Pampas and Pearls

                        "Take time to do what makes your soul happy" - Unknown My relationship with myself has been in toxic in the past. I've had my ups and downs. There have been times where I've just self-sabotaged and ignored everything good in my life. When I was down I refused to see anything positive and thought I didn't have any care for myself. It was later on that I realised that I was in fact taking care of myself in little ways. These little ways came disguised as everyday, mundane tasks but really they were helping me get out of depression. Here are some of the things I was doing that I didn't recognise as part of my self-care routine: 1). Sleeping for 8 hours: Getting a full 8 hours of sleep. It didn't matter really what time I slept, I still maintained exactly 8 hours of sleep. I didn't sleep less or more. Unknowingly I was ensuring that my experienced a good quality of sleep. 2). Waking Up: Ahhh, to experience the beginning of a new

“Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves.” — Princess Diana As our month on selfcare comes to an end this final Sunday post is all about doing it yourself. There have been lots of tips and tricks and advice on self care this month and this post is not going to be any different. A cosy night in can be simple but can also be sophisticated and calming.  Doing it yourself gives the more personal touch and being in a cost of living crisis is also more cost effective. So below are a few different ways to create a DIY Selfcare night in. Movie night : Now this is a great one. Pop on your favourite film, get in some cosy pyjamas, or some sexy ones that's up to you. Grab yourself some wine or whatever you prefer to drink. My favourite happens to be the Barefoot: white-zinfandel and it isn't massively expensive. If I am going to watch any film as a selfcare cosy night film it will definitely be a film like 'Miss Congenialit

“ It is one thing to lose people you love. It is another to lose yourself. That is a greater loss.” -Donna Goddard I have had friendships in the past where I felt like I needed to set aside the real me in order to fit in.  I have also seen some friends that completely changed after entering a relationship. It took me years to realise that if you have to change the way you are in order for someone to accept you or love you then it’s not the right relationship to be in. It means the other person/people doesn't/don't truly value  you. I remember clear as day how lonely I felt trying to fit in with certain friends. I wasn’t into the same things, and I forced myself to like those things. It was painful.  Of course I’ve also gone through the process of trying to be someone else in order for a guy to like me. That too, was painful. The hurt I felt when he didn’t like me back, only to realise he could see through the facade. Even if he liked me for the real me, it was probably a journe

 "No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself." Virginia Woolf.  Self-care is something that all of us should be able to do and being an introvert often means we prefer to do things by ourselves, alone, which is often what selfcare is about. But nonetheless h ere are some self-care tips specifically tailored for introverts: Schedule alone time: Make sure you have enough time to recharge your batteries by scheduling alone time, even if it's just for a few minutes each day. Being on your own is healthy, we need to be comfortable with our own company.  Find a quiet space: Seek out a quiet space where you can relax and unwind without any distractions. This could be a place where you feel relaxed, your bedroom, the bath or even a library. We all have our own spaces where we feel safe enough to relax.  Practice mindfulness: Take time to be present in the moment and focus on your thoughts and feelings. This can help reduce stress and anxiety, you may

"When we care for ourselves as our very own beloved - with naps, healthy food, clean sheets, a lovely cup of tea - we can begin to give in wildly generous ways to the world, from abundance." Anne Lamott, Author. Everyone always talks about the importance of self-care, and sometimes I find myself wondering what self-care actually is. From my knowledge self-care is when you do anything to take care f your physical or mental health. There are so many things you can implement in your life to make sure your mind and body are doing well. Here are some of my habits that remind me to love myself and take care of myself. Doing skincare at morning and night time: This is something I do to treat my skin and keep it moisturised. My skin tends to be dry so keeping it hydrated is important to me. Drinking water: Another physical way I take care of myself is by keeping myself hydrated. It's healthy for women to drink about 64 ounces a day, so this is something that I implement to keep m

 "The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to."- F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Sleep! Some of us can do it anywhere, some of use can do it any time, but some of us have difficulties. This post is all about putting steps into place to help give you a better nights sleep. I often struggle with sleep myself, I can go through patches where I won't sleep all night, or fall asleep at 4am knowing I am up at 7. But on the opposite I can be asleep by 10 and away at 6, lots of different factors impact our sleep.  Sleep is like a plant, it required certain conditions to get it just right and while it will grow in different conditions it is never quiet as good.  When I refer to sleep I don't mean naps unless I specifically say naps, this is for the bedtime sleeping.  - Where you sleep:  Now this is obvious, most of us sleep in a bed, but there are things to think about with regards to where we sleep. What side of the bed do you sleep on? Sleeping in a double bed I have the

  “There is no such thing as work-life balance - it is all life. The balance has to be within you.” I am someone that struggles with a work life balance. The minute I start working I feel my job consume me, I often feel burdened and I struggle to take good care of myself. It's not good to feel like this in every job so here are some ways I maintain a healthy work-life balance and create a flow for myself.  Set Priorities: It's important to set priorities for yourself when trying to maintain a work life balance. This is when you find out what's important and what isn't. There were so many random parts to my life that I thought were important, but when I started working and needed to minus some things from my daily routine, I realised I didn't need to be doing most of it.   Rest, rest and rest!:  I know life can be busy and to-do-lists can be endless. When you come home from work, just rest. finish up that cooking and lay back. It's okay to stay in during the week

 "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance"-Oscar Wilde  June here on Pampas and Pearls is self-care month, all our blog posts will be based around self care and what it means to use.  Recently I have found it difficult to get time to myself and have been neglecting some of my basic needs. To improve on my quality of life and mental health I am trying to implement new steps into my day to day life which will hopefully help me to achieve my end goal.  Below are 10 steps that I am, slowly, trying to incorporate into my daily life. I add a new one each week.  Get enough sleep - This helps your body to reset to be ready to face the day. Maintain a balanced diet- If you eat rubbish you will feel rubbish, but a good balance is great! Exercise regularly- even if that is walking the dog or taking the longer way to the shops, even getting off the bus a stop early helps! Take breaks from technology- the number of headaches I get from looking at my phone is alarming, takin