Make Time Daily For Your Wellbeing

As I mentioned in a recent post I was trying to take some time out for myself more regularly and I'm pleased to say I've been doing ok on that front.

There's a number of things that have helped me to focus a bit more on myself and keeping my mind healthy so I thought I'd share them here in case it may be of help to anyone else.

Supplements & Essential Oils:

I absolutely swear by these three items: Magnesium, Lavender Oil and Rhodiola.

Magnesium: This supplement has many uses and benefits which include: 

regulating nerve and muscle function
supporting healthy pregnancy and lactation
maintaining healthy blood sugar levels
maintaining optimum blood pressure levels

 I use this primarily for overall health and well being and to prevent headaches and migraines which I would be prone to. As a high blood pressure sufferer, I find magnesium also helps to keep it normalised. If I stop using it for a length of time I see repercussions immediately and the headaches return. I take to magnesium citrate capsules most of the time but recently gave the oil a try when I began suffering from sleep disruption and restless legs and it has worked wonders for both issues. I rub it into my legs, about 4 or 5 sprays on each leg, after a bath or a shower. 

Rhodiola: So many benefits to this supplement and few which I use it for:

Relives stress

Boosts cognition

Boosts energy levels

Protects heart health 

Strengthens immune system

Rebalances the adrenal gland

Reduces fatigue

Reduces cravings

This was suggested for me to try when I mentioned I was feeling sluggish and tired all the time and felt like I needed to rebalance after finishing courses of pain relief and anti inflammatory for back issues, some pain relief for that kind of pain can really knock me for six and I always find it takes me a while to get back to "normal" again after it. I take these regularly while breaking briefly between each course. I find I am so much more focused at work, energy levels are lot better especially in the evening time when I'd usually begin to slump. It gives me an overall boost really and couldn't recommend them highly enough.

Lavender: Some benefits of this versatile essential oil include:

Reduced anxiety and emotional stress

Improves brain funciton

Improves sleep 

Alleviates headaches

Restores skin complexion and reduces acne

I've only ever heard one person say they don't like the smell of lavender and that's the OH, tough on him though because I have it burning all the time! I think everyone should have some lavender oil in the house. I add this to everything - a few drops in your body lotion, an oil burner in the bedroom, to a hot bath, a few drops on my pillow if I need a bit of extra relaxation at night, the list is endless with lavender. 

I buy all of my supplements and vitamins in Here's Health and tend to stick with the Solgar brand as I find them the best quality. 

Walking:

At long last a pair of shoes that suit me for walking. I've really enjoyed getting out and about on my lunch breaks for a walk recently but with lower back pain I was finding it was taking it's toll of me quite quickly and knew I needed to find the right pair of shoes. I've a few different kinds of runners but a few people recommended I try a pair of these. These are a delight to wear and have really helped take the pressure off my lower back a bit so that I can enjoy my walks in a bit more comfort. 

It really helps to clear the head to get out for that half an hour so and break up the day especially when I'm sitting in front of a computer for most of it. I need to up the ante a small bit more now though 

Music:

I reorganised my Spotify account and made different playlists to suits different moods. My favourite one at the moment is my "Zone Out" play list. All the songs are of a slower beat, more mellow and are perfect for winding down or just zoning out and shutting off for a while. It's important to take that little bit of time when I can to park my thoughts for a bit and just let my mind wander. Sometimes it's  where I get some of my more productive ideas from. 

Overall I have just being trying my best to take some time out for myself even if it's to take a few minutes for a quiet cup of coffee and read a magazine or a few pages of a book. It's surprising how that bit of time out can give me the space to clear my head in order to concentrate on everything else that I need to do.

What do you do in order to take some time out and mind yourself?

Gift Ideas with Oregano Designs

I'm a sucker for a personalised gift, I think they are the best kind of gifts not matter the occasion. 

Suzanne over at Oregano Designs kindly sent us one of her personalised items. Suzanne has a background in design and began her own business after doing prints and gift ideas for friends and family. Suzanne creates all of her items from home while looking after her two little ones. 

We chose the family crest frame and it's such a lovely idea. I love the calligraphy writing in the middle of our 2 family crests and it's the first thing we have where our names are combined.

I was really impressed by the quality of the prints and the whole frame in fact, delivery time was also super quick. The colour of the family crests is really vibrant, it makes the whole frame stand out and catch your eye as you walk down our hallway. 

If you're looking for something a bit different then Oregano Designs will definitely offer that - I've already got my eye on the Finger Print Gift for another occasion. 

Suzanne has kindly offered all of you lovely readers a 15% discount off your entire order including shipping when you buy something from her website. Please use promo code 'PROMO15'

Life Lately...Finding A Balance Again

Oh hello there little blog! It's been so long since I've posted, my little space on the internet has been neglected but life has got in the way these last few months and that's ok. 

What's Been Going On:

I think I last posted in February, not long after I was struck down with Influenza B and honestly it's taken me a while to get back up on my feet again after it. 

Work has been busier than usual at this time of the year and the OH has been busy holding down 2 jobs and finishing his final year in college.

The boy child seems to have had lots of preschool holidays, an extra mid term this month, what's that all about?! 

Back in March the snow put the country on hold for about a week, we we're stuck in our estate for 5 days! 

The campaigning for referendum on the 8th Amendment has pretty much taken over my life since the voting date was announced and now we are only 10 days away from May 25th when we will get a chance to cast our vote. 

What's Happening Now:

I'm trying to concentrate on myself a bit more. I've been getting out for walks in my lunch break, trying to improve my diet with fresher foods and less processed and taking my vitamins and supplements regularly as I really feel it when I don't take them for a while.

I'm spending some time tapping into my spiritual side and just trying to refocus on the important things with a more positive attitude. I attended my first Scared Feminine Circle  with Juliana Torres recently, I'll write more about that a later date I hope but I really enjoyed it and I feel more able and focused since. 

The OH has been able to give up his job by night in the local hotel and is currently putting the final touches to his last projects for college. I can't believe he is almost done with 3 years in college, it feels like yesterday he started but at the same time it's been a long and hard road not least for him. I'm very proud and keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that he gets the final mark that he deserves. 

As of next week we will be able to regain some kind of normal routine when he is finished college and back to work in the one job full time. It'll be a bit strange having him at home more but looking forward to some proper family time. 

We now have an almost 5 year old imagine! In less than 4 weeks the boy child will turn 5. He's done a lot of growing up lately - he's finally given up the dummy. He had it at night time mostly and we had made a few attempts to get rid of it but he wasn't letting go so we stepped back and allowed him to do so when he was ready. It's funny how it happened, we had been chatting in my room one afternoon during the Easter holidays and it came up that I had braces as a teenager and he asked me what they were. I explained as best I could, metal and a bit of cement on your teeth, it wasn't very nice and he didn't seem to take much notice but the next afternoon he threw his dummy across the room and said he didn't want ti anymore and that was it! He asked for it that night but I told him i threw it out as he had asked and he's not looked for it since. He gave up on his "bear" for a week or so too as he associated it with the dummy but now he's back taking ti to bed every night which we're happy about as he's had it since he was a newborn and I love that he still has a bit of comfort.

The referendum on the 8th amendment and the lead up to the vote next Friday has been all consuming. I'm been out and about campaigning as best I can over the last 2 months and honestly I'm so looking forward to it being over. We are fighting the good fight here in the Together For Yes group but having to deal with the dirty tactics and the abundance of lies from the No side has been draining to say the least. I will probably write a separate post on this in the coming days as I have a lot to say but we will be campaigning right up to the last minute in the hope that care and compassion for the women of Ireland will prevail in the polling stations on May 25th. 

I feel like we as a family are moving on to the next phase of our adventure and I am really excited about what our future holds.

Love & Light To You All xx