Mental Health Awareness Week: My Wellness Daily Routine

I’ve just hit pause on Selling Sunset Season 6, episode 8, in attempt to do something fairly productive with my day. Which of course, is to type some thoughts.

Honestly though, there are so many great things being released on Netflix, Prime and Disney+. I need to dedicate a week or two of my life to binge-watching. But as some may know, my life has been pretty darn hectic, so I fit in TV time when I can.

My husband and I cancelled a few plans this weekend as I wasn’t feeling myself, I was feeling super super tired and also in need of some much needed chill time.

We often get so caught up in attending so many events with friends and family, that we sometimes forget that we need time to relax as well.

We don’t actually spend a lot of time together, we kind of do our own things most of the time. I suppose that’s what you do when you’ve been together for over 12 years?

Joe works a very demanding and busy day-job, so I see him for like maybe an hour or two if I’m lucky most evenings, and then when the weekend falls around, we attend family and friends events together or Joe has been doing a lot of stag do’s recently, so I’ve been on dog-watch. Or, my mother-in-law will visit me those weekends to keep me company.

We were actually driving to an event earlier, stuck in traffic for over an hour and I just said “I want to go home.” So Joe turned the car around and off we went home. I often think that we are ALWAYS there for people who need us and we of course want to be there, but when I’m feeling off and I feel differently about the type of event it is, especially “baby showers” considering our history, selfishly I just want to curl up on a ball on the sofa in my PJs and that’s not a bad thing right?!

Anyway, as always I got caught up chatting about every-day life, don’t mind me!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you will know I’m really into ‘wellness’ and ‘healthy ways of living’.

Wellness can mean a number of things, one definition from the internet states “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal”.

There are different kinds of wellness you can focus on, my journey focuses on emotional wellness, physical wellness and social wellness. Even, spiritual wellness.

If you know me well, you will know I’ve been through many many ups and downs with my weight gain, body image and general shit and unlucky health. My mental health has also suffered quite a bit over the years.

I also recently became aware that I had a very very distorted relationship with food, dieting and intense daily exercise to try and be ‘healthy’ and loose weight quickly.

I learnt the hard way, it was not a sustainable and healthy way of living. Fad diets DO NOT WORK!

I feel like I’ve got a better balance now, although you know… it would be nice to lose another couple of stone. However, these “goals” will take time.
Although, I’m happy to share I’ve lost 15 pounds since late December. My weight has kind-of stayed the same the past 3 months though. So, I’m trying to increase my exercise once again.

My Slow Morning Routine

Firstly, I take my thyroid medication as soon as I wake up, which is around 6-7am. I can’t eat/drink anything for around an hour after taking.

After the hour’s up, I start my morning with a cup of lemon water, a matcha coconut latte, earl grey tea or smoothie including a scoop of Rheal Superfoods.

If I’m feeling hungry I’ll eat some yogurt with fruit or a nutritious breakfast.

I then take some other meds and supplements/vitamins. I take quite a lot of supplements and vitamins.

The photo below doesn’t show absolute everything I take. I’m currently on 600mg of iron tablets as my iron levels were really low on a recent blood test. As well as taking folic acid 5mg and Omega 3,6 and 9 for vegans and vegeterians.

When I’m ready to start the day, I either practice yoga, go for a long walk with my dog or walk by myself or even go on the exercise bike (depending on my energy levels). I tend to listen to music when I’m doing a work-out as well which really lifts my mood and keeps me going.

My Afternoon/Evening Wellness Routine

For lunch I have another glass of lemon water and I’ll either make a home-made soup or have something more filling. If I’m still feeling peckish, I’ll have some more fruit and a cuppa green tea.

If I feel like I need some fresh air, I’ll also go for another dog walk or run some errands. I try to get around 10,000 steps a day. Although, this Friday I did over 22,000 steps. That’s unheard of for me, haha.

I was doing so well with my step-count and closing my “rings” (apple geeks will know) until I heard about my thyroid news.

I’ve been a bit tired in April and May, however I have been trying to up my game the past few weeks to get back on track. Whether that’s increasing my step-count to 12,000 or higher, to try a hit an average of “10,000” for the month.

I also find doing little bits of cleaning around the house helps lift my mood.

In the late afternoon and evening, I either tend to feel quite energetic or in need of some sleep, so I’ll do a bit of writing and some more gentle exercises and or go for a long stroll by myself or with my neighbour. We have long and deep chats, which is so therapeutic and lovely. Or I’ll scrap all that and have an hour or two nap and chill for the rest of the day.

I usually make and eat dinner around 4-5pm, at the moment I’m trying to eat a gluten-free diet. Which is SO hard but I feel like I feel much lighter and less bloated! I’ve been enjoying a mix of vegan/vegetarian meals, occasionally eat the odd bit of fish. My go to is usually a GF veggie stir-fry.

If I’m feeling like I deserve a treat I’ll buy a box of ‘Borough 22’ doughnuts or ‘GF baked doughnuts from ‘Doughnut Time’. Or some GF cakes from Morrisons. Occasionally I’ll get a take-away from my local Indian restaurant.

I’ll usually spend a bit of time with Joe in the evening, have some chats, watch some Netflix and get an early-ish night between 9-11pm. Sometimes Joe works really late, especially the past few weeks. So I have been enjoying going for nightly walks, taking long bubble baths, listening to music or reading a book.

I tend to use my NEOM diffuser in the evening’s to help relax me. They are called ‘Wellbeing Pods’, I have lots of different oils, which I’ll choose according to my mood. I also light candles in the evening as they also help to calm me. Lastly, before I go bed, I’ll have a shower, put some comfy PJs on and spray my favourite pillow spray to ensure I have a good night’s sleep.

Do you enjoy ‘wellness’, what do you do in your daily routines to help you? Let me know in the comments below.

Right, back to watching Selling Sunset… Have a fabulous weekend all!