7 SMALL THINGS THAT HAVE IMPROVED MY WELLBEING

15 things Plants
Very quickly after lockdown began, my plant obsession grew! The need for the grounding energy of nature within my space and something to keep me occupied on mundane and low days, has resulted in me accumulating 30+ plants since March. Not only do plants create a calming, serene atmosphere, I also feel like they uplift me and improve my mental health. If interested, you can use ‘Grace Victory’ for 15% off your first order at Patch Plants. Trello
I’ve been using Trello for about a year and it’s changed the game! Being the Virgo Queen I am, I like to stay organised and on top of things and Trello Workflow allows me to do just that. I also love a list too, which is the premise of what Trello is. Trello organises boards, can create calendars, as well as providing a space for tasks, goals and projects. I like that I can have everything in one place and move things about, into different categories and once complete, they can be archived in my ‘Completed’ board. Reusable Cotton Pads
Another thing that happened during lockdown was my need to become more eco friendly and a little more conscious about my lifestyle choices. When it comes to being plus size, the sustainable fashion choices we have are few and far between, but there are other ways I can do my bit. So I decided to do some small and simple swaps that will benefit the environment, one of them being reusable cotton pads to wash my face and remove my makeup. These ones from Amazon are amazing! Once dirty, you just pop them inside their bag and wash them. They are low cost and low waste = perfect! Sleep Cycle
I’ve been using Sleep Cycle for years! It’s basically an app that tracks your sleep; quality, time, if you snore and it can even do heart rate data. Now, I don’t know how accurate all of the date IS, but this app helps me to pay attention to my sleep and can also help me understand why I might feel tired in the mornings. I do a small celebration when my sleep quality is 100% because not only does that feel like an achievement, I also feel fucking great and have way more energy. The alarm also wakes you up in the lightest part of your rem cycle – which makes you feel less tired in the mornings. The key also, to feel more energised in the morning is to get out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off. I achieve this by putting my phone a little further away from me so I have to get up to turn my alarm off. Sleep is one of the most iMPORTANT parts of our well-being and people still don’t prioritise it enough. The Curly Girl Method
I began my curly girl journey back in 2018 and I haven’t looked back since. The Curly Girl Method is basically a method that discourages the use of shampoo, sulphates, silicones and any other nasties that damage the curly hair pattern. The aim of this particular method is to treat naturally curly, kinky and coily hair gently, with ingredients and products that are as natural as possible. And for some curl patterns – only using water based products for extra hydration. The CG Method has made me learn how to take care of my hair, whilst also helping to fall in love with my hair again. My hair has gone from being limp and wavy to full and curly and I really do recommend doing this if you want to get curlier, bigger hair! My favourite brand of hair products is Boucleme, which I will link for you below. They are also a black owned so support if you can. Isle Of Paradise Tanning Water
I am at my most confident when I’m tanned, golden and bronzed. Being mixed race, I favour my complexion when the sun has kissed it and bought out my freckles. But with Covid-19, my usual travel plans have been halted which can only mean one thing – I GOTTA FAKE IT!

I’ve been a fake tan advocate for YEARS, but Isle Of Paradise have (in my opinion) created a product missing from the market. Their tanning water applied over my moisturiser is the absolute BEST face tanning product. It dries evenly and gives me the most wonderful golden hue. It also doesn’t break me out or clog my pores (unless I’ve applied it without moisturiser which is a mistake I don’t want to make again) LOL! I of course use their other products on my body – which I love, but the tanning water really does reign supreme for me. I have back ups of my back ups!

Smoothies
I was really unwell during December which ended up being a bit of a health scare. All is well, but it gave me a little motivation to take care of myself more than I had been doing. I decided to opt for a more plant based diet which bought me to drinking a lot of smoothies. I honour my body though and if it wants eggs or some fish I will definitely have those, but I do like to eat electric, wholesome foods as I feel so much better when I consume them. My mind feels lighter, my poop is smoother (TMI?), my skin is looks clearer and overall, my body just feels better.

I fucking love smoothies because they allow me to experiment with ingredients, as well as fuelling my body with nourishing foods that don’t take too long to make. Every smoothie I make has a base of frozen banana, chia seeds and hemp milk and then I add in whatever I fancy. Some mornings its frozen berries, seamoss and Brazil nuts. Other mornings its spinach, honey and coconut flakes. I just intuitively have what I like!