I am definitely the sort of person who thrives on being productive. I will never run out of things on my to do list, and if that gets close to happening then I’ll be sure to fill it up with other stuff. I like to keep a steady momentum going, it keeps my mind in a good place. But when you look closely there’s actually a huge difference between being ‘busy’ and being ‘productive’, and I think it’s the latter which I enjoy and is good for me. I find when things get ‘busy’, that’s when the overwhelm hits. Busy has connotations of chaos, things being frantic and too much stuff being crammed into one teeny tiny space. Now that’s what I don’t like, and that’s exactly what makes my mental health take a dip. When life gets too busy, too noisy, it’s time for a time out to re-prioritise and assess the situation
In an often panic ridden bid to dampen the noise inside my head, the first thing I do at the earliest opportunity is run myself a bath. There’s something so quiet and calming about the noise of running water, marbled with a colourful and sweet smelling bath bomb from Lush, which almost seems to hit the pause button on life (like my very own bernards watch) I like my baths to be quite hot, so I don’t linger in them for too long, just long enough to let a face mask dry in and shave various body parts! I use a face mask around once a week, and recently I have been using up the Moisturising Moon Mask I bought from Glossier last year (I hope these sort of products don’t have quick use by dates because it always takes me far too long to finish them) I’ve been pairing a face mask with a hair mask as well – double the luxury huh! Tying in with my Olaplex routine I also purchased No 3 from Blow, and actually keep it in overnight, wrapped up in a head scarf and then rinse while I’m in the shower the next morning. Once out of the bath, I cover myself neck down with Lush’s Sleepy Lotion (because nothing in my opinion calms and heals your nervous disposition more than the smell of lavender) along with the Glossier Rich Face Moisturiser. Paired with a chilled spotify playlist, this routine above is guaranteed to recharge my inner batteries by at least half. I don’t think about anything when I’m in the bath, only where I am and what I’m doing in that very moment (the song lyrics, the patterns of the bath bomb swirling in the water, and how did my toes get so hairy) Being present with yourself is a really great way to realign and refocus.
Believe it or not, it’s only taken me years to listen when people say you will sleep better if you read a book before bed rather than sitting illuminated by the bright white light of your iphone. Social media is a distraction, and after thoroughly emptying the contents of my brain after being in the bath there’s nothing which would undo that quicker than a scroll through instagram. So once I’m dried and have fresh jammies on, I won’t go back on my social accounts before bed, and instead I’ve been reading a few chapters of a book before I go to sleep. In my 30 before 30 list I mentioned wanting to read more books this year, and have set myself a humble target of one book per month (which seemed reasonable for someone who generally reads/buys absolutely zero books) I have currently read the top three in this pile, and have just started ‘Our House’ which is my book for April.
Reuben totally thrives and relies on his evening routine of ‘bath, bottle and bed’ and I’ve certainly been seeing the benefits of a weekly ritual of ‘bath, book and bed’ too. I wish I had the patience to do this every single night, but I don’t want to and I don’t NEED to either to be honest (apart from the book and no socials before bed every night, that one’s a staple) However I do commit to indulging myself in a super quiet and chilled evening routine like this on the days where my brain and body have taken on too much, which is always around once a week (lol) It’s like pressing the reset button, clearing the cache and cookies in my brain and guaranteed when I wake up the next morning I always feel focused and ready to face the tasks which had previously been overwhelming me.
Have a play and find your ritual, the things which make you feel centered and relaxed, and promise you will drop everything else and do it whenever you need it most. Even better – do it before you realise that you need it. A lot of people these days call it self care, and that’s exactly what it is. Something simple or sumptuous that’s just for you. It’s selfish, and you know what, that is totally ok.
