Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, which means that many of us will be planning the ultimate date nights! This year, why not host a really epic pamper night with these fantastic products that can be applied head to toe! It is time for some pampering lovelies with these skin care products that will leave you and your loved one feeling overjoyed!
Looking after my mental health has become something that I take really seriously! Therefore, when I was made aware of the amazing work that If Lost Start Here does, I had to share it with you! Through online courses, one to one sessions and helpful guidebooks and self-care kits, the team behind it all are thinking about how they can help us constantly!
After a long slog at all the festive events Christmas brings, our feet have been through a lot in December! January and February is a fantastic time to put both up and to really relax and pamper them! Grab a pair of cosy socks and get ready to coat them in this soothing cream from Footsie that will make walking a dream again!
The next few months are definitely ones that bring a sense of calm and joy! However, for some of us, the lack of sunshine, routine and warm weather can cause a number of problems. Yet, I have found that by creating and doing a few simple things each day there can be a never ending joy when it comes to truly embracing autumn!
Getting through a tough day is hard! It seems like I have had many recently but I’m proud of myself for just coping the best that I can throughout! This has taught me a lot about the strength I have, as well as allowing me to learn some techniques I can use to motivation myself, which I thought I would share with you!
After being placed on a lot of medication last year, I saw my body change quite rapidly! Something that as a person with an eating disorder was very hard to deal with! As I still learn to come to terms with it all, I thought I would share with you some of the things I do that have helped me along the way!
After spotting this post trending on social media recently, I thought I would take today to give my own version of it a go! I decided to have a little coffee meeting with my 25 year old self. This was the age where everything changed and I took a lot of hits but all of them made me stronger! Discover what happened here!
Recently, I’ve been feeling really body conscious and with the ED thoughts settling in, I decided to take a stand and try to love my body in other ways! With a ton of Boots Advantage points to use up, I took myself to my local shop to find some new products to pamper myself with! Take a look at my little haul here!
Christmas can be a tough time, so it is importantly find ways to help you unwind after a busy day! I’ve come up with five ways to help you relax, rest and enjoy the festive season as much as you can! Dreaded burnout be gone, these tips will have you loving December all over again! It’s time to rest up and have fun!
It’s taken me a while but finally I am embracing longer mornings in bed! Instead of getting up at 4:30am, I am allowing my body the rest it needs until around 6am! It’s been a hard transition, however, it has been so worth it! Literally, those extra moments might just save you from any form of burnout! Find out why in this post!
Just this morning, I was on the phone to NHS 111! However, whilst I love our health service, there are some things that I do that a doctor can’t prescribe. From honey to hankies, the following five things are just some of the best ways I believe that can help you to treat a cold. Get better quicker with these wonders…
Good Morning Lovelies,
Today marks the start of Eating Disorders Awareness Week. As many of you know, I suffer from severe anorexia. It started around ten years ago and has ruled my life ever since. However, I continue to try and fight it as much as I can.
With other illnesses on top of it, every single day is hard, however, I want to be here with my family, to enjoy life again, which is why I keep going. Even when I have a Wobbly Wednesday or a Sad Sunday, as we call them, I try to be kind to myself. That dickhead voice in our brains can’t take all of our joy. It can’t win.
Since my diagnosis, I have been very open and honest about the way the illness has impacted my life. Through early discussions about therapy to talking about my time in hospital, I have used my voice to tell you all about it. I do this because I want to help. If one person reads what I ramble on about and gets help then it is worth it.
I also talk about my illness, as I want to help those suffering to know that the little things can make a whole difference to your day. Take just five minutes, breathe and do something you want to do and not the illness. It will make you feel better, even if it is only a tiny amount.
To mark this week, I wanted to share some more of those little moments with you all. The things I do when the voice, panicking and sadness becomes a bit too much. I hope that even just one of the following suggestions can help you lovelies…
Hug Someone: The power of a hug off someone you love is incredible. In our house, I often suffer from Wobbly Wednesdays and Sad Sundays. This is normally due to me having bigger meals on Tuesdays and Saturdays, when I like to try new foods or have a good bowl of something hearty. My head becomes a knob the days after though. Often I find myself unable to even look down at my body on the days mentioned above. This is where my mum steps in. Her hugs could cure all wars. She is the best carer and hug giver ever. As soon as she wraps her arms around me, I feel safe. I’m not a massive fan of being touched, however, I do strongly believe that no matter how you are feeling, a hug is the best form of medicine.
Pamper Yourself: Believe me when I say that I know this can be tough. I am not a fan of a mirror. Place me in front of one and I can find a whole load of faults in very little time. Yet, there is a lot that can be said for having mini pamper sessions. In my house, these include cleaning my teeth properly, washing and looking after my hair, sorting out any pimples, micro-blading my face and eyebrows and exfoliating my body. Little actions that take no time at all but make me feel human. When you don’t have a lot of appreciation for your body it can be hard to care for it, however, these little steps can go a long way in making you love it again.
Do Something Creative: I’ve always loved to be creative. I like to put my hands and head to use and make something. Whether it be a pom pom or a blog post, I try to distract the racing thoughts in my mind by doing something. Currently, I am very into diamond art, as slotting the little gems into place makes me focus all my attention on that and not the voices. Find something you can do that will distract you. Counting coins, painting by numbers, reading a book, the possibilities are endless.
Meal Plan or Prep: Since I came home from hospital, I have used a whiteboard in our kitchen to highlight to myself and my mum what I am going to eat that week. By doing this, I can slowly adapt and get my head around any new foods or meals I wish to try. My mum can also be prepared, knowing what we need to buy and how she is going to make my meals. It’s made my life a whole lot easier and whilst it doesn’t differ in choice a lot of the time, when it does I feel proud.
Rest or Take A Break: Something I have been aiming to do is rest more this year. Before the start of 2024, it wasn’t an odd thing for me to be up way past midnight, allowing myself only a few hours to sleep, before I was back up at 4:45am. Since January, I have now been going to sleep at around 10:30pm every night, giving me more time to rest my body. I didn’t realise how much I needed to do this until I started doing so. I know how had it can be to just rest though, as my brain likes to tell me I am lazy and should be doing stuff all the time, however, by taking those few hours back, my body is very thankful. I am sure yours will be too lovelies.
If you need help with an eating disorder or believe that you may have one, please do speak to someone lovelies! I was told a long time ago that I would never fully heal from my illness, however, by talking to people about it, I feel better, especially on my down days. Today, when I write this, it is a Sad Sunday for me, however, writing this has spurred me to keep going forward.
Please remember this week, and beyond, that you are important and the illness is not you! You are kind. You are smart. You are worth every fragment of this earth. And as I have always said from the start of my journey, “Slow and Steady Wins The Race!”
Joey X
Good Morning Lovelies,
February is one of those months where everyone focuses on spreading the love across to others. However, it should also be the month to love yourself. I struggle with this all the time. Every day can be a hardship when living with my mental health situations. However, it doesn’t mean that I can’t do things to try and ease these matters.
In fact, it is important to love yourself, because you have to stick up for yourself constantly. You have to keep the love alive otherwise it will completely disappear. This is why I’ve decided to make February my feel good month. Every single day, I’m going to try and do something that makes my head feel less fuzzy. A clear mind to beat the hard times.
Therefore, I have made it my mission to do the following as much as I can to help me remain calm, happy and a little bit more relaxed…
A Daily Walk: Popping in my headphones, putting on some good music or podcast and wrapping up in my cosy winter wear, I will be heading out for a daily walk, come rain or shine, to help clear my mind. Sometimes when I start a walk, I find that I can be really struggling, but after five minutes, the fresh crisp air on my face has soothed me a lot.
Hair and Skin Care: Years ago, I gave up trying to look after myself. My anorexia has made my once thick hair really thin and my skin is the same. However, now I have managed to change my mental health to be more positivity, I do a daily skincare regime, add lotions and potions to my hair and have brought many products to smooth, pluck, prime and protect my body. When I’ve done just one thing to look after it, I feel so much better.
Show Us Your Teeth: My teeth and jaw have taken on quite the battle the past few years. Since breaking my jaw, I haven’t seen a healthcare professional in regard to them. My dentist has completely let me down, even after they received my discharge papers from the hospital. So, this February I am taking matters into my own hands. I’m going to be going to a specialist hygienist to have them deep cleaned and restored. There is nothing wrong with my teeth, however, I want to keep them healthy as much I can. It’s time to be brave again and smile my way to better teeth.
Daily Vitamin C: For years, I have been taking multivitamins, calcium and other medicines to protect myself, due to my health. However, I found myself hitting a slump about lunchtime. So, I decided to up my vitamin C intake. Now, I find myself a little bit more happier, refreshed and energetic than before. Perfect for when the winter blues hit!
Drinking More Water: When I was in hospital they would ration our water. We weren’t allowed to just grab a drink, we had to wait until we were allowed. It would then only be a set amount. Now, my head is terrified to just go to the tap and get a drink. A fact that scares me so much. However, I’m going to try and make the amount of water I drink bigger. I’m not saying Stanley Cup amounts just yet, but enough to try and overcome this fear, as I want to hydrate my body well in the summer without worrying.
Feel good February is officially in session with these steps lovelies! What are you doing to make yourself feel good this month?
Joey X