Out of the four seasons, Summer is my least favourite. It’s hot, sweaty and can be very uncomfortable to sleep. I also burn very easily (even in overcast English weather) which doesn’t help my ill feelings towards the Summer season either! And I’m not the only one; an estimated 10% of people in the UK experience depressive episodes in the Summer months. Commonly referred to as “Summertime Sadness” or the…
Health and Well-Being
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Summer Self Care Ideas
When it comes to self care I love to be cosy and comfortable. Picture warm fires, comfy blankets, cosy PJs, fuzzy socks, and hot chocolate; which, let’s face it, don’t mix too well with Summer. The heat makes many of these things impractical – unless we’re experiencing a particularly wet and windy day, of course! Still, I find that switching up my self care routine in the Summer months, helps…
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How Hobbies Can Benefit Mental Health *
AD, GIFTED | Setting aside time for ourselves and being able to focus on activities we enjoy can be difficult. There always seems to be something more precedent that we feel we need to do instead – which is often true. Whether that’s because we’re working or studying full-time, family commitments, or something else, it can become increasingly harder to get some much needed “me time”. This is why finding…
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Dieting vs. Lifestyle Changes
When I first started my weight loss journey 7 years ago, that’s all it really was to me, trying to lose weight. Trying to lose a certain number by a certain milestone, which I did. But it wasn’t until I started adding other things such as exercise that the weight loss actually stuck. Dieting Vs. Lifestyle Changes If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’ll know that I’m…
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Preparing For the Cold and Flu Season | My Essentials
It’s no secret that Autumn is my favourite season, from ‘fall’ fashion to colourful crunchy leaves, and of course Halloween. But with all these lovely seasonal activities also comes cold and flu season. 🙁 Which can make us all feel pretty blue this time of year; especially as we get into the Winter months where they seem more prominent. Ironically I’m actually nursing a cold while writing this post! Which…
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Coping with the Winter Blues (SAD) *
AD| With the days getting shorter and the long nights slowly drawing in, it’s common for some people to experience low mood this time of year, often known as the Winter Blues or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is thought to be fairly common during the Autumn and Winter months, although I personally experience lower moods during the Summer; (typically known as “Summertime sadness” or reverse SAD). These low moods…
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Ideas to help improve mental health
In last month’s #beechat, guest hosted by the lovely Duncan of Tales of a Bearded Man, we talked about the January Blues and how we try to combat them. There were many great ideas to help improve your mental health brought up and it got me thinking about my own mental wellbeing. I think it’s safe to say we all have bad days, however for those who struggle with their…
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Weekly Self Care Routine
At the end of last year I wrote about how I wanted to go into 2019 focusing more on myself, to discover who I am again and be more open about how I’m feeling and my mental health. My main goal this past month has been introducing more self care into my daily and weekly routines, which I’d like to share with you. 😊 First, what is self care? To…
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Relaxing bath time routine | Self Care
During my CBT sessions we talked about self care and how I should do one nice thing for myself once a week. Or more if I could manage it… Sometimes a bad mental health day makes my motivation very difficult, so she took that into consideration. I chose a long relaxing bath and find it helps me unwind, distress and feel better about the day and about myself. Of course…