Me time?

Everyone needs a little ‘me’ time, but in a busy life where there are too many demands for those meagre twenty-four hours each day, our own needs slip down (or off) the ‘to do’ list, right? Wrong.

So what, if at the end of the day you are too tired to take time for you, at least you’re surviving. Well, the truth is that’s a red flag.

It’s not about quantity, but quality, when you need that instant  feel-good factor. Think about what puts a smile on your face – reading a book? Listening to your favourite music? Taking some pamper time to relax in a bubble bath? Even a stint in the garden weeding, or pruning, will get you out in the fresh air for a breather.

It’s about avoiding living one’s life on auto pilot, which is easy to do – particularly if you are a nurturer and have lots of people relying upon you.

My problem is that I get bored very easily. So sitting and doing nothing – oh, that’s called relaxing, isn’t it? – has never been my thing.  Because I wake up very early and that’s my super-productive time, I tend to run out of steam early evening. That’s when I watch TV, which doesn’t count as ‘me’ time – it’s vegging out time before bed.

To perk myself up, particularly during very frenetic  periods of my life, I look for something engaging to give me an instant boost. So when my schedule is crazy, instead of taking my coffee break at the computer, I can often be found with a paint brush in my hand. I really enjoy up-cycling old items I find in junk shops and car boot sales.

I also enjoy making stencils and creating little areas of interest on a wall. It’s quick and easy to create and fun!

Six easy steps:

1. In modern houses, the master bedroom ensuite is usually small, so it’s a case of adding a little interest.
2. Recycle some cardboard – preferably anything with a shiny surface, as it’s less likely to absorb the emulsion paint.
3. Draw on your pattern and use small scissors to cut out the shapes – curved nail scissors are excellent.
4. You will need some Frog tape to attach your stencils to the wall and I use an old washing-up sponge to dab on the paint. I pull off the abrasive pad, cut the sponge into two and cut out ‘bits’ so it makes an uneven surface.
5. Use the frog tape to attach your stencils to the wall.
6. Dab on the paint. For this stencil I drew in the ‘stems’ with a felt tip pen afterwards, then dabbed them with a wet cloth to soften the look and blur the edges. I then used a pencil to draw in the spines on the leaves.

A rustic look is much better than a pristine look and this cost nothing, as I already had the emulsion paint and I always have Frog tape in the cupboard. When you tire of the design, simply lightly sand the stencils, apply another coat of the background colour and try something new!

No matter what ups and downs we negotiate, it’s often the small things that help to calm and relax us. It’s just a case of finding what works for you. Whether it’s knitting, baking cakes, going for a walk, flower arranging… each to their own. TV and computer games have their place, but they don’t have the same sense of fulfilment as getting hands-on to create something, or getting physical. It’s all about getting those endorphins pumping around your body to invigorate you. Just find a few things you can easily slot in to break up the day. A change is as good as a rest!

Not just a beautiful smell… but useful for cough/cold/flu season!

 

Coughs and colds come around with monotonous regularity and can make you feel truly awful! I’m a great believer in using a aromatherapy diffuser/night light/humidifier – I have one in my office and one in the bedroom.  I bought them from Amazon and they cost around £15.99:

https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XGRQ4KB/

I add a few drops of essential oils and it really lifts the spirits and filters around the house, making it smell wonderful. It’s more natural than a shop-bought air freshener.

My favourite oils are – lavender, tea tree and Egyptian geranium. They are all inexpensive (a couple of pounds each) and both lavender and tea tree have antiseptic properties. But did you know that if you have a cough/cold you can add a few drops of eucalyptus oil and, sitting near to the humidifier, the steam is very beneficial and will help to calm that cough and loosen a tight chest?

Because I tend to run the one in my office throughout the entire working day, I make up a 500ml bottle by filling it with water and then adding a dozen drops each of lavender and tea tree, and about eight drops of Egyptian geranium.  Every time I fill up the little well in the machine, I shake the bottle first to distribute the oil and it takes a couple of seconds.

Working from home, in particular, I feel it’s important to make your surroundings as pleasant and relaxing as possible. For me, a wonderful smell is as essential as keeping everything around me clean and tidy, for peace of mind.

I often read in bed and this particular piece of kit has a little light with different settings. It’s very relaxing to have on in the background and a perfect way to wind down at the end of a busy day.

Born to write

Most people assume that as a full-time author I write every single day. That works for many, but I don’t set myself a daily word count target.

It’s very exciting to start a new work in progress and if I had my way I’d disappear until I find myself typing ‘The End’. I find it disruptive to break off, but unfortunately it isn’t possible to suspend everything else in my life to indulge my ideal working practice! Not least because I’m the chef in our house and it’s one task (unlike dusting) that requires attention three times a day.

I wake very early and I’m most productive between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m. So, whether I’m writing, editing, working on my website, designing graphics for Twitter etc that is the time when I can motor through the work. But I like to focus on one thing and then after lunch, I multi-task.

There is always a ‘to do’ list of odds and ends. Sometimes, depending on the stage I’m at with a story, I can then get back to writing. If there are no family demands, and because writing is a form of relaxation for me, I’ll write through until bedtime.

The truth is that I’d rather write than watch TV, for instance, because it’s my happy place. And that, I find, is the key to feeling content. Even before I gave up the day job to write, I had two diverse careers – with a few equally as enjoyable, shorter-term work experiences – but all of them things that I really enjoyed doing.

That’s not to say there weren’t boring bits… to get one particular job, early on in my career, I had to input the data from 5,000 forms onto a database. I was on a casual contract and knew that if I succeeded in getting the task done, there was a good chance they’d take me on. And they did – I never had to process data again.

My former careers taught me many life skills that I use every day as a writer. And it gave me a wealth of experiences to call upon. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason – whether it feels good, or bad – it’s a learning curve.

So if today is one of those where you are seeing the down side of life, take heart. Tomorrow could be the day when you hit a new high!

Keep smiling…