All Things Gemima: Take 5

I noted in my last post how I am a big sufferer with anxiety and stress, which many others will be too. A way that I personally deal with these little issues is to simply make time for just relaxing, so I thought I’d share five ways I spend time relaxing, in the routine I’d most likely do it in.

Taking a Shower

I currently live in student accommodation and because of this I sadly do not have a bath to lay in for hours on end, instead have a single shower cubicle. Nevertheless, I do find a hot shower just as relaxing as a bath, the difference being you have to stand for a bit longer, effort. With the winter season still among us, after a long day/walk home the cold can effect how we feel and I admit I always feel a little deflated in colder weather. Like a bath, the bathroom can be created for a relaxing mood by lighting some candles, putting on some music that I know I’ll enjoy and purchasing a shower lotion with relaxing scents such as lavender or rose. Stick the heating on and lay some comfy clothes on the radiator ready for when your finished and you’ll stay warm and cosy, I do this most nights.

Pamper

After taking a warming shower it’s nice to carry on that relaxing process, the best way I find to do this is to have a small pamper session with myself. This could be either painting my nails, face masks, moisturising and maybe even sorting out my eyebrows, eek. I’ve been lovely dark berry colours on my nails as it matches the darker shades of clothing I’ve wore throughout the autumnal and winter months, one I’ve wore for a long time is a Barry M varnish in the shade Berry Cosmo.

Reading

I have always been a lover of reading, something that was heavily influenced by my parents when I was younger, because I’m comforted by reading its something that calms me and takes any stressful and anxious thoughts to the back of my mind. I’ll read anything and everything, from magazines such as GQ or Elle to reading fiction as I can escape into a different world an author has created, I’d do this cuddled up into bed with a cup of tea or something herbal. At the minute I’m reading ‘The Versions of Us’ by Laura Barnett, if you’ve seen the film ‘Sliding Doors’ featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, the book has a similar theme.

TV/Film

Some nights I may not be in the mood to read, especially if I’ve had a heavy day of reading and writing assignments, nights like this I prefer to watch something. At the moment everyone has been talking about the popular Netflix documentary ‘Making A Murderer’, but I find it dangerous to watch at night, I know I wont sleep as I’ll be hooked watching it all night through, plus I find it way to tense, not relaxing in the slightest. Instead, I’ll watch something light hearted. What I’ve loved recently is watching the full series of ‘Sex and the City’ all the way from the beginning, even though I’ve probably seen it a 1000 times, but its something that I know I enjoy, like reading I’ll watch this with a warm beverage.

Herbal Tea’s

I’ve talked about how I drink tea whilst I read a book etc. When I’m not drinking typical English tea (Yorkshire Tea to be exact) I like to drink something herbal, one that I’ve enjoyed recently is the ‘Pukka: Night Time Tea’, it includes organic oat flower, lavender and limeflower. These ingredients are known to help settle the body down, ready for it to slip into a sleeping state. The tea does in fact help me relax further and makes me feel a whole lot sleepier, which is key when feeling anxious.