My New Fitness Journey

In the past month or so I have completely restarted my fitness routine – I used to work out a lot and after stopping for a few months, I’m just getting back into the swing of it. I thought that I would bring my fitness to this blog as it’s a big part of my life and I also thought it’d be nice to have a place to document my journey. Let’s get motivated.

 

The best place to start would probably be with my history of fitness. I used to really dislike my body, I was never necessarily big but, I was always bloated – I pigged out A LOT. So, from the age of about 12/13 I used to set myself the task of getting fit at the beginning of every year yet, I never could stick to it. Of course, the feeling of giving up left me deflated but, I think I was too young to really get into the correct mind set in order to work out effectively. Soon enough, January of 2015 rolled around – I had the same resolution but, this time was different; this time I was going to stick to it. I built up slowly, for the first two months I literally did a 30 day ab & squat challenge and then worked out for three days a week. I probably worked out for about 15 minutes on my “working out days”. Soon enough I was working out one hour a day, five days a week. At my peak of fitness I was going to the gym for over two hours a day, six days a week. As you can imagine, I was VERY proud of myself. As it turns out, slowly building up was the way for me to develop a love for fitness (I will do a structured post on this as I think it could help a lot of people out).

You’re probably wondering why I’m writing this post; If I was so into fitness, how did I wind up not doing it? Well, life simply got in the way. I moved to a new place and just as I was about to sort a membership out for a gym, I had to move again – I ended up moving quite a few times and over that period of time I just fell out of the habit of working out. So, at the beginning of this year I was all ready to start my fitness up again – I kind of stuck to it and kind of didn’t. I did a little bit of working out here and there but, it wasn’t enough. On top of that, I got quite sick in March/April this year and I couldn’t even think about working out. Once again, I was thrown a bit off guard. I didn’t want to be defeated though so, half way through June I began to work out for about ten minutes a day and in July I was doing about twenty minutes a day, five days a week. It helped me to build back up my love for fitness – It reminded me of how I got into it in the first place.

 

That brings me to now – August. Over the period of August I have been working out for about 40-60 minutes a day, five days a week and I am finally starting to see some progress again which makes me really happy. I’ve been eating pretty healthy, I have way more than my five a day and I’ve been eating a lot of protein. However, some days I will go to my local SPAR and literally spend like seven pounds on junk food (haha, life is all about balance). The reason why this feels like the start of my fitness journey is because I feel like I’m properly working out now, in comparison to short little bursts. I am nowhere near where I want to be but, I’m building up – Slow and steady wins the race.

The areas that I want to work on at the moment are my oblique’s (this is your waist area – working on this helps to give you more of an hourglass shape but of course, genetics help), my lower back and my glutes. My main focus is definitely my legs and glutes as I really want to try and bulk them up a little bit and get some more shape.

So, what am I doing you may ask? I’m not going to the gym, at the moment I’m working out from home which I’m really enjoying. I am currently using “Blogilates”, which is a fitness channel on YouTube (I’ve used it since trying to get fit when I was 12). As my glutes are my main focus, I have set up a series of three leg days and two ab days. These are all separate playlists, consisting of six videos each – All an hour or under. If you happen to me interested in following the same plan that I’m on then I have left the links to each playlist underneath for you J

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3TSpXrwJ4qHPu3gAwcM5WQ/playlists

I am planning on making a fitness series, one for me to track my progress and also so we can all get motivated together. I’m very excited for this new chapter.

See you next Tuesday,

C x

6 Month Update

I’m a bit late on the bandwagon as it’s now reaching the end of July but, it’s time to do a half year recap. Firstly, can you believe that we’re already over half way through the year? I know I sound like everybody and their mum bit, it’s unbelievable how fast it’s flown by. I really can’t get my head around it. Nonetheless, I’m very excited that summer is here. The weather is getting warmer, I’m building up my summer wardrobe AND everything in my life is on the right path. Metaphorically, the sun has come up again.

I don’t really know how to structure this post because, there is SO much to it. I literally have so much to talk about and it’s kind of like when you’re tidying your room but you don’t know where to start. Do you get me or am I just rambling about stuff that doesn’t make sense.

Ya need to get a pot of tea (not a cup, a pot), this is going to be a long post.

 

                                                                                                  BLOGGING

One of the things that I really wanted to do this year was set up a blog and here I am; blogging. I’m very much at the start of my journey with this blog but, I’m thoroughly enjoying it and I can’t wait to see what it grows into. It’s nice to have a hobby that’s also helping me learn about things at the same time. Having this blog has helped me to organise and plan things to a deadline, nobody is holding me at gun point telling me to do any of the things that I do for this blog BUT I know what I need to do in order to help it grow so, I have to organise and plan around that. Since I started this blog, I’m yet to miss a Tuesday (the day I upload a new post) which is a big achievement for me although it does sound like a small thing. On top of all that, it’s nice to have a place of my own where I can create content that represents me – It’s an amazing feeling. I appreciate every comment, follow, like, read – It all oddly means a strange amount to me.

My goals for this blog over the next six months are quite clear to me – I know the next step that I have to take. I want to be uploading two posts a week, I would love to be doing three posts a week but, that’s more of a goal for 2018. I would also like to have a better blog design and to have bought my own domain just because I feel like I’ll have more freedom with it. I have lots of ideas for how I want my blog to look so, it’ll be very exciting to see them become a reality. Finally, I would love to do a collab with another blogger (if you’re interested in this then please leave me a comment). I just think it would be a really fun and enjoyable experience that I’d also learn a lot from.

                       HEALTH AND FITNESS

 I used to work out a lot, like two hours at the gym, six days a week kind of a lot. I was very healthy, in actual fact – I was vegetarian, almost vegan. However, life got in the way and I couldn’t go to the gym which I think had a huge part in me giving up on vegetarianism. Anyway, I wanted to get back to working out and eating healthily this year which I’m definitely on the road to doing. Like I said, the first few months were quite bumpy and things only started to settle around April time so, my health and fitness was almost non-existent at that point. Skipping forward to now, I’ve been working out five days a week and eating 70% healthy – It’s been making me feel so happy within myself and now I’m ready to keep pushing. I think the thing that’s motivating me to work harder now is the fact that I can see the smallest most baby abs peeking through BUT they’re definitely there.

My health and fitness goals over the next six months are to be working out for at least one hour a day, six days a week. I’m not really into cardio very much so, I would like to develop on my running. Even if I went for a jog once a week, I’m not on about becoming the next Usain Bolt or anything but, I do need to open my lungs up a little bit more. I would like to see more concrete abs forming as well as larger glutes and growing my legs in general. In terms of eating, I would LOVE to get back to a point of being vegetarian or at least on the path to it. I’ve done it once before and I know just how good it made me feel so, I don’t really know what my excuse is? Finally, I would like to practice yoga a little bit – Even if it’s once/twice a week; as long as I form a routine with it, I’d be happy with it.

                                                                                               WORK & MONEY

I was in a bit of an unstable position at the beginning of the year in terms of work ect… What I really wanted was to get a job that I could thoroughly enjoy because at the end of the day, we all need to work for our money but, it’s horrible when certain jobs result in unhappiness. Fast forwarding to now, I have a job that I absolutely love – It’s in the industry that I’m most passionate about which is giving me a proper buzz for life. Yes, sometimes I will come home and I’ll feel knackered but, none of that matters because I’m not tired mentally. Honestly, it is wakening my brain and making me want to work as hard as possible and see where I come out. I also have another job that I really enjoy too. It’s such a chilled out and causal environment and everyone is so lovely. You can’t really ask for anything more.

My goals for the rest of the year in terms of working and money is to basically just keep working hard and building upon my work ethic as I feel a good work ethic really sets you up for life. In terms of money, I definitely want to open a savings account – I have a few ideas about what I want to save for but, I’m not sure yet. I figured that the best thing to do was save anyway and then at least I have the money there when I decide what I need it for. Finally, I want to start putting money by for my pension, even if it’s a fiver a month. Most reactions I’ve got from that have been laughter but, it’s better to start late than never. We’ve all got to remember that one day, we will be old and we may not have a government that gives out a pension. It’s definitely one to think about.

                    GENERAL LIFE & HAPPINESS

This is the last section to this post but, it is by far the most important. I used to have a lot of love and respect for myself, I never thought I was better than anyone or anything like that – It was more that I didn’t let anyone treat me badly more so, I never treated myself badly. Over time I wound up hating myself and all I wanted to do was crawl out of my skin and be someone else. It’s a horrible feeling which is why I set myself a goal to learn to love myself again and to start being nice to myself again. Over the course of this six months, I really have done that. I feel like myself again. I feel comfortable in my own skin. I’ve got my identity back which is beyond empowering. I’m back to having a positive mind set which means it takes a lot to knock me down. I can feel the strength within me, burning like a fire and it’s only growing more and more each day. I stand up for my opinions – I will hear other peoples out but equally, I’ve rediscovered the fact that I have a right to take up space in this world and to put my voice out there.

This is a journey without a destination, I don’t necessarily have an end goal as I want to continually be moving forward and growing as a person. However, I know that by the end of this year I would like to be able to say “I love myself” and 100% mean it. I also want to bring meditation into my life and be practicing it regularly by Christmas time as I feel it’s an amazing thing for self-discovery and to connect to yourself which is EXACTLY what I need to do.

 

                                                                            OTHER GOALS  

·         Get my provisional licence and pass my provisional test

·         Start an Etsy store (More on this in a few months)

·         To stop one of my bad habits from being a regular thing

Thank you so much for reading, what are your thoughts? I would love to hear about how your year has gone so far and what you want to achieve over the coming months. I love hearing motivating and inspiring stories/goals.

Until next time,

C x

Morals & Beliefs

 

My life is beyond hectic right now. I’m currently balancing three jobs, this blog, exercising, socialising AND chill time. Nonetheless, I’m having a lot of fun and it’s filling me with huge amounts of motivation – I just can’t afford to spend as much time blogging as I was, not until I’m settled into my new routine and can find the best times to blog, blog, blog. It’s going to happen though, I’m determined to make this into my creative little space.

Originally, I wrote down facts about me which was actually really hard? I have to

 

nnes of facts about me but, thinking of them on the spot is near enough impossible. Instead, I’ve decided to tell you about some of my core beliefs. Grab some armbands cause this is gon’ get deep.

 

 

 

1.       I believe that people who are intentionally mean to someone are just projecting their insecurities outwards – Even if they themselves don’t realise they’re doing it. Think about it, it’s okay to tell someone why they’ve upset you etc… But, the bullies that call people “fat” “ugly” and a wide range of other things, are obviously missing something within themselves to want to hurt someone for no apparent reason. I don’t know if I’m explaining this very well but putting a different spin on it – When you are at your most happiest and confident, you would never go out of your way to hurt someone (hopefully). This is why the saying “Hurt people, hurt people” rings so true.

 

2.       I believe that what you put out into the universe, you get back. I know that sounds REALLY spiritual and it is a bit but, hear me out. If you spend 24 hours of your day being negative about life and talking about how you can’t achieve anything blah blah blah, the likely hood is that you won’t achieve that thing that you have no confidence in. However, if you’re constantly being positive and thinking “I can do this”, “I will do this” – There is a much higher chance of positive things happening to you. I guess it’s like karma.

 

3.       I believe that everyone is entitled to do what they want AS LONG AS it’s not hurting everyone. This is why it really grinds my gears (haha) when people are criticised for how they dress or how they talk but the fact of the matter is, there’s far more bad people out there, like murders and terrorists and paedophiles. So, so what if someone’s slept with loads of people? Really, what is the problem if no one has been hurt in the process? What’s wrong with someone choosing to be vegan to better the planet? What’s wrong with someone being a hard worker and being happy with a basic job rather than something extravagant? We are way too judgemental as a race, we all truly need to chill out and let people do their thing.

 

 

 

4.       I believe that it’s important to spend time by yourself, like SO important. Spending time with yourself helps you to build up a sense of personal identity. It helps you develop a love for yourself like no other as well as tremendous amounts of self-worth and respect. These are things that we ALL need because, at the end of the day, every person you meet isn’t going to be a good person. Some people are going to treat you badly and you need self-respect to know that what they’re doing is wrong. Please, never underestimate the importance of spending time by yourself.

 

5.       If somebody doesn’t want to be in your life – Fine, let them go. This is something that’s very important to me. Why waste time on a person that doesn’t care about you? As soon as someone tells you that they don’t want you in their life, accept it (no matter how hard it is) and let them walk away. I’m telling you from experience, these people are life suckers and they will only tear you down. Please, don’t beg for someone to stay when you can close the door and throw away the key.

 

6.        I believe it’s important to not be judgemental. Okay, we’re all human and sometimes you judge without even realising but, when you do that – Make sure you pull yourself up on it. You never actually know who a person is – Just because they wear all black clothes does not mean they listen to heavy metal vice versa; just because a girl wears pretty sundresses does not mean she’s obsessed with Ed Sheeran. Hahah, I don’t even know if I’m making sense with those examples (it’s early in the morning) The point I’m trying to make, is that you will gain so much more from life if you allow yourself to be open minded and not jump to assumptions. Just try it.

 

I have a lot more beliefs and thoughts on so much stuff but, I think it’d be interesting to make this into a monthly thing, what do you think? Shall I do a part two?

Thank you so much for reading, I really do appreciate it. At the moment I’m writing one post per week but my aim for the end of the year is to get to two posts per week. If you have any suggestions for post ideas, I would love to hear about them in the comments so let me know and I will try and do them J

Chlo x

 

The Ultimate Blogger's Handbook

Blogging can seem like an absolute mind field sometimes, which is something I know I’m not alone in. There’s just so much to it; in terms of the look of your blog, writing posts, marketing, networking, SEO (I’m still pretty clueless about that) and so much more. Now, I started blogging three months ago and it’s actually become something that I get a lot of joy and passion out of. As I’m fairly new here, I’ve been looking to other bloggers for their tips and tricks regarding growing and bettering a blog. Below are a few of the posts that I’ve found really helpful and thought they deserved to be shared with you beautiful people.

 

1.       This post really helped to give me an insight on writing content that people are actually going to read, she talks about things like photography, the value of the post and also how to create a killer introduction paragraph.

 

2.       If you’re a fellow blogger and you’re really trying to take it seriously, you will know just how hard it can be to balance growing your blog as well as working and socialising. This post really gives some great tips for how to establish a balance whilst growing a successful blog.

 

 

3.       I’m no way at this point yet BUT I would like to get to this point in the future. So, if you’re interested in writing posts EVERY SINGLE DAY, then get reading this post.

 

4.       A big part of getting readers to your blog is making sure it looks really nice. I still have a long way to go with mine and I’m waiting a few months before buying my own domain and really making my blog look good but, when I’m ready for that I will be heading to this blog post as it’s got some great tips to have your blog looking flawless.

 

5.       A great way to help grow your audience is through marketing on pinterest. This post explains how you can take advantage of pinterest to increase your traffic and readers.

 

6.       I love this post, it doesn’t necessarily give you tips on how to improve your blog but, it provides reassurance that every blogger has started somewhere. It also prepares you for what you’ve got to come.

 

7.       If you’ve got writers block, this is the perfect post to give you some ideas on what you can write about.

 

8.       This post provides you with all the tips and tricks to rule marketing via social media.

 

See you next Tuesday,

C x

Life Update

 

I’m currently sat out in the sun; bikini top and straw hat on. I’m on a camping trip but, by the time I post this it’ll be a week and a half in the past. I’m having the best time, the weather is absolutely gorgeous. It’s been sooooo hot, I honestly feel like I’m abroad. I’ve been wandering around with my little straw hat and a glass of prosecco, dipping my feet in streams and feeling the soft grass against my bare feet. It’s not hard to see why people love living out in the country; it’s relaxing and you’re at one with nature. Really, what more do you need?

 

Right now, it’s eight o’clock at night and I’m sat under a tree. If it wasn’t for my laptop, I’d feel like I was in a completely different century as all I’m surrounded by is fields. There’s even been wild horses and ponies galloping through the valleys. “Through the valleys” haha, I had a proper farmers voice in my head when I wrote that. I wish that I could put into words just how incredible my view is right now. I wish that you could see the image in your mind so, I’m gonna give describing it a good go. There’s a huge hill in front of me but, it fits perfectly into the landscape. It’s like a giant has got a huge shovel and dumped a load of soil on the ground and patted it down with his hands to give it an effortless slope. Trees of all different shapes and sizes sit along the hill – They create black silhouettes against the blue sky. Finally, is the burning fireball that is the sun – It’s just starting to set behind the hill, it’s waving goodbye to the day before allowing the stars to say “Hello” to the night.

 

Okay, okay – Enough of me trying to describe the view, it’s probably time that I said hey. I created this blog nearly two months ago (I think) and I still haven’t sat down and introduced myself and given a little update on my life. Now that I’m completely relaxed, I thought that it would be the perfect time. So, hi. My names Chloe and I’m eighteen. I set up this blog because I really, really want a career in fashion BUT it’s about baby steps and writing a blog from home (or a field) seemed like the perfect first step.

I’ve had a lot of change in my life recently but, change can be a good thing. The more you embrace it, the more of a chance you’ve got of it being a good thing. So, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

About four weeks ago, I started a new job and so far; I absolutely love it. My official job role is a “Style Consultant” which makes me very happy. I am now one step closer to achieving my dreams. I’ve learn a lot in my short time there, mostly how to deal with customers and also how to get a sale.  I’ve also learnt a lot about the money side of it, in terms of setting profit targets to reach and the turnover. I will go a lot more into detail about this but, I want to leave it a few months and write a completely separate blog post about it.

 

I’ve also recently been through a break up, I don’t want to talk about the relationship/break up itself too much but, what I will say is that I’ve dealt with it a lot better than I ever thought I could. I’ve also seen independence and self-love as two very important things that everyone should have so naturally, I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to really focus on myself and allow myself to grow as a young adult. This is such a crucial point in my life and I really do need to be my main priority. I’m honestly really excited to see what this change in my life brings; my main focus for life at the moment is to have fun and begin my career. This is also something that needs a separate post but again, I will come to that in a few months.

What else have I been doing? Quite a lot actually. I went on a day trip to “Lake Vyrnwy” and “Bala” nearly two weeks ago which was so nice. I’ve never been there before and I seriously recommend that you go if you’ve never been. There’s some amazing views as well and a day in nature is a day well spent. I also went for a tour around “Anfield” (Liverpool’s stadium) as I got into football about eight months ago and they became my club. Honestly, I find it so funny that I actually like football. I used to laugh at people that refereed to their club as “we” and were really enthusiastic about it but now; I know about corners, free kicks, off side – All that jazz. Like, I’m actually upset that football isn’t on in summer. What has happened to me? Haha. On top of all of that, I’ve been spending a lot of time with myself which is nice because I feel reconnected to myself. I feel like myself again which is the nicest feeling.

 

So yeah, lots of stuff has been going on and changes are still going on which means lots of writing. I’m in a very positive mindset right now which means lots of happy go lucky kinda blog posts are going to be heading your way very soon. I really enjoyed writing this so, I’m definitely going to start writing more chill style posts when I get the chance. I hope you enjoyed reading my ramblings and thank you so much for doing so.

See you on Tuesday,

Chloe x

 

The 30 day self-love challenge

 

Do you love yourself?

I hope that your answer to that is yes but, I do understand if it's not. Loving yourself is hard shit man. It's something that I'm learning to do on a daily basis and trust me, I'm not quite there yet but I'm slowly getting there. Whether you love yourself or not, I want you to know that you deserve to feel that emotion towards yourself. More than that, I want you to know that you can love yourself - Honestly, it's possible. You can paint yourself in the brightest of colours, you can plat seeds and grow the most beautiful flowers in your mind.

Hard work? Yes. Worth it? One hundred percent.

To help you (and myself) I've created a challenge aimed at self-care, that I want us to do together. It's 30 days long, I'm planning to start it on July 1st but of course, you can do whenever is perfect for you. The idea behind it is to do a little thing everyday that's going to help you become happier in your everyday life. Above that, it's about taking time to do something for yourself everyday.

I'm really excited to begin the challenge. I want to make sure that I am properly present throughout the tasks that I've planned. I don't want my mind to be wondering, I  want to take that time and own it. That time is me time. That time is YOU time.

So, here is the challenge for you.

Okay, so there it is. It's lots of nice and simple things which I like. I've really tried to make it so that everyone can do using simple tasks that don't cost a penny.

 

I'm really excited for certain days in particular. I'm looking forward to waking up at 5am, I'm definitely going to make a point to go and see the sunrise because I haven't done that in so long but, it's such a beautiful thing. I think donating to charity is going to be really nice as it's a good thing to do and I truly think spreading love is something we should all do more often. Another one I'm looking forward to is planning a trip, I'm going to go all out with it and plan a dream trip just for fun - I think this will motivate me for the future and give me something to work towards.

 

Which ones are you looking forward too?

 

Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it and hope you enjoyed it. I had so much fun creating this and I'm really looking forward to completing the 30 days.

 

- C

 

DIY self-care box

A self-soothe box, a happy box, a mental health box; call it what you like, these boxes have one purpose and that purpose is to cheer you up when you’re in a down and out slump. It’s an “I love you” to yourself – Something for you to create with the knowledge that it’s going to help you one day. This is such a great resource for you to have at your fingertips and it’s SO easy for you to make.

Let’s face it, we all have our down days and we all need cheering up; this is a great way for you to be your own bestfriend and look after yourself in those moments.

To help you, I decided to put this post together which includes the ‘top eight must haves’ for your self-soothe box. Now, before we start on what’s going in your box, you need to actually have a box. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere (promise). I’ll just pop and make a coffee whilst you go and find the box that you’re going to use, this can be a shoe box, a gift box; Literally anything. Go get creative.

 

1.       The first thing that you want to see when you open your ‘Self-Soothe Box’ is a ‘Self-Care List’. Why? You might ask. Well, having something that’s quick and easy to read when you’re not feeling too good is probably the most efficient way to lifting your emotions back up again. Having a list that has quick bullet point ideas for you to scan through and pick an idea from is not only quick but, you’re going to be more inclined to actually do one of your ideas. Some of the things that you could include are: Have a bubble bath, go on a walk, experiment with make-up, have a DIY spa night etc.. The best thing is that you can doodle all over your list and make it look pretty, any excuse to get creative, right? Right.

 

2.       Who doesn’t love play-doh? My feelings are going to be seriously hurt if you don’t because it’s one of the best inventions EVER. Sometimes, when I’m sad, I get very restless and agitated – I just can’t sit still. So, having something to play with in my hands gives me something to do and distracts my mind from the issue at hand. We all know that stress balls have this same effect and to me, play-doh is much better as you can fiddle with it as well as sculpting something creative. If you can, I’d recommend having blue play-doh as blue is a very calming colour. The colour itself represents the mind and is very soothing. Perfect for a self-soothe box.

 

3.       The next thing you’re going to need is to throw in some of your favourite memories, the purpose of this is to remind you of the good times that you’ve had and that you’ve still got plenty of good times to come. It kind of reminds you that the sadness you’re feeling isn’t permanent and that things do get better (trust me, they really do). Some of the memories that I have in my box are: Photos, concert tickets and a letter from my boyfriend. There are so many different things you can use to remind you of your good times such as: Plane tickets, receipts, awards, certificates, an item of clothing… The list is endless. Memories are personal to you and only you know what will work best for this idea.

 

4.       I have letters and notes to myself in my box as well as empty envelops for me to write even more letters to myself. I love having letters to myself, especially when I’m in a really sad place as I can read helpful little notes that I’ve wrote for my future self, coming from a point of happiness. Some of the letters I have are “Read me when you hit rock bottom”, “Read me when your heart feels like it’s breaking”, “Read me when nothing is going right”, “Read me when you feel like a failure”. This tip is a very important one as I find its most helpful for me. If you’ve not got any letters to put in your box then you’ve got all the more reason to get writing and get helping yourself.

 

5.       I know that not everyone reading this will have this book but, you don’t need this particular book. However, what you do need is a self-help book or something along the lines. Having a self-help book will give you something to read through and take notes from. It gives you another person’s perspective and it’s kind of like having a little guardian angel in your box to help you through this hard time. The book that I have is called “The Balance Book”, it’s by Hannah Snowdon and Anastasia Tasou; I love this book. It’s filled with lots of little tips and tricks on how to give and receive love to others and to yourself. It’s all about the positive energy that you can put out into the universe which is very motivating for my not so happy times.

 

6.       A reading book. The book of my choice is “The Perks of being a Wallflower” but of course, you can have any choice of book. The reason I’m putting this down on my list is because a book ignites imagination and is the best form of escapism. Sometimes, when you feel really sad you’re not quite ready to face up to those issues so, instead you can read a book and have the life of another character going on in your head – Giving you an alternative to think about.

 

7.       In my box I have an embroidery kit and some activity sheets. The reason for the embroidery kit is quite like that of the play-doh, it gives you something to do with your hands as well as giving you a source of creativity. There’s many self-hateful and self-destructive things we can do to ourselves when we’re sad so, why not channel that energy into something creative? I really advise having activity sheets in your box as they’re quick and easy to do and give your mind a five minute break. Activity sheets could be anything from writing a list to planning your future. I've gathered some activity sheets for you here, here and here.

8.       The final thing that you need to include in your self-soothe box is a colouring book with your preference of what you want to use to colour, that could be: crayons, pencils, paint, pens etc.. Colouring is a great thing to do to calm the thoughts rushing around your head and again, channel your emotions into creativity. It’s been found that colouring helps with boredom, lack of structure and stress. As well as this, it can really help you if you suffer from PTSD or/and anxiety. It also utilises the area of your brain that enhances concentration. If they’re not enough reason to prove to you that colouring is the perfect soothing activity then you definitely need to try it.

That’s it for my list of things that you can include in your self-soothe box. Of course, you don’t have to use them all and you can add your own ideas of which I would love to hear in the comments because, I want to make my box the best and happiest it can be. I’d love to hear how you get on.

Thank you so much for reading, make sure to check out my blog next Tuesday for a new post.

Chloe x