Search results for: “wellbeing”

LEARNING TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF

Is It Time you Started taking More Care of Yourself?

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while then you’ll have no doubt seen a good few posts in the last few years about my health, my quest towards a better work life balance, and importantly my desire to get more active, less stressed & generally live a little more mindfully. One thing i’d say is that I’m very good at talking about the things I know I need to do to improve my health, but in reality, less good at committing to them! Of course I’ve made improvements, I’ve managed to find a better balance with work and me time, i’ve slowly started to get de-stressed through my yoga and pilates and i’m certainly more considered with my social diary (#notsorry), but I have a long way to go.

After suffering from yet another migraine this weekend (frustratingly at one of my best friends weddings too) it was then my friends, jase and even my friends parents commented on how poorly I look after myself!

Initially I was thrown. I mean I felt like I had made such big improvements that surely I was looking after myself better now than ever! But truthfully when I dug a little deeper, they had a point! Despite living with bowl disease I realised I hadn’t taken my daily and life long medication for the last two weeks. Let alone actually adapt my diet to help my symptoms (and stop saying yes to gluten filled goodies which I know I shouldn’t eat). Despite knowing about my friends wedding for over a year, I still had a last minute panic due to a sheer lack of organisation (giving myself time is not something I’ve learnt yet). Yes my yoga helps but the tensions i face require far more action than I take, not to mention some actual cardio to shed this 1.5 stones which I fundamentally hate). And at nearly thirty years old I still have not managed to suitably water and feed myself … having breakfast is one change I am making immediately. You get the picture?

Put simply it’s the basic care I seem to forget about. Drinking enough water, looking after my bad tummy, giving myself time to rest, fuel myself and prepare for the things I need to do! Don’t get me wrong I’m not starving and living in debt, it’s more just that healthy lifestyle that I know I need to give myself and prioritise.

So with that in mind. Here I go again with my acknowledging of the situation and my promises to sort things out! I’m confident I can do it, and I have three healthy habits already in mind which I truly hope will make a difference. To me, and maybe even you too, because I’m sure I’m not the only one right?

THREE HEALTHY HABITS I’M COMMITTING TO

Small Steps To Better Look After Yourself 

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MY SLEEP ROUTINE

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I’m sure I’m not alone with the morning struggle. For me most mornings look like a 45 minute snooze, a mad panic to get my train, and a sweaty sprint to the office, usually resulting in a 40 minute late arrival. I’ve tried to be better, but I can’t. I am constantly tired in the morning. I barely function before 10am and the thought of getting up with time to have breakfast, a cup of tea and maybe even a 20 minute work out is laughable.

But one thing I’ve realized is that this morning routine is setting me off to a bad start everyday.

First of all it’s not helping stabilize my blood sugars which I know hinders my migraines, it’s certainly not helping me balance my work life balance with my constant lateness, and really it’s not eliminating stress, it’s adding it.

I’m not going to promise myself a 6am start, a morning yoga session and a hearty breakfast every morning because I know I won’t deliver on it. But what I am promising myself is a better bed time. I’m going to start hitting the hay at 10:30pm so I really am getting a good amount of sleep. I’m going to give myself an hour to get ready in the morning – it will mean waking up earlier, but it will importantly mean I have time, time to do whatever I need to do! And I’m going to start having breakfast …

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MY DIET

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Which leads me to healthy habit number two. My diet.

Now i’ll start by saying this: Generally speaking I am a very very healthy eater so ‘diet’ is a funny one for me. However the regularity of my eating and my evening portion sizes are an issue. I also am not the most religious person regarding my need to cut our gluten, which clearly isn’t helpful especially given my UC. And Alcohol is also a sore topic.

I’ll start with the first issue which is my regularity. As mentioned breakfast is non existent. I’ll run on coffee until mid day before hitting starvation around 2pm. And my evening meal is what I live for, which inevitably means I eat a portion for 4 people (a healthy meal, but probably way too much)! I’ve never eaten breakfast, i’m not hungry until 11am earliest, I don’t have time and I don’t really want to eat more (I know I know, stupid mentality). However I’m starting to come around to the idea that breakfast could be quite a simple solution to not only my energy problems but also my migraines AND my desired weight loss (according to theory). So I’m committing to some breakfast alongside my daily coffee, starting today!

Secondly, gluten! Now gluten has become a rather hot topic in the last few years, it’s an ingredient that almost seems fashionable to cut out. But trust me when I say embrace gluten if you can! I’m intolerant, not celiac, but was advised to pretty much cut it out 6 years ago. I would say on average I lead a 85% gluten free diet (i’ve never eaten bread on the regular, it’s pasta and sausages that let me down), but I am renowned for over indluging on special occasions! The problem with that is that special occasions can become regular, and before I know it i’m doubled up with stomach issues! Add to that the problem of bowl disease, it’s fair to say i’ve not customized my diet to better help my problems! A friend at work is a nutritionist and was gobsmacked I hadn’t been advised to change my diet after being diagnosed with UC, so with her help i’m hoping to make some positive changes to what I eat, and not just how often!

And finally alcohol. It’s been a problem since I first discovered it. I’ve never been able to properly digest it (the UC revelation explained A LOT), it makes me exceptionally sick the next day (and I mean really sick) and it also makes me fat. However, I enjoy it, I love the process of celebrating with fizz or enjoying a bottle of wine with my friends and my job means social events and parties are a regular! This isn’t about cutting out alcohol, but it’s about being careful, being hydrated enough to tolerate it, and choosing my drinks and quantities carefully to avoid a day spend in bed worrying I might not make it through.

Oh and water. I must must must drink more bloody water.

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MY TIME

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I’m the girl that’s always late. For everything. I’ll be late to my wedding and my funeral i’m certain. I am terrible. I’d like to blame my mum as we’ve always been late, but the truth is i’m old enough to manage my time better and i’m still useless. I never allow enough time, I always end up running behind and I am constantly stressed as a result.  but it’s not just that … it’s prioritizing time for exercise, time for myself, time out with Jase! It’s saying No to protect my time. It’s saying yes to myself and my own time needs.

The irony is I am very organised and time proficient at work (it’s something people often comment on), but it’s almost like I use all my energy up inside the office and so my time management outside of work falls by the wayside. I commit so much time and energy to my career (I have got much better at this I should say). I often forget to prioritize that time to go to the gym, or to actually relax before work starts, or rest, or run my errands, or simply fit in a massage every now and then!

I am a total contradiction in and outside of my work when it comes to time, getting things done & running a tight ship!

My personal life, but more specifically ‘my life’, is always what slips. And I know I need to change this! My #NotSorry revelation was a revolution, but there’s more I must do to give myself the time I need to be mindful, well, healthy and balanced. The morning and bed time routine is part of it. But perhaps a little being a little more demanding and protective of my personal time is what I need to do! If only just to give myself time to actually look after myself! And just time out, time on the weekend to do nothing, time away from the blog, away from work, away from others demands, time to just sit, walk, potter and be! More time at the beach …

It’s a funny topic, one I’d love to know if you relate to or not. Most my friends around me are totally together and have a wonderful and much more healthy lifestyle and balance. Whether it’s a regular morning routine, a healthy gym habit or a better perspective and balance as a result. Yes I have good career success, but do I have good heath? No! Not even close! And really what is life without good health? I’ve accepted the truth, and I’m going to start trying to make improvements today!

FINDING YOUR HAPPINESS

Five Ways To Get MORE Happy Every Day 

Happiness is one of those emotions which I only wish we could bottle up and store in it’s gallons ready to guzzle down in thoes darker moments when we look back and long for those happy times, those moments of joy and those fond experiences, places and people that made us fill up with happiness.

Happiness is something we should all feel, embrace and share! Not something we should have to try hard for. But sadly some days we all do.

That being said, for me happiness often comes from the most subtle and small of events or moments, not just those grand gestures or celebrations. And there’s so much we can do on an everyday basis to help fuel those little moments and bring an aura of positivity to our lives.

As I near the big three zero, I’ve certainly learnt that positive lives require great amounts of empathy and perspective, empathy for those around you and the emotions they may impart on you, and perspective to help us process and deal with the things every day life throws at us. It’s easy to let even the smallest hiccup ruin a day, cause a row, or create a rippling earthquake of negativity in your life. But this is where perspective can save you! Understanding, accepting, processing and dealing with things in a much more pragmatic and empathetic way, not only ensures you live and feel more positive and happy the majority of the time, but also this sense of calm also rubs off on others, passing on the positive effect.

It’s easier said than done for you! And happiness is something that some days we do have to work hard on and focus on achieving! In those times and on those days, I find a few simple little tricks help to positively impact my day and add a little more happiness to my day, every day. I thought i’d share them with you today.

FIVE WAYS TO ADD A LITTLE HAPPINESS TO YOUR DAY

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PASS IT ON

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Whatever you want to call this theory, it works. The pass it on theory suggests that a positive action will have a perpetually positive impact on those you pass it on to! For example hold a door open for someone in the morning, or let someone take that seat on the tube, and not only will you envoke a positive and happy feeling on them, you’re also inspiring them to pass on the positive gesture too! Not to mention that actually it feels good to do good!

One of my favorite gestures is the morning coffee treat, purchasing a coffee for the person behind you in the queue so that when they come to pay, their coffee is a treat courtesy of you! It’s such a lovely and small action, but that will no doubt ignite happiness and delight for the person you treated.

It doesn’t have to be paid for things like coffee though, simply being nice, kind and polite can have just the same impact. It’s incredible when you think about how someone else’s behavior can impact you and your day – don’t be that grumpy dick that ruins someone elses day!

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PRACTICE POSITIVITY

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Being positive all the time is of course hard, but as I mentioned perspective is your friend on those bad days, and practicing a little bit of positivity will soon become an intrinsic and not a forced habit. Finding what brings you positivity is key, for some it’s walking, or running to clear their head, others it’s the innocent joy of a dog, or meditating to start each day correctly. There’s not one size fits all, but I’ve most definitely found that my weekly yoga and Pilates classes certainly help channel my positive energy, relax me, clear my head and help me rid my mind and body of negativity. Find what works for you and add a little of it to your day or week.

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A DAILY RITUAL

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As I mentioned above, sometimes it’s the smallest things which bring you the biggest amounts of joy and happiness. It’s quite remarkable to think how much happiness my morning coffee gives me, but that walk to the local coffee shop and motion of ordering my favourite drink each morning is one I cherish and something I continue to do simply because it helps start my day right!

Whatever that ritual or thing is, if it makes you feel happy and sparks a positive emotion, then embrace it and give yourself that moment each day. It’s important to make yourself happy as much as we expect those around us to make us happy too!

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CAPTURE A MOMENT

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Whilst I have plenty to say about instagram (we’ll save that for another time) one very positive thing it brings in my opinion, is the idea of capturing a moment, sharing the things in life (big and small) that bring  you joy and happiness, and sharing it and being exposed to others moments too! I find myself constantly looking at anything and everything i’m exposed to in daily life now with a different perspective, i’m looking at the beauty of it and wanting to capture that moment as a way of showing my appreciation.

Take the perfect sunset, a beautiful view, a delicious glass of wine, a blossoming flower, stunning packaging, a person you adore, a funny picture … anything! Those little things we see everyday can go missed so easily, but by spending more time looking, seeing and appreciating your surroundings the more happiness and positivity you’ll feel!

It’s finding happiness in those little things that makes the biggest impact.

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MAKE A CALL

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The ones you love and adore are often the ones that bring true happiness to your lives and days, but of course the side affect of a busy life is often that you don’t get to spend the quality time you’d like with the people you love the most. That doesn’t mean they’re not there though – making time to place a call, sit down and chat, catch up, laugh, cry and share your day is a super simple action that can really bring a shed load of happiness to your day! It’s easy to forget to call, lose track of time, and even just feel too tired to squeeze in that coffee, but making a little bit of time everyday for some lovin’ with your favourites is a miracle cure for any bout of sadness! just give it a try.

I’d love to hear how you practice positivity and how you embrace happiness in your daily life? Did you find any of these tips helpful?

Live The Life You Actually Want to Lead Today.

You may have noticed that a lot of my lifestyle editorial in 2017 to date has been about living well, setting goals for a better life balance, admitting struggles on the quest for perfection, and finding ways to be more mindful everyday. I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, editorials on mediamarmalade truly come from my heart and as such they’re often reflective of the things i’m thinking, feeling, struggling with. More often than not my blogging tips or lifestyle tips are written as much to help me as they are to hopefully inspire or help you too.

So it goes without saying that the editorial focus on wellness and creating a lifestyle that fits your life goals and career ambitions this year to date, is something I’m truly striving to achieve this year. Work, Life, Health Balance. Once & For All.

Yes I failed at first (well in all honesty i’ve been failing to find that balance for the last 4 years), but after a well timed two weeks adventure in the philippines, I have the opportunity to start a fresh, re-set, set my boundaries again, agree some principles for my life and make sure I commit this time around to giving less fucks to the things that aren’t either in my control, making me happy or helping me live healthily (aka life balance, stress, getting active), and more fucks to the things that matter to me.

Time to truly master the art of happiness. #notsorry.

So today, I thought i’d start the working week with a little something to help inspire me, and you, to truly start leading the life we want to lead, and actually making sure it happens!

THREE STEPS TO HELP YOU LIVE THE LIFE YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO LEAD

Your Basic Happiness.

Happiness doesn’t have to come from material things in life, nor societies norms (like marriage, material possessions, salary & promotions, the things that often we can get caught up on without truly thinking if they really fuel our own happiness). Understanding what actually fuels your basic happiness is really important if you want to lead a content life everyday, because that should become the basis of everything you do!

I wrote a whole article about defining your life KPI’s last year (if you want to set yours then definitely check it out), but ultimately it’s the process of defining what it is that makes you actually happy and what ultimately you want in your life in the long & the short. What do you want your life to look like?

For me, good health, adventures and travel, quality time with Jase, my family & friends and a feeling of achievement (in my career & blog, as well as my personal life for example) are key to my  feeling of happiness. So fucking off my career (and the severe stress that I know comes with it), to have a simple life & a low pressure job sounds great at first, but ultimately I know it won’t make me happy forever because I am driven to achieve and so for me, it’s more a case of crafting a balance!

Of course there’s lots of small milestones that will help me achieve these very broad (and not very SMART) goals and there’s also lots of very small habits or rituals which also bring me little bursts of contentedness (my morning coffee is one for example), but generally speaking knowing what it is that makes me happy, means I can spend more time focussing on doing those, and less on the things that don’t, and importantly gain perspective in moments when my happiness or health is being jeopardised.

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Principles For Life.

Once you know the things that fuel your happiness and inner content, you have to start prioritising them. Now this. This god awful principle in itself is one that’s so much easier said than done. Trust me. I’ve written goodness knows how many posts in a  similar vain to this over the years, sharing my journey to get my life back on track and find better balance … and my biggest learning?

I need to take my own advice.

So the next few sentences I say with gritted teeth, because I truly understand that it’s all very well in principle to want to work your contracted hours yet be CEO by the age of 30, go to the gym whilst spending time socialising, set up a successful business alongside smashing your career, be the best girlfriend, sister, daughter and friend, all the while doing the things you want, living the dream and looking like Giselle. It’s laughable.

But, we can help ourselves. And I for one am finally ready to start doing and not just saying. Principles for life are rules, they are binding and should be committed to like your daily teeth brushing routine. They are principles that enable you to achieve your basic happiness. They are the guidelines that will help you achieve your milestones without sacrificing yourself along the way. They’re simple. They’re effective. They should be achievable.

Many successful women turned ‘self help’ authors like Arianna Huffington & Sarah Knight for example have talked about the value of setting life principles or ‘fuck budgets’ if you’re a ‘Life Changing Magic of Not Giving A Fuck’ convert, to help achieve a better balance in life.

Your priorities should be your own, there’s no right and no wrong, but they will help you achieve happiness. For me, ensuring that every working day isn’t spent in the office until 10pm and ensuring extra pressure and stress is going to add value to my career and not just kill me on the way is key. A better commitment and prioritisation of my time will help ensure that being active becomes part of my life, ensure that when I spend time with loved ones it’s quality and not distracted, ensure I have time to travel as much as possible and give quality time to my blog (and ultimately my future) and importantly to ensure that stress is something that is significantly reduced as a result.

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Commitment to You #NotSorry.

Sometimes it requires a little selfishness. An attitude of #NotSorry if you will. But mostly it just requires some commitment to yourself. Focus on your priorities. A commitment to put yourself, your health, and your happiness first.

No one else can do it for you, and this is where i’ve slipped in the past.

Hoping external factors will respect my goals and my personal health and happiness, letting my principles slip once too often and as time goes on, slipping back into that rut and that unbalanced work life balance becoming the norm. Where i’m sat wishing I could just start living the life I want to lead. And promising that tomorrow will be the day.

Well Tomorrow Has Arrived. It’s Time To Start Doing. And Not Just Saying.

I’d absolutely love to hear about your principles for life, if you have any that is? And if you don’t I’d love to know if you can relate in anyway to my experience and my drive to set principles that will hopefully help me live a more balanced life? If you’re looking for more help or inspiration on the topic then have a little browse here.

Sometimes A Little Re-Priorisation Is Needed, To Help Us Get Back That Work Life Balance We Crave So Much

This weekend I spent my time enjoying the sunshine (where’s that gone already?), catching up with some of my best friends, cramming in too much (I nearly missed my red carpet Bafta’s walk as a result) and generally just focussing on having a little fun rather than work and my blog. And whilst this isn’t entirely rare, it’s fair to say that occasionally I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of work, blogging and the demands of life that I forget to take that moment out just to enjoy myself, to forget about all the things I need to do, and to simply just laugh and relax, and truly shut off. The irony is, the stress and pressure we often put ourselves under to get things done and push ourselves to be the best we can, actually makes us less productive and less creative as a result. And if you work in a creative industry or run your own blog, then you’ll know how important productivity and creativity are to the successful running of your business!

The truth is, sometimes we spend so much of our energy and focus on making a living, that we forget to make a life. And every now and then a little re-priotisation is needed to help us get back that work life balance and for us to focus a little more of our time on simply living. This weekend was just that for me, and in fact just to prove my point, it inspired todays post and the tips I wanted to share with you, to ensure that you …

“Don’t get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life”

SIMPLE WAYS TO START PRIORITISING LIVING MORE

Prioritise You

It’s human instinct to want to please people and be liked, but sometimes an affect of this innate quest to say yes to everything is that we actually just over commit and end up sacrificing the important things to us, to please other people (not to mention run ourselves ragged trying to do everything). But Sarah Knights #NotSorry theory was quite the awakening for me, and rang true to how I felt about my own life … what was clear to me after taking a moment to truly think was that actually prioritising yourself a little more is a simple, but effective way of allowing you to focus on living the life you want to lead, and not the life others want you to or the life you feel as though you should. So try a little #NotSorry this week and see how you get on …

Try An 8pm Digital Detox

I’ve spoken about digital detoxes and the importance of them on your wellbeing a few times before, but it’s fair to say the digital world we live in means switching off has become almost non existence, and work is always in the palm of our hands. One really simple way to prioritise living a little more and ditch the constant niggle of work is by committing to a digital detox in the evening. Why not try turning off your phone & emails from 8pm in the week, giving you a couple of hours simply to enjoy your evening, rather than spend them on social media or responding to emails. Not only will you give your mind a rest, you’ll set a precedent for a healthier work life balance moving forward. If you want some tips on how to take a digital detox, check out this post.

Schedule Time Off

Sounds simple but more often than not when you lead a 100 mile per hour life, scheduling time off becomes a last minute panic, rather than a well thought out and prepared event, or worse a prospect that feels near impossible. This is likely to be even more true if you’re self employed and constantly juggling work. But scheduling and dedicating some time off work is a really great way of ensuring you balance work with living … if you work a 9-5 then perhaps the weekend IS actually your time off, but if you’re like me and juggling blog, work and god knows what else, often weekends are still ‘working days’, so time off needs to be a little more scheduled to truly equate to a break!! If you need more persuading, then read this post all about the benefits of taking a break & get inspired by this post!

Focus on Working Smart Not Hard

Another topic i’m super passionate about is working smart, and not just hard, and this itself can be a essential in giving you the opportunity to live more, and not just spend all your time trying to make a living and working. Success isn’t dependant on the hours you work and the amount you take on, it’s mostly dependant on quality of performance and the output you deliver (and working 14 hours a day and being a martyr to it is most definitely not the answer). And working smart doesn’t mean sacrificing your career, or your blog, it just means juggling things more effectively and more productively – I actually shared how I juggle a full time career & blog here in case your interested.

Commit To Leaving work On Time

In the week, evenings can become non-existent and simply a passing moment between work and sleep, but my goodness when you commit to leaving work on time and truly have 6-1opm to do something with, life feels so much more full and your day feels so much more than just work. Whether it’s a dinner with friends, a walk or run in your local park, or even time to dedicate to a hobby (like blogging), making sure you give yourself an evening (as often as possible) will truly create a feeling of far better work life balance, and of course ensure you’re not spending 90% of your time making a living, and only 10% making a life. And even though it may feel impossible, it’s up to you to set this rule & live by it.

Stay True To Your Life KPI’s

And if more time spent doing the things you love isn’t enough for you, think a little longer term. What do you want to get out of life, what is it that brings you happiness and joy, ultimately what are your life KPI’s & goals (not just your career goals). If you need some perspective to truly help you dedicate a little more effort to living, then i’d recommend crafting your own life KPI’s and prioritising your life, time and effort accordingly.

Do you struggle to have a healthy work life balance or are you quite good at making sure you set aside time for yourself? What things do you do to help create that healthy mix, i’d love to hear your advice?