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 … Continue reading Night-time anxiety: tools to quieten your mind
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 … Continue reading Looking up – a shortcut to calm
The fashion industry is notoriously not great for positive body image - it’s rife with beauty standards that demand thinness... so perhaps it’s surprising to hear that, for me, fashion was a key part of my eating disorder recovery. My interest in fashion was hugely influenced by my sister. She was the one I turned … Continue reading How fashion helped me recover from anorexia
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” ooooft, that’s a strong quote to start with, isn’t it? In all seriousness though, I want to talk about how self-care can be a preventative measure when it comes to our mental health and how we can get the most from it with a little preparation. … Continue reading How to make a self-care first-aid kit
I’ve been writing some quite in-depth/heavy posts lately and felt a real urge to inject a little lightness. Recently when my colleagues at work were talking about content that inspires them, an article about food came up that was literally just about that - food. It wasn’t shrouded in health statistics or offered as a … Continue reading Dishes that bring me joy
I can’t remember exactly when I started tracking my mood, but at a guess I would say about 3-4 years ago. It would have been when I first bought myself a Happiness Planner. This planner prompts you to track your mood and since then, regardless of what planner/journal I’m using (I’m currently using the Positive … Continue reading The benefits of mood tracking
Recently at work a member of our team came across an article about how much someone spends on ‘wellness’ every month (it was £360) and it got me thinking about how much I spend on self-care and wellness. I’ve talked about my feelings towards the wellness industry before, and particularly how it’s so geared towards … Continue reading How much money I spend on self-care
If you’re keen to take better care of yourself, but are finding it difficult, there may be a key ingredient missing. Motivation. Without this, it’s all too easy to let self-care tasks slip down the priorities list. I know for me, figuring out my motivation (and thinking broadly about it) was a game changer. It … Continue reading Finding your self-care motivator
A while ago I asked my Instagram followers if there was anything they wanted to see here on Blue Jay of Happiness. One of the ideas that came through was ‘how to deal with anxiety and depression in relationships’, something I’d had in the back of my mind to write about. I took this as … Continue reading Dealing with anxiety and depression in relationships
This is more of a pep talk and a reminder than anything else, but it’s something I’ve found myself saying a lot recently, to myself and to other people and wanted to say it again, here. It is OK to have moments, hours, day, weeks, even months, where you fall apart. We all know the … Continue reading It’s OK to fall apart
