Just a little easy read for you… A list of lifestyle blog post ideas!
These kinds of posts are always useful for those times where you just cannot for the life of you think about what to post.
Here I am sharing some seasonal lifestyle blog post ideas to hopefully get your mind working during different times of the year.
There are tons of things you can write about on your lifestyle blog since it is such an open umbrella. You can write about anything. Which is why I think it is hard to come up with ideas sometimes…
Lifestyle Blog Post Ideas For Every Season
The following ideas are not necessarily the title of the posts, but should give you ideas.
Sometimes all you need is some inspiration for you to think of your own blog post idea!
These posts are about events that happen throughout the year during different seasons.
I have sectioned them into; spring, summer, autumn and winter to make it easier.
SPRING
I love this time of year. Everywhere looks pretty, and there are tons of things to inspire you everywhere.
St.Patricks Day – The Times You’ve Been Lucky
Mothers Day Gift Ideas
Who Inspires you
Spring capsule wardrobe
Top 5 things you need if you suffer from hayfever!
5 ways to eat easter eggs…
X Things you are thankful for
How to turn your winter clothes into spring outfits
A monochrome outfit for every flower
SUMMER
Who doesnt love summer? The possibilities are endless here.
You can write about travel, food, fashion, skincare…
Holiday Destinations you have to visit
How to save for your holiday
Summer Skincare routine
What’s in my travel bag
How to survive a long haul flight
Cheap city breaks
How to make changes when you return from your holiday
Best suncream for sensitive skin
Summer capsule wardrobe
AUTUMN
Another favourite in the blogging world. Everyones instagram feeds are all aesthetically pleasing. The weather is the right combination of being cold and still comfortable. Layering clothes and being cosy is the highlight of this season.
Autumn Interior Decor Ideas
How to make candles
The best places to buy loungewear
Saving your money before Christmas
Favourite podcasts to listen too
Books to read in autumn
Cosy bedroom ideas
Autumn photography hacks
Halloween Party Snacks
Easy Halloween outfits
WINTER
Its freezing, probably raining, and not a high possibility of getting any photos that arent orientated around christmas. BUT we love christmas so its all good.
Bonfire night
How to easily layer your clothes
The best winter boots
Make your own hot chocolate
How to save money during the Christmas period
Gift Ideas people actually want
What I want more than presents
The Christmas Presents I bought for _____
Winter Skincare routine
New year, new me
Reflect on the past year
Cute Valentines Day Ideas
Galentines Day To-Do List
Love Yourself Check In
***
Thank for reading this post. The first short and sweet one I have done for a while!
I hope this collection of ideas becomes useful for years to come. If you have any ideas comment below and I will add them to the lists!
Share this post with your other blogging friends and lets see how many more ideas we can include.
If you do want an idea included I will add your tag next to it!
Once you reach the age of wanting nice things, to move out, or buy a new car, learning how to save money every month is something you should probably do.
When you first get paid, the urge to spend it on all the things you don’t really need is huge. Then by the end of the month you have hardly anything left and realise you have also not saved a penny.
Then you might look at the thirty outfits and three pairs of shoes you bought that month and think, “Was that really worth it?”
You do not need to spend all of your money to show your worth. Saving your money so you can do bigger things will really show your worth in the end.
Throughout this post, I am going to give you five ways to save money every single month. I will also be sharing tips on how to manage your outgoings and why you should stop spending so much money on things you don’t need too!
Stop Spending So You Can SAVE Money Every Month
First, before you even think about saving money, you need to think about how you’re going to STOP spending it. You might not actually have enough money to save at the end of each month due to your spending habits, or your outgoings.
Take a look at your monthly outgoings and calculate them together, these things may be;
Your phone bill.
Any insurance you have.
You car finance if you have one.
Debt.
Subscriptions.
Bills (if you have any yet, for example paying board or rent).
Once you have calculated all of those things, take them away from your monthly wage. See what you have leftover to spend on looking after yourself, and how much you will be able to save.
Not a lot? Do not worry! Lets continue…
Reducing Your Monthly Outgoings
This is split into two sections, things you NEED to spend each month if they apply to you, and things that are a luxury.
Need To Spend
These are a few things that you may be paying for each month. You might have other important monthly outgoings, however, these are just the things most people will be paying
INSURANCE – What do you insure? Your luxuries? Your car (you need to keep this). Years ago, I didn’t realise I had paid for insurance on things like my camera, my iPad, laptop etc… These were all around £10 a month. I consider myself to be a careful person and I didn’t need to actually insure these items, so I cancelled them, freeing up around £40 of outgoings every month.
DEBT- Not everyone has debts… You need to pay your debts so of course, you cannot cancel this. If possible, getting your debts down quicker will be in your favour. Once your debts are gone, you will have more money and less stress. By taking away some of your other outgoings, you will be able to pay off your debts quicker.
BILLS – If you are living at home or with someone else, you might be paying rent or board. This is money that you will have to spend, there’s no getting around it. However, if you live at home, maybe you could see if there were other things you could do to earn your board like different jobs around the house etc so that you could pay less. I know this is probably not a possibility, but if you are trying to save to move out, they might be encouraging.
‘Luxury Spending’
These are the things that are classed as a luxury. You can survive without these things, (although we all have them)… Well, you can survive with spending fewer on these things let’s say.
PHONE – You don’t need the latest most expensive phone every year. In fact, paying for a phone above what you can really afford is not a good idea. If you are paying for a phone that has finished its contract, have a look around online to find a cheaper sim only contract to put into your phone. If you are tied into a contract already, think about keeping your phone for another year or so when it has ended.
CAR – Do you pay hundreds of pounds a month to have the newest car, to drive to work and to sit on your drive at home? Once again, if spending this much money is within your means then it is fine, but if spending this much money means you are living paycheck to paycheck. Then maybe reevaluate whether you really need to be spending £300 a month on a car… Once you have saved money and are in a better position, then, by all means, buy the car.
SUBSCRIPTIONS – There are tons of monthly subscription things now. They could be apps on your phone, boxes sent to your door ANYTHING. If it is 100% something you NEED in order to survive(?), then you will have to continue. However, you do not need a box of make up every month, or a crate of beer, or an app that gives you daily quotes. Cancel these direct debits and your subscriptions and you will have more money already.
OTHER THINGS – This means things like clothes, going out, getting your hair/nails done etc… All of the things you like to spend money on to make you feel happier, but also things you don’t really need to spend money on. By all means, treat yourself! You deserve it. BUT if you are a shopaholic who gets their hair done weekly, fresh nails two weeks, and all that stuff. Then think about if you really need it. Especially if you are trying to save for bigger things. All these costs (even though they seem small when you do them) all add up!
Once you have narrowed down the things you are going to cut back, calculate what you will then have at the end of each month.
Lower? GOOD!
Keep on lowering your monthly outgoings until you are able to save more money.
I don’t know about you, but saving money for me is actually fun. (Is that weird?) I love the feeling of being able to put money away so I can buy a house in the near future or even a new car. Once you get into the routine of saving and seeing that amount of money pile up, then you will want to keep going.
Next let’s look at the five ways you can save money every month.
Five Tips on How To SAVE
The following steps are not in order of how to save, but more like their own saving techniques.
All of them should work for you!
Try them out and see.
You can always tweak your ways of saving so that it works for you, everyone has their own ways of doing things.
ONE
Put away money as soon as you get paid. I find this helps if you are putting money into an ISA. You can save up to £200 a month! Put this money away straight away so you don’t have to think about it again.
You could even direct debit money into a different account so you don’t even realise you’re saving it!
TWO
Put small amounts of money into your savings every week. Someone suggested on Twitter to save your hundreds and spend the tens…
For example, if you have budgeted to spend £150 a week, then cut it down. You could also put the hundreds or the tens straight into savings.
OR if that seems like too much, even putting £10 away a week will amount to an extra £40 in savings per month.
THREE
Plan how much you need to spend every month. Once you have done this, calculate how much you will have leftover, and how much of that you need to spend. Any extra can go straight into savings.
For example, I knew that I could live off £100 a week living at home, so I was able to put £200 into savings at the start of every month AFTER calculating what I would spend on monthly outgoings. Then anything I didn’t spend (point number two) I would then put away.
FOUR
Use emergency money. Not a lot of people do this, but I love this idea and I have done it for some time. There may also be other conceptions of emergency money but this is just mine. SO, I put £200 into an emergency money pot on my online banking every month.
The point of this is in case you have to spend money on an emergency.
For example, you might need new tyres, or your phone might have broken. You won’t have to worry about dipping into your savings because you always have that £200 in your emergency pot. If you don’t spend it at the end of the month, just keep it there and save an extra £200 next month if you can.
FIVE
Evaluate at the end or start of each month. By this I mean start with the same amount of money every month.
The amount you get paid… (If you get paid monthly… If you don’t then you could try work around this idea by starting each month with the same amount of money).
So, if at the end of the month you have money left over, put it into savings.
The best way to do this is to see how much extra you have in your account when you get paid, and just put it all away until you have the right starting amount.
***
If you are reading this during the Coronavirus lockdown, I have some posts that may help you in other areas too!
Please let me know in the comments below if this post has helped you! I also have a board on Pinterest about how to make money from home if you wanted to check that out too…
Follow me on social media to stay up to date with me! I post on Instagram every day, and Tweet about blogging life.
Do you have a routine at night, or do you just go to bed whenever, however, feeling whatever?
Having a nighttime routine is a great way to feel better in yourself, and improve your daily routines.
Why?
Because with a good nighttime routine, you will wake up feeling ready for the day ahead!
I have written a post HERE about creating a daily routine and integrating self-care.
This post is going to explain the importance of a good night, and six ways on how you can perfect your own nighttime routine.
First of all, let’s assess your current routine.
Your Current Nighttime Routine..
First, let’s evaluate your current nighttime routine.
If you are reading this during the Coronavirus lockdown, then it’s understandable that all of your routines may have gone out of the window.
If this sounds true, lockdown or not, perfecting and creating a nighttime routine will one hundred per cent make you feel better once you have created a habit of it.
Apparently, it takes twenty days up to a whole month to create a new habit. Treat your routines like learning a new habit, and you will notice the difference in yourself and how your days turn out.
I’m not saying a nighttime routine is going to change your life (although you will sleep better) however if you do the following, then you need to keep reading this post.
Staying awake until early hours of the morning
Don’t drink enough water
Snack until you sleep
Stay in bed for over an hour in the morning
Spend too long deciding what to wear the next day
Not eating breakfast
No alarms…
Six Steps for a Better Nighttime Routine
These are the steps that will help you perfect your nighttime routine. The following are things that I think are easy and you will definitely be able to achieve some of the steps, if not all of them.
Remember, your routine does not need to be perfect… It needs to work for you, that’s what makes it perfect. So try the following steps and adjust them until you have perfected your own routine.
Get tomorrows things ready!
Wind down phase one – Bath/shower
Hydrate
Set alarm, turn off the phone
Wind down phase two – no screen time, read, write, think…
Get comfortable.
Lets delve deeper…
Here are some details on how to perform each step.
1) Getting ready for the next day…
Prepare all of the things you might need for the next day. This is so you won’t have to think about it and have a better sleep!
Things to get ready;
Lunch
Tomorrows outfit
Paperwork?
Bag
2) Wind down phase one
This is where you start getting ready for bed.
During this step, you want to spend some time getting your body ready for bed. This can include having a bath or shower, washing your hair etc, you know what I mean.
Moisturise, brush your hair, put your pj’s on. Just do whatever you need to do until you feel fresh and ready for a cosy night sleep.
3) Hydrate your body
Hydration is so important, especially before you go to bed (you will probably need to go to the toilet before you sleep).
Your body has no intake of water or food for up to eight hours whilst you sleep, so making sure you have a drink before you sleep and wake up will help the overall nighttime experience.
I always make sure I take a drink to bed in case I wake up feeling thirsty.
4) Set alarm, turn off phone
If you are getting up for work in the morning, or another reason to wake up early-ish and not just whenever you want too…
Then set an alarm, and DON’T snooze!
If I go to bed knowing I have to be somewhere for a certain time, I find it so hard to sleep since I’m worrying about if I will wake up on time or not.
So by setting an alarm you will have peace of mind that you will not be late.
Once you have done this, silence your phone, and put it away. No more screen time! Your eyes need a chance to relax too.
5) Wind down phase two
Now that your phone is turned off, you can begin phase two of winding down.
This is the best part of having a nighttime routine.
Once in bed, or on your bed, try to do one of the following to wind down your mind, and body.
Close your eyes, and just breathe. Think about the good things that have happened, or even talk through tomorrow in your head so that you have nothing to stress about during your sleep.
Read your book.
Stretches/yoga. You can find some really good five-minute bedtime yoga routines on Pinterest or youtube! I have a board on Pinterest for yoga here. Doing a few stretches will help your body feel less stiff and more comfortable.
6) Get comfortable
FINALLY, get in bed and get comfortable. The last stage of your nighttime routine, and the actual best one.
Turn off any lights around you.
If you need to sleep with earplugs or an eye mask, pop them in/or on…
Close your eyes and sleep!
If you find it hard getting off to sleep, try some breathing and counting exercises.
Breathe in on one, breathe out on two, breath in on three and so on until you reach 10, then start again.
Breathe in for three seconds, and out for three seconds.
***
Thank you so much for reading this post, I would love to hear about what you do at nighttime and how you get ready for the next day!
I have chosen to write a post about growing your Instagram organically because it is exactly what I am working on and what I am doing… So I figured it may be helpful.
I thought I should share my experience and things I have learnt along to way to hopefully be able to help you grow your Instagram organically too.
What does it mean to grow your instagram organically? It basically means you are doing all the work yourself in real-time… Not buying your followers or interactions.
It is so much better to grow your Instagram organically and create a following that you actually engage with and that really support you.
Numbers don’t matter if they’re not real/you haven’t worked for them… So, LET’S WORK FOR REAL NUMBERS!
Follow my insta over at @writtenbycharlotte_
Growing My Instagram Organically
When I decided to grow my Instagram, I had around 800/850 followers, all of these followers were slowly gained over the space of four long years!
Now at this moment I have 1,125 thousand followers. Yes, no where near my 10k goal by the end of the year… HOWEVER. It’s a start, and we all start somewhere.
I am super happy with how my account has been growing. The past few days I have had an increase of 25 followers per day and its only increasing.
Of course, every now and then my follower count will go down one or two, but by the end of the day, it has always increased again. Not a huge amount I know BUT it’s still better than nothing, and more than it was before.
Originally I started my Instagram account as a bookstagram. All I shared was pictures of books etc, I slowly gained a following but it wasn’t really growing and I didn’t enjoy sharing that content anymore. So I decided to turn my insta into a lifestyle account top match with the content I started to post on this blog.
These are the following steps I took when I decided to grow my Instagram.
This is just what I have personally done and what I have learnt in the past week weeks of actually trying to grow my account…
I archived a load of my posts that just stuck out like a sore thumb.
Re-wrote my Instagram bio to explain the change and made it look nicer.
Unfollowed accounts that I wasn’t interacting with anymore and vice versa.
Started uploading content that had the same theme.
Began following more accounts that I liked and wanted to interact with.
Consistently post daily.
Use all 30 hashtags (I use the Preview app to see what my grid looks like and it suggests hashtags to use!)
Post on stories every couple of hours.
Engage constantly!
Reply and return comments.
Never scroll aimlessly without interacting.
Spend five minutes daily finding new accounts
Plan my posts in advance.
Share my Instagram online in following threads etc.
I still have more to learn, and I know that… But if you’re starting out just like me, then these tips will certainly help kick start your following!
The amount of followers I had when I wrote this post (29/4/2020) and an example of what to write in your bio.
The Breakdown…
Here is a brief breakdown of the things I think you should start doing to grow your Instagram organically.
I already had a small following before I decided to grow it SO here are tips if you want to start from ZERO FOLLOWERS.
Choose Your Niche
Think about your niche. This means the type of photos and content you want to share. For example; fashion/food/travel.
Once you have decided what kind of photos you want to post, you will be more consistent with it, and build a specific following of people.
You want to have a following that is interested in what you post in order to have a good engagement rate.
Unfollow/Follow
This was a big one for me since I changed the whole theme of my Instagram feed. However, if you are starting out, be sure to follow other accounts that you like and will want to interact with. Follow accounts like yours and the train will continue.
Unfollow accounts that do not add any value to your Instagram, for example – if they are not similar to yours and not engaging with you at all. (This is why you need to engage, otherwise, people will unfollow you).
Themes and Edits
Using the same theme and edits on all of your photos will give you a prettier feed and make your content look more interesting.
You can post beautiful photos daily, but if they don’t flow with the grid, you won’t gain as many followers. When following someone, your grid is what stands out most, not just single photos! The best way to make your photos all fit the same theme is to edit them all the same!
I use VSCO A4 edit on all of my photos, I then adjust the edits for each post when sharing them to instagram.
There are other ways to edit your photos with different apps, have a play with a few and find what edits and themes you like. Remember, it has to be something you like, otherwise you’re not going to want to keep up with it.
I use the VSCO edit A4 on all of my photos, I then edit each photo in Instagram before posting.
Be Consistent
Being consistent is important on Instagram, I have found anyway… Especially at the start.
Once you have tons of followers it won’t matter so much and you could relax with your posting. However, to start out, I would advise posting at least once a day, around the same sort of time.
To help with this process, bulk take photos and use an app to preview your grid. This helps make sure your photos look nice, and you will always have the next one to post.
Instagram Stories
Use your insta stories! I really thing this has been a deal breaker for me.
Each time you upload to your stories, your icon will appear back at the top with everyone else’s stories, this can prompt people to go on your feed, engage with your content, and more.
Ideas of things to post are;
Screenshot your new blog post.
Morning routine.
Night routine.
New insta posts plug.
Questions.
Polls.
Share other peoples accounts.
Give daily updates on what you are doing.
Engaging
Engaging with other people on Instagram is essential. You can’t just start off posting your pictures and leaving them. There are two reasons for this…
a) If you post and do not interact when starting out, no one will know who you are. The process will be slow. b) By engaging with others you can get your name out there, and you will be likeable!
Simple!
When you are scrolling through Instagram be sure to like photos and comment on them. Interacting with others will draw more people to your account!
Captions
The captions you write underneath your pictures arent too important but can make some difference… If you post photos without captions you arent prompting a response.
Posting a photo with an engaging caption and asking your followers questions will prompt them to like and comment on your photos.
Read what other people put for their captions to get some ideas, but longer captions that are fun and talkative will gain you more likes.
Insert emojis and break up the text so that it all flows and isn’t bundled together.
I am still perfecting my captions, but here is an example!
Hashtags
Instagram allows you to use a max amount of 30 hashtags. I would advise using all of them!
Once you have written your caption, leave some spaces before inserting your hashtags so that they aren’t visible unless you click to read more.
Another way to insert captions is to post them in your comment section. I haven’t tried this out yet.
The best way to choose your hashtags is to research them. There are tons of blog posts that tell you what hashtags are best to use. The app that I used to schedule my posts also suggests hashtags too. (Preview App)
You want to find hashtags that are specific to your content and aren’t too generic. For example; the hashtag #flower would be used so many times and your image would be lost.
Use hashtags that relate to your overall content and the specific picture. I always use the hashtag #ukbloggers and #lifestylebloggers but if my photo is of a cup of coffee, then I will include relevant hashtags too.
Share Your Account
Last but not least (there are so many more ways to grow your Instagram)…
SHARE YOUR ACCOUNT!
Let your friends and family know you have a new insta, ask them to share it to other people and so on.
You can tweet your Instagram account and tag people who will retweet your content. For example, adding @BBlogRT or #bloggerstribe
You can find Instagram follow threads on twitter which I have found helps a lot, and Facebook groups where you can share your content.
Follow threads are a great idea because not only can you share your links there, but you can also find other like-minded people who have similar content to you. You are supposed to follow people you want to follow and like or comment on their posts too. A great way to increase your own following, and to share your Instagram online.
***
I hope you have found this information helpful, I also hope it helps you to grow your Instagram organically, especially if you are just starting out!
GOOD LUCK!
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If you are reading this whilst we are still in the Coronavirus lockdown, I have some useful links for you…
Self-care is probably one of the most important things EVER. You need to take care of yourself before you can worry about anything else. So, I have written a post all about the different things you can do during lockdown to either have an all-out self-care day or schedule some of these ideas into your daily routine.
Talking about a daily routine… It’s hard to feel motivated to do anything at the moment, but having a routine will motivate you and you will find yourself achieving more of what you want. Yes, you can still schedule Netlfix into your routine, don’t worry.
Including some self-care into your new daily routine at home will help you feel better about yourself. It will also ensure you are taking the time to look after your self; this means your physical, and mental self.
I briefly touched on having a daily routine in the introduction. So, here is a brief outline of a daily routine and how to create one! You do not need to plan something for every hour of the day, however, you can if you want!
Having a daily routine really depends on what you want to achieve. If you have loads of goals to reach, or you’re still working from home, then your routine may be slightly different from others. If you are furloughed on lockdown, then having a daily routine really gives you something to do, and you won’t get so bored with everyday life…
I have created a super simple FREE downloadable for you…
You can create three to four bullet points of things you want to do during different times of the day: For example
Morning – Wake up at 8 AM – Get ready – Go for a walk / have breakfast
Once you have downloaded, or if you create a different type of daily plan – Please comment at the end of this post to let me know!
Self-Care Things You Can Do
There are lots of things you can do during lockdown to enhance your self-care routine. Self-care doesn’t just mean having a bath and painting your nails. There is much more to it.
Self-care is anything that can improve your state of mind and how you feel however works best for you. Not all of us like putting on makeup, or plucking our eyebrows, or running 10k to feel better. (Can’t wait to get mine threaded though…)
It is all personal preference, and more importantly, it is stuff you like to do, but also stuff that will improve and care for your SELF.
Coffee, Rupi Kaur, and a journal…
Some Ideas and Inspiration
The following are a few (quite a few) things that you can include into your self-care routine… You do not need to do ALL of them. Ideally, choose three minimum to try out!
Education
Educating yourself whilst you have the free time to is such a good idea, especially if there has always been something you want to learn. This can be from something as simple as crocheting, or even learning a new language.
Some ideas of things you can do:
Read books.
Learn a new language using your phone.
Start an online course.
Do your schoolwork (yes, if you are at school or university, then you should probably still do your work).
Drawing/illustrating.
Anything crafty!
Learn how to play an instrument.
Complete tutorials online on ANYTHING.
Pamper Time
This is an obvious one! Taking some time to pamper yourself however you may wish is the perfect way to perform self-care. This can be anything that will make you feel better.
Here are some ways to pamper yourself:
Have a bath.
Facemask.
Cut and paint nails.
Practice makeup.
Scrub, shave, moisturise!
Wear something cosy.
Light candles.
I’m sure there are so many more things that include improving your personal hygiene but I don’t think I need to list them all!
Exercise
Yes, exercising counts as self-care, as it means you are looking after your body. Lots of us feel better after working out, especially now we are all having to stay home. It wakes our bodies up and reminds them of what it can do (not the best at running a 5k though).
A good idea would be to set yourself some targets. By doing this you will be more motivated to carry out the task at hand.
For example:
Walk around 10,000 steps a day. If you already do this, try to add more. I know there isn’t anywhere to go during the lockdown, but you can go for a walk once a day, on your own or with the people in your house.
Improve flexibility. If you already are flexible, maybe you want to try something new? Push yourself.
Get better at Yoga. This is one for me… Practice yoga more often in order to improve your poses!
Run further and faster. Everyone loves a good run at the moment, see if you can beat your times and pace.
Do more press-ups. I mean, personally I don’t want to do this BUT, if you can do 20, try do 30…
Not only will your body feel better after exercising, but your mind will too, especially when you reach new targets!
Me on my daily walk with the dog…
Screen Time
Reducing your screen time (although proven difficult) allows you to give your eyes a break, and focus on something else. I am majorly guilty of spending too much time on Instagram…
To reduce your screen time, give yourself time slots in the day to use your phone for five to ten mins max.
For example; You could spend ten minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evening. OR you can shorten your time overall by not endlessly scrolling and only using your phone for productive reasons. Like uploading to social media, engaging online etc.
You can also download apps on your phone that will either lock your phone for a set time or give you rewards for not spending so much time on it.
Communication
You’re either at home living with someone at the moment, or you’re living alone… Either way, having some communication with others is important.
Being around the same people every day can sometimes get a tiny bit heightened, especially with everything that is going on. Take some time to call your friends, facetime them, check-in. It’s nice to talk about how everyone else is doing, and whats going on, rather than having the same conversation with everyone at home!
If you are living alone, the same rules apply. Pick up the phone and contact your family or your friends. This is so you don’t become lonely, or feel isolated, during isolation…
Even just talking to people online can help boost your spirts!
Diet
I have already spoken about eating healthily in previous posts, so I won’t touch on it too much. BUT the good thing about self-care is that you can allow yourself to indulge…
Who doesn’t love to eat an extra slice of cake or pizza? Or a whole easter egg?
Use this time to do some baking, or create meals you have always wanted to try.
An important factor for your health is to make sure you are staying hydrated though… I like to drink infused water because it makes it taste nicer, and its fun (also looks yum too).
Different infusions you could try are;
Lemon
Cucumber
Berries
Mint and Lemon
All of the above combined!
You can find lots of recipes for infused water on Pinterest too, they all have different benefits!
No Bad News
The news can be really overwhelming at the moment… There is so much BAD NEWS going on all the time, it can become really draining, and increase your anxiety.
I have spoken about this before but, as long as you know the rules of what to do during the lockdown and whilst COVID-19 is still about, then you don’t need to keep watching the news.
Simple as that, just don’t watch it!
Instead, you could use this time to search for some good news! There are tons of positivity websites that constantly share good news from around the world.
Use this time to clear our your space. Yes, your bedroom could probably do with some self-care too. It feels SO good to have a huge clear out, and there are lots of benefits to this.
Not only will you be clearing your space so that it looks nicer and its cleaner, but you will also find tons of things you don’t actually want or need anymore. There are two things you can do with this stuff:
Give it away to charity
SELL IT
You can sell your unwanted items online to make some money. OR donate the items to people who need them. So not only have you earnt some money from having a clear-out, but you have nice clean spaces to be in at home.
Don’t tackle the whole things head-on though, take it in parts. You could do this;
Start with your wardrobe and drawers.
Clear the clutter from shelves.
Empty the bin and get rid of all the rubbish.
Change your bed.
Sort out your books.
Go through the paperwork.
Hoover, dust CLEAN.
Finished.
Or, if you haven’t got anything else to do, then maybe spending a whole day dedicated to each room in the house isn’t a bad idea. Your brain will literally feel lighter when you’ve finished.
Something You Enjoy
Finally, spend some time doing something you enjoy. This can be absolutely anything.
Treat yourself to spending some time reading, or playing games, or dancing around your room.
Self-care is all about doing what will make you feel as though you have looked after your self.
***
There you have it! A whole post of things you can do to look after yourself and perform self-care at home during lockdown. I would love to know what else you like to do, so comment below!
Thank you so so so much for reading. Don’t forget to follow me on social media to see updates!
Staying healthy during the Coronavirus pandemic is a subject spoken about a lot. Since a lot of us are now furloughed or not working/working from home, it’s easy to slip into doing nothing to help our bodies and minds.
Even if you aren’t someone who enjoys exercise or eating a super clean diet, this post will provide you with information that will help you.
I have decided to call the following posts about this current time the ‘Pandemic Series’. Since it is all I am talking about, thinking about and writing. Maybe in a few years to come, we can look back on these posts and remember these extremely weird times we have been through.
Also, if you are reading this, do not panic or feel any kind of bad way if you aren’t doing any of the following… Do what makes you feel calm and less anxious during this stressful time! This post also contains ideas to help with your mind too, not just your body.
If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe to receive email updates about the blog!
Why Being Healthy Is Important…
It is important to stay healthy especially during this time so that in the unfortunate events you do catch the virus, yourself and your body will be able to fight it off easier.
(I am not a doctor BUT having a good immune system will be to your advantage.)
Luckily though, here in the UK, we have the amazing NHS who are working super hard at fighting this virus. This post isn’t going to contain any facts about the current COVIV-19 situation… Just tips and ideas on how to stay healthy.
Lets just get into it…
I have a Pinterest board specifically for Health and Wellness here:
Lockdown Life – Looking After Your Body
First of all, lets just address the fact that we are all finding it hard to be motivated and find things to do during lockdown…
Here are a dew things that can help make sure your body is healthy and youre doing some of the right things to keep yourself moving.
Daily Life
First, you need to assess your daily life, right now.
Before making any changes, see what needs changing. You might be doing just fine but feeling bad about it, or you might be lying in bed every day playing animal crossing (I can speak from experience).
What do you do each hour of the day? So, you don’t need to schedule every hour of your day. The ‘good’ thing about lockdown is that we are learning how to slow down our living. We don’t need to be non stop. Having time to actually do nothing is a good thing. But, having scheduled time to do the things you need and want to get done is what will help your productivity and your mind.
What kind of exercise do you want to do? Want is the keyword here. Don’t start forcing yourself to do something you aren’t going to enjoy. You need to look forward to the activity in order to actually gain something from it.
Think about diet/meals can you make with what you have. Food is a big deal right now. With loads of random items disappearing off the shelves for weeks, sometimes it’s hard to come up with a meal plan. Also with only shopping once or twice a week, you might run out of options, or ideas. The best and the easiest thing to do is to not snack on unhealthy foods, as tempting as it is. Yes, I have sat and ate a whole easter egg, and biscuits, and cheese… Have your three meals a day, and drink lots of fluids.
Are you drinking enough water? Following from the last point… We have all been told that staying hydrated is in our benefit if we do happen to get ill. It’s also just good to stay hydrated anyway! So drink lots of water, try to always have a drink by your side
What time do you go to sleep and wake up? The temptation to stay in bed when you haven’t got anywhere to go is REAL. However, you aren’t doing yourself any favours. We all know it feels rubbish to realise is 3 pm and you haven’t even showered yet. SO in order to avoid this self-pity, set a time to get out of bed, and in bed.
Do you have any physical or mental goals you want to achieve by the time lockdown is over? Having goals will motivate you to do something. If you want to improve your house building on the sims, then do that (sounds tempting to me). If you want to write a book, then start. Or maybe you have fitness goals; wanting to lift a heavier weight, or run further, faster. All goals are good, as long as you feel happy pursuing them.
Food
Here is a little list of ideas to hopefully inspire you to eat healthily. (Its best to have a search on Pinterest for meal ideas, I wouldn’t say I have the widest range of meals.)
Also, make sure you are staying hydrated *again*! Drink lots of water (not too much alcohol on your family Facetime…)
Breakfast – Fruit and yoghurt/Poached eggs/Porridge. Have a breakfast that makes you feel full and energised. Drink a vitamin C in the morning too! Feeling full in the morning will help you make it through until lunch without feeling the need to snack.
Lunch – Tortilla wrap pizza (low-fat cheese)/Tuna wrap or salad/Pesto pasta. Again, have a good-sized lunch, one that’s fresh and fills you up. Making lunch from scratch with fresh ingredients not only gives you something to do but its healthier as well. Better than a Mcdonalds we can have anyway!
Dinner – Seasoned chicken with rice and veggies/Stir fry/Pasta with whatever you can find! See what you have and make it into a decent-sized meal, don’t overindulge! Have a tasty meal that will satisfy your tastebuds and not tempt you to eat something sweet afterwards. (I ALWAYS want chocolate after eating…) An easy dinner could be some meat (or substitute), vegetables and rice, or potatoes.
Exercise
Staying active is important for our bodies and our health. Of you have gone from an active everyday life at work, to having to stay indoors, you will certainly feel the effect. Of course, we cannot go to the gym, or share spaces with other people. So figure out how you can keep your body moving during lockdown!
Not only is exericse good for your body, your mind will feel better too. Even going for a walk each day will help your brain feel better.
Get your steps in! You are allowed to go for a walk or run outside. If you are not leaving the house, then just try to move around as often as possible, walk up and down the stairs or around the garden… Walk your dog if you have one!
Yoga – Use the daily yoga app or follow Yoga with Adrienne’s tutorials on youtube! Yoga is a good way to get your blood flowing and your body stretched. It isn’t too intense either, so most people should be able to do this without hating it.
Pinterest Challenges – Taking part in a challenge is a fun way to exercise, and feel like you’re achieving something. Start a challenge online with your friends and have fun with it. You can find challenges on Pinterest; for example – the 30 day Ab challenge, or the plank challenge.
Bike ride – Now, this is a touchy one since a lot of people think that it is alright to go out on your bike and meet your friends. NO, you are defeating the object and ruining what we are all working hard to do. You must remember to stay with the people you live with, and socially distance from others. SO, if you are going on a bike ride, go alone or with your household.
Create your own gym in the garden or finally use that gym in your garden if you have one. A lot of people on youtube have been sharing how to make gym equipment from stuff you may have at home, or show you how to create your own gym. Creating weights, or other things you may use will not only be fun, but you can carry on with your gym routines as ‘normal’ as you can.
Looking After Your Mind
Looking after your mind is just as important as looking after your body. Healthy mind = healthy life.
Your mental health during this time is more important than anything else. Not being able to continue with your usual routine is extremely hard and stressful… I am currently writing a more in-depth post about dealing with your anxiety so stay tuned.
For now, here is a list of things to help.
Do the best you can. Don’t stress that you have not moved all day, or you missed breakfast. Just do the best you can.
Journal your feelings and experiences. Writing down how you are feeling will help express emotions trapped inside. I have written a post here about gratitude journaling which can help with negative thoughts.
Listen to calming music. Take a moment to sit and listen to sounds that will soothe you. There are tons of apps that will play nature sounds, and lots of people have created playlists on youtube.
Take naps! Have a nap if it’s all feeling too much. I would never usually suggest such a thing. However, if you need fifteen minutes to recharge, then just do it.
Read that pile of books on your shelf… Just start. I am so guilty of this. If you have loads of books you keep meaning to read, zone out for an hour or so each day and start reading them.
Avoid the news You don’t need to keep watching it, as long as you follow the rules in place. The news can make you feel more stressed and anxious. Just know what you need to know, then stay in your little bubble at home.
Gratitude journaling is a great way to empty your mind and to stay feeling positive. It is so easy to start dwelling on everything that is going wrong, we forget about the things that are going well! This creates a negative mindset, low vibrations, and leads us into a life of feeling down. Start gratitude journaling today and I promise you will feel the difference.
By starting a gratitude journal, you can begin to swap your negative mindset and create a more positive outlook on life.
Stop thinking about the little things that are bad for that day. Start thinking about all of the good things around you, how lucky you are, and what you are grateful for.
It might sound like rubbish, you might be thinking that you do not have anything to be grateful for, but let’s look at the little things. You must be reading this post on some sort of device… Whether that is a phone or a computer. What else can you do with your phone or your computer?
Think deeply into the everyday things you do and realise what you are grateful for, even the tiniest thing like having a bath, or eating breakfast.
Gratitude Journaling? The Details…
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude by definition means ;
the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” she expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support”
It is basically like giving yourself and your life positive feedback. You need that positivity to be able to live your life fully. So why not be more grateful?
You can have gratitude towards a number of things;
Yourself – Think about the things you do that make you happy, or what you have achieved. This can be as simple as getting up in the morning and making yourself a healthy breakfast! Or getting that promotion you have worked so hard for.
Your family – What have you been able to achieve because of your family? Or what do your family do within their own lives that make you feel grateful and happy? You might just have gratitude towards the fat they are healthy and happy themselves.
Food – Have gratitude for the food you are able to eat and consume. You might be able to have access to more foods than someone else, you might be thankful that you can eat the foods you have, or even cook the meals you can.
Shelter – Not everyone around the world is lucky enough to have a roof over their heads. Be thankful for the fact you live in warmth and are protected.
Your hobbies – Maybe you take part in an activity that is special to you or that brings you happiness within your life? Without doing this, how would you feel?
Money – Although money helps us to have and do so many things, we shouldn’t rely on money, or dwell on the fact that money alone makes us happy. Money helps us to do things that make us happy.
Journalling
You might already be journalling, or maybe you have a notebook lying around that needs filling… There are a few ways you can write about your gratitude depending on how much time you want to spend doing it.
Integrate gratitude into your daily bullet journal… You can create a section at the top or the bottom of your page and write a couple of sentences on the things you are thankful for that day. It may be as simple as “The sun is shining”.
Write daily pages… This process takes a long time but it is very effective. This method is when you write down pages and pages of your thoughts without stopping or without overthinking them. It is a good way to ’empty’ your brain before the start of your day. This can be linked with gratitude because your daily pages can be very positive and have a positive effect on you.
Using Apps… There are lots of apps you can download to help you with journaling, so if you do not have your pen and paper on hand, you can still write things down. By using your phone you will be able to record things at that moment and look back on them at a later date and remember how you felt.
Resources
All you need to start your gratitude journal is;
A book – You can find lots of good quality journals online!
Pens – Totally of your preference. Writing with a good pen is easier.
Your mind – Be in a state of mind where you feel happy and positive.
Mobile App – Download an app so you can log your gratitude on the go.
My Pinterest board below to help with inspiration!
To Summarise
You can start gratitude journaling today! By writing down one thing each day that you are grateful for, you will begin to see a positive difference within your own life. By creating these better thoughts and good vibes, your world will change around you.
Start with writing something in the morning, and something before you go to bed to enhance the happy and positive thoughts you will have throughout the day.
Thank you for reading, make sure you subscribe to stay up to date with any news and new blog posts!
As I am sure we are all aware the Coronavirus has spread all around the world and now we are all in isolation or lockdown, whatever you want to call it.
Here in the UK, we are on lockdown which means we can’t do anything other than have an hours exercise outdoors and go to the supermarkets for essential items. (I think that’s correct, I’ve stopped watching the news…) If you are isolating, then you are not allowed to leave your house at all. So, I thought I’d write a quick little list of things you can do during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I also asked my followers on Instagram to help me with some ideas so THANK YOU if you replied to my story, you’re the best. You can follow my Instagram here so you can join in…
Lockdown Activities to Calm Your Mind
The following are some ideas I have come up with that may help with your anxieties and stresses about the current situation. The aim is to take your mind off the outside world and to put yourself into a little safe bubble.
Journalling – Writing about how you are feeling and then closing the book is a good way to get things off your chest. You can also get creative here; Follow my journaling Pinterest board for inspo!
Drawing – I personally cannot draw at all, but I have found it relaxing to follow some tutorials online and to have something different to do. Youtube simple or doodling tutorials and you will find tons of help.
Playing an instrument – If you happen to have an instrument lying around the house, use lockdown to learn some new songs!
Listening to music – Some days you just don’t want to do anything, put on your headphones and relax. Listen to your favourite music or try something new.
Read – Finally read that pile of books sitting on your TBR shelf.
Yoga – Yoga and meditation is the perfect way to centre yourself and empty your mind.
Pamper yourself – paint your nails, take a bath, put on a facemask! Chill out to candlelight and forget the rest.
Practice some self-care – Guess what, I have a board all about that too…
Productive Things To Do During Lockdown
Re-arrange your room – Moving your space around and having a clear-out can also do wonders for your mind, create a space you enjoy being in since you’re going to be there for a while… Well, I have another board on Pinterest to help with ideas for that.
Gardening – Caring for something and watching it grow can be very therapeutic… Plant some seeds and watch them grow.
Blogging! – Start writing about the things you enjoy online. Blogging is a great way to schedule your time and focus on the things you like to do.
Exercise – Yes… I know this is spoken about a lot. But staying healthy is more important now than ever. If you are at home all day every day, then make sure you’re using your time outside to go for a walk, or even run.
Do your school/uni work – Yes, I’m sorry. Just do your work before you feel bad about it.
Sort your finances – Take a look at what you’re spending, and how you can save. Now is better than ever since there isn’t a lot to do, so saving should be easier.
Random Fun Things
Learn some new recipes – Try some new meals using what you have in the cupboards.
Play games online with your friends – Play online with your phones, consoles and even on facetime. This website shows you how to play online board games – Tech Radar Online Board Games
Customise old Clothes – Chop things up, bleach your jeans, stitch cute symbols onto your shoes… The possibilities are endless.
Try new makeup – Follow some tutorials on perfecting your winged eyeliner, or whatever else it is you might want to do.
Puzzles! – Puzzles take a lot of time to do, and it’s very satisfying when you have finished it.
Make Tik Toks – Millions of people are doing this, its fun, and uses up lots of time.
Download all the Sims packs – Playing simulation games is better than the real world right now, am I right?
The Animal Crossing Craze – Another really fun game to spend ridiculous amounts of time on. Buy the console and game below! *Affiliate Link*
Thank you so much for reading! Please comment and share if you have liked this post, and if you have any other ideas for what you can do during lockdown…
I have also started using Twitter and sharing lockdown life on there – Follow it here…
Who else despises going to the shops now but has to so that their grandparents who act like children don’t leave the house x
(Smiling through these times/being forced to pose for a pic because I actually got dressed properly today) pic.twitter.com/fsCqsLYYrR
— Charlotte – Writtenbycharlotte.com (@CharlotteAnnDaw) April 22, 2020
In case you haven’t read it yet, here is my post about coming back to the blog and what you can expect from Written by Charlotte now – AND FINALLY – Please subscribe via email to receive updates, don’t worry. I won’t bombard you with messages…
