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Never underestimate the power of clean sheets. This is not some inspirational Instagram quote, or even a metaphor for life. But I do feel like it’s symbolic of the secret to happiness: appreciating the little things in life.
When I went to university I would always get a little homesick on a Sunday. The day of roast dinners and vegging out in front of the Hollyoaks omnibus, Sundays were all about slow comfort, getting prepared for the week ahead, rest.
Except sitting in my tiny room in halls in my first year, comfort wasn’t the first word that came to mind. But clean sheets on a Sunday – now these always made me feel at home, cosy and looked after. No matter how bad the hangover or how high the pile of essay deadlines, if I had clean sheets to sleep in then everything seemed kind of OK and manageable.
Fast-forward 17 years and now, as a 35 year old mum of two, the same is true. I look forward to going to bed on a Sunday night in freshly washed bedding, laying my head on a crisp pillowcase. It sounds mundane and boring and completely uninspiring, I know, but it’s these tiny little acts of kindness to myself – self-care for the soul – that make up a bigger picture of happiness.
Which is why I’m pleased to tell you about Laundryheap – an on-demand service which collects and delivers laundry and dry-cleaning for free, within 24 hours, to your home, office or hotel. It means you can always have clean sheets (or clean shirts, clean pants etc etc) even if you’re absolutely snowed under with work and life admin, have a broken washing machine or any other situation which might act as an obstacle to your clean sheet karma.
When I think about the things that make me happy, it’s not just blue skies and exciting adventures and inspiring work projects and connecting with new friends and old. It’s the tiny things – clean sheets, a hot bubble bath, fresh new socks, half an hour with a good book, a well-fitting bra. I see these little pieces of luxury as the building blocks to a wider sense of wellbeing.
I sometimes think self-care is just doing all the things that you don’t really want to do. No one jumps out of bed in the morning thinking “YAY LAUNDRY!” But that feeling after it’s done? It’s just lovely. Same with exercise. I love the feeling of going for a run or doing yoga but sometimes I have to really build myself up to it. Actually looking after yourself can be a bit boring – the thought of early bedtimes and drinking enough water and making sure you’ve got clean pants aren’t going to elicit peaks of adrenaline or thrills of excitement. But they do make you feel good in the long-run.
What little potentially dull things are the building blocks to your wellbeing and happiness? I’d love to know.
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Thanks to Laundryheap for commissioning this post. Laundryheap currently operates services in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Coventry in the UK, as well as Dubai and Sharjah, Dublin and Amsterdam and Haarlem. Book a collection on the go online or log into the mobile app.
For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page.
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