5 Ways to Find Relaxation in these Stressful Times | National Relaxation Day 2020

 Hi lovely reader! Happy National Relaxation Day! The idea of slowing down and unwinding may seem a lot more near and dear than it ever has for some and for others the idea of taking a moment to exhale may seem farther away than ever. This year has forced many of us to slow down and realize of how much of a "go, go, go" society we have become. But I also know that for many, especially for our amazing essential workers, there has been no slowing down but instead a new gear has been shifted into place and these people are working harder than ever. So with that in mind I wanted to create a list of five things that I like to do to find some inner peace and relaxation, whether you have only a few minutes to spare or a whole day. I think that the most important way to relaxation is to do something that you want to do so please do not force yourself into something that society or I list as "relaxing". If you've tried yoga and it's not your thing, don't force yourself into doing it and get frustrated thinking "This is supposed to be relaxing! Why am I not relaxed??". You do you! The concept of asking myself "What do I want to do right now or today?" had become so foreign to but once I started consciously asking myself this question I felt so much better internally and more at peace with how I was going about my day. So take a look at this list and see if any of these options stand out to you and if not just try to take a moment and ask yourself what you need in this moment. 

1. Do Some Yoga 

I know that this is probably at the top of most lists for "ways to relax" but yoga has really helped me with finding a sense of relaxation since I began practicing regularly about a year ago. It helps me to focus on the present moment and forget about everything else that is going on in my life for the time that I am on my mat. I have created a playlist for a 45 minute flow which I have linked below and is available on my Spotify. 

If you are newer to yoga or want to give it a try I highly suggest checking out "Yoga with Adriene" on YouTube. She has a massive catalog of videos for all levels, time frames and does monthly classes that build on each other. Check out some of my favorites below,

2. Go Outside

Fresh air can work wonders! If the weather is nice, venture outside! Go for a walk and put on your favorite playlist, grab a book that you've been wanting to read and sit on a socially distanced picnic blanket in the grass at your local park, even taking your lunch break outside if you are able to can give you a little boost and a feeling of being refreshed for the rest of your day.

3. Bake Something  

As I said earlier, everyone's idea of a relaxing activity is different...I know for some of my friends baking equals stress and frustration so again, if you know it's not for you, try something else! For me baking has always been relaxing because it requires focus which keeps my mind from racing about everything else going on. I have linked a couple of my favorites recipes that I have shared on the blog below.

"The Best Cookies" - Inspired by Ben's Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Melty Candy Bar Bits

Eton Mess

Crushed Meringues with Cream and Strawberries

DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies
Delicious Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

4. Journal

Take a seat somewhere comfy, put on some nice background music, get out a notebook and a pen and just write, paragraphs, bullet points, anything. This is something I've started doing since the pandemic began and it really has helped me mentally! Sometimes you may feel like you have nothing to share and then three pages later you'll realize you actually had a lot to unload. You could write about your day, your mood, whats going on in the world and how you feel about it, a prayer or a message to someone you wish to connect with or even a past event. Releasing things onto a page can truly feel like a weight has been lifted and that your mind has been cleared.

5. Watercolor Painting

Trying to find creative outlets is also something I have done during quarantine. I used to draw and paint all the time when I was little and as I got older I fell out of the habit as many of us do. So before lockdown began I found an old sketch book and bought some Crayola watercolor paints and started researching tutorials on YouTube. The feeling of painting and "doing art" felt so nostalgic to me, it made me happy and reminded me how much creative outlets can be stress relievers! I've linked a few of my favorite tutorials below!

I hope these tips help you to have a peaceful "National Relaxation Day"! If you have any suggestions of other ways to de-stress feel free to leave them in the comments! Xx

6 Things I Want to Do This Spring

Hiya lovely reader! I hope your April is going well. With spring already here for some and hopefully on its way for others, I thought I would do a reflective post of things that I want to try and do more of this spring and in the future. This post is inspired by Tanya Burr's "10 Things I Want To Do" post that she did on her blog a while ago. I really do believe that it's always nice to step back and evaluate how your live is going and what you want to do. So here are 6 Things I Want to Do This Spring!

1. Fill my space with flowers: As I have mentioned before I love having fresh flowers around! Whether it's a small arrangement of flowers in a mason jar or a massive bouquet, flowers can really brighten the mood of a room. I know it can get quiet expensive so I want to grow flowers and use them rather than buy!

2. Sit outside and read: As of now, there have not been very many nice days to do this, but I am going to take advantage of every beautiful day in the future for sure! Sitting outside and reading a book or a magazine while disconnecting from technology is always a good thing to do, whether it be for half hour or two hours. Recently I have really gotten back into reading and it really gives me a chance to turn off everything else and just immerse myself in a story. Currently I am reading "The Fault In Our Stars" and it is out of this world amazing!

3. Wear Dresses Daily: I love springtime because during the day you can go out and you no longer need a big coat, you can feel a sense of freedom and not have to cover up whatever cute outfit you are sporting. This spring I want to wear more dresses, I have been buying a lot more skirts and dresses with the plan of wearing them during the day. For a while I would only wear dresses if I was going to something that called for a bit of dressing up. But the ones that I have been buying are casual enough that they can be worn during the day to just hang out in or go shopping or to the park and I plan to do exactly that! 

4. Take Time to Meditate Once a Day: I mentioned this in my "App-y Days" post but I downloaded this meditation app called Calm and I want to take time to use it once a day. I have been using it, just not as frequently as I would like. You simply put it on your device and a woman will talk to you and teach you how to meditate, you can unlock more types of meditation the more you practice. I have found that it has helped my anxiety and is a nice thing to do in the evenings or mornings. 

5. Try New Hairstyles: I haven been more versatile with the hairstyles that I do, rather than going with the simple ponytail or down and natural. I am becoming more careless with whether or not it's something other people are wearing. I'm doing it simply because I like it and I want to wear my hair like that. If I feel like wearing a big bow in my hair then I'm gonna wear a big bow in my hair, if I want to wear flowers then I'm gonna wear flowers. (Z SNAP) 

I will leave a few videos tutorials that have some more simple hairstyles I love to wear.  

Halo Braid

Quick and Easy

6 Styles

6: Take Tons of Pictures: Often times I will find myself in situations where I want to take a picture but hesitate wondering what will the people around me think, but going forward, if I want to take a picture of something then you can bet I'm gonna do it! If I think something is pretty or interesting and photo worthy then who is someone else to judge and who am I to care? My storage space, not theirs:)