5 Ways to Look and Feel Your Best in 2022*

How is it 2022? It’s not just me that suddenly feels like we have lost two years of our lives? Right? We’re all two years older now, and the sad consensus is we’re going to have to learn to live with this virus in one way or another. Yes, every now and then a new round of restrictions will come in (and with good reason), but I can’t see the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 ever returning, so it no longer feels like life is on pause.

If like me, those two years were hard on you, for whatever reason really, remember, those feelings are valid. And perhaps like me you feel like it’s going to take you a lot to get yourself ready to go back out there and embrace life to it’s very best? I know the last few years have aged me more than the ten before that. I never expected to enter my house in March and then not leave again until June, then do it all over again from January to March? Throw in the uncertainty, not being able to travel or see family and friends, all things that have kept me sane while I’ve tried to navigate the whole single parenting thing. It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s been rough, on my mental health and on my body. So here is to 2022, trying to pull it all together!

Today I’ve got 5 ways to help you look and feel your best in 2022, and by you I also mean me, because boy do I need it!

Look After Your Skin

Most people I’ve spoken to over the last few months about how they’re feeling after experiencing the whirlwind that was the last two years have commented on the bashing their skin has taken. From feeling like they aged due to stress, break outs from wearing face coverings and just generally terrible eating habits due to not having much else to do during lockdown, their skin has taken the brunt of it. And that includes mine. My skin has never been great due to having PCOS, but now it’s worse than ever. However, one of my goals for 2022 has been to work on it, and I wanted to share a few things I’m trying

– Work from the Inside Out
We all know that Hyaluronic acid is amazing in a serum if you suffer from dry skin or if you’re looking to reduce wrinkles, but did you know it can also be taken as a supplement and it can help your skin and your body in so many other ways? For starters, it can promote suppler skin this is because skin aging is associated with loss of skin moisture. Hyaluronic acid has the capacity to retain water molecules. The more you have in your body, the better you skin will feel. And not just your skin, but your joints and your blood vessels, which is another good reason to take it in supplement form, and it’s great to take if you suffer from dry eyes. It can also heal wounds faster due to the fact it regulates inflammatory levels. But one of the best things I’ve found by taking it is it actually helps with acid reflux, something I’ve suffered with since I was pregnant all those years ago! If you want to give it a try in supplement form, you can get high molecular weight hyaluronic acid from Do Not Age using my discount code COCKTAILS.

– See a Dermatologist
Go on, treat yourself to a visit to a dermatologist. Trust me, I know first hand this can be pricey. I went to one before my official PCOS diagnosis to see if they could help with my adult acne and although it turned out to be hormonal, it was money well spent (and not just because I hate doctors!) What I loved most was the level of service you got, it was way better than over the counter at Boots and they really cared about my skin rather than just trying to sell me a product? I still get emails now of products recommended specifically for my skin. During lockdown I actually used a service online to speak to a dermatologist over Zoom. I used Renude and I would 10/10 recommend! I was recommended a great skincare routine that was a mixture of high street and high end products that fitted in my budget.

Maintain Your Hair

I always feel like my hair gives a lot away about my current state of mind? That could be because it’s dyed though and if my roots are showing then clearly i’m not taking the best care of it possible. And as far as this month goes, and throughout lockdown, that’s probably true. But how much I was it and get it cut also depends on how i’m feeling and as I’ve spent 2 years getting closer and closer to rock bottom, my hair seems to constantly resemble a hay stack. Not only that, but due to the last year years, I finally have grey hair! I can see it coming in now. I know I should maybe wear those grey hairs with pride, my home schooling grey hairs, but I’m only 33 and not quite ready for it!

– Practice No Heat Styling
My whole generation has been one of using as much heat on our hair as possible to force it into a style, from the days of girls turning up to school with their hair clearly straightened with their mum’s iron to those years where crimping was popular and now you can get more curling tong attachments than you can shake a stick at. I am a serial straightener, curler and I love my hair dryer.. probably because my hair naturally looks like Hermione Granger’s circa The Philosopher’s Stone but over Christmas I discovered heatless curls and all that’s stopping me is the motivation to do them regularly! Yes, I do use my bathrobe belt to do them and I love how shiny my hair looks having not use heat on it!

– Dye It and Mask It
So I have red hair, not naturally red, but dyed red.. but I like it a red colour that you could imagine was real. However I mentioned above, I have not kept on top of it and it means I always look in the mirror feeling a bit “meh” especially when I can see those blonde & grey roots coming in. I can’t deny that a freshly dyed head makes me feel better. I love that softness and that shine, and because I don’t use bleach (these days) it actually improves the condition of my hair. But you know what else does? Dying my hair and using a specially formulated colour mask. My hair will thank me for it, I’ll thank myself for it and I’ll feel good when I look in the mirror which improves my mental health.

Care About Your Mental Health

So, now that I’ve mentioned mental health, this is a big one for me. Last year I was officially diagnosed with depression after years being told it was just anxiety and PTSD. I thought having an official diagnosis would help? But it actually made everything feel so much worse. Like yes, it wasn’t my fault for feeling like I was constantly thrown to the lions, but it didn’t change anything? I still felt awful, I still didn’t want to get out of bed or face life because it was just this black hole. The loneliness was crippling, the feeling that it will never get better was ruling my life. I stopped caring. I simply just lived to keep my kid alive and that was depressing in itself. It’s been two months and while I still have horrific lows, I’m starting to work on improving things. I want to be here and I want to make the most of my life.

– Fight for therapy (if you think you would benefit from it)
I’m not saying therapy is a fix all, but it can fix the way you think and view things which I hope in the long run will help improve my mental health. I constantly blame myself for everything and I constantly feel like I’m good enough. Having someone to explore areas of my life, someone who cares enough to sit with me for an hour a week and take a real look at things is helping (in a round about way, it’s opening wounds too). Knowing that I have someone who doesn’t have to tell me it’s not my fault, someone who won’t ever say to me “it’s not that bad” is so validating, and it turns out I really needed to be validated to move on from things. If you feel like you need help, fight for it and keep fighting. Only you know what you need and if having someone to talk to is what you need, keep going back to your doctors.

– Give Yourself What You Need
You’ve heard the phrase, ‘you can’t pour from an empty glass‘, well I used to always think it was rubbish. I thought that when I became a parent it was my job to be completely selfless, constantly setting a good example by putting everyone before me but you know what? If you have nothing to give because you are running on empty, well that’s not good either! You have to find a way to refill your cup. For me, before COVID, it was going away from real life for a while. I’m an escapist and I always feel better being away from the same four walls. Being away refreshed me. Of course we live in a world where spontaneously running away when things get tough isn’t a thing, so I’m having to find new ways to refill my cup and do things for me. I need to shut out the world so I’ve been reading a lot and playing on LB’s Switch. It gives me a similar downtime I used to experience when I was away and it gives my body and mind time to heal. I think it’s what the Internet calls, self care. Make sure you do it, and who cares if it’s eating a whole pizza in your pjs, if it makes you feel good that’s all that matters!

Work on You Physical Wellbeing

So yeah, I just mentioned eating a whole pizza in your pjs as self care, but remember you need to have balance because if you do that every day, you won’t feel any better either! The important thing is finding that balance and that’s something I want to do this year. I have spent the whole of the winter pretty much hibernating so when I do go out there it’s a shock to the system. I went for a walk last week around the town and my legs ached and I know that’s not what I want either. And while I’m not going to promote dieting, I am going to say there is something to that whole healthy eating thing, not to lose weight, but ensuring your body is getting everything it needs, because I know for sure mine hasn’t the last two years. In 2020 I was the heaviest I’d been since I was pregnant, then in 2021 I dropped two stone due to my mental health. I’m pretty sure my body doesn’t know if it’s on it’s head or it’s feet and that is something I need to work on.

– Try to Balance Your Eating
For January I have put myself on a take away ban, we’re onto the 26th and so far we haven’t had one take away. I feel sad every Friday but when I was doing my tax return I was a little horrified by how many we had last year and there is always wastage! Which makes me feel bad, isn’t good for the bank and lets face it, take away tastes sooo good but when you’re in your 30s you don’t always feel great an hour or so afterwards (urgh the heartburn!) But at the same time yet, I haven’t got into the routine of cooking from scratch so that’s my plan for February. I love a meal box from Gousto and if you sign up with my link you get money off! The food is so fresh and it’s a great way to try new things, something I want to do with LB this year.

– Find Exercise that Works for You
I am not someone who enjoys exercise, like at all. I didn’t at school and I like it even less now. But exercise comes in all forms and I do really believe there is something for everyone. For me, it’s walking. I like to shove my headphones in and set off. Like, yeah, I don’t have a car but even if I did I would try my best to walk as not only is it good for me it’s good for the environment. Perhaps you like to get out running, or even stay in and run. You could get a stepper or a running machine or perhaps even a stationary bike? You could take the kids swimming at the weekend or perhaps attend a dance class? As someone who hates exercise, once you find the thing that works for you, you’ll just feel good and your body will thank you for it in the long run.

Put Yourself Out There

Finally, put yourself out there again. I’m not going to tell you how to do this as it’s different for everyone. But just do it, your mental health and physical health will thank you for it.