How to practise self care when you work from home

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When you work from home, self-care is vital and it is important to make a clear distinction between your work and personal life, ensuring you take time for yourself.

We have some sensible, but easy ways you can get a better balance when it comes to working from home.

Set Boundaries
When you work from home, it is really easy to slip into bad habits like working late into the evening and at the weekend. To maintain a healthy balance between work and home, set your work hours and stick to them. Maybe it is the traditional 9 to 5 that works for you, 10 until 6 is better for some people, a half day on Friday can be a perk of the job. Decide it, do it and stick to it.

Have a place to work
If you can, create a designated office space with a desk and upright chair that supports your back. If you have a whole room or can renovate the loft or the garage, this will give you a great working area and get you in the zone. Lighting is important as this will help you not to strain your eyes or cause headaches. Having a tidy workspace will help to keep your mind clear, and turning off the computer at the end of the day will help you maintain your working hours.

Start the day the right way
You might not have a team meeting to go to, but starting your day with a new list and set of goals, will keep you on track and motivated. You don’t have to do this at your desk, you can have a walk, a coffee after the school drop off or even speak to your VA and make sure you are both on the same page.

Walk away
Making time for some exercise during your day will boost motivation levels and increase productivity. Whether you go for a park run, walk the dog, do a HIT session, or practise yoga in your living room, doing something will give you a break and more energy.

Take a lunch break
We know many people don’t take have an official lunch break, but if you can make time to walk away from your desk and head outside for fresh air, this will set you up for the afternoon ahead. Packing up a salad with oily fish, filling up on soups and stews or having a pitta with feta and egg is a good way to fuel up and afternoon smoothies or homemade flapjacks are good too.

Do not do chores
Putting on the washing, going to the shops, visiting friends or doing a little DIY might be on your list of jobs at home, but it isn’t your real work that will pay the bills. Find times when you can do this, but stick to your working times as above, or you will end up having a clean house and full fridge, but unhappy clients.

Have healthy snacks
It is easy to go for the biscuit tin or unwrap a chocolate bar when you are working at home, but having fresh fruit in a bowl and nuts and raisins in a pot on your desk means when you are peckish, you don’t overdo the rubbish.

Get Dressed
It might seem like a good idea to work in your PJs or yoga pants, but you wouldn’t go out to work this way, so don’t do it at home. Get up, get showered, put the coffee on and get dressed and this will give you a work ready feel, and save blushes with the postman or unexpected Skype calls from clients.

Meditate
We believe that if you take a little time to meditate during the working day, it will give you headspace to unwind so you will return to your computer feeling refreshed.

You still need to sleep
We all need to aim to get about eight hours of sleep a night, and this is the same when you work from home. Late nights and lie-ins might be tempting, but they won’t do your motivation or productivity levels any good. Get into a routine and if it means scheduling calls at 9am or booking a dance class at 6pm to keep to time, then do it.

Got a working at home tip? Send it our way as we would love to know what it is.

Team Pure Beauty

A quick guide to mindfulness for a happier life

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Mindfulness is being talked about in the media today more than ever, but what’s it all about?

Quite simply, mindfulness is an awareness of ourselves as well as the world around us and it can improve our mental wellbeing, calming the mind and allowing us to focus on the here and now.

If we are more aware of the present moment, it can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better. If this happens, we can experience and enjoy the people and things we have been taking for granted, and leave behind the stresses we don’t need.

What does it involve?
Just taking notice of your thoughts, feelings, sensations and the world around you is the first step towards mindfulness.
There are books, apps, and courses that give you a structured way to bring mindfulness into your life, but at the heart of it, what you are doing is stopping for a while and focusing on your breathing. You will then notice that your heart rate slows down, adrenaline production is reduced and you feel more relaxed. With practice you can develop greater focus, better sleeping patterns and start to feel happier as well.

It is true that some of us find the idea of sitting with our thoughts when we are stressed or unhappy, quite difficult, so we have some simple tips that could help you get to grips with mindfulness.

Mindfulness isn’t easy to learn at first, so you can start by reading up about it some more, taking a course, joining a group or using an app like Calm.

It is thought that just ten minutes of mindfulness meditation a day can bring massive benefits when it is done on a regular basis. If you can, do it at the same time each day – maybe when you are on the tube, at lunchtime or before you have a bath in the evening, and it’s at this time when you can really be at one with yourself and leave behind your worries and fears. Clear this space each day, stop everything else and practise your mindful meditation.

Start with short bursts of three, five or ten minutes – you can even do it on the train.

When you sit down to meditate, take a few moments to get comfortable. Notice the sounds around you and how you’re feeling. This will help your mind and body reconnect, so when you do start focusing on your breath, it’s a little easier.

When you are practicing mindfulness and meditating, all you need to do is notice your breath and when your attention wanders, which it will as you wonder what to eat for dinner or where to go at the weekend, let go of it and bring your focus back to your breath. Each time you do that, it’s a win and it gets easier.

When you progress and start to bring mindfulness to your daily life, our advice is to start slowly. We suggest that in week one, you are mindful when you are brushing your teeth – be aware of the sound, the smell, the taste, and the movement as you clean. Then build up slowly, adding a new thing each week, such as being mindful on your walk to work, or while stacking the dishwasher.

Mindfulness isn’t for everyone, but why not give it a try and in time we hope it can become a part of your life and one that will make things easier and happier for you.

Team Pure Beauty

Wear pink with confidence this spring

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Look through any magazine and you will see that pink is everywhere.

If you’ve wondered whether this is the colour for you, the answer, this season at least, is… absolutely!

From the palest blush to honey hues and bright splashes, this sugary shade is here for spring, and beyond, and we have looked at how you can make it chic not shiny.

Go for a coat
If you want to make a statement with pink, go for a coat. Whether it’s a ruffle hem cape, silk bomber jacket, fitted Chanel-esque blazer or even a lightweight puffa, it will be a wardrobe staple. These are perfect all great trans seasonal items and can be worn with jeans and boots while it is still chilly, but pop over a dress and flats later in the season and you will still be on-trend.

Wear the jeans
From the catwalk to the High Street, there are some pretty pastel jeans on offer and they can be the perfect way to add a flash of pink into your day. Team with a navy long sleeve tee or an oversized sweatshirt in grey and silver trainers for a weekend look that will work all spring long.

Blouse it
An easy way to add pink into your office or evening outfits is to wear a soft pink blouse which will take the edge off black trousers but still look professional. It you get the right shade for you, it will reflect onto your face and give you a healthy glow.

Look at your feet
You might not have thought about wearing pink shoes but this is a brilliant way to start your fashion adventures in pink. Metallic pink loafers worn with a dark grey pencil skirt is a killer office look and you can inject energy into your gym kit by matching steel leggings with cerise trainers.

Accessorise the pink way
Pink accessories are an easier way to buy into this look before you really invest. Sunglasses, gloves, pumps, heels, scarves and bags are all the perfect way to add a pop of pink into your wardrobe and once you feel comfortable with this, you can go bigger.

It’s all in the make-up
Adding pink to your beauty bag is a great way to update your look. Swap your bronzer for a cream pink blush and apply to the apples of your cheeks, for a fresh, spring look. Experiment with lipsticks and go for a pink that adds warmth to your skin and brings your eyes alive. A bright, vibrant nail varnish can totally change your look and worn on your toes with white gliders is a winning look that never dates.

We hope we have convinced you that pink can work in any number of ways and you now feel brave enough to take the plunge.

Clean up your make-up act

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We use our make-up bags every day, often more than once, but how often do you clean it and clear it out?

Made you think, didn’t we?

The reality is, life is busy, time is short and with a G&T with your name on it at the bar, you don’t want to spend your time sorting out old mascaras, but you need to.

Today we are looking at just how long you should keep your beauty staples, before throwing them in the bin and replacing them with something shiny and new.

First things first, take everything out of your bag, clean and dry it and if it has seen better days, buy a new one. This is also the perfect time to wash your brushes. Baby shampoo is brilliant for natural hair brushes and a gentle liquid soap does the job for the synthetic ones. Brushes really can be a breeding ground for germs, so wash them once a week to be safe. Rather than storing them in the bottom of your bag, keep brushes tip up in pot and allow them to dry naturally.

Next, sort out the products in front of you and anything that you haven’t used for a while, that is past its best or has had the top left off, should be replaced. It is also worth noting, if you’ve had an eye infection it’s a good idea to throw out make-up that could cause a re-infection. Oh, and if you want your stuff to last, don’t store it in the bathroom but somewhere cool, dark and dry.

The shelf life for foundation changes depending on the formula, but generally cream-based foundations last between six months to a year, and if there’s an SPF it tends to be less. Always pay attention to how your foundation looks and feels on your skin and if you notice that is starts to change colour or smell, it is time to ditch it. Also remember, as we head towards winter, you might want to swap your lighter sheer foundation for a stronger base but go for a product with light reflecting particles.

Ideally a mascara is good to go for around four months. After this time, they tend to become dry and prone to clumping, and using the same brush over and over can increase the risk of eye infections.

We all tend to have a different lipstick in every bag, ones for day, others for evening and ones we never even wear. This is totally fine but just make sure you keep them clean and if you come across one that is past it’s best, chuck it away and use another one. Oh, and don’t share them!

Eye and lip liners can last up to three years but it is likely you will use them before that, or they will dry up and crumble. Again, don’t pass these around on a night out and at the first sign of dehydration, bin and buy a new one.

Nail varnish is one of those products that never seems to die, but shake it and if the colour doesn’t completely mix or the varnish is too sticky to apply smoothly, it’s game over.

Got a tip we have missed, then get in touch and let us know.

Team Pure Beauty