In spite of anxiety | My trip to the US this year (Part II)

So the trip to Los Angeles was not stressful at all in spite of my mild anxiety. I am always confused when they say: "Enjoy your trip", but this time I actually managed to enjoy it o_O The view from the plane was absolutely stunning and I loved every single bit of it. 

Manhattan Beach is one of the best places I have ever been so far. I can't express my gratitude for this view of the ocean, but I was certainly the happiest person on the planet when I saw it. Am not even joking. I can call it the best moment from the whole trip, to be honest. 

And, of course, am not going anywhere without my Starbucks :-P

Thanks for sticking with me, and, remember, you can enjoy life, in spite of anxiety!

Love,
Anya

In spite of anxiety | My trip to the US this year (Part I)

Walking in Houston, TX, with my family. Downtown. I love the buildings, we don't have anything like this here, in Saint-Petersburg. 

I can get anxious because I want to take as many pictures as possible, for example, or see places, etc. It gets exhausting over some period of time, but these walks are absolutely worth it. They also help to feel more relaxed next time, when you get used to such rythm. In spite of how I feel I can make myself smile, try it, it helps to feel better :)

This is another day (probably my last one in the US). We went to the sea food restaurant. The food was not the healthiest but, well, the view was absolutely stunning. I love those wonderful night city views.

Yeah, am not a good example when it comes to healthy food habbits. I try my best though. This was an exception, obviously o_O

Thanks for sticking with me, and, remember, you can do many things in spite of anxiety! 

Love,

Anya

WTTD - Getting lost

It has been a while since my last blog post, but, well, I am still here, just not always know what to write about. Although it's been so much I'd love to share with you. My "Way to Transformation" plan has been totally changed, and my life moved in a totally wrong direction, which happens when you want all things planned - never worked out for me... 

Trying to understand other people, listen, accept and find myself in all that jazz, I found myself absolutely lost. I got lost in the ideas, in my own thoughts (I don't think as much as I used to anymore though). I found myself completely changed, like listening to others and caring took my anxiety and depression away, but also there is also an empty space in my heart, I have no idea where it came from. 

I guess, it happens when you try to change yourself completely, when you seem to understand way too much, and you undrestand, that there is not other way for you but CHANGE. I made this decision long ago, but starting to experience the results only now... I don't know if I make sense right now, but I believe for someone I probably do...

If I can I'll blog about my trip to the US this summer, and share this unbelievable experience with you.

As always, Love,

Anya

Not mental health favorites (May 2015)

Hey, guys, since I've just had my vacation and took a lot of pictures, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite make-up products in the month of May, that I used for creating pretty much the same look all over again:) So there you go.

Face: 

Face make-up is my favorite thing to do for some reason and I often like to try new products. Currently I've been loving Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream (02), works perfectly for my combination skin and doesn't break me out at all. I don't use it every day, but it is really good for summer. I'd say it's a medium coverage.

I really love bronzers. I've been using Bronze Goddess from Estee Lauder (03 Medium Deep). It's very easy to apply and doesn't make me more oily than I already am:)

Highlighter does look good on some pictures, it gives my face that glow, I personally adore (using MAC Soft&Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish).

Oh, and I am absolutely crazy for the blush!:) I'm mixing two: Clinique (blushing blush, 120) and MAC Dame Satin. I have to mix them since I think that MAC is not pigmented enough. 

Eyes:

I have very oily eyelids, but I forget about it every time I am using Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion:)

Lips:

Speaking about my favorite lipgloss for summer I absolutely adore Rouge Dior Brillant (359). It makes my lips very soft, and also the color is gorgeous. 

I also love combination of two lipsticks: MAC Pink Plaid and Brave. I mix them with the MAC Soar lip pencil or Hip 'N" Happy. 

Love,

Anya

WTTD - You are in charge of you own happiness

I am excited to share this post with you, because I do really like to share the positive changes that have been happening in my life (my mental health) since I started to work on myself. 

While filming for my new Q&A video today I realized how happy I was to actually walk alone, enjoy the beauty of my city and take pictures. It made me genuinely smile, cos I can now do what I preach! 

I've been talking about walking alone for ages, but it never made me as comfortable as I felt today! I was thinking about the message I have an opportunity to share with you, guys. And if I could only express in words how much I do appreciate it! 

Love is something I believe in with all my heart, no matter how often I was disappointed or hurt, all what matters at the end of the day is I come back to my main belief - Love is the Truth. I've changed through all these years, but I managed to keep the core of my nature - to love and to care. Makes me very happy to realize the fact that only I am responsible for my happiness right now, and I am doing my best to use this gift for the best of my ability. 

Love,

Anya

Not mental health favorites (April 2015)

So, I guess it's time for my "not mental health favorites" for the month of april. 

I really do enjoy to try out different scents, but there is no doubt for me that I always prefer kindda the same scented perfumes. It just has to be a little citrusy and fresh. Roberto Cavalli "Paradiso" is one of my current favorites. I was using it for the whole month of april and looking forward for more months to come:) It's totally appropriate for spring, in my opinion, and, again, scents I love are some sort of therapeutic for me. And, come on, let's just a moment to look at this bottle! Ain't it gorgeous?!?

Roberto Cavalli "Paradiso" perfume

The area around my eyes got absolutely dry, so I needed to buy me some eye cream. I've been eyeing on Lancome "Genifique Yeux" for a while now, and all of the sudden decided I'd give it a try. I must say it's early to speak about the results, but I must say the texture of this product is awesome: this cream is light and is absorbed really quickly, which I do appreciate in all the skin creams and lotions that I use. As of my eyes, my skin around them is not dry anymore, which I can connect with the magical action of this cream or just say it's a coincidence. I really do not know!:)

Lancome "Genifique Yeux" eye cream

Remember, at the end of the day it's not about the products itself but how you use them. Whether you take time to enjoy the scent and texture or you just throw them on your body or face, thinking it's a must - the experience of using products depends on you!

Love,

Anya

WTTD - Self-talk helps

I still keep on going with my "Way To Transformation" blog, just stopped counting the days:) The reason for it is obvious: I do not blog or make videos every day, which makes it harder to count:) I still could, but since my last post from this series was like 2 months ago, it seems to be pointless.

Nevertheless, I would like to share my experience with self-talk as it deffinitely will play a huge role in my transformation and I can already sense that. 

I think self-talk never really worked for me because to see it work, in my opinion, I should trust myself, believe my own words. Many people who struggle with mental health issues have low self-esteem. I am not an exception. I always had lack of confidence due to my past experiences. So to feel my self-worth I needed others' approval of everything I was doing. And when I didn't get it, I started to feel extremely anxious and empty inside. When I received it, it filled the hole in my heart for a while, that I could never fill in myself. 

Not long ago I got very anxious, to the point where it's: do something or give up... So I started to talk to myself in my head, saying that everything is going to be fine, that I am good enough, etc. I tried to speak (think) really fast: thought by thought, so there was no room for negativity. When there was one negative thought popping up, I repeated positive affirmations again and again until I started to notice that it was helping me. 

Through all these years there were moments I felt I was not making any progress. But that moment actually opened my eyes to something that I didn't see before: I developed that trust in myself to the point I could help myself overcome my anxiety. Of course it's far from perfect, but the more I practice, the more I realize it works. 

Just keep repeating positive affirmations to yourself even if you don't believe it at first. You will believe eventually, when you realize that the only person who has a power to hurt you or make you feel better is you.

I hope this helps, 

Love,

Anya