The massage that changed my perspective on massages
*This post contains a gifted experience* I didn’t realise quite how much I needed a massage until I was kindly gifted one by The Massage Company in Camberley. The last couple of years have been a lot (globally), and the last couple of months have been quite a lot too (personally). There’s been stress seeping in from every angle and something I’ve learnt over the years is that my body…
Seasonal self-care with Madeleine Onstwedder
I talk about self-care a lot here, but something I’ve truly never given much thought to is seasonal self-care. Taking some time as seasons change to check in with my self-care routine and adjusting where needed. A recent Instagram post from Madeleine Onstwedder sparked a conversation and I realised it was something I wanted to learn more about and share with you. So I asked Madeleine some questions to help…
When your fear is of fear itself
*This post contains a gifted experience* At the beginning of 2020 I had a feeling that this year would throw a lot at me. 2019 felt to me like a year of really putting the work in, and I was quietly hoping 2020 would be time for it to start coming to fruition. For things to start… happening. As it turns out, so far at least, my prediction’s been dead…
Self-care for activists
The word activist can be pretty loaded and some of us don’t feel entirely comfortable with it. Even if the word activist doesn’t ring true for you, if you consider yourself an advocate or you discuss highly charged topics like social justice or mental health regularly, then this post is for you. While I don’t think of myself as an activist, I do feel like an advocate and try to…
Easing work-related stress
I’ve written about stress here before about how in some situations and in moderation, it can be good for us. It can give us the boost we need to get things done. The key word here though is moderation. For many of us, stress comes at us like a tidal wave, overwhelming us. Stress can come from lots of different places, but here I want to focus on work-related stress.…
A cup of calm - what happened when I reduced my caffeine intake
*This post contains gifted products* For the longest time I’ve been telling myself and others around me that one day, I’m going to cut back on caffeine. Just when I thought that day was never actually going to come, Adagio teas got in touch asking if I would like to try some of their teas and write about them. Perfect. I’ve never seen myself as a true ‘caffeine addict’ who…
When self-care hurts
Self-care is often seen as something soft, nurturing and even fluffy at times. It’s a warm bubble bath on a Sunday evening, a cup of tea in the garden, a gentle yoga practice as the sun sets. And it certainly is all of these things, but it’s also so much more. I’ve always considered self-care to be anything that helps you feel calm and refreshed. An act or practice that…
How to make time for self-care
I honestly don’t know how this blog post hasn’t been written before. It’s one of those subjects I talk about so much, I guess I just forgot to actually articulate it here on the blog. If you follow me online, you’ll know how passionate I am about self-care. After struggling on and off with my mental health over the years (from an eating disorder in my teens to anxiety more…
Night-time anxiety: tools to quieten your mind
When I’m feeling anxious, one of the first things to be affected is my sleep. My body will be tired, but my mind stays wide awake, turning over worries about the future and ruminations of the past. Conversations from the day will play on repeat as I question what I should have said instead. I’ll toss and turn, wrestling with my bed sheets, feeling irritated by every noise and sensation…
Looking up - a shortcut to calm
A couple of months ago I went with Dan on the train somewhere (London, possibly). At the station we were both a little tense after some words of frustration were shared (about what, I can’t recall). As I sat, waiting for our train, I looked up. The sky was bright blue and the clouds were fluffy, white, perfect. A small breeze was pushing the clouds around in the sky, morphing…