Confidence (<a href=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201808/10-myths-about-confidence-are-holding-you-back>https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201808/10-myths-about-confidence-are-holding-you-back</a>) can sometimes seem elusive. However, it can be built by taking small steps towards large goals, instead of focusing on the big goal and losing confidence because it seems insurmountable, unobtainable, or impossible.

For instance, if you want to be a world famous musician (<a href=https://thestacker.com/stories/1003/most-famous-musician-born-same-year-you>https://thestacker.com/stories/1003/most-famous-musician-born-same-year-you</a>), why not download a music app and just begin making some simple tunes, instead of fretting that you’ll never play the Hollywood Bowl (<a href=https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/>https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/</a>)?

Instead of worrying that you won’t ever be an artist, why not just start doodling, here and now, in a sketchbook or using a free app?

‘Baby steps’ is the key to confidence - realising that you can fulfill short-term challenges, and build up skills over time. Confidence, like these skills, is a muscle, and it takes a while to get it to grow. You just need to believe, in the beginning, that this growth is possible.

Baby steps, remember!

As the saying goes: ’Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it” (Thomas Fuller [<a href=https://www.quotes.net/quote/40031>https://www.quotes.net/quote/40031</a>]). Yes, you can be in love with someone who lives far away, but that’s when another well-known saying comes into play: “Out of sight, out of mind”.

Long distance relationships have a very high failure rate (<a href=https://nypost.com/2018/10/31/long-distance-relationships-are-more-successful-than-you-think/>https://nypost.com/2018/10/31/long-distance-relationships-are-more-successful-than-you-think/</a>). The ties that bind us are, as well as spiritual, emotional, and mental, also physical.

In the least crude of examples, how important is it to laugh together with your beloved, and to hear their laugh; to feel their breath chuckling and see their stomach moving as they giggle; to have their body shaking, and the shake passing to you as you share this sacred moment?

Well, I think it’s very important indeed. An LDR makes this sort of interaction hard.

Colors influence our mood and can also affect our emotions and feelings. A certain color can help you feel happier, such as yellow, while another can cause you to feel sad, such as the color blue.

Colors can also influence our health and this is where Chromotherapy (<a href=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/is-chromotherapy-the-real-deal>https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/is-chromotherapy-the-real-deal</a>), or color therapy comes into play. Colors have different vibrations, speeds, lengths and wavelengths which exert a physical, psychic and emotional influence on our energy and Chromotherapy serves as a method of natural healing through colors.

Due to this, many public establishments (<a href=http://costainteriordesign.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Interior-Design-Tips-Colour-in-Retail.pdf>http://costainteriordesign.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Interior-Design-Tips-Colour-in-Retail.pdf</a>) such as gyms or dentists will carefully take into consideration which shades and tones to use in waiting rooms etc. as these can enhance one’s state of mind.

There’s even hotels which offer you the opportunity to choose the color of lighting which you’d like to have in your room, as each person perceives color in different ways.

And a more practical way in which you can practice color therapy on a daily basis is by coloring or painting, using vibrant mood-lifting colors. You can choose the old fashioned way and buy yourself a paper book, or adapt to the modern way and download a mobile app - such as Chamy (<a href=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.easybrain.chamy>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.easybrain.chamy</a>) - where you can color by numbers, for example.

I decided to head down to Mexico for Day of the Dead celebrations (<a href=https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/day-of-the-dead>https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/day-of-the-dead</a>). I loaded up on drinks and snacks, packed a book, and set off. I took the Greyhound bus, passing the Mexican border without difficulty. I reached Mexico City soon enough.

And today I’m very glad I did this. The Festival was celebrated by thousands of people, parading through the streets, their faces painted into skulls, and with mariachi bands roaming everywhere and playing the most fantastic music. I ate sugar skull candies and delicious Day of the Dead cakes (<a href=http://www.portosbakery.com/dish-type/dia-de-los-muertos/>http://www.portosbakery.com/dish-type/dia-de-los-muertos/</a>), and drank good old Mexican beer.

The people were friendly and welcoming, and the celebrations went on and on, far into the night. It really was amazing! The amount of color combinations were truly magnificent. It was absolutely amazing to see the beautiful, colorful skeletons drawn on people’s faces. I was very sad to remove my own skeleton face (<a href=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/day-of-the-dead-mexico-sugar-skull-a3975816.html>https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/day-of-the-dead-mexico-sugar-skull-a3975816.html</a>) and return home, but I plan to go there again, for sure!