'You're Glowing'

Despite the fact that it is usually something you hear when a few months pregnant - the phrase 'you're glowing' is always a nice thing to hear. And lately my friends have been full of compliments.

Now I am a firm believer that when you're happy on the inside it shows on the outside, and happiness is a beautiful thing. It really does make you glow. I have so many reasons to be happy: great friends, awesome uni course, beautiful family. Recently however I do feel a lot more relaxed, content and all round happy. I feel this aura of positivity all around me and it seems to have come from nowhere, but people are definitely noticing.

I think it's no coincidence that this mood has arrived during this month.

Since cutting out sugar I have had zero sluggish moods (unless I've been sleep deprived!) and I'm full of energy. I feel so much lighter on my feet, I'm more focused and active, my skin is clearer, I've lost weight without torturing myself, and I really don't miss the snacks as much as I thought I would. In short, I feel fantastic, inside and out. People often underestimate how much their diet effects their moods. I have seen first hand how miserable a poor diet can make people, and now I am experiencing how good a healthy diet can make you feel. And, whilst I will of course be rewarding myself with some chocolate and ice cream when this is over, I really think this feeling is enough to put me off going back to binging on sugary snacks. I would take being this happy over cake any day of the week.

And of course, there's juggling. Juggling is actually used as a therapy. It is proven to help people become happier. The action itself is fun, rewarding and quite akin to meditation in the sense that it really focuses your mind and helps you to feel clearer in the head. The long term benefits are even better: a sense of achievement and pride, acquiring a skill that many people can't do, and for me it gives me a sense of moving forward. I am improving (in very small amounts!) every day, and so no matter what else I have done that day, I have the fact that I am moving forward with this skill, and that feels great. I have been known in the past to start up tasks, learning the violin for example, and then drop them. I have never been very good at persevering with things like that. This challenge is teaching me the value of sticking with tasks and feeling the sense of reward as you get better and better. It's giving me a lot of drive. I hope to apply this discovery to many other aspects of my life and acquire many more skills along the way.

Seriously, both of these challenges are making me feel great. And that feeling makes it all completely worth it.

Fifteen days to go! Halfway there :)