What I do to de-stress

Stress is something that all of us will encounter at points of our life, maybe a few minutes daily or an ongoing period of time either way it guaranteed to touch us all at some time and listening to your body and recognizing the signs of it being time to do something to make yourself feel relief and take care of yourself is vital to how you recover, grow and strengthen from these situations. There is only so much that any one person can take and sometimes something small like letting your brain wander to a better place for 5 minutes may be enough of a break before you go back to the grind, for others it will take longer and everyone is different. Here’s a few of the things that I do when I’m feeling stressed t reduced it in tough times but also things that I like to do as good practice in day to day life to manage and prevent any stress build up.

  • Exercise- This post isn’t a ranked list but for me for the last 5 years now this has to be my number 1 essential. For prevention and cure if I do not exercise for longer than a couple of days I feel the it very very quickly. I get a build up of nervous energy, it feel my frustrations are pent up and irritable and exercise just releases those things for me instantly. It’s always a solution for me. When I am stressed and have things on my mind its great to reduce anxiety and helps get a good night sleep too. Sometimes in those stressy times its really hard to feel motivated to get up and do something but you have to let that little voice inside you speak up and whip that head into shape and make you move and it always helps, those days its down to the will power.
  • Get outside- there’s something extremely cleansing about being in the great outdoors when you feel stressed, I’m not sure if anyone else feels this way but when you’re trapped within 4 small walls of your work and home problems can feel suffocating but when you get out into those wide open spaces I makes me feel so small in a really wonderful way and my problems even smaller in the grand scheme of the world. My favourite spots to visit are parks, woods, secluded coastline and old church and castle ruins, spoil me rotten with a splash of sunshine and i literally return home a new woman.
  • Have a de-clutter- Clear out a cupboard, sort out the fridge, streamline your wardrobe, sort out the junk draw, get rid of that pile of papers, do a bag for charity and then once you have decluttered your surrounding enjoy how cathartic it has felt and basque in your new more breathable environment. That might sound daft but trust me, theres something great about getting rid of a load of pointless materials which serve no purpose and then feeling a weight lifted and metaphorically less suffocated because of it.
  •  Get lost in your favourite hobby- for me that is cooking, I find it so relaxing, I really get in the zone when I’m having a cook up and I really switch off and barely any other thoughts slip in. What’s your escape? Drawing? Sewing? Puzzles? Computer games?
  • Have a cuddle- If you are someone lucky enough to have a dog to do this with you are envy RN but a cuddle with any loved one  helps- studies show that the positive chemistry activated by a hug is hugely stress relieving and relaxing, a pet or partner would be ideal but if I’m by myself on one of these moments I settle for a mountain of pillows and a fluffy blanket for that ultimate comfort and it seems to do the trick.
  • Give yourself the gift of time- you are your boss, are you stressed and in a situation with others and you are really affecting everyone and everything around you? Give yourself 10 minutes, no one is going to die (unless you’re a heart surgeon giving yourself this time mid surgery) and have a little pep talk with yourself, tell yourself why this situation won’t get the better of you, calm your breathing and take control and then get back on the horse. Positive mental attitude.
  • Read a book- I love reading, if I get into a good book I can lose hours into the pages. Theres is something very different for the mind that you don’t gain from TV. It more engaging for the brain, that focus and concentration and the actual engagement in the book is much deeper than any TV show where you may switch off for a few seconds here and there and keep picking up your phone and pointlessly scrolling.
  • Have a  pamper- some call it self care, some call it narcissism, I just call it taking care of ME. Whatever that looks like to you take a few hours one night every week or 2 to do what makes you feel good, I like to have a full beauty MOT, paint the fingers and toes, face mask, lotions and potions on the neglected body parts, chick flick, you know the drill. I always feel great after, it might seem conceited by some but if it makes you feel good who says self care can’t be heavily based around candles and a bath.
  • Phone a friend!- A problem shared is a problem halved! This cliche saying doesn’t exist for no reason its totally true! As you get older and gain more and more responsibility and you don’t see your friends as much as when you all know everything about each other it can sometimes feel hard to get your thoughts into words and share your worries. You may not want to be a burden or you worry about being judged but getting things off your chest helps so much and I’m sure you are on the receiving end plenty of the time. Don’t feel guilty or ashamed to share your feelings.

And lastly on the back of all this remember, it’s ok to no be ok!

I hope this post helps even if 1 person has a bit of a light bulb moment, stress can be so toxic so do what you need to do to feel good!

Thanks for reading, Hx

Nims Edible Teas

The lovely people over at Nims Fruit Crisps sent me over a selection of their products as a gift in exchange for a review of their brand new edible fruit teas.

Many of you may have already heard of Nims fruit crisps, they are a 1 ingredient fruit and vegetable crisp and leaders on the market in this category, experimenting with more crisps than just the root vegetable ones you’ll regularly see on the shelves at the supermarket- although they do those too and they’re great! Their fruit crisps are particularly delicious and the crisping process has really enhanced the flavours of the fruit and they’re low calorie as well.

Recently Nims have released a range of 3 flavours of edible fruit tea with a great concept… you infuse your loose fruit and then once the tea is brewed you then take the rehydrated fruit out and eat it. So today I tried the parsnip, beetroot and pineapple tea (the other two flavours are pineapple and kiwi and parsnip and beetroot), my first thoughts were how much easier this whole brewing process would be if I had one of those fancy glass infuser teapots to capture my fruit pieces, I kind of had to awkwardly decant the brewed tea and strain it with a sieve and then transfer over to another cup. It created quite a lot of washing up so to enjoy these I think that the teapot is a must, this does make the product a little restrictive for the masses and could be a good idea for Nims to launch their own teapot or perhaps collaborate with a 3rd party that sells them to link up. If you are keen to try these teas or just like the sound of a super fancy clear teapot I’ve linked the best value one that I could find on eBay and actually coming in at under a fiver its not exactly a huge investment. Check it our here !!

Flavour wise the pineapple and kiwi was my favorite to drink, all of them were quite pleasant to eat, I used them as a porridge topping which worked so well and suited me with the the timing of breakfast and having a cuppa too. I’m not 100% on the flavour of drinking the parsnip and beetroot tea and think that if they launched more flavours in just fruit that it would appeal to more people as a drink.

 

All in all I love the idea, I hate wasting food and throwing away anything unnecessarily so I like how resourceful it is to waste nothing, the flavours could use some extras in the range or development to the current ones to suit different tastes and they either need to link a teapot on their site or develop a solution to maybe encase the fruit in a biodegradable bag that could be opened after infusing so they can be used in a traditional ‘kettle, bag, mug, brew’ method which is really easy for all!

 

Thanks so much for reading my review, if this sounds your cup of tea (no pun intended) head over to the Nims site here and check out what they have to offer!

H x

Top Tips For A Good Nights Sleep

I wanted to write a post on one of my things and something I’ve sadly not been doing enough of lately.

Sleep.

Sleep is so important for all aspects of life, for mental and physical development and repair amongst thousands of other functions of the brain and the body and sometimes when life sends it’s trials it’s not as easy to get the sleep quality you want. I’m someone who’s sleep gets very affected when I have stuff playing on my mind and I struggle to switch off. Do you ever lie there and start to feel so anxious because you aren’t asleep? Then you start to count down how many hours until you have to get up and then how many hours sleep that will be, THEN comes the justification thoughts to try and mentally reassure you to not freak out of “it’ll be fine, I’ve gone to work on much less sleep after going out and I won’t be hungover”, then the birds start singing and the irritation REALLY sets in. I’ve been there. Countless times. So in the last few months I’ve done and tried everything possible to promote a good nights sleep, mainly so I keep my sanity and thought I would share with you in case anyone else is finding themselves in a similar situation! In no particular order of preference of effectiveness……

  • My first thing I try is a chamomile tea before bed. To promote relaxation and calm, there’s plenty of lovely premium tea brands around but I went for the Aldi option for a tiny 39p to give it a go as I had never tried it before. The taste takes a little getting used to but it certainly helps take the edge off the pre sleep jitters. It’s no myth, this stuff definitely does work!
  • Using your scent is a timeless known way to relax so you could try opting for a pillow spray, there are a few out there and my favourite is the award winning Deep Sleep Pillow spray by This Works, it’s got a really good depth of scent and helps get the senses to start to switch off.

  • Similarly to the above I love the Tisserand pulse point oils to aid in slowing the breathing and moving into the relaxed state to nod off

 

  • Sometimes nothing is doing the job so I grab out my gifted Bedtime Bliss eye mask which came with ear plugs to drown out the background sounds and lights. The earplugs really make a difference if you can’t switch off from what’s going on around you and the darkness is great if you don’t have black out blinds in the summer months when the sun comes up earlier. Not everyones cup of tea for at home but a travel essential! Buy your for under a tenner on Amazon here

  • Making sure you’re comfortable in bed, so pyjamas in the right cut, thickness, fabric, etc. So you are comfy, a good temperature, not going to get static or itchy or whatever else. Comfortable bed clothes whatever floats your boat is a must. I love nice cotton pj’s personally! Currently living for my piped edge pj’s from Primark. I have them in grey and black 🙂
  • Also a decent pair of bed socks is a must in the winter because feet like blocks of ice can stop you sleeping AND wake you up especially now we had hit the winter sub zero temperatures! My mum bought me a lovely pair of cashmere blend socks for when I’m feeling super fancy but any fluffy numbers will warm the tootsies! Or reach for a hot water bottle.

 

  • Breathing exercises to slow and calm the breathing, there are tonnes of different types but for sleep I like the 4-7-8 technique- step by step below!
  • Reading a book. This is such a sure way of using up some mental energy and making you start to drift off. Ditch the smart phone and swap it for a book. It’ll be one of the best choices you make!

 

  • A little added luxury, I treated myself and my mum at Xmas to a silk pillow case, it doesn’t necessarily help you sleep but it certainly gives you a premium bed experience! Bought from Lilysilk. Buy one get one half price and an introductory 10% off! Huge variety of colours! Check out the site here

 

  • Lastly, failing all those or in addition to, in periods of prolonged anxiety I go for Kalms night. The valerian formula is all natural and plant based so no nasty chemicals and no morning after grogginess but a lifesaver for periods of increased anxiety. I grab mine from Holland and Barrett just make sure you read the directions, don’t rely on these and remember it is a short term solution, 

I hope these tips help you! Bedtime is such a ritual that these things singularly and collectively are little live savers! Sleep is essential to function healthily so maybe just one or two of these may improve you current sleep quality like it did for me! I hope it helps! 

Thanks for reading!

H x

Let’s Talk About Health

Health. What does that really even mean? It seems to be very trendy at the moment to be ‘healthy’ which don’t get me wrong I’m so down with! It hopefully will make the world full on clean living young adults who binge on the gym as opposed to my generation’s teen years when it was cool to give your liver a bashing in the local park. However there’s so much more to health that just going to the gym, eating kale and drinking matcha. I saw a post on Instagram from @sophieshealthykitchen saying “Health isn’t just about what you’re eating or doing. It’s also about what you’re thinking, feeling or saying to yourself” and it got me thinking on a topic I feel extremely passionate about.

Health certainly does not have one definition and most definitely is not linear. Right on time with the season’s change I’ve had this lingering cold for weeks, I’m feeling the effects of leaving home in darkness and coming home in darkness- I miss daylight and the sun and I work in retail- as you can imagine I’m entering my most stressful time of year, so, although I gym 3-5 times a week and eat an extremely healthy diet I’m feeling majorly sub par. My skin is playing up in a big way, my recent enthusiasm for running has resulted in a casualty of my big toenail (soz if TMI but seriously this is stressing me out!), I’m too tired all the time to get into the gym as often as I would like so I’m visually feeling sub par too and mentally feeling guilty about that too, its just all a little ‘meh’. So internally and externally I’m feeling around a 5/10. I know its completely each to their own on your personal preference of how you would like to look or take care of yourself but personally having a really good skincare routine to keep my skin looking and feeling healthy counts as part of my health for me. Grooming myself and keeping my roots touched up and nails looking nice etc for me is my self care, it promotes self confidence for me and makes me feel good. On one of my bed ridden sick days I read a big chunk of Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes and her prologue really sums it up well that beauty and make up can really work wonders to how you are feeling and if that’s your health and that’s what makes you feeling good physically and mentally then I don’t think anyone should judge that. My blogger life is all about eating clean, no waste, exercise and all that jazz but my 9-5 life is as a beauty retail manager is multi billion pound industry that despite the negatives that can spawn from things revolving around looks is predominately about feeling good while looking good too. I’ve been doing ALOT of listening to my body recently- its been saying ‘EAT’, ‘SLEEP’, ‘REST’ and although I’m gone majorly off piste with my normal routines it has worked to get me back to where I need to be, as a final push I got my nails and brows done and have upped the ante on my skin care which I didn’t think was possible and as I write this- fresh from a Monday morning spin- for the first day in I can’t remember I feel like myself again- physically and mentally I feel like I’ve got my mojo back.

My point is- health is made up of so many different factors which will differ person to person.

Don’t follow the hype and have negative thoughts and feelings of guilt on yourself for doing/not doing certain things, we are all so different and should not judge one another if someone is doing something that didn’t work for you. If you want to drink spirulina and you like it and it works for you great but don’t feel pressured in to doing things because the internet says you should. If a good pamper is your therapy then go for it! If you’re exhausted and your body says rest don’t gym then listen to it. Trust your own mind and body. Health being such a popular topic is great, it’s so openly talked about and there’s so much information to help people on their journey, however, when it has the attitude of making you feel stupid or like you’re wrong and shaming certain choices is when things can get a bit nasty and be detrimental to your mental health even if it is for example the correct way to do something for your physical health.

Thanks for reading, lets all look out for each other and uplift one another and have a cracking week. Happy Monday folks xxx

Bimuno Review

I applied for a blogger assignment to test out and give an honest review of Bimuno Daily, IBAID and Travel-aid. After reading numerous studies and articles and seeing the outcome of test results proving that in many cases healthy gut bacteria can be linked to weight and weight loss specifically in how your body can burn fat and its ability to I was very keen to try it! Gut bacteria has many more benefits than just what I have already mentioned, its also linked to a general sense of well being, can reduce anxiety, improve poor sleep patterns too not to mention relieving many symptoms of IBS and digestive discomfort such as bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.

I was sent 3 different products!

First up- Bimuno Daily- Bimuno daily is a sachet which is something that I believe all people could happily fit in to their routine and benefit from. I have many IBS symptoms, regular discomfort after eating certain foods, irregular bowel movement (apologies if TMI) and frequent bloating. I was sent 1 months supply off Bimuno and in this time of taking as religiously as I could (I did miss a few days where I forgot etc) I really noticed a difference in the regularity of my digestive system. In addition to this I have been on a weight loss journey for 4 years now and had recently stagnated my loss. Since starting these my metabolic age significantly dropped (from 39 to 26 FINALLY lower than my actual age) and in addition to my regular calorie controlled diet and regular work outs I shifted the most stubborn half a stone of weight that I had been really holding on to and reached my goal weight. The amount of comments I received about how different my shape looked was unbelievable too considering the lack there of for the first 4 stone it was crazy how many people started commenting. Unfortunately I have no real way of proving that it is solely down to this supplement but it really was the only change that I made to my routine which is and has been quite regimented for some time. I’m 100% going to reorder the daily sachet. Whether it has been responsible or not for the new ease in shifting weight it undoubtedly helped my digestive system which has been a thorn in my side for years. I used it in loads of different ways, by adding it to my overnight oats, by mixing it into my protein shakes, just adding it to water! The only advice they said is to aim to take it around a similar time each day- I opted for morning. Also just a little note these are vegetarian and gluten free however the contain lactose so are not vegan.

 

IBaid- IBaid is a pastille chewy type sweet which specifically target those with more IBS related symptoms and diagnosed IBS. They are easy to administer into your routine being a tasty chew but unfortunately I didn’t notice a huge difference and I was already experiencing the amazing benefits to the daily sachet! My dad suffers really bad from IBS so I’m going to pass them onto him and see how he gets on!

 

Travelaid- Travelaid is also a pastille which is designed to help keep your digestion comfortable when traveling abroad when different ingredients and water PH etc can seriously mess with people. You can start taking 7 days prior to travel or when away if necessary. I have just returned from Turkey and did the 7 days before and carried on with my sachets when I was there. Zero issues to report in the toilet department so this one gets a thumbs up from me and is one to consider if your tummy is sensitive to foreign introductions to the diet.

 

To conclude, Bimuno is a great brand of supplements carefully thought out and although its great the have the IBaid and Travelaid pastilles the daily powder sachet is such a fabulous product that it should cover such a cross section of issues anyone can benefit from it! Find out more on the brand or order yours HERE

 

Has anyone else tried these and got any thoughts?

 

Thanks for reading,

 

H x