Self Worth And Self Love.

Hello my lovelies! We’re one month away from Summer being over, and there’s only 134 days left of the year, and I’ve been doing some reflecting. You see, a lot has happened for me over this last year; and that’s not including the shit show that 2020 has been for the world. Other than 2020 throwing everything at us, this year has been a big year for me in terms of personal growth and transformation.

To list a few of the big things that’ve happened this year for me:

• I left an 8 year relationship.
• I came out as Pansexual to everyone I know.
• I finally started looking after my body and actively changing my thought process around my appearance.
• I finally started looking after my skin.
• I’ve started dating.
• I’ve been running my own freelance business for 10 months.
• I shaved my head.
• I made myself a priority.
• I finally found out what has been causing my chronic back pain for the last 4 years.

Basically, I’ve had a lot going on these past months. And I think I’m finally beginning to realise what I want for myself, and I’ve certainly finally started seeing my own self worth.

This hasn’t been like a light bulb thing for me, it’s been something that I’ve been working on for a long time and has been something I’ve also wanted to write about for a long time too. And the reasoning behind me only just writing this now is because I’m in a place of self acceptance and self love; it always seemed like a weird idea to me to want to write a post about self love and self worth, because there’s still certain things I wouldn’t mind changing about myself, so how on earth could I preach to others about loving yourself if I still had some things that I’d like to change?

But then I remembered that the fact that I’m aware of that and on this journey of self love and knowing my worth is just proof that I’m human and we all have days where we’d change something if we could.

Bottom line though: I’m in a place of acceptance and neutrality with who I am, most days I love myself, and there’s days when I’m just not feeling it, and both are ok and valid.

Loving yourself and who you’re becoming is not big headed or selfish, but being happy with who you are, knowing your worth and not feeling like you need to change to meet someone elses view on what you should or shouldn’t look/speak/act like. Just being comfortable being yourself.

I haven’t spoken a lot about my break up from my long term relationship at the start of the year, but part of the reason why that ended was because I started to realise that I had changed who I was to fit someone else’s ideals and I felt guilty for being myself! I also didn’t really know what I wanted in my future anymore, so it was time to go out and find myself again. And, after 6 months, I now have a very strong idea of what I want for my future, who I am and my worth.

One of the other big things that has helped me change my view of myself was shaving my head. I’ve always wanted to shave my head, and it’s honestly the most liberating thing I’ve ever done; it forced me to start looking at how I see my own beauty, because my hair has always been a security blanket, so without it, I had to start seeing myself in a new light. In this new, badass, give no fucks what others think about my appearance sort of way. And since then, that’s kind of been my motto when it comes to how I look!

Another thing that I now live by is just being completely unapologetically myself. Loving yourself and knowing your worth isn’t being vain or thinking that you’re above everyone else; it’s simply knowing that you’re pretty amazing, and worthy of happiness and great things.

So what are some tips for building up your self love and self worth?

• Tell yourself one nice thing about yourself every day. (cheesy I know, but after doing this for a while things’ll start to sink in)
• If you struggle with body positivity, I highly recommend the 30 day nude challenge. Now, I know how that sounds, but it’s simply taking a photo of yourself every single day (you don’t have to send them to anyone – they’re for your eyes only), without filters or trying to suck in or change your shape can really help you realise that your body is beautiful as it is, and you don’t need to change it to be some instagram model lookalike. I did this challenge myself and it’s made me appreciate how my body looks and now I see it in a completely new positive light, rather than something to be ashamed or embarrassed of. Also, you’ll see how your pictures change over the course of the 30 days, they usually seem better and better and that’s because you start feeling more confident which in return radiates from your photos!
• Wear clothes that make you happy.
• Do something out of your comfort zone. It hasn’t got to be anything big, just something that makes you nervous or anxious, so you can prove to yourself how strong you actually are.
• Acknowledge that you aren’t going to love everything about yourself every single day, and that’s ok.
• Date yourself. You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when someone treats you? Well did you know that you can give yourself that same feeling by treating yourself that way others do? Something I’m doing is dating myself, so every week or so I’ll take myself out on a date (or have a home date – you know, coronavirus and all that) and I’ll show myself a little love!
• Have boundaries. Learn to say no every now and again. I’m super guilty of saying yes and agreeing to do things when I may not have the time or just might not want to, so something I’m working on is actually saying no when I need to. You don’t have to be rude or anything, just simply saying “sorry, I’ve got too much on at the moment” or “No, sorry” will do the job, and having those boundaries in place will help you not only have more time to get what you need to get done, but also you’ll learn that saying no does not make you a bad person.
• Do something that makes you feel good. Whether that’s singing, dancing, drawing, reading, watching a movie, working out, do what makes you happy.

And those are my self love and self worth tips! How are you doing with your self love journey? I think self love is an ongoing journey for most of us, and it’s important to celebrate ourselves and the little victories we have! What’s your most recent achievement? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, as you may have guessed, over the last few weeks a lot has been happening in my life, so for the new few months posts might be fortnightly, but once everything has settled down my posting schedule will be back to normal again!

Have a great bank holiday my lovelies! Love,

What I’ve Learnt Whilst Being In Lockdown.

Hello my lovelies! I hope you’re having a great weekend so far and that it’s not pouring down too much! (That being said, I kind of love thunderstorms..) So, this week shops have begun opening again and lockdown measures are beginning to lessen, which is great news; and if you’re off out to them, please be safe and wear a mask! It’s amazing hearing that lockdown is sort of at its end now, and with shops opening it certainly feels a lot more like how it used to be; but at the same time it feels so strange because I’d gotten so used to everything being shut and no one going out!

Being in lockdown has allowed me to do a range of things I’d either forgotten about, didn’t feel like I had time for and has given me some time with myself and my thoughts. And with everything that’s happened (and still happening), if I didn’t take care of my mental wellbeing, my mind would end up a bit like this:

Naturally, having my mind acting like that is not ideal, so I’ve been taking care of myself by doing all sorts to manage my wellbeing; and I’ve learnt quite a few things about what makes me feel good and sets me up to have a good day.

So, what have I learnt? Well…

• Something as small as a good cup of tea can work wonders when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

I’ve been trying all sorts of teas during lockdown and have finally landed on one that I absolutely adore, redbush tea. It’s naturally sweet and smells great. Plus it’s naturally caffeine free, and as someone who has anxiety, decaf is all I drink. I also used to have a heavy sugar and then sweetener addiction, and during lockdown I’ve managed to curb that to the point of only needing one sweetner in my tea since redbush is so naturally sweet. Anytime I feel like I need five minutes completely to myself, I go and get myself a lovely cup of tea and chill out for a few minutes.

• Audiobooks are a great escape from the news.

The news has gotten so overwhelming and is the same thing repeated over and over again, so I’ve been limiting how much time I spend listening and watching it and have been listening to audiobooks instead. I found they’re a great way to escape the never ending covid news and just tune out and chill out for a bit.

• Plants are an incredible way to brighten up any space and simply put, bring me joy and peace.

I have fallen madly in love with house plants over lockdown. Maybe it’s not being able to go outside much or something else, but I’ve gone from having three fake plants to over 10 alive ones during my time at home. I’ve found they’re a great distraction from everything going on, and they’re something you can focus your energy on even when you don’t feel like looking after yourself. And on top of that you’ll breathe easier with more plants in your space!

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• Redecorating is a great way to feel refreshed and give you that new start feeling.

I had been in the same space for several years, and it was a pretty dark room due to there being slanted ceilings and only one window. My brother had had the smallest room in the house for years and long story short he kept asking me when I was moving out (gotta love saving for your own place..) so he could have my room. So, I thought about it and decided it’s about time he got a big room. And so, over the course of a weekend we painted, moved furniture and reorganised each others room; now I’m in the smallest room in the house. You might think having a tiny room with only enough space for a clothes rail, bed, desk and bedside table would feel cluttered and give you anxiety; but it’s actually been incredibly refreshing and has encouraged me to completely declutter all of my belongings to what I actually need. My room feels fresh and bright and is the new beginning that I needed.

• No one is looking at my scars when I’m out without makeup on. My skin looks fine with and without makeup.

Since we’ve all been inside for a long time, a lot of us who would normally wear makeup regularly have reduced our days wearing makeup to virtually zero. And as nice as I feel when I’m wearing a full face, not being able to touch my face for fear of my makeup coming off everywhere just isn’t worth it anymore for me. So now I only wear a full face when I’m doing a photoshoot. And even then it’s a much paired down makeup routine to my previous one. When I do go outside I wear a tiny bit of clear brow gel, clear mascara and lipgloss; and even then that’s a rare occurrence. At first I was concerned that my acne, rosacea and psoriasis scars would make people stare at me, but to be honest, no one really cares at all. And now I don’t even wear foundation in most of my photoshoots!

• A light projector is a great way to rid you of night worries.

I picked up a light projector from amazon after switching rooms with my brother because I had individually stuck 800 glow in the dark stars to my old ceiling and my new room felt weird without them, so this was a great replacement. The light can change colours, project water and stars around the entire room. Plus this projector light is also a speaker and has a timer setting so you can leave it on when you go to bed without fear of it staying on all night and overheating. I like to put on a mix of red and blue light with the stars whilst I listen to meditations or read before bed. It’s super relaxing, and I’d recommend it to anyone who struggles to get rid of worries before bed.

• Yoga is a form of meditation for me.

Before lockdown I would practice yoga on and off every now and again, but about halfway through lockdown I started practicing yoga for 30 minutes each day to chill out and reset. I’ve been watching Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and am about 3/4’s of the way through her 30 day yoga practice/challenge. These have helped me unwind after a day at my desk and spend some time acknowledging my thoughts and feelings and let them be what they are. Yoga is something I don’t go a day without now because it allows me to release and explore anything I need to without pushing my feelings down until they inevitably explode out of nowhere.

• Just because I’m not going anywhere doesn’t mean I can’t look cute.

Something I used to do before lockdown was wear simple outfits during the work week with a hint of my unique style, and then go all out at the weekend. But since we’ve been inside an awful lot, I have taken pleasure in dressing completely unapologetically in my unique style, going all out with my outfits every day. Gone are the days where I would save outfits for an occasion; because after all, you don’t buy clothes to have them stay on the hanger only to be worn once in a blue moon.

• Shaving my hair off is the most freeing and liberating thing I could have ever done.

As you probably know, at the beginning of lockdown I shaved my head. It was something I’d always wanted to do, and lockdown gave me the perfect opportunity to do it. Shaving my head was scary yes, but oh so worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat because I’ve never felt more like myself. It’s helped me reassess what about my appearance I relied on as a comfort blanket and how I feel about how I look. I feel beautiful with and without hair and let me tell you, not having to do your hair in the morning is an incredible feeling.

• Time really does heal.

So, at the end of February my ex and I broke up. We’d been together for over 8 years, since we were 15 years old. He was my first love and to be honest I think we weren’t sure what we wanted anymore. To tell you the truth one of the good things about going into quarantine is that its allowed me to process my feelings and work through what I needed to work through, and now, four months on I feel amazing. Time really is a healer and quarantine is the enforced time I needed for myself.

• Days doing nothing are necessary.

Looking online I saw so many people talking about how they were working on their next project or finding a side hustle during their time at home, and it made me feel like having a day to do nothing was a waste of all of this new found spare time. But, as someone who hasn’t actually been furloughed and worked the entire way through lockdown whilst simultaneously running her own business, my spare time actually felt shorter than ever before and I began feeling guilty for wanting to spend the day in front of the telly. However, if you don’t take time to look after yourself and recharge, you’re going to burn out. So, I ended up taking a few days holiday during lockdown to literally do nothing. And they were just what I needed to recharge and refresh myself ready to get going again. You haven’t always got to be doing something!

• Photoshoots are a great way to boost your mood.

Something I’ve been doing is having photoshoots with no real goal or purpose in mind other than to turn up some music and vibe; and let me tell you, it is such a great way to give you a mood boost. Plus, you get some super cute photos out of it too! I like using this as a tool for testing out new outfit ideas I’ve had as well, and the second I’m vibing in the outfit, it instantly brings a smile to my face making everything even cuter.

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• Family quiz nights are perfect for catching up with family without the awkward ‘how’s your love life?’ questions.

Most of us have been talking to family and friends even more than before over the last few months, and for my lot, we’ve been having two different game/quiz nights, one board game night on a friday with one side of my family and a quiz on the saturday night with the other side of my family. I love a quiz so these have been so much fun, and since we’re all focused on the game/quiz, all awkward questions you don’t want to answer hardly ever get asked.

• Skincare routines are a small way to show yourself some selfcare.

I’ve taken this time at home to fully delve into my skincare routine and find things that truly work for my skin. In the morning I use my Carbon Theory soap bar, followed by a serum or complete care cream (I alternate these daily) and then in the evening I use an aloe vera cleansing foam followed by an aloe vera moisturising gel and then my adapalene retinol cream. I’ve stuck to this routine for about 3 months and my skin has never felt better. Yes, I still have my adult acne, but the texture of my skin has changed and I think my skin tone has evened out a bit. 5 minutes in the morning and evening to look after yourself can really work wonders.

• Tarot card readings help me feel centered.

This one isn’t for everyone, but I personally love doing tarot readings. I like to burn some incense sticks, put on some relaxing music and then give myself a tarot reading, focusing on whatever question or worry I’ve had going through my mind. The cards don’t give you direct answers of course, but they can give you a gentle nudge into a direction you could take. And I personally find a little bit of calm in allowing other forces (believe what you want to believe.. if you don’t believe in that sort of thing that’s your choice and you do you) to give me a bit of guidance on what I can do.

• Routines are necessary to keep me productive on weekdays.

As nice at it was to work in my pyjamas every single day, it stops the day from being broken up and you can lose a sense of what day it is. So, I’ve created a routine which I stick to every weekday to help my days stop blending into one. I wake up at 6.30am, go get breakfast by 7am, have a cup of tea and then wash my face and brush my teeth; then I watch some youtube or tv and then start work at 8am. I then work until 4pm with a lunch break in the middle and then at 4.30pm I start cooking my tea. By 6pm I workout and shower, then play some animal crossing, watch some tv and then get ready to go to bed and then go to sleep by 10pm. Having structure has helped keep me productive and make sure I’ve scheduled in some time for selfcare.

And those are what I’ve learnt from being in lockdown!

I feel like I’ve grown a lot during lockdown, at the start of lockdown it had been about 3 weeks since my ex and I had split, I was in a completely different space mentally and physically, I was surrounded physical clutter too and I was stressed about all sorts. But now, I’m single and happy, I’ve moved into a new space, I’ve thrown away and donated the majority of my belongings by going minimalist, I’m finally on top of my savings and can manage my finances with (some level of) confidence and I’m now adult enough to keep plants alive and I give even less of a care about how others view my appearance!

Looking back at who I was at the beginning of lockdown is truly like looking at a different person. My family and friends have said I seem more like myself and happier than ever and I can’t help but agree with them. Truth be told I think lockdown was the time out from the outside world that I didn’t know I really needed.

What have you learnt from being in lockdown? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great weekend my lovelies and happy pride!

Love,

Kindness – Mental Health Awareness Week.

Hello my lovelies!! Happy Saturday and I hope you have a happy bank holiday weekend! So, as you may be aware, this week is mental health awareness week, and each year we have a different theme, and this years theme is kindness. Pretty fitting for the year we’re having isn’t it?!

If you’ve been with me and my blog for a long time, you’ll know that I’ve had my fair share of mental health challenges in my time and I’m very open about them. I’ve got a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, ocd and I’m in recovery from anorexia. That being said, I’m very happy to let you know that I am in a very good place with my mental wellbeing.

Part of the reason why I’m in a good place with my mental health is because I’ve had cbt (cognitive behavioural therapy) in the past, I’ve also had support from eating disorder services, I use mental health apps and selfcare to manage my mental health and of course I have my family and friends who support me!

One of the apps I have been using is called Pocketcoach, and this week I’ve done a little review of it for you!

First impression?

I love that the app works a bit like a text message conversation, once you’ve had your first text chat, you can go on to choose different courses that you can do in your own time that can help with your mental wellbeing. I found it super easy to use and I like how it uses emojis and gifs in the conversation, it makes it feel like you’re chatting to a friend!

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What do I like about it? What does it offer?

I like how you can create an account to save your information, so you can log on to use the app on different devices and follow on from where you left off.

Once you’ve had a conversation with Pocketcoach you can then go on to choose a course that you’d like to go through, since it’s #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek I decided to go with Self-Kindness since this years theme for mental health awareness week is kindness. And I think we could all be a lot kinder to ourselves, especially in times of stress.

On the course for Self-Kindness I found that I liked how easy it was to follow along since it’s all in a chat format, so you can scroll back to the start of the conversation to re-read anything if you need to. Another thing I like is how you get given options to have some parts of the course through videos or text, the choice is yours; which is great if you’re using the app on the go and can’t use sound for the video, because you can still get the help through text.

If the courses aren’t your kind of thing you can check out all of the different exercises they have. They’ve got exercises for a range of challenges, for mindfulness, meditation, sleep and lots more. I’ve personally found their ‘guide to falling asleep’ very helpful on those nights where I’ve struggled to get to sleep because of worries and stress.

Did I like it, and will I continue using it?

Yes! I’m going to continue to use Pocketcoach when I’m stressed in the future, and even when I’m not because I found the guided exercises very helpful for taking a few minutes to slow down and focus on myself. Having something you can click onto to have a chat with is great for those times when you want to check in with how you’re feeling.

Here’s some more screenshots of the exercises you can find in the app!

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So, what else have I been doing for selfcare over the last week or two?

Well.. I’ve been spending plenty of time drawing and painting and going on lots of walks to manage my mental health. I’m incredibly lucky that I have a beautiful walkway near the back of my house which is full of trees and flowers and lovely greenery which never fails to lift my spirits if I’m feeling low and always helps me relax and get a clear headspace.

Something I’ve been doing over the last week is writing letters with positive messages and hiding them in the walkway I love to go down for people to find signed with the alias #TheWorryNotWalker! After all, who doesn’t love a treasure hunt or finding a letter with a wax seal?! It’s like recieving your Hogwarts letter with kind messages inside!

Here’s a few photos from the walkway!

And that’s what I’ve been up to over the last week and a bit! Have you tried any mental health apps before? Are there any you’d like me to review?

I love being able to bring a smile to people’s faces through small acts of kindness and I can only do this because I’m being kind to myself through making time for selfcare and selflove.

So, with all that said and done, remember to be kind to yourself, and know that reaching out for support is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength!

I’ll leave you with these wise words from an utterly fabulous queen:

“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?”

– Rupaul

Have a great weekend my lovelies! Stay safe and make some time for yourself today!

Love,

Top Ten Tidying & Decluttering Tips.

Happy Saturday my lovelies! I hope you’ve had a good week and are as happy as I am that payday has finally come for most of us! It’s this time of the month that I decide to do a bit of tidying up and get my space in order ready for the next month ahead.

I think we all have that one chair in our rooms that is the dumping ground for clothes and other things we can’t be bothered to put away during the week, and I am certainly no exception! At the start of the month my room is nice and tidy, but by the end of it it’s a complete mess and I’ll be feeling more stressed because of it.

This is why I’ve started tidying up every two weeks and decluttering at least once every two to three months to make sure I’m not gathering up unneeded clutter. (I struggle with OCD so I struggle to throw things away sometimes but it’s got better over the years).

So, today I figured I’d share with you my ten tips for tidying up your space so it’s actually liveable, rather than an instagram/pinterest bedroom because let’s face it, those are ridiculously unattainable in reality.

What I will say though, is that before you start decluttering and tidying your space, it’s actually a good idea to have a look on Pinterest for room inspiration which will make you much more motivated to start cleaning up your space!

Here’s my Pinterest board of room inspo:

So, onto my ten tips for a tidy space!

1 . Dedicate a specific date or time to tidy up and declutter. This can be once a month, every three months, even every week if you want; by decluttering regularly you’ll make sure you’ve got the space for the things you really need.

2 . Really take a look at what’s in your wardrobe and organise what you have by item. And try on everything you own and decide what actually makes you feel good.

Here you can see my wardrobe before and after decluttering and organising:

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3 . Get yourself some smart storage solutions. If you have loads of hair and beauty products and heat styling tools then I highly recommend picking yourself up a utility trolley! They’re great for holding all of the products and tools you need in one nicely organised place.

4 . Bookcases are great for storing more than books! If you have loads of shoes, using a bookcase for storage is a great solution to display your shoe collection and it makes deciding what shoes to wear so much easier because you can see all of your options!

Here’s my shoe collection! Safe to say I may have a bit of a shoe addiction!

5 . Give every item you own its own home. Whether it’s books, makeup, your glasses, everything in your room should have it’s own designated space.

6 . Try going minimalist for a few weeks. This may seem drastic, but if you box up all of your belongings only leaving out the bare essentials, you might find that you’re pretty content with what you’ve got and are feeling less stressed. And when you need something that you’ve put away in the box, you can get it out and find it it’s home.

I have done this twice now and it’s amazing what you can collect over time that you realise you never actually use. After a month or two of being minimalist, I often donate some of the things I don’t use and keep the sentimental items in their own box for safe keeping.

7 . Make your bed! We are a nation divided into ‘bed makers’ and ‘I’ll just be getting messing it up again later’ people. I am a firm believer of making your bed every morning, it just make your room look so much neater and cleaner.

8 . Get rid of unnecessary furniture. Have you got that one table that never gets used? What about a chair? I had a small coffee table that I couldn’t bear letting my mum get rid of but I never actually needed it, so that one had to go. And just like that, my room looked loads bigger already.

9 . Set aside a few moments at the end of the day to tidy away small items. This way the clutter and untidiness won’t creep back in!

10 . Finally, put on some music or a film whilst you declutter! It’s always much more fun when you can sing and dance along to some tunes whilst you get down to tidying!

And those are my top ten tips for decluttering and tidying up your space! Having a clean and decluttered room always makes me feel relaxed and calm. How do you like your space to look? Have you got a particular aesthetic that you like? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great weekend my lovelies!

Love,

5 Signs You’re Heading Towards Burnout & How To Prevent It.

Hello my lovelies! Can you believe we’re already at the end of November?! It’s madness, festive and great but madness that the year is nearly through. It feels like only yesterday the year began.

With the festive season well on its way, we’re all getting busier and busier getting things ready for Christmas and trying to put in those extra hours to make the most of this time of year and it’s festivities. And because we’re so busy, we often forget to take care of ourselves, which can lead to burnout.

Burnout is when you feel exhausted emotionally, physically and mentally and is caused by prolonged stress that has built up over time. Burnout, if not tackled can lead to mental health challenges and health problems.

So how do you know if you’re heading towards burnout?

Well, here are five things you can look out for:

• Feeling tired and exhausted no matter how much sleep you get and what you do.
• Feeling little to no pleasure or motivation to do any of your hobbies and/or work.
• Your space is becoming untidy when it’s normally clean and organised. This one is a big que for me, when I’m feeling overwhelmed it can often come out in how messy my room will get!
• Neglecting yourself physically or taking part in unhealthy behaviour patterns.
• You’re thinking about work, when you’re not at work.

Now that you know what burnout can look like, what are some of the things you can do to stop burnout?

As someone who has experienced burnout myself, I’ve come up with 5 tips for dealing with burnout. Also, you should never be ashamed for struggling with burnout, it’s actually pretty common nowadays with the always working on yourself culture that we have.

Here’s my tips!

1 . Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. – If you’re struggling to get to sleep and find yourself laying awake with thoughts going through your head like me then I highly recommend an app called PocketCoach. It had guided meditations, courses on how to change negative thoughts and has great breathing exercises. I use their sleep guide often aa it helps me fall asleep straight away.

2 . Make time to relax and do nothing. I can’t stress this enough. Sometimes, with our busy lives we forget that we need time to recharge, as an introvert myself, I need lots of time away from busy crowds to build my energy back up. It can be hard to make time to do nothing as we often feel guilty when we do, but it’s so important that we take that time to recharge and build our energy back up.

3 . Have a social media break. I try to post regularly on my social media, particularly Instagram, but if you’ve been checking my insta over the past week or two, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted as much as I do usually. This is because I started to feel a lot of pressure to keep uploading more during the week, so I took a little break. And guess what?! Nothing drastic happened whilst I was away!

4 . Spend some time organising, decluttering and tidying. This helps me put any stress I may have been having subconsciously about my surroundings being untidy to bed which in return makes me feel a lot more relaxed and like I’ve got my shit together.

5 . Do something active that you enjoy. For me, working out with the be.come project has helped me more than any other form of exercise ever has. It’s transformed how I feel about my body and I always have a clear head and feel great after.

So, those are some of the signs of burning out to look out for and my tips on what can help in the event of burnout and to prevent it. How do you keep on top of your wellbeing and stress levels? If you’re worried that you may be suffering with more than burnout then please do talk to your GP and your loved ones as they can offer great support!

And with all of those tips said, I’m not off to do a bit of decluttering and then veg out on the sofa watching all of the star wars films! Have a great weekend everyone! Be sure to make time to relax!

Love,

My 5 Favourite Storytime Posts.

Happy Saturday everyone! This week I’ve been busy journaling, catching up with friends and family and I’ve been practicing some selfcare. And speaking of journaling and selfcare; this week I’m going to share with you my top 5 favourite storytime posts I’ve written.

So, onto my top 5 posts! Let’s get into it!

1 . I Found Out My Ancestry With 23 and Me.

I loved writing this post. For ages I wanted to find out my ancestry and I still go back to look at my 23 and me profile regularly to see that I’ve got more and more DNA relatives!

2 . I Hate My Belly, So I Got My Belly Button Pierced.

This post will always hold a special place in my heart. For as long as I can remember I’ve hated my stomach, and that all changed when I wrote this post. I think it’s the furthest I’ve ever pushed myself out of my comfort zone as an experiment and I have stopped hating on my stomach every since. I mean, I still have other parts of my body I like more, but I’m a long way away from hate.

3 . Why I’m Refusing To Make New Years Resolutions About My Body.

I got a lot of responses from this post. And I think it’s because I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any posts like this about new years resolutions. And I’m happy to say that this one will always be a favourite of mine because I think it raised an important point for lots of people who weren’t a fan of themselves, and why they should learn to love themselves and spent their time on better things than self-hatred.

4 . Learning To Play An Instrument.

I am still so so happy that I wrote this post, and it partly came with my new years resolutions and it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to play the piano. And guess what?! I’ve kept up my learning since this post and I’m not about to stop now! I can’t believe how far my learning has come and I can now play a few beautiful songs from memory and read sheet music!

5 . Being An Apprentice.

This post was one I had wanted to write for a really long time, and it’s a post all about my job, why I decided to become an apprentice in my 20s and why it’s important to celebrate your successes, no matter how big or small they are!

So those are my top 5 favourite storytime posts from this year! It’s amazing to me that we’re already 3/4’s of the year through and that I’ve had my blog for over a year and a half!

Have you got a favourite post of mine? I like writing these posts every few weeks as it’s a great way to reflect over what’s been happening and what my favourite topics are to write about!

And that’s all for today! I hope you enjoyed today’s post, it’s always great fun writing about my life, interests, hobbies and being creative in general; coming up with new ideas and posts for you is something I always try to do, and if you’ve got any ideas for posts you want to see from me, let me know in the comments below!

Have a great weekend everybody! Love,

Taking Some Me Time.

Happy Saturday my lovelies! This week we’re talking me-time. Self-care. Down-Time. Whatever you like to call it, I’m letting you into how I like to make time for myself.

We all have stressful days here and there, and we all deal with them in different ways, so this week I’m hoping to either give you some ideas on how you can make time for yourself. Or this’ll just be a healthy reminder of some of the small things you’re already doing without realising it’s something you do to make yourself feel good as self-care.

Self-care is often perceived as a bubble bath and a face mask in my eyes, and don’t get me wrong, those’re definitely I like to do to relax too, but there’s loads of other small things I do for some me-time.

So, enough blabbering from me, here’s what I like to do!

Get an early nights sleep.

Who doesn’t like staying in bed? If we love having lay-ins so much why not go to bed earlier and have longer in bed? I struggle to actually stay in bed once I’ve woken up – which is usually around 7 without my alarm so going to bed earlier let’s me have at least an extra hour in bed without feeling like I’ve wasted the next day.

Spending time on my hair.

Ever since I decided I wasn’t going to straighten my natural curls and waves anymore, I started taking care of my hair in a way that I have never done before. Before I’d brush it like mad, hate the frizz and straighten it everyday all whilst using sulfates and silicones on my hair damaging it. Whereas now I do bi-weekly protein and moisture hair masks, use more natural hair products and I avoid using heat at all costs. It takes more time than before, but I like to listen to my favourite music and spend that time in the moment, relaxing.

Organising my things.

I love a tidy room. And I’ve learnt overtime that when I begin to see mess piling up in my room it’s a sign that mental health is taking a dip. So I then take time to get everything organised and make sure that I do spend some more time doing things that make me feel good(in other words, what’s on this list!).

Taking a bubble bath.

It’s a classic I know, but I won’t deny that I enjoy a big bubble bath with candles, Netflix on my laptop and a nice cold drink. There’s not much else to say about that one!

Listening to my body.

This is new to me. Something you may or may not know about me is that I struggle with back problems (I’ll do a post about it all at some point!), and for me that means that I’m near enough in some form of constant pain. Sucks I know, but life goes on! Because I’m often in pain, over time I stopped listening to what my body needs and then suffering because of it. So recently I’m trying to actually listen to how my body is feeling and if I’m struggling then I give myself permission to simply stay home in my bed with snacks.

Doing my physio exercises.

Leading on from my last one, when I’m in pain that can be an indicator that I should try doing some more of my physio exercises to try and ease my pain. Plus, this helps me in the long run, and it’s time well spent since it then make the next day a bit easier on my body!

Reading a good book.

Who doesn’t like to curl up somewhere cosy with a good book? I’m currently reading ‘Happy Fat’ by Sofie Hagen and I’m loving it. It’s all about loving yourself, how society continues to spread fat phobic messages (whether we’re aware of it or not) and why you should stop hating your body.

Making myself a cup of tea.

If you’ve been here since the start of  ‘The Weight Of My Worlds’ then you’ll know that I’m a bit of a tea addict.. which is why I’ve recently switch to exclusively decaf tea! And I try to stay mindful when I’m making my tea and of course I just love a good cuppa. Bonus points if it’s in a super cute mug like this!

Watching old TV series’ that I love.

Although disputed, I love old TV series that are no longer in circulation or that came out years ago, in particular crime/CSI style shows like Bones, Castle, NCIS, CSI and so many more. That doesn’t make me weird does it? Well.. I don’t care anyway haha it’s great television.

Spending time on my hobbies.

I have a long long list of hobbies, most of them creative. So I like to spend time drawing, painting, sculpting, up-cycling, sewing, playing the piano and interior design. I can’t count how many times I’ve redone my room in some way, in fact, I’m actually re-painting mine as we speak!

Styling clothes.

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You look good when you feel good, right? I certainly do. Plus I was known for changing my outfit multiple times a day when I was younger, but what can I say, I like to change things up! I wear different styles depending on my mood and creating and styling clothes based on that is always fun.

And that’s it from me! Those are some of the things that I like to do when I’m needing some me-time. There’s more, but I think we’d be here for quite some time! It’s important to make some time for yourself, because you matter and self-care is NOT selfish.

What do you like to do when you need time for yourself? Did you get some new ideas from here? Or did you not realise you might already be practising some self-care without realising it? Let me know in the comments!

Might I suggest spending some time this bank holiday for yourself? Have a good one my lovelies!

Love,

Birthday Reflections.

Thursday was my birthday!! Which means I ate cake, got pampered and did a bit of reflecting on what I want for the next year of my life. I guess it’s a little like new years resolutions but without the guilt if you break them. Reflecting on what I want for myself in the next months is something I’ve never really done before, but the time just feels right.

So, lets get into it!

1 . I am learning (and loving) how to be unapologetically myself.

2 . I want to wear whatever I want, no matter how wacky, weird or boring without fear of being judged, because my opinion is the only one that matters when it comes to my appearance!

How cute was my birthday outfit?! I love that jumper and accessories so much!

3 . Not feeling guilty for any food I eat or workouts that I don’t do.

4 . Be proud of myself for my little achievements.

5 . I want to schedule away at least one day a month for a selfcare day.

6 . Continue to push myself out of my comfort zone and try more new things.

7 . I want to read more books, I love reading but struggle to find stories I get sucked into, so I am on a mission to find some new books!

8 . Learning to love my hair when it’s natural and style it without heat.

9 . Continue blogging as it has brought me so much joy, and I love being creative!

10 . Giving people compliments when I like something about them, whether it’s a piece of clothing, their personality, attitude and/or anything really. It’s always nice bringing a smile to someone’s face, and you never know how much of a difference it can make to someone’s day.

Well, that’s what I’m going to be doing for this upcoming year, and I can’t wait to see what it’s going to throw at me! And I cant wait to see where I’m at in another years time.

So here’s to being another year older, wiser, happier and more comfortable in my own skin. Have a great weekend everyone!!

Love,

 

 

Body Positive Instagram Accounts You Need To Follow

It’s the time of year where we’re being bombarded with adverts to buy the latest slimming supplement, drink, diet and workout plan; and it sucks. For those of us learning to love our bodies for what they are (beautiful, in case you’re not sure), being constantly told that we need to lose weight now that Christmas is over is just horrible.

So for the past week and a bit I’ve been putting together a list of body positive and self-care Instagram’s that you need to be following!

Let’s get into it, check out these gorgeous humans below!

1 . @mynameisjessamyn

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jessamyn (@mynameisjessamyn)

2 . @selfcareisforeveryone

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Self-Care Is For Everyone (@selfcareisforeveryone)

3 . @abearnamedtroy

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LORD⭐️TROY (@lordtroy)

4 . @boposophia

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsfpUH4nNnb/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

5 . @notplantbased

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NOT PLANT BASED (@notplantbased)

6 . @sugarcontentpr

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrA9TH7H2xj/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

7 . @thefuckitdiet

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Caroline Dooner (@carolinedooner)

8 . @notoriouslydapper 

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A post shared by Notoriously Dapper ✨ (@kelvindavis)

9 . @the_huntswoman

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A post shared by Brianne | Fashion & Finance (@the_huntswoman)

10 . @charlihoward

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsQsvnjnogf/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

11 . @mattjosephdiaz

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Joseph Diaz (@mattjosephdiaz)

12 . @sonnyturner___

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sonny Turner (@sonnyturner___)

13 . @mamacaxx

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A post shared by Mama Cāx 🇭🇹 (@mamacax)

14 . @chessiekingg 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessieking)

15 . @maryscupofteaa

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A post shared by Mary Jelkovsky (@maryscupofteaa)

16 . @zackmiko

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zach Miko (@zachmiko)

17 . @thefoulbowel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsV6I5tHfwq/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

I wish I could keep going with this list but it’d go on forever! If you want to see more self love, self-care and body positivity accounts you should follow you should check out who I’m following on my insta. These accounts are a great help and reminder on those days when you’re struggling to feel good that you are beautiful and it’s okay to not be okay all of the time!

#EVERYbodyisbeautiful it doesn’t matter what your shape, size, weight, height, skin colour, race, gender, sexuality or age is. We are all beautiful. And our differences do not change that fact.

So, if you see an advert or someone online promoting a diet, weight-loss toll of some form of product that tells you how to get the ‘perfect’ or ‘bikini’ body; remember this: you already have a bikini body, you do not need to change your appearance, and those brands and just trying to get your money!

Have a great week my lovelies!!

Love,

I’m Taking Part In RED January

Happy New Year everyone!! 2019 is upon us, and I can’t wait to see what great things are going to happen this year.

For me, this is the year of me trying new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone; and what better way to start than by doing something I’ve never done before! Cycling. Now, I know what you’re thinking, how can I have never cycled before??

Well, that’s not 100% true, the last time I had a bike I was 6 and it still had stabilisers on it with pink tassels on the handlebars. So in my mind, I’ve never really done any cycling. Especially not on my own bike now that I’m an adult.

So, what even is RED January?

RED January was founded by Hannah Beecham after she found out how your mental health can benefit from exercise; she found this through helping her mother through the darkest of her depression with love, support and by working together towards a goal (The Walk The Walk Midnight Marathon).

Why am I taking part in RED January?

One of my new years resolutions for this year is to raise some money for charities that I have had a personal relationship with. And one of those charities is MIND.

I decided to take part in this challenge because I realised that I’m actually reasonably active; this is due to having to do physio for my back (that’s a post for another day) and developing a healthy relationship with exercise since recovering from anorexia, and it has definitely improved my mental health.

And also because I’ve just received my first every bike, I’m now cycling to work every day! So it makes sense that if I’m already being active every day and feeling the benefit, why not raise a little money in the process??

So that’s what I’m doing this month. Even on my birthday, the 17th! Taking part in RED January doesn’t sign you up for having to force yourself to do something terrible every day that is harrowing. The only requirement is that you do something active everyday in January, if you don’t like running, you can go for a walk, what if it’s raining and cold outside? You could do some yoga, find a workout on YouTube or simply dance around your house just in your pants if you want. That active part is up to you.

Now, since today is the 5th January, I’m about to go do day 5 of the blogilates 100 Ab challenge (wish me luck! I’ll be doing a follow up of this at the end of the month so stay tuned!) and then go for a bike ride if it’s nice outside.

Oh, and if you wanted to sponsor me, you can find my JustGiving page here! I know we’re all tight on money since Christmas is over, so don’t worry if you can’t donate, why not sign up to do the challenge yourself with me?

Have a great day lovelies!! See you next week!

Love,