In Health and Exercise, Women's Interest

Unwind Time

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on

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I had no idea until I became a mother and then started running my own business just how much stress a day could heap up me, both physically and mentally. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my life and wouldn’t change a thing however there are times when I think that if I don’t have some “me” time….

This last week or two alone I’ve had huge amounts of work all of a sudden (when I’m trying to empty the diary for half term next week), my next door neighbours are having their outside area renovated and a structure build (lots of drilling constantly and sandblasting from 8am of a morning until teatime, including Sunday!) and well, it’s all been so busy!

We’ve had Code Club for Kieran, the library for Taylor, the cake sale to bake for and attend, homework, work, we had people over for a local group we host every other Sunday so the house needed a good going over, an awkward client, an invoice that needed chasing up with a stern word… so much going on. There hasn’t been anything big or momentous, just lots of little things on top of the usual little things which have really bogged me down. Thankfully I have a supportive husband who gives me “The Look” when I’ve taken on too much or need to exhale properly and I’ve come to recognise that point in myself. That point where I need to say…

 

STOP

 

So I stopped and am looking to redress the balance a little, to wind down and if you like, find myself. Quite often when I do get to the point where a little self-love is needed I feel it physically as well as mentally. My muscles are tight, I might have shoulder, neck or back ache and headaches are pretty much a given.

For me a solo walk around the countryside is a welcome way for me to focus on me, as is yoga. Sometime simply lying in a dark room with headphones on and some favourite music can be enough to bring my stress levels down.  To address the physical side however I’d love to try something like Thai massage or an aromatherapy message (I believe scent can be a powerful thing).  By the end of the summer holidays, juggling being mum and working from home a deep muscle massage might in order (which is handy as the boys go back to school a day or so after my birthday so I might book myself in for a  massage or similar).

Once upon a time my younger self believed you could shake things off or that there was probably a pill for that ache or pain. My older, hopefully wiser self is a fan of the more holistic mind and body approach for every day wellness. This is something I need to look at more while looking after myself to stop the build-up of stress.

What do you do to unwind?

 

In Interior Design

Making Window Changes

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
Overlooked, street-side, not looking for blinds and most definitely not a net curtain fan!
Overlooked, street-side, not looking for blinds and most definitely not a net curtain fan!

I love my home, I really do although there are some things that I would change about it if I could. First off parking is a bit of a nightmare (slight understatement) as it is a cul de sac which provides convenient parking for people from anywhere to use it seems. I’d also change the council tax amount we pay (wouldn’t we all!). Sadly neither of those are within my power to alter however sorting my windows out most definitely is.

Our house is a terraced house with original (bottle glass) single glazed sash windows. A lovely feature apart from the fact that I hate nets (but live street side and also like privacy) and that you could power several home gadgets via the breeze that comes in from them.

We can’t change the windows, everything is listed and protected however we can make improvements from the inside and I’m very tempted by the idea of DIY shutters. Nets are most definitely something we have to get rid of, they never look nice (although mine are very clean thank you very much) and don’t give me what I’m looking for design-wise. We looked at vertical blinds but the price for our bay window was ridiculous and again, they looked too… modern.

The idea of installing shutters however is perfect. They help keep in the warmth, offer privacy, are in keeping with the feel of our house and unlike window films and such like they still enable me to have a good nosy at what’s going on outside without being branded a curtain twitcher (all very important considerations).  When we first started looking at putting shutters in I was concerned about the cost to have them fitted (which is never cheap!) however ordering made to measure shutters and having Roy put them in (he’s pretty handy and between us we have plenty of brothers who could help if needed) works out much more affordable.

Being able to wipe down shutters works for me too, rather than having to manually take down the nets, handwash and so on….

It’s a win / win for us and exploring the idea further we’ve realised that there’s a lot more to choose from style-wise than I’d originally realised so we can find something that really fits both us and the house.

Have you had shutters installed or put them in yourself? I’d love to hear how that went and especially the pros/cons as compared to net and blinds. I have to say, we’re very tempted.

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