Helen Says,...RELAX

This is going to be a slightly different post today, all about relaxation.
I could try fill you with blurb and try link relaxation to beauty somehow by saying "ooooooh if you are relaxed you get less wrinkles or your skin is better or you wont get spots",. however truth is I just wanted to have a little type about my experience, so please bare with. 
Last night I went back to school to attend a relaxation course, which was designed to help those who find it difficult to switch off, have too many thoughts wizzing round their mind at once and general anxiety.
Now I have been suffering anxiety for about a year now, and it has such an impact on your everyday life I wanted to try something to help me manage this. I won't go into great detail but I have tried many things to manage anxiety/panic attacks and some have been no help to me at all, so I was a little skeptical.
Let me set the scene, picture an AA meeting set up (circle of chairs where you all face each other) however this had yoga mats on the floor next to your seat. The women in front of me took one look at this set up and fled for the nearest exit, I must admit I fancied doing the same, the thought of sitting in a room with everyone staring at me and having to introduce myself to strangers was alone enough to induce a panic attack. I did decide to stay though and waddled in to take a seat. 
The first task was to lie on the mat while the guy taking the class spoke to us, getting us to focus on certain points of the body and in his words "letting go" of any tensions. Well this is found extremely difficult, I was somewhere between panic attack and holding in a laughter fit at the elderly man next to me and his obvious flatulence problem (I believe he had relaxed a little too much). All I could do was think of what excuse I could make to leave, but if I have learnt one thing it is to stay in a panic provoking environment and learn how to deal with it.
We had a little chat after this exercise and most people said how much it had helped them to relax etc, I was sat thinking how much it hurt lying on a hard floor in a cold draft, not too worry haha. Now during this chat I must admit I started to calm down, the panic was passing and I was ready to open my thoughts to really "relaxing". We then started the main exercise which again meant we were back on the floor, this time tensing and relaxing different muscle groups and feeling the difference between the two stages. Now this really does work, after 20 minutes I could barely keep my eyes open and felt pretty much glued to the spot. It was blissful, at last I was not in a state on anxiety or panic, nothing was worrying me and I felt completely relaxed.
Again as we were in this AA set up we had to discuss our every thought and feeling, not something I am overly keen on, but at least this time I could nod in agreement when people said how it good it made them feel.
We were all given a pack which included the relaxation CD we had been using and some other leaflets etc. Now I think these kind of classes should be made mandatory for everyone, and maybe if I had learned how to relax and deal with stresses I wouldn't of ended up as anxious etc as I am now. I would strongly reccomend trying this kind of thing out, even if you don't really suffer with stress too much (lets face it in this day and age its pretty unlikely you haven't been effected by stress), as it could really come in useful in the future.
I know this has seemed rather light hearted, but believe me sometimes you just have to laugh at what life throws you otherwise you will just cry lol.
Now I am looking forward to next weeks lesson, even if I do have to endure  the elderly man who can't hear a thing and asks for everything to be repeated, or the the snobby women who shot daggers at me when I took off my coat to reveal my tattoo's, I just want to chill out and they won't be getting in my way.
Thanks for reading and if you wan't any advice on any of the contents above feel free to contact me, as I am sure I can help or just offer someone to talk too.
Stay Classy xox

Hauling

This weekend I headed into town with my man friend fully prepared to spend a fortune on lovely clothing, however it turned into one of those shopping trips that occur when you have the money to spend yet find nothing you really want :(. These are the few bits I picked up, hope you enjoy.

Just a few little accessories from Primark. I saw BeautyCrush with this leaopard print bow and she was using it as a bow tie with collared tops, I plan to do exactly the same, oh and hens why I bought the next item,... 

Burnt orange collared top £5, Primark. Long enough to wear with leggings, I like to team it underneath a jumper so the collar is on show, do up the top button and go for a cute/pretty look.

 

These are the super cosy tights from Primark, £3.50. These are so thick almost like leggings and I hope you can see in the image above that the inside of the tights have this fluffy/furry/felty/cosy amazing lining to keep your nice and warm this winter.

To put it in a nutshell I have had a pretty crappy stressful week and really wanted to pick up some Lush products so I can have a big relaxing bubble bath. I adore the smell/flavour of almonds and that marzipan aroma, so these two had to be purchased. The first one is the Lush Pud, don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure this is part of the permanent collection. The other is their new Melting Snowman, let me share the Lush blurb about this beaut:

"Our little snowman is about to shuffle off this mortal coil – but not before you get one last bath from him as he disappears for another year. 

It is a short but glorious life that our Melting Snowman lives. He may not have long to go, but boy is he going to make a grand exit.

Exquisitely fragranced with a blend of oils containing vanilla absolute and sweet wild orange, giving him a deep marzipan fragrance with notes of rich fruit, reminiscent of Christmas cake and figgy puddings. Which means he smells exactly the same as our bestselling Snowcake soap.   

But if it isn’t enough to smell of our most popular Christmas fragrance,  he’s also got a body made of water-softening bicarb of soda, cocoa butter and shea butter. This means that when the heat gets to him and he finally melts away, he fizzes those wonderful butters through your bathwater, leaving you soft and moisturised. What a way to go !

His legacy is your great skin – which means he lives on in the memory of all who knew him."

To put it simply, I cannot wait to use him!!!

Oh I also picked up a batwing top from Primark which was £2.90, was meant to be £5 but they had them on offer. I have wanted to try a batwing top for a long time and this was just the right price to pay in case I hated it on. However truth be told I love it, its not photographed as I have it on right now, but I may do a little outfit of the day with it in.

Now here are a few things I have been picking up over the past few weeks.

 

Leopard Print Bag - £9 - Primark. I like the way it opens, like a doctors bag, however the clasp is now broken :( I guess you only get what you pay for.

 

Cosmetic Wrap/Roll - £2 - Primark. This was in the sale from £5,. I probably wouldn't of bought it otherwise, however it has really proven itself to be a valuable little item and I use it every weekend without fail. You can also fit a hell of a lot of stuff in it, which is great for me as I never seem to travel light.

Muslin clothes, now only 59p or 69p from Home Bargains, these are the best quality ones I have found so far and certainly the cheapest, I stocked up while they had them in and bought loads. 

Wolf Jumper  - £14 - Peacocks. I fell in love with this jumper when I saw it. I had been on the market for a plain black jumper at the time as it is a timeless wardrobe staple, but when I saw this I had to buy it. The glitter on the wolf was fine till it was washed, after that it seemed to have gone everywhere, again you get what you pay for but I do very much like it. Oh and its also longer at the back so it can be worn with leggings for that lazy yet still fashionable look.

Lastly this has to be the best bargain I have found all year. I had this coat on my wishlist, it was £90 from River Island, however I managed to pick it up for £35 in their mid season sale, yes my friends that is less than HALF PRICE. It is so warm, in fact maybe a little too warm to wear right now, but I assure you when the Winter really kicks in this will not be off my back. Total value for money and I am so happy to have it hanging in my wardrobe.

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked my little "haul"

Stay Classy