Author: Kayla Jantjes

Shout out to my sister in-law for inspiring this.

Journal as often as you can – Journaling is a great way of expressing how you are feeling. Whether you journal once or five times a day, it is proven to help with your mental health. Why? because tracking your emotions and what triggers them will give you more insight into what works for you and what doesn’t. By becoming aware of what situations to avoid and what makes you happy will put you on a better path with your mind.

Take some time out to write down things that you love about yourself, what inspires you, and anything positive that comes to mind. That way, when a bad day comes around you have something positive to look back on.

Journaling is something I have tried in the past, and to be honest, on the days that I did it, I felt better. It’s like a weight has been lifted off of your chest and you can breathe again. Journaling is private, it’s your innermost thoughts, it’s a letter to yourself, it’s honestly a great help.

I encourage you to journal today and tomorrow, take it from there and see how you feel. Pop me an email, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how and if journaling has helped you on your mental health journey.

tip number 2 – woah woah you have to come back tomorrow if you want the next tip!

I hope you’ve had an amazing Friday, and that you’ve kept cool on this unbelievably hot day. I hope something made you smile today, or even better – made you laugh out loud with no worries or fear of what anyone else thinks.

Until next time, you are important, you matter, you are beautiful, you are needed, you are wanted, and most importantly you are loved.

xx

I read this quote and it’s exactly what I needed. Sometimes you compare yourself to others and think that you are running behind, but you aren’t. We are all on our own journey, and what we do before we reach the finish line is what counts. Age does not matter, it’s just a number.

I’m almost 30 and I don’t know what my future holds for me, but right now I have a dream. A dream to reach others and let them know that they are not alone and that things will get better. I have a dream to make a difference, to impact lives positively and to spread happiness. I have a dream of wanting to be known as a girl who made a change, who stood up for what she believed in and didn’t apologise for it. I have so many dreams, and I’m not too old to have them, in fact I think I am at the perfect age for this. Getting older has given me some confidence, made me less worried about what others think, and I have found comfort in that. Yes I have my bad days – but hey who doesn’t. My bad days does not define me. What I want, who I want to be, the changes I want to make – that defines me.

A few years ago I would never have started a blog, a YouTube channel, aTikTok and Instagram account. I’m thankful that I waited, everything happens when it should and on time and I’m going to try and keep that in mind, when days are dark and clarity doesn’t seem to exist in my mind.

Write down your thoughts, express yourself and remind yourself that good days are not far away. Things will get better, and don’t put a timeline on it. You are never too old for a new goal, or new dream.

Until next time, you are important, you are valued, you matter, you are beautiful and most importantly you are loved.

xx

If you suffer from binge eating disorder – or any eating disorder for that matter, you will know how hard it is to stay on track with eating properly and in a healthy manner. Yesterday was not my best day.

Initially the day started out good, I was productive and did everything on my to-do list, including some at home workouts, and I was going strong, I was eating well… Until I had some curry. If you know me, you will know that I absolutely love curry! Anyway I had some, and then some more, and then a little more. Before I knew it I had more than double what I was supposed to have. I felt sick, sick to my stomach, so sick that I only managed to get out of bed by 1 this afternoon. Now usually this will set me back a month or a week if I’m lucky. I would go on a bingeing spree all because of one day. I can’t do that this time around. I told myself that I really want to get healthy this year, with my mental and physical health. I cannot let one day set me back. I need to focus, I need to get this right. I can’t beat myself up for one day, and I won’t.

Today is a new day, today I will only eat when I am hungry. I saw somewhere that if you feel you need to eat, have an apple and if you are still hungry then eat, but most of the time that won’t be the case (this is mainly with binge eating disorder) Now, don’t get me wrong, don’t skip a meal for an apple, I am talking about the times inbetween. If you are like me, that’s where I struggle, and late at night too, well when I say late I mean 7pm LOL! Guys the age is setting in, well… If I am being completely honest I’ve beeeeeen feeling this age for a while! hahaha

Anyway, enough of the rant.

If you have a bad day when it comes to food, it’s okay, try the next day (see what I did there) Don’t let one day set you off from your goals, and I am writing this to myself as well. Let’s be kind to ourselves, let’s love ourselves, put ourselves first and focus on ourselves.

Smile, tomorrow will be better

Until next time, you matter, you are important, you deserve everything your heart desires, you are needed, and most importantly… remember, you are loved!

xx

It’s currently 01:35 am and I am still up. If you know me personally then you will know that I usually sleep between 20:00 pm – 22:00 pm and no later. So what is different about this evening? I was sitting up and making some changes to the blog’s appearance and customizing the look of my YouTube channel, as well as making a small intro video. This is what I am truly passionate about, I can feel it. I want to make a change, I want to inspire and help others, this is my purpose.

I’ve gone from wanting to be a vet, a forensics expert, an occupational therapist, a nurse, a bookkeeper, an HR manager (to name a few) to not knowing what I want to do with my life. Nothing has excited me like this in a very long time. This probably won’t be my day job but it will be my true passion. Man I feel good knowing that. I feel so happy and content in this very moment.

Whoever you are, I hope you find what excites you, what gets you up in the morning, what makes you smile, what makes you feel like you have purpose. Please don’t give up. Some people know what they want from the get go, and if you are like me it will take some time, and that’s okay. Whatever makes you happy, that’s all that matters.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If I can make one person smile, if I can make one person feel like they are not alone in feeling what they are feeling, then I’ve made a difference and I’ve done what I set out to do.

Thank you for supporting me, thank you for reading, and I truly hope this has made some difference in your life. This blog post is a bit short but I might write one later again. Don’t hold me to it though! LOL

Anyway, sweet dreams, I hope you will wake up feeling refreshed and like you can take on anything – because I know you can. Until next time – You are important, you matter, you are needed and wanted and most importantly you are loved!

xx

I’d like to share something that I think many can relate too. Ever told yourself that you are going to start something on Monday? or the first of the month? And then just don’t get around to doing it? Then you just don’t do it at all? And wait for the next Monday or the next first of the month? Yeah me too. But why is that? Well I can’t answer for everyone but my reason is simply that my OCD brain works that way. I am trying to fight it though, I am trying real hard.

I skipped a day. When I started this blog I challenged myself to write everyday for a year. What now? Well I am going to continue either way, yes I skipped a day and that’s okay. Usually my OCD would be taking over and I would throw in the towel completely but I can’t do that this time around. I’d rather skip a day than come on here and write about something that just does not resonate with me that day. It’s going to be hard though, because I know that one day will bother me, but I can’t let the rest of the year slip by just because I missed one day. I think i’ll try and start with a smaller goal. I’ll challenge myself to complete everything on my to-do list for today and take it from there, and once I can do that i’ll challenge myself to a week, and then maybe a month.

My Mommy gave me some really good advice, I can’t remember exactly how it goes but it’s something like “just focus on the next second, then the next minute, then the next hour” and so on. Break down what you would like to do into the smallest version and work your way up. You can’t expect to run a marathon without taking it step by step right?

The point I am trying to make is, it’s good to set goals and to set them with a timeline, but don’t beat yourself up when it’s not completely perfect or on time. What matters is that you are trying. Do as much as you can, in the amount of time that you can, and then try again the next day. None of us is perfect so don’t try for that. A quote just came to mind “reach for the moon so that you can land upon the stars” So yes set out goals, don’t make them too hard though, but if you land upon the stars that is great! and I am proud of you!

Until next time, be kind to yourself, smile, laugh, be yourself, remember you are important, you matter, and most importantly you are loved.

xx

I’m having such a weird morning. My husband, dog, and I were up until after 4am watching a series on Netflix. I think we all woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Nyx (my dog) has been so clingy and sleepy all morning, Jéan (my husband) was asking where his phone was when he was clearly watching a YouTube video on it, I called the doctor and couldn’t even speak properly. It’s like words and their meaning left my brain. LOL it was kinda funny. (I didn’t even know the word for Whatsapp)

Let me introduce my family properly – Jéan is my husband. Nyx is my 1 year old Rottie. Kai is my 8 year old female ginger cat. Cosmo is my 3 year old male tuxedo cat, and Tigger is my 3 year old male ginger cat. And we all lived happily ever after – okay I don’t know why I typed that. I am doing this thing today where I am not deleting anything, I am going to type and post whatever comes to mind. Brace yourselves because I am quite funny! LOL (cringe)

Okay so now I’m blank, I was laying in bed having all these random thoughts and was like okay I’m going to write it all down, and now I can’t think of one thing.

Okay I thought of one thing. I was thinking how am I going to relate this post to something inspirational? and I got it. Embrace the weird! Be yourself. Have you ever spoke about something and lost your train of thought? Have you ever felt misunderstood and like no one gets your humor? Have you ever had like weird thoughts like who invented languages? When I was little I thought that when you “spay” an animal you would put a spade in them and close them up! I used to ask where does your nails grow from, and your hair? Why does water have a taste yet have no taste at all? Oh this is a good one, sometimes I will put my arm in the air and just like have it there, and like why did I do that? Then I will think “okay drop the arm” and it won’t drop until it does. Like I understand how the brain works – or I think I do, but isn’t it weird how it works? Am I even making sense? Anyway I am having such a delayed reaction to what I want to say.

Okay – Love yourself, quirks and all. Love yourself even when you have random thoughts like I just did. Don’t ever apologise for being you. Don’t try and be like anyone else, be you, be unapologetically you. Who cares what anyone thinks. Love yourself. Be kind to yourself.

I have absolutely no idea what is going on in my head today, and that’s okay. Yes this blog is intended to be about mental health, and animals at times, but it’s also to let you know that you are NOT alone. We all have our days where we question things, where we are a little weird, where we feel lost and when we just have no direction. What I am trying to say is, it’s okay. I get you, you are not alone. Anyway I hope you made it this far into the post. Until next time, you are beautiful, you are important, you are needed and …… embrace the weird! oh and most importantly YOU ARE LOVED!

xx

Today I am feeling rested, full of peace and so grateful.

Today I am grateful for so much. To name a few I am grateful for:

My husband – I have such an amazing husband. He cares for me, he listens to me and he has been very supportive of my journey. I am so grateful that he is in my life and that I get to share it with him.

My animals – I woke up from my nap to see my dog also took a nap, my one cat was laying in my husbands office taking a nap, and the other two cats were sleeping in front of the front door. I don’t know why, but I found that so incredibly cute. We all took a nap together! LOL! Man I love my animals, they bring so much joy to my life. The slightest purr or licks means so much to me and brightens my day.

My immediate family and in-laws – They have been so supportive of my journey, whether it’s been sending me motivational quotes, sharing my blogs and videos or just reminding me how much they love and care for me makes me feel so loved.

My life – Life is not easy, and i can attest to this. But I am grateful for it anyway. I have witnessed so much, experienced so much, I’ve had bad days and good days, and even though the bad sometimes feels like it comes around more than the good – I am still grateful. I am grateful for this very moment, this very second that I get to write this. I am feeling a sense of peace today and I had to share it as I know I will need to read it one day.

Write down what you are grateful for, even if it’s one thing. Describe everything about that one thing in so much detail, so that one day when everything seems too much, that one thing will keep you going.

Until next time, you are valued, you are important, you matter, and most importantly you are loved.

xx

It’s 15:31 pm and I can honestly say that my day has been really good so far. I had a great session with my psychologist. We spoke about so much and I feel so much lighter. He really gets me, allows me to speak freely and I often leave his office laughing and looking forward to our next session. Opening up about my feelings, thoughts, and goals has helped me immensely, but I still have a long way to go.

One thing that I spoke about today was my difficulty with maintaining good friendships. I often choose poorly, and if I choose wisely then I don’t keep in contact. It’s like I feel like I’m not worth having good friendships, or maybe I find it hard to open up and trust people. I think it’s both. But I am trying to work on it. I’m coming to terms with the fact that I am WORTH IT. I deserve happiness and I deserve to have good friends and friends that I can trust.

Talking about how you feel and learning to trust the right people is so hard, but so worth it. Everyone deserves to be happy and to have people in their lives that make them happy. If you find yourself in a toxic friendship/relationship don’t hold onto it because of the fear of being alone. Quality over quantity.

Let’s start talking about how we feel and to the right people.

Until next time, remember you are worth it, you deserve the best and most importantly you are loved.

xx

Have you ever been called “crazy, lazy” Have you ever been told “it’s all in your head” Have you ever felt alone and misunderstood? Me too.

Why is it that mental health has these horrible labels attached to it? Why do people think that taking tablets for your mental health illness is silly or not needed?

People might not understand why I started this blog, and that’s okay. I know why I started it. I need more people to understand the importance of educating themselves about mental health illnesses. More people need to understand the impact of their words on the next person. Treating mental health needs to be taken more seriously, just as any other illness would.

Let me ask you this: If you have the cold/flu and your doctor prescribes medication and lots of rest, do you listen? Yes? Then why when it comes to mental health the same is not done? Why is it not treated the same? I want people to ask these questions.

Needing rest, needing medication, needing a time-out is okay! Expecting your mind to heal itself without any help is just not possible. Rest, medication, therapy, talking about it, needs to be done. Don’t listen to the voices that says you are crazy! That tells you, “you just need to get over it.” It’s not that simple, if it was, so many people would not be suffering in silence.

Mental health is important. Your feelings and emotions are valid. If you need a break, take one. Need a moment to cry? Do it. Be kind to one another, treat the next person as you would want to be treated.

You are not alone, please don’t suffer in silence. You matter, you are important, you are wanted and you are loved. Please reach out to someone if you are battling. Please visit my contact page for some more information.

Until next time, remember, you are loved!

xx

What are you passionate about? What gets you up in the morning? What lifts your spirits?

For me it’s mental health, my animals, music, and yes of course my husband.

If you read yesterday’s blog you would know that I had a bad day. I told myself “tomorrow will be better” and it’s tomorrow, and it’s better. Even if it’s 10% better, it’s better. I’m still listening to music, I’ve now switched to some good old Whitney, which is funny because I honestly can’t sing, but that is NOT holding me back from singing my heart out. My poor husband LOL

This makes me happy. Music among many other things makes me happy and sometimes very silly – my sister will vouch for this. She has videos of me singing with a broom as my microphone. Ahh that was a fun day.

To be completely honest I am taking so long to write this blog post because I keep saying “okay this is the last song I am going to sing along to” let’s be honest – It’s not. I mean how many of us have said that about a series? or a youtube video. LOL

Anyway, ask yourself what makes you happy, be honest and don’t care about what anyone else thinks, as long as it’s a fairly healthy coping mechanism, don’t be ashamed.

Laugh out loud, even if there’s a little snort that comes along with it. Wanna wear stripes with stripes, denim on denim, neon pink, all black? Do it. Wanna sing out loud? Do it. Wanna dance, even if it’s on the 3rd beat? Who cares! Sing as loud as you want, be as loud as you want, love who you want, be unapologetically you!! If it makes you smile, who cares what the next person thinks!

Btw, I think I’ve sung 5 songs since I said it would be my last. But who cares?

Do me a favor? Go to the mirror quickly… Now repeat after me “I am beautiful, quirks and all, and I won’t apologise for what makes me happy”

I hope that brought a smile to your beautiful face

Until next time, remember… you are worth it, you are beautiful and most importantly, you are loved!

xx