On The Art Of Being Your Own Cheerleader

brush lettering ideas

 "You my darling, are a piece of ART!"

You've gotta believe in your slay as the saying goes, but it's much easier said than done, and as much as i love talking about clothes and pretty pictures, sometimes it's nice to share the little things that help along the way when i'm wracking my nerves over a hand in, or generally feeling a bit down in the dumps.
Living in a new place, has been.. Challenging to say the least. i've been channelling my energy into doing absolutely anything and everything, from finishing uni projects early, to feng-shui-ing my room and generally keeping as busy as a little bee could possibly be (ohoho!). One of the nicest and most cathartic things i've done over the last couple of days was to ink little positive messages for myself and put them on my walls so that they're the first thing i see when i open my eyes in the morning, and the last thing I see when I go to sleep. It seems silly, but even in the act of painting itself, i've found a sense of peace and a lingering sort of positivity that isn't overpoweringly nauseous or annoying, it's more of a "C'mon Sade, remember that you've come this far, you can do it!" type of encouragement. These little tidbits are just what i do to bring me back to my Beyonce frame of mind, but this list is by no means exclusive! In fact let's keep it growing, let me know what your favourite ways to keep afloat and feeling dandy are down below!

positive quotes
My biggest weaknessess are sleep. I sleep a lot, not out of laziness, but more for not knowing what to do. I could sleep for days, only leaving the bed for food, drink, and bathroom breaks if at all possible, but i know it's not healthy and it's not conducive to a good state of mind, plus why sleep when there is so much to do and explore in life. Instead i force myself to wake up early, the latest on a weekday being 7:30am so that i can trudge to uni and begin working by 9.00am. This forces me to be 1.) Active and 2.) In a different environment other than my tiny room. By doing this i feel like i've already conquered half the day and i end up being a lot more productive even though studio is generally empty and super quiet, i prefer to work away from my flat so that i have something to come home to if that makes sense. 
When i'm at home is often when i feel the most skittish. There's something about being contained within four walls and just working over and over again, so to combat this I do little things to egg myself on like listen to my favourite feel good song (Which is currently this live version of "Sing To The Moon" by Laura Mvula). Food is also a brilliant way to make me feel a bit more accomplished, and i'll go out of my way to make elaborate meals within my student budget, the act of eating a well thought out meal and the actual act of making it from scratch gives me something to do and i feel good doing it, because i'm doing a nice thing for myself (what a mouthful). There's only so much you can do, but if you have the strength and energy to, try to do some nice things for yourself, for example, you woke up and managed to be productive?! Do something nice to reward yourself you lovely person! You had a presentation and wanted to faint but you didn't?! Psh! I knew you could do it, get yourself that bottle of wine and fancy food on the way home! Although it's only something small, you're essentially your own little cheerleader, pushing yourself along even when you think you might just crumble into a thousand tiny microscopic pieces (and i'm proud of you for doing so!)
So if you're in a similar position to me at the moment, I hope you know that i'm here cheering you along too in spirit! Especially when you're too tired to do it for yourself as i know the feeling all too well. Also if you have any coping mechanisms for days where you feel uninspired, let's have a discussion! It's good to share, which is why i guess i'm sharing this post, lot's of love and good vibes to you all, especially those of you who have managed to make it through to the end of my emotionally charged ramblings. You're the best.

P.S. This post has been edited as of Sunday 6th December 2015



  1. Writing notes to yourself isn't silly at all! Actually I've gone too far with notes back when I was an architecture student far away from home, in my 4th year when I was feeling so bad for many reasons, I started writing self-love, encouraging notes and stick them to random places in my house, on my mirror, even inside my kitchen cabinets and it was an amazing pick me up!

    I always admire you so much for many reasons and I'm sure I've told you so many times too! It's something between architects, we can get each other! At the moment, I'm on my final project to get my degree and it's taken me so long, because I can't concentrate since I returned home and I go through phases of 'I don't want to, I can't' to 'I have ideas, of course I can', I've gone through so much during my past studies at uni and always made it in the end, so why not now?? It's so difficult for me, I can't really tell why, so any advice from you would be so so useful and welcome :)

    We all go through depression from time to time... but definitely no anti-depressants will do the trick. Everything starts from within, with love and gratitude, self-love and self-support! Here's a lovely site I discovered a few days ago http://zenhabits.net/! If you visit the archives, you may find some great articles about what we're going through and feel better and inspired!

    And when you're feeling down, please remember that we are not alone like you said and I totally admire you and I believe you can make it Sade! :) <3

    Diana P. | Cups & Roses

    1. Aw Diana! Your comment brought a few tears to my eyes, so thank you so much. I totally understand how you're feeling about final year, MArch is a lot tougher than expected and i think the workload on top of other stresses is enough to make anyone feel like giving up, but you have to be strong! I'm here cheering you on from my little corner of the internet to yours <3

      P.S Thank you for the website! It's wonderful I especially liked the one on loneliness :) And we can do it! We're nearly architects and that in itself is such an achievement for the both of us in such a male dominated profession :) xo

  2. Beautifully written, I'm struggling with the winter blues coming in at the moment and have just started the whole writing notes to myself thing, it works for me too! I find that art and putting your all into little positive things can often help me stop focusing on all the negative things in my brain, or on nothing at all, and re focus on something good.
    This post is beautiful and I also feel like getting busy is something that really helps to just keep going and push you forward. I'm the same with anti depressants, I want to learn to cope on my own and not rely on something that eventually I'll have to come off.
    I'm thinking of doing similar posts about positivity and getting my with Depression, I think that helps too! <3

    The Quirky Queer

    1. Thank you so much Izzy! I think anti-depressants are good because if i'm ever at the stage where things are headed into dangerous places, i know that it's something that could bring myself, or others back from the brink. But for now i'm managing to stay afloat, i fear that if i can't control it myself or work on myself without some form of medication i'll become dependant on them and won't be able to live a normal clear headed life if that makes sense. So i'd say if you're feeling really rough give your GP a ring :) But yes, being busy with life helps so so much, which i guess is why we blog ;) it gives us a nice outlet! And please do write! It's nice to know that there are others out there who blog but are struggling with one thing or the other, it brings more of a human element to a world that sometimes seems a little too perfect.. Wishing you lots of love and good vibes Izzy! xo

  3. this was so helpful!!


  4. I'm also here cheering you on. You're an amazing person Sade, never forget that.

    Thank you for this post.

    1. Thank you so much, so sweet of you to say! And the same back to you, always :) xo

  5. Aw Sade, I know about that wanting to stay in bed forever feeling. But I just tell myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. That's the only way I know to get by. Sending you tons of hugs and love! Stay strong x

    1. That's a great way of looking at it :) Here's to the feeling passes for all of us. Big love and hugs right back atcha love <3


  6. Oh man, depression is such a terrible thing. I'm currently going through a time, of MAJOR confusion, and my motivation as basically plummeted to non-existence. The cold weather, social media, and the times that we're living in right now are not really helping us either. Taking it little by little, and making baby steps will get us through, just like you're doing right now!

  7. this post is so relevant to how i'm feeling too! I could sleep for Wales, it's just easier that way. But, this post is extremely helpful, we must be are very own cheerleaders, no matter how small the achievement. I really hope you are feeling better, these notes are adorable, I will send you a quote monday morning to get you in a positive mood xxx we can and we will

  8. Relevant and brave post to write (though I'm new here and planning to read more after this post)! I don't often find depression addressed on blogs and it's a conversation that should be had. I found myself nodding along to "sleep and disappear." I do a lot of the latter when everything becomes too much. Actually, nodded along to a lot of this post and the familiarity of the situations.

    There is something incredibly powerful, independent, and motivating in being your own personal cheerleader. You're taking an active role in your emotional well-being and doing it without external validation. :)

    (Btw, followed you after reading this. I love honestly like this on blogs. Keep it up!)

  9. I've been feeling exactly the same way recently, Sade. The grim, North-of-Scotland weather isn't helping either! Going for walks really helps to lift my mood. I think the act of physically moving makes my brain move too. x

  10. Ebubechi11/30/2015

    Keep up the amazing work! This post makes me want to currently be a MAcrh Liverpool student just so we can be friends

  11. I love this! This is my first time reading your blog and I think that it is absolutely beautiful. I deal with depression as well and currently, I am sick, which makes it 10x worse! I love the tips that you listed above and will definitely be trying them out. Something that I recommend is listening to music or listening to a really calm playlist. It makes me feel a bit better and less alone! Great post! I look forward to more~! ^_^ -- Ciara


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