Today's post I am going to share with you how you can start to love your body right now..
Mental illness is always something that is considered a bad thing that brings doom and gloom to peoples live, there's nothing ever really positive written about it and I'm not surprised as it can be the most painful suffering someone might ever go through. Being in recovery for the past four years, I feel like I have been able to see my own mental health as something that isn't all negative or bad. It's actually taught me a lot of good valued life lessons that I would even consider very positive. It might make you think of your own struggles and might help you to rethink some of the experiences you've been through, was there anything positive or valued you could take away from it? Here are a few of the positive lessons I've learnt!
When my mental illness took nearly everything from me, I was constantly told by people that I needed to have a focus to aid my recovery. Since I was already blogging, I decided to stick with it no matter what and use it as my main focus in life. Hobbies like blogging are important to have in life in general, but they are especially beneficial when you want to improve your mental health.
Creative hobbies in particular have proven benefits to those who suffer with poor mental health conditions. The great thing about having a creative hobby is that you do not have to worry about having lots of time or a range of skills, because they are essentially up to you how often you spend doing each activity and it's also up to you how much you get out of them. But if you still need more convincing in getting yourself into a creative hobby, then here it is goes..
6 ways a creative hobby can improve your mental health:
1. They enable you to learn
Life is all about learning. Right from a young age we go to school right up until we're 18 years old. Then we set off on whatever career path we have chosen, whether that's further studying or into the place of work. Even when we're not in a professional environment, every new experience is an opportunity to learn. When taking up a hobby, you're allowing yourself to learn something new. Studies have proven that when you're learning, you're giving your brain the chance to function and we all know that our brain plays a part in our mental health. Keeping this side of your brain active is a great way to improve your thinking skills.
It also helps to keep you focused on something positive rather than focusing on any distressing thoughts. Instead you can greater your skills, increase your experiences, build your knowledge and boost your confidence. And we all know how amazing it feels when our confidence increases. This will therefore make us feel better overall. When we have the confidence in our abilities, we can then trust ourselves to help and teach others how to do something. Again this works well at improving our general happiness because when we support others we feel good.
2. They increase our happiness
I'm a firm believer in creating your own happiness rather than waiting for your happiness to come to you. Creative hobbies can be one of those things that you do that brings you so much joy. When you're creative, you're seeing something you've made come to life. This could be anything from thinking of new ideas to physically building something with your own hands. The results that come from this brings a great deal of satisfaction, which over time will increase your self esteem and make you feel good. Being creative also gives us the chance to connect with ourselves, something you may have struggled to do in the past, because it may have been too hard for you to do so. But doing something positive to connect with the inner you is a great first step and one that can be slowly introduced until it becomes easier. You're giving yourself the opportunity to be yourself and prove to you how amazing you can be!
3. They promote mindfullness
Mindfulness is a topic that gets talked about a lot when it comes to improving our mental health. To be mindful it means being aware of something. I know in the past when I have struggled with my mental health badly, focusing on the present moment is one of the hardest things, because my mind is either focusing on the past or the future. A creative hobby can take your mind away from those troubling thoughts and bring you straight back to the now. It gives you something else to focus on and can actually be a great way to calm yourself down if you're feeling anxious or angered in any way. If you're someone who struggles to shut off from the world around them, being able to partake in your creative hobby enables you to unplug from the outside and focus on the inside in a more positive yet relaxing approach.
4. They get you to be more social
Not every hobby necessarily involves you being surrounded by people all the time. Blogging is perfect for my introvert self, because I don't have to have much social interaction unless I decide to go to any events or meet up with any blogging friends. But if social anxiety is something you struggle with like I do or you just want to improve your social circle in general, then creative hobbies can get you to be more social than you might have first thought. Different hobbies have different classes, workshops, groups and events that enable you to meet new people and get to know them. It's a great way for you to improve your social skills and confidence, whilst meeting new faces and sharing your creations. This can then create a community of individuals with similar interests coming together to do something fun and build bonds with people. It's pushing you out of your comfort zone but in a gentle way, because you still have the fun side of learning something new to distract you from freaking out completely. You could also get your friends and family involved also.
5. They give you structure
Structure was something that I was definitely missing out on in my own routine and is also one of the most important stages of recovery. If you don't have structure in your day, you're giving yourself that chance to bring in those unwanted thoughts and give them the chance to shine. Instead you want to be using your time proactively and getting into some sort of structure. This will help you to be more aware of the days of the week, because when we're lost in our own minds, it can be hard to keep up with the outside world, days can move into weeks, weeks into months if we're not keeping track. Having a designated time during the day or week when you plan on carrying out your hobby, can really help with your motivation and bring some normality back into your life if you've been feeling all over the place lately. When you put the time into something, you're also boosting your confidence and giving yourself that recognition that you deserve to spend some time doing what you love.
6. They can make money
I've been what is commonly known as unemployed now because of my mental health for a while now. It's only been this year I've labelled myself as a full time blogger, because I'm lucky enough now to earn a small income from this amazing hobby. As you can see what was and still is a hobby of mine, has enabled me to earn some cash that I wouldn't have had before and has therefore improved my overall wellbeing. It's boosted my confidence and made me stop worrying about money so much. It made me remember how good it feels to earn again. If you decide to go with a hobby that enables you to create and then have the potential to tell what you have made, then think how many new skills you can learn and how much involvement you can have with this exciting new adventure. You can work on building up your customers and marketing your creations. The positive feedback you gain will boost your confidence and enable you to have belief in yourself.
Creative hobby ideas for everyone:
- Baking
- Knitting
- Crafts
- Scrapbooking
- Blogging
- Makeup looks
- Nail art
- Hair styling
- Graphic design
- Drawing
- Painting
- Colouring
- Photography
- Writing/journalling
- Wood work
- Dancing
- Singing
- Playing an instrument
As you can see there are so many different creative hobbies out there and the opportunity to try as many as you like. You could even combine some of them and have multiple ones if you really want to get the full positive impacts a creative hobby can have in improving your mental health. Because as I highlighted, there are some great reasons as to why a hobby that means you being creative can be one of the best things for you when you need that extra bit of help with your mental health.
Don't be afraid to try something new. You never know how much you'll like it or how much it might help you!
Are you a creative person?
It's a brand new year and with everyone thinking about the type of things they want to achieve this year, focusing on improving your health drinking more water might be one of those things you hope to do better at in 2018. In today's post I want to share 10 easy ways you can drink more water everyday and help to change the quality of your life.
We all know how beneficial drinking water can be for our health. It can help improve the condition of our skin and hair by providing it with hydration. It also helps the immune system by straightening it to help fight off illness. Water is also good at providing you with energy and preventing you from getting dehydrated throughout the day. It can also be used as a way to cure any cravings you might be experiencing and it also helps to remove waste in your body e.g flushing out those nasty toxins.
Now we've got a good idea of how great water can be for us, let's get into the easy ways you can drink more water:
1. Make it part of your routine - Most habits we want to try bring into our lives fail because we struggle to fit them into our current routine. But making time and the space for drinking more water can make your consumption a lot easier. If you're someone who doesn't already drink any water at all or you need a good place to start, then schedule in drinking water at a certain time each morning and night. Ensuring it's the same time each day can really help to keep you into that routine and turn it into a habit. You could even start the day with a glass of water and get the full impacts of the water straight away. If you want to be able to drink it more than just certain times during the day, then always have some to hand to be able to keep up this consistency. Move onto the next point to see how you can do just that!
2. Get a water bottle - It sounds pretty straight forward, right? Water bottles can be a great way to keep you in routine and be a reminder that you need to drink more water. There are loads of different water bottles out there. I always find getting a design that I really love and find I will always be picking up helps me massively to drink more. I've also found that the water bottles marked with the times of the day on very helpful as they show you how much you should be drinking every hour. This can be a great way to keep you on track throughout the day and also help motivate you. If you cannot afford or even find one like this, you can easily draw on the times yourself with the appropriate measurements for every hour.
Water bottles are so great because you can take them wherever you go. They're great for travelling with. You can keep them at home, take them out to the shops with you, bring them to work or school with you. Wherever you go ensure you can refill it when you need to. There's also the water bottles you can use for any fitness adventures you go on!
3. Promise to reward yourself - Whenever you're trying something to new and giving yourself a challenge, it's always a good idea to reward yourself along the way. We all try so hard to achieve our best, so it's only right we give ourselves something back. Perhaps you could use your motivation for not only improving your health, but also buying something new for yourself. You could reward yourself with a new outfit, a new style at the hairdressers, a chance to get your nails done, whatever it is focus on that and give yourself the love for working towards your goal. You could even put a time limit on your goal, so you have a clear idea of when it needs to be completed by. For example you could set a goal of drinking 1.5 litres a day. Remember to be realistic.
4. Set yourself reminders - I'm someone who definitely works better when I have set myself reminders and made a note of what needs to get done. Setting yourself reminders to drink more can be a great way to keep on track with drinking more water. You could do this by setting an alarm to go off when you need to have your next drink, you could set a reminder on your phone on the reminders app, you could stick some sticky notes around the house or if you keep a diary you could make a note on each day of the week about how much water you need to be drinking. By setting yourself reminders you've giving yourself that extra bit of motivation and turning your intake into a habit which in time will make you remember off your own back to drink more.
There's also apps that you can download from your app store on your mobile phones or tablets, such as Daily Water Free or My Water Balance Daily Tracker. These apps are really useful in ensuring you're drinking the right amount of water and also monitoring how much you actually end up drinking. It can also be a fun way to turn your goals into habits and motivate you with your challenge.
5. Add flavour to your water - Whenever I've had discussions about water in the past, there's always been someone who doesn't drink water because they hate the taste. If you're one of these people and can't stand the plain taste, then a good way for you to still get your water intake is to add flavour to your water. Fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs are a great way to add lots of flavour to your water. Fruits like strawberries, lemon and grapefruit can be used. Where as Vegetables such as cucumber, ginger and celery are alternative options. There's also basil, mint and lavender which are herbs that can be added too.
6. Drink your water with meals - If you want to up your water intake more during the day then swap the usual drink you have at meal times with water. I tend to do this anyway as it's just easier and means I'm still getting my water intake for the day. The also good thing about having water during meals is that it can stop you from overeating because water helps to make you feel full. So instead of overeating and feeling hungry, drink a good glass of water in between eating to prevent this from happening. You can also opt for water in restaurants to get the full benefits.
7. Eat water rich foods - Aside from drinking water, you can also add water to your diet through eating water rich foods. This could be good for you if you cannot stand drinking a lot of water, the taste of it or simply just don't have time for the constant toilet breaks. Eating foods that are rich in water could be the option for you. Cucumber, zucchini, grapefruit and soups are some great options to start you off.
There's also apps that you can download from your app store on your mobile phones or tablets, such as Daily Water Free or My Water Balance Daily Tracker. These apps are really useful in ensuring you're drinking the right amount of water and also monitoring how much you actually end up drinking. It can also be a fun way to turn your goals into habits and motivate you with your challenge.
5. Add flavour to your water - Whenever I've had discussions about water in the past, there's always been someone who doesn't drink water because they hate the taste. If you're one of these people and can't stand the plain taste, then a good way for you to still get your water intake is to add flavour to your water. Fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs are a great way to add lots of flavour to your water. Fruits like strawberries, lemon and grapefruit can be used. Where as Vegetables such as cucumber, ginger and celery are alternative options. There's also basil, mint and lavender which are herbs that can be added too.
6. Drink your water with meals - If you want to up your water intake more during the day then swap the usual drink you have at meal times with water. I tend to do this anyway as it's just easier and means I'm still getting my water intake for the day. The also good thing about having water during meals is that it can stop you from overeating because water helps to make you feel full. So instead of overeating and feeling hungry, drink a good glass of water in between eating to prevent this from happening. You can also opt for water in restaurants to get the full benefits.
7. Eat water rich foods - Aside from drinking water, you can also add water to your diet through eating water rich foods. This could be good for you if you cannot stand drinking a lot of water, the taste of it or simply just don't have time for the constant toilet breaks. Eating foods that are rich in water could be the option for you. Cucumber, zucchini, grapefruit and soups are some great options to start you off.
How much water do you drink daily?
Lauren x
This desire that we must workout come January and start to eat healthy food to get rid of any weight we might have put on during the festive period is one that I dread every single year. It's something as a society we have become obsessed with doing and every single year it happens. We have created a society that focuses on and values weight, shape and size over things like our health and wellbeing.
This is more commonly known as Diet Culture.
This is more commonly known as Diet Culture.
Even just reading that makes me feel sick.
No one should be made to feel like their weight or their size is more important than their health or happiness. It's disgusting to think that us as a society has created this reality. We millennial's have become obsessed with our bodies and the way we look, driven by the likes of social media and living our lives online. Everywhere we go there is pressure to look a certain way or to be #bodygoals. This type of goal focusing has become the main focus in all of our lives at least once.
We are disguising diet culture with eating patterns that are supposed to be in the name of health, but the reality could not be further from this. It has become so focused on weight, shape or size. Skinny is deemed good and fat is deemed bad. Our bodies are constantly being forced to change through behaviours, ideas and customs with no thought going to our happiness or well-being beforehand.
Both celebrities and every day people like you and me are guilty of being sucked into this sad reality. We've become fascinated with losing weight and trying to be a particular body type because we have it brain washed into us that if we're 'thinner' then we're going to be happier, more attractive, healthier and more successful.
The truth behind this is no matter how much you believe losing weight will make you feel better all around it doesn't. Sure being a healthy weight and living a healthy lifestyle is good for our overall health, but being a certain weight isn't going to bring us instant happiness, success or change our attractiveness.
Being accepting and loving the body you already have will be the only way you will be able to achieve these things. If you can love the body you already have and take good care of it, then you're already ensuring yourself so much happiness, health and success. When you are confident in your body, you already are attracting success by believing in yourself. And remember confidence is very attractive.
These things will be bring more happiness than following the rules that diet culture puts out.
I could go on all day about the things that are wrong with diet culture, but for the sake of this post, I thought I would touch on the main things that are wrong with diet culture and also how we as a society can promote body positivity:
1. Diet culture does not support the value of all body types:
When growing up all I can remember seeing is girls plastered on every women's magazine with one main body type. They were all tall and skinny. No one was ever curvy or bigger. This was and still is a body type that sadly is promoted everywhere. The obsession with trying to be #bodygoals has got out of control. Why aren't we taught to love our bodies for what they are? Our bodies are more than just are weight or our shape. They help to keep us alive and keep us going every single day. Our bodies have enabled us to experience feelings and help us to do things we wouldn't be able to do without them. So why is everyone so quick to put them down?
This may come as a surprise to you, but not all healthy bodies are those that are slim and slender. Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. There is not just one body type that is the healthiest. There is so much diversity in healthy bodies. It's also good to know that weight isn't always an indicator to a persons overall health or fitness. You could have someone who weighs a lot more, but eats a more balanced diet and works out more times than say someone who weighs less.
The weight of someone should not matter. Instead it takes away the person behind the body we are not supporting. You do not need to be a certain weight or size to be a good person. You cannot determine who is a good person on the way they look. People are more than their bodies. They are worth more than what diet culture labels them as.
2. Diet culture contributes to low self esteem and body images issues:
We are all aware of the dramatic rise in mental health conditions such as eating disorders and body dysmorphia, diet culture is a huge contributing factor to these illnesses. Diet Culture influences low self esteem and body image issues. It makes more and more of us insecure in the bodies we have and puts us down for not looking a particular way. This #bodygoals fascination that I keep banging on about is very talked about in the world right now. It is driving bad self esteem and the pressure to be a particular way. It is based on unattainable goals that only works for the individual who is being desired. Your body should not be made to look like someone else. Your body is yours and it is yours only. Be your own body goals and work towards a better you without the pressure.
Diet culture doesn't just stop there though. There's also the ways in which diet culture makes us feel bad for the foods we are. It decides for us what foods are good and bad. When we eat these so called 'bad' foods and we don't get enough of the 'good' foods, we are then made to feel guilt and shame. This can then lead on to disordered eating as we then restrict ourselves or change our eating habits to compensate for these feelings. By doing this, diet culture is telling us that we must feel ashamed when we eat a particular food and it completely gets rid of the pleasure that comes from eating the foods we enjoy.
Eating disorders can steal lives. No one should have their life taken away by something that has been driven by diet culture. We should not be made to feel like failures if we eat a particular food and have to go to lengths of restricting ourselves. If you feel like you are struggling right now with an eating disorder, then please visit Beat (the UK's eating disorder charity) for more help and support. You deserve to live your life to the full without this illness stealing it from you.
3. Diet culture clarifies the good and the bad food:
As I just previously mentioned, diet culture is very good at categorising foods into what is good and what is bad. The guilt and shame that follows after consuming the bad is not healthy. It is what drives our bad self esteem and body issues. It has to stop. These so called 'bad' foods should not be made to feel us guilty. They are not a sin or a cheat. The conversations we have about food can lead to us having to justify why we are eating a particular food in fear of judgement or shame. Everyone has to stop being so judgemental about what foods others eat.
If you eat everything in moderation and have a good balanced diet of all the different food groups, then you are living more of a healthier life than if you were restricting yourself. Eating the foods you enjoy whether they are labelled as good or bad is a brilliant way of practising self love and care. This will bring you more happiness than trying to look like that girl on Instagram or only eating salads every day. The pleasure you will get from doing this is far greater than having to follow a certain set of rules diet culture tries to get you to follow.
4. Diet culture contributes to body shaming:
Society has a cruel way of body shaming individuals for the way they look. Body shaming involves someone humiliating or mocking someone with harsh comments regarding their body shape or size. It doesn't just happen to someone who is bigger, it can also happen to those who are smaller then average. Society does not discriminate who it aims its comments at, but it is always about their body. It isn't just people you meet on the streets or those hiding behind their computer screens, its also diet companies, magazines and newspapers, on TV and in the movies. Its everywhere and it is also a very dangerous form of verbal bullying.
People body shame to try make you feel guilty for the way you look. It takes away that value of the person and only treats them in how the mocker sees their body. It can contribute to people getting mental health illnesses and may even cause people to take their own lives. Instead of being brutal and harsh, we should be promoting self love and acceptance of own bodies, as well as other peoples. Tearing someone else down for their size isn't going to make you anymore attractive. But diet culture teaches us that size and shape do matter, not our wellbeing. It is best to challenge this and be the better person. Don't shame someone for how they look. Would you want someone to do the same to you?
Ways in which we can promote body positivity and get rid of diet culture:
People body shame to try make you feel guilty for the way you look. It takes away that value of the person and only treats them in how the mocker sees their body. It can contribute to people getting mental health illnesses and may even cause people to take their own lives. Instead of being brutal and harsh, we should be promoting self love and acceptance of own bodies, as well as other peoples. Tearing someone else down for their size isn't going to make you anymore attractive. But diet culture teaches us that size and shape do matter, not our wellbeing. It is best to challenge this and be the better person. Don't shame someone for how they look. Would you want someone to do the same to you?
Ways in which we can promote body positivity and get rid of diet culture:
- Change your relationship towards food. Food is food. It is good. It is not the enemy. It provides wonderful value and can bring a lot of enjoyment.
- Love your body for what it is and what it does for you e.g it keeps you alive.
- Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
- Unfollow those who make you feel bad for the way you look.
- Talk less about why you're eating a particular food and more about how amazing it is.
- Delete diet and fitness apps.
- Aim for a balanced diet with no group restrictions.
- Be less judgemental on ourselves and others for their bodies. Think about the person first.
- Accept and praise your body.
- Get rid of negative self talk. It won't help you.
- Promote body positivity and encourage others to be more kind to themselves and others.
Disclaimer: I just want to say that by no means am I encouraging people to be unhealthy and to put themselves at risk healthwise by not taking care of themselves. But I am hopefully highlighting that by being kinder to ourselves and eating a mixture of different foods in moderation, we're giving ourselves more love and happiness than dieting and trying to be a particular body type ever will. Instead of allowing people to decide what we should and shouldn't be eating, we need to look inside and see what our body needs. We need to ask ourselves 'What do I fancy?' By doing this, we're creating that happy relationship with food that we all want to have without the shame and guilt hanging over us for doing something we love.
Do you notice diet culture?
Lauren x