Search results for: “mindful”

5 EVERYDAY ESCAPISMS

THE BEACH. THE ULTIMATE ESCAPISM.

The beach is one of my favourite places to go when I need a little down time, some escapism and generally just some time out. There’s something so tranquil and relaxing about the continuous churning of the sea, the air filled with the sound of the sea breeze and nothing else. The relaxed atmosphere can’t help but make you feel calm and tranquil.

Beach escapism clearly isn’t on everyones doorstep, so today I thought i’d share 5 other ideas for how you can get a little escapism everyday.

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. ZARA HERITAGE COAT . DOROTHY PERKINS JEANS . H&M KNIT JUMPER . LEATHER CONVERSE .

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5 LITTLE ESCAPISMS EVERYDAY

#1 READ A BOOK

For me, a good book is the ultimate escape from everyday life, whether it’s an hour on my commute to work, a little lunch time breakaway or some pre bed reading. Always having a book on the go is a really easy way to have a little escapism everyday.

#2 FIND HEAD SPACE

Last year when I was finding myself stressed a lot, I downloaded the meditation app Head Space and would spend 10 minutes laying on my bed afterwork just meditating. Forget judgement, simply 10 minutes in a relaxed meditative state is enough to give you total escapism and relax you at the same time.

#3 JOIN PILATES

I love pilates and this year i’ve been going weekly to a pilates session in my lunch break. 45 minutes of pure escapism from work and daily life, and the bonus of strengthening your body and getting some muscle tone at the same time.

This isn’t for me, but putting on your trainers and hitting the streets is another way to find yourself some peace and get some escapism.

#4 DOG WALKING

If you’re fortunate enough to have your own pooch, then dog walking is another easy to escape the house, escape the day to day and simply get walking. Even a 10 minute walk will clear your mind and provide you with that little escapism. If you don’t have your own dog, try dog walking, or just grab a coffee and take a walk in your lunch break.

#5 WRITE

For me blogging is my escapism. Its my little escape and a place I can go and write whats on my mind, share my passions and interests and generally get a little creative. It’s therapeutic, I love it and it’s the perfect daily escapism for me. But even if you don’t blog, grab a cup of tea, take 5 minutes out and start a journal, buy yourself a mindfulness book, or just start writing lists.

What are your little escapisms?

January 28, 2016
MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

After yesterdays post all about setting better and achievable New Years resolutions, i’ve taken my own advice and had a jolly good think about what 2016 means for me, what I want to achieve, when I want to achieve it by, and also taken a little reality filter too … just to make sure i’m not dreaming of things i’ll never quite be able to stick to. So in the spirit of starting the new year fresh, here are my resolutions for the year ahead.

MY BIG 5 FOR 2016

#1 WORK LIFE BALANCE

If there’s one thing that 2015 has taught me, it’s how important work life balance is. With a demanding career, a driven personality and a full time blog, I can often find myself working into the ground, and 2015 was the worst yet. With a crazy work schedule, I found myself spending all day & night at work, and weekends either in the office, flying or just scrabbling to catch up on life. It wasn’t healthy & it certainly wasn’t sustainable. My New Years break was just what I needed, a full three weeks off to shut off from work entirely, and i’ll be starting the New Year with a new role, a new challenge, and a much better perspective on my work life balance priorities. A clear work / life split is a top priority for 2016, there’s no deadline or timeline on this, its a lifestyle shift I plan to make immediately.

#2 MINDFULNESS

I’ve spoken a little bit about wellbeing and mindfulness on my blog before (see my edits here & here), and much like my work life balance resolution, it’s something I need to master a little more in the year to come. From living in the moment, ensuring my stress levels are kept in tact, and genuinely looking after my health a little more … i’ll be giving mindfulness a big embrace in 2016, starting with my new Mindfulness colouring book which I’ll start Jan 1st.

#3 FITNESS

This last two years i’ve really let myself down when it comes to health and fitness, having been a committed netball player (playing club & county, running a team in my previous job & being captain for my uni team before leaving uni), a pilates & spin frequenter, and generally living an active life style, the last two years has seen all my healthy living fade away (sadly in replace for work – see point 1). 2016 is the year to kick start my healthy living again, not least because I want to shift the excess weight i’ve gained (i’m not in a happy place figure wise) but also because I want to ensure i’m living out my 20’s in the best health possible. This year I want to join a netball team again, and sign up to a regular spin or pilates class which i’ll attend each week. I don’t want to over commit or scare myself silly with a weight loss diet, for me this is about shifting my lifestyle back into a more healthy place. Permanently.

#4 BLOGGING

I’ve blogged everyday since October 30th 2011. That’s 1,587 posts since I launched it. I’ve not missed a single day.

I love blogging and I genuinely invest everything into this little space. I’m so proud of what i’ve achieved, i’m proud of my re-design & move to a self hosted site which happened at the beginning of 2015 (and in reality has taken the entire year to perfect), my improved & increased focus on photography, the incredible partnerships I’ve been fortunate to have with some of my favourite brands (and being signed to an agency network) & generally just the fact i’ve managed to juggle both my blog and work throughout what has been quite a tough year. And most importantly that you all come along to read & follow the journey (Thank you) …

But if i’m honest I can’t help but feel that despite my efforts, passion and dedication, my little blog hasn’t grown or blossomed as I had hoped it would in 2015. Whether that’s my high expectations or driven nature, or a reality, this year has felt hard and slow success wise for me. Perhaps it was my time being limited so much by work that I couldn’t attend events, or perhaps my lack of proactive business proposing to brands & companies, or perhaps my content (i hope not), but regardless of the ‘why’, 2015 hasn’t felt like the success I could have wished for. And so I hope 2016 will be …

And to help focus my attentions & ensure i’m not just being hard on myself (I have a habit of this), I’ll be setting myself some specific blog goals to help me get the time I want to focus on my content, and hopefully to help grow my blog and the traffic it gets again in 2016, and generally to help me be able to take the leap one day of making this my sole business. I might share my goals with you in a separate post if you’re interested?

#5 INVEST

I have a wonderful life, a gorgeous flat & so many lovely belongings which i’ve invested in over time. But the one investment I feel is missing, is investment in the property ladder. This year I hope Jase and I will be able to invest our money to either part own our wonderful West London home, or perhaps by our own little place to do up.

In the meantime, it’s about time I finally gave in and bought myself my Chanel Boy bag. A reward I promised myself for my hard work over a year ago now.

So there you have it, my 5 resolutions for 2016. In reality they’re all quite big lifestyle shifts, but to ensure I can finish 2016 and say i’ve ticked them all off, i’ll be breaking them down and tackling each one little bit at a time.

I’d love to hear what your New Years Resolutions are?

January 1, 2016
HOW TO HAVE A DIGITAL DETOX

. STOP AND GIVE LIFE YOUR FULL ATTENTION : HOW TO HAVE A DIGITAL DETOX .

Wellbeing and mindfulness is a hot topic right now, and with good reason. With our lives becoming more demanding, more busy and more work orientated, often our wellbeing and happiness can become forgotten, misattributed and generally neglected. With the digital culture we live in, and the increasing demands and pressure on our careers (both from our own strive for success, and the industry expectations), we can find ourselves attached to our phones, emails & the digital world 24/7. I for one can admit that my phone is like a second skin, and whilst I love the mobility and freedom this digital evolution has provided, it does mean that shutting off is a thing of the past & genuine rest and recuperation are rare, if not non existent!

But while I find it near impossible not to check in on my blog, my emails, my work and my ‘digital’ existent, I do know how important it is to find time to actually live without a phone in my hand, and generally shut off from the online world sometimes. And so whilst I couldn’t quite cope with a full on phone ban, there are a few simple, more manageable ways to have a digital detox, which I thought I’d share with you today.

#1 BEDTIME BAN

First things first, and the easiest way to embrace a digital detox is to make a ‘mobile’ bed time ban. Keep the bedroom as your sanctuary for sleep and relaxation, and leave your phone outside (or at least promise yourself not to check it / turn it off). When Arianna Huffington came into my office to give a speech around her latest wellbeing book, Thrive, her biggest tip was to simply stop taking your phone to bed with you. It makes it all too easy and tempting to keep working, when you really need to be resting.

Make a pact to yourself that your phone won’t be the last thing you look at before bed, and the first thing you look at in the morning.

#2 DINNER DETOX

As well as being unbelievably rude and unsocialable to be on your mobile whilst at the dinner table, it’s also just stopping you from truly living and enjoying the moment. We’re all a sucker for checking instagram, sending that urgent email, or nipping off to take that important call, but actually all that happens is you don’t allow yourself to stop and enjoy the break. So why not force yourself to take a dinner ‘digital’ detox, by leaving your phone in your bag. It’s only an hour after all.

#3 HOLIDAY HOLD OFF

Now i’m awful at this, but going on holiday is the perfect opportunity to truly switch off, put your out of office on, and really leave work, emails and the digital world at home. I for one, mainly because I blog daily, find this near impossible, and actually on most holidays find myself more attached to my phone, iPad or camera than normal (it’s the one time I get to focus 100% on my blog, without work playing on my mind or demanding my time). BUT, weekends away or holidays abroad are the perfect opportunity to give yourself a digital detox.

Next time you go away, switch your emails off, put your out of office on, and limit your digital usage to an hour each evening. It’ll force you to embrace the holiday and actually help you unwind from the day to day grind.

#4 NO NOTIFICATIONS

Another simple trick to help you reduce the amount of time you spend on your phone, or online, is to turn off your notifications. Without a constant stream of pop ups alerting you to, whatsapp messages, new tweets, blog comments, instagram likes or new emails, you’ll find yourself less tempted to constantly switch from app to app. I have most of my notifications turned off, it helps me focus on one thing at a time, and ensures i’m not ‘always on’!

#5 DIGITAL DETOX

If you want to go that one step further, and totally detox rather than just attempt to reduce your time spent on your phone, then why not go cold turkey and try a full on digital detox. I have friends who’ve given this a go, yes it’s hard, but the sense of freedom and relaxation it brings is seemingly worth the efforts.

Your best bet is to set a day (like a Sunday) to simply turn all your gadgets off and put them away, or if you’re really feeling motivated, use a weekend away or a holiday to truly switch off by simply leaving all your gadgets at home (or a least turned off).

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Have you ever tried a digital detox? Are you keen to give some of these simple tips a go?

November 7, 2015
5 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN THE SUMMER

. HOW TO TAKE PERFECT PHOTOS THIS SUMMER : 5 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN THE SUMMER .

I love photography, it’s one of my favourite things about blogging and the thing I obsess over the most. I love shooting pictures, editing them and just viewing them on my blog and other peoples blogs too. Having a fab set of photos (shot by you) to accompany any blog feature really brings everything to life, adds personality, character and just generally makes things more enjoyable to read I think. After all they do say a picture tells a thousand words.

I’ve already shared a whole host of photography tips posts on my blog, from mastering your DSLR, how to take great photos for your blog part 1 and part 2 , to how to edit photos and my top 5 photography tips as it’s something i’m so passionate about. But today I wanted to share my tips and advice for shooting in this new season, Summer.

The thing with photography is that to take the perfect photo you have to adapt to your surroundings, the light, the location. not just from a quality perspective but also a composition and styling perspective too. There’s absolutely no right or wrong way of doing things, but I thought i’d share some things that I think are helpful to learn and play with whilst shooting in summer.

Summer means sunshine, more natural light, but also shadowing, midday sunshine & a whole different set of shooting settings to the winter months we’re used to. So with the ambition of taking perfect photos this summer, i’m sharing my top 5 photography tips for shooting in the summer.

5 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN THE SUMMER

#1 ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS

As you will know if you’ve read any of my photography tips posts, but especially my ‘mastering your DSLR‘ & ‘top 5 tips’, shooting on manual and learning to use your DSLR, especially the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed, is the number one trick to developing the perfect photo. Shooting on manual gives you 100% control to take the exact photo you’re looking to capture, and so learning how to adapt your settings dependent on your lighting, location and desired image is key.

In the summer, your shooting settings generally will need to change versus those in the dull, dark winter months. For starters with more natural light you can drop your ISO right down to around 100 – 200, which for me is the ideal ISO setting to ensure you get a crisp and sharp image. More than that, you can up your shutter speed, right up to 1000 – 1500+, this means you’ll get a very focussed and ‘no noise’ image. Given there’s so much natural light, your shutter speed can be much quicker, meaning action and movement is captured so quick, you’ll have no blurring or ‘movement’! HOORAH. Shooting in the summer is by far my favourite time of year to capturing the type of photos I love.

So bright light = drop your ISO, up your shutter speed. You can read my full photography tutorial here.

#2 PLAY WITH LIGHT

The great thing about summer is that most of the time we have glorious sunlight to play with, giving us a whole host of opportunities to capture interesting photos, playing with the light & having a little more fun than normal.

Typically I tend to find a shaded spot, with sunlight in the background to get a focussed and clear photo but with a bright and sunshine filled back drop. But you can do far more than this … standing in the direct sunlight with the sun behind you is an amazing way of getting a beautifully bright and magical looking photo (I often like to shoot this way too), but also beyond that why not try shooting facing direct sunlight too. It’s not something I often do as it takes a lot of mastery to not blink or squint in the sunlight, but you can capture some fab photos with the sunlight facing your model / product – you just need to play around with your settings to ensure your subject isn’t washed out!

Normally I avoid shadows as they can often detract from the subject or potentially ruin shots … but if you’re clever you can play with shadows to create amazing dramatic affect, shadows can create quite the magical image if you shoot them well.

The trick here is to simply play around shooting from different angles, with the light in different places and with different settings on your camera.

#3 WATCH OUT FOR SHADOWS

Now, I know i’ve just talked about how cool and magical shadows can be, but equally shadowing is something to be careful and mindful of too. If your shadows are misplaced you can create highlights and lowlights in terrible places making for a messy and unflattering photo. Shadowing is something to be more conscious of around the midday sunshine, where it’s directly above your head and therefore if you’re shooting in direct sunlight, can be quite hard to get ‘just right’.

#4 NATURAL LIGHT INSIDE

One of my favourite things about bright days outside, is that they create wonderful brightness inside too. As you’ll notice on my blog, i very rarely shoot pictures inside unless it’s for my tips posts. I find it hard to capture the beautiful bright pictures which shooting in day light allows. Despite opening all the curtains, waiting until the sun is beaming inside the house, during the winter months you can find the shots dull and lifeless.

In the summer this all changes … with bright days and beautiful sunshine, you’ll find your home is alight with natural sunlight, when this happens, shooting inside can be beautiful and actually provide a little bit more ‘story telling’ to your photos. I love reading other peoples blogs when they shoot indoors as you feel as though you get another glimpse into their lives … it’s something I’d like to try more of this summer.

#5 SUNRISE & SUNSET TOO

The final thing I wanted to share, is the potential for beautiful pictures outside of the midday sunshine, in the summer the morning sunrise and the evening sunset also provide beautiful times of day and lighting situations to shoot in. It’s also handy because the days are much longer, so if like me you juggle work and blogging, you’ve now got the opportunity to shoot pre or post work too which is a total life saver.

I find myself shooting on the weekend around 11am most weeks, but playing around with earlier and later in the day can really give you wonderful settings to really bring some atmosphere and ‘mood’ to your photos. Theres nothing more beautiful than the pinky red hues which a sunset gives, so in the summer months make most of these and try shooting at different times of the day!

So there we go, 5 little photography tips for shooting in the summer months. It’s one of my favourite times of year (along with Autumn) to shoot photos for my blog, there’s so much potential and opportunities to be a little more creative. It’s just about getting out there and experimenting, having fun and playing with your camera and your settings. If you want more photography tips and advise, you can find all my tutorials here.

Have you got any tips and advice for shooting in the summer? I’d love to know if you found these tips and ideas helpful?

June 6, 2015
5 TIPS TO HELP YOU HAVE A POSITIVE DAY

. 5 LITTLE TIPS TO HELP YOU HAVE A POSITIVE DAY, EVERYDAY .

Often with a busy life, lots of pressure and one too many stresses buzzing around your head it can be hard to keep a positive head throughout the day. And one thing is for sure, as soon as a little negativity gets in your head in can spiral into a terrible mood before you even know it. Sometimes once a negative mindset has set in, everything can become exaggerated and too much to handle, and you’ll find what could be a simple situation more difficult to deal with. In fact it’s actually quite crazy how your attitude, actions & reactions can differ dependent on if you’re in a positive or negative mood. Needless to say, a positive mood is always best, a positive mindset can make you calmer, more reasonable, obviously more happy & generally more open to positive things. Ever heard that age old saying that positive minds attract positive people, well I think it’s true, there’s nothing worse than a negative and grumpy person bringing you down!

It’s all well and good accepting that positivity is clearly a winning attitude to embrace, but sometimes keeping or even achieving a positive attitude can be a little more tricky than we’d hope. But there are a few little things which I find really help me set the day off in a positive mind frame, and most importantly keep me positive for the rest of the day.

So today I thought i’d share my top 5 tips to help you have a positive day, everyday …

#1 THINK OF 5 THINGS YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR

Numero Uno, start the day in a positive way by literally waking up and taking check of all the positive things in your life. It sounds silly, but it’s an age old & highly endorsed little trick which truly can impact your mindfulness and positivity. When you wake up each morning, just lay for a couple of minutes and think about 5 positive things in your life which you’re grateful for … whether it’s the person laying next to you, the family you have around you, the roof over your head or even the cup of coffee you’re about to drink. They can be super big things or super small things, it doesn’t matter, just think of 5 things which make you happy. Before you even step out of bed you’ll already be in a positive mindset.

#2 MAKE AN EXCITING PLAN

I always find that looking forward to something makes me feel excited, happy & positive, and so making plans and filling my diary with events, evenings out and holiday’s is a really easy way to keep me positive. It’s anything from filling my weekend with friends and family, to having a little city break or summer holiday to look forward to … again they don’t have to be big or expensive, in fact they can just be little things that you’ll do throughout the day (take a walk at lunch, have your favourite sushi lunch or meeting a friend after work for a drink) but just generally planning things that you enjoy & will look forward to is one little trick for keeping yourself positive.

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney

#3 DREAM BIG

What’s more exciting than thinking about all those ‘wild’ dreams, ‘if only’ wishes and ‘one day’ bucket lists? Whilst it’s probably not healthy to live in la la land planning the near impossible (it’s fair to say we probably won’t be the next Alexa Chung or Stella McCartney), it’s so important to dream, and to dream big. I’m always one for living by the motto ‘anything is possible’, my dad hammered into me from a young age that there’s no such word as ‘can’t’ and so having ambition and dreams are really what keep me motivated & inspired (which in turn of course help keep a positive mindset). From the more expected ambitions like promotions and buying a house, to the more adventurous dreams like travelling the globe, starting your own business, having a family … they’re all important, so don’t brush them aside. Working towards a big ‘dream’, even if it just means chipping away at it slowly, is guaranteed to get you excited, happy and positive.

Whether it’s saving pennies every week & knowing you’re working towards something, starting to develop ideas or a plan for your dream career or even just spending time thinking about your wildest dreams, you’ll find yourself smiling and elated before you know it.

#4 DO A GOOD DEED

Whilst good deeds are best when they’re selfless, there’s no harm in embracing the positive feeling that comes with doing a good deed. Whether it’s stopping to buy a Big Issue, buying your colleagues a coffee in the morning, letting someone more in need take your seat on the tube or something bigger like supporting a charity and raising money for a beloved cause, a good deed can go a long way in making you feel a little more positive and happy each day.

You’d be surprised how much doing something for someone else can really give you that feeling of happiness & positivity – why don’t you start today, by doing something little for someone else?

#5 SPREAD THE LOVE

Spread the love is an all encompassing tip as it can take many guises – from spending time with those you love, to giving out a compliment every now and then to even giving yourself a little love and praise. Spreading a little bit of love will not only fill those around you with happiness but it will also give you a boost of positivity too. Give yourself a compliment once a day, tell your mum you love her, give a friend a big hug or simply say hello to someone on the way to work … spreading the love works a treat.

Since having little Ruby (our pup) i’ve realised how nice it is when people say hello or stop to stroke Ruby whilst out and about … being a busy londoner or generally conservative Briton often we’ll put our heads down and rush along with our own busy, stressful and crazy lives, but actually just lifting your head up and giving someone a smile or a little morning hello can make a whole world of difference. In London we’re especially bad at this, but just try being a little more friendly and see how it makes you feel (and best of all, being nice & friendly is totally and utterly free).

#6 BONUS: GET ENOUGH SLEEP

my bonus tip (and a little cheat really as it’s not something you can do in the day) is just to make sure you are getting enough sleep, it’s disconcerting to see how much sleep deprivation can affect your positivity and your mood. I don’t often struggle with sleep, but I find myself if and when i’m a little lacking in restoration (a few too many late nights and busy evenings) that I generally just get a little mopey and down in the dumps. Having a solid 7 – 8 hours sleep each night really sets me up for a good day ahead … and it’s not just sleep. Just giving yourself enough T&C, feeding yourself right and generally looking out and taking care of yourself will naturally help keep you healthy and happy, and in turn far more positive!

There you have it, my 5 tips to help you have a positive day, everyday, keeping a happy and uplifting attitude and generally keeping any grumps at bay!

I’d love to hear your tricks for keeping positive & upbeat, do you also do any of the tips I mentioned?

May 6, 2015
10 MORNING TIPS TO HELP START YOUR DAY RIGHT

. CAREER TIPS: 10 WAYS TO HELP START YOUR DAY RIGHT .

Celebrating Hump Day with a new career tips feature, and this time i’m sharing my tips and advice for optimising you morning routine to help start the day right. I always find that the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day, so starting the day feeling positive, energised & confident is something that is really helpful. Mind you, it’s not the easiest thing to perfect when often i’m longing for another hours sleep, dreading the emails already clogging my inbox & can’t find a damn thing to wear (i’m sure you can relate).

Through much trial and error i’ve worked out a little morning routine & a few habits which really help start the day right. Some are super simple, others take a little more time and effort, but even doing just a couple of these each morning helps me get in a good mental mindset & feel ready for the day ahead.

. 8 HOURS SLEEP .

Okay so i’ve cheated already, this isn’t really a morning tip, but it is one sure way to ensure you wake up and start your morning feeling awake & rested. Getting the right amount of sleep is something i’m finding even more important as I get older, whilst when I first came to london i could party until 5am and still be up at 7am for work, now thats a far cry from the truth. These days I need 8 hours sleep to ensure I wake up feeling rested and recuperated. So whilst this isn’t possible every night, I do try and ensure i’m in bed by 1130pm, getting a good 8 hours of ZZZ’s before my alarm at 7am / 730am.

. REM .

There are five stages in the sleep cycle, varying from REM to NonREM, and this sleep cycle can happen up to 5 times in one night. The stage in which you wake up is quite important and can really affect energy levels and your mood (something I learnt whilst studying psychology), if you’re woken up whilst in deep sleep (stage 3) it can often start your day a little drowsily and slow, whilst if you wake up when you’re body is naturally coming to the end of a sleep cycle you’ll find more ready and alert when you’re alarm goes off (this helps explain why some days we just want to keep sleeping & others we’re wide awake … it all depends on the sleep stage we’ve been woken up from). I personally don’t do anything specifically to ensure I wake up in the right sleep stage, but there are loads of fab apps that monitor this and ensure an alarm goes off at the right time.

An easy cheat, which is what I do, is to leave a crack in my curtains so that in the summer months, the sun beams through and starts to wake me more naturally as the sun rises! It always makes me wake up feeling happy & more awake.

. HOT LEMON .

I’m truly awful at keeping hydrated, i mean really awful. It’s a long term joke with my family and work colleagues, i’m always forgetting to keep hydrated and often get ill as a result (not so much of a joke). Over the last few months i’ve tried to start my day with either a Pukka cleanse tea, or a lemon and hot water (sometimes I add a bit of ginger too). I’ve read SO many articles which rave about the benefits of drinking hot lemon water in the morning, from helping your skin glow to starting your metabolism, either way I am sold. If anything, it just means i’ve drunk a good amount of water before I even leave the house (small wins)!

. PRE PLAN OUTFITS .

Again another cheeky tip, which technically needs to be done before bed, but really can help your morning start off well! If like me you find yourself forever struggling with ‘nothing to wear’ despite more clothes than Topshop, then you’ll know how tough it can be trying to find something to wear in the morning when you’re a) tired, b) sleepy, c) running late, d) stressed, e) feeling bleugh. The easiest way to combat this is to pre plan your outfit the night before. You can plan based on the days agenda, the weather & your mood … but doing this thinking and planning the night before is one way of making the morning routine a little less stressful.

. 5 POSITIVE THOUGHTS .

I’ve listened to quite a few wellbeing talks and have become vaguely interested in the topic & research around mindfulness and wellbeing. I do believe a positive mind and attitude, can genuinely make huge a impact on your daily life, your outlook and your ability to manage situations. It’s difficult to be positive though when you’re having a bad day, so one way to try and avoid the bad days is to start the day with a positive attitude. Spending 5 minutes when you wake up, whilst brushing your teeth or even whilst your sat on your commute thinking about 5 positive thoughts, whether that be 5 things you’re grateful for, 5 things you’re looking forward to, 5 things you love or just 5 memories which make you smile. Just dedicating 5 minutes to doing this, will instantly shift your mind into a positive gear and set you up for a slightly more happy day!

. GREEN JUICE .

Since I bought my nutribullet, i’ve been kicking off the day with a mighty green juice each day. As i’m useless at having breakfast, I treat my juice as a little mini breakfast and a good way of filling my body with nutrients & vitamins for the day ahead. A juice is actually so super fast to make and if you really struggle for time, even making a bulk load on a sunday to last you the week is a great way of ensuring you can still have a daily juice boost.

My personal favourite morning green juice includes a handful of spinach, a quarter of a cucumber & a quarter of an apple, a slice of ginger (the bigger the better for me) & squeeze of lemon (half a lemon), and then a whole host of superfood goodness, a tsp of wheatgrass, spironlina, chia seeds, chorella, Maca and a handful of goji berries for good measure. YUM.

I really find it gives me an energy boost and makes me feel healthy.

. BREAKFAST LIKE A KING.

Someone once told me that you should breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dine like a pauper. The morale of the analogy being breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I get this, and i have to say breakfast (well brunch) is one of my favourite types of food (eggs & avocado forever). At the weekend I’m quite good at taking this advice, less so in the week (I juice instead). But we all know that having a good breakfast before we leave the house if a really important way to start your day right, whether that’s a simple fruit snack, a tasty and heartwarming porridge or something a little more luxe likes eggs (if only we started work at 11am).

Make time or a quick breakfast or head to work with enough time to sit and enjoy breakfast at your desk before the day kicks off.

. WRITE A TO DO LIST .

If you find yourself getting stressed in the week, then starting the day with a little to do list can be a really helpful way of clearing your mind and keeping things manageable. I often use my commute to work to write out my life to do lists & get all the things that are in my mind out on paper. It means by the time you’ve got to work, your head is clear and ready to focus.

. EXERCISE & STRETCH.

Oh I know, morning exercise, unbearable. BUT, if you’re a morning person then maximise your wakefulness by getting active, it’s a great time of the day to do a 20 minute exercise routine or do a little yoga etc and means you’ve started the day feeling energetic & fit.

I am most definitely NOT a morning person, so for me this is a total no no, exercise at lunch time suits me more, but at a minimum I do spend a few minutes properly stretching out in the morning & getting my muscles working. I can suffer from quite bad back and shoulder pain (often triggering my migraines) and so I find doing a little bit of stretching (like a 2 minute yoga session) helps get my blood flowing & body prepared for the day ahead.

. LISTEN TO MUSIC / MEDITATE .

Whether it’s from the moment you wake up or whilst you’re driving or catching the train, listening to a little bit of music (relaxing or upbeat, dependent on what you find best) when you wake up is a great way to start your day. Upbeat music can help energise and motivate you, chilled music can help keep you relaxed & calm, or a meditation track can help keep stress at bay and give you some time to think before the day kicks in. A lot of people listen to music on the tube to work, and there’s a good reason for it. For me listening to some chilled out music, or spending 30 minutes on my commute escaping in a good chick lit always means my day is starting in a positive way & I arrive at the office awake, relaxed & energised for the day ahead!

So there we go, 10 quite eclectic ways to help you start your morning in a positive way. I’d love to know if you already do any of these, or if there are any tips you’re going to try? It’s really amazing to see the difference in how you feel once you start doing a couple of these each day :)

April 1, 2015
THE BIG DEBATE

. BLOGGING .

The sun has come out and my mood seems to have totally rocketed, it’s amazing what a little sun does to your mood and general well being. On the wellbeing point, it’s something i’ve been thinking about more and more lately, particularly following a series of inspirational talks at work yesterday from the Huffington Post & Arianna Huffington herself. As a very ambitious and career focussed female, it’s great to hear from other successful women but also be reminded of how important it is to maintain your well being on the road to success. After all the more physically and mentally ‘on form’ we are, the better we perform. So i’ve vowed to spend a little more time looking after myself, getting an extra hour sleep at night, praising myself for my achievements, looking after my tummy & cutting out the things I know makes it worse, spending time with my loved ones & generally focussing on the happy things in life (Thanks to Susie Pearls talk, i’m now already feeling bubbly & more consciously happy).

Happiness is infectious too, so if we all spend a little more time being grateful for the little things in our lives that make us happy & spend more time celebrating happy moments and channeling positive thoughts, rather than dwelling on the few things that really piss us off we’ll all be more positive … and healthy with that too. As you can tell, yesterdays inspiration talks seriously rubbed off on me and actually it was a really pertinent time for this to happen. There’s been lots of ‘chat’ amongst the blogosphere about the way our ‘industry’ (yes we’re now an industry!) is progressing and whilst the opportunities are endless right now, it does seem this new ‘business’ mode can give us a whole world of contradicting emotions – happiness, excitement, pride, the feeling of being overwhelmed, tired, and sadly self depreciating. This emotional rollercoaster can take it’s toll on us bloggers who maybe don’t do this full time or haven’t rocketed to the same success us others, and whilst we’re nothing but delighted for the success of others, there’s no point denying it does become a new benchmark for us to compare ourselves to, and if you’re anything like me (ambitious and constantly striving for perfection and success) then this new benchmark can make us a little self deprecating and in my case really hard on myself.

But in light of my new ‘mindfulness’ i’m changing my attitude to this, I work so so hard on my blog, and I juggle my full time career, family, friends and boyfriend with it all, and sometimes that’s nothing short of a miracle. So rather than spending my hours woe-ing that I wasn’t featured in X magazine article or involved in X collaboration or that I don’t have 27,000 followers and 100k subscribers to my instagram, i’m going to spend more time celebrating how bloody hard i’ve worked, all the fabulous brands I do get to work with, the incredible magazine features I have been included in, the events i’m invited to and every single one of you readers that do tune in, leave me comments, like my posts, as well as the fab people i’ve met and the great hobbies i’ve developed throughout my 2.5 years blogging (photography & journalism). If I was to ask my family, friends and colleagues about my blog, they’d do nothing but rave of all that i’ve achieved. So it’s about time I, and you, do the same.

I’ve read and heard a lot on this topic, and I think it gives us a good moment to take check of what we’ve achieved, where we’ve come from but most importantly WHY we blog. It’s a time to go back to the roots of why we even started our own blogs, for me it was a place to talk about my uncontrollable shopping addiction, love of clothes and my space to share how I like to style my looks with people that actually cared (clearly this was just me for a long while). Any ‘perks’ were exactly that, a perk, and definitely not the reason I started mediamarmalade.com. One of the best things about blogging is the fact that we’re a like minded bunch of people who share similar passions and hobbies, and in my mind that’s what it’s all about, and it’s important we all remember it and stop being so hard on ourselves if we don’t quite ‘match’ one another. We didn’t start for commercial success and there’s no point setting benchmarks based on other people, if there’s one thing to keep in mind it’s that integrity is what makes a blog, there’s no point trying to conform to how others do it, because that just defeats the entire purpose, plus it doesn’t debut the real ‘you’ which is what we all tune in for isn’t it? It’s absolutely easier said than done, but from here on in, we all need to spend more time congratulating ourselves than beating ourselves up. Success in the blogging world is subjective and undefined, so there’s no point chasing an intangible measure. Instead get back to your roots, blog what you love and write what you feel . A blog is about you, whatever you may be!!

I have to say I didn’t intend to write all this (this was originally a Friday outfit post …) but there you go, it’s what a blogs for, and it’s what I felt like ;)

June 6, 2014
Floral Beat

. Zara Pink Shorts . Topshop Floral Blouse . Primark Heels (stolen from sister) .

Oh, I love the sunshine. It just makes everything better. Here’s another little summer outfit post for you all, this time rocking some seriously short shorts (brave I know). You may have guessed, but I do love pink, and this outfit is just pink and girly all over.

I got these pink shorts last year from Zara and lived in them throughout festival season. They’re short but not actually too butt clenching and I do love them. This is the first time this year I’ve bought them back out the wardrobe. I’m very mindful I probably should have St Tropez’d before baring legs in outfit posts, but hey, i’m keeping it real.

I bought this top a few months ago and wore it to the TOWIB event in London. I’ve not actually worn it since but thought it’d go perfectly with these shorts and my sisters gorgeous floral wedges which I sneakily stole. Can you believe they’re from Primark? Amazing right.

My Mumma and I had some fun taking these snaps, or at least I did anyway, we went for a little adventure in the back garden :)

Do you have any must ‘do’ summer grooming tips? What’s hot on your summer outfit list this year?

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March 26, 2012

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