When I came out of hospital I felt pretty down on my luck, I was grumpy with the world and I wanted cheering up. I will admit that at this point I went on a bit of a spending spree and got myself a few bits and pieces. Some of them are directly related to helping my recovery and building myself back up, but some of them were just because I fancied them and wanted to treat myself. I had a little bit of money in some savings to be able to do some of this with and I was lucky enough to have parents that helped me with other bits and pieces as well.
I started with Tropic skincare. One thing I was told about my the drugs that I was taking was that they might affect my skin, they didnt really tell me how but I decided that now was probably the time to get a decent skin care routine. I was also going to need some good suncream as Azathiprine increases your risk of skin cancer and so it was suddenly incredibly important that I actually put suncream on. I got the most basic stuff that you can get, a cleanser, a toner and a moisturiser for my skincare routine. I have to say this stuff has been revolutionary. As a teenager I had Roaccutane (this is a very powerful acne drug) and since then have struggled with dry skin, especially in the winter. This combination has revolutionised my skin care routine as well as my skin. I honestly have never had better and smoother skin. It has been delightful. I will definitely be investing in more when this has run out and will probably get a second set to take to work with me. I am terrible with routine but have actually managed to stick to this one and I have really seen the results! So that was one of the treats that I have had and I have to say, I am very impressed and would definitely recommend for anyone who has sensitive skin or skin problems! Life saver!
The sun cream has also been great, used less because of the great British weather, but it isnt greasy and it goes on well and seems to work effectively as well! Impressed 🙂
As I had to start a new programme in order to get fit again, it was recommended by the guys at Replay in Norwich (I will be talking about them a bit), recommended that if it was possible I should try and get a cross trainer to be able to exercise at home. We did this and Jordan and I converted one of the rooms in our house into a mini gym area so we were able to use it properly. It has been an absolute god send, meaning that I can get up before work and go on the cross trainer for 20 minutes before the day has even really begun. I am hoping that for my general fitness as well as losing weight after steroids, having a cross trainer in the house is going to be incredibly helpful. Its a good bit of kit and we have really enjoyed it as well! Another treat as I have never had anything like it at home! Feeling very lucky on that one!
The next one I purchased for myself and links in with the cross trainer. I mean like I already have like a tonne of gym and sports kit, but I really wanted some new stuff to be able to use while I was working out at home. To this end I went onto GymShark and ordered myself a new pair or leggings and a crop top. I would never wear this combination at the gym – way too much skin showing for my liking – but I felt like at home it would be really comfortable and cool as well as having a good range of movement. Never had anything from GymShark and it is very comfortable! Another little treat to me, from me!
Less to do with any form of recovery but as many of my close friends will know, I really like having new trainers. So when I came out of the hospital I figured I deserved a new pair of kicks at the least. I got myself a pair of bright white Nike SBs and they are beautiful. At the same time we got my step-son a pair of white Nike Air Force 1s and my partner got some as well and so there is now a super cute picture of us at the park all in our white shoes. Now in hindsight, white shoes for a 4 year old was maybe a bad idea? But hey ho, we look great when we all wear them together!
As you can tell, I really went on a bit of a spending spree at the start… woops, but I did reign it in! I also got myself a new mini rucksack from Fjallkraven. I have wanted one of these rucksacks for absolutely ages and they were on like a super sale, down from about £80 to £20. It was one of those Facebook adverts that I had a cheeky look at and thought I just couldnt miss that kind of discount!
I was also recuperating during the Black Lives Matter protests where I realised that I was uneducated and needed to do some more reading. To this end I had a little look around and decided on two books to try first. I am not a massive reader and I am a slow reader as well. I have chosen to read Queenie and Why I Am No Longer Talking To White People About Race. Due to my slow reading pace, I am yet to start these books…. But I will update as soon as I have as to how I am doing with them, again, not the best reader so, could be a while….
I don’t really know why I wrote this piece, I guess maybe to make myself remember how lucky I am but also to let people know that it is absolutely OK to go and TREAT YO’SELF. You don’t need an excuse to be nice to yourself, go and do it… what’s the worst that will happen?!