Winter Skin Tips
It is that time of year when the skin can feel a little or perhaps a lot drier and sometimes more reactive than usual and this is down to a number of factors that we face once we hit those colder months of the year. The first being the humidity change, cold air holds less moisture so naturally any moisture in the upper layers of the skin evaporates quickly as the skin barrier function is decreased. We may also find ourselves experiencing extreme temperature changes stepping from the cold into warm and cosy environments, this can have a big impact on the skin leading to flare ups of skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis as the skin becomes more reactive to skin irritants and allergens. Central heating can also cause dehydration and along with the desire for an extra hot bath or shower which can strip the skin of natural oils causing further dryness and irritation. The sebaceous glands that produce the skins natural oil, sebum, also slow down production in the colder months so we can experience not only dehydration but also much more dryness.
To keep your skin moisturised & hydrated here are my top tips.
Apply a body butter or cream straight after the bath or shower this will lock in the moisture
Swap your cleanser for a cleansing balm, a balm contains more butters and waxes creating an occlusive protective film on the skin helping to retain moisture and support the skin barrier
Swap a moisturising lotion to a cream, creams contain more oils than lotions providing the skin with more essential fatty acids to help main the skin barrier function and lock in moisture
Drink more water, naturally providing your body with fluid is one of the best ways to keep the skin hydrated.
Introduce regular face masks, look for ones that include ingredients such as hyaluronic acid as these can give the skin some much needed hydration
Book yourself a facial, why not treat yourself for a luxury facial and experience all the wonderful benefits of a professional range that can be aimed at targeting dehydrated and dry skin complaints, as well as provide a gorgeous self-care moment
If you’d like any advice on natural skincare or facial treatments then feel free to drop me a direct message over on my Instagram page.
Why I’m increasing my self-care this Autumn
We have been incredibly blessed with a beautiful start to the Autumn, even enjoying some warmer, brighter weather than anticipated although soon enough the clocks will change as will the weather meaning less daylight in the northern hemisphere.
The reason I am increasing my self-care right now is after many years feeling my energy dwindle and my mood being affected every time autumn comes around, I know that preparing for and incorporating some key rituals into my daily practices can help me manage my emotions, immunity and energy levels. If you are aware of cyclical living, then you’ll know that autumn is a time for introspection and reflection.
Here are some of the rituals I am currently focusing on:
Nutrition, disclaimer I am not a nutritionist but making sure I am getting enough of the right vitamins and minerals from varied food groups really does make me feel better. I religiously take a multivitamin and come the autumn I also add in vitamin D this helps to regulate insulin levels which supports the immune system and energy levels. This is not to say I don’t enjoy scrumptious treats, with a sweet tooth like mine it would be near on impossible to eliminate sweet treats completely!
Scheduling some time off in my calendar, anyone that is self-employed or has their own business I’m sure will resonate that is all too easy to say yes to everything, perhaps you can resonate without being self-employed too. Making time to rest gives us the opportunity to ground ourselves, focus on gratitude, meditate, get creative and focus on all things self-care.
Something I enjoy during seasonal changes is experimenting with different essential oil blends particularly coming into a season that is typically known for coughs and colds and the need to boost energy levels.
Some wonderful essential oils useful for this time of year can be found below.
Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Camomile, Rosemary, Frankincense, Ginger, Marjoram, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove and Orange. (please seek advice from a qualified aromatherapist before using essential oils)
Perhaps you too have a hobby you enjoy if so then consider incorporating more time for this. Filling up your own cup with things you enjoy can help to revive a tired mind and release feel good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine.
4. Scheduling things to look forward to can support our wellbeing, perhaps a date night, a weekend away, a shopping or cinema trip with friends. Try writing out a list of all the things you’d like to do over the next 6 months and organise these with those you love to build excitement and joy for those things you have got coming up in your calendar.
5. Sleep! I am lucky enough to have a pretty good sleep routine getting on average 7hrs every night (although not always undisturbed with an energetic Shih Tzu). By ensuring you are getting enough sleep you can be sure your body has the time to replenish and will help with waking up feeling more energised rather than completely exhausted.
There are so many sleep tips on the internet these days so here are my tops ones.
· Take a hot bath
· Diffuse some calming essential oils
· No screen time at least 1hr before bed
· Avoid caffeine
· Journal on anything that is playing on your mind to get it out and on paper rather than whirling around in our head
· Prepare for the next day, if you have an early start get organised with clothes, meals anything that can make your life easier and smoother in the morning
· Meditate
· Read a book
6. If you do struggle getting up on the dark, cold mornings than one thing I found to be useful is a sunrise alarm clock. A gradually increasing artificial light helps us to wake more gently and naturally, some even have sunset settings which can help in going to sleep.
7. Starting the morning with some gently mindfulness techniques is always a great way to go into our day feeling more grounded and present. These can take as little as 5 minutes. I have included a 6-minute morning meditation which can help get you started which can be found here.
Other mindfulness practices can include;
Breathe work, journaling your intentions for the day ahead, enjoying a mindful breakfast or hot drink, avoid looking at phones, emails or TV screens and just pay attention to how it tastes, feels, smells and looks then bringing attention to the gratitude we have for this moment.
I’d love to hear your self-care tips for the autumn, share them over on my Instagram page the more we can share the more we can all benefit.
I will leave you with a reminder to be kind to yourself and others and if like me you have struggled with the seasonal change in the past then have a go at building in more self-care.
Essential Oils vs Fragrance Oils
What’s the difference between essential oils & fragrance oils?
Natural essential oils
Natural essential oils are 100% pure plant oil extracts derived from the leaves, flowers, branches and roots of herbs, shrubs, trees and flowering plants. The oils are carefully extracted through either steam distillation or mechanical methods such as cold pressing.
Natural essential oils are in their purest form and not combined with any other ingredients, which means they are never manipulated with synthetic ingredients.
Natural essential oils have been used for over 6000 years to help improve physical and mental health. Essential oils can be found in many wellbeing products to support relaxation and ease anxiety as well as in beauty products for their amazing skin care benefits.
Essential oils are commonly used in healthcare settings to support conventional medicine and can alleviate many emotional and physical symptoms of a patient’s ill health. They can support symptoms such as nausea, pain, general wellbeing, anxiety, stress, depression and insomnia and support in end of life care.
The use of essential oils is one of the fastest growing complementary therapies worldwide.
It is important to note that essential oils do contain many chemicals albeit naturally occurring ones, always follow manufactures guidelines when using them.
How to use natural essential oils:
· Diffusing – add a few drops into a diffuser, you can instantly change the mood and ambience of the room. With the aromas stimulating your senses and nervous system almost immediately, many people find diffusing essential oils reduces stress and anxiety, improve cognitive ability and improve mood. Check out our organic diffuser blends here.
· Directly from the bottle – many prefer the traditional way of using essential oils; direct inhalation from the bottle through a couple of deep breaths, although do make sure your bottle has a child safety cap to prevent it getting into little hands.
· Steam – grab a bowl of hot water, pop in a few drops of essential oils, place a towel over your head, and breathe in the intoxicating aroma.
· In products – essential oils are commonly used in beauty and wellbeing products as each essential oils have specific therapeutic properties for mind and body. If you wish to have a bespoke product created for your individual requirements, then get in touch via our contact page.
How to safely use natural essential oils
· Always check the quality of the producer of your natural essential oils. Use a trusted supplier and check that no extra chemicals or ingredients have been added; this could cause a reaction.
· Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because an essential oil is natural, it can’t be harmful. Essential oils contain very high concentrations of natural chemicals, so they should not be used neat on the skin and must be diluted. Seek advice from a qualified aromatherapist if in doubt. You can ask us any questions on how to use our blends via our contact page.
· Keep your supply of essential oils up to date. Older oils, typically more than two years can be spoiled through exposure to light, heat and oxygen. If you notice changes in how an oil smells or looks, it’s more than likely time to get rid of it.
· Store them in a cool, dark place away from heat and direct sunlight.
· Do not swallow or ingest any essential oil; this can be extremely dangerous.
· Pregnant women should take extra care when using essential oils and seek medical advice if unsure.
Fragrance oils?
Unlike essential oils, fragrance oils are blended in a laboratory and composed of raw ingredients taken from nature and mixed with synthetic materials to create longer-lasting and more complex blends. Fragrance oils will typically contain a mixture of essential oils, absolute oils, extracts and isolates from essential oil, as well as many synthetic materials.
Fragrance oils are artificially created and often diluted with other ingredients, they do not offer the same therapeutic properties that natural essential oils do. Fragrance oils are more commonly used to make aromatic products such as perfumes, candles, soaps, wax melts, lotions, bath bombs and room sprays.
Just like essential oils they contain chemicals so manufactures guidelines should be followed when using these products.
Winter Pick Me Ups
When the alarm clock goes off and its pitch dark, cold and you hear the rain pattering on the window more often than not we want to snuggle that little bit more under the duvet and drift back off to sleep but we can't always do that when we have commitments, whether it be work, school run etc.
There is actually a lot more to it than just being dark and cold that causes our brain to want to retreat from the world, get cosy on the sofa and eat all the delicious things we can muster up in our Mind.
The fewer daylight hours means less exposer to the sun which is important in providing us with Vitamin D. Vitamin D is associated with healthy brain function and a lack of this can contribute to making us feel low in the winter months, the shift in daylight hours can often mean less sunshine on our skin which means a reduction in vitamin D which is associated with healthy brain function.
I don't know about you, but my diet really impacts my mind-set which is for sure trickier in the winter when all I want to do is curl up and eat yummy food which in turn means I have little motivation to do exercise. Historically we would hibernate, keep warm and eat food sourced in preparation for the winter months so our bodies hold memories of this from our ancestors.
So what can we do? Through my research these are the top tips for beating low mood in the winter months
Get out in the light as often as we can and take a walk, this way we get double the benefits of exercise and light
Invest in a light box which can help with getting us moving on those dark mornings
Get enough sleep by keeping a consistent sleep pattern when possible
Balance work with things that bring fun and pleasure
Eat a balanced diet, this doesn’t mean denying ourselves of sugar or carbs but making sure we include a daily dose of fruits and veggies
Try switching up your exercise routine if you are finding it hard to motivate yourself. Any exercise is good for you so finding a style that feels good to you is the most important thing and will help keep you consistent.
The same may go for self-care routines, I think the winter months lend themselves well to gorgeous scented candles, journaling, sipping cacao, hot baths with beautiful essential oil infused bath salts, luxurious body oils to help keep the skin hydrated and nourished from the winter elements.
Most of all be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up for the scientifically proven changes to our mind and body. This happens to us all! Instead try incorporating the tips above into a balance that works well for you and try leaning into the cosy winter months.
Mindset
It’s natural for our mind to sometimes drift to a negative place which can cause worry, doubt or feeling that things aren’t working out. This is normal and all part of being a human being but it’s also super helpful to find ways to be able to switch this mindset so we don’t dwell in this space for too long.
Here is a little exercise that can help along with a short meditation. You can spend as long as you need on this exercise until your mind is focusing on happier and more positive thoughts.
Mindfulness Exercise
Journal prompts
Make a list of the times in your life that have made you feel alive and joyful
Write down all the things you love to do.
Write down when you feel at your happiest
Write down what you are most passionate about
Write down when you feel the best about yourself
Write down your personal strengths
These prompts help us to focus on positive thoughts and happy times.
Mindfulness Meditation:
Play some gentle background music of your choice, this could be sounds of crashing waves, birds and nature, musical instruments such as gentle piano of flute sounds.
Get yourself comfortable either lying down or sitting
Listen to the music and focus on the sounds of the music
Try to keep your mind focused on the music
Recall your happy answers from the journal exercise
Focus on how they make you feel and why they make you feel that way
If your mind starts to wonder bring your attention back to the music
Take 3 deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth
On exhale release any previous negative thoughts
Bring your thoughts back to the music and smile whilst remembering what makes you feel joyful.
Being Kind to Yourself
Being kind to ourselves is the number one self-care practice we probably don’t do enough of and all need a little bit more of. We often put others before ourselves leaving us feeling unworthy and then selfish when we finally do something for us.
Self-care looks different for everyone but there are some really simple practices that we can incorporate that will soon have us noticing a difference in our own self-worth.
Focus on all our positives, this doesn’t mean that we need to ignore our areas for development but it does mean giving a shout out to ourselves for all the good things about us. Being proud of our achievements, starting to accept compliments with a thank you rather than finding a brushoff comment when someone says something nice. Noticing what we love about our body is it your eyes or perhaps your smile, we can all find something to love about ourselves.
Start something new it could be a new routine or practice maybe a new hobby you’ve have been wanting to try for ages. This can spark excitement in us which brings about a smile and happy feelings in the brain.
Quit the comparison. I know this is hard particularly with social media but, you are you and that is your super power! Remember that. It’s worth noting those that trigger you too, think about why that is. Do they have something you want? If so rather than be jealous support them, cheer them on and go after creating the same for yourself.
Take time to hang out with your friends, the positive ones! The ones that lift you up and make you laugh this can change our mood and mind-set instantly.
Get moving and eat some high vibe food! This doesn’t mean don’t eat cake or have a day slobbing on the sofa, I’m all for days like this but everything in moderation. Life is about balance and creating the right balance is everything for a healthy mind-set.
Be your own best friend think about how you would talk to your best friend and compare it to the things your mind says about and to you. Is it the same? More often than not, it is not the same and this needs to change. Start by some small reflective thoughts at the end of the day what are you proud of today, what did you handle well, what did you learn, what did you appreciate? Start noticing the achievements each day. This not only helps your self-worth but also encourages you to be better and find more positives in the day.
I hope this is useful to some of you, we would love for you to share your being kind tips in the comments so we can all add even more to our tool kit. :)
Journaling
Journaling can be an absolute game changer for our wellbeing because it can help us to get down our dreams and goals, our daily intentions, our reflective practices and also remind ourselves what we are grateful for. We can also use it to monitor our feelings and cycles and look for patterns of behaviour or emotions that routinely come up.
I journal daily, although my practice isn’t always the same. Sometimes I want to set intentions for the day ahead which could be based on how I want to feel by the end of the day or I may write out the goals for the day or even a to do list. Sometimes If I am feeling out of sorts or perhaps I got out the wrong side of the bed, then I’ll write down how I’m feeling or ask myself questions which then help to bring out the answer I’m looking for through my journaling. If I am journaling about my dreams and goals sometimes instead of writing I will draw them, now I am definitely no artist but it allows me to think creatively about what those dreams will look like in reality and I can get lost in an exciting dream like state during these times.
In society today we have very little time to process our thoughts and actions so I also like to use journaling to be reflective, to help me show up as the best version of me. At times we all get stressed, angry, upset, exhausted and these emotions all impact how we show up in the world. Reflective journaling allows us to work on becoming our best selves, by giving ourselves the time we deserve, this time should not be spent beating ourselves because we snapped at a work colleague or didn’t sit and listen intentionally to your child’s day from start to finish whilst trying to cook the dinner for the whole family. It means acknowledging these things and being kind to yourself first and foremost. Once we start to identify the things that cause us to behave in these ways we can start to take small steps to reduce them. It’s not about being perfect at everything, that is quite frankly impossible but it is about you feeling good about you!
There is no right or wrong way to journal, simply do what feels right for you in the moment. You will soon notice by allowing yourself this time for selfcare that you will be more in tune with your emotions, needs, hopes and dreams.
Our Mind Notes Journal and cards are a great way to get into this selfcare practice as they provide you with various wellbeing activities to choose from which are shown below.
Inspirational quotes
Colouring pages
Motivational exercises
Probing questions
Coaching techniques
Mindfulness techniques
Breathing exercises
Positive affirmations
Check them out here.
The Journey to Wellbeing
Welcome to the Blossom Leaf Wellbeing Blog page, where I hope you find inspiration, tools and practices to enable you to live your best wellbeing life!
Life recently has taught us to slow down and go inwards so what does this mean and what is wellbeing? It looks different for everyone and is much more than a soak in a hot bath at the end of the day or a walk in the fresh air at the weekend. Wellbeing is regular practices and routines that provide a holistic balance of the mind and body.
Our mind map below shows what we consider to be important components to overall wellbeing.
Here are some daily practices which can enable us to meet these requirements.
Journaling - Getting those whirring thoughts out of our head and on to paper, this can be assisted by journaling prompts, reflecting at the end of the day or setting intentions for the day/week/month ahead.
Solitude - Being happy to be with our own thoughts isn’t always easy but spending time in solitude gives us time to reflect on whether we have shown up as the best version of ourselves or met intentions we previously set. These time can also help when planning for those times when we know we need to be on our ‘A’ game or just making mind space for the interactions with those we spend time with.
Movement - Finding any form of movement/exercise that we enjoy is important, this helps to remove stale blocked energy and stimulate the body to produce the feel good endorphins which give us that happy buzz .
Nutrition - Listening to want your body needs, this doesn’t mean restricting yourself but does mean filling your body with a wide range of high vibe food full of vitamins and minerals so your body and mind can work at it’s best as well as eating that big slice of cake when you want it!
Meditation - With practice this gets easier, and once the mind has started to slow down we have the awareness to listen to our intuition much more and respond to life events as opposed to reacting.
Finding our passion - This often leads us to our purpose, those things we love we are meant to share with others. When we follow our passion we find motivation, direction and a sense of fulfilment.
Wellbeing is a journey with no end, something that can have ups and downs but ultimately should support us to feel and be the best we can be.
Holistic Treatments and Emotional Release
Have you ever felt emotional after experiencing a holistic treatment? Perhaps you had a massage, reflexology, or even a wonderfully relaxing pressure point face and scalp massage?
Many of us feel we hold most of our tension in the neck and shoulders, which for many of us we do but in addition to this we all hold tension in the soft tissue of our muscles and via our nervous system muscle memories from being in fight or flight mode.
In the same way a specific aroma can unlock a past memory, relaxing and releasing tension in the muscles can release stored emotions.
Often clients may say they feel emotional, some may even cry, or even feel angry. These feelings are completely normal and it is important that you release these emotions as it will leave you feeling lighter and more at peace. All professional holistic practitioner should give you time and support to enable this process if you find you need it.
This emotional release can also be part of what we call a healing crisis, which is when the body tries to remove toxins and stored emotions faster than it normally would. The more toxic the body systems, the more severe the healing crisis. Massage provides a strong detoxification experience for the body both physically and emotionally. It may not always happen directly after treatment and can sometimes occur up to a few days after treatment.
If this doesn’t happen for you don’t fret it doesn’t mean your storing up lots of negative emotions, we are all different and we all release what we need to at different times and it has nothing to do with how deep the massage is either.
Here’s some tips on what to do if you experience an emotional release or healing crisis after treatment:
· Drink lots of water – hydration is key to aiding the body’s organ systems to eliminate toxins and function properly.
· Sleep – if you feel tired listen and tune in, perhaps take a nap. This is your body’s way of telling you in is in regeneration mode.
· Eat a light healthy meal - eating a large, highly processed meal will only make you feel worse as the body is in a detoxification process.
· Take a few long slow deep breathes - in through the nose and out through the mouth. Your practitioner should always inform you of what to do after a massage including if you experience the above, if not than this can feel overwhelming therefore slow deep breathing can help calm the mind and body.
Let me reassure you that massage can be wonderfully relaxing but it is also a reset for mind and body. The benefits of regular massage on a holistic (whole body) level have been extensively researched with many reporting on the health benefits of regular massage treatments to support us in today’s fast paced lives.
I hope this helps somebody and as always if you have any questions about this topic then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Next available massage treatments Sunday 11th June 2023- White Rose Training Academy, Woodhorn Lane, Chichester, PO20 2BX. Link in bio.
Arghh the word discipline would normally make me want to recoil and completely rebel. As many of you know for the last few years I have been working on creating the freedom life I dream of so when I think of the word discipline it feels the complete opposite to freedom. However, what I have come to realise over the last year is that without some form of discipline then we can struggle to reach the goals and dreams we want in life whilst maintaining feeling good.
Take health for example, I make a conscious effort to maintain a healthy mindset, don’t get me wrong I have good days and bad days like everyone else, that is all part of being human but I can quickly identify when I am going down a rabbit hole of self comparison or my thoughts are on the negative side or perhaps I am just simply not speaking to myself nicely with my thoughts. When this happens I take time away from social media, get out in nature, meditate, do all the things that allow me to connect back to me which I have learnt over the last few years.
Last year, I found that I was not doing the same for my body health. I have been a yo-yo exerciser and dieter for most of my life and it took me a long time to realise that by treating my body this way was complete opposite of self-care. It has taken me years yo-yoing and then eventually practising having a healthy mind to finally realise the benefits of healthy food and regular exercise, as this too impacts our mental health. It sounds silly as you hear people say how exercise can support positive mental health all the time, but we don’t always take on what people say, particularly when it is just seeing it in our social media feed! We must have the realisation ourselves and really pinpoint what we need for our mind and body. When we connect the dots and understand what is truly good for us these are what become our self-care tools and practices.
So what does this have to do with discipline? Well this is where we want to make sure we are building time for these things. Now for many the thought of adding in more to our day or week may feel overwhelming what with the constant juggle of work, childcare, school and playdates, the house and everything else we have to manage however, showing our mind and body love leads us to be the best version of ourselves. What does the best version of you look like?
For me it is believing in myself, trusting my intuition, not comparing, feeling energetic, feeling good about my body, looking at all problems from a higher perspective and not getting drowned in the drama, maintaining a calm and positive outlook, being kind and responding rather than reacting to life’s challenges. I want to be this person every day because I love the way I feel. Yes, there will be days that will feel harder but if I am disciplined in prioritising my wellbeing then I will be showing up as this person more often than not.
So where do we start?
Here are some simple questions to ask yourself to identify just 3 things you should prioritise and become disciplined in incorporating to your week for you to be the best version of you. Why weekly? Daily can be hard and some days we won’t want to prioritise this or may forget or just not have the time but to remain consistent we do need to add in some simple practices on a weekly basis and make time to prioritise them and even diarise them where possible.
· When do you feel your happiest?
· When do you feel most connected to yourself?
· When do you feel you are the best version of you towards your family and friends?
· What helps you to feel calm and peace?
· What helps you to feel good in your body?
I hope this helps some of you identify some practices and ways to be disciplined in incorporating selfcare into you weekly routines and remember that this looks different for everyone what is important is to identify the things that make YOU feel good!