 Screenshot from The List's YouTube video "Why The Duke of Hastings of Bridgerton looks so familiar" You've probably heard by now: Netflix has had great success with its new series "Bridgerton", set in Regency London of the late 18th -/ early 19th centuries. And the name on every lady's lips, both in the series and in real life, is "The Duke of Hastings" or "Simon Bassett", played by 31 year old Regé-Jean Page. I was one of many who was looking forward to the release of the series on December 25th, but I didn't start watching it until just after New Year, and quite frankly: To begin with I didn't really think I would like it, because the opening scenes didn't quite catch me, so I was considering whether or not I should stop watching altogether. But then the Duke of Hastings entered the scene, and any thought of quitting the series was swiftly cast aside. I just knew immediately that I wanted more. Was this just a shallow decision on my behalf, made on the grounds of his dazzling looks? Well, I must admit that his dazzling looks had a great deal to do with it. But can you blame me? I mean: Tall, dark and handsome is never wrong, is it? However: I'm actually not at all shallow, and good looks is just something that initially makes me find a man interesting. There has to be more to the equation than that for a man to keep my interest over a long period of time. So what was it about the Duke of Hastings that made me binge-watch the whole of Season 1 of "Bridgerton" in one sitting? Well, first of all, let me just say that I'm a huge fan of British period dramas, so the whole setting was already great. But "Bridgerton" is also very different from other dramas in this genre because of the fact that in it, racially diverse characters populate all classes of British society, including the highest echelons. And the most eligible bachelor of all is a black man: The Duke of Hastings. This is something that highly appeals to me with this series, and it makes it a drama that I find very appropriate for this time and space that we find ourselves in. The actor portraying The Duke of Hastings, Regé-Jean Page, said it very well in an interview with NPR's Ailsa Chang (quote): "I think it's incredibly important that when we are indulging ourselves in these kind of great, big Cinderella fantasies, that everyone gets to see themselves as worthy of status and glamour and love and redemption. And being the protagonist in these stories and being the protagonist in these settings where you can see yourself as rich, attractive and admirable is important for absolutely everyone." But what about the charachter himself, The Duke of Hastings - what is it that makes him so attractive to us women? Well, apart from the fact that "he is a tall, dark, handsome, brooding, thoroughly broken man who is struggling with issues of legacy and pride and trauma, and in that way fits pretty well into the archetype of (...) the stoic, brooding Clint Eastwood type (...), very kind of Darcy, Heathcliff... all these men who are hugely emotionally stunted..." (again quoted from Regé-Jean Page), - he's also (as Ailsa Chang pointed out in the podcast interview) quite different from other Regency-era romantic leads. What perhaps ultimately makes him a modern character, is that even though he's a man struggling with his demons, he seems vulnerable. That's something I personally find highly attractive in a man, and quite frankly: I believe most women do. The Duke of Hastings is struggling to relate with Daphne, the woman who eventually becomes his wife. But he manages to figure out how to (I quote the actor) "open the doors in himself that make him worthy of love and capable of giving love to her", - and that, ladies, is - I believe - the whole clue to a successful relationship: Opening up and allowing yourself to be vulnerable with the other person and really trying to understand who they are and who you are. Women have generally been better at this than most men, but - thank God! - this seems to have changed in the last century, and men are picking up on this more and more and are beginning to understand that masculinity isn't all about being strong and never showing any feelings, but that showing vulnerability is actually a strength. Regé-Jean Page said it so beautifully in the interview, when asked what he most of all wants audiences to learn from The Duke of Hastings: "That here is always a place to listen and evolve and grow; that there is more than one type of strength; that a lot of the time, exerting strength and dominance - which Simon, I think, starts from - can in fact be what's holding you back, what's making you weaker. And I think that figuring out how to open the doors in yourself that make you worthy of love and capable of giving love is that ongoing conversation that I was most interested in exploring." Well, I must say: He did it well. I don't think I'm alone in falling completely in love with the Duke of Hastings. Showing vulnerability, combined with his manners, his show of respect for her, his ability to have intellectual and honest conversations with her, his way of conducting himself, and his classy way of dressing, his immaculate taste ... it all made the "package" complete. But what absolutely cracked me up was this: I just adored the way he discretely talked to Daphne about things that helped her discover her own sexuality in a way that would take away any feel of shame that she might have around it and help her see it as a completely natural thing. This really melted my heart, especially since I could personally relate to what she might think and feel about these matters. I grew up in a religious family and ... well, I had similar thoughts of shame and guilt around exploring my own sexuality when I was very young, so I absolutly loved the way the Duke of Hastings addressed this. Just take a look at this scene from the series: And to be absolutely honest: His way of gently and passionately making love to Daphne and making her feel like the most important and desirable woman on earth, - that alone was something that made him a highly desirable man. So what can men of today learn from the Duke of Hastings? Exactly those things that I've mentioned in this article, and then some. Need a recap? Well, here you have it - my very special "Golden list" of attractive traits in a man: Vulnerability The ability to open up to recieving and giving love on a deep level Good manners Good taste / showing interest in grooming yourself and looking good without "showing off" Discretion Respect for her as a woman and as a human being Welcoming the fact that she's different from you as a man and therefor also someone you can learn new and valuable things from The ability to have intellectual and honest conversations with a woman and being fully present in the moment and not easily distracted by other things Tenderness & intimacy Making a woman feel like she's the one, - the one you adore and desire and love above anyone else on this planet Hard to live up to? Well, any man who at least TRIES to be some of these things to a woman, will be considered highly attractive and desirable, - at least in MY book. --------- I hope you enjoyed this article and found it valuable. If so, I can inform you that I'll be writing more in the near future on both manners, etiquette and what I regard as attractive traits in both men and women, - among other things. So stay tuned! And if you haven't already watched "Bridgerton", I suggest you do! À bientôt!
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 Happy New Year, my friend! I want to share my intentions for this new year with you, and I hope it will inspire you to make your own declaration for 2021. These are my intentions for this year: I will continue to design my life the way I want it and move in the direction of my dreams. I will think thoughts of prosperity and success and let go of all fear, worries and negativity. I will savor every moment and keep decluttering my life in every way, which means getting rid of the things/beliefs etc that no longer serve me, and make room for more of what is important to me. I will make sure to incorporate more activity in my daily routines, in order to get enough exercise on a regular basis and get a leaner and stronger body. I will eat proper, healthy and nutrituous food and use quality produce to prepare my meals. I will do more of what makes me happy. I will manage my money in a good and sensible manner. I will find more ways to do work that can help others and at the same time enable me to use my creativity and create financial freedom for myself. I will love fiercly. I will meet life with full presence and power. I will reclaim my agenda. I will defeat my demons. I will advance with abandon. I will practice joy and gratitude. I will amplify love. I will inspire greatness. I will slow down and stop stressing. --------------- I hope you liked this post. If it inspired you to make your own declaration for 2021, or if you'd like to have a shorter version of it that I have created for you, you can get a printable version by following the link below. I've called it THE FEMALE LIFE DESIGNER'S MANIFESTO  Picture by Olya Kobruseva via Pexels Christmas is soon upon us, and if you’re in need of some gift inspiration, I’m here to help. Whether you’re buying a gift for a Francophile or simply wanting to buy gifts like the French, I have the gift guide for you. Keep in mind that some of these gifts can be a bit pricy, but there are gifts for every budget on it. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be luxurious! And, a little tip: never discuss the price of a gift. The French find it both uncouth and uncivilised, and I think we should stop focusing on the price of gifts. You should never feel like you have to spend more than you can afford, or that a gift isn’t nice enough if it was cheap. It’s the though that counts! So, without further ado, let’s dive into some tips for cadeaux your Francophile friends will enjoy (and for anyone really, there are some lovely gift ideas on this list)! 1. French food  Picture by Leah Kelly via Pexels Even though you maybe aren’t currently in France, you can still find French food items in many shops, and especially if you go to a specialty shop. Suggestions for French food items to gift are French cheese (some suggestions are Brie, Saint Agur or Saint Albray), French macaroons, Madeleines or some luxurious French chocolate that will make the receiver say “Oh la la!” 2. A cheeseboard  If you have a Francophile friend, why not help them Frenchify their dinner parties? A French dinner party rarely ends without getting the cheese out. So, what’s more perfect than giving them a cheeseboard? You can find cheeseboards in all shapes and sizes at any price level. If you want to splurge you can include a set of cheese knives or some cheese to go with the board.  Picture by RODNAE Productions via Pexels 3. French wine, liquor or champagne  Picture by Sabel Blanco via Pexels Continuing the “food-theme” we move onto French alcohol. If you want to give someone alcohol you should always look into two things in advance: 1) do they actually consume alcohol? 2) Do they have any preferences? Once you know that it’s safe to get them alcohol as a gift, you can look for a nice French wine, some French liquor, or, if you really want to splurge: Champagne from Champagne. 4. French perfume or cologne  Picture by Valeria Boltneva via Pexels If you know the persons taste in scents, a French perfume or cologne is a great gift. From Chanel to Jean Paul Gaultier, there are a lot to choose from. Some classic French perfumes include Chanel n°5 and Miss Dior. If you need more ideas, have a look at this list of The most Iconic French Perfumes Of All Time. For colognes Dior Homme, Dior Eau Sauvage or Jean Paul Gaultier La Male would be a good choice for a French classic. 5. French make-up  Picture by Romina BM via Pexels It’s something about those French brands … By Terry, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Lancôme … just the names ooze luxury and class. Most of us will never be able to afford a classic Chanel bag, so the next best thing is their makeup. A nice lipstick or nail polish is a small, but luxurious gift most women will appreciate. 6. A subscription to a French magazine  Picture by me If we can’t be in France, we can dream of it, can’t we? So, why not give your Francophile friend a magazine subscription? This is a gift that keeps on giving, since the recipient will get a new magazine at regular intervals. Some classics to choose from are Marie Claire, Vouge and Elle. If you want something more “outside the box”, there are plenty of others to choose from, like Télérama (which covers TV, music, cinema and more) or LiRE (which covers books and literature). ("French Cottage" in the picture above is published by Victoria Magazine / Victoria Classics.) To find subscriptions available in your country, you can visit Unipress who (according to them) deliver 650 different magazines to more than 190 countries. 7. French lessons If your friend is a Francophile, but doesn’t know the language very well, it could be nice to gift them some French lessons. If there aren’t any classes available in your local area, you can gift them a subscription to a language learning service like Babbel. 8. Crêpe Pan (and a wooden batter spreader) Crêpes are a French dessert classic – but you can also make them with a savoury filling. The sweet ones are called crêpes sucrées, while the savoury galettes are called crêpes salées. A proper crêpe pan will be a perfect gift for Francophiles and French expats alike! And you have plenty of options. You can buy anything from the easy to use non-stick ones to electric griddles. Just remember to also get them a wooden batter spreader so they can get a professional finish to their crêpes!  Crêpes are a French dessert classic – but you can also make them with a savoury filling. The sweet ones are called crêpes sucrées, while the savoury galettes are called crêpes salées. A proper crêpe pan will be a perfect gift for Francophiles and French expats alike! And you have plenty of options. You can buy anything from the easy to use non-stick ones to electric griddles. Just remember to also get them a wooden batter spreader so they can get a professional finish to their crêpes! 9. Books  Picture from amazon.com - photographer unknown Whether you choose to get something by a classic poet or a more contemporary book, books are a nice gift for just about anyone. Try to find something in their favourite genre, but if you don’t know any of their favourites, a book about French food or French lifestyle is a safe choice. One example is the book Bright Lights Paris: Shop, Dine & Live...Parisian Style. 10. A classic piece of clothing  Picture from amazon.com - product picture for VTGDR (link in article) If you want to gift someone a piece of clothing, choose classic pieces and neutral colours. Pieces like these will never go out of style and is therefore a safe and sustainable choice. Classic pieces can include: a Breton stripe top, a black jumper, some nice wool gloves, or a scarf. If you’re buying for a man in your life a nice wool tie is also a stylish option. Whenever you are looking for clothing, remember that natural fibres like wool, linen and cotton are best. They are more breathable to wear and keep better. In addition, they do not release microplastics in the wash. 11. Candles or a reed diffuser  Picture from amazon.com - product picture (link in article) A scented candle or reed diffuser can be a nice touch in any home, and can help you relax. It’s no secret that a high-end candle can be expensive, but it is a really nice gift. Among the high-end brands, Diptyque might be the most famous of them all. They are known for quality and beautiful designs. Another well-known high-end brand is Ladurée. However, there are (luckily) many budget friendly candles and reed diffusers to be found. Some of these even produce candles that are good dupes for Diptyques scents. Some brands to look for are Brooklyn Candle Studio, Tussie Mussie and Maison Marie Louise. An alternative to scented candles is a reed diffuser. These create a long lasting scent in your home. One advantage the reed diffuser holds is that you can leave it wherever you want, and don’t have to keep an eye on it like you have to do with a burning candle. Many candle brands carry both candles and reed diffusers. Reed diffusers are generally easy to find, but some nice ones to mention are the ones from The White Company and the Danish brand Meraki. 12. Something for the bath or shower  Picture by me I think most people would like to receive a nice quality bath or shower product. Most of us don’t splurge on these items in our everyday life, but there is nothing like a good spa-like product. It can elevate any mundane Monday morning shower. Some brand suggestions are Le Petit Marseillais, Durance or Bioderma. Another well know brand is Yves Rocher. 13. Savon de Marseille  Savon de Marseille is a soap with long traditions. It has been produced in Marseille for around 600 years. Traditionally it was made by mixing sea water from the Mediterranean Sea, olive oil and alkaline ash from sea plants. The mixture was heated for several days before it was poured into molds. Today there are two main varieties: one made with olive oil and one made with palm oil (or a mix of palm and coconut oil). Savon de Marseille is often used for washing delicate garments like wool and silk. It’s also used as a hand soap, but then mostly in it’s liquid form. 14. Christmas ornaments from Paris  Picture from amazon.com - product picture (link in article) You can find many Christmas ornaments shaped like famous landmarks from Paris. These can be really beautiful on any three, and will remind the receiver of one of their favourite places in the world. You can find ornaments like Arc de Triumph or the tour Eiffel in the online shop Christmas Company or on Amazon. 15. Tea  Product picture from mariagefreres.com (link in article)
For the tea lovers in your life, this is a great gift. Teas from the famous Mariage Freres will always be popular. This tea company sells everything from Darjeeling to Earl Grey and different fruit and herbal teas. ---------- I hope you found this article valuable! Feel free to comment below and also share the article with someone else who might be interested. And if you're interested in reading more articles related to France, check out the French Lifestyle and Everything French categories in the menu bar of my blog.  Picture by Moose photos via Pexels French women are experts on how to look effortless and chic. To them, it seems almost second nature. Today, I’ll dive into how you can create a simple, yet elegant makeup look. And: the best thing about it is that if you use makeup already, you will probably have all the items it takes to make a French makeup look. Less is more In almost all instances you can “frenchify” your life by thinking “less is more”. What I mean by this is that French women have tuned in on what is important to them and removed everything that’s unimportant. French women use makeup to enhance their features, not hide them away or alter them in any big way. That’s why you will rarely see a woman with full contour and smokey eyes on the streets of Paris. It’s all about looking like the best version of yourself, not turning into someone else. So let’s dive into what makes French makeup so effortless and “I woke up like this” chic. 8 steps to create a French makeup look  Picture by Andrea Piaquadio via Pexels It all starts with skincare To make the most out of your canvas, you should always prep it. French women prep their skin by taking care of it. If you need some tips on how to best take care of your skin, you can read my article on French skincare. And if you just want to jump right in: always let a moisturizer be the first step in your makeup routine. Skip the foundation Remember, less is more. French makeup is all about discretion. So you won’t see French women wear a ton of foundation. What they’ll do is dab a little concealer on, or maybe use a BB-cream. A BB-cream is perfect for a French makeup look as it is a three-in-one product. A BB-cream will moisturize, give you light coverage and, most importantly, has SPF. French makeup is basically there to enhance. The idea is that no one should notice the makeup before they notice the woman. A hint of blush French women love to glow and accentuate their healthy skin. In order to get this look, you need a good blush. However, it should never be too bright. You can brighten up the face by applying a touch of rose or pink coloured blush to the apples of your cheeks. Cream blushes are more popular because they are easier to blend to get a natural look. Tip: to make your look even fresher and more sunkissed, you can throw a little bit of bronzer into the mix. Just be careful to not use too much. Keep your brows full  Picture by Andrea Piacuadio via Pexels You’ll find no perfectly sculpted brows in a French makeup look. Rather, the brows will be kept full, and never overly filled in. The French look is all about looking clean and groomed, but not overly polished. Stay away from eyebrow pencils and pomades. Keep it simple with some eyebrow mascara. For a natural brow, apply the mascara in short upward strokes. Make sure to follow the natural curve of your eyebrows. Just a touch of mascara If you want a French makeup look, you should keep your eye makeup simple. Give your lashes a good curl, treat them with a good lash conditioner and add just a hint of mascara. Skip the eyeliner and focus your attention on a good mascara that will give your eyes dimension. Natural eyeshadows  Picture by Andrea Piacuadio via Pexels Most French women will not wear a lot of eye shadow on an everyday basis, but if you want to add some colour to your eyes, go for neutral tones. To achieve a French makeup look you should dab on a minimal amount. It does not have to look perfect, but it should be well blended with no sharp edges. The signature red lip To go with the very simple eye makeup you can add the staple of any French makeup look “la pièce de résistance” if you wish: the bold red lip. The red lip can be worn with any outfit, whether it is a t-shirt and jeans or an evening gown. The red lip will add drama where you need it. Just remember that the french will most often wear this bold colour with the rest of the makeup being very minimal. When you wear a red lip, nothing should steal attention away from it.  Picture by Milena Hasvil via Pexels
Focus on one feature If you want one simple piece of advice you can take away from this, it is to keep it simple. Focus on one feature at the time. If you wear a red lipstick, make everything else discrete. If you wear a bold eye makeup look, keep the lips natural. Focusing on one feature at the time will make your face look brighter and fresher. Keep it relaxed Casual makeup application has become a popular trend which emphasizes French women’s relaxed approach to makeup. The point of this type of application is to make it less perfect and more lived in. Do a smokey eye by blending out your eyeliner with your finger or use your fingertip to apply lipstick by dabbing it on (only with clean hands of course!) This helps you achieve a more natural less polished look. Just like French women! -------- Did you like this article? Then you might also like my article on French skincare. I'd love to hear from you, so if you want to leave a comment below, I'll be thrilled! Also feel free to share this article with anyone else who might be interested in it.  Picture by Jessica Lewis via Pexels Every year I hear many people complain about how stressed out they feel before Christmas. Even though most people enjoy the holiday itself, many of us seem to stress around to get everything prepared in time. So, today I want to talk to you about how you can make your December stress free. 1. PLAN AHEAD OF TIME I know we’re only in November, but time flies, and December is just around the corner. I know there are always lots of things we want to do, and feel like we have to do before Christmas arrives, and I think the best way we can tackle this is by planning. That’s all well and good, but what should you plan? I suggest sitting down with a nice hot beverage, and make a list. What is it that you need to get done? I have some suggestions for common things, so let’s look at the categories together:  Picture by Dana Tentis via Pexels Cleaning your house or apartment If you live in an apartment you’re kind of lucky – there are fewer spaces for you to clean. But if you have a house, there is more to do. I know my ex mother in law would clean the walls and ceilings for Christmas, but unless you feel it is really necessary to do this, I suggest you skip it! However, there are a few cleaning tasks you probably want to do: cleaning the windows, vacuuming and washing the floors, washing the bathroom and dusting. You might feel stressed out about all the cleaning you need to do before Christmas, but realize this: you most likely have a regular schedule for most of these tasks. The only extra activity is cleaning the windows, which you probably do a little less often. And maybe washing the floors, which you might do less frequently than vacuuming. To make it easy for you to plan your cleaning, get my FREE downloadable list!  Picture by Cottonbro via Pexels So, sit down and check your calendar: When is Christmas this year? I mean: What day does it fall on? If you have a regular cleaning schedule where you vacuum, do the dusting and wash your bathroom on a Friday and Christmas falls on a Thursday, you simply follow your normal routine up until the week of Christmas. So you’ll do your regular cleaning the Friday before, then again on Wednesday, right before Christmas. Then you wash your floors on that same Wednesday. As for the windows, I suggest washing them one or two weeks before Christmas. Plan your baking & cooking  Picture by Kaboompics via Pexels The next point of planning I want to talk about is baking and cooking. Do you have a habit of making cookies for Christmas? Or do you have any special meals you like to cook? Well, plan it ahead of time. I've made it easy for you by creating this FREE downloadable and printable Christmas baking plan. In Norway we have a tradition that says you should bake 7 different sorts of Christmas cookies. And that’s a lot of baking if you’re going to follow tradition. With our modern lives it may be hard to fit this in between everything else that’s going on. So, before December knocks on our door, I like to plan when I’m going to bake my cookies. Sometimes I like to make several types of cookies in one day, to reduce the number of baking days. But then I always make sure that if one cookie is particularly laborious to make, the other ones are easy to make. On Christmas we also like to serve traditional food for our lunch and dinners. These meals often take a lot of time to prepare, and there may be several operations happening in the kitchen at the same time. To reduce the amount of stress, I like to see if there is anything I can make ahead of time and just reheat it when the day arrives. With a lot of dishes, they even taste better when they’re reheated!  Picture by Daria Shevstova via Pexels One thing that comes to mind is gravy, but many desserts can also be made ahead of time and frozen. Plan your Gifts  Picture by Olya Kobruseva via Pexels We all love gifts, don’t we? But at Christmas, you often have so many people you need to think of that it becomes stressful to find a gift for everyone. So, start now, and make a list of everyone you plan to give a gift. This takes away the stress of being afraid you’ve forgotten someone. You're more than welcome to use my FREE downloadable list if you want to. When you’ve made your list, start looking for gifts. Some people are easy to give gifts to, but if you’re uncertain of what to give, ask people what they want (or need)! And, for people who have everything they need and then some, you can give edible gifts. Some chocolate or a bottle of wine (if they drink alcohol) is always appreciated, as it is a gift they can use. I know this next idea is a little late to do it this year, but I know people who start buying gifts in January! Talk about being ahead of the game! But I guess it’s because a lot of things are on sale in January, so you could save a lot of money if you buy most of your Christmas presents then. However, I would only do this if I absolutely KNOW that this is a gift that the person will like a year from now.  Picture by fotografierende via Pexels If you want ALL my FREE downloadable Christmas planners, you can get them in one bundle here. 2. REDUCE WHAT YOU'RE COMMITTING TO DO As always with intentional living, I should mention that to make your December stress free, you might want to reduce the amount of things you’re doing. Don’t overdo the cleaning For some reason we have this feeling that we have to clean in excessive amounts before Christmas, even though most of us have regular cleaning schedules we follow throughout the year that are more than enough to keep our homes clean and tidy. But for some odd reason a lot of us feel a need to clean in bizarre places before Christmas, like the bottom of the drawers in our dressers... I mean ... come on! It doesn’t hurt if people understand that we actually sit, breathe and live in our houses! There’s no need to exaggerate! So: If you feel stressed out about cleaning, reduce what you clean. As I mentioned, I don’t see the point in washing my walls and ceiling, so I don’t do that. And no one dies if there’s a little dust in a corner. Really, I promise it will be fine! Keeping to your normal cleaning routine can help make your December stress free.  Picture by Cottonbro via Pexels Keep the baking to what you will actually eat Another thing you can reduce is the amount of cooking and baking you’re doing. Is there a cookie you make every Christmas that no one really eats? Or is it simply too many cookies to manage eating them all before they go stale? Well, reduce the amount! As I mentioned, there is a tradition of baking 7 different types of cookies for Christmas in Norway. But for the most of us, it’ll be too many to consume (and to have time to bake them all). I know that even though I like baking, some years it’s only achievable to bake maybe 2 or 3 types of Christmas cookies. And that’s fine! Christmas will come anyways. And when I understand that I will only have time to bake a certain amount, I prioritize what I bake. So I only bake our favorites. If you absolutely want a certain kind of cookie but don’t have the time to bake, there are a few options: One option is to buy the cookies you want. Most stores sell the classics, so you can get your hands on them without baking. Another alternative is to arrange a cookie-swap with friends and family. If you only have time to bake 1 type of cookie but have 4 friends or family members who are also baking, you can arrange for everyone to bake something different and swap. So, you’ll have 5 types of cookies from the effort of making 1! Another tip (as mentioned above) is to reduce the recipe, so you have a more manageable amount to eat. Gifts and advent calendars  Picture by Torsten Dettlaff via Pexels As much as we all love gifts, we also appreciate good food and good company. And we could all do well to focus more on that. Not only do most people have what they need, it’s also better for the environment to reduce the amount of stuff we give each other. So rather than stressing about finding physical gifts for people, gift them time. This time could be something you do for them (like cleaning, baking or helping them with something) or an activity they can do (or that you can do together). I also know that a lot of parents (myself included) love making advent calendars for their children. However, a lot of the time these calendars are filled with trinkets that are fun right there and then but are soon forgotten about or broken. It can also be a bit stressful to go around finding 24 (or 25) little gifts and wrap them all. I prefer filling the advent calendar with a combination of things they need (like socks, notebooks etc), some candy (but not every day!), and then things like face masks, nail polish and other beauty products (for my girl), Christmas decorations for their room, snack bars, small candles, etc. You're welcome to use this downloadable FREE Advent Calendar Gift Plan if you want to! Alternative advent calendars: -A Christmas book: find a book with 24 (or 25) chapters, so that they can read a chapter a day (or you can read to them before bed). This shifts the focus towards spending more time together. -Reversed advent calendar: with this one, your child gets a packet of 24 (or 25) bows or ribbons at the first day of December. The bows will be used to mark a toy or a piece of clothing they no longer use, and can part with. Mark one item every day. Collect the toys and clothes and donate them so they can go to someone in need. For younger children you can tell them that the toys are taken to the North pole so Santa can “fix them up” and give them to other children. In return, Santa will bring some new toys for them for Christmas (make sure to not promise that Santa will replace everything they give away, though!) For older children it’s nice to explain that not everyone is as fortunate as they are. It’s nice for them to learn about the joy of giving, and most children who are old enough to understand will be happy to be able to help someone else.  Picture by Skitterphoto via Pexels -Activity calendar: instead of getting things in their calendar every day, you can give them an activity each day. This may sound like a lot of effort, but this can be activities you’ve already planned for, and activities that don’t take too long to do. For example: you can wrap a cookie cutter for the day when you’ve planned baking cookies. Another gift can be hot chocolate after dinner, a round of cards or staying up 15 minutes longer to read an extra story at bedtime. Your imagination is the limit! 3. MAKE YOUR OWN TRADITIONS I find that stress is often caused by things we’ve committed to do, but don’t really want to do. In order to make December stress free, I want to suggest to you that you make your own traditions. You might think this is counterproductive, adding more things to what you do, but hear me out. What I mean, is that sometimes we follow traditions simply because they’re traditions and because that’s how we’ve always done things. I’m here to tell you that if there are traditions that you have, that you are committed to only because they’re traditions, it’s okay to cut them out. For example: If you don’t enjoy participating in the "Secret Santa" tradition at work because you find it stressful to try and find a gift for a colleague that you might not even know very well, it’s okay to opt out of it. You can make your own traditions Instead of following old traditions that don’t suit your lifestyle and don’t mean much to you, create your own. Maybe instead of exchanging gifts with your friends you want to arrange an informal lunch at your house? (You could even order the food!) Or maybe there are things that you want to add to your routine to slow down? Some activities can release stress even if they’re an addition to what you usually do. Spending time with your loved ones is one of such activities. Or maybe there is something you’ve always wanted to do before Christmas that you never got around to? Maybe there's a certain Christmas movie you want to watch, or maybe you want to go to the ballet to see the Nutcracker performed. Or maybe you just want to do something simple to add more “hygge”, like lighting a candle every night while you drink a cup of tea, or get up 15 minutes earlier each morning to take a little extra time with your breakfast. These are all things you can do to make December stress free for yourself.  Picture by Olya Danilevich via Pexels
I hope this article has inspired you to really think about what you spend your time and money on this December, and hope the things I’ve covered are things that are really meaningful to YOU. If not, it’s okay to cut something out and add something else in order to make YOUR December stress free. And remember: My FREE downloadable and printable Christmas planners can make it even easier for you, so I suggest you get them right now! À bientôt!  Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels French women always seem to have great skin, don’t they? Well, there’s a reason for that: they do skincare … well … the French way. French skincare is different to skincare in America, or even in different European countries. So, if you want great skin, try simplifying your skincare routine by adopting French skincare. HOW IS FRENCH SKINCARE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TYPE OF SKIN CARE? Well, for a start: French skincare is more relaxed and intentional. It’s also quite minimal. Typically, a French skincare routine will have 3 steps. The key factors are a mild cleanser, a toner and a good moisturizer. You can compare that to an average skincare routine in other countries (where you’ll often find recommendations for doing an elaborate routine both in the morning AND evening). A typical skincare routine in other countries may look something like this:  Do not mistake the relaxed attitude for indifference In a French skincare routine you know what each step does. And a French woman will certainly not freak out over a pimple. She’ll simply let it run it’s course, because there are more important things in life. I think we can all learn something from French women here. It’s our imperfections that make us who we are, and honestly, we should all learn to love those imperfections! However, this relaxed attitude must not be mistaken for not caring for their skin. It’s just that the focus is different. A simple, yet effective routine leaves time to enjoy other aspects of life. Like a good cup of coffee in the morning. French skincare is just as much about prevention and having good skin in the future as it is about having good skin right now. Additional steps to the basic routine In addition to the 3 key steps, a French woman will use a gentle exfoliant once or twice a week. There is no need to use it more often, and your skin needs to rest. If you exfoliate too often, your skin will be stripped of it’s natural barrier and you might end up with dry skin that breaks out. In addition to a simple routine, French women tend to start getting facials at quite a young age. Typically, they’ll get a facial maybe once a month.  Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels How can I replicate a French skincare routine at home? 1. Reduce the number of products. First, go through your products. Most likely you’ll do well to reduce the amount of products you use. You especially need to get rid of any harsh cleansers or exfoliants. Any soapy cleansers are no use in a French skincare routine, as soap can disturb your skin’s pH balance and strips away natural bacteria (that are good for your skin). Instead, opt for mild cleansers that remove makeup gently. 2. Stick to your products Another thing French women do, is they stick to the same products. They find some products that work for their skin, whether that’s oily, dry or normal skin. And you should too! When you buy products, buy with intention. And when you find something that works for you, stick with it! You may change between a lighter and heavier moisturizer depending on the season, but other than that, your skin will thank you for not overloading it with new products all the time. That way you save your money and you save your skin. 3. Buy few, but high-quality skin products As I touched upon just now, you want to buy only a few products. But the products you buy should be high quality. So stay away from the superstore value pack moisturizer and do like French women: go to the pharmacy. French women don’t buy their skincare products just anywhere. They prefer buying them at the pharmacy, where they can also get expert help to find the best products for their skin. When you’re shopping for new products, you should never be afraid to ask for help. How you can benefit from a French skincare routine If you struggle with your skin, I think you could definitely benefit from simplifying your routine and adopt French skincare! Less is more, and with an effortless routine you can enjoy the rest of your day with less stress. If you choose to adopt a French skincare routine, I also think you’ll find that you slowly will get a more relaxed relationship to your skin. --------------- I hope this blog post has been of value to you. If you liked it, you might also be interested in my article about 12 Ways You Can Become Slim & Chic Like A French Woman Without Even Breaking A Sweat. If you enjoyed this blog post, feel free to leave a comment below and also share it with someone else who might enjoy it, too! À bientôt! I am all for counting blessings instead of just taking things for granted. In this blog post I simply want to share with you some of life's blessings that I enjoy, and which all start with the letter P. I hereby challenge you to come up with your own. It will be an exercise in finding things to be grateful for. Pleasure # 1) PEONIES  I just love peonies! It was one of the flowers in our garden when I grew up, and it brings back good memories from a happy and carefree childhood in a small town on the west coast of Norway. Peonies come in several variations, from the pure white via soft pink to a dark red. The buds have a beautiful round shape, and when the flower is in full bloom, it's bold and lush with big petals, and it smells good. I just had to grow peonies when I married and got a house and garden of my own. If there's anything I miss right now, it's having a garden, but I will have one again soon, for sure, and then I'll plant peonies again - lots of them! I'll have white, pink and red ones. For now, I'll just have to settle for the occasional bouquet from the florist's, like the one in the picture above. But that's nice, too. They're only in season for a few weeks every summer, from June and onward, but I make sure I enjoy them whenever I can. Pleasure # 2) PEUGEOT  This is the car I drive at the moment. I changed from Mercedes to Peugeot not very long ago, and I'm very pleased with it! The Mercedes-Benz that I had was a very elegant car, but after having driven it for a while, I found it "heavy", too noisy and not a very good car for winter conditions (which I absolutely need here in Norway). Peugeot has always been one of my favorite car brands, ever since I got my driving lisence. Just after I got my lisence, I worked as a secretary for the bosses at a ship-yard and had to go on many errands into town for them. Since I didn't have my own car at the time, I got to use whatever car was available, and after having driven one of my bosses' Peugeot 505, it immediately became my absolute favorite. If that car was available, there was no doubt: That would be the one I used. No wonder, then, that when I finally got around to buying a car of my own, Peugeot was my choice. I got myself a Peugeot 305, and it served me well for quite a few years. I probably wouldn't have swapped it in for another car until it was absolutely no chance of driving it anymore, had it not been for the fact that I got married and expected my first child, and a bigger "family car" was needed. But I've always loved Peugeot ever since that first car. Not only because I'm a Francophile and Peugeot is a French brand, but I think it's a really good brand. Pleasure # 3) PHOTOGRAPHY  Photo by Andre Furtado from Pexels I've always enjoyed photography and filming. I'm constantly trying to improve my technique and shoot good pictures. I always try to compose a picture in the best possible way on the spot, rather than editing it afterwards, and I enjoy shooting close-ups of beautiful flowers and other nature elements, as you can see from the pictures in my Picfair shop. I also love to travel the world and shoot pictures of what I see there, whether it's landscapes, culture related pictures, buildings, animals, nature or people. I decided a while back to make my photography into something more than just a hobby. That's why I started uploading some of my photos to Twenty20, which is a stock photo website, and I hope you'll take a look at my profile there and perhaps "like" some of my photos. I would really appreciate that! I'll be building more categories on Twenty20 soon, but my main focus from now on when it comes to photography, will be on my Picfair photo business, so that's where you'll find my best photos from now on. I would love it if you would take a look through my store there, and of course I'll be thrilled if you find that you like one or several of my photos well enough to buy from me! Some of my pictures are taken as souvenirs and in a hurry, and are therefor not planned or "composed". Most of them never find the way to my online photo store, but are for private use only. Others are taken with a purpose and therefor more "staged". No matter what: I shoot pictures because it gives me great pleasure. I can only hope that you take some pleasure in them, too. Please feel free to give me your feedback. Constructive critisism or advise on how I can become a better photographer will be appreciated and taken very seriously. A lot of photos have been taken on my travels, and can be seen on my travel blog,The Passionate Globetrotter. Many of my pictures are from my own country, Norway. To see more pictures from my travels and read more about my journeys, you can also visit my travel blog The Passionate Globetrotter. Now, let's move on to Pleasure #4) PARIS  L'Arc de Triomphe on a cloudy day in July 2010 Sous les ciels de Paris ... I fell in love with Paris even before I had ever visited the city. In fact, I fell in love with everything French as far back as in my early childhood, when I first heard the language (probably on TV) and watched French movies and travel documentaries about France. It was an instant crush. For the record: I have always had a passion for languages, - even different accents of my own language have always fascinated me, - and foreign languages are like music to my ears. The French language more than any other. I first visited Paris in 1984, and it was everything I had dreamed of, and more. Le Tour Eiffel... L'Arc de Triomphe... Les Champs-Elysées...Pont Alexandre...Le Louvre... Montmartre... all the famous places, of course. But most of all it was the sounds, the smell of fresh baguettes from the bakery, the restaurants, the elegance of the French women, in all its simplicity... the green areas ... Jardin des Tuileries... La Seine... les bateaux mouche... Notre Dame... le Sacre Caeur... le Quartier Latin... And I was lucky enough to be visiting my French friend, who lived with her newly wed husband in a Paris apartment close to La Place d'Etoile, and thus I was able to experience first-hand what it was like to live in one of those wonderful old buildings. The solid wooden door... the concierge downstairs... the spiral staircase... the high ceilings of the apartment and the large windows, opened up to let the summer breeze play with the light curtains... And the kitchen, facing the backyard, with a large window where the sounds from the neighbours came in and tickled my ears, with their laughing, the sounds of their pots and pans as they were making their dinner in the neighbouring flat.. the smell of food... a dog barking... all familiar sounds, but yet so different there... Because the backdrop was different from what I was used to. And I loved the Paris shops, all the specialized shops: boulangerie, pattisserie, charcutterie ... even going to the local supermarket and buy food was an adventure! What a selection! The Bon Maman jams ... the cheese... the sausages... the wine ... oh-la-la! But even going to the big malls, like Galerie Lafayette and Printemps, was a more pleasant experience than visiting many other malls I've been to. And the Paris life ... starting the day with a bowl of café au lait and some croissants with confiture de laframboise... perhaps not the healthiest alternative in the long run, but my God, what a joy! Lunching out at a restaurant, watching the people walking by and having a nice conversation with friends ... flaner sur les quais... listening to someone playing the accordion in the French way ... the sound of Edith Piaf on the radio, or some more modern music on Radio Énergie ... In 1984 they played "Red, red wine" with UB40 and "Neun-und-neunzig Luftballons.." - and my friend recorded the radio-program for me and I played it again and again when I came back home, and longed back to Paris. I will always long back to Paris. I've been there twice since that first time, but hardly often enough. As much as I love the rest of the world and want to see it all... Paris will always have a special place in my heart. Paris, je t'aime. Pleasure #5) PROVENCE  Aix-en-Provence, August 2014 Provence is a place I've always dreamed of, and in August 2014 my dream came true: I went on a road-trip in Provence, all by myself. I'd been to France before, but never to Provence, so it was with great anticipation that I finally went there. The Norwegian Airline took me to Nice, which was really the ideal starting point for me. I rented a car there, and started exploring the area. At the time, I hadn't started a blog and therefor focused on living the dream there and then without writing about it. But I have written an article (divided in 2 parts) about How I accidentally fell in love with Cavaillon and 8 reasons why you might, too over at my travel blog, The Passionate Globetrotter.com. I have also written a few articles here on this blog that you're reading now, about authors from Provence, which I hope you'll find interesting. There will be more articles about Provence from my hand, for sure, both on this blog and on The Passionate Globetrotter blog, because I don't think I'll ever get enough of this lovely part of France. My desire is to buy a house there, and one day I will, but until the current pandemic situation is over and the world is back to normal, that plan will have to be on the back-burner. For now, I keep dreaming about Provence and doing research for my next trip there. Pleasure #6) PIZZA  Picture from Pixabay I just LOVE pizza! I don't think I'll ever get tired of it! I especially love Italian pizza, but the American type is also good. So what kind of topping do I prefer? Honestly: There are such a lot of delicious variations to pizza that I won't even begin to mention any favorites. What I can say, though, is that I tend to not like variations with seafood on them (schrimps, tuna, etc.). Apart from that, I'm open to most suggestions! Do YOU like pizza? Feel free to leave a comment about it! Pleasure #7) PAGNOL  By Studio Harcourt - RMN, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76212655 Marcel Pagnol (28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. I love his books, and the film adaptions of them are pure delight! I highly reccommend that you check them out! Pleasure #8) PRIDE & PREJUDICE  Photo by Leah Kelley from Pexels I simply LOVE "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, and in particular the 1995 TV-series version of it, starring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy! If you haven't watched it already (something that would be absolutely unbelievable if you're a lover of British period dramas...) - you really should! I won't give away the story, because that would ruin the experience for you. Just take my word for it: It's totally watch-worthy! :) And of course reading the book is a pleasure, too, if you like to read. Pleasure # 9) POLDARK Another British period drama that I love and adore! I'm waiting for the last season - season #5 - to be broadcasted on Norwegian television, and I definitly must buy it on DVD so I can complete my collection of all the seasons. Again: Highly reccommendable, especially if you love period dramas.  Poldark season 5 - Screenshot of Ross and Demelza: "You have no idea how glad I am to be home" -------- Well, these were 9 of my "guilty pleasures" starting with the letter "P". I hope you've enjoyed this article and have found something that has inspired you to come up with your own list of pleasures. I would love to know what those are, or if you share any of mine! Please feel free to leave a comment, and also share this article with someone you think might find it enjoyable! À bientôt!  By Studio Harcourt - RMN, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76212655 Ever since I first discovered some of Marcel Pagnol's books in the shelves of the local library, I have absolutely adored his work and wanted to know as much about him as possible. I have yet not visited his birthplace or walked in his footsteps in Provence, but I will definitly do that the next time I visit. Here and now, I just want to share with you a little bit of what I've learned about him, and introduce you to some of his wonderful novels, which have also been adapted for cinema. If you follow the links, you'll be able to enjoy some of the newest adaptions to film, and once you've watched those, I'm quite sure you'll want to see more, especially if you love everything French and Provence in particular. So let me tell you about ... Marcel Pagnol (28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974): He was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. In 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable than it once was, Pagnol is still generally regarded as one of France's greatest 20th-century writers and is notable for the fact that he excelled in almost every medium, - memoir, novel, drama and film. Marcel Pagnol was born on 28 February 1895 in Aubagne, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, which is situated in the south of France, near Marseille. He was the eldest son of Joseph Pagnol, who was a school teacher, and Augustine Lansot, who was a seamstress. Marcel grew up in Marseille with his younger brothers Paul and René, and his younger sister Germaine. School years According to Wikipedia, the family rented a house in the sleepy Provençal village of La Treille in July 1904. The house was called the Bastide Neuve, and was situated in the hilly countryside between Aubagne and Marseille. The family spent many summers there, and it was a very happy time for Marcel. But about the same time, his mother's health, which had never been robust, began to noticeably decline. Sadly, on 16 June 1910 she died of a chest infection ("mal de poitrine") at the age of only 36. Marcel's father remarried in 1912. In 1913, at the age of 18, Marcel passed his baccalaureate in philosophy and started studying literature at the University in Aix-en-Provence. When World War I broke out, he was called up into the infantry at Nice, but he was discharged in January 1915 because of his poor constitution ("faiblesse de constitution''). On 2 March 1916, he married Simone Colin in Marseille, and in November the same year, he graduated in English. He became an English teacher, teaching in various local colleges and at a lycée in Marseille. Career in Paris In 1922, he moved to Paris, where he taught English until 1927. He then decided to devote his life to playwriting instead. He belonged to a group of young writers during this time, and wrote a play, Merchants of Glory, in collaboration with one of them, a young man called Paul Nivoix. The play was produced in 1924, and was followed by Topaze in 1928, a satire based on ambition. Feeling exiled in Paris, he eventually returned nostalgically to his Provençal roots, and made this his setting for the play Marius. This play later became the first of his works to be adapted into a film in 1931. He separated from Simone Collin in 1926 and formed a relationship with the young English dancer Kitty Murphy, even though he was not divorced from Simone until 1941. His and Kitty's son Jacques Pagnol was born on 24 September, 1930. (Jacques later became his father's assistant and subsequently a cameraman for France 3 Marseille.) Filmmaking career In 1929, on a visit to London, Pagnol attended a screening of one of the first talking films. He was so impressed that he decided to devote his efforts to cinema. He contacted Paramount Picture studios and suggested adapting his play Marius for cinema. This was directed by Alexander Korda and released on 10 October 1931. It became one of the first successful French-language talking films. In 1932 Pagnol founded his own film production studios in the countryside near Marseille. Over the next decade Pagnol produced his own films, taking many different roles in the production – financier, director, script writer, studio head, and foreign-language script translator – and employing the greatest French actors of the period. On 4 April 1946, Pagnol was elected to the Académie française, taking his seat in March 1947, the first filmmaker to receive this honour. Themes of Pagnol's films In his films, Pagnol transfers his playwriting talents onto the big screen. His editing style is somberly reserved, placing emphasis on the content of an image. Pagnol relied on film as an art to convey a deeper meaning, rather than just as a tool to tell a story. Pagnol also took great care in the type of actors he employed, hiring local actors to appear in his films to highlight their unique accents and culture. Like his plays, Pagnol's films emphasize dialogue and musicality. The themes of many of Pagnol's films revolve around the acute observation of social rituals. Using interchangeable symbols and recurring character roles, such as proud fathers and rebellious children, Pagnol illuminates the provincial life of the lower class. Notably, Pagnol also frequently compares women and land, showing that both can be barren or fertile. Above all, Pagnol uses all this to illustrate the importance of human bonds and their renewal. Pagnol as a novelist In 1945, Pagnol remarried, to actress Jacqueline Pagnol. They had two children together, Frédéric (born 1946) and Estelle (born 1949). Estelle died at the age of two. Pagnol was so devastated that he fled the south and returned to live in Paris. He went back to writing plays, but after his next piece was badly received, he decided to change his job once more and began writing a series of autobiographical novels – Souvenirs d'enfance – based on his childhood experiences. In 1957, the first two novels in the series, La Gloire de mon père and Le château de ma mère were published to instant acclaim. On a personal note, I must say that I simply adore the film adaption of these novels! I first borrowed them at the library, but decided that these were films I just had to have my own copy of so I could watch them again and again. So far, I've bought La Gloire de mon père, and as soon as I can get hold of Le chateau de ma mère, I will buy that, too.    My DVD of La Gloire de mon père (top picture: Norwegian title).
The third, Le Temps des secrets, was published in 1959, and the fourth, Le Temps des Amours, was to remain unfinished and was not published until 1977, after his death. In the meantime, Pagnol turned to a second series, L'Eau des Collines – Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, which focused on the machinations of Provençal peasant life at the beginning of the twentieth century, and were published in 1962. Pagnol adapted his own film Manon des Sources, with his wife Jacqueline in the title role, into two novels, Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, collectively titled L'Eau des Collines. My DVDs of L'Eau des Collines (Norwegian titles), the newer version with Gérard Dépardieu, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil and Emmanuelle Beart. Death Marcel Pagnol died in Paris on 18 April 1974. He is buried in Marseille at the cemetery La Treille, along with his mother, father, brothers, and wife. His boyhood friend, David Magnan (Lili des Bellons in the autobiographies), died at the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918, and is buried nearby. Translations Pagnol was also known for his translations of Shakespeare (from English) and Virgil (from Latin). For a complete list of all of Marcel Pagnol's work, go here. (Main sources for this article: Wikipedia and YouTube.) Find out more If this made you want to find out more about Marcel Pagnol and his work, you can find lots and lots of film clips and documentaries on YouTube, but as a start, I suggest you listen to this French documentary. Not only will you learn more about Marcel Pagnol, but it's also a great opportunity to practice your French! :) I hope this article was of interest to you. Please share it with someone you think might like it, and of course you're more than welcome to follow my blog for more articles, including the French lifestyle and La Vie Adorable in general! À bientôt!  Photo by La Miko from Pexels Taking care of yourself is essential to living the best life possible. And it's not just about the physical body, but also your inner being, or your soul, if you like. How you feel mentally has a huge impact on how you feel physically. And that's not just something I'm saying. It's been scientifically proven. Stress in all forms and shapes affects our body. That's something I've experienced personally. I've been fighting a silent battle with PCS (Post Concussion Syndrome) for almost 20 years (you can read all about that in an article I've written). Stress is something I should avoid at all cost, but I haven't always managed to keep it away from my life. But I've learned a lot over the last decade or so, and I've found techniques that have helped me live a better life in so many ways. Not only with PCS, but I've also gained wisdom that have made me look at life itself in a different way than before. Like I said at the beginning, health and wellbeing is about more than the physical body, but physical activity does definitly also have an effect on your mental health. They're mutually important. Actually, I don't think you can have one without the other.  One year ago, I often woke up feeling completely exhausted, even after a whole night's sleep. So I tried not to have too many plans for the day, but take things more as they came. My one determination, though, was to do my Yoga Burn Total Body Challenge routine. I had come across it on the internet, and ordered the program because yoga seemed to be a form of exercise that I would be able to do even though I had some health issues. So I started doing it every second day. (I wrote an article about this back in May 2019. The article is called Why I Love To Do Yoga As Exercise, Even When I Have Zero Motivation, and is about my experience with The Yoga Burn Total Body Challenge, a great program created by Zoe Bray-Cotton. Please note that the link to the program is my personal affiliate link, so I may earn a small commission if you sign up for the program through my link, but at no extra cost to you, of course.) In my first week, I found it invigorating and not too hard to commit to, so I actually believed that this was something I was going to stick with. (Unlike any other work-out or exercise routine that I'd tried in the past.) The Yoga Burn Total Body Challenge is a 12 weeks' program, and I seriously thought I'd be able to see it through. The benefits were obvious: Better over-all physical condition, better health, better ME! Hopefully, I'd even lose some weight and get a more toned, lean and strong body, which was very high up on my list of short- (and long-) term goals, and still is. It was something I definitely considered to be a part of my Freedom Journey, because to me, freedom is also feeling free in my body. Feeling comfortable in my own skin. Even though I know my body is quite satisfactory the way it is, I still have a strong desire to lose some weight and get a leaner and stronger body, like the one I used to have before. Simply because the way I am now, doesn't feel like me. I was always lean and strong in my younger days, even after 2 child-births, - but then 20 years ago I had an accident. I got a head injury which then caused PCS (Post Concussion Syndrome) as I mentioned at the beginning of this article. It set me back physically and got me into a downward spiral with less exercise and gain of weight. When I slowly started to come back to normal, I decided to try and find some kind of exercise that I could do. It wasn't easy, though. I tried jogging for a while, and I'd always liked running, so I was very motivated when I soon experienced some positive results. But I did my jogging mainly in the streets, on hard surfaces, and this eventually took a toll on my knees, so I had to stop.  Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels Then I tried following a work-out program with Jillian Michaels, the "30 Day Shred" program, and I really enjoyed that and quickly saw results. To this day, I actually do parts of that program now and then, but not on a consistent basis. Then I tried the Yoga Burn Total Body Challenge, which I actually followed for quite a long time ... and then I quit that, too. But mind you: That had nothing to do with the program itself, because to this day I truly believe that it's a great program and that anybody who is able to stick with it, will benefit from it! Problems with following routines That's just been the story of my life ever since I gained weight. I've had a tendency to fall back into old habits after a few weeks and haven't been able to stick to any program long-term. As much as I enjoy them - and I do, really! - I just can't seem to stick with them. This has frustrated me immensly and has made me mad at myself more often than I care to think about. Why the heck has it been so hard for me to follow through? I've been thinking about this a lot, and my conclusion is that I'm just the kind of person who doesn't like to follow routines. I need variation, and I need exercising to not feel like an obligation or some extra task that I have to fit into my schedule. I need it to come naturally. That's why the solution for me has been to not follow one specific program or routine, but go back to the lifestyle I had when I was in my twenties, which was the French lifestyle. I've always been a Francophile, and when I was in my teens and early twenties, I was highly influenced by my French friend, whom I met when I was 14 years old. After watching her and her mom and the way they lived, and also visiting France and really get a first-hand experience with the French lifestyle, - I started following the same routines when I came back home. (I've written an article about this before: Why I swear by the French lifestyle.) Just to recap a little: Back then, I was physically active all the time, without even thinking about it. I had fun with friends. I ate everything I wanted to without putting on weight. I enjoyed food. I walked a lot, played with my young nieces and nephews, played badminton with family and friends in the summer, and I went everywhere on my bike, because I didn't have a car (or even a driving licence) at the time. I was lean, strong and fit. Life was more or less stress-free. I had no heavy responsibilities in my life. Well, I had my concerns, but they were mostly manageable. I had a good life, most of the time. But then things started to happen, and everything changed, slowly but surely. I eventually found myself in a situation where keeping up my former lifestyle became more and more difficult. So much so that over the years, I slowly fell into habits that were not at all healthy for me, and it became more and more difficult to turn things around. I've written at length about that in earlier articles, so I won't repeat any of that here. Let me just say that after a few decades where I've been struggling with PCS (Post Concussion Syndrome) and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), which lead to less physical activity and resulted in me putting on weight and slowly experiencing more and more health issues because of that, - well, it's fair to say that I've learned a lot about the connection between mental and physical health. Well, I've known for many years now that I had to reverse this situation, and I've tried so many things in order to do just that, - like some of the activities I've mentioned above. But the results have not been significant enough to really change my life for the better. I mean: The results haven't been visible. At least not as visible as I'd like them to be. Mainly because I haven't been able to stick with the routines. That's why I've returned to the French lifestyle, and now, very slowly, I'm beginning to see results. I've lost a few pounds and a few inches around my waist, and - best of all: I'm feeling less stressed out.  Photo by Artem Beliaikin from Pexels So what have I done? # 1) I've gone back to incorporating exercise into my daily routines, rather than making it an extra task that I have to do, which (as mentioned above) I've never been able to stick to for more than a few weeks at the most. # 2) I do follow some of the programs I mentioned now and then, because I really love them, and they're perfect for the kind of variation I need in my life to keep things from getting boring, - but I no longer beat myself up about not being able to stick with one program over many weeks. # 3) I've started to enjoy my meals more, to sit down and eat and not just grab a bite "on the go". # 4) I eat smaller portions and stop when I'm full, instead of over-eating. # 5) I try to get enough sleep. # 6) I drink more water. # 7) I make sure that I take time to do things that I enjoy, like reading, watching a movie, spend quality time with family and friends. # 8) I listen to motivational podcasts, talk nicely to myself and remind myself that I'm good enough just the way I am. # 9) I take time to think about the things I'm grateful for in my life. # 10) I try to savor each moment and not constantly rush to some new thing on my "to do" list. # 11) In fact, I try not to have a long "to do list"! Just a few things each day that I want to get done. # 12) I have (more or less) stopped being a people-pleaser and have started making ME a priority. # 13) I have started to declutter my life, physically and mentally, and make more room for the things I really want. The result? More happiness. Less stress. Less attachement to things. Less house-work and constant tidying up, which means less on my "to do" list. More purpose to my days. Visible (positive) changes to my body (mostly to myself so far, but I know others will notice them, too, in a little while). The list goes on. In short: This has been transformational for me in so many ways. That's why I'm on a mission to share my experiences with the French lifestyle with as many women as possible. That's why I want to impress on you the importance of taking care of yourself first, before taking care of everyone else. Taking care of your health is so important. And your mental health is actually the most important thing, because it will have a direct influence on your physical health as well. So tell yourself that you are enough. Tell yourself that you are just as important as anybody else in your life, and that you need to put YOU time on your schedule and not just make everybody else's "needs" a priority. Tell yourself that your dreams are important. Tell yourself that there is nothing you can't do, be or have. Tell yourself that there's nothing you have to do. You have a choice, every single minute of every day. Do what's important to you, right there and then. And do things that make you happy. Every single day.   Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels Sometimes we rush through our days without noticing the things around us. We do our daily routines, and we take so many things for granted: The alarm clock that wakes us up at the right time. The coffee machine in our kitchen that makes us delicious coffee every morning, or the toaster that lets us enjoy crispy toast with our favourite jam. The pleasant music on the radio. The clothes we put on. Our favorite shoes. The nice elderly woman next door who always greets us with a "good morning!" when we pass her.  Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels There are so many moments in every day of our life that just pass us by and that we never really think about. That's really sad. Because our life is those moments. The tiny bits and pieces that are unnoticeably woven into what becomes our own unique tapestry. Many of us experience similar things, but for each and every one of us everything is a little bit different than for the next person. So today I want to remind you of the importance of savoring each moment of your life. A moment passes by so quickly and will never come back. And if you're mostly living your life on a schedule and feel stressed out and discontent, I think you really need to stop for a minute and think about what you're doing. Is this how you want your life to be? Always running from one thing to the next?  Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels I bet you don't. Do you feel like you're in a rut, and you don't really know how you got here? So did I. But I came to a point where I just knew that this couldn't go on any longer. So I decided to do something about it. By taking the time to really sit down and reflect upon my situation, and by being completely honest with myself, I managed to figure out what worked for me and what didn't, and I found a method for how I could bring more happiness and satisfaction into my life right away. Because we often seem to think that our happiness lies somewhere in the distant future. "When I find a new job ... get a new house ....earn more money .... manage to save up for that vacation ... THEN I'll be happy!" But this is a dangerous attitude. Because we have no guarantee of the future. We only know about this moment. Right here. Right now. That's all we have for certain.  Photo by Asad Photo Maldives from Pexels Happiness is right here, where you are. It's in the sound of your favorite pen when it runs across the paper. It's in the touch of the soft fur of a dog. It's in your neighbour's cheerful "Good morning!" In the smell of fresh coffee. The taste of chocholate.  Photo by Svetozar Milashevich from Pexels It's in all those little moments during the day that you're often so unaware of. You're so busy that you don't notice all the good things right in front of your nose. So today I suggest that you stop in your track for a moment and look around you. What do you see? What do you smell? Really take it in. Look for the details. I'm sure that when you take a few minutes away from your busy schedule and your long to-do list, you'll start noticing more of the things you really appreciate. Decide that you want more of them in your life. Cherish them! One method you can use to bring more happiness into your life on a daily basis, is to create a Gratitude Journal. Write down 3 things every morning that you're grateful for, and 3 more things every night before you go to bed. I'm sure you can find something to be grateful for! It could be things like "I'm grateful for my children." "I'm grateful for my comfortable bed." "I'm grateful that I get to have another day." Anything you can think of. Small things. Big things. If you have an over-all feeling of stress and unhappiness in your life right now, creating a Gratitude Journal for yourself can prove to be life-changing. It's amazing how those few lines that you write down in the morning can set the athmosphere for the rest of the day, and how the lines at bedtime can give you a peaceful rest during the night. Try it!  Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels Another way you can bring more happiness into your life is to go through all the letters in the alphabeth and see what things pop up in your mind, things that you enjoy. For example the letter A: Maybe you like apples? Amaryllis? Alaska? You get the picture. Focus on one letter at a time, and see how many things you can find on that letter that you enjoy. Then move on to B. And so on. This will help you become more aware of the things that you are truly grateful for, and you will notice that your mood will shift and your whole life will seem brighter. There are so many things to be grateful for, every single day. Sometimes it sure doesn't seem that way, because we might be so worried or stressed out about something that we forget everything else. But then it's more important than ever that you stop in your track and ask yourself: What matters most? Are the things I'm worrying about really worthwhile? Am I wasting time on something that doesn't really matter in the long run? Could I just throw it away and enjoy this moment? More often than not you will probably find that all your worries are really just a waste of time. If you decide to let go of the things that don't really matter to you and the things you can't do anything about anyway, you'll find that your life will be less stressful and more filled with happiness. Trust me. I know! This was my tip for today. I hope that this has inspired you to become more aware of all the small pleasures in life, - the things that are right under your nose, and that you'll decide to start living with more intention from now and bring more happiness into your life. If this is something you feel you need to learn more about, I want to draw your attention to my FREE 5 day course which will start on 6th July. In other words: It's just around the corner! You still have time to sign up, and I suggest you do so today! Hope to see you there!  |
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