Self care is for everyone, during the bad times and the good times. Whether you are mentally unwell, have a condition or disease that unfortunately for life, or you’re just living a normal life. Its for everyone! Me, unfortunately am one of those with a chronic disease. That being endometriosis and in the long 4 year diagnosis process and many a trip to the operating theatre, self care became something that helped me live the normal life I live.
I started 2019 with a year of self care and to make my life happier. Well right now ending week 48, I am struggling not going to lie. But honestly this year has been happier, ok we have had bad things and hard things too but I am learning what my body and self needs, poodling along what I now love to do.
You know when you are doing something for the better but you have to get through the worse time first. That is where I am right now! This is my something new and I really do want this to be successful, happen and be the happiest thing that’s happened in my life so far. But when you are walking round struggling, plodding along and your body is saying no I am going to not work properly today or punishes me with a stab of pain. I do have to stop, have a little cry and say “Melanie you are doing this for the better, you can do this, go on girl!” If my body would just work for once properly I would love it again. Having said this before, it really does feel like my body hates me sometimes.
Let’s talk this week, apart from the struggle of my health. Though some of my actions are because of how I am feeling. That is ok because bad times always are followed by good so if that means pizza and cinnamon bagels then so be it. It has been a pretty normal week for me, being work, home, food, floristry and bubble baths of course. Using up holiday though means 4 day weeks and an extra lay in.
Starting with last weekend, I chose to not go shopping and have a lay in on Saturday morning and my dad coming round to fix my front door, bedroom door and hang the hoover on the wall. Followed by going over to theirs for lunch and the most amazing sausage rolls, which ended being my lunch for a couple of lunches. Just a chilled day to be honest and that’s the kind of days I love. Not one for going out on the town anymore.
Sunday was even more chilled, lay in, quick trip to Matalan for a parcel my mum ordered, to my sister’s farm for a food tasting thing. I ate one crisp. Then we spend the afternoon taking photos for my instagram which I desperately needed. Finally going to have some autumn winter photos. Chilled evening watching I am a celebrity and sorting my stuff for work.
This week I tried something different. That was by splitting my day up more and coming home for lunch everyday. I live 5 minutes away from work, if no traffic but when I get home I don’t want to go back again, I get too comfortable or sleepy. Having said that I did come home daily but I was a minute or two late back each day. Has it helped? Possibly is the answer, I am not at my desk all day and I am calm, refreshed and ready to crack back on with work for the afternoon.
Driving is something I will opted not too, unless I really have to. Nighttime is the worst as well because I have to wear my glasses and I am going to sound like a right granny now but the newer cars with the white light, bright strong lights are the worst! They just blind you and so powerful. Having said I live 5 minutes away in no traffic, Tuesdays and Thursdays I drive over to my parents, then either myself or my mum drive on to floristry and pilates.
Tuesday night took me 50 minutes to do a 30 minute drive! If it was a pilates night I would be late but being Tuesday I was ok. When you arrive after that long journey to a big bowl of spaghetti bolognese and grate a chunk of cheese onto it, all seems a little better. That and that I had a flower order to make up prior to floristry class.
Floristry is my favourite thing over than sleep and bubble baths. All about Christmas again this week and all things new to me. Love learning new techniques and being creative. And to be honest I have come far in the 2 terms of floristry I have done in my life. My flat now smells of blue pine and Christmas with all the real Christmas decorations.
I am a girly girl and though as a child I loved the outside, mud and bugs, as an adult I am all for keeping my nails nice and clean. We learnt how to use moss as a base this week and you had to clean it out of mud and twigs. Well I was cleaning my hands and nails for days, how many times I was washing them, bathing them, the grime and moss was there. Anyway I am super happy with my wreath and I have to say I did go off what we were taught a little and have gone modern, simple and really me. Someone said it looks like it belongs in the cotswolds.
Wednesday and Thursday were pretty normal, work and home. I didn’t have pilates on Thursday due to it being my late grandad’s birthday. Super grateful for the short week and long weekend. You know when you just need a break, a lay in and chill out. That was Friday for me.
Friday, I woke up at half 8 naturally, got dressed and went over to my parents. It was black Friday but also teacher shopping weekend for the children, so I helped out with them and my Grandma was there also. We went shopping in the morning and did errands my mum and grandma needed to do. Somehow the children had £6 each to spend and even with me asking they wouldn’t give me any lol. But turned out that what Alfie wanted was 80p more and Abigail’s was less, so when I went in the crystal shop with her, she got fairy dust to equal the money out.
Alfie is obsessed with Christmas. He believes he’s a Christmas elf, he is 5 years old but how cute. We made Christmas marshmallow reindeer and he was in his element in his elf hat. I love chilled days like Friday when you just hang out with loved ones, do what you need to do or want to do and can be home by 3 and in the bath by 4.
Finished a book this week. Really interesting book. Took me time to get into it and the ending made me cry. It was all about sisters and their belief in mermaids. The elder sister disappeared and they thought she was dead. Then they saw her on the news in news Zealand and their mum asks the younger sister to go find her. A bit of love and romance in between and their life then and now too.
Saturday I left the house once and that was to go macdonald’s for some dinner. Thought I would treat myself, Saturday was all about me. Getting on top of filming and the housework. Time to set the Christmas tree up and be all festive. If you haven’t go treat yourself, I picked a millionaire’s donut and it was amazing. My top doesn’t think the same but there we go.
A clean, warm, friendly home is the best. Make a good environment, welcoming you home daily but also your fiends and family. With it being S.A.D.S season make sure you are there for your loved ones, open your doors to a warm friendly home and let you and them feel safe. Feels really good to have a clean home and I’ve even moved things around so I can keep the cleaning products for the bathroom in the bathroom. Simple changes like that really helps when the endometriosis is bad.
Me time was an hour earlier again this week due to I am a celebrity and I don’t know if I honestly like it. It’s all about calming me down and realising all on my mind to have a betters night sleep. Don’t get me wrong my sleep is still good but a little more disturbed.
Quick fill in of my journals, the 365 Self Care A Journal, my super creative bullet journal and my daily planner. Each journal is different from daily questions, feelings, moods and positivity. They all have a meaning to me and though I am literally a couple weeks away of a year long journey, I am still pushing myself to do more and be a better, happier person.
This week coming is a 3 day in the office week and 2 in Manchester playing darts with work and our customer. Then I am meeting up with my girls for an early dinner and one of our local Christmas evenings. Wrapping up warm for that one. Tuesday is the last floristry of term and I am sad it’s over but grateful we book on to next term. Saturday I am on a course with my Grandma and a chilled Sunday hopefully.
Really want to focus on me this week coming, you know enjoy the darts and focus on the happier things like my clean, welcoming home each lunch and evening. Focus on the good and push the negative through one ear and out the other.
What are you plans for this week coming? Anything you want to focus on?
