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You are here: Home / STYLE / Five things to beat Blue Monday

Five things to beat Blue Monday

January 11, 2018 by Molly 2 Comments

So apparently Monday 15th January is going to be the most depressing day of the year. Well you know what I say? Balls to that.

My mindset this January is completely different to previous Januarys. This might have a lot to do with the fact I’ve decided to ignore the “New Year New Diet” culture, but I also think it’s down to discovering five new things this month which are helping to make me happy (not just wine).

All of these items are low on cost but big on self-indulgence. I like to view them as “comfy mindfulness” tools which make me feel looked after in various different ways. So far they’re doing the trick in helping me forget about the fact it’s no longer Christmas, my bank account is emptier than usual and the festive leftovers have all been eaten (all triggers for Blue Monday meltdown, it seems).

Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil

My skin always goes extra dry in the colder months, although – typically – it can also get greasy patches too. Fun. Anyway, I read a while back that facial oils are basically the nectar of the gods for your skin and although I’ve been a late adopter, I’m now firmly on board.

When my Elizabeth Arden Miracle Oil (read why it’s so good here) ran out I couldn’t afford to replace it before Christmas so I impulse-bought the organic facial oil in the Boots Botanics range (£11). It’s been brilliant and has completely sorted out my usually-dodgy winter patchy skin.

Oats and Honey Bath Soak

My lovely next door neighbour gave me a gorgeous home-made oats and honey bath soak for Christmas. As well as oats and honey it also has epsom salts and chamomile essential oil in and it smells AMAZING. It’s also magic tonic for dry skin and after a bath in the stuff I glide out of the tub all shimmering and soft (in my head I look like a glistening mythical queen although the reality is a bit lumpier, bumpier and less graceful). This is the best recipe I could find online if you want to recreate your own version.

Spacemasks

When I first tried out a Spacemask I felt cross, mainly because I assumed I was the last one to the party and had only just discovered something everyone else had known about for ages. Turns out I wasn’t that late and they haven’t actually been around for that long, despite already having amassed a large celeb and beauty elite following.

They work by warming up when oxygen hits them, giving the eyes a warm hug, basically. The effect is to alleviate tension (particularly if your eyes, like mine, are sore from staring at a screen), encourage circulation and help you drift off into a beautiful state of relaxation. It’s the ideal thing if you’re a sleep deprived mum wanting to make the very most of the rare 15 minutes you might get to rest your eyes. Best of all, they don’t cost a million pounds, but an affordable £15 for 5 masks.

Whole Food Slow Cooked recipe book

This is the best recipe book I’ve ever owned. End of. I’ve raved about it to anyone who’ll listen, cook from it pretty much every weekend (especially if we have guests over), featured it on my Instagram Stories and in countless YouTube videos. I love it, in case you haven’t gathered that yet.

My sister bought me Whole Food Slow Cooked as a birthday present and the thing that really gives it the edge is the flexibility of the recipes – you can cook them all in a slow cooker, on the stove top or in a normal oven. And unlike most slow cooker recipe books it’s not completely dated or full of bland, watery, unappetising dishes. There are soups, braises, curries, puddings, classics – every type of recipe you’d want. It’s the ideal January accompaniment when the weather is cold and you need a pick-me-up in food form.

Headspace app

And finally, I’m probably the last person on the planet to download this app but it’s been brilliant so far this January so I’m including it here anyway. Offering bite-sized chunks of meditation and “mindfulness” practise for newbies, Headspace gives you easy to follow meditations each day. I’ve never done any proper meditation before, except for at the end of a Yoga class or when I was listening to Hypnobirthing CDs when I was pregnant with Effie. Part of me wants to write it off as a load of hippy nonsense but the rational, sensible part of me knows it works. I mean, I managed to birth a baby without any pain relief – even a paracetamol – and I’m a notorious wuss, so there must be something in it.

I find January can sometimes be an overwhelming month, especially when you’re surrounded by everyone else sharing resolutions, past year achievements, goals etc. And then there’s all the diet chat, the fact the weather is cold and miserable, the squeezed bank balance. Taking a few minutes each day to drown out the noise and just be has had an amazing effect so far this month.

What trusty tools will you be using to keep Blue Monday at bay?

Filed Under: Beauty, FOOD, STYLE Tagged With: beauty products, Blue Monday, happiness, January, pamper products

« “New year new diet” and other damaging things we tell our kids
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Comments

  1. Steph says

    January 19, 2018 at 6:00 pm

    OMG I love the sound of those spacemasks! Thanks for sharing your ideas 🙂 x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      January 21, 2018 at 11:54 am

      They are so lovely. Feels like such a treat!

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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If you feel bad about your body you’re less like If you feel bad about your body you’re less likely to do nice things for it, including moving in a way that feels good and eating in a way that feels good. (FYI health is about more than just exercise and nutrition, but let’s get deeper into the exercise thing for a second...)
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Research shows kids who have low body image are less likely to get involved with sports and more likely to skip PE. 
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Want kids to move more? Stop teaching them that one type of body is better than another - because if their body doesn’t look like your version of a healthy / beautiful / successful body not only will they be more likely to feel shame over their body, they’ll be less likely to engage with the very behaviours you want them to do more of (or be more likely to engage with them in an UNhealthy way - compulsive exercise is dangerous).
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Instead:
💕Try talking about the intrinsic benefits of exercise over the extrinsic ones (ie. how it makes you FEEL instead of how it makes you LOOK).
✨Create opportunities for movement where ALL children feel welcome. 
💕Show children diverse representation so they can see sporting heroes with a range of body types and know that movement is for EVERYbody. 
✨Take a zero tolerance approach to appearance based bullying, body shaming and comments that perpetuate weight stigma (including even the hint that fat = bad). 
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(If you’re a teacher or youth leader interested in knowing more about this topic, a #BodyHappyKids workshop will help - follow the link in my bio 🥰❤️)
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[Image description: A multicoloured slide with an overlaid screenshot of tweet by Molly which reads ‘If your intention is to “get kids healthy” then you need to be aware of how weight bias, weight stigma and poor body image are active barriers to health. The end.]
Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a crying shame only the piles of laundry got to see it, quite frankly. Finally, a pair of pre-loved jeans bought online that are true to size, consistent with the rest of the brand’s sizing and actually fit! 🎉 
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PS heads up - I’ll be doing a Q&A about body image and kids in my Stories on Friday. The Q sticker is up in my Stories now if you’d like to submit a Q! 💕 #BodyHappyKids
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[Image description: Molly is standing in front of the mirror looking very pleased with the fact her new jeans bought from Depop fit her. She is wearing pink patterned jeans with cherubs on them, a pink check jumper and pink trainers. There are piles of laundry on the bed behind her.]
Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been our main form of entertainment this year. Anyone else? 
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I honestly now get excited about putting my boots on and being outdoors, even in the rain. I’m going to start hugging trees next and going on wild camping weekends that involve doing a poo behind a tree and making my own fire. Joke.... maybe. 
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Just another reminder that all movement is valid, exercise doesn’t need to have to be about burning calories or even tracking steps in order for it to be “worth it”. Hope everyone’s had a great weekend ❤️
#BodyHappyMum #JoyfulMovement
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Image description: Molly and her two daughters stand on a bridge in the countryside. They are all wearing hiking boots and outdoor clothes and smiling.
My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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I’m trying to buy as much as I can from pre-loved places or small businesses these days, which is why I’m very happy to share with you some of my latest finds: a star dress from Depop (£5), earrings from @kelzojewellery by @ourtransitionallife (£12) and the comfiest tights I’ve ever owned in Raspberry Pie by @snagtights (£6.99) 💕💕💕
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Have you found any great small brands lately? Shout them out in the comments so we can all support in the run up to Christmas. ⬇️⚡️
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Image description: Molly is smiling and sticking out her tongue to the camera. Her hair is freshly dyed a light shade of pink. She’s wearing a pink t’shirt underneath a black and white star patterned slip dress, with bright pink tights and black and pink earrings decorated with a boob design.
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