Tag Archives: self care

Self care

Self care – Growing your own garden

Here on my blog I’ve been talking about self care a lot recently because I think it’s so important and it’s been helping me a lot. I practice self care in many ways and some of those things wouldn’t be considered self care by other people but it’s just what I need. Sometimes I lock myself up in my room with a fantasy book and a warm blanket because the outside world is a bit too much. Sometimes I leave all my work unfinished and go to the park and walk by the stream because I like the sound and the sun on my face. There are so many ways to carve out a little time for yourself when you need it even if it seems a little indulgent or selfish you have to remind yourself that you’re important and so is your mental health.

Since moving up to the Midlands from London I now have a large garden and it’s a huge change from the concrete slabs we called a garden where I lived in Central London. At first I found it a little overwhelming because I’ve never had to care for a garden before or even have a conversation with a gardener, but now we have a little routine with a local gardener and things run smoothly and the garden looks lush but there are no flowers or plants it’s just well maintained grass. When I’m out in the park I always appreciate the flowers and its made me consider creating a small area in my garden to grow things in. I’m not even sure what I’d like to grow but the thought of creating something out of nothing and it being all mine sounds amazing and the time alone with nature sounds a lot like self care to me.

I’m not crazy I don’t plan on turning my entire garden into a landscapers dream I just want a few little things that I can tend to a watch flourish. I have a lot to learn about what things need what kind of care and what grows best when so I’ve been taking notice of advice like the image below from trago to give me an idea of when is the best time of year to get started for the best chances of success. I think herbs would be a good place to start as I get to grow something and then actually put it use when cooking. Think I’d feel a bit like a hunter gatherer lol and that’s pretty cool.

Trago_Herbs_Infographic_v2

Do any of you have herb Gardens and any suggestions for me? Ideally something that would be good for a beginner.

Self care

7 Hacks for Getting Healthy

The key to good health for a lifetime is, according to experts, lifestyle medicine. This includes making simple alterations to your stress management, exercise, and diet. To assist you with turning that into results, we’ve put this manageable list of wellness and health suggestions together.

Quit Smoking

This is beneficial not just for your health but for the health of everyone around you. When you quit smoking, you aren’t breathing in the harmful smoke and breathing harmful chemicals out for others to breathe in as second-hand smoke. Yes, people use smoking as a form of stress management, but there are other things that can serve the purpose just as well and that are healthier for you.

Exercise

We all know that exercise keeps you healthy, but how? Exercise works to keep your rate of metabolism high. This is something that just naturally slows down as we age, and this makes it more difficult to keep those extra pounds off as we get older. Luckily, working out on a regular basis will help you increase the number of calories you burn, and this helps you with maintaining a healthy, steady, weight.

Think Positive

Having a healthy and positive attitude assists with building an immune system that’s healthier and it also boosts your overall health. Positive thinking also plays a massive role in the management of stress. Remember that your body will believe what you think, so you need to focus on the positive as much as possible.

Eat Your Veggies

You should strive to ingest about five helpings of vegetables on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter if they’re stir-fried, steamed, or raw. A diet that’s high in veggies has been associated with a reduction in the risk of developing certain types of cancer that include but are not limited to ovarian, pancreatic, bladder, and stomach, just to name a few. Many of the nutrients that are the most powerful are those with bold colors, like leafy greens, grapes, tomatoes, and carrots, etc.

The Five Meal Ideal

How much, when, and what you eat can keep both your energy levels and your metabolism elevated steadily, so you’ll end up with more energy that lasts all day long. The five-meal ideal will assist you with managing your weight, avoiding cravings, maintaining your focus, and keeping your cool. Just try to have five smaller meals a day as opposed to 3 larger ones.

Sleep

If you’re the type of person who has difficulty sleeping, you might want to try a relaxation technique or two, like yoga or meditation. Another tip is to have a small snack at bedtime of foods that have been shown to assist with shifting the body and mind into sleep mode, like chamomile tea, cherries, oatmeal, or whole grain cereal in milk. Make your room darker and turn the clock so that it faces away from you. Write any stressful thoughts or worries down to clear your mind. This assists with putting them into perspective and you’ll be more likely to quit worrying about them.

Get Satisfied

Both physical activity and eating are sensory experiences that are fun. In both of these, you should strive for pleasure as opposed to pain. Be attentive to the foods you eat and their nutritional value, as well as your sense of fatigue, exhilaration, tension, and relaxation when it’s time to eat. Check in on yourself while you’re eating to rekindle your recognition of satisfaction, fullness, and hunger when you’re thinking about how much and when to eat.

There you have it. Seven hacks that will get you feeling healthier in no time. All that’s left is for you to choose one or two of them and get started!

Self care

How To Make Changes That Last

Forget about New Year’s Resolutions they’re long gone, when you want to make changes in your life you can do so any time you choose but sometimes even when you know you need to do something differently, start making some good choices or change up your life you can find yourself resisting. Why are we so resistant to change, even when we know it’s for the best?

We take a look at some tips to making stress-free changes in your life that will help you reach your life goals and stay changed now and on into the future.

 

Figure out the roadblocks

In actual fact you probably, deep down, do know what’s holding you back from starting that training course, applying for that course or cutting out a toxic person from your life. Nine times out of ten, it boils down to feeling afraid, fear of failing and possibly feeling foolish for even trying it in the first place.

But whether you’re changing your life or restyling your bathroom with Tap Warehouse you also know that change is good a thing and at times necessary for your future happiness and success.

We resist change for fear of getting it wrong, worried about making a wrong decision and failing but when we stand back and explore this more logically we can start unpacking and thinking about change in better, more positive ways.

 

Picture the end goal

If you’re hoping to get a better job, you know that there will be a few hurdles you’re going to need to climb over before you get there. It’s rare that a dream career just falls into your lap.

Yes, you might well find that you’re rejected from the first five, ten or even twenty job interviews but if you have your endgame in mind, you’ll be spurred on to figure out what the problem is and take the appropriate action to make your chances much better.

You might have to start some training or get some work experience but when you’re feeling strongly motivated, that’s when you’re at your most effective so make sure you’re keeping your eye on the bigger picture.

bw1

Image courtesy of Pexels

 

Pick your battles

When you’re looking through lifestyle blogs it might feel that the list of changes you want to make are endless. That’s where you need to step back and focus in on the kind of change that is going to have the biggest impact on your life. Sure being a more ethical shopper is important and becoming more mindful will help you feel more in control and less stressed but if you need to enrol on that university degree course after years of putting it off, then that’s what you need to zoom in on.

Put aside your self-doubt or the fact that it seems too big and start making those changes that are going to lead to a happier, more confident, more determined you. Start today and see where positive change will take you tomorrow.

 

 

Self care

Inner vs. Outer Beauty

1 Comment

fashion-2940243_960_720

How we look on the outside is important, in the modern world, particularly in the selfie-culture many people live in.  What was once you looking your best for the people you bumped into within a day, meaning, it didn’t really matter all that much if you looked a bit plain or rough that particular day… today, you could be captured and shared throughout a whole host of social media channels – meaning, that one ‘bad hair day’ is not a single day, it’s a permanent snapshot of who you are.

 

More people today, than ever before are looking to improve their cosmetic appearance, and treatments are becoming increasingly affordable and convenient, for instance, Vaaesthetics – Lip Fillers can enhance your smile (or pout) in a very cost effective way.  No longer do you need invasive surgery, as the biggest growth within cosmetics tends to be within non-surgical treatments. Things don’t have to be as extreme as any cosmetic enhancements, adding to or changing up your makeup routine can also help you feel more beautiful and can do wonders for bringing out your outer beauty and using organic makeup brands can help you feel good about yourself, thus helping with your inner beauty.  

That said, we can all get a bit too consumed with how we look, and for that reason this article  is going to take a look at ways to improve your inner beauty – as the thing that leaves the most lasting impression, on others, is how you make them feel on the inside… not how attractive you look!

Here’s three things to consider focusing on, to enhance your inner beauty.

 

BE A GIVER

A lot of people tend to operate from a paradigm of what’s in it for them – they are focused much more on what they receive, rather than what they give out… yet, interestingly the people we tend to be drawn toward the most are those that are energetically generous; meaning they take an interest in us.

See, being a giver doesn’t have to involve giving  gifts or money – it can be as simple as compliments or small acts of service such as scraping the snow off a neighbour’s drive, when you know they have a bad back.

The top tip, therefore, is to focus more on creating value for others and see all your interactions as a place to give rather than a place to get.

 

 

LAUGH MORE

The benefits of smiling and laughing are significant; they include health benefits such as greater immunity, hormone regulation, and even a longer life – yet, more than anything, the person that laughs and smiles is attractive on both the inside and outside.

We all like someone that can make us smile, particularly if we are feeling down, in fact one of the greatest gifts of a good friend is the ability to make you laugh when you’re feeling too serious – particularly if you’re going through something like a break-up.

Now, you don’t need to be the life and soul of the party;  you just need to embrace the power of getting into a state where you naturally feel more happy and adopt a more positive approach to life.


HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT

In a nutshell, when you leave people, places and things better than the state you first find them in, you are having a positive impact; this doesn’t need to be a  big thing, it could be as simple as picking up a piece of litter.

 

 

Self care

4 natural ways to give yourself an energy boost

The lives we lead are busy, whether it’s work, family, kids and other commitments, by the time we finally sink into bed we either don’t get our eight recommended hours of sleep or we just wake up feeling grotty and unrefreshed. Sleep is something we all want but very few of us get so many of us are looking for other ways to get a much needed energy boost to get them through the day.

You might be thinking of a trip to the spa to refresh your tired skin, or you might have found the best under eye concealer to hide the bags, but have you considered some natural ways to give yourself an energy boost?

Step away from the energy drinks and caffeine and read on for 4 totally natural ways to give yourself an energy boost.

Take yourself for a walk

It might seem like the worse thing you can do if you’re feeling low on energy, but taking a walk gets the blood pumping, the fresh air wakes up your mind and you’ll feel great afterwards. Don’t worry, you’re not expected to have a three mile hike – that would be counterproductive…but if you’ve run out of milk, walk to the nearest shop instead of driving to the bigger store several miles away. Need to book an appointment? Take your phone with you and make the call when you’re on your walk. Anyone can fit a quick stroll into their routine. Give it a try.

Peppermint

We think of essential oils and aromatherapy as calming and relaxing ways to destress. So perhaps not the first place you would look for a pick me up. Well, some essential oils and fragrances have the opposite effect! The most powerful? Peppermint! Peppermint has amazing properties that make us feel more awake and it smells delicious. You can incorporate it into your day by chewing peppermint gum, using peppermint body wash in your morning shower, or even sniffing some peppermint oil at your desk at work.

Drink. Water of course.

When we fail to replenish just 1.5 percent of the water and fluid we lose from our bodies, it’s a one way ticket to tired town. But the good news is that keeping hydrated it easy and free! The trick to drinking water on the go is to invest in a gorgeous reusable water bottle that you can keep with you at all times. If it fits in your bag – even better! And if plain water isn’t your thing, then don’t worry – add some fresh fruit in there for a taste infusion or even a squeeze of lemon to give it a zing. And speaking of lemons…

Lemon

If you need an instant pick me up, then slice up some lemon and have a suck on some of the wedges. It might sound like a terrible idea but that tart citrus flavour will certainly pop those tired eyes wide open! It’s also packed with vitamin C – so your immune system gets a boost too.  

 

Self care

3 Steps for a More Positive Approach to Life

ss1

Life can be great, especially if we’ve got our ducks in a row and we’re doing the kinds of things we want to do, with the kinds of people we like, and are finding new and fulfilling reasons to get out of bed every morning and throw ourselves into the adventure of the day.

 Then again, life can be pretty miserable at other times; such as when our health is faltering, and our plans aren’t bearing fruit.

 While there are always steps we can take to improve things; such as refining our habits, and redecorating our homes with goods from montgomery.co.uk, it’s not uncommon to find that we often end up feeling melancholy and negative even if things are generally going pretty well.

 If that sounds at all like you, here are some tips for acquiring a more positive and feel-good approach to life.

 

Getting in the habit of arguing with your negative thinking

 At the root of much, if not all, of our pessimism and negativity, is habitual, ongoing negative thinking. This kind of negative thinking can occur at any moment, and tends to affect just about every aspect of our lives.

 We may start off by having breakfast, but then notice that one piece of toast is a bit more burnt than we would have liked. “Breakfast’s ruined, I just keep messing everything up” might be the negative thought process that goes along with the event.

 The psychologist Martin Seligman, famous for his work on positivity and his book “Learned Optimism” pointed out the importance of arguing against your negative thinking on a regular basis.

 If you notice yourself spiralling into negative thinking, first identify the event that triggered the negative thought. Then identify the negative belief. Then identify the negative effects of that belief (depression, for example), then dispute that belief. Is there a different way of looking at things? Could you be wrong?

 

Remember that how you think about the world affects how you see and experience it

 Studies have found evidence that the way you think about the world, and the things you pay attention to, change the way you see the world, literally.

 But you don’t even need scientific studies to realise that this is true. Consider the following example:

 If someone asks you to look around the room intensively for 10 seconds, and count as many blue objects as you can see, and then, once the buzzer has gone off, they ask you how many red objects you saw, what will be your answer?

 Clearly, you either wouldn’t have noticed or wouldn’t have paid attention to the red objects. It’s the same with our emotions. If you look only for the negative, you won’t see the positive.

 Keep reminding yourself that you don’t see the world “accurately” so you may as well see it optimistically.

 

Practice mindfulness meditation to get some space away from your thoughts

 Mindfulness meditation is an ancient practice which has the ability to open up a bit of space between us and our thoughts, by training us to observe them in a non-judgemental way, while directing our attention towards a specific point of focus.

 Many services, apps, and books exist to teach the basics of meditation.

 According to research, regular meditation really can change the brain in some fundamental ways that make us feel less controlled by our thoughts.

 

Uncategorized

If I could go back to my summer holidays.

1 Comment

I spend a lot of time on my own and in my head.

db8e399fab29725e20ee77611248aded

It is very easy to get lost in your own head, thinking, planning, worrying etc… when I am left alone with my own thoughts I tend to focus on all the things I am not doing and worrying about where my life is going and not being the best I can be etc. and then I start to feel down. Looking after yourself mentally is so important and yet such an easy thing not to do. Spending time alone makes me realise how important it is to spend time with friends and family. When I am around people I love and care about I never feel low or like I’m not good enough so I love surrounding myself with those people as much as I can.

The happiest time of my life as all the seaside trips we made as a family when I was a kid, If I could go back to those times I would in a heartbeat.  My family and I used t go to Torquay every year in the summer and stay in a B&B that had 2 live in Labradors, I must have been around 7 or 8 when we first started going and literally thought it was the best place in the world. I will remember those trips fondly.

My mum was diagnosed with progressive MS in the mid nineties and she knew she would get sicker and sicker so she planned a holiday to Florida and took me and my little sister. It was the first time I had ever been on a plane and we all had an amazing time, surprise surprise one of the things I enjoyed the most about the trip was all the amazing food lol. These are the things that at the time just seems like a bit of fun and something to do but creating memories with the people you love is so important and I thank my lucky stars that I have so many.  Having lost my mum recently these memories mean more to me now than ever. I love to surround myself with people that I love creating more memories and just generally having a good old time.

This summer has been spent a little differently, less fun and frolics and more soul searching and trying to find some sort of direction.  I have spent my summer on small projects, getting used to living back in the big city and travelling up and down the UK seeing friends and having nights out.  This summer has seemed really short because the weather didn’t hold up for very long but we managed to get in a couple of barbecues and some lovely days out with both friends and family. Summers as an adult are hugely different to what they were as a child. I’m hoping I can make future summers a little bit more like the ones I had as a kid.. maybe next year a little break might be in order, a little longer and further than the odd weekend in the Midlands lol

I spend a lot of time and money going out on nights out and weekends away and surrounding myself with people but I am trying to find some balance in terms of spending time with friends and family and spending time alone.

Something I am keen to start working on more now is trying to be just as happy when I am on my own. I have never really sat and thought about the importance of taking care of your own mental/emotional health. I was reading these Five Tips to Bring Balance into Your Life and realised just how responsible I am for my own happiness. I allow myself to think negatively about myself and berate myself for not doing enough whereas I wouldn’t stand for that from anyone else. The five tips on TheCircle website seem like a good place to start for me as each step seems doable and potentially beneficial in my quest to a move balanced and healthy mind. Personally for me I need to set goals and not attack myself every time I mess up. Maybe being mindful and setting boundaries and seeking inspiration will help me focus on doing positive things rather than constantly thinking about what I’m not doing.

It’s so difficult to know how to take care of yourself mentally, I think finding resources online to help with that are a good place to start.

Something I read in the five steps really made me think, when you have things to do and you are going over and over them in your head you are wasting so much mental energy doing the work in your head that you are exhausted before you even start. I want to start writing things down on paper so I can free my mind of all the thoughts that are not doing me any good and hopefully free up some space for good/positive things instead.

Any tips or links that you think may be useful would be much appreciated x

Post in collaboration with TheCircle.