I was served lemons, but I made lemonade

TRP Challenge 5: Get a tattoo which represents my personal philosophy

I always used to be scared of getting a tattoo. I don't mind needles or the sight of blood, but my Mum had always told me it was the most painful thing she had ever experienced. Coming from a woman who has given birth to 4 children, I thought it must be excruciating.

Back in September last year my sister and I got matching wrist tattoos. They are tiny and took about 2 minutes to do. However, they were a good way to test my pain threshold and see if I could put up with it!

For a long time now I have wanted a tattoo which stands for my own personal philosophy, something which symbolises the way I wish to lead my life. I am a sucker for a quote and motivational speech, anyone who has seen my pinterest boards can concur. I refer back to my quote boards whenever I feel a dip in my mood or have a challenging day, and they remind me to keep living my best life. We may not always have a good day, but you can always find something good in each day, whether that is a message from a loved one, petting a dog or having some of your favourite food.

One of my favourite sayings is 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'. It is absolutely cliche and overused, however I really believe in it. We are all served bad days, bad weeks, even bad years, but we must learn to embrace the good, bad and the ugly. Life is a rich tapestry of positives and negatives, and how would you ever know how wonderful happiness is if you have never felt sadness. I truly believe the things which test us in life allow us to appreciate the complex beauty of it all.

For me personally, I know that my troubled relationship with food & exercise in the past mean that I now fully embrace every opportunity I get to try something new. Every sip of wine, every scoop of ice-cream and every meal out are victorious to me. I fully appreciate and embrace my ability to be able to forget food rules and restrictions and eat intuitively. Every work out is a victory as I no longer obsess over the number of calories burnt or the distance I have run, but about how wonderful it makes my body feel and how confident I feel in myself.

And this is why I decided to get a lemon tattoo. It stands for overcoming the hard, gritty, tear inducing times and being able to taste the sweetness of life again. Every time I see my tattoo, it reminds me to go out and embrace the day, to accept my flaws and celebrate my mind, body and life. It reminds me to accept that I will face many more 'lemons' in my lifetime, but that, ultimately, I will strive to always remain a postive person who has a passion for life.

Comments

Life isn't all sunshine and roses

In the grand scheme of things, I am a very lucky person. This isn't me being boastful, I'm stating an obvious fact which many of us cease to notice the majority of the time. I won the biological lottery. Well I came in joint first with my twin sister. Sharing is caring. Not only did we win the great sperm race, we also hit it pretty lucky with the life we were born into. I was brought up by a loving family, in a small market town, with lots of friends and relatives around me. I hit the jackpot in having a twin sister, which meant I always had my best friend by my side, and someone who would fiercely defend me to the bitter end. I went to a good school & have a university education. I have a well paid job and live in a lovely flat in a quaint town with a stranger who has become one of my best friends. When you have a life like this, it's easy to think you should be happy with what you have. But I'm not happy. I'm not sad, but I'm ...

A problem shared is a problem halved

TRP Challenge 3: Go back to therapy Growing up, our Mum always taught us that sharing is caring. I think it comes with the territory of being a twin. You share your birthday, your toys, your family and even your room (Me and Molly shared till we were 14!) Sharing is part of the package when you have a large family, you have to learn to do this or risk spending your time on the naughty step. However, material objects, birthdays and even space are a lot easier to share than feelings and emotions, especially when your head is a constant tornado of worries, doubts and paranoia. I remember my first experience of therapy like it was yesterday. I was at University in Liverpool, miles away from my family & then boyfriend, terrified and feeling almost constantly lonely, even when surrounded by friends. I was lost in my own mind. The room was dark & covered in posters about self-help and charities supporting bereavement, mental health problems and stress. I felt sick t...

Dear Self, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

TRP Challenge 2: Write down 100 things you like/love about yourself I find writing lists extremely therapeutic. The notes section in my phone is filled with shopping lists, lists of gift ideas and lists of chores I need to do. It allows me to focus the constant whirring of my mind, and also helps me to focus on the problem at hand. Despite my affinity with lists, listing all the things I love about myself was more difficult than I could ever imagine. Tell me to write down all the things I love about a friend or relative & I could reel them off to you no problem. It's like when someone asks you what you are good at in a job interview, or when you are asked during an ice breaker to jot down an interesting fact about yourself. *Shudder*. Your mind goes completely blank & all you can think about is how mundane and average you & your life are. And that's just thinking of 1 or 2 things, I set myself the task of listing 100. I first heard about this concept ...

The Rosie Project

Search This Blog