Category: Lifestyle

Odds & Ends: What It Means When ‘Mercury Is In Retrograde’?

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

I don’t know about you, but recently I’ve heard more and more people blaming Mercury for things. At first, I didn’t understand why this poor planet was being accused of breaking cell phones, causing communication issues, and just generally making every aspect of life just a little bit messed up. So, I decided to do some research and find out what it really means when someone lists “Mercury in retrograde” as the culprit in whatever issue they’re dealing with. Here’s what I found out…

Three or four times a year, the planet Mercury looks like it’s going backwards for three weeks, give or take a couple days. It’s not actually moving backwards, but it slows down a lot, which gives the optical illusion of receding, which is where the retrograde part comes in. And according to astrology, Mercury is the planet responsible for communication (including listening, talking, reading, negotiating), contracts, and transportation. Mercury is also in charge of computer code (I’m not sure how it works, but that’s what I hear…), which is why phones, computers, tablets, printers, and any other technology devices can go haywire during this time period. So because of this, all of those aspects of life can go awry during the time period of Mercury in retrograde.

Essentially, miscommunication thrives, mistakes happen, technology goes on the fritz, and travel plans can turn nightmarish. So to avoid these issues, there are a bunch of things that the experts recommend not to do when Mercury is in retrograde. And because I want to make sure none of you suffer from this planetary problem, I’ve put together a little cheat sheet for you:

What Not To Do While Mercury Is In Retrograde

  1. Don’t Sign Contracts, Talk About Contracts, Shake Hands or Swear (FYI: Email and text can be a form of contract also)
  2. Don’t Buy A New Car
  3. Don’t Start A New Job or Project
  4. Don’t Travel Too Much
  5. Don’t Buy Computers, Cell Phones or Tablets
  6. Don’t Have Plastic or Elective Surgery
  7. Don’t Repair Auto
  8. Don’t Move in Anywhere or Select a Roommate
  9. Don’t Make Any Life Changing Decisions
  10. Have “That Big Talk”
  11. Don’t take any chances on anything or anyone
  12. Don’t agree on anything and read carefully, even in text messages.

Now, it kind of seems like you can’t do anything during these time periods… However, take this with a grain of salt. Advice from the experts? Wait until Mercury goes direct to make any important decisions.

Mercury Retrograde will also affect people differently based on one’s zodiac sign.

Lucky for us, Mercury in retrograde ended December 06, 2018, and we don’t have another one until March 2019.

Now that you know what Mercury in retrograde means and what it’s blamed with causing, I want to hear from you guys…

Do you agree with this? Have you found that Mercury in retrograde actually causes some of these issues? Or do you think it’s just superstition?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

XO LEE

Grinch of Christmas

Published on by Lee2 Comments

If this year has left you worn out and limping towards the finish line it’s easy to dread the festive season.

There’s something about Christmas that makes it feel almost impossible to opt out. It’s everywhere. You can’t go a moment without the reminder that ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year’, which of course isn’t what you want to hear when for you, it really isn’t feeling that wonderful.

Some of us this year will be hurtling towards Christmas with a sense of dread and a wish for it all to just go away. An enforced Christmas can enduce stomach churning fear and an intense desire to hibernate quietly somewhere cold and wait for the madness to pass.

Christmas isn’t always easy and it can be one of the most difficult times of the year for lots of people. There is an expectation to be happy and jolly and when you’re not feeling like celebrating it can be really hard. It’s also not unusual for your sadness to become accentuated when you’re watching and observing everyone else’s (perceived) happiness!

This can make the holiday season feel very isolating and sometimes hard to cope with. Everyone else seems to be getting more and more excited and festive and as their Christmas radar peaks yours hits rock bottom. There is often an expectation to join in with the buzz of it all, to plaster a smile on your face and get stuck in. However, pretending the Christmas spirit has swept you away when just getting through the day is effort enough can be, quite frankly soul destroying and exhausting.

There is someone missing in my family this year: Me, Myself and I , who died on my birthday; December 08. I use to care for it but now it just kills me, this isn’t a cry for help or to seem dark but I’m writing this post because I was asked howcome I am not doing any “Christmas Posts or Vlogmas”. I’m just not feeling so joyful and warm, my birthday sucked this year and I am over everyone I mean EVERYONE. Plus, the more I think about it the more I realized how Christmas is more about gifts and not enough about celebrating the birth of Jesus. While some are trying to figure out how they can move on from their love ones, I’m over here plotting on how to not have these people in my face. Am I wrong?!

There are lots of people feeling the same as you this year. Trust me there are. They are hard to spot because they are probably the ones keeping quiet and hiding or they are putting on a brave face and doing their best to fake it and put on a show. All of us have times in our lives where things are quite frankly a little bit shit and we will all have years where we don’t feel like celebrating. This is your year but it is also someone else’s year too. You aren’t alone and you’re probably in better company than you realise. Don’t be too scared of telling people how you’re feel, you never know, it might help them to admit that they are struggling too.

You might not want to celebrate the holiday season and you might want to totally opt out but is there someway that you could think of to look after yourself instead? Is there something you could do to treat yourself? To give yourself a break? To recognise that just because you don’t feel like celebrating doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself a break. Perhaps you want to curl up with a good book or teach yourself a new skill? Perhaps you want to set yourself a challenge or emerse yourself in nature? Give yourself the gift of a little bit of time just focused for you and be kind to yourself.

Give yourself permission to opt out if you want to. Want to skip Christmas drinks? Bail on your friends? Bunker down and hide away for a little while? That’s all ok, don’t be afraid of putting your needs first. You don’t need to feel that you have to or should do anything that you don’t want to. Traditions can be lovely things and are a nice way of people providing structure to a holiday but that is all they are and sometimes disengaging with them can be really refreshing! Want to banish turkey, christmas music and presents-why not! Want to ditch the Christmas party and catch up on Netflix instead- go for it! You might end up creating some new ways of spending your holiday time that become personal traditions that work out for you.

Christmas is a time of year where there is hope, generosity and goodwill all across the world and even if the idea of jumping feet first into it all isn’t appealing don’t be too quick to write it all off. Experiencing it for what it is, and giving yourself permission to enjoy moments and feel happy is really important. Even when things are tough, beautiful moments and things can still happen and will happen if you are open to them. So don’t fully opt out of Christmas just yet, take it for what it is and be open to enjoying elements and celebrating the good in the world; it is there. This year things might be tough but things change and time heals. The way you feel right now doesn’t define you and chances are you won’t always feel this way. Be kind to yourself, take care and stay in the moment.

If you’re struggling today and need to talk, head over to my instagram and dm me. I will not share any personal information that we discussed about.

COMMENT BELOW ON HOW YOU ARE HANDLING THE HOLIDAYS!

5 Tips For Creating A Spa Atmosphere At Home

Published on by Lee2 Comments

After a busy, grueling week, it’s nice to come home to an oasis to relieve tension and feel restored. As it’s not realistic, or budget-friendly, to go to a spa every day, it’s a great idea to create your own spa-like setting within the comforts of your home.

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Use Essential Oils

An essential oil diffuser can create a variety of different atmospheres and appeal to the senses, to really give you that “zen” setting. Lavender is for relaxation, and basil oil has an uplifting effect on the mind and promotes alertness. Peppermint oil relaxes muscles, eases tension and can help relieve sinus congestion, and rose oil is used to relieve anxiety and depression.

Get Steamy

Steam inhalation is a wonderful addition to an at-home spa and the heat is shown to improve circulation, which can also improve the skin’s appearance, naturally.

Plus, steam loosens dead skin cells, revealing new cells and resulting in a youthful glow. Inhale steam from a steam machine or let the shower run so the bathroom gets super steamy, and simply sit and relax for a few minutes.

Use Dim Lighting

Low, dimmed lights help your body relax and really set the mood. “Scientific studies have proven that low lights actually allow your body to rest better as they reset your pineal gland,” explains Veronica Parker, a certified Yoga Teacher, Energy Healer, and Meditation Coach.

You can also use candles for light. “Place 2-4 candles of your favorite scent around. The candle flame and the scent will enhance your state of relaxation,” she says. “My favorite scents are lavender, lemon balm and sandalwood,” she suggests

Take a Bath

After a long day, come home to a warm bath to restore tired muscles. “Prepare a warm bubble bath with Epsom salts. The salts will inspire you to untangle your muscles, release inflammation and induce a deeper state of relaxation.

Play Music

Either listen to relaxing music or ocean sounds (what resembles “spa music” you typically hear when at a spa) or try a guided meditation to release stress. Download and listen to a guided meditation while you are soaking in the bath. Focusing on your breathing is key to help you let go of stress and your day’s activity. Alternatively, you can listen to soft music to unwind.

Stand Your Ground

Published on by Lee7 Comments

This is a topic I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while and with recent events in my life, I feel it’s wildly appropriate to touch base on now. I’ve struggled with standing up for myself a few times in my life. It’s strange because I absolutely know my worth, I know what I offer up to people and what I expect to be offered up in return, but still, I sometimes silence myself than make my truth known. I’m one hundred percent a people pleaser, sometimes to a fault, but I don’t think being that way is always a bad thing! Obviously, if you let people walk all over you and never speak up, then you should probably make a few changes, but if you’re putting peoples emotions in consideration and accommodating them, then wanting to please doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

I’ve always been the type to speak my mind and be honest, but sometimes in order to avoid conflict, I’ll stay quiet which over time leads to me carrying so much resentment in. The feeling of resentment drives me sick and can truly be sometimes scary to me. I’ve learned in my twenty-one years that honesty… is the best policy… No matter how uncomfy or scary it may be, holding your feelings in leads to resentment, then frustration with yourself or others, then self-sabotage and the horrifying list literally goes on and on.

I’ve been speaking to my mom about this recently and it shocks me how often we as humans decide to put our feelings aside just to avoid conflict. Trust me, I don’t like conflict and confrontation as much as the next woman but I’ve come to notice how detrimental it can be to the relationship with yourself and others if it’s avoided. A few weeks ago, for example, I was getting breakfast at Dunkin Donuts before heading into work, the woman completely gave me the wrong change and refused to fix it. She tried to say I didn’t give her exact change but it showed I did, I even had the receipt, the manager had to get involve and fix it. The young woman wasn’t nice, she had an attitude from the jump and treated me like I was the dumb one instead of admitting she made a mistake which happens. Yes, that time I spoke up but sometimes I catch myself being quiet. I don’t care if you’re family, friends or a stranger  – I will always speak up no matter what.

As women, we’ve been told that demanding things makes us bossy and annoying so therefore we have to politely ask and hope for the best. NO!!! Demanding doesn’t have to be a bad action if you’re doing it with decisive instruction and polite manners!

Basically, I’m just trying to urge you to be unapologetic for what you want for yourself. If what you want is fair and you’re approaching it in a kind way. You don’t need to apologize for standing your ground or not settling for anything less than what you want, ESPECIALLY if you’re a woman. Don’t let a power trip get to your head but you have every single right to ask for and receive the things you want. We have far too many people trying to silence women and men of all different ages and color, so let’s not succumb to that absurd and prehistoric way of behavior anymore!