Life reboot: Be kind to yourself

Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed with life in general, I like to strip things back to basics. Rather than over complicating everything (which I seem to be very good at doing) taking in a few simple pleasures always helps me to clear my head. Being proactive and addressing my physical health and appearance really seems to help the emotional and psychological side too. Our body is a vessel which carries us through the ups and downs of life. You need to be kind to it otherwise you will burn yourself out, and be of absolutely no use to anybody! Here's my three recent life reboots which are helping to make a much healthier and happier outlook on life.

My skin very much reflects how I'm feeling on the inside. I feel like my stress escapes through the body in the form of tension headaches and spots! I'll explain more about the headaches later, but I have been indulging in a regular skincare routine recently. Taking the time to actually do it is just as satisfying as seeing the results from the products themselves.

This corrective formula is designed to condition and lift the delicate area around your eyes. I am such a bad one for rubbing my eyes with face wipes to get rid of stubborn eyeliner at the end of a long day. I've luckily never suffered from dark circles but I do get quite bad bags under my eyes when I'm tired. I apply it first thing in the morning before my makeup, and it definitely helps to cool and calm that morning puffiness under my eyes. You only need to use a tiny amount too, so I can see this 15ml bottle lasting me quite a while.

I recently found out that Glasgow was ranked as the UK's most skin friendly city! Simple combined  the average hours of sunshine, pollution levels, and a poll of stress levels from women living in the city over the course of a year. I live just a couple of miles outside the city centre, so was quite pleased to hear this. Guess where was discovered to be the worst... Liverpool! Which really surprised me as I thought it would be London (who actually ranked second)

A beauty therapist years ago gave me the fear over using Simple products, saying that they strip your skin and are actually very harsh. So I had always avoided them until now, and I'm very glad that my opinion has completely changed for the better.

I have been using these 4 products above every morning. Although I cleanse my face the night before, I like to use the cleansing wipes and eye makeup remover pads in the morning after my shower. I always think I've got all my eye makeup off and end up still resembling the little girl from The Ring when I come out the shower. I have been using the protecting moisture cream and then the beauty balm instead of my usual foundation. I absolutely love it! It's a light and creamy consistency but has actually got quite a medium coverage for a BB cream, and I'm wearing it in the first picture in this post. It is my total go to base every day now, and the colour adapts to my skin really well whether I've got fake tan on or absolutely nothing. A wee hidden makeup gem that I will re buy over and over!

Taking 20 minutes in the evening to treat my skin is a nice wee wind down before bed. I go between the cleansing lotion and facial wash depending on how much makeup I've worn that day. Along with the eye makeup remover on a cotton pad, then the facial toner. Plus the same protecting moisturiser that I use in the morning too. The thought of going to bed with makeup on (which I was quite bad for doing lazily sometimes, especially after a night out) makes me feel horrible!

I've been using these three products every other day when I feel like my skin needs it. The illuminating radiance cream feels like a primer with a slight shimmer to it, and is also quite moisturising so makes for a lovely dewy makeup look along with the BB cream. The moisture mist is great for me during long days filming on set, where I don't touch my makeup for at least 12 hours and my skin starts to feel a bit tight. I literally just spray this over my makeup and it brings it to life again! Probably not how you're meant to use it but it works for me. The sun kissed moisture cream has a gradual tanner in it, so I use it the days after I've faked tan to help my face match by body (school boy error!) as the tan on my face does fade when I'm cleaning it so much.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't one of those girls who thinks about her weight and body shape on a daily basis. But I'm finally taking a more positive approach to it, with lifestyle changes and sustainable actions rather than fad diets. I did a big monthly shop last week, as I've been getting catering on so many jobs recently that I've not needed to have a lot of food in the house. But there's no greater feeling than your fridge and cupboards being full of good, healthy food. I'm still a big fan of Quorn and have been incorporating it into my cooking at least once a week. 

I'm happy to get excited about food, rather than starving myself and counting calories. I eat what I want, making sensible choices, and don't deny myself a treat when I'm in the mood! I must say though, since getting back into exercise again I am not craving chocolate and crisps the way I used to. I think they definitely have an addictive quality to them and the less you eat them, the less you end up wanting them. I was told at the Health Sanctum that my recent headaches are probably being caused by the withdrawal of certain foods, including carbs! Health Sanctum is a health and weight loss clinic that has opened just down the road from me, and they specialise in alternative and holistic therapy. I've been visiting them for Techno-shape sessions and I feel so lucky to have such an informative and supportive source right on my doorstep.

Okay, so excuse my bare belly! But here are some 'before' pictures of my stomach (which is the main area I am addressing) before I started the TechnoShape sessions. Each session lasts 40 minutes, and consists very simply of wearing a air pressured belt while you work on the treadmill. The belt gently moves and almost massages your stomach, encouraging blood circulation to your mid drift. Ever work out and get a red face and red arms, but your stomach is always still cold to touch? Encouraging the blood to circulate more in this area while you work out boosts your body's ability to burn fat in this area. That's the science behind it anyways, and I've completely 4 of 6 sessions, so I'll be excited to share the results with you when I'm done :)

Probably the simplest of the three, and the overall message of this post. Be kind to yourself. Look after your body and your mind and they will look after you. Be kind to others, because we are all on our own personal journey and facing hard battles along the way.