Habits that will change your life

Making a dramatic improvement in your life does not always require dramatic changes. making small changes and creating new small habits can have a big impact on your daily life. Small habits – the way you spend your mornings, how you talk to yourself, the things you watch and read can all make a big difference to your life.

Take responsibility – this might sound harsh, but it’s necessary so please stick with me on and read to the end… You must take responsibility for your life – stop blaming, stop making excuses.
Many people face hardships, some more than others, and although any feelings of ‘this person is to blame’ or ‘that person is at fault’ surrounding these hardships may well be justified they won’t help you to become successful or happy.
Excuses do not give you an opportunity to learn. No accountability = no room to grow. Making excuses allows you to dwell in a negative mindset without ever really moving forward. What happens outside of you doesn’t matter, what really matters is your actions.
Taking responsibility is about creating your life, not just reacting to it. It is about you reclaiming power over your life.

Trust life’s process. Life is full of ups and downs, nobody is happy 100% of the time, and always feeling positive just isn’t possible or reasonable. Part of life’s beauty is allowing yourself to take the bad, the good and the uncertain and not allowing these to completely take over your life.
You have to accept that some things are unknown, you aren’t always going to know how things will turn out, but trust that things are working as they should. There are only a limited number of things that you can control, the rest is not yours to worry about.

Notice the little things. Practicing gratitude gets easier the more you do it, start by trying to list three things that you are grateful for. When I first started this process, I found that I could think of big things – like having a place to live, having a job and having food to eat. Since I started practicing gratitude daily I am able to notice much smaller things that make me happy, like being inside listening to the rain or the smell of food cooking, or holding my partner’s hand. I appreciate small gestures, I notice little things that might otherwise have been taken for granted. The more you practice gratitude you notice the beauty in the small things. Sometimes the ‘mundane’ every day things are the ones that are the most important, never overlook them.

Just do it – Let go of fear. If there is something you’ve been interested to try but you’re not sure if you’ll be ‘good enough’ at it, or maybe you’re worried you’re ‘too old’ or that you don’t have enough time (to which I say give yourself a break! take time for you!) just.do.it.
Don’t talk yourself out of something if you really want to do/try it – as long as you’re not hurting yourself, or anyone else, go for it. Don’t let fear tell you that you can’t. It takes just as much energy to assume you’ll enjoy it or that you’ll be good at it as it does to assume that you won’t, so why not choose to believe in yourself? Say yes, try new things. Even if it turns out you aren’t great at whatever it is, allow yourself to try and learn and even fail. What’s the worst that could happen? Let yourself have fun, give yourself time! let yourself be a beginner, see where it takes you.

Practices to improve happiness in everyday life.

Self-development and self-growth is a continuous process. It is never a case of “right now I am at ‘A’ and when I get to ‘B’ I will be happier” or “better” – It’s a journey and not a destination. I realised this when I made the decision to work on myself, and I wanted to share with you a few practices I have learnt / picked up along the way. I have written about meditation and affirmations previously on this blog and wholeheartedly believe that those practices can be life changing and have a hugely positive affect on your wellbeing. Here are some other practices to try alongside those:

Reflect each morning – Each morning think of a personal strength that you would like to work on and develop, plan how this can be incorporated into your day, even if you spend just a few minutes working on the area that you want to improve you will feel so much better for having focused your time on something that matters to you. It is important to remember that the only things you truly have control over are your thoughts and your actions, nothing else.

“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself” – Marcus Aurelius

Finding happiness within – How much effort and time do we put into trying to win the approval of others? and at what cost? We so often make choices based on how others will perceive us rather than what is best for us. It is so important to realise that you do not require the approval of others, the greatest thing you can do for yourself is to learn to accept yourself. You do not require the approval of anyone other than yourself.

You do not need ‘more’ to be better (more friends, more money, more possessions) – you already have everything you need within yourself.

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” – Albert Camus

Choose tranquility – How regularly do we let little, and often insignificant, things get to us? Reacting in anger might make us feel better for a second, but it never actually solves the problem. If anything, it will only make it worse. For example, your car might break down but does getting worked up about it fix the car? Of course it doesn’t. As mentioned previously, the only thing you can control is the way you think and the way you act. Your feelings are choices, you can choose anger over calm, you can choose fear over courage but which choice is more productive? You can choose tranquility, it will save you so much energy in the long run. Let go of the little things that don’t matter, they are not worth the hassle.

“How much more harmful are the consequences of anger…than the circumstances that aroused them in us” – Marcus Aurelius

Be realistic when setting goals – Many people set goals in relations to money, career, lifestyle etc such as earning more money, getting a promotion, or having the best abs. But is this the best way to go about setting our goals?

Let’s think about an example: Getting a well-paid job in your desired career field – this isn’t something that you can control, unless you are your own hiring manager. In this case, we could choose to think about the things we can control to make the goal more achievable. For example, you can focus on learning skills in a relevant field, practicing interview techniques, learning how to manage your time well and being diligent in your work. The idea here is that even if the ‘external’ thing that you desire, you still gain in terms of personal ‘internal’ growth. No matter what happens, you develop virtue.

It is useful to set yourself internal goals as opposed to external ones. For example, rather than saying to yourself “I want to win my next football match” you could focus on how best to prepare yourself to succeed in that match. For example you can spend a couple of nights a week training, or working on a particular skill that you want to develop. This could be applied to any area in your life. We have greater control over achieving these internal goals. Instead of stressing over the external goals you will allow yourself to feel more satisfied knowing you have hit your internal goals.

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius

Allow yourself to feel

How many of you are afraid of feeling? How many of you find it difficult to allow yourself to feel or express all of your feelings, regardless of if they are ‘negative’? Maybe your family don’t ‘do’ emotions, maybe it’s not encouraged or maybe they have reacted badly when you have acted in an emotional way… so you learn to suppress your feelings.

I think many of us are scared that if we allow an emotion or feeling in, it will become overwhelming. Firstly, it’s important to acknowledge that the feeling itself isn’t overwhelming. A feeling is simply a vibration passing through your body – an emotion or feeling can’t hurt you, it can’t kill you and it’s not permanent.

Let’s think about a break up for example – a relationship breaking down and ending is always going to be sad – but what stories are you attaching to that? You might be looking for what you did wrong, or thinking that you might never feel better, you might never feel that happiness again. You might never find that specialness again, maybe you think you don’t deserve it. All of these stories that you attach to the original feeling of sadness about the breakup are what makes it overwhelming.

Sometimes people turn to things to distract themselves from feeling, this can be eating, drinking alcohol, maybe drugs, maybe it’s just sitting in front of the tv – whatever that distraction is, it isn’t allowing you to let go.

By running away from our feelings, beating ourselves up, avoiding our feelings we are ultimately stopping ourselves from moving past that feeling. Your ego acts under the guise of protecting you – it doesn’t want you to feel sad, angry, scared, etc therefore it’s not letting you let go. If you keep searching for answers, or going over the stories you have created in your mind it’s only going to make facing your feeling seem worse. You find yourself trapped in a cycle of never allowing yourself just to feel.

As much as sitting with emotions might cause some discomfort or some level of emotional pain, especially if you aren’t used to doing so, allowing yourself to feel is an act of kindness towards yourself. By only ever allowing yourself to seek happiness you aren’t learning. By allowing yourself to become familiar with your whole range of emotions allows you to let those emotions go more easily. Allowing yourself to feel and accepting that in a specific moment you feel scared, angry, sad, whatever the emotion is, this brings about humility. The more we cultivate that, the stronger and more resilient we become.

The first thing to do is to ask yourself ‘What feeling am I trying to avoid right now?’ – perhaps you’ve had a difficult conversation with a partner. You might be feeling anger if they said something you don’t like. You might feel fear that the relationship is ending. Recognise what the emotion is.

Now think about where you can feel it. Maybe you can feel it in your stomach and it feels heavy or fast, or like butterflies. Some people may worry that if they allow themselves to feel scared for example they wont be able to get out of it. You must face this head on – as mentioned earlier – remember that a feeling is simply a vibration passing through.

Give yourself permission to acknowledge and feel that feeling. You might tell yourself ‘just for one minute I’m going to feel scared on purpose’ and allow the feeling to just be. Don’t attach stories to the feeling, don’t try and find answers, just allow the feeling to be. Acknowledge that in this moment you feel scared, and that it’s ok to feel scared.

The more you practice this, the easier it becomes to tolerate and let go of ‘negative’ emotions. Be kind to yourself, allow yourself to feel all of your feelings. Allow yourself to sit with emotions, let them be and let them go.

Looking after your mental health when working from home

The emergence of Coronavirus has significantly changed the way many of us are working, with most people working remotely. This, on top of government restrictions has created uncertainty and new challenges.

Whilst working from home, it is important that we look after our mental health. Whilst many may feel isolated and unmotivated it is crucial that we look after ourselves and to make the most of the current situation.

Get dressed. Getting up, brushing your hair, putting on some make up (if you wear it) and getting dressed can be helpful for motivation when working from home. It can be very tempting to stay in your pyjamas all day but getting dressed for the day can be useful when trying to get things done.

Create a work space. Having a designated workspace can make working feel a little easier. If you have a desk to sit at, it can feel more like you are working and less like you are lounging at home. Make your designated workspace tidy, clean and comfortable so to avoid distraction.

Take regular breaks. You may feel pressured to sit in front of the computer all day, however it is necessary to take regular breaks. Make sure you set aside an hour for lunch. Eat lunch away from your work area, or at the very least put your work away whilst you are eating. At the end of the day, log off and shut down the computer, do not give into temptation of checking emails once the day is done, stick to your working hours.

Try journalling. Start or end the day by listing a few things you’re grateful for, you could also try noting the challenges you have faced – by acknowledging these it will help you to see where you are struggling, then you may be able to adjust your routine, or factor in something new to assist with those challenges.

Keep up good habits. Stay hydrated, keep up exercise, try not to binge on too much sugar – keeping up healthy habits will help your mental health too.

Most importantly, create a routine that works for you. Schedule in or make time for breaks, exercise, video chats, showers/baths, make the most of the time you are able to spend outside. If you are inside all day try to have the curtains or windows open. We find ourselves in challenging times, but we have to make the most of the situation we are in. I hope you are all keeping well. Do your best and look after yourself.

Self-isolation self-care.

There is no denying the uncertainties surrounding the current Coronavirus situation. Many of us will now be working from home, self-isolating and practicing social distancing. If you are feeling anxious and uncertain you are not alone – this is something many of us may not have experienced in our lifetime and we must assume that everyone is doing their best in response to something they have not experienced before. It’s very easy to get caught up in watching news stories, scrolling through twitter and engaging in conversations about Coronavirus. I considered not posting anything relating to it at all – but in times when we may feel anxious or unsure, it is even more important to find moments of calm and happiness.

Before I get into the main part of this blog post, I think it is important that we look out for ourselves and others. This is a good moment to reflect on our behaviours, outlook and attitudes in times that feel harder than we are used to. It is important to not buy into panic regarding stockpiling and clearing all the shelves in the supermarkets – make sure you have what you need, without overbuying. Be mindful of other people, we are all facing the same situation. Think of others less fortunate than yourself. Make sure your relatives are safe and healthy, make sure your elderly neighbours have what they need, if you can.

As mentioned before – finding a moment of calm and happiness can be incredibly beneficial. Many of you may find yourself with children at home, rather than at school which I can imagine makes finding those moments even more of a challenge, even if you set aside just 10 minutes in your day, if you can, you may find one or more of these suggestions beneficial. For others you may be working from home and seeing less of the people you would usually choose to be around. Try some of these suggestions to help keep your mind calm:

Video Calls – If you are self-isolating you may be feeling lonely, bored, perhaps frustrated. Stay connected. If you have Skype or FaceTime schedule in video calls with friends and family. Talk about things other than the current situation. Seeing someone’s face can make such a difference. If you are unable to video call stay connected via telephone calls, messages, send voice notes on WhatsApp. Hearing someone’s voice can be calming too. Let people know you’re thinking of them.

Meditation – There are many guided meditations on youtube and Spotify and there are also apps such as Headspace which are really useful if you are new to meditation. A few minutes of meditation really helps to clear your mind and to bring you into the present moment. If you are not able to access guided meditations via youtube or an app, try sitting or laying in a comfortable position and focus on your breath. There may be distractions and that is ok, bring your mind back to the breath. Listen to the sounds happening around you, what can you hear? What sensations do you feel in your body? What does your breathing feel like?

Social Media cleanse – It’s incredibly tempting to spend more time on social media if you are not able to get out and socialise in person. You may find yourself scrolling through social media apps out of boredom or habit. Take this time to unfollow anything or anyone who doesn’t make you feel good, or doesn’t help you in a positive way. If you are going to be spending time on social media, make sure it’s a place that makes you feel supported, happy and inspired. If you can, limit the time you spend on social media or take breaks from it where possible.

At-home workouts – There are hundreds of at-home workouts on youtube and online for people of all fitness levels. Find one that works for you, make a note of a few exercises you feel would work for you or that you’d be capable of and practice those even for just 10 minutes a day. Challenge yourself and see how far you can progress.

De-clutter – sort through your wardrobe and see what you could donate to charity, finish chores that you’ve been avoiding, spring-clean a room, rearrange the furniture, do some dusting, ironing – whatever needs doing! Make the space you’re in somewhere that is pleasant to be. You don’t have to do it all in one go, maybe make a list of tasks you want to complete and aim to tick one off the list each day.

Indoor cinema – make a list of films you’d like to see, or that you’ve already seen and love and work through watching all the films on that list. Have a movie marathon, watch your favourite TV series. Watch TV shows/movies at the same time as your friends and discuss with them via text/whatsapp/whatever you prefer!

Get outside for a walk – If you are not isolating, but practicing social distancing get out into nature and go for a walk – breathe in the fresh air, notice the sounds and smells around you. Look for beautiful things in nature – the sun shining through the clouds, the flowers that are starting to grow now Spring is approaching. Take photos, take deep breaths, take it all in and appreciate the beauty around you that you might usually take for granted.

I hope these suggestions help, and I would be really interested to hear your ideas for surviving self-isolation. Keep looking for the positives, look for things to be grateful for, and look after yourself.

Being Present

We are often thinking about things that happened in the past or about things that could happen in the future. It’s so easy to get caught up in worry or anxiety around potential negative outcomes, and things that might not have gone to plan in the past.

There is power in being present and living in the now. Practising being present is one of the hardest things to do especially when it is something you are not used to doing, but the more you engage with being present in the moment the easier it will become. It allows you to accept that you cannot control things that have already happened and you also have no control over what potentially might happen in the future whilst increasing your awareness of the things that really matter in the moment and whilst they are happening.

Sometimes, depression can stem from living in the past – you may be focused on emotional traumas, or feelings of guilt from past actions. You cannot control the things that have happened to you or the things you feel guilty about. Further to this, Anxiety and worry can stem from living in the future – thinking ahead, worrying about your job security, worrying about your partner leaving you, worrying about an outcome that you have no direct control over.

Every moment that you live in life is the present moment, it’s the now. If you want to improve your career, your relationship, your fitness, if you want to look better or dress better, everything has to be done in the present moment. You have to choose to be present in those things.

Take relationships, for example – it can be easy to think about things that went wrong in a relationship that ended, perhaps you think about things you would’ve done differently, or how things might have turned out if you had acted in a different way etc. You might also in a current relationship worry about potential things that could go wrong in the future, what if they get bored of me? what if they leave me? but this takes away from your enjoyment of that relationship. Taking a minute to focus on where you are now, how does the relationship make you feel right now? what are you grateful for? What are some things that you appreciate about your partner? If you’re doing something together focus on the sensations you are feeling, focus on the emotions you are feeling in the moment, enjoy it for what it is without expectations. Overthinking possible outcomes or things that you should have or could have done does not reflect the actual relationship, it only hinders your experience of it. (Of course, you can learn from past experiences but you cannot change them.)

Living in the now can be extremely powerful, but how do you do it?

The most important thing is simply to remind yourself, whenever possible, to think about the present – being present isn’t something that comes naturally to a lot of people, especially if you are typically someone who thinks a lot. Take a moment just to remind yourself of the ‘now’ whenever you can. Even now as you’re reading this, look around you – notice what you can see. What can you smell? What is happening around you right now? Take a deep breath in, notice how it feels. Being present in the moment is something that takes practice, it’s something that you will constantly need to remind yourself of. It’s also useful to notice, if you can, the things that you are grateful for and the things that you appreciate when you’re doing this.

One of the most powerful tools to bring yourself back to the present moment is the breath. This is something that is always available to you and you can come back to at any time. This could be in the form of meditation, or simply just taking a minute to breathe. Taking a deep breath can really help when you are trying to focus on the now. When you’re breathing, focus on the sensations in the body, how breathing feels. If your mind wanders that’s ok, just notice that it has happened and bring your focus back to the breath.

The more you remind yourself to do this, the more you will naturally come back to the present moment. Keep at it, it’s certainly worth persevering with.

New Years Intentions and how to stick to them.

Happy New Year! The New Year can be a really great time to reflect on your achievements both big and small and start thinking about what you might like for the future. Today I will be writing about New Years intentions and how these can help you reach your goals.

What is the difference between a resolution and an intention? – resolutions tend to force us to put pressure on ourselves to be perfect and can focus on the end result, rather than the process. Resolutions may create a sense of failure if the end result is not met. Intentions allow you to focus on the journey – for example rather than “I want to workout 3 times per week” or “I want to lose weight” you might intend to take better care of yourself – which may mean losing weight or working out but it may also mean looking after yourself emotionally. There are more ways to reach the goal with an intention and there is room for forgiveness, as well as an opportunity to enjoy the process and journey, in learning what works well for you.

How do you set an intention? Focus on the things that bring you joy. Make a list of the things that you are passionate about, the things that make you happy, and the things that give you a sense of purpose. Really think about what matters to you. Write it all down. By focusing on the things that bring you joy you will attract more joy into your life. Intentions will be much more powerful if they come from a place of contentment rather than from a lack or need. Intentions cannot be forced, do not set intentions that you don’t believe in.

Use affirmations and mantras – the definition of affirmation is the act of confirming something to be true. Positive affirmations are statements of truth that you aspire to absorb into your life, for example: “I accept my emotions and let them serve their purpose.” You can also use single word mantras to bring your focus back to your intentions – eg: “love”, “loyalty”, “openness.”

Focus on what you do want rather than what you don’t. Turn negative phrases into positive ones. For example: “I will stop eating bad foods” can be changed to “I will listen to my body and respect when I have had enough, as well as listening to my body when it tells me I need more.” refrain from “I will stop.. ” or “I won’t…” phrases. Focus on the things that matter to you and the positive ways you can achieve those things.

Meditation is a great way to promote emotional health and enhance self awareness – as you gain more of an understanding of your thought habits you are able to steer them towards more constructive habits.

Visualise your intentions – imagine what the intention may look or feel like. Repeat your affirmations and mantras, speak it into existence.

A few examples of intentions may include:

I will forgive others and myself
I will take care of myself
I will allow myself to be present
I will create meaningful connections
I will express gratitude

I hope that you find this helpful in setting your intentions for the year and finding out what matters the most to you. Wishing you a peaceful and happy year ahead.

How to deal with Christmas when you’re alone or feeling lonely

Christmas can feel really difficult if you are feeling alone or lonely. You may feel alone but you are not alone in how you feel. Many people struggle with the Christmas period and it is completely normal to feel that way.

Take a Social Media break.

It is important to remember that often, people will only post the ‘highlights’ or ‘best bits’ of their life on social media. We often compare our own life to the lives of those we see on social media, this is unhelpful. Use your time to feed into yourself. You won’t have missed anything when if/when you log back on after Christmas.

Resist the urge to isolate yourself

Isolating yourself will only magnify those feelings of loneliness. It can be easy when you’re feeling down or lonely to stay in bed all day or not feel like leaving the house. Get outside. Get some fresh air. Go and do something. If you enjoy religious services, attend one. If your town/village is putting on a community event, show your face there and get involved. If you enjoy the theatre see what’s on and book yourself a ticket. Take yourself out for a walk, or a coffee. Whatever it is, get outside and do something you enjoy.

Plan ahead and spoil yourself

If you know you will be alone at Christmas, plan your day. Schedule in time for more self care, make time to watch your favourite movies, make your favourite food, enjoy your favourite drinks and enjoy them just for you. Plan the day around you and all the things you enjoy. If you have friends and family perhaps you could schedule in phone calls or skype calls with those people.

Make new traditions

You might find yourself comparing where you are now to how things were in the past or thinking about how things ‘should’ be. This is unhelpful. You can create new traditions that serve you now. There is no ‘should’ when you are serving yourself for where you are now. It might be attending a religious service, visiting a certain place over the holiday period, watching a pantomime, or as simple as a new walking route that you can enjoy each year at Christmas.

Tell others how you are feeling

You are absolutely not alone in how you are feeling. You should not be embarrassed or feel like you can’t tell people that you struggle during the holiday period. If people ask how you’re doing you can tell them if you feel comfortable doing so. You. can tell them “Christmas is a hard time for me” or “I’ll be having a quiet Christmas this year” if people know how you’re feeling they are in a better position to support you.

Christmas and the holiday season can magnify your feelings of loneliness, and the things you feel you are lacking. You have the power to change that. Look after yourself, tell people how you feel, create new traditions, and resist the urge to isolate yourself.

Christmas gifts under £10

For those of you looking for some last minute inspiration, here are my ideas for some budget-friendly gifts!

For the eco-friendly people in your life:

These colourful and reusable glass straws from Oliver Bonas are perfect for parties and eliminate the need for disposable plastic ones, how nice are the colours of these? And only £10 for a set. Perfect!

Lucy and Yak are independent, ethical and everything is handmade. These tote bags are perfect for shopping or every day use and come in a range of colours too so you can find the perfect one for your friend/family member/partner and to top it all off they are only £7!

We all need our morning pick-me-ups and this Collapsible coffee cup is perfect for busy mornings and those on the go! At £9.99 it would make a lovely gift for the tea or coffee lover in your life.

For those who enjoy a tipple:

For any gin-lover, these Gin fusion teabags are an easy and quirky way to add a different flavour to gin and tonic without spending too much. Lakeland are currently selling a pack of 10 for only £3.99 – ideal!

These ice stones are perfect for chilling your favourite tipple without watering down the taste. This £10 set includes 9 stones and a storage bag, just pop the stones in the freezer for a few hours and they’re good to go!

For the smartphone addict:

How cool are these Smartphone lenses? With fisheye, wide angle and macro lenses to easily allow you to create a range of different photos, at £9.50 they are something a bit different!

We’ve all been caught short with our phone battery giving up when we need it! This Portable power bank is ideal for those long days when your phone might need a little extra charge. For £10 this could be a really handy gadget to have in your bag!

For encouraging self-care:

Lush always have the best limited edition Christmas range. I for one absolutely adore Snow Fairy and can’t wait for Christmas each year when I can get my hands on some. If Christmassy scents are your thing this Chris the Camel bath bomb is ideal; with orange oil, cinnamon and clove it really does smell of all things Christmas! At £4.95 it is perfect for a cosy night in.

Practicing gratitude brings so much positivity into your life and to get into the habit this Gratitude journal is ideal. It is stylish and is small enough to take with you when you’re on the go.

A cup of tea is the best way to start any day and for only £9.99 I can’t believe how modern and stylish this Loose-leaf teapot is. I think it makes a perfect gift and would be great for home or work.

I hope you have enjoyed these ideas and found some last-minute inspiration! Wishing you all a very happy, peaceful Christmas and a wonderful new year!

Self care at Christmas

Christmas time can be overwhelming for all sorts of reasons, sometimes seeing family can be stressful, worrying about what to buy for people, over indulging on lots of different things, socialising more and so on… so I thought I’d put together a list of some self care tips for the holiday season. Self care is always important but even more so around Christmas when we are all so busy!

1. Give yourself permission to say no – We often find ourselves socialising a lot more around Christmas time, whether that be family get-togethers, nights out with friends or work Christmas parties. Give yourself permission to say no to things if you don’t feel up to it. Making time for yourself is so important! If you are unable to say no to something, perhaps try limiting the time that you spend at that particular event as a compromise for yourself.

2. Respect your budget – It can be so easy to be tempted into spending more than you can really afford on the ‘perfect’ present for someone you care about but you will cause yourself stress by overspending at Christmas. Respect your budget, set a spending limit and stick to it. Keep track of what you’re spending! Be mindful of what you can and can’t afford.

3. Mindful eating – There are so many temptations at Christmas (my weakness is cheese!!). Enjoy your food, notice the way it tastes rather than mindlessly eating beyond being full. Notice how it feels, how it smells and be present when you are eating. Enjoy your favourites and respect your body when it tells you you’ve had enough. In the same way, if you suffer with disordered eating, Christmas can be a really difficult time. Listen to your body if it tells you it’s hungry. Don’t be forced into eating anything you don’t feel comfortable with. You know what is best for you.

4. Be present in the moment – Christmas can feel like it’s gone by in a flash so try to notice the things that make you happy, whether that be having your family around you, watching Christmas movies, the decorations, giving gifts etc. Whatever it is be present in the moment and enjoy it.

5. Practice gratitude – It wouldn’t be a post by me if I didn’t mention gratitude. One of the main ways I stay positive is by noticing the things that I am grateful for and the things that I am lucky to have.

6. Self-care! – This is an obvious one for a post about self-care but take time for yourself. Make sure that amongst all the busy times you give yourself a few moments that are just for you. Have a bath, light some Christmassy candles, do some baking, read a book. However you like to relax make sure you have set aside some time to do those things! Self care is always important. If you feel like you ‘don’t have time’ for self care that’s a good indication that you should be making time for it!

7. Write – when things get overwhelming it can be a big help to write it down just to get it off your chest or to help you make sense of things. Whatever it is that you’re feeling write it all down and see how much better you feel for just letting it go.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and I hope you can all find the time to look after yourself and relax over the holiday season! Please share your self care tips too if you have any suggestions!