Life Lessons To Remember

So this week I’ve realised that 1.) I’ve come a long way with my eating disorder treatment, and 2.) I’ve learnt a load of lessons not only about myself but about how I should see the world; and this is why I’m writing this today. What made me come to this realisation is the fact that I got my haircut, well, I got bangs.

Why would getting bangs make me have this big realisation you ask? Well because I had been thinking about getting bangs FOR AGES (I was totally inspired by Devin Lytle’s hair – fellow thin hair gal who is amazing, who works for Buzzfeed and is in Buzzfeed’s Ladylike which I LOVE along with all the ladies there so you should defo check them out!) but every time I went to get booked in at the hair dressers I chickened out because I thought it might look bad and that people would think I looked stupid. That’s when it hit me, why am I worried about what other people think?! All that matters is what I think and if I want bangs then I should just get some damn bangs cut!

Once this realisation hit me, I decided to book in a haircut to get bangs, and because I’m ridiculously indecisive I actually ordered some clip in bangs to check if I definitely wanted them. Here’s the bangs I ordered:

Once these arrived I did ask people what they thought, and they weren’t sure that it would suit me and then I realised that if I liked them, and I wanted them, I should get them cut no matter what anyone else thinks.

Something I was scared about was that my boyfriend wouldn’t like how I look with them, especially since he wasn’t sure that they’d suit me; but guess what, he told me to get them cut anyway because he knows that my opinion is what matters most and that he’ll love how I look no matter what (and to be honest, he’s seen me at my worst so I couldn’t get much worse than that haha). And with that sense of ‘it’s my hair so I’ll do what I want with it and I’ll rock it no matter what’ in my head, I went and got it cut.

And guess what?! I think I look pretty with them.. (that feels weird to say but I’m trying to be nicer to myself).

Ok, now that I’ve rambled on about my hair for long enough, let’s actually get back to why I’m writing this post.. here’s some life lessons I’ve finally learnt:

1. If you want to try something new with your appearance (or really anything in life – providing it isn’t harming anyone duh) and are unsure, just give it a go; you’ll often find that you’ll rock it and look great!

2. Confidence is key. (I’m still working on this one but I’ve realised that if you act like you’re confident even when you’re not, everyone around you will think you’re a boss ass b*tch. And you’ll look good because quite frankly, confidence is sexy and looks good).

3. When it comes to your body and appearance, your opinion is the only one that matters, and anyone that tells you how or what you should look like can go f*ck themselves because you’re perfect as you are.

4. Self care is not being selfish. You gotta take care of yourself! After all, you’ll be living with yourself for the rest of your life.

5. Learn to accept compliments without putting yourself down after hearing them. If someone is complimenting you, (unless it’s unsolicited catcalling from a stranger, in which case.. they can eff off) it’s because they want to, no one is forcing them; and why wouldn’t they want to compliment you?! You’re great!

6. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength and you’ll find you feel so much better after asking for help. Plus you’ll find that you’re probably going to make some really great, reliable friends along the way.

7. No number defines your worth, whether it’s on the scales, on your clothing labels, social followers/likes or your bank account. You are worth so much more than any stupid numbers!!

8. And finally, sugar and chocolate WILL NOT KILL YOU. Eat what you want, when you want it. Nothing is unhealthy in moderation so try to stop labelling food, because that’s all it is. Food. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just food that tastes good and nourishes your body.

So that’s what I’ve learnt recently, and if you’ve ever had some realisations of life lessons yourself, definitely let me know what they are! Also, to finish, to the right is a selfie of me and my new hair in case you haven’t seen my insta, because why shouldn’t I show this off?!

Oh and buy the way, I totally recommend trying out clip in hair pieces (when it’s cheap) if you’re thinking of changing up your look but aren’t sure yet, here’s the clip in bangs I bought (I did trim mine but do what you want with them!).

Hope this helps any of you out there who tend to worry about what other people think about your appearance (aka people like me.. I’m working on that haha) and remember, your opinion of yourself is the most important!

A little life quote to end: “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms”.

Have a great weekend everyone!! Love,

DIY Self Care Kit

If you’ve been following me a while now then you’ll know that this month I’ve been trying to focus on my mental health and self care, so at the start of May I begun by writing myself some self-affirmations. And to carry on with my self care this month I thought I would finally get round to making myself a self care kit for when I’m having a tough time.

The past two weeks have been pretty stressful and I’ve had a lot on, I’ve had family members in hospital, college assessments and my niece finally arrived (that one was a happy thing but stressful with the days in hospital waiting). Luckily everything I was stressed about worked out and it was then that I then realised I had neglected my self care a bit.

So how do you start/make a self care kit? Well you need to get yourself the following:

• A box
• Pretty paper
• Sharpies or coloured pens
• Tape or glue
• Anything you use to relax

Here’s how my box started out:

Here’s how it looked after I had decorated it:

So what sort of things did I decide to put in my self care kit? Well, things that can shift my focus from what is causing my stress and panic; for example different sensory items. I found that face masks, hand lotions, essential oils (in spray bottles diluted) and stress slime work well.

Here’s everything in my box:

• Notepads.

I added these in my kit because I love drawing and writing, and I found that these were good for writing down what I am grateful for, positive quotes and doodling.

• Coloured Pens.

These are obviously to go alongside my notepads for drawing and writing. Making patterns with them and drawing mandalas is a great distraction for thoughts that are stressing me out.

• Clay Mask.

I added a clay mask (you can use any kind of face mask) to my box as it’s nice and cooling on your skin which is a great distraction from any anxieties, stresses and panic thoughts.

• Nail polish.

This is another good distraction as  you focus on your nails rather than what’s going on around you, and you get to give yourself a mani pedi and have pretty nails!

• Headphones.

Great for tuning out background noise and relaxing with your favourite tunes or any meditation/mindfulness apps.

• Hot chocolate drink sachets.

Having a mindful drink (especially if it’s sweet!) is great for relaxing and helps me calm down in pretty much all situation.

• Essential oils.

If you have any favourite smells then this one is a good one for you. I have several essential oils due to the fact that I make bath bombs, but you can get them online for pretty cheap on places like amazon (amazon is just amazing, it has EVERYTHING). Put the essential oils in a small spray bottle with water and you can spray that on fabrics and just yourself in general which is a great way to feel comforted if there’s a smell that you are familiar with.

• Hand lotion.

This ones similar to the face masks as it’s a good way to distract yourself from everything, it’s cold and cools you down (it’s a great way to help panicking if you put cold things on your wrists!) and you get great soft hands!

• Comfy socks.

Comfy socks may not seem like something you’d use for self care, however; in regards to myself, I’ve pretty much always got cold feet, so getting some comfy warm socks on is a good way for myself to get comfortable and calm down.

• Fidget spinner.

These aren’t classes as cool anymore (by my younger siblings as they were happy to tell me..) which is fine by me!! I found this is a great way to distract and prevent myself from anxious nail biting and picking.

• Tissues.

Pretty obvious one, I felt like I needed these because every now and again you just need a good cry.

• Positive Notes.

Positive notes are always a good shout as it’s easy to forget little life lessons and mantras when you’re in crisis and are having a bad day.

So those are just a few of the things I’ve got in my self care kit. It’s also important to remember that if you are in crisis there are people you can call to talk too, for example the Samaritans, who are there for all mental health challenges, whether you’ve got a diagnosis of anything or not, they’re just there to listen.

If you decide to make your own self care kit then please let me know what you put in it and if you’ve got any suggestions then please pass them on ad my box is always evolving!

Have a lovely weekend everyone! Love,