For the past few years, and when I say 'few' I mean at least 6, I've been very into wellness. I love reading about wellness trends, trying new supplements and products that are going to better my life, and overall just trying to better myself in any way possible.

Wellness has become so broad and mainstream over the past few years it seems that everyone has their own special wellness routine and there are constantly new products & companies popping up everywhere with the goal of bettering people's lives.

As we start the new year (25 days in), I've been thinking so much about what I want my wellness routine to look like for the next 340 days and I wanted to write about it, as I do almost everything in my life.

Overall, I want to be healthier, I want to take care of my chronic pain, I want to sleep better and have more energy, and I want to be more mindful and intentional. All my 'goals' fall into at least one of those buckets.

I went off of birth control in January 2022 and honestly, life was never the same. My body went a little crazy; my cycles were all over the place, my PMS turned into PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), and my mental health plummeted. 

It got better after about 8 months but then things started getting weird again this past summer. My anxiety was pretty bad again, my cycles all out of whack and my sleep was not good. After some googling and enough sponsored posts, I decided to take the plunge and buy an Oura Ring.

I've been an avid user of activity trackers for years but none of them were ever exactly what I was looking for. Eventually, I stopped using them all and thought that was it - I would never use one again. I think the thing I didn't like about any of them was the fact that they were being worn on my wrist. I love jewelry but sometimes I just don't want to wear a bracelet.

However, rings are my favorite piece of jewelry and I never get sick of them so the Oura Ring seemed like the perfect solution. I knew it was going to be more accurate than wrist trackers, and the major selling point was the cycle syncing. I thought that if I was more aware of my cycle and the different phases, I'd be able to handle it better.

Oura Ring is synced up with Natural Cycles, which is a period tracking/fertility app, that takes your temperature every morning and can predict the start of your period. It seemed to be exactly what I needed.

 Last year I experienced intense back pain that left me unable to function for about two weeks. I got myself into a chiropractor and after a few sessions, along with at-home exercises and remedies, I was as good as new. The pain wasn't anything serious - just some inflammation, a slight case of scoliosis (which isn't even a big deal - that's how slight it is) and a bad at home desk set up.

I purchased a new desk chair, a new laptop riser, keyboard and mouse, along with tons of fluffy mattress covers to try to prevent new pain from coming through. It definitely helped and going to the chiropractor once a month has helped me stay pain free. 

At the chiropractor she uses a TheraGun on me, the industrial, professional size, and it feels so good so I started playing around with the idea of getting a mini one for myself to help with any pain that comes up at home. I also have dealt with chronic wrist pain since I was 16 years old and while the chiropractor helps, I figured the TheraGun would be a good tool to have in my arsenal.

I didn't get a chance to buy it for myself because my sister's boyfriend bought me one for Christmas! It was the best surprise and I've loved using it the past few months. 

I would say I've used it pretty regularly and have a decent understanding on how it works and what the pros & cons are so let's get into it.

 I've been struggling with my mental health for years and while things have gotten better at times, and I'm much better than I was years ago, the past few months have been really hard for me. I've been having a lot of panic attacks (which is proof in itself that my mental health is on the decline because I only have panic attacks when things are at rock bottom), and just having an overall anxious feeling on a daily basis.

The issue with my anxiety is that it is not situational, though I do experience anxiety in high stress and pressure situations, but rather my anxiety is just always there lingering underneath the surface. Everything could be going fine and I'm extremely anxious. When I don't know why my anxiety is flaring up it's harder for me to fix and find a way to feel better. It's torturous to live with a lump in your throat, your heart beating fast, and just an overall feeling of nervousness and discomfort.

This post is for the ladies and it's going to be a little TMI so proceed with caution.

I went off birth control in January of this year. I had been on it for 8 years and was just ready to be done with it. I was having horrible migraines and my mental health wasn't great. I thought that maybe the birth control was contributing to that so I figured I'd try to get off it.

Well, that was a mistake, and I kind of regret it. That's an entirely different post but basically, my mood swings and PMS symptoms have been out of control and I finally feel like now, 9 months later, my body has adjusted. 

However, along with those mood swings and PMS comes a period like I haven't had since I was 15 years old. I used to get bad periods, like staying home from school, leaving school early, or, spending the day in the nurse's office bad. 

Because of this, I needed a solution that wasn't panty liners, tampons, or pads. I wanted to be comfortable and didn't feel like dealing with disposable solutions. Menstrual cups are not something I want to try so that was definitely out. I had tried period underwear (both disposable and Thinx brand) before but wasn't impressed with the fit so I was at a loss.

I am someone who will do anything to feel better, make my life easier, or just try something new and innovative. That's why I respond so well to all the new products that the wellness industry releases. I'm big on anything minimally invasive and will help me feel my best. 

Enter The Patch Brand.

*Full disclosure, the brand sent me the entire line to try a few months ago and I've been wearing and testing them since then and wanted to wait until I tried them all, multiple times, to put together a brand buzz review. This post isn't sponsored but I received the items for free!

I've tried wellness patches before and I think they are the best, easiest, and most carefree way to add a little self-care into your life. All you do is slap the patch onto your skin and let it do its job at making you feel better.

The Patch Brand has five different wellness patches, all targeting different areas:

• Focus
• Energy
• Immunity
• Sleep
• Stress

 Mental Health Awareness month is so important to me because I struggle so much with mental health. It is so empowering to me that so many other people around the world struggle with the same things I do and I am so grateful to live in a time where speaking about your mental health is normal. 

Perhaps I am lucky because I grew up in a household where mental health struggles were normal. Whenever I was feeling sad, anxious, or just out of sorts, those feelings weren't pushed away. Because my family members understood what I was going through my feelings were taken seriously and they pushed me to get better. 

I've been extremely open with my issues on the blog and social media over the years. I have never been ashamed that I have anxiety and depression because I have never felt shame around it.  The last time I gave an update was in May 2021, aka the last Mental Health Awareness Month so I guess we're making this a tradition.

 I have always been someone who will take a pill to make me feel better. I don't really care if that is right or wrong, it's just how I feel. Modern medicine has come such a long way and as long as you do your research, talk with your doctor, and make a decision that is right for you, I think why not. 

If I'm sick I always want to feel better. I will take anything to make a headache or a stomachache go away. I don't want to be in pain so if I could take two Advil I will. 

That idea has also come with me in my wellness journey and how I feel about supplements and vitamins. I am not someone who loves vegetables and I'm allergic to every single fruit so I always need the extra vitamin and minerals from elsewhere. 

Over the years I've been pretty good about taking a multi-vitamin but this year when I went off birth control (separate post for a separate day) I had some crazy side effects and I felt like I needed to take better control of my own health. 

That is what inspired this post... my experience with a new wellness routine, including some new products and some that I've been using for at least a year. 

Please note that I am not a doctor or have any medical education, this is just what works for me right now.

 Over the past few years, my allergies have gotten worse and worse. And it's not just me, allergy season is proven to be getting worse thanks to good old climate change. Last year was by far the worse allergy season I've ever experienced and it lasted pretty much from March until mid-November; it wasn't until the dead of winter that I felt mildly better but over the past few weeks I've been preparing myself for another bad season.

Because my allergies were so bad last year I went to an allergist for the first time and found out that I was in a much worse place than I thought. I'm allergic to every type of tree, grass, and weed and then allergic to the food that grows on those trees. It's really bad so I've had to pay closer attention to the things I eat, but also have to take allergy medicine every single day otherwise I'm a mess.

There are also other products and 'tricks' that I've found to help my allergies, especially before the season starts. When you have really bad pollen allergies it's key to start caring for them before allergy season hits, that way you have some sort of immunity against pollen before it gets bad.

This is how I am preparing for allergy season and how I try to combat my allergies on a daily basis.

 Over the years I have experimented with many different fitness trackers. I've used Kate Spade's SmartWatch, Fitbits, Jawbone Up (RIP to that brand), and more in between. They were all fine, I liked them enough but eventually, I got sick of using them. 

They felt like a chore, an annoying thing to wear on my wrist and at some point, I just stopped wearing them every day. That is until I got the itch to start wearing one again and of course, needed a new one to go along with the renewed habit.

The want for a new fitness tracker started at the end of 2020. I wanted to keep it simple: just track my steps and my sleep. It was around the time Amazon and WW were partnering on a new tracker called 'Halo' and I immediately bought it. I was less than impressed and quickly returned it because it just wasn't my vibe. It had no screen, it was uncomfortable and it seemed a little over-complicated for my liking. 

I purchased this generic one from Amazon instead, and that novelty quickly died down because it was honestly just not a good tracker and felt too bulky for my liking. However, at the start of the new year, I wanted to get back on the grind and saw that Amazon and WW partnered on a new version of the Halo called 'Halo View' and I was quickly sold.

It's been about two months of using the Halo View and I really like it! There are virtually no cons to it and I am definitely not even using it to its full potential but I figured I'd do a check-in review and let you know.

Last January I wrote this post about why I quit WW (weight watchers) after 4 years. After a few months of tracking calories, seeing a nutritionist, and trying to do things on my own, I decided to go back to WW. Maybe all I needed was a little break to see that WW is really helpful to me, even if I'm not consistently losing weight. WW keeps me on track, my portions small and it helps me feel a little more in control.

That being said, I haven't lost weight in a while and it was really frustrating. WW switched their plans a few months ago to something called Personal Points where everyone's plans are different. There are more zero-point foods, you gain points for eating vegetables, exercising, and drinking 60oz of water. I thought the new plan was going to help me lose weight but I didn't see much change in a few weeks before the holidays came sneaking upon us. 

I am someone who craves routine. I live and breathe by my structured days and when I am thrown off my usual routine, I feel very anxious and confused. 

I also am someone who wants to, and likes to, do a lot of things. I want to be the best version of myself and have really healthy habits but because my mind is always a chaotic place, it's hard to stay on track. I will start incorporating products or routines into my daily life but after a while, I get distracted and lose track.

A few months ago, I found that I was really craving more structure when it comes to my wellness routine. I wanted to make sure I was doing things I wanted on a daily/weekly basis. I wanted something to tell me what to do every single day of the week. These habits are meant to enrich my life and not seem too much like a checklist... but how should I stay on top of things without being overwhelmed?

Wellness is an industry I've had an interest in for a while, really ever since it started to become more mainstream over the past few years. I've talked plenty on the blog about my favorite wellness products and routines but I figured it was time for an update since I've been doing some real work on my routines and have found some products that have been helping.

I'm going to do a post about my entire wellness routine because it has been a saving grace the past few months and I truly believe it has helped me, mentally and emotionally, in so many ways. I feel really in control and at peace with where my wellness routine is at right now.

If you haven't heard, May in Mental Health Awareness Month and even though the month is almost over, I think it's still really important to talk about mental health, especially mine! I've been really open in the past about my anxiety, depression, and overall struggles when it comes to mental health so I think it's only right to give you an update. 

Like so many others, my mental health plummeted during quarantine, mostly toward the end of the summer and all the way through the end of 2020. It was probably my lowest point ever... before I went on medication even. It was really scary and really disheartening. I pride myself on being in control of my mental health, even when I'm feeling low and to not know how to handle it was a weird feeling.

It was so bad that I could barely get out of bed, couldn't muster up a smile or good thought, and cried all the time. I took control though and started implementing some strong changes that have helped. That's the entire point of this post, to walk you through some of my self-care practices that have really made a difference.

Who would've thought that hand sanitizer would be something you needed to review? Over the past year I think we have all tried handfuls (pun intended) of hand sanitizer. Every beauty brand started releasing their own versions, new brands popped up that specialized in sanitizer and we started buying it in bulk.

Before the pandemic, I always carried hand sanitizer with me. I never left the house without it so nothing has really changed for me in that aspect. What has changed is the hand sanitizer market -- everyone has one now so there is so much more to try! I'm all for that -- I love having options when it comes to wellness and beauty. 

Over the course of the year I have tried a lot of hand sanitizers, from tons of different brands. Before the pandemic I mostly used Bath & Body Works because I didn't care for regular Purell, however, right before March 2020, I ordered a Touchland sanitizer and fell in love. The timing was very lucky because for months, hand sanitizer was sold out everywhere and I held onto that bottle for dear life. 

Now we don't have the availability problem but it can be overwhelming to choose a sanitizer where the options are endless. Which is why I'm rounding up the best ones I've tried over the year. To me, a good hand sanitizer is one that doesn't dry out your skin, absorbs quickly into your hands without leaving behind any greasy residue. I like to use my hands after sanitizing so something that burns or leaves your hands feeling wet is a no go for me. These are the four sanitizers that I've been testing for months and months, and that I love so much! 

Since I was a little girl I always had a diary. I loved writing my thoughts down, getting my feelings out and just feeling like I was speaking to someone, even if it was just myself.

I have kept up the practice of journaling on and off for years but in the past year or so, I've gotten more into making this a habit for me. I journal anywhere from 2-4 times a week but always try to journal at least once. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less... it's usually more if I'm feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

There is simply nothing like a gorgeous, cool, fall day. The air is super crisp, there's a slight breeze and the sun is shining but not too hot... the scent in the air reminds you of a Scholastic Book Fair in 1997. Everything is perfect. 

The only thing that makes a fall day even better is when you have it all to yourself with no one to answer to. I always feel like I do my best self-care in the fall and winter because the weather really sets the tone. When the weather is cozy, you also feel the need to indulge in coziness. 

I've been thinking a lot about self-care recently because right now, we all need some extra TLC. I figured I'd share my steps to have the perfect, ultimate, self-care fall day! 

Take Your Time in the Morning

I hate nothing more than being rushed in the morning. I like to take my sweet time with every waking moment. If I don't have to, I don't set an alarm so my body wakes up naturally. I spend a little time in my bed, scrolling through social media before getting up and making coffee. Then, I usually get back in bed to unwind a little more. That usually consists of more phone time, maybe reading a few pages of a book, and watching Youtube videos. 

After, I like to make myself a healthy yet indulgent breakfast of protein waffles or pancakes (pumpkin-shaped, of course) and have more coffee. When the weather is extra nice, I make sure to open my blinds and windows to really let the fall air inside. 

I live for relaxing and being able to lounge around in the morning and get my head straight really helps me feel my best.

Do What You Love

In my masked up glory running errands yesterday. It felt so good to get things done!  Wearing Taylor Swift folklore merch, a Stoney Clover mask & Lele Sadoughi headband

This might sound weird but I love running errands. I love going food shopping, to the car wash, or to Target to roam around. I live for my errands and I love a to-do list. I don't know why but I just do... it's an odd form of self-care for me. On a self-care day, I put on leggings, a sweatshirt, grab my bag and run a few errands. I try not to do too much so I still have time and energy to enjoy the day but a quick Trader Joes or Target run does the trick. 

If you love doing something else, like going to the park or taking a walk around the block, make sure to make time for that during your fall self-care day. It'll make the day that much more rich and enjoyable! 

Eat Something Indulgent 

During the week I try to remain steady on my Weight Watchers plan but once Saturday rolls around, I just want something *more*. If it's a special self-care day, especially during the fall, I like to treat myself to a fall treat and it's usually something I bake. I find baking super relaxing and enjoyable so it's a win-win for me. It's usually a pumpkin spice cookie or muffin and to me, there's nothing better. 

Relax, Fall Style

When people say 'self-care', my mind immediately goes to a dark, cold room with candles & a good movie or tv show. That is how I self-care (it's also how I spend most nights). My mom always calls me the ultimate relaxer because I am truly an expert at finding peace and calm. To end my fall self-care day, I'll get under some blankets & throw on Hocus Pocus (or Gilmore Girls) and chill. I turn on my twinkle lights, light a fall candle and bask in the glorious feeling. I might dip into my face mask stash and do a fall mask, like the Summer Fridays Overtime Mask . I just really love to bask in my alone time and feel recharged and rejuvenated. 

My fall self-care days don't look much different from any other season but they feel different. The addition of the smells and tastes really enhance the experience and as someone who thrives in this season, it heightens my happiness. 

What do you like to do for self-care?
xoxo
B

Stoney Clover Lane Face Masks

Lele Sadoughi Face Masks

Masks by Jill and Ally

Pacifica Beauty Pillow Mist

Slip Sleep Mist

*Slip also sells a mini version of the mist

LUSH Sleepy Lotion

Another lavender product that I have talked about before... LUSH Sleepy Lotion is the best. It instantly relaxes me, doesn't feel sticky, and doesn't irritate my very sensitive skin. Even if I don't want to use it all over my body, I try to hydrate my hands with it before bedtime and the lavender scent puts me at ease. I wouldn't say it puts me to sleep but it puts me in the right frame of mind to unwind and relax, allowing me to be ready for bed.

Slip Silk Eye Mask 

I haven't slept without an eye mask in years and last year, when I bought my first Slip Silk, I threw out every other mask I owned. Now, I have 4 of them and will never use anything else. They are super soft, don't scratch my face and feel light as air. Sure, they come off in the middle of the night but that's because I move around like a monkey in my sleep but my goodness, they are essential. The extra darkness helps me stay asleep (I like to sleep with the TV) and something about the weight on my eyes (even though the masks are very lightweight) is an added bonus. If you buy anything from this post, it has to be this eye mask. Life and sleep will be changed forever. 

Slip Silk Pillowcase

Can you tell I love the brand Slip? No joke, they might be my top 5 favorite brands ever. I recently got my first Slip Silk pillowcase and it has made all the difference in my sleep (and my hair). It's very comfortable, soft and in some way, helps me fall asleep pretty quickly, even if I'm not that tired. I don't think Slip Silk pillowcases are supposed to help you sleep but it does for me at least. Also, my hair has not been as frizzy as usual when I sleep on this pillowcase which is enough for me to want to keep using it! 

Weighted Blanket 

Ok... I don't know if I talked about this before but now I have too... even if it's 90 degrees outside. A weighted blanket is going to change everything. While I need to do a deeper dive into the anxiety-reducing benefits of it, the sleep benefits are outrageous. I was sleeping under my Blanquil weighted every night at the beginning of the pandemic and was not waking up once in the middle of the night. I felt incredibly well-rested, peaceful, and just perfect. It's so amazing I could cry thinking about it. I can't wait for the weather to cool down so I could use this every night again. I will warn you though, you will sleep through alarms and loud noises when you use a weighted blanket -- it's like a sleep fortress. 

Headspace App or ASMR 

Just as everything else on this list, I talked about my love of Headspace Sleep in my Headspace post a few weeks back. I try to meditate every night before bed but then will also listen to a Sleep Story and within seconds, I'm fast asleep. Something about being told a story is very soothing but combine that with the white noise and a calming voice, and you've got a recipe for relaxation. I will also sometimes listen to an ASMR video from my favorite ASMR Youtube account "Lottie Loves ASMR". She makes the best videos that are super relaxing... I can't get enough! 

All of these things help me have a good night's sleep and hopefully they will help you too! What do you use to help you sleep?

xoxo

B

Skincare Routine

Scents

Entertainment

Journaling