Author: Tegan

Categories
Lifestyle

Lessons from lockdown

I’m not going to lie and say lockdown has been fun, overly insightful, or something I care to repeat but there have definitely been fun moments and I have learnt an few things that I thought I’d share with you. Some of the below are small and silly and some are more important but either way, here are the 6 things I’ve learnt from lockdown:

  1. Walking isn’t that bad. I kinda hated walking before lockdown which was a real hassle considering Katie loves a long walk and is great at dragging me along (especially first thing in the morning when I’m hungover from a night of G&T’s). But I have to admit I’ve actually started to enjoy our daily walks. I’ve learnt to appreciate the time outside in the fresh air, and I’m actually enjoying this new found form of exercise. Who knew power walking could work up such a sweat!
  2. Childhood crafts are fun and you should re-explore them. About a month ago, I purchased an overpriced beading kit from Ruby (I will not be accepting any judgement on this decision) and it has provided me with countless hours of fun. I have identical flower bracelets coming out my ears because I only know how to make one style of bracelet, but I don’t care. I’m going to start crocheting next as I’ve already got an order for a bucket hat! (Also if anyone wants a poorly made flower bracelet please let me know as I’m not ready to give this hobby up yet!)
  3. Don’t feel bad for not being productive. I ended my first lockdown with 6kg less fat on my body, a rekindled love for reading and a great new job. Unfortunately, lockdown 2.0 has not been quite as successful for me. I’ve gained back most of the 6kg, have done almost no reading and am definitely struggling to focus for an 8 hour work day. And that is okay! I am now enjoying lockdown focusing on the fact that I will probably never get the chance to be lazy as fu*k for weeks with no consequences ever again. Just chill out team!
  4. Always try to budget an extra $20 to buy some flowers. I was never someone who cared for flowers but being stuck inside has really made me love having a fresh set of flowers on the kitchen counter! They liven up the house and surprisingly really lift my mood. You know that feeling when you clean a room and then top it off by lighting a candle, really satisfied and content, that’s how flowers make me feel now!
  5. Take “me time”. I have always been a huge ambassador of “Tegan Time”. Anyone who has lived with me before knows that I love to lock myself away in my room and indulge for 30 minutes. Although this is an old love of mine, lockdown (especially a lockdown where I am stuck in a small townhouse with two others) has really made me realize how important that practice is. I find I get really moody, emotional, and stressed if I don’t take that time to chill with myself everyday – it’s true what they say – you can’t pour from an empty cup!
  6. Check in on your friends – all of them. Lockdown has been hard on everyone, not just the people who openly talk about it. Reach out to your friends and see how they are doing (not just during lockdown but always). I know I have appreciated the check-in messages from friends I may not have spoken to recently. It has also been a good reminder to me that friendship won’t always be a perfectly 50/50. Sometimes friends will need a bit more of your love than they can give in return and that’s okay – everyone handles things differently!

Anyway, that’s what I’ve learnt. I’m excited to move to L3 on Sunday so I can stock up on crochet supplies and gin before we go back into another lockdown!

Categories
Reads

A book review: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

I read this book for the first time in late 2018, I was fresh out of a breakup and was on the train from Paris to London. This book quickly became and remains, my favourite book. I have read it approximately 6 times since then and I will continue to read it every time I am feeling down or lost.

When I first found this book, I had never even heard of Dolly Alderton. The book was a spontaneous purchase due to my aforementioned breakup, and a need for something to keep me entertained while sitting on the train for a few hours. So, for those of you who are in the same position that I was two years ago, let me bring you up to speed in less than 50 words (by “the same position”, I mean not knowing who Dolly Alderton is, I’d be very surprised if you were also fresh out of a breakup on a train from Paris to London).

Dolly Alderton is a former dating columnist from the UK, she is the co-host of the chart-topping podcast ‘The High Low’ and this was her debut book that millennial-ised (not sure if I just made that word up but I think maybe I did?) confessional women’s literature.

Okay, now that we’re all on the same page, onto the review.

Simply put, this book feels real, raw, and honest in the best way possible. It gives you a glimpse into Dolly’s life as she stumbles her way through learning to understand love. It is elegant while relatable, funny while touching and inspiring while comforting.

Dolly is unbelievably self-aware and honest which you’ll grow to see through this collection of memoirs which touch on MSN chat rooms, cringe first dates, wild drunken nights, baby showers, cross-country taxi rides, and of course love. Oh yeah, as well as the memoirs, there’s also odd recipes, emails to imaginary people, shopping lists, and intimate text conversations. It sounds weird but trust me, it works!

This book made me laugh and it made me cry (like the kind of ugly cry where you actually feel a bit grim after). It will make you want to take a wild chance and enjoy the craziness of youth while it’s here. It made me want to live!

This book made me aware, of myself, my female friendships (aka. the greatest loves I’ll ever know), and of everyone else fighting to understand life in their 20’s.

It is an easy but enjoyable read and I honestly would recommend it to everyone I know. I think even the worst reader could demolish this book in a handful of days. Trust me, just read it okay!

Just as a disclaimer, if you choose to take my advice and read this book and you somehow happen to not enjoy it, please don’t tell me because I don’t actually want to know. Please let me enjoy it in my ignorant, happy, book-loving bubble.

Categories
Health

5 tips to promote that ‘mental glow up’

Sometimes life throws you a curveball and it makes you realize how much you need a mental reset. Not to get into details, but a few months ago, I received my curveball. Consider below the outcome of my reset. 

Recently, I have been making a conscious effort to be more “mindful” in my everyday life which basically means, I’m working to focus on the present moment while allowing myself to acknowledge and accepting my feelings and thoughts.

I’ve started small and tried to implement 5 activities into my everyday routine which are promoting my (what I like to call) ‘mental glow up’.

I asked Katie if she has seen a change in me and the verdict is in, she said “yes”. I am obviously taking that as confirmation that I am now an expert and that means that I should share those 5 actions with you all! 

  1. Practice gratitude every day. This one seems like a no brainer but take a moment to think about how often you actually verbalize or write down the things in your life that you are grateful for. For me, this realization hit hard. I consider myself a grateful person but I realized I rarely take the time to truly be present in the feeling of gratitude and pass it on to others.
    We have started a new routine in our flat where every night we discuss two highs and a low from our day, it gives us all the opportunity to evaluate what has happened in our day that we are grateful for and what happened that we can learn from.
    I have also started using the ‘Happyfeed’ app as a way to keep myself on track with my daily gratitude. 

  2. Breathe. Yeah, no shit. But seriously, be selfish and take 10-15 minutes every day to sit and focus on your breathing. I find that spending 10 minutes every morning before I leave for work allows me to calm myself before a busy day and just focus on how I am feeling and really evaluate myself before moving forward with my day. I genuinely believe that I’m a nicer, calmer, and overall happier person because of these 10 minutes.

  3. Tell yourself how awesome you are. This is something I will admit that I was bad at but as it turns out, positive affirmations are the real deal! In the car, in the shower, while out for a run, try to tell yourself (out loud if you can), 5 things you truly love and admire about yourself. Do this every single day! Slowly you will start to believe it (if you don’t already, which you SHOULD!) and will start to carry that appreciation for yourself through everything you do. Remind yourself that you are enough exactly how you are. 

  4. Focus on the three fundamentals; exercise, sleep, and healthy eating.
    Make a set sleep schedule for yourself and try your best to stick to it every day, get 30 minutes minimum of exercise (even if it’s just a light walk), and eat your bloody greens! 
    After all, if you don’t make time for wellness, you will have to make time for illness.

  5. Manage your digital diet. Yes, I am a hypocrite BUT, I am trying! Try to pick up a book instead of your phone next time you’re bored or decide to shut off your phone an hour before you sleep at night. Small changes go a long way, you’ll be surprised how clear your brain feels! 

Now go get that mental glow up but as always, take everything I say with a grain of salt. 

– Tegan