For a while now I've been thinking about starting a blog. Well I've finally decided it's time for step 1: Begin.

I'll add the obligatory 'about me' section and other bits and pieces soon but for now I want to start by sharing why I've decided to do this.

As my headline reads, "happiness is not a journey, it's a lifestyle". I've joked around with the nickname Happy Barnet for a while now after tagging photos and tweets with various descriptions of myself including #sleepybarnet, #tubbybarnet, #sillybarnet etc but it was #happybarnet that I enjoyed the most for obvious reasons. What surprised me is that I found it actually helped me feel better to highlight when I was feeling happy about something and by recording it I could look back at photos and messages on days when I struggled to remember I could feel happy being me.

I've had a few challenges over the years as many do, with the general ups and downs of life along with a few health issues including depression, fatigue and anxiety. 'A worrier' I'm often described as and I understand why. Yes it's been easier for me to view the glass as half empty at various points in my life but the discovery that by purposely capturing, noting and sharing when I was experiencing happiness I actually felt happier has been one of the best life lessons I've learnt.

In this blog I hope to continue my mission to stay happy and hope to share and find new ways to stay Happy Barnet x