going hormone free - one year on the IUD

TW: Mentions of blood, sex and mental health. 
I'd recommend not to read ahead if you are sensitive to these topics.

The pill. Condoms. The implant. Dental dams. IUD. Injection.

Contraception is something we are all brought up conscious of and is important to understand, not only to prevent surprise pregnancy, but for your own health and wellbeing too. 

There are currently more than 10 different types of contraception available to women, which you can read more about here, or alternatively find services near you here. In the UK, there are clinics where you can drop in and speak to someone about the different ones available and which ones are suitable to your body and health.

Having tested various methods of contraception through my teen years, in 2017, I decided that I wanted to take my body back to basics and go as natural as possible to allow [both my body and mind] time to recuperate.

some days, my brain doesn't like me but I still love it anyway

It sounds really strange, doesn't it? Describing my brain as a separate person, but sometimes it really does feel like it is.

Some days, my brain and my body don't get a long at all - to the point where my body wants to get up and be productive and get things done, but my brain just wants to switch off for a while and monotonously count the lights that flicker through my blinds and onto my ceiling.

Some days, I'll give in to this desire.

Some days, I'll start feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions and my brain will work overtime trying to process them. This turns into an afternoon of over thinking, worrying and anxiety.

Some days, I won't feel anything at all. Some days, I'm almost numb.

But, without getting too down - this is only a percentage of my life. This is only some days. 

There are days when all of the sadness in the world can't keep me down - where my head is racing with ideas and my body actually commits to helping me make them a reality.

There are days where I'll roll out of bed, feeling as fresh as a daisy and I can't keep myself from smiling.

There are days I feel the confidence radiating from my every being and I feel like I can conquer the world.

There are days in which my inspiration is wholly empowering, it reminds me so much of the reasons I love my quirky little brain.

5 magickal self-care habits

I think everyone can agree that self care is important. Some days you need it more than others, some days curling up in your covers and mindlessly floating though a series on Netflix or spending hours drawing is just what you need to do to rest and reset. I myself know this all too well, with dips and spikes in my mental health being ever present (especially over the darker, colder months). It's vital to make sure that you're taking time for yourself.

This counts for witches, too. 

Sometimes we get lost amidst day-to-day routines and piles of work, we misplace our spiritual habits and it really can cause a shift in surrounding energies. Although witchcraft may not be something you practice 24/7, it can be helpful to remember to realign yourself every once in a while. Or perhaps you're not that into witchcraft as a whole, but you'd like a little more magick in your daily life?

These tips may clash with things you already do as part of your self-care and that's great, it makes it easier for you. But some of them may be passing habits that you've forgotten to pick up for a while. So here's my top-5 magick infusing practices for self-care: