Seriously, where is Spring? Weatherwise this week in London has been miserable and wet, very wet. Typical English weather, you might say, and yes, we are no strangers to rain, but it is still quite cold.
This week has gone by quickly, and I didn’t get a chance to get out for fun midweek. However, the household had a birthday this week, so I baked a cake. I love baking, I don’t do it very often anymore, but I find it relaxing and a nice activity to create something. But the best thing is, of course, to get to eat the thing ☺
Last night I went to the cinema for the first time since before Covid-19. We watched John Wick: Chapter Four. I like Keanu Reeves, and if you’re into action movies, this one is filled with long, beautifully shot action sequences. Although, I did have a snooze somewhere in the middle before getting poked by an elbow. It is very rare for me to stay awake for a whole film, and it is no reflection on whether or not the film is any good or not.
This Saturday, I am going to a life-drawing class and am unsure what to expect. I did art at school, drawing people posing for you – but with their clothes on. So this will be slightly different from art class in 9th grade. I will keep you posted on this experience.
The Self-Care Tips for this Weekend are to revisit the topics I have covered previously; please see the picture below. Try to incorporate at least three of them this weekend.
And I read a great prompt on Instagram this week (it might have been by Oprah) that I think is spot on:
“Recharge, take time for self-care before your tank gets to empty.”
I am ready to put out a search party for the real spring to come forward. So far, it has just been flirting with us, teasing us with sunshine and blue skies to switch on us with hail storms and heavy rain. At least I am getting proper use of my winter coat, because I doubt it will fit me again next winter, it will be too big.
I think I said last week was hectic. I am unsure how to describe this week then because it has been full-on. However, I put work aside on Wednesday night and went to a comedy show. Oh, it was so much fun. Although my jaw was sore from laughing when leaving the venue, it was exactly what I needed.
Laughter really is the best medicine. Research has shown that laughing is an excellent way to release stress, and I think most of us can recall an occasion when laughter has really provided some well-needed relief. In addition, laughing releases endorphins into your bloodstream, so no wonder you get a little kick from it.
My childhood friend Alice and I always end up in a mad fit of unstoppable laughing, that kind when you almost stop breathing. It’s not a ‘pretty’ laugh; it involves hissing, snoring sounds, and loud bursts of belly laughing. Once, Alice’s daughter recorded us on her mobile phone because she couldn’t quite believe what she was witnessing. When she played the recording back to us later on, a new fit of laughter exploded. She just shook her head.
This leads me to my first Self-Care tip for this weekend:
Laugh. Schedule in time for potential belly laughing this weekend. If you are not spending time with other people, that might result in a lot of laughs, or if the family is too busy doing their own thing, make an effort for yourself to get some laughing time. My favourite distraction is to spend 5-10 minutes watching funny animal videos (if I’m honest, 30 minutes can go by in a swoosh). Watch a comedy series that you know will make you laugh or your favourite funny movie or stand-up special. Whatever tickles your funny bone – make time for it this weekend.
Move your body. If you’re not a regular gym goer, why not try out a class online or something new you haven’t done before? This weekend I am trying out something called wall yoga. Have you heard of it? It has come up a lot in my social media feed. There are different levels, but I will definitely start with beginners. I have a bit of an injured knee, and many poses and sequences would help strengthen the knee without putting too much pressure on it. I liked the idea of that, so that’s why I’m going to test it out.
Learn a new language. Is there a language you always wished you could speak? Or maybe something you studied when you were younger that you wish you’d remember better. Or if you have booked a holiday abroad for later this year, why not try to learn some phrases? I spent a lot of time in Spain growing up, and my Spanish used to be pretty good, but now it is rusty. However, I always wanted to speak French, and a few years ago, I started learning through an app. It is pretty impressive how effective those apps are. I watched the French cop series ‘Spiral’ and ‘Call my Agent’, and I was very proud of how much my French developed. I understood a lot of the dialogue. I need to pick it up again, so that is also on my agenda for this weekend.
Time is an interesting concept. Some people are always on time, some are always behind, and others are always early for arranged meetings, appointments etc. Time management is an essential skill in the corporate world we live in. There is constant pressure to deliver on time, not to waste time, and not to be forgotten the classic pressure point expression – time is money. This is quite ironic since the only thing we cannot buy, for love or money, is time.
How we manage or perceive the importance of time management varies from person to person. But I believe one thing we all agree on is that it never seems to be enough time. Making ‘time’ the most precious asset we have. We never wish we had less time, we might want to have spent less time on fruitless pursuits, but we never hope for less time. Generally, we want more time to spend with family and loved ones, to extend a holiday trip or more leisure time for enjoyable activities or passion projects.
I don’t have a hack or trick to accumulate more time beyond the 24 hours we have in a day, but I believe being present is key for adding quality to our time.
This week was a hectic one. At work, it felt like I was fighting fires all week; one issue after the other needed my urgent attention. However, I managed to squeeze in some real mid-week quality time with friends involving good conversations, delicious food, live music and just good old fashion fun. That, I found to be soul-nourishing because I made an active choice to be present in the moment.
Nevertheless, with it being Friday, I am feeling tired, and this weekend I will be spending on re-charging my body, mixed with attacking never-ending chores around the house and meeting up with friends.
My self-care tips for this weekend are brief, and I have based the topics around the 2010 Julia Roberts blockbuster movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’.
Have a peaceful, loving and joyous weekend Milla ♥
I hope you have had a good productive week. The weekend is about to start, and it is a great time to reflect and nourish your soul.
This weekend’s self-care tips include an exercise to tell yourself seven things you are proud of about yourself or something you have achieved. It can be anything, and there are no wrong ‘things’ as long as it is about you. It can be challenging to turn inwards and find appreciation when you’ve been particularly busy or have had a difficult time. When that happens, I try to identify everyday stuff that deserves recognition. When my workload has been particularly heavy and/or life, in general, has been challenging, it has sometimes felt that I’ve just been putting out fires. In turn, when that happens, it feels like I have not achieved anything. As an example of where to start, I find it very hard to get out of bed in the mornings, I’m just not a morning person. Thus, I might start by looking in the mirror and tell myself, ‘I am proud of you for making it out of bed every morning this week’. So, if you find it hard to get going, start with ordinary everyday achievements. This exercise is an excellent practice for building esteem and developing self-appreciation. With practice, you might even find something surfacing that you didn’t realise about yourself or felt you ‘lost’ somewhere along the way. Give it a go😊
It is never wrong to pop out and grab a quick cuppa with a dear friend or loved one. Also, it is a great way to support local businesses. So, if you haven’t visited it yet, go to that independent coffee shop or café in your neighbourhood, or somewhere nearby.
Explore your town or city by going on a guided walking tour, a brilliant way to incorporate physical activity into your weekend. For example, I live in London, and there are many different types of walks available in the city centre as well as locally. Most boroughs in London have something called ‘Health Walks’ or ‘Walking for Health’, and they are free to participate in. Also, local walking routes might be available online to download for free, or you can create your own route using something like Google Maps. The beauty of a walking activity is that you can go alone, with a friend or take the whole family along. Exercise and fresh air – an excellent recipe for nourishing your body and soul.
As an adult, have you ever used a colouring book? I mean a colouring book for adults, not gotten carried away with your child’s crayons in their Disney Princess or Paw Patrol colouring book. Not that it is anything wrong with that, it is still a creative outlet. However, there are some lovely colouring books for adults, which are not very expensive either, or you can download sheets online if you want to test them out (see link below). You don’t have to be an artist; it is amazingly relaxing and a brilliant way to wind down.
May your weekend bring joy, rest and nourishment for body and mind. Enjoy!
What are you doing this weekend to recuperate and recharge your soul?
I think giving yourself a good talking to might be in order – tell yourself what you need to hear. No negative self-talk, just positive affirmations. As a woman, it can be tiresome to be told to smile, but I am going to tell you to do just that – smile at yourself. Look in the mirror and give yourself a smile. It may feel forced, but it becomes easier with practice.
This weekend I am looking forward to having a moment to sit with myself, without any distractions and just be. First, I need to clean out my brain of ‘temporary files’ to rid of clutter and give room for new positive ideas. Then, I need to catch up with a few friends, but I am kicking off the weekend with a dance party with a perfect song. The song is about self-love and having fun, and it definitely makes you want to move – take it away Mary ‘Queen of Hip Hop Soul’ Blige.
“Let it go Can’t let this thing called love get away from you Feel free right now, go do what you want to do Can’t let nobody take it away, from you, from me, from we No time for moping around, are you kidding? And no time for negative vibes, ’cause I’m winning It’s been a long week, I put in my hardest Gonna live my life, feels so good to get it right”
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