to work out where we had ended up, I thought I'd share our adventure with you.

B looking all deep and artsy

Luckily for me, I had a pair of trusty wellyboots on so the mud and wet was not an issue. However my friend B was wearing less sensible shoes for a winter's walk and so when the ground go into a marshy state, she looked for a route around. So, we left the path and wondered into the woods until we came across something very cool and wonderful. After discussion, we voted it was probably an old bridge that was taken apart, and the metal foundations were left. It was probably not the sturdiest of things to climb on, but ho hum, a little risk is always fun. 

Exploring! 

and catching my balance!

We kept walking and found a small pond and then reached a field where we managed to capture the amazing sunset. A lot of walking and climbing over fences that were there for the reason to keep us in the woods, we finally found our way back to school. 

Even though we were admittedly very lost, we had a lot of fun and saw some lovely things we wouldn't have seen otherwise. 

 Sometimes leaving the pathway you know and trust can lead to an adventure you never would have imagined. 

Have a fabulous week and find yourself an adventure,

All my Love,

Maddy x 

Small Things To Change Your Life Series: Tale #1

For my first STTCYL Tale, I've dug deep into my childhood and found a story which I'm sure many of you have already heard. Aesop's Fables were a favourite of mine whilst growing up and I have found this still applies strongly today. Although Aesop's moral of this story is different to the moral I thought of whilst reading it, I think both are equally important. I also love the fact that I read a different meaning into this fable than the one originally intended. That is the beauty of literature: you can read a story and take from it what you will, even if the author never intended it. It's like a lesson in which the teacher didn't mean to give you, but you take from it more than they would have ever imagined. 

The Lion and the Mouse - An Aesop's Fable

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse.

Aesop's Moral: Little friends may prove great friends 

My Moral: Never judge too early

My Other Moral: What goes around comes around

So, although the Lion thought the Mouse was being incredibly funny by claiming he could one day return the favour, he definitely would never regret it. What goes around comes around applies in everyday circumstances. If you treat someone badly, how do you expect them to treat you nicely back? If you forgive someone, they are much more likely to forgive you in the future. Treat those around as you would like to be treated, and soon they'll treat you that way. 

You've all heard the expression "never judge a book by its cover" meaning you should never make assumptions about somebody until you know their story. It's easy to avoid someone, just because you may have heard something about them or just generally assume they wouldn't be someone you'd like. STOP THAT! Take a chance on everybody you meet. The lion assume the mouse could never help him, just because he was mouse.

Lastly, be kind to all. You never know what could happen if you're not. I know sometimes being kind or civil is the last thing on your mind but just step back and think about others for a bit. It is never too late to apologise. It is never too late to forgive. 

I promise you that nothing feels better than making someone smile or laugh. This is one of the smallest things in our world; a two second grin or giggle may not seem too significant but trust me, there is no greater joy than bringing joy to others.

"Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind." 

-Henry James

Have a fabulous Sunday,

Heaps of Love,

Maddy x

The Versatile Blogger Award

Today I was nominated by the ever-so-lovely Lucy from From Pen To Screen for the Versatile Blogger Award and I am completely and utterly as chuffed as chips! Thank you so much Lucy, you and your blog are both absolutely amazing and gorgeous and this meant so much to me.

The Versatile Blogger Award is an award in which you nominate 15 of your favourite blogs, and if the nominees want to they can carry it on. You also have to post 7 random facts about yourself.

So without further a-do, here are my 7 facts:

1. I am obsessed with Banana Bread… 

2. I love dogs, I currently have one called Wicket and am hopefully getting a puppy for my sixteenth birthday this year

3. My favourite song at the moment is Matilda - Alt-J

4. My favourite shop is H&M - I always find something in there

5. When I was little, I wanted to be a waitress. I thought they were the most amazing people ever. Actually, I still kind of think that - how do they balance so many plates?!

6. Another 'Little Maddy' story: when I was little I wanted (and I'll admit, I still do) to have a birthday party in Ikea because it was my favourite place in the world

7. I love reading blogs and watching youtube videos in my free time

My 15 favourite blogs was quite hard as I have so many, but here are 15 amazing blogs that you should all go and check out right now!

Zoe's Secret Style

That New Dress

Our Wolf Song

Whipped Green Girl

O is for Ottilie

Jessica Indge Designs

Petals of Perfection

Daisies and Delights

Maddy Kake

Kirsty H Wright

Blonde Vision

Pretty Loved

Blossom and Glitter
Essays and Wine
Sophs Choices

These 15 are all slightly different but all ones I very much enjoy reading, so I hope you do too.

Thank you again Lucy

and I hope you are all having a lovely week, only one more day until the weekend!

All my Love,

Maddy x

A Playlist: To Uplift

The beginning of January is always tricky. Christmas and the festive holidays have really finished now and it's back to work and school for most. 

My first week back at school has been incredibly long and crammed full of mock exams and revising (and a lot of procrastinating) and I'm exhausted. And when I'm tired, there's nothing better than a few of my favourite uplifting songs.

So, here is my 'A Playlist: To Uplift'.

'A Playlist' is a series on my blog -  for more information on this, have a look here 

I hope you enjoy six of my favourites, please do let me know what you think.

Unbelievers - Vampire Weekend

Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club

Young Folks - Peter Bjorn & John

Mountain Sound - Of Monsters & Men

Junk Of The Heart - The Kooks

Ivy & Gold - Bombay Bicycle Club

Small Things to Change Your Life Series: Introduction

Hello!

I hope you all had the happiest of New Years - I cannot believe we are already four days in.

As you can see from the title of this post, this is the introduction to a series I am going to be doing on my blog this year. 

The 'small things to change your life' is a series I've had in my mind for a while, before I even started this blog. 

I got the idea after I came across a quote that really made me think a lot but sadly I could not find the original or the person who said this wonderful thing. So here's my best attempt at passing it on:

"If you don't think small things can have a big impact, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room." - unknown

Small things can hugely change others' lives and yours. The aim of this series is to inspire some of you to change in the smallest ways and make the biggest of impacts. 

It is a series of fortnightly posts crammed full of ideas and inspirations for changing your life for the better. 

The posts will alternate between tasks and tales. The tasks will be small things that you can do daily or weekly to improve your living, to help another or to help you appreciate this wonderful world we live in. The tales will be inspirational stories that have touched me and so I will be sharing my favourites with you. 

I'm very excited to get started on the first post and I hope you all enjoy.

Happy Sunday!

Maddy x

My New Year's Resolutions - Appreciating Life A Little More

I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone. It feels that only yesterday I was celebrating the start of 2014 and now it is suddenly almost the end. Last year I didn't set myself resolutions but I wish I had. So, I've set myself some resolutions for 2015 and I intend to keep them.

The first is saying yes. Obviously if somebody asks me to jump off a cliff or punch a policeman, I won't say yes. But this year I've found there have been many occasions when I wish I'd said yes. I've discovered I never truly regret something I have done but I always regret the things I didn't. Whether it's a favour to a friend or a competition or simply a question. Saying yes (at appropriate times) is my main aim for the new year.

The second is trying new things. I am a  worrier, a big big worrier. I'm always picking out the things that could go wrong in a situation which results in me worrying more. Trying new things involves stepping out of one's comfort zone and that is something I am trying to do more of. So this year I want to do new, exciting things and I want to enjoy them. I'm also hoping this will give me a confidence boost or just decrease my worrying. 

Number three on my list is to get healthy. Recently I've been trying to get fit and healthy and obviously over this Christmas holiday I have not stuck to it. So starting tomorrow I'm having another go and I intend to keep it on into the new year. This involves eating right, exercising, sleeping better and becoming much more confident. I'll admit I've never been happy with my body but recently I've started developing a bit of a 'I don't give a f***' attitude towards my body which I am glad about. But I do want to get healthier and fitter. 

Last on my list but definitely an important one is being a bit kinder and aware of others. I know for a fact that when I'm tired or stressed I can be rather bitchy and not mean it. I also know I've recently been pushing some of my closest friends away, which is a stupid mistake and I don't want to push them any further. Friends are such an important part of my life and I'd hate it if I lost one of them. I'm also talking about being kinder to others too. Whether that's picking up a strangers scarf and getting it back to them or helping a younger year. I just want to start helping others more and to stop being quite so self-absorbed. We all are a little and that's alright, sometimes you need to care about yourself, but I want to make the world around me a happier place. So if I can help just one person, then I'll be doing a good job.

I suppose all of these resolutions are about appreciating my life a little more. I recently discovered a family member of mine was in a nasty crash and could be left paralysed. Things like this are a real wake up call and so I want to life every second of this year trying harder than I did last year. We shouldn't need horrible events to push us into reflecting a little more, but sadly we do.

I know the state of our world isn't the most pleasing of things, but what I want you -yes you, the brilliant person reading all this- is to step outside, take a walk, read a book, reflect on your life and start appreciating the beautiful world we live in and the wonderful people that surround us. 

I have all faith that 2015 is going to be a good year, with ups and downs of course, but a good one. 

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." - Oprah Winfrey

Happy New Year my lovelies. May it be filled with good people, happy moments and appreciation.

Maddy x

Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone & Introducing Me

Hey there! I'm Maddy: a fifteen year old living in the monotonous countryside of England - although secretly I love the peace and quiet. Even though I cannot be sure how others see me, I'd describe myself as quiet at first, perspective and a dreamer who is too afraid to step outside my comfort-zone. A fan of Ed Sheeran, ampersands, thesauruses and wearing no shoes. A lover of animals, nature and rain. 

Reading and writing has and always will be my passion in life. Writing is something I've always wanted to do but it is also something I've been apprehensive of sharing. A few weeks ago I entered my school's writing competition and although sending the email was maybe the scariest thing I've ever done, I felt so incredible afterwards. I took the plunge and stepped out of my comfort zone. I know this may not seem a lot - some peoples' ideas of stepping out of a comfort zone is skydiving or swimming with sharks. But this was a big step for me. I don't believe I have any chance of winning but it was the putting myself out there that was the important part. 

Today - December 19th 2014 - after slaving over chemistry revision for two hours, preparing for my mocks in January, I took a break and watched youtube videos (something I regularly do) and read a few of my favourite blogs, including Ella Denton's We Need To Live More - the blog that sealed the deal and forced me to sit down and write this right now. She is incredibly inspirational and such a free spirit and I adore her blog. 

'That's what you should do.' My conscience whispered into my ear. The same conscience that told me to write a story for my school's competition and the same conscience who told me to press send. I think it's fair to say I've gradually developed a trust for this conscience over the last couple of months. A fair few hours of name and template searching and ta dah! 

Efflorescence & Dreams was born.

A small space on the internet.

My small space on the internet.

A space in which I can express my views, share moments, create wonders and maybe even inspire some, as Ella Denton (and many others) has inspired me. 

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver

Inspiration is everywhere: you can only see it if you open your eyes to the possibilities surrounding you.

All my love,

Maddy x


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