Tag: selflove

The Green Juice Hype

Today we’re gonna do my little tactic of writing a quick one cos I don’t have a lot of time/I’m lazy. First off, how fucking beautiful is the weather today? I mean, like where I am. I don’t know where you are. But here in Liverpool it is excellent. Endless blue skies, sun so bright I can barely open my eyes. Oh yeah, that’s a welcome change after all the cold and dreary weather we’ve had the last few months. Is this the start of summer? I totally hope so.

So I’m toying with the idea of readjusting my posting schedule. Self-care Fridays have been a thing on my blog for a surprising amount of time now. Yes, they’re not every week, sometimes months apart, but just calm yourself, we all know the situation. However, I often find myself doing things on Friday nights recently so all that means is my post is sacrificed. But I really enjoy the self-care posts because I think they’re super important. So I don’t want to lose them. My experiment for the next few weeks is to transform Self-care Fridays into Self-care Thursdays! Subtle difference, I know. But it means you can still do these activities or tasks during your relaxing weekends but now you have a day to prepare in case there’s needed supplies.

Funnily enough, today’s self-care activity does require supplies! Green Juice. Now I know a lot of people are weirdly intimidated my green juice and I’m here to address that. With the sun coming back out and the nights getting lighter, I’ve been whipping out my blender to get my daily fix. Green juice is so fucking tasty, and super simple to make. And also, you can put like whatever the heck you want in it. So there’s literally no wrong way to do it. Make it your own. I hear a lot of people saying ‘urgh spinach though? I don’t wanna drink that’. YOU CANNOT TASTE THE SPINACH. I’m not sure how many more people I can say that too without flipping the fuck out. The spinach gives the stunning bright green colour and all the good nutrients but what it does not give is taste. My main issue with this is that spinach actually tastes delicious anyway so I never know what people are even talking about. But for anyone hesitating about trying green juice because they don’t like spinach, or kale, or celery, or whatever then don’t worry. You can make a very vegetable-heavy green juice but most are going to focus on the fruit. They’re sweet and refreshing. That’s why they’re so perfect for summertime.

I also hear people saying it’s expensive. If you’re gonna buy ready-made green juice, then Christ yeah, that’s shit is gonna set you back a lot of pennies. But to make your own? Couldn’t be cheaper. There’s a misconception about what needs to go into a green juice. You do not need spirulina and flax seed and hemp seed and matcha powder and mulberries and goji berries and the elixir of the mythical mermaid plant Magenta. (I made that last one up.) Personally, I like to keep mine super simple. Frozen fruit, kids. That’s where the gold is. Frozen fruit is so cheap. I also use Tesco value orange juice and tap water as the liquids. I use the occasional banana. You’re more than welcome to use the luxury items but they’re definitely not necessary.

Price also comes into the tools used. I fully appreciate people don’t have a Vitamix just lying around. Neither do I, but I wouldn’t say no if anyone wanted to buy me one. I got myself a mid-range blender a few years ago because I knew I wanted to make juice regularly but also start making the thousands of vegan pasta sauce recipes I see online. So I’m all set there. But before that I had a thirty quid blender from Tesco or Argos or something. Before that I had a £5 emersion blender. But if none of that is in your price range just get a bowl and a potato masher and get that arm workout going. My top tip to anyone without a juicer (which I’m assuming is going to be most of us!) is to strain your juice! I often love just drinking it out the blender but when you start throwing in berries I find it a bit too seedy. So to stop that you simply have to strain the juice from the blender, ie. the step the juicer would also do for you. I’ve used nut milk bags in the past, they’re great but I found my hands get EXTREMELY cold because I tend to use a lot of frozen ingredients. So right now I’m using a fine mesh sieve. It works well enough. I find it also helps keep the juice fresh in the fridge for a couple of days. Unstrained, be prepared for the liquid to separate and look gross. Nothing a good shake can’t fix though!

Anyway, I said this would be a short post and now I’m still talking about green juice. So I’ll shut up now and leave you with my favourite recipe right now. I usually just eyeball the amounts, depends on the quantity of juice you want. I tend to just do relatively equal parts of my fruits and a giant amount of spinach pressed down at the bottom.

Sarah’s Green Juice

Spinach

Frozen Banana

Frozen Pineapple

Frozen Mango

Orange Juice

Water

And it’s literally that easy! That juice creates a beautiful green juice. Fair warning: if you start adding berries, it’ll taste amazing but it will turn a weird brown colour. So maybe don’t Instagram that one. Happy juicing!

I Wanna Know – Best Coast

March 28, 2019

amwriting, blogger, greenjuice, health, hype, plantstrong, selfcare, selflove, vegan, veganfood, writersofig
Queer Eye

So I really wasn’t kidding about our Friday self-care posts coming back slowly. It’s been like two months since I said that.. But anyway! Beside the point. This week’s task is so enjoyable that you’ll forgive me instantly for keeping you waiting. Everyone drop whatever you’re doing right this second and go do it. Like right now. I don’t care if you’re at work. Say ‘peace out, guys, something I gotta do’. But no seriously, go and watch Queer Eye. If you haven’t seen any of the show then you’re in luck! You get three whole seasons to binge! If you already know about Queer Eye then I’m gonna assume you’ve actually already binged all of the new season. Oh well. Watch it again?

This show has been taking the world by storm since it started it’s reboot last year. And why? Because it is just so heart-warming. Don’t get me wrong, this show will break you. Completely crush you. You’ll be drowning in your own tears. Fair warning. But through all the pain and the discrimination and the lack of self-esteem you get to watch something beautiful. You witness real people completely reinvent themselves. Discover themselves. Learn to love themselves. They put their trust in the Fab 5 to transform them. They want change. They just don’t necessarily know how to do it for themselves. And it’s not just about physical change. A hair cut or a new wardrobe can give people an immediate visible confidence but it’s also about teaching them self-care and giving tips on how to treat themselves well. There’s also lots of focus on why and how they’ve got to where they are at the beginning of the episode and how they can alter their future going forward. God, I’m tearing up just thinking about it!

So who the heck are the Fab 5? They’re a team of guys who use their expertise in different areas to round together the transformation. Each episode features a physical makeover of body and clothes; a healthier look at your diet; a healthier look at your mental health; as well as a reinvention of your living space.

So who have we got?

On Food and Wine we’ve got Antoni. Now there is many memes across the internet that say Antoni can’t actually cook, he just knows how to chop up an avocado. Well, for one, you’re wrong, but also, who doesn’t like avocados? So what are we even moaning about people? Anyway, Antoni believes what you put in your body is a bold statement about what you think you deserve and how you plan to treat yourself. He also thinks cooking a good, wholesome meal for friends and family is a great way of connecting and I’d have to agree.

On Design we have Bobby. What that man can do with an interior space is incredible. Literally breath-taking. He suits it exactly to the person’s style as well as their needs and the spaces are always highly functional. Literally boss.

On Fashion we have Tan. Tan is the master of the French tuck, he also knows how to pronounce squirrel correctly. These are things you’ll understand once you’ve WATCHED THE SHOW. But really, it’s mad how many people are wearing clothes that are far too big for them just because they feel self-conscious or just don’t take the time to take care of themselves. He shows people what clothes fit their body shape and the smile on people’s faces when they look in that mirror is enough to set me off.

On Culture we’ve got Karamo. People are always asking ‘what even is culture? That’s not a thing’. Well I’m here to tell you to dropkick yourself in the face. I debate with friends all the time about who helps the person the most and it’s almost impossible to decide. But I think there’s a lot to be said for Karamo. He’s a trained social worker/psychiatrist so he knows what questions to ask. He knows how to get people to open up about what they’re avoiding. It’s in admitting that and exploring it that you often see the people smash out of their shell. It’s when they realise that they are enough. Exactly how they are.

On Grooming is the one and only JVN (Jonathan Van Ness). JVN is very extrovert and energetic and when I first committed to this journey I wondered if I’d find him annoying. Boy, was I wrong. There is something about that guy. He’s genuine. I completely believe he is always being entirely truthful to himself and that’s pretty inspiring. He is so ready with compliments, personalised to each individual that you just feel like you’re getting showered in them too. He makes me smile and you can see in his face that when someone he is transforming looks more confident in themselves then his job is done.

So basically, Queer Eye is just the greatest show to ever exist. People think it’s just this fluffy, reality, trashy show. And even if it was, why would that matter? But that’s just not actually accurate. It’s very socially conscious. It discusses very relevant topics such as religion, race, police brutality, homophobia and transphobia. It challenges social norms and yet it’s fun. That’s why it will remain popular.

In conclusion, (since this has turned into an essay) just go and watch this show so that we can talk about it! You seriously won’t regret it. I swear.

Peace.

All Things – Betty Who

March 22, 2019

amwriting, blogger, jvn, Netflix, queereye, selfcare, selflove, telly, tv, writersofig
journal prompts pt.2

So kids, we missed two weeks there. Also, yeah, it’s a Saturday again but if we wait for me to remember to post on a Friday then it may never happen. That’s my bad. Anyway! Onwards!

It’s another quick self-care task this week to follow on from our intention writing. I want you to get comfortable with journal writing. Cos I think it can save you. It can keep you safe. It can challenge you. It can let you feel your emotions, whatever they are. But it can be hard to stare at a blank page and wonder where to start. Something about the vast expanse of blankness can either ignite feverish scribblings or completely clear the mind of all human function. Depends on the day. So following on from a post I wrote last year, here are ten more journal prompt ideas:

1. What are you not letting yourself feel?

2. What’s one of your most treasured memories?

3. What’s one thing you’d like to have implemented into your life a year from now?

4. A book review.

5. Today you wanted to dropkick everyone in the face. Tell me why.

6. Give a stream of consciousness a go. Don’t overthink it. Just write anything and see where it

leads you.

7. Write about a part of your physical body that you are just in awe of right now.

8. A little gratitude never hurt.

9. Are you working towards your dreams? Tell me how you are or how you could.

10. What are you most excited for?

Happy writing, kids!

A Living Human Girl – The Regrettes

February 9, 2019

amwriting, blogger, journal, journaling, life, selfcare, selflove, writersofig, writing
World Adventures: Manchester Books

So I want to start a new segment on my blog dedicated to travel. To my world adventures. Even when they’re just around the corner. Cos I think it’s fun to hear where other people have been. But also getting recommendations for sights and bars and food and pubs and bookshops (most importantly) is really handy. Also I just think it’s fun to be nosy sometimes. So here begins the world adventures. We’re starting small by just hopping over to Manchester (I’m from Liverpool for any of you nerds that don’t know).

In 2018 I challenged myself to buy only 12 books. Whether I did that or not is for a future post (I know, what a tease). But here I find myself in mid-December absolutely sure I shouldn’t be buying any more books yet wanting to explore all the excellent bookshops in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Enter my excellent boyfriend, Danny. This little gem treated me to five, read em, FIVE, new books on our weekend away and I guess that’s why he’s the best person ever. Basically all we did on this trip was eat, drink and browse bookshelves so I figured I’d start with the books!

Magma

Book Purchased: Devotion – Patti Smith

For the first couple of days of our trip we kept walking past this shop. Every time a different book caught our eye in their front display and we ended up stopping to look. Whoever curated that display, and indeed the entire shop’s catalogue, is a bloody genius. It’s quite a hipster little shop with a boutique feel. But as I say, could not fault the book choices. I wanted every book in there! From the Corbyn Annual to feminist non-fictions and from the illustrated Communist Manifesto to books on plants, it was bougie and spectacular!

Oxfam

Book Purchased: Dept. of Speculation – Jenny Offill

An oldy but a goodie. If you didn’t know that Oxfam stocks amazing books then literally where have you been? This one is no different, many secondhand gems. However the moment I saw this book I knew it would be mine. I read the Kindle edition when I was at uni in America and I loved it. This book is excellent. On further browsing there was about fifteen other books I would have had as well!

Paramount Books

Books Purchased: Aminal Farm – George Orwell, The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte

This amazing secondhand shop is only open the later half of the week so beware. It’s open til late though and blasts excellent tunes onto the street all day long. It’s a Black Books type of shop were there is so much to look at and you don’t want to miss a thing yet it’s overwhelming. Also you don’t want to piss anyone off. There’s ‘no mobile phone’ signs everywhere (literally Bernard) but the atmosphere is friendly and the collection is vast. When we made our purchase the guy also offered us a piece of fruit from a bowl at the register. How boss! I also found a lovely edition of Animal Farm for like £4 so how could I not?

Travelling Man

Book Purchased: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World – Debbie Tung

We happened to stumbled across this hidden treasure as we were walking to Chapter One Books. It’s literally next door. I’m not sure it’s a bookshop so much a geeky shop. I don’t know the technical term, but I mean no disrespect. I loved it! There was endless manga and board games and funko pops and merch. There was also I gigantic section of graphic novels and the like. I enjoy graphic novels but I don’t know much about them. Then I noticed this book by Debbie Tung and I was completely drawn to it! A quick flick through promised beautiful illustration. A shop I’ll definitely be adding to my favourites.

Chapter One Books

One little bonus was this wonderful cafe! We didn’t buy any books here although there are some on display that you can buy. We went there expecting more books to browse to be honest but we weren’t too disappointed. The staff were friendly, the coffee was good and the atmosphere was chill. Gave us time to admire all my new books! Would go again.

Pt.2 Coming Soon. (Featuring many ciders and vegan treats.)

You’re Not Alone – Astræa

February 6, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, books, bookshop, bookstagram, life, manchester, selfcare, selflove, travel
self-care for the new year

So we’re gonna start these self-care Fridays up again slowly. Baby steps, kids. For your self-care journey. And for me actually writing posts.

I find in my own life, but also when I look at the people around me, that we don’t give ourselves a break. Like ever. And I can’t work out why. Do we not think we deserve it? Do we really think we can’t find even ten minutes of time a day for ourselves? Or do we just not love ourselves? I’m not sure but I imagine it’s different for everyone.

However, I’d like to try and show you some ways that you could treat yourself better. Some activities that will help you reset, but also help you to connect to yourself and maybe discover something new. I want to convince you that self-care is one of the most vital acts in life and will hopefully lead to you feeling more balanced and content. We just need to give ourselves the chance to change.

So this week’s self-care task is simple: open your journal, or a word doc, or the notes on your phone, or a fucking scrap of paper you’ve found on the floor (no excuses) and write down your intention. Your intention for self-care. Why you personally want to incorporate more of it into your life, whatever form it may take.

Keep it just for you. And then any time on this journey that you feel you’ve lost your way or just need some renewed encouragement, breathe. Take a second. Then come back to this intention you’ve written and you’ll remember why you began. What you want from life. And how you’d like to evolve.

Simple, right?

Now get going, kids!

Almost (Sweet Music) – Hozier

January 19, 2019

2019, amwriting, blogger, health, intention, love, newyear, selfcare, selflove, twentynineteen
twentynineteen

Well twentyeighteen disappeared into thin air didn’t it? Seems like just yesterday I was in a cottage in Wales bringing in the new year and writing last year’s version of this post. (I guess we’ll make it a tradition.) I was so full of hope and just, quite frankly, desperate for change and a chance to breathe after a shocking twentyseventeen. And you know what? It wasn’t a bad year. I’d say the positive definitely fought to be heard louder than the negative and I was very happy about that. I learnt a lot about myself, as I think you should aim to do every year. Lifelong learner and all that. There were days when I didn’t want to get out of bed. There were days when my heart was so full I thought it would burst. From joy. And from grief. There was lots of tears but maybe a few more smiles. My years will always be tinged with some sadness and thoughts of what could have been but won’t. But I’m still a kid, right? I don’t want to stop living. So I’m working on the perfect cocktail of misery and ecstasy. That’s the best I can do for now.

But let’s focus on fucking fun for a sec. Here are the boss things twentyeighteen brought me: I met my best mate and the boy I wouldn’t mind spending every day with; went to a prosecco party in Norwich; ate my body weight in vegan mac and cheese in Glasgow; saw Wicked at the Empire; had a gin crawl in Liverpool; went to Dublin, then went to Dublin, then went to Dublin again; had drunken sleepovers; went on two boozey cruises filled with ska on the Thames; sang Hamilton all around the Lakes; saw Legally Blonde at the Empire; danced to reggae in the Baltic Triangle; went to a casino and won fifty quid at black jack; went to Lake Fucking Como for my sister’s 30th; gave blood; ran away to Wales for the weekend; ate so many olives; saw Franz Ferdinand and The Cribs at a warehouse in Manchester; watched all the Rocky movies; floated around County Clare for a week sipping Guinness and being constantly blown away by the views; saw the Terracotta Warriors on their visit to Liverpool; turned a quarter of a century, yikes; played a lot of Mario Kart; saw a hundred women sing together at St George’s Hall; saw Liquidiation turn a quarter of a century; drank too many cocktails back in Norwich; went for a spa day with my boy; got blind day drunk with my work kids for Christmas; ate and drank and read my way through Manchester with the boy; had a couple of afternoon teas with the family; went to the pinewoods a lot; fixed my phone screen (proud moment for me); read fifty books; ate so much good food; watched so many amazing movies; drank copious amounts of booze at some awesome watering holes; and just spent time with the coolest people a person could ever hope to know.

So yeah, it was pretty sound, I reckon. I’m feeling pretty grateful and optimistic moving into 2019.

What are my intentions for the year?

They’re pretty similar to last year. I want to continue to better myself. I’m still working on being present. I want to do yoga and meditate and journal and write and read and dance and eat and drink and just live. I plan to wake up each day thankful that I’m alive. I want to get uncomfortable and try new things. I also want to hide in my reading cave and not see humans for five days. I think I can manage both! I want to see sunrises and stargaze. I want to inhale lots of love in and exhale lots of love out. That’s an Adriene reference for any of you who know what’s up. But really I think it’s just a good way to live. Plus nineteen is my favourite number so twentynineteen fucking owes me.

It’s gonna be a good one. Can’t you feel it?

You Get What You Give – New Radicals

January 13, 2019

adventure, amwriting, blogger, family, life, love, new adventures, selfcare, selflove, twentyeighteen, twentynineteen, writersofig
Reasons To Get Out Of Bed

I’ve been needing a bit more coaxing recently to get out of bed and I figured some of you might be feeling the same way. So here’s ten reasons why you should get out of bed today.

1. Any day could be the best day of your life but you won’t know until you actually get up.

2. Just look at that beautiful blue sky. Feel that heat radiate through you. And if it’s raining? You’re not getting off that easy. Look how the drops are feeding our earth, let it rejuvenate you too.

3. That overly extravagant cocktail in your favourite beer garden with friends.

4. I know you have dreams. Even the tiniest of tasks will get you a step closer to it.

5. Pizza.

6. There is literally millions of books waiting for you to read their wisdom.

7. Your presence makes somebody smile every single day. Even if you’re feeling lonely your existence affects other people’s day. Maybe you called your sister, maybe you just held a door for someone or tripped over a curb. Whatever it was you made them smile and I think that’s pretty magic.

8. It’s your fucking life. Aside from like work and family obligations etc, you get to do whatever the hell you want. So go and do something that serves you.

9. The Hamilton soundtrack is waiting for you to listen to it, fall in love with it, learn every rap, and then go and tell every single person in the world about it as if it’s gospel.

10. Because you are important. And you are loved. And because you make the world infinitely better. So don’t fucking forget that again.

Waiting for Something – Nada Surf

June 20, 2018

adventure, amwriting, blogger, life, love, mentalhealth, selfcare, selflove
Falling Off The Radar

Since the existence of the internet, well at least the presence of it in my life, I have been prone to falling off the radar. Sometimes for a day, sometimes for months on end. It really pisses my friends off. And I don’t blame them. So why do I do it?

I haven’t got a bloody clue.

At least, that is, I don’t have a conscious reason. I don’t sit there and decide yeah, okay, mark the day, I’m ‘unplugging’. Sometimes the decision is taken out of my hands: I’m horrendously disposed to losing/breaking phones or not paying my phone bill. Or just straight up running out of data. But other times, I don’t know, I look up and it’s been six months and I still haven’t responded to a message. Like, come on, who does that? That’s so rude. And it’s definitely not a quality I love about myself. I’m working on changing it. Cos I wanna be a better functioning human. And a better friend.

But you know those periods where I’m MIA? (Aside from the niggling guilt in the side of your head about replying to the messages.) They’re pretty damn refreshing. Because your time becomes all about you, and learning about you. You break away from this weird social media bubble where we simultaneously post the best of our lives yet feel horrible about ourselves when making comparisons. I think the world needs more unplugging, for sure. And having just come back from a massive absence myself, this week’s self-care challenge is for you to go and do one yourself. I want you to actually consciously unplug, especially if you’re not the type of person who can do it accidentally.

Go and see what you can learn about yourself without the internet. And I’m not saying you can’t use the internet at all. Like Netflix has to be watched, and obscure facts have to be Googled. But just try and stop the mindless scrolling. It’s getting you nowhere. And also just don’t respond to messages. Even for a day. Because the notifications will never stop and they can be a bit overwhelming. Take a little time and just see what you naturally go and do if social media isn’t an option. Maybe you’ll pick up a book, run a bath, do some painting, gardening, cooking, film watching, shopping, walking, knitting. Heck, I don’t know your life. But go and do something that everyone is not then gonna hear about through Instagram or Snapchat or something. Do it because you want to do it not because it’s ‘on brand’.

Now I’m not saying go six months necessarily, cos although that can be fun it’s also a little irresponsible. Just try one day, maybe a weekend. Your friends won’t get mad because it’s completely plausible that you’d just be busy for a weekend. And then you can explore. It’s pretty fun being off the radar and in your own world. It opens you up to new experiences you might never have had if you just sat in a cold, dark room with your head fused to a phone. There literally is a whole world out there, and as millennials we’re old enough to remember that. So don’t forget it again. Go and find some magic.

Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl – Autoharp Demo – Wet

June 8, 2018

adventure, amwriting, blogger, explore, life, offtheradar, selfcare, selflove, socialmedia, unplug
give yourself a break

So it’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a proper Friday self-care post schedule and all I can say is sorry. Life gets in the way sometimes. And you know what? That’s totally okay. It’s nice to have hobbies and it’s nice to have discipline. But it’s also nice to stare out the window or rewatch friends for the second time this year.

Especially with hobbies, they’re not gonna be fun if you force yourself to do them. So if you don’t want to do something, don’t do it. I haven’t had anything I’ve wanted to say on self-care recently. Not because I’m going off it or cos I don’t still think you should seek it every day. But because I write about it a lot, have you noticed?! And I wanted to have something new to say to you, not just reword ten other blog posts.

So here it is: give yourself a fucking break.

Seriously.

That big list of tasks you have to do? Yeah, they’ll still be there tomorrow. Don’t want to pick up your journal today? Don’t. Don’t want to do that workout? Don’t. Don’t want to eat healthy or shower? Don’t. Don’t want to smile? Don’t. Don’t want to stop smiling? Don’t. Don’t want to eat junk food? Don’t. Don’t want to miss your time on the yoga mat? Don’t. But work out what you need, right here, right now and go with it.

I think it’s good to have habits and I think it’s fun to have things you want to do every day. I agree that the best way to foster a new habit is through determination and consistency. I believe old habits can fall to the side if they’re not tended to. But they are all just part of you. They don’t define you necessarily. They’re just things you like to do. Or feel like you need to do. But either way, if you don’t want to do them every day, don’t.

You’ve got to make sure that your thoughts and actions are always serving you. As long as they are you’ll be okay. Today I’ve had a somewhat productive, somewhat lazy day. I’ve done some things I like to do and not others. Now I’m enjoying the sunshine as I make my way to work. My day has served me. Has yours served you?

Peace.

Slow It Down – The Lumineers

April 20, 2018

adventure, amwriting, blogger, chill, life, relaxation, selfcare, selflove, writersofig
ASMR for Beginners

So you may have heard of ASMR. Or have a vague understanding of it. Oh it’s that weird thing when people whisper in your ear or tap things or crunch carrots or something, right? From the outside ASMR seems so bizarre. I’ve sort of known about it for a while now but just never got round to exploring it. I thought it was weird and didn’t know if I’d ever enjoy it. But I wanted to know more. So what is it? Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is the experience of a tingling or static sensation on your skin. You can feel it all over your body but usually it begins on the scalp. It is typically triggered by sound or visuals and it induces positive feelings, relaxation and even low-grade euphoria. No wonder millions of people keep talking about it then.

Recently a Booktuber I follow posted a video titled: ASMR: reading you Harry Potter||Conniebell. And I thought, you know what, I like Harry Potter and I have been wanting to see what all the fuss is about so I gave it a go. Did I like it? Jesus, it was weirdly relaxing.

In that particular video the girl does a quick bit of book tapping then reads the first chapter to you in a whisper. I know what you’re thinking. What the heck is book tapping? Ha. I thought that too! But I was just about to go to bed, had my lights out and was just listening to the video and when she tapped the book I could feel electricity on my skin. I had the same sensation on my head as when someone gives you a head massage. Euphoric. I felt goose bumps. And I thought, alright, I’ll play. So I started scouring Youtube to discover a bit more about ASMR. See the thing with the relaxation technique is that there’s so many different types. And you may hate some but love others. So you just have to search for the types you like.

I started my research with books and found I really like book tapping which is simply someone tapping their fingers on a book. It definitely give me low-grade euphoria; it’s like an invisible hug. A lot of people also do book scratching which I don’t particularly like. In real life when my nails scratch on something it kind of goes through me so I wasn’t surprised I didn’t enjoy the book scratching, but I’m keeping an open mind for the future. I also found, at least in terms of book ASMR, that I prefer there to be no talking whereas other people love that.

As I widen my search I found three channels I liked (Gibi ASMR, ASMR Darling and ASMR Rooms) but there are thousands out there for you to discover. The two former channels do a large range of different ASMR. Both do videos where they tap different random objects which I think is my favourite. I don’t mind talking in those. Another type that AMSR Darling does is she acts like the camera and microphone are you and gives face and head massages etc. I was skeptical but I thought it was quite relaxing. I’d definitely suggest trying a massive range of videos when you’re experimenting. Just because you think you won’t like it doesn’t mean you will. The final channel ASMR Rooms is this lovely channel where the woman makes hour long videos of different rooms in books. I listen to the Harry Potter ones. So say, for example, you click on the Hogwarts Library video it’ll be an hour of pages turning, fire crackling, pen scratching. It’s just audio of what would be in that specific room. I also like the Forest of Dean video. As these videos are so long I normally use them as background noise when I meditate or for when I fall asleep. But how you use any video is totally up to you!

I’m a definite beginner to ASMR but I’m interested to see where it takes me. There’s many types I have not discovered yet but I’m excited to and I’ll keep you updated on my progress. So this week’s self-care task for you is to go and explore ASMR. I challenge you to not find at least one sensation that works for you.

Peace.

Wait For It – Hamilton Original Broadway Soundtrack (because I cannot stop listening to this album thanks to Beth!)

March 23, 2018

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