Tag: self care

5 things to remind yourself of this Christmas

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The festive season brings forth all kinds of emotions; excitement, anticipation (constipation if you’re not careful), stress, sadness, depression, love. It can be easy to get bogged down in any one of these, whether it’s the run up to the big day stressing over whether you’ve got every last present right, the wishing a loved one was with you, wishing you had more loved ones (dark, but for some this is a sad reality), or even get so caught up in the excitement of it all that you forget to appreciate the smaller details, casually overlooking something that should actually be crucially important. The most important thing, however, is to make the best of what you have and be sure to appreciate it. Really appreciate it.

TV adverts this time of year come out in brute force making us feel guilty, gluttonous and regretful that not everyone is fortunate enough to have a warm meal and people to share it with. The killers for me are the RSPCA adverts and this year’s WWF elephant adverts which remind us that despite recent (absurd) political changes, animals are in fact sentient beings and deserve just as much love as we humans do. With all this going on, it’s important to remember a few things in order to make the most of our own Christmases:

1. You can’t donate to everyone

Personally I find this one hard to swallow but it depends on your own individual beliefs and/or situation. I always feel plagued with guilt from all the emotional adverts and charity cases exposed to us at Christmas but it’s important to remember that whilst you may be more fortunate than many, you can’t give everything away. Yes, by all means give to any and as many charities as you practically can (also not forgetting street singers and musicians because often they’re doing it for a great local cause as well as a bit of fun), but don’t feel bad that you can’t give to everyone because you simply can’t. It’s not practical nor sensible. Just give to whatever causes you can or wish to, be kind and let that be enough.

Side note: if you’d really like to do more, have a sort through your wardrobe and donate jumpers, gloves, thick socks that you perhaps don’t need any more to a homeless charity or individual. Food banks always need extra supplies too – it’s not all about giving money.

2. Write down or organise your gifts

This is important if you’re buying on a budget. Make a list of everyone’s gifts (or dig out the original one you wrote months ago when you swore you’d finally get organised this year) and do your best to tick them off as you go along. This way, you can be sure you’ve got everything (and ‘enough‘) without panic-buying unnecessary things last minute and costing yourself a bloody fortune. If you do this in advance too it can really help spread the cost out over time – bearing in mind many of us have a long wait ’til January’s pay cheque…

3. Don’t be afraid to buy presents early

Basically, buy things when you see them and don’t be afraid to be that person that starts buying Christmas presents in September, because that was me this year and I have absolutely no regrets. As stated earlier, this is cost beneficial and there’s almost nothing worse than going back to buy something you’d seen before and it’s gone. Just, don’t take the risk.

4. Edible/intangible presents are as good as anything

It’s not a cop-out, it’s actually much more likely to be useful if you don’t have anything specific in mind. Moreover, this is immaterial and so can reduce your Christmas waste. A lot of restaurants now have vouchers available in-store or online so treating someone to a free date night could actually be much nicer than a typical box of ‘smellies’ all in single-use plastic bottles, covered in plastic packaging, tested on animals and that will probably take them until next Christmas to use up – if at all.

Alternatively, buy them an experience such as cinema vouchers, zip-lining, wine tasting, spa treatments, whatever their bag. You could even use the Christmas markets to pick up the chutney, cheeses and nibbles for the big day so that you know it’s going to be used and not wasted or forgotten (I do this for my parents, works a treat). As I said, this not only reduces waste in terms of packaging and excessive amounts of wrapping paper (there’s all sorts online about more sustainable ways of gift wrapping) but can also be more beneficial to the recipient anyway (unless you’re an insanely good gift-giver). Not to criticise anyone’s gift-giving abilities, merely a planet-friendly suggestion with everyone’s best interests at heart.

5. Let go and relax!

Whether it’s easing up on your time-managed schedule to make sure you fit everyone in, or taking a care-free approach to (and simply accepting) the serious amount of calories to be consumed; please, please just relax and enjoy the ride. Both are equally as important as each other. I’m a terrible culprit for the first as I’m usually only at home for a few days over the festive season and I like to have my annual traditions, stressing out a bit when the agenda changes. It’s so important, however, to just embrace those changes and enjoy everyone’s company, making the most of everything on your to-do list without worrying about meeting self-inflicted time deadlines.

IMG_6563Secondly, Christmas calories don’t count. I know, it sounds ridiculous and is completely untrue, but what I mean is that restricting yourself on a day we Brits have centred around indulging to the absolute max is just not going to give you joy. Eat that chocolate, those few extra mince pies; crack open that new bottle of booze now & not later because at the end of the day Christmas only happens once a year. Is the January workout going to hurt? Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt. But, once it’s done, it’s done and it’s pointless wasting time regretting anything consumed over the festive period because it’s not healthy to never take a break. (This last point is as much aimed at me as it is you because I’ve conveniently forgotten how to gym lately and it hurts, but no point worrying this side of the big day – what good is that really going to do?!).

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So, there you go. I hope this is useful for at least a few of you, to be honest it’s more of a note-to-self. But I wrote it because I know it can be easy to lose perspective over Christmas of what’s actually important, which is not how many gifts under the tree are yours to unwrap or getting upset over things you can’t control, but doing what makes you happy and appreciating what and who you do have.

Nadolig Llawen pawb; Merry Christmas one and all ☺

Charles xx

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Self care essentials: my own personal top tips

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I realise this isn’t a food post, but sometimes I feel the need to vary it a little and this is a subject that’s been talked about a lot on social media recently (for good reason) so I quite fancied chucking my two cents in and contributing somehow. It’s also something I’ve been trying to be more mindful of in my own life at the moment as I’m always trying to do fifty-million things at once which can lead to me feeling run-down, stressy and drained.

So, without further ado, here are my super simple tips on self-care (the things I do to help me stay relatively sane):

Make a to-do list

It’s something we’re taught to do from a very young age and may seem a bit obvious or juvenile, but if you’ve got a lot on your plate and you’re worrying about where it’s all going to fit in writing a bullet pointed to-do list can really help. I pretty much live on them.

Try to prioritise things in order of what needs doing first, you’ll likely find that you naturally prioritise things better as you’re writing them down anyway. If you’re like me and you need to write things down more than once to remember (I dread to think how many notepads I went through during revision and exam prep etc) then do. Write as many of the same list or as many different lists as you want. The key thing is the prioritisation and forming a clear, visual plan of action. Setting your head straight, providing a clear focus.

Breathe deeply

We don’t all have to sit and meditate for hours on end with our legs crossed, nor am I suggesting that we ever actually forget to breathe during the day, but when your mind is racing and you’re starting to feel overwhelmed in my opinion the best thing to do is honestly just breathe. Take a minute, maybe even close your eyes if you like, and go back to basics: in through the nose, out through the mouth. Clearing the mind. Take a few deep breaths, feel your heartbeat start to lower and everything will seem just a little bit less hectic, you’ll feel a little bit more in control, I promise you.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it

The whole reason for making the list is to realise what you can do now and what you can leave until later, or maybe it doesn’t even really need doing at all. Ask someone else and don’t be afraid to, whether it’s asking your house mate or significant other to do one or two extra chores around the house or asking a colleague for their input on a project you’re working on. This will free up some valuable you-time that you’re clearly in need of. Believe it or not you don’t have to do absolutely everything by yourself.

Note, this is also relevant for some more serious struggles. If you’re worried that you may be suffering from depression, anxiety, or anything else that may be holding you back or exacerbating the problem then don’t be afraid to seek help if you need it. You may be surprised at how many people will share their experiences with you and how important this can be. Support is always there if you ask for it.

Make time for the things you love

This follows on from the above; if you’ve called in the troops or realised that some of your to-dos aren’t as essential as your worried mind initially thought, then you’ve freed up some extra time just for you. It can be anything from taking a hot bath with Netflix & candles (although be careful to keep these well away from the bubbles as they’re highly flammable), having a lie-in and treating yourself to a super lazy day or film/tv binge, going to the gym or for a run and not worrying about what time you have to get back, or even taking that extra time to paint your nails or soak your feet like you’ve wanted to do for so long. Pretty much anything that you want to do for no other reason than because you just want to is something you need to make ‘me time’ for. For example: myself, I like to do any of the above when I have the chance depending on which I feel I need most at the time, especially if I have the flat to myself. But making the time in the first place is the really important thing. Having said that, it doesn’t have to be something you do alone; use this time to catch up with a friend you’ve not seen for a while or cwtch up with your other half, the world is your oyster in these precious moments.

Indulge in your hobbies or even try a new one

I can’t believe I didn’t mention it earlier but cooking (obviously) is a great way to take some time out from the world and just do your own thing. You don’t need to be an accomplished chef, that’s the great thing about cooking is that you learn as you go along or you can follow a recipe. Something I’d really recommend if you’re not so confident in the kitchen, or even if you are and you’d just like to mix things up a bit, is trying Gousto or something similar which delivers fresh, local and perfectly portioned ingredients straight to your door along with step-by-step recipe instructions. I’ll talk more about Gousto another time but personally I’ve found it a great way to try new things, get back in the kitchen, take time out for myself and all using environmentally friendly ingredients whilst reducing my food waste. What could be better? You could even use this opportunity to get your other half involved with the cooking, making for a cute little date night without any extra cost.

Cooking may not be your thing, but whatever it is don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new, get out of your comfort zone, try that gym class you’ve always fancied but never had anyone to go with – screw it go on your own! And you’d be surprised how much fun doing things on your own can be. I’ve become quite accustomed to it when I feel like it and find that you make new friends along the way, grow in self confidence and absorb more of the experience.

Most importantly…

Rest and recover

This, again, sounds so simple but can be overlooked so easily. We’re told from a very early age that ‘rest and relaxation’ is a key part of human development, so why then do we forget about it when we get older and have our own responsibilities? We neglect our well-being because we’re too busy being busy. Stop. You need rest to recover and carry on else you can do yourself some serious harm in the long-run. Yes, there’s not really any scientific such thing as catching up on sleep but that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice sleep to make way for other things. Staying up once in a while is all well and good but if you’re constantly burning the candle at both ends it may affect you a lot more than you realise. That all important ‘rest day’ from the gym is actually a lot more important than you may think. As much as we have things to do on the weekends try not to make every one busy else you’re not getting the rest you really need to head back to work refreshed and ready on Monday morning.

The point is, sleep and rest is important. We can’t all be seasoned nappers like me, but making sure you’re getting enough down-time is essential for so many reasons. And I guarantee you’ll feel much better once you’ve slept on your worries and allowed your mind and body to relax a while.

 

So there you have it. Nothing ground-breaking I know, but these are just a few things I try to bear in mind when I find myself feeling overloaded and things some of us can unfortunately forget to take seriously enough sometimes. Self-care is never something that should be neglected and I hope that you, like me, can use the above as reminders to take a step back when you need to and take time out from our busy, crazy world.

What are your favourite things to do to look after yourself? What makes you feel 100x better when you’re stressed or run-down? Was this post useful to you? Let me know!

Diolch i chi a hwyl am nawr,

Charles xx