So sang Ms Heather Small in a song that was about being anything but. She urged us to step out of the ordinary and see our soul ascending... Quite a tall order when you're fighting to just get through the day.

A few weeks ago I read a book called Thrive by Rob Kelly (I highly recommend it if you haven't read it - it's amazing). Rob urges anyone struggling with their mental and emotional health to start tapping into what they've done to make themselves proud. And to create a Proud List (I'll call it a PL for short but not a VPL, that would be too public ;-))

When I first started my PL the things I put on it were tiny (got up, made a cup of tea, called a friend). And gradually they've got bigger (went for a run, wrote my first blog for Moodscope!) But the things themselves don't really matter, the magic comes in the reaction you give yourself to the action.

So here's how it goes:

1. Write down what you did (made a cup of tea)

2. Say what was positive about it (It felt nice doing it, it tasted good)

3. Write down what someone else would say if you told them about it (that's so brilliant, a huge step forward from where you were last week, well done you!)

4. Finally, write down what you've learnt from that thing (that if I just do one small thing each day I can make a big difference to my life)

And if it sounds like hard work I've got a template I'm happy to share: https://www.moodscope.com/files/proud_list.pdf. I first started my proud sheet when my Moodscope scores were rock bottom and I saw an immediate lift. I started to treat myself like my own best friend and began to reverse the negative chat in my machine-like mind. It's time to fall in love with ourselves... one proud step at a time.

And now I'm off to tell myself how proud I am for writing this blog and connecting with you! I've learnt I can write and make a difference to other people's lives... and that deserves a cup of tea.

Look forward to hearing what makes you proud of you.

Debs xx