Motivational Monday #3!

     Motivational Monday is back once again to save the day, hopefully making your Monday's a little brighter. For those of you who are new to all this, "Motivational Monday" is just a post full of random quotes, videos, music, photos etc. who's sole purpose is to make your day a little easier, keep you going. For some reason, everybody hates Mondays; maybe because that's when you need to return to your duties of work and school but, it doesn't have to that way! Have no fear, Motivational Monday is here!
             Rend Collective - More than conquerors 
                 CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF VIDEO

"Seriously friends. Wait until you find someone who you can love wholeheartedly and who loves you wholeheartedly, too. Who you can chill with, laugh with, work with, live with. Who loves Jesus in a way that makes you pursue God more than you ever thought possible. And then marry that person. It’s awesome." - Tori K. Webb

If You Are In A Shell

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“You’ve got to embrace discomfort. It’s the only way you can put yourself in situations where you can learn, and the only way you can keep your senses fresh once you’re there.”

—	Louis C.K. “Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.” —  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

“Until you get comfortable with being alone, you’ll never know if you’re choosing someone out of love or loneliness.”

—	Mandy Hale

“Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.”

—	TheDailyPositive.com

“

1. If you like someone, wait.
2. Give lots of compliments, even if you’re shy. Everyone else is too.
3. Change. Get a haircut, try new perfume, get new sheets. Become better than you were before.
4. Eat healthier. Learn to cook something fancy.
5. Get up earlier and watch the sun come up.
6. Wear soft clothes, take a bath, drink something warm.
7. Meet someone new, even just a friend.
8. Become closer with your friends and your family. Call your mother. Cry with your best friend. Tell everyone how much you appreciate them.
9. Keep your room clean. Buy some candles. Let the natural light in.
10. Make a list of reasons why you’ll be better off without them. Believe they are true, because they are. 
11. Listen to new music. 
12. Write everything you’re thinking and feeling. Write letters. Write happy letters, sad letters, and angry letters, even if you’re never going to send them.
13. It’s okay to be sad, but not forever. Sadness is not as beautiful as music makes it seem. Lack of sleep makes your eyes droopy, not deep. Wake up every morning and tell yourself you’re going to have a good day.
14. Go to the library. Don’t forget to look in the music section. 
15. Remove them from your life. Get rid of the things they gave you if they make you sad. They’re not worth it. You will never be happy if you continue to hold on to the things that make you sad.
16. Make new memories.
17. Try to find something to appreciate in everything you do or experience.
18. Being alone is okay, you don’t have to surround yourself with people. 
19. Become your own best friend. Buy yourself coffee and drink it alone in a cafe. Take your time. 
20. Learn to love every bit of yourself.

”

—

How to feel better and become better (via skinnyknees, tumblr) “Bottom line is, even if you see ‘em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can’t help that. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. That’s when you find out who you are.” —  Joss Whedon “A biblical understanding of the Christian life is not ‘let go and let God,’ it’s ‘trust God and get going.’” —  Tullian Tchividjian

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY #2!

    Motivational Monday is back! Where i share with you inspirational, uplifting and positive videos, music, scriptures, quotes photos and more! I hope this helps at least one of you, providing you with a message you need. Enjoy! And Happy Monday!

- Nathia

    
    Please, I encourage you to listen to this video in its entirety. The messages she provides at the end of the song is powerful and I know someone needs it, that might just be you. Pray with her, accept him, open your heart and receive the Love of God. Your life will never be the same.

           
           CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF VIDEO

“Fall in love with someone who wants you, who waits for you. Who understands you even in the madness; someone who helps you, and guides you, someone who is your support, your hope. Fall in love with someone who talks with you after a fight. Fall in love with someone who misses you and wants to be with you. Do not fall in love only with a body or with a face; or with the idea of being in love.” — 
Unknown

“Sometimes God calms the storm, but sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms his child.”

—	TheDailyPositive.com

“Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now. Live it, feel it, cling to it. I want to become acutely aware of all I’ve taken for granted.”

—

Sylvia Plath “Labels bias our perceptions, thinking, and behavior. A label or story can either separate us from, or connect us to, nature. For our health and happiness, we must critically evaluate our labels and stories by their effects.” —  ― Michael J. Cohen  “Maybe it’s just hard to see what’s right in front of you while you’re frantically searching for it.” —  (via ohlovequotes)   "Something Every Girl Needs To Hear" - Alyssa Bethke CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF VIDEO “Our lives are not as limited as we think they are; the world is a wonderfully weird place; consensual reality is significantly flawed; no institution can be trusted, but love does work; all things are possible; and we all could be happy and fulfilled if we only had the guts to be truly free and the wisdom to shrink our egos and quit taking ourselves so damn seriously.” A simple yet powerful daily prayer: "Jesus, reveal yourself to me, I want more of you." Who is Jesus really? CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF VIDEO              Matthew 17:20 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed,you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” THE DAILY POSITIVE A Positive Thought in the Morning Can Change Your Whole Day. No Spam, Just Love :) :    Sign up now to receive positive emails consisting of quotes etc. daily! This is to simply lift your spirits and i promise, it is all free. Here is the link: http://dalepartridge.com/

Depression: Our journey to happiness

    Caution: May be slightly triggering. But i promise, i will get past all the cons and move on to the pros, i just want to first, use the following quote in order to try to illustrate depression for those who are not familiar with it's grip.
    "Depression is humiliating. It turns intelligent, kind people into zombies who can’t wash a dish or change their socks. It affects the ability to think clearly, to feel anything, to ascribe value to your children, your lifelong passions, your relative good fortune. It scoops out your normal healthy ability to cope with bad days and bad news, and replaces it with an unrecognizable sludge that finds no pleasure, no delight, no point in anything outside of bed. You alienate your friends because you can’t comport yourself socially, you risk your job because you can’t concentrate, you live in moderate squalor because you have no energy to stand up, let alone take out the garbage. You believe you've become pathetic. And you have no capacity to stop the downward plunge. You have no perspective, no emotional reserves, no faith that it will get better. So you feel guilty and ashamed of your inability to deal with life like a regular human, which exacerbates the depression and the isolation. If you've never been depressed, thank your lucky stars and back off the folks who take a pill so they can make eye contact with the grocery store cashier. No one on earth would choose the nightmare of depression over an averagely turbulent normal life.

It’s not an incapacity to cope with day to day living in the modern world. It’s an incapacity to function. At all. If you and your loved ones have been spared, every blessing to you. If depression has taken root in you or your loved ones, every blessing to you, too. No one chooses it. No one deserves it. It runs in families, it ruins families. You cannot imagine what it takes to feign normalcy, to show up to work, to make a dentist appointment, to pay bills, to walk your dog, to return library books on time, to keep enough toilet paper on hand, when you are exerting most of your capacity on trying not to kill yourself. Depression is real. Just because you've never had it doesn't make it imaginary. Compassion is also real. And a depressed person may cling desperately to it until they are out of the woods and they may remember your compassion for the rest of their lives as a force greater than their depression. Have a heart. Judge not lest ye be judged." - Unknown

      Depression is not laziness, not an excuse, nor a choice. Depression is not a connotation for sad nor is it a synonym for having a bad day, a bad week even. Depression is something you must fight every day, It does not last a day, in most cases, it lasts years and tries to swallow you whole in it's darkness. Depression shuts off all your lights and makes you run aimlessly through the seemingly never ending night then walk, still heaving, and then crawl and then just lay there until you one day, the lights start to flicker and for a second, you regain hope. Depression is a battle THAT YOU WILL WIN.

To those of you currently battling depression:

Hello my fellow warriors,
   There are certain things i know you will hear all the time: "It will get better" "This too shall pass" "There is light at the end of the tunnel" and these statements are true, but many times, what you aren't told, is, yes, i PROMISE, In time, happiness will find its way back to you, but, It won't be easy, you cannot expect it to be, but it WILL be worth it. Please, be patient. When you get out of this, happiness will be like gold to you, it will be even more enjoyable than before, You were given this fight because YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH to defeat the darkness. Please, do not give up on yourself, I am rooting for you. I know the people around you may not understand, you may be called lazy, you may be called angry, bitter, asked why all you wear is sweatpants or why you hide under so much make up; why you spend so much time in your room, in the dark and told to "get over it"' asked why you "can't take a joke" or why you never smile.... Forgive these people, for they truly do not know. No one can truly understand how you feel unless they have been there themselves, which is why it may get lonely sometimes, but i promise you, you are not alone. I've been there, and i've gotten out and i promise, if i can, you can too. In those 5 years I was fighting, I lost a lot of people I thought would stick with me forever, but then realized, some of those people were only holding me down further. I've been to the lowest of lows and still managed to float back to the surface. When you hit rock bottom, there is no where else to go but up, It's cliche but ever so true. I always held everything in, not wanting to burden anyone with my problems, which was a poor choice, because then eventually, the pressure would build up and i would explode. The thing is, i never really had anyone i felt comfortable talking to, because i knew they wouldn't understand which would make me feel even more distant from the rest of the world... "abnormal" i guess. Or the few times i would try to reach out for help and my hand would get slapped away, so i just stopped asking.  

    It's not that i didn't want help, it's that i didn't know the right place to find it. And this is why I am here, I am here to give you a place to run to when you feel like you can no longer go on. I am here here to share parts of my story in order to let you know that I DO understand and i want nothing more than to be there for you, whether it's for advice or just to have someone who will listen. This does not need to end in any way but you finding happiness and i am here to help lead you to it. I know what it feels like to have seemingly absolutely nothing to look forward to but, I found the strength to hold on and get out. I had that strength all along I'm here to help you discover yours faster than I did. There is so much to look forward to, when you get out of all this, you will emerge from the darkness, a thousand and one times stronger than ever before, your perception of the world will transform and everything seems so much more beautiful. In a way, I guess i can call this my twisted blessing, because without everything i went through, I would not be the person i am today. I would not see things the way I do now and I would not value certain things as much as I do now. I PROMISE YOU, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, IF YOU KEEP FIGHTING, YOU WILL COME OUT OF THIS VICTORIOUS. Force yourself to get out to bed and break habits, depression wants you to lay in the darkness all day, do not feed it, do not give it power over you. Fight and when it tries to fight back, fight harder. You are stronger than these thoughts, you are stronger than these feelings, you are stronger than the blade and the self harm, you are stronger than your scars. You are stronger than everything trying to keep you down; throw them out of your way. Delete all those mourn-worthy songs on your phone and get leave the people who are bringing negativity into your life, behind. Many times I found myself doing a much needed "friend cleanse". Surround yourself with people who love you and not only want to see you happy but are willing to help you get there. Run (exercise is proven to increase the chemical in your brain which makes you happy) listen to uplifting music, engulf yourself in positivity. You will get through this, and you don't need to do it alone, You can always reach me at my email ( asknathia@gmail.com) my ask (http://www.ask.fm/natvice) or my twitter (http://www.twitter.com/NathiaWray) or you can get further guidance by calling one of the numbers located in the following link http://natvice.tumblr.com/suicidehotlines .
Hold on my souldiers, this battle is not over until you have won.
To those of you in recovery:

To my fellow champions, 
CONGRATULATIONS, you've made it!
    There will be days when familiar feelings emerge and that may become scary, but i promise you, keep fighting and ignoring those feelings, they won't trouble you for long. Sometimes, in recovery, you are constantly worried, waiting for sadness to emerge once again, waiting for something bad to happen because that is the same old routine you're used to, that nothing good can come your way without 5 bad things to follow, but I promise, it's okay, the darkness over. Enjoy this newfangled happiness, don't spend your time worrying when it will end, you've earned this. Recovery is the time when you rebuild your village after the war. yes, there will be some days that are better than others, but remember all that you've fought off and how far you've come, you absolutely cannot turn back now. Expect those familiar past feeling to try and creep up on you, they will try but don't let them succeed. Sometimes, there is a twisted sense of comfort in those feelings because, that's what you're used to and change can be frightening but, don't fall for it, there is no glamour in sadness. You are new and the strongest you have ever been, nothing can bring you down as long as you learn how to remember where you came from without going back there. When life tries to throw a curveball at you, remember all the bullets you've dodged and wounds you've healed, how hard you've fought and how far you've come. Of course things aren't always going to be peaches and cream, but that's life, things happen, it's your job to determine how you react and how you let it affect you. Don't ever, for a second think you don't deserve the happiness coming your way, and yes, there is even more to come than you have right now. Build a positive community, build a support system, with a handful of genuine people who have made it out of the dark as well.  Surround yourself with positivity, stay in the light and know your limitations. Remember it's okay to let go. Live every day one day at a time and don't think too far ahead, that'll only stress you out. And most of all, BE PROUD OF YOURSELF. I sure am proud of you

To those of you who have never experienced depression:

How to help
    One thing that irks me is when people use "depressed" "anxiety attack" or "panic attack" as a synonym for "bad day" "startled" and or "stressed". Those are not the same thing, and people tend to take others less seriously when they reach out for help because of that, they are just seen as over-exaggerating. 

1.  Do not mock/dumb down the pain of others. Also, be considerate of others feelings, no matter if they show signs of depression or not. You never know what someone is going through. I was the queen of a fake smile, to this day, nobody really knows what went on in my head. Following things up with "I'm just kidding", doesn't soften blows or excuse your statements either. You never know what people are going through, treat everyone with delicacy.

2. They are still people. They just handle things differently than you: Just because you don't understand something, does not mean it is abnormal. Don't talk to someone with depression as if they are inhuman or pitiful, that will only push them farther away and make them feel even more alone. Depression is not a choice and those with it, should not be exiled for it, they should be brought closer. 

3. However, sometimes, the best thing you can do for someone is to leave them alone. This all depends on the person, the circumstances and the extent of time. I know personally, I need a break from people. I cherish my alone time every day, it gives me a chance to just stop and relax. Give them the advice, love and support that you can, and then let them have time to breathe and soak it all in. After, check up on them, daily. Send a text just to let them know you were thinking about them, ask them how their day is going and how they're feeling, let them know you are always here for them whenever they need it.

4. Some people just need a listening ear: You may not understand what that person is going through, however, if they reach out to you, sometimes they just want someone who will listen. Some people, just need you there. Don't ever make them feel like a burden, then they will just stop coming to you all together. Be there for them as much as you can and reassure them that you WANT to help them, not that you're doing it out of pity. If you think the situation is too much for you to handle, do not take in on all by yourself, If it gets too serious, then yes, tell someone WHO YOU BOTH CAN TRUST to help intervene (EX: if say, one of their triggers for depression is their life at home, i definitely would not suggest going to their parents, but another trusted adult, pastor and or counselor instead. They may (Will) be upset with you, but you're doing it because you care for them). Do not ever feel like this persons life is your responsibility, as much as you would like to help, there is truly only so much you can do, which is give them your love and support. Depression is a battle of the mind.

Signs someone may be depressed:
(These definitely are not all of them and some people may not show any signs at all, but here are some)

- Irritability/always angry 
- Loss of interest in passions 
- Deteriorating hygiene,
- Talking about/ hinting at death a lot, especially placing it in a positive light.
- Lots of time in the dark/always sleeping/insomnia  
- Long sleeves in summer  (Could mean hiding scars)
- Immense weight loss or weight gain in a short period of time

    "The greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
    

Keep fighting, 
- Nathia

FLAWS: A transformation documentary.

       

    So I've decide to take my artistic abilities and put them to good use.... Not that I misuse them, I just usually use them for recreational purposes. 

    Lately I've been hearing a lot of "wow she's so beautiful" "she's perfection" "I wish looked like her" when speaking about celebrities. What many of us forget, is that, that is about ten pounds of makeup, heaven-sent lighting and hours of Photoshop editing. I am in no way saying these women are not beautiful, of course they are, with or without the touch-ups, but to compare yourself to these unattainable standards of beauty that you see on television, photos, magazines etc. is absolutely absurd, you'll only discourage yourself.

    For this reason, I've taken one of my not so flattering photos and created a mini transformation documentary titled "FLAWS". In this documentary, I am amateurly filming the process it takes to eliminate what some may find as "flaws" from one of my own photos. In actuality, blemishes, acne, sun spots, freckles, wrinkles and so on are just proof that we have lived. These things should be cherished, for they are what make up the beautiful being that is you.

   This video is to prove a point that if I, a high school student with no degree in graphic arts, can make such a transformation to a photo, imagine what someone with years of experience and the educational and professional tools can do in order to re-create the people society seems to idolize.

Here are a few things I want to clarity before you watch the video;

- This video is in no way, me portraying what I "wish" I looked like.

    I love myself. I've spent so many years figuring out how to love myself and have succeeded. I'm actually pretty happy I don't resemble the end result of the video because I am just fine the way I am. This is who I have learned to love. In the video, I am eliminating what people may perceive as flaws while I, on the other hand, see them as everything making someone even more worthy of a pencil stroke.

- No. I do not do this to my photos.

   This was a one time thing which took a couple of hours. If I took that much time to edit all my photos before I posted them, well that would just be a foolish waste of time. I did this for a purpose, to portray a message which was worth the time spent. 

   

   Love yourself just the way you are, find the beauty in what bothers you. Stop comparing yourself. I cannot emphasize that enough. If you constantly compare yourself to others, how will you ever expect to be satisfied with yourself? You are more than enough. You are beautiful.

Psalms 139:14 

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well."

Without further adieu, I present to you, FLAWS:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO FROM YOUR MOBILE PHONE

Motivational Monday

  
    

    Many of you voted for this, however I am going to take this far beyond one post. I have decided to dedicate "Motivational Monday" as an uplifting series in which I will shower you with quotes, links to poetry, videos, music,uplifting photos and much more, every Monday. Just something to keep your spirits up. I'll incorporate tips and things I like to do to improve my mood and some of my own encouraging words. I hope you read and or listen to these messages and really take them to heart,finding a way to apply them to your everyday life.

Hope this helps keep someone going.

Enjoy.








"At some point you just have to let go of 

what 

you thought 

should happen and live in what is happening." 

- Unknown





"You can’t get much done in life if you only 

work on days when you feel good."

- Jerry West

"I’m definitely pro-selfie. I think that anybody who’s anti-selfie is really just a hater. Because, truthfully, why shouldn't people take pictures of themselves? When I’m on Instagram and I see that somebody took a picture of themselves, I’m like, ‘Thank you.’ I don’t need to see a picture of the sky, the trees, plants. There’s only one you. I could Google image search ‘the sky’ and I would probably see beautiful images to knock my socks off. But I can’t Google, you know, ‘What does my friend look like today?’ For you to be able to take a picture of yourself that you feel good enough about to share with the world – I think that’s a great thing."

Ezra Koenig being an angel

A Beautiful Poem by Michael Macalintal  At first it may sound  sorrowful, but really, listen to what he's saying. It's the humbleness of if all that makes it so beautiful. The fact that he doesn't even realize how beautiful he naturally is, therefore he apologizes for it when honestly, he should be thanked. It's people like that, we should cherish the most.
(CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE POEM)

“Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.”

— ― Eleanor Roosevelt

Although it may seem cheesy (no pizza), This song instantly improves my mood and just makes me want to get up and do a cha-cha!

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“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you figure out why.”

—	Mark Twain

“Do not become a stranger to yourself by blending in with everyone else.”

—

Dodinsky

PLEASE don't give up on your dreams (This video really touched me, listen closely):
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“STOP comparing women.
We are not the same. 
Let our differences be the reason why we connect so beautifully.”

—	Individuality, Alex Elle

"THERE IS NO PASSION TO BE FOUND PLAYING SMALL - IN SETTLING FOR A LIFE THAT IS LESS THAN THE ONE YOU ARE CAPABLE OF LIVING."

Nelson Mandela

Music: 

Rend Collective - You are my Vision

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Spend your time on those who love you unconditionally. Don’t waste it on those who only love you when the conditions are right for them."

- Unknown

"Remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of these three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences. No excuses. No negativity. No psychic pollution. Keep your inner space clear."

Eckhart Tolle 

FACT: Smiling instantly Improves your mood. It sends a signal to the brain which automatically starts creating a chemical which causes happiness. So please, SMILE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. You'll be much happier that way.

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You are Wanted