Some simple steps to make you happier at home & in the office.

We all deserve to feel beautiful and to be taken care of, and I am not talking about being told by others that we are beautiful, or being taken care of by someone else. I am referring to how we treat ourselves and the small things we can do everyday that make us feel special and taken care of.

We are living in a time where life really is about go, go, go! We are often trying so desperately to fit in the million and one things on our mental ‘to do list’. I often feel under the pump, I am often still typing away much later than I should be because I am trying desperately to keep up with everything I wanted to achieve that day. I often make my goals unreachable so I go to bed feeling like I didn’t achieve enough in my day, and I lay awake running through the things I still wish I was doing. Why do we need sleep?

But the truth is we are often not prioritising the things that make us happiest, or even if we are we are forgetting to be mindful during that time. How many times when you are in the shower are you so distracted by what you have to do that you forget to live in the moment and enjoy the feel of the warm water, or the smell of the delicious body scrub?

We are often so oblivious to the little moments that throughout a day can add up to many moments of enjoyment and self love. Here are a few things that you can do each day to achieve greater health, feel more beautiful, have a happier life and take care of yourself. I know these things make me happy!

Drink more ‘pretty’ water.

I know this is one you probably hear all the time, but is is something many of us don’t do enough of. So to make it a little more special, fill a beautiful jug with fresh water each morning and pop it on your bench next to a fancy glass. The prettier it looks the more taken care of you’ll feel as you drink it. Add some fresh cut lemon, or orange, or even some mint leaves. If you are out and about take a pretty water bottle with you, or one that has a cute little quote that makes you smile. I am loving these Moroccan Glasses from Pottery Barn.

Fresh Flowers.

Having fresh cut flowers makes any room in your home, or your office at work a much prettier space. Not only does it brighten up a dull space but they have the added bonus of beautiful aromas. I love having roses around my home because I adore the smell and I can not resist to stop and smell them every so often. I am lucky enough to have garden fresh roses from my parents garden on hand, but if you don’t have roses any flowers from your garden can make a huge impact inside. In my last home I had a lot of native flowers and sometimes I would even just cut stems off my gum trees and use a gorgeous jug or vase to display the foliage. Bringing the outdoors in makes such a difference to your day. If you have allergies don’t worry there are amazing and such realistic imitation flowers around now that can really pretty up your home. Check out this cherry blossom fro Pottery Barn.

I suggest adding flowers to your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and office. Just by adding even a small bunch like the ones my daughter found in our garden (pictured below) can make a huge difference to your day and they didn’t cost a cent!

Photographs.

I am a huge fan on photographs! They add a personal touch to your home or your work space. We often snap a million pics these days with our phones, but we often don’t print them out anymore. So get printing! When you see a photo you love why not frame it. There are gorgeous frames for desks or for the wall. Have some blown up or make a wall display. Get creative and it will make a huge difference to your day when you see photos of favourite holidays you’ve been on, or images of your friends or family just having fun, big smiles and cheeky faces can make you smile every time you look at them. I love natural photo’s the best. This one below is one of my favourites as it was just captured on a picnic when we were in Queensland and my girls are always mucking around and giggling like this, so to me it really captures their personalities and the way they are together.

Lotions and Pampering.

One way to feel beautiful and to take care of yourself is by popping on some beautiful hand cream each morning, or foot cream before hoping into bed. I picked up a gorgeous mint foot cream when away with friends last year. My girlfriend and I explored the gorgeous town and all the quirky shops and we came across some beautiful soaps and lotions. We both decided to buy this gorgeous foot cream and it has lasted ages, even my 8 year old daughter loves coming and putting it on her feet too. I like buying things like this on holiday or day trips because every time I use it I am transported back to that happy moment. Choose a cream that makes you feel special, make sure to test it first in store and make sure you love the smell so that you can feel pampered every time you put it on. Crabtree & Evelyn have lovely selection.

Make food beautiful.

One of the reasons it is nice to eat out at fancy restaurants is the presentation of the food, but we can do that too. When you dish up your dinner tonight take care to place things in a pretty manner. It might sound silly, but you will feel better for it. Add some fresh garden herbs, or serve the gravy in a gravy boat. Serve dinner rolls or bread on a side plate. When entertaining add some flowers to sweet dishes, it’s those little things that can make you feel more pampered and taken care of.  By just adding some fresh fruit to the side of the plate and dusting on some icing sugar over my scones and fruit it looked so much prettier.

Enjoy your Coffee, take time to sip your tea and let chocolate melt in your mouth.

We often drink and eat without thought, we just shove it in. Take the time to smell your coffee for a moment before you sip it, then take that first delicious sip and relish in it. The same goes for tea drinkers, enjoy the aroma, sip it slowly and take a moment to really relax. When eating chocolate go for quality over quantity, choose nice chocolate and enjoy each piece slowly. You will find you eat less and actually enjoy it more. Be mindful, smell it first then let it melt in your mouth. Enjoy it! Serving your tea and coffee in lovely cups makes a huge difference too!

Just taking a little bit of time to make things pretty can make you feel a lot more relaxed and a lot happier.

What things around your house make you happy?

Thanks for joining me, love Mackenzie