The Big Chill

There’s nothing more I like than to chill out, so I got in my comfies, grabbed a pen and notepad and here we are.

After the hustle and bustle of daily life relaxing is one of the best things to do, whether it’s sunbathing on a beach with a margarita in hand, or simply submerged in a steamy bubble bath with candles flickering.

Here’s my top five tips for chilling out:

1. Enjoy some quiet time

One of my favourite things to do once the kids have gone to bed is to just sit and listen to silence, absolute silence. Not a whinge or request for a biscuit to be heard. Ah bliss!

2. Have some electronic free time

We currently live in an age where phones are almost permanently attached to the owners being, whether it’s to scroll through aimless images of what your friend Barry has had for tea or to delete the 100th email about an amazing airport car parking deal. If you really can’t tear yourself away from your phone the iPhone has currently got a facility to turn on night mode which stops the screen from emitting the blue light which has been known to disrupt the sleep cycle. Although sometimes it’s just nice to put the phone/tablet/laptop/PlayStation down and enjoy your reality.

3. Write it down

If you’ve got a million and one thing’s floating round your head relaxing can be a very hard thing to do. Ever heard Psychologist types say ‘put it into a box‘? That’s exactly what you should do, although the ‘box‘ is a piece of paper. Writing down thoughts and ideas can almost immediately take the weight off. Once it’s down on a page, you can face it head on when the time is right and do what you need to do (once you’ve relaxed first of course).

4. Settle down with a good read

There’s nothing better than forgetting all your worries and submerging yourself into a completely new world. Books are amazing, you can be transported to a different world in an instant. One day you could be an undercover agent trying to discover the secrets of a corrupt government; a gifted 15 year old boy trying to discover the mystery of his neighbours dogs death; or a young star crossed lover whose family are at war, the possibilities are endless.

5. Invest in a good bed and bedding

As a Yorkshire lass I like nothing better than a bargain, however one thing I don’t have a problem spending a bit extra on is my bed. It’s estimated that the average person will spend approximately 25 years sleeping in their lifetime. That’s a fair bit of time to be spending in an uncomfortable bed. I love my sleep and I’d be surprised if most people didn’t say the same. My husband still has no idea what I’m saying when I bleet on about a high thread-count, but he sleeps like a baby as a result. However, the thing that ultimately matters is the mattress. I’ve spent many an uncomfortable night on a horrible spring mattress, and your body certainly doesn’t thank you for it the next day, or in the long run for that matter. Now I’m by no means a mattress expert so I shall leave that to Leesa and The Sweet Home to do in Kevin Purdy’s review. But having looked at Leesas page I can see why Which? Have said “This Best Buy is suitable for everyone and is one of the best mattresses we’ve tested in recent years.” It looks great, can be delivered free, and is fantastic value. Now there’s no excuse for a bad nights sleep again.

Right, I’m off to sit in silence, with no electronics, a clear head, and cosied up in my bed. Bon nuit

Gem x