Not sure if I’ve given you the impression this far that my life is a bit of a mess that always needs solving with self-care…however this is real life, it isn’t the Instagram perfection the influencers show. I don’t claim to be a self-care queen, far from it actually, nonetheless, I do care for sharing with you tips and tricks that seem to help with everyday struggles that I know many of us face.
Funk we have all been there, it’s quite easy to get trapped in a rut of taking the easy way out with routines, but unfortunately, it catches up eventually, and begins to affect your happiness, work and even sometimes relationships. Recently after my 100th meltdown of the looming final year exams and the fear of life beyond university, I re-evaluated why I feel exhausted and de-motivated 24/7. This is also me confessing that reflecting on the way you live your life is really difficult and even harder to change when you discover habits that you’ve formed are not exactly great.
I looked at what my weeks were spent doing, they mostly consisted of university work, easy meals, unhealthy snacks and binge-watching series in my spare time. All that came of that was me thinking what a sad little life… all jokes aside, I knew this was my discovery of the funk. So I now share with you what I have begun to do in order to unfunk my life.
For me, I thought initially about what I find hard in the week and my biggest problem are mornings, I utterly despise them. So, I thought about what would help my mornings be easier and happier. I must confess I did buy a few things that would make my mornings a little more aesthetic purely because that’s something that makes me happy. In the morning my alarm goes off, I turn on my light board (which I HIGHLY recommend), and I DON’T reach for my phone, this has proved crucial. When you initially wake up you don’t need to flood your brain and eyes with Instagram it doesn’t help and often puts you in a crappy mood before you even start your day. Waking up at a good time has also helped me get maximum productivity from my day, instead of lying in and then feeling nothing but guilt after. When I get out of bed, I immediately make my bed, it then means it’s not tempting to get back into it. Now comes the big change for me, I struggle with breakfast and always have, recently before going to bed I have been making overnight oats in my new glass and bamboo dishes, I can’t even explain how fabulous it is waking up to a made breakfast just from putting in a little more effort the night before. Whilst eating my breakfast I try to be free of my phone and replace it with journaling to start my day with clarity. I find romanticising my mornings help massively.
I also recognised I wasn’t getting enough exercise, and I had no outlet for my stress, so I signed up to my local gym and set an aim of going 3 to 4 times a week. For those of you who may be gym shy and have no clue what you are doing, TikTok and googling is a great place to start to plan a workout before you go to the gym so when you are there you don’t feel lost and end up not effectively doing anything. This exercise has helped me so much, not only are the endorphins good for you, but it has made me feel as if I have achieved something and has helped to establish more of a routine.
It’s important to set aside time to do essential work and reading but also time to do other things.
Planning and cooking nutritious meals and snacks are also important, like I say I was leaning into easy meals and snacks (lots of sugar) to keep me going, which has so many consequences in itself. Essentially what we put in our body gives us our energy, it isn’t something we shouldn’t neglect. Setting out proper meal times and foods that require effort and high nutrition has now become part of my routine and something I now look forward to. Again, TikTok is full of affordable and healthy meals, so it is a great place to start if you are stuck.
There are lots of little changes I have made, putting my phone on sleep mode at 10.30pm for a better night’s sleep, making more effort with what I wear every day instead of opting for comfy throw on’s that sometimes make you feel as if you should be lounging in bed. Always listening to a podcast or music when I am on my own, so I am learning, dancing or purely not feeling so alone.
This article really could go on and on but ultimately, I think it’s about establishing a routine that works for you, caring for yourself, being kind to yourself and setting mini goals that you can work towards. Most importantly fuelling your body with the correct nutrients and enjoying downtime without feeling guilty because you deserve it. Don’t live to work, and be mindful that some days just are bad and that’s ok, it’s a page of your story, not your entire life.