stylishly zen – Stylishly Zen

Five Simple Self Care Ideas When You Only Have Five Minutes

Published on February 15, 2021February 14, 2021 by soreiya1 Comment

Hi Everyone!

Self Care has become a very popular term over the past few years. There are a range of opinions on it from selfish to necessary, but in reality it simply means to care for ones self in whatever form that means to you. Normally self cares lists include suggestions like “take a bubble bath” or “read a magazine” which are great suggestions when you have the time and energy, but let’s be honest – lately I have neither the time or the energy. Over the past few months it has become increasingly important to me to have self care practices in life that work within any amount of time that I may have. They don’t need to take a huge amount of effort but they do require a bit of mindfulness so that the pay off is more than worth it. The past year has been incredible stressful for many people around the world, so here is my list of quick self care practices that helps me to feel better when I am feeling a bit low:

The magic of a cup of tea. There is something very comforting about a cup of tea (any type). The ritual of steeping leaves in a bag in hot water, holding the warm cup and taking slow sips are all small activities that can give you a moment to just breathe. I have always loved drinking tea for its myriad of benefits, but stealing a few moments just for myself to enjoy a sip or two has done wonders in calming my mind when things feel like they are in overdrive.

Find your scent. This may sound a bit odd to some people, but fragrance is a very powerful tool and finding one that you enjoy and reminds your body to relax and unwind when you smell it can have great long term benefits. Personally I lean towards relaxing scents such as lavender and camomile oil to help me to unwind before going to sleep at night. I keep a bottle next to my bed and I apply a small amount at night. The scent tells my brain that it is time to slow down, relax and go to sleep. Whatever you choose though, look for something that reminds you to breathe and helps both your mind and body to unwind. You will be surprised how beneficial this technique can be when things are stressful and overwhelming.

Take a hot shower and learn the art of self massage. This may not seem like a big deal, but taking a few moments to enjoy a quick hot shower is a great mood lifter. Try to focus the water to the area along your neck and back where you hold tension. I have also found that using a simple hand held massager on my neck before or after a hot shower has helped me release a ton of tension that I hold within my body.

Move! This doesn’t mean that you need to do a hard core workout but you need to move your body – whether that means a quick walk around the block, marching in place or holding downward dog for a few moment. This will help you to connect deeply with your body and take a deep (and most probably much needed) breath

Discover the benefits of facial massage. I love a beauty tool more then most people and my most used ones are the tools I have for facial massage. Whether it’s gua sha, a facial roller , or face yoga, facial massage is a great way to relieve tension that you are holding in your face. The added bonus of this practice is better product penetration and glowing skin, it’s a total win win!

And there you have it! My quick self care practices list that I rely on regularly to get me through life’s challenging moments when I am feeling low or overwhelmed. What self care practices do you rely on in your everyday life? Let me know in the comments below.

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Photo credit: http://www.stylishlyzen.com, http://www.pinterest.com

Five Faves While Social Distancing

Published on March 31, 2020March 30, 2020 by soreiyaLeave a comment

Hi Everyone!

It feels really weird to be writing this post today. Regardless of where you are in the world right now, you have been touched in one way or another by the global pandemic that we are currently experiencing. While the situation is frightening and anxiety inducing, it has also really given me some perspective and allowed me some time and space for some much needed clarity in my life. I wanted to share my five faves at the moment that are helping me to stay sane, keep my anxiety at bay and smile a little bit brighter as we take the steps necessary to flatten the curve of cases of COVID-19. Here are my Five Faves while practicing social distancing and self isolation:

Working out with Melissa Wood Health

Like most people I have been forced to modify my workouts. I am a bit of cardio junkie so not being able to hop on the treadmill or elliptical trainer at the gym has been a huge change. I decided to embrace this as an opportunity to switch up my work outs and I purchased a subscription to the fitness app Melissa Wood Health. The moves are low impact and seem so simple but it is so hard! It is a great way to challenge my body and keep me active while I practice social distancing. If you are looking for less expensive ways to work out then hop onto Youtube, there are a ton of videos there that will help you to get moving and relieve some stress.

Cooking with Jennifer Fisher Kitchen

I have always been a fan of Jennifer Fisher. If you are unfamiliar with her, she is a very talented NYC jewelry designer who is also a really good cook. I have been loving all of the recipes that she posts on her website and she walks thru a lot of her recipes on Instagram Stories which really helps to keep me motivated to try new things. Over the past week and a half she has been posting more recipes and videos and everything looks so good! Since I began self isolation I have made her banana bread recipe twice, sautéed artichokes and her recipe for twice baked potatoes. Whole roasted cauliflower, pantry soup and more banana bread will be a part of my meal planning for this next week. If you are looking for some delicious and easy recipe inspiration check out her recipes on here Instagram page @jenniferfisherkitchen or on her website here

Jennifer Fisher’s My Mom’s Da Bomb Banana Bread – it is sooooo good and addictive!!!!!

Live Beautiful by Athena Calderone

If you have been following this blog for a while then you know that I am a total design junkie. Athena Calderone is the creator of the gorgeous blog Eye Swoon (www.eye-swoon.com) and she just released her second book Live Beautiful in early March. Within this book, Athena goes into the homes of incredible designers around the world and shows us their spaces and their design choices. The homes are gorgeous and endlessly inspiring. If you are searching for a gorgeous design book to get lost into for a few hours or if you are searching for some fresh inspiration this book is for you.

Breathing App

My job in manufacturing has issued temporary layoffs during this uncertain time and I live alone so there have been moments that I feel a little uneasy and anxious. I think that it’s important to acknowledge these feelings rather then suppress them, sit with them and unpack them to really understand why I am feeling the way that I do in that moment, so that I can move forward in a healthy manner. A part of this process is learning to take moments to focus on my breathing. Some people are trying meditation during this challenging time but I have had better luck with consistently taking moments to focus on my breath so this is the method that I am sticking with right now. The Breathing app is something that I heard about last year and immediately downloaded it. Developed by Eddie Stern and is inspired by resonance which is “the scientific name that describes what happens when our heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure and brainwave function come into coherent frequency.”(via http://www.eddiestern.com). It helps to regulate your breathing so that you instantly feel calmer and more relaxed. You basically follow a ball – as it expands for a count of 4 you inhale and as it contracts you inhale for a count of 6 for a total of one minute. You can adjust the breath counts to what you feels what works best for you. The app is free and I have been using it at least twice a day (morning and night) and I cannot recommend it enough. If you feel that you need some help taking a moment to help regulate your breathing and feel calmer in the moment then this app is worth trying.

Ugly Delicious Season 2 on Netflix

I love food shows and Ugly Delicious is no exception. Season 2 dropped on Netflix earlier this month and it is soooo good! This time off has allowed me to catch up on a ton of shows that I have been meaning to watch but this series really stands out. I especially loved the episode about Indian food which featured the supremely talented chef Floyd Cardoz who sadly passed away last week after being diagnosed with COVID-19. I love learning about cultures thru food and Ugly Delicious does a great job showcasing both the similarities and subtle nuances between cultures. If you are searching for a cool, fun and interesting show to binge on then Ugly Delicious should definitely be on your list.

Thank you for stopping by Stylishly Zen today. Please feel free to share in the comments things that you are currently loving, and tips that you are using to stay sane during this crazy time in the world. Please stay safe and take care and I look forward to hearing from you! XXS

Stylishly Solo – A Guide to Dining Solo

Published on June 17, 2019June 16, 2019 by soreiyaLeave a comment

One of my favourite parts about travelling is the opportunity to try new foods and to learn about new cultures through food. One glance at my Instagram and you know that I love to eat, so it should come as no surprise that dining is an integral part of my travel adventure. While planning my first solo trip, I really didn’t give much thought to how dining solo would be. I just assumed that it would be similar to every other dining out experience that I had previously had. Clearly I was naive. But because I never thought to just stay in and order room service, I strongly believe that my naivety helped me figure out how to happily dine solo. It takes practice and I don’t think that I will always get it right, especially as dining experiences vary from city to city and country to country. But, there are a few things that I have learned that help to make the experience more pleasant. Here are my top five tips for having a great solo dining experience:

Get uncomfortable. Normally while travelling, I like to stick to the a dining format that works for me – a light breakfast normally at a cafe where I can people watch. Lunch is not normally a huge meal – just some place that looks decent and not too touristy, a place to rest and refresh during my sight seeing adventures. I like to make dinner an event – I look for fun restaurants to try, I like to get a little dressed up and I take my time and enjoy my evening. Whenever I speak with people about my solo travels, dining solo especially going out for a nice meal is what tends to surprise people the most. The most common response that I get is “I could never do that! I would be so uncomfortable!” Dining solo especially at a proper restaurant requires a bit of gumption (so to speak) and it is a great way to get out of your comfort zone. The first thing to do is to really think about why it is that you don’t feel that dining solo is for you. Yes, some people might stare at you, you may get a not so great table as the better ones are left for groups larger then one person and the waiter or waitress may not give you as much attention (or forget about you altogether) as they tend to the other diners in their area. All of these things (and so much more) have occurred to me while dining solo. I survived and I learned – like anything in life, you have to be your own advocate. This doesn’t mean causing a scene or berating the staff. It just means that you need to figure out how to clearly communicate when you need to and to not take the other stuff so personally (which is much harder said then done at times). Even if your first (or second or third) solo dining experience is not the greatest, take some time to figure out what it was that you didn’t enjoy. Was it the food? Try another restaurant. Was it the service? If so, what was it about the service that you didn’t enjoy? Did they ignore you or treat you badly? Did they rush you or was service incredibly slow? When I was in Madrid last year, I was really excited to try a particular restaurant where I had heard that the risotto was spectacular. I arrived practically jumping with excitement only to be rushed thru my meal (two courses was over and done with in under 40 minutes). While the risotto was spectacular I was a little sad that the experience was over so quickly (just to be clear – this was not a fast food place and my fellow diners were enjoying leisurely meals). Rather then get upset and vow to never go back despite the fact that the risotto was some of the best that I had ever had, I decided to try a different approach. I made another reservation for the next day and when I arrived I was greeted by the same server as the day before. I explained to him that I loved the risotto and that I wanted to enjoy my meal at a leisurely pace. He happily agreed and I had an incredible meal that I really enjoyed. I even ended up going back again when I returned to Madrid to catch my flight home a few weeks later (yes the risotto was THAT good). What I learned was this – since solo dining is still quite rare in many parts of the world it can sometimes be seen as something to be embarrassed about. Hence why they thought that I wanted to rush thru my meal and get out. The restaurant had good intentions but initially we just were not on the same page – speaking up got us on the same page and enabled me to enjoy the type of meal that I had been looking for, in a gorgeous setting with incredible food. That is what I call a win!
Do your research. The majority of us have the internet at our finger tips and are frequently on social media, so there is no excuse not to do a bit of research beforehand. Research the type of food that the region that you visiting specializes in, suggestions where you can have an authentic local dining experience, is they take reservations and the location as you want to make sure that you can get to and from the restaurant safely. Doing a bit of research will help you to get more comfortable with the solo dining experience. It will also get you excited about the food that you are about to eat and the environment that you will be experiencing. This helps to make solo dining an adventure rather then just any boring forgettable meal, and it will also help you to avoid the tourist traps for a more authentic dining experience.
Enlist help. Just because you are travelling solo, it doesn’t meant that you have to figure out and do everything yourself. Asking your hotel for help and suggestions can save you a lot of stress in the long run. Some restaurants are inclined to give you better service if your hotel makes the reservation for you as they don’t want you go back to your hotel and complain – word of mouth counts for a lot. Hotels are less likely to recommend a restaurant where their clients are not being treated well. There is no harm in using this to your advantage to help to ensure that you enjoy a pleasant meal with good service. It is also a great way to discover new restaurants that you may not have found otherwise. While in Naples, Italy a few years ago I asked the woman at the front desk for a restaurant recommendation for dinner. Luckily she was very honest and told me that most people enjoy a popular restaurant nearby the hotel but her favourite was another one a little further away. I decided to take her recommendation and I ended up at a little eight table restaurant where I had one of the best meals of my life! While the hotel recommendations are not always the greatest, more often then not in my experience they have been really good. For this reason, I am always willing to ask my hotel for help – they may just steer you to one of the best meals you will ever have!
Eat at the bar. If you feel that other diners will stare at you with pity while sitting at a table dining solo, ask to sit at the bar. I always try to make a reservation for dinner but, when I arrive at the restaurant I don’t feel like being isolated at a table alone I ask if it would be ok to just sit at the bar. More often then not the restaurant has no issue with this especially as it frees up a table for walk ins. Eating at the bar can feel more social as bartenders tend to make conversation and there are always a ton of people around who you can converse with.
Look up. It’s really easy to just bring a book or a magazine with you or to play on your phone the entire evening but you will be missing out! I have had some great conversations with people while solo dining. If your nose is buried in a book or your phone you are instantly less approachable. Look up and look around. I love to people watch and dining solo is a great opportunity to do so. I love looking at what people are wearing (once a fashion girl, always a fashion girl), how they interact and I especially like to see what others are eating. Overall, solo dining is a great way to experience the local culture and to get a better understanding of the people and country that you are visiting.

Solo dining is nothing to be afraid of. It just takes a little bit of planning and a little bit of gumption, soon you will be on your way to enjoying an incredible culinary experience regardless of where in the world you may be.

I hope that you have a beautiful day and happy dining! XXS

Inspiring Interior

Published on July 2, 2018June 30, 2018 by soreiyaLeave a comment

Today’s Inspiring Interior was love at first sight for me. Lately, while researching design projects for Stylishly Zen I have struggled to connect with any of the projects that I have looked at. That is until I stumbled across this one while scrolling thru Instagram one day. Templeton Architecture in Australia have created some phenomenal design projects and I am officially in love. This home combines my love of grey, black and white interiors, clean lines and minimalism with unexpected details and accents. Needless to say – this home is positively swoon-worthy!

Located in Australia, Templeton Architecture worked with Lou Prentice Interiors to enhance the original character of an older home while still giving it a modern and contermporary feel. One of the challenges of working with a large space is to create a space that feels intimate yet not stuffy or overwhelming. It is a lot more difficult to achieve then it sounds, yet here the designers make the intimacy of this space feel effortless and calming.

The archways and paneling throughout the house are further highlighted with contrasting paint colours making them both stand out and blend in seamlessly with the rest of the house.

While I love everything about this home, I am completely enamoured with the kitchen. The dark cabinetry, marble and appliances contrast beautifully with the stunning tile floor and gorgeous archway. Love! Love! Love!

Overall this home is a slice of design heaven, and I cannot wait to see what else the very talented team at Templeton Architecture design next.

All images are from http://www.templeton.com.au

I hope that you have a fabulous day! XXS❤️

Street Style Favourites from Copenhagen Fashion Week S/S 18

Published on September 3, 2017August 31, 2017 by soreiya1 Comment

Copenhagen held it’s bi-annual fashion week a few weeks ago to showcase designs for the Spring Summer 2018 collections. As expected the local fashion elite was out in full force. While it would be easy to group the fashion from Scandinavian countries into one group, the truth is that each country has it’s own unique style. Copenhagen’s style stars used the spotlight to show case their styling prowess by mixing bold patterns, bright colours and hi/low fashion with a quiet confidence that most people can only dream of pulling off. Many elevated the cool girl factor by arriving in style on bicycles – not something you would normally see from street style stars. Here are some of my favourite looks from Copenhagen’s Fashion Week S/S 2018: