The Pretty Green Life

14/05/2021

It's and I've been meaning to find the words and write something since Monday. In previous years I've talked about my team of purple hearts, the warriors that battle with depression, anxiety, adhd, su***de, eating disorders. I've talked about how we can all rally to make sure they aren't alone, to check in on the strong friends that say everything is fine, but this year is a little different.

This tiny tablet has been my daily companion since Christmas. I've fought low patches of mental health before, the odd month here and there when work has been quiet or the weather is rubbish and my duvet feels like the safest place to be but last winter was different. That was the first time I truly understood what all those purple hearted warriors really faced. It was the first time I genuinely felt like nothing would ever get better. I had crippling panic attacks, anxiety that had me shaking and stopped me leaving my friends sofa for weeks, depression like I've never felt before. It has been nothing short of exhausting.

So today I simply wanted to say this, to myself as much as anyone else, there's no shame in it. There's no shame in hitting breaking point, there's no shame in asking for help. Filling in the form for the doctors to finally request medical help was terrifying but the best decision I made, reaching out to a therapist made me feel physically sick but she is a wonderful addition to my life. I am so much more than my depression, and its true that no words will ever explain those battles fully but its teaching me some powerful lessons.
There is more going on in people's minds then we can ever know, so tread gently, live compassionately, love kindly.

I'm still learning to face each day and to dream again but I know it will get better. Slowly, steadily, with some days that are worse than others. But never alone, no matter what this is a fight fought by a whole team. Wherever you are at in your battle today, I see you, you deserve a medal for coming this far 💜

27/09/2020

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54265590

Plastic pollution experts say the pandemic is making it hard for people to cut down on single use plastics.

04/08/2020

There is a limited amount of time to alter the course of climate change. What difference will you make?

Poorer, hotter parts of the world will struggle to adapt to unbearable conditions, research finds

21/07/2020

Costa Rica leading the way, what an amazing achievement! Now who will follow suit?

Costa Rica pledges to eliminate all single-use plastics and fossil fuels by 2021 Costa Rica is positioning itself to be the first country in the world to be totally free of single-use plastics and fossil fuels by 2021. At his inauguration earlier this year, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada announce...

21/07/2020

Let's not have billions of disposable masks & gloves destroying our ecosystems be the legacy of COVID-19..

A glut of discarded single-use masks and gloves is washing up on shorelines and littering the seabed

15/06/2020

Ok team listen up, I'm on a bit of a mission this week. Call it a consumer rebellion.
You may have seen me mention a couple of weeks ago a BRILLIANT Crowdfunder that is happening right now run by ZenTribe
They are taking waste cork and plastics that would otherwise go to landfill and turning them into beautiful, totally unique yoga mats, so it's good for your health and the planet. But they need our help to launch.
On their Crowdfunder page they have offered rewards from just £5 to plant a tree with The Woodland Trust and I want to see how many trees we can get planted this week!
Think of it as a good deed to fight against the mass consumerism that will be encouraged as shops reopen. You'll support a start up indie business, a great charity and our good friend Mother Nature.

As we are suddenly encouraged to 'boost the economy' I want you to remember the small businesses that were there for us during a crisis, the guys that always had our backs. For the most part we've probably all learned to survive with a lot less these last 3 months and I for one think we are long overdue an INTENTIONAL consumer revolution. One that is conscious of it's impact, supports our local businesses and doesn't damage the planet we call home.
So if you've got £5 that would normally go on a coffee, or easily into the pockets of some fast fashion house then pleeeease think about spending it here instead and cast a vote for a better future.

We want to produce a high quality, planet friendly yoga mat using sustainable practices that combines surplus cork with up-cycled plastics.

14/06/2020

An amazing article today from British Vogue talking about the REAL complexities and environmental impacts of the beauty industry and how slapping a 'cruelty free' label on packaging doesn't tell the whole story...

Thanks to increased demands for brand transparency and non-animal testing technological innovations, cruelty-free beauty is becoming the norm. Vogue explores how the term ‘cruelty-free’ isn’t clearly defined by the law.

31/05/2020

So excited to see Eartha reopen and with this droolworthy takeout menu from Simon Herbivore... I know where I'll be going next week!

22/05/2020

After yesterday's unloading about the complex world of when mental health + physical health collide I wanted to make sure today felt positive and served as a reminder of the tools we all have to be able to take on the battles of our mind.
It's not always about being quiet, or trying to 'calm' my mind it's simply about exploring my feelings, understanding them, allowing them space and finding a way to express them that means I can let them pass without overwhelming me. It's about finding tools that let you work it all out.
For me every single tool I have to boost my mental health is around the theme of 'release', getting every worry and ni**le out of my body somehow. This often looks like:
▪ EPIC singalongs
▪ solo danceoffs in the kitchen
▪ furiously writing in my journal or for the blog
▪ prayer
▪ painting
▪ walking/running
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This year the theme for is 'Kindness' so I guess really today the question is this, what can you do today and every day to be kind to your mind? What can be routine not just a selfcare treat so that you get to know your noggin a little better and promote a lifelong relationship of love and support for your mental wellbeing?
What tools are in your toolbelt?

21/05/2020

Invisible illness & mental health. Where do I even begin. There's nothing worse than feeling like your body let you down, or that you let your body down & living everyday feeling like you have to justify your condition or experience. For all the invisible warriors, this ones for you..⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This photo is taken before I went in for my colonoscopy in December 2017 which would finally diagnose me with Crohns. After two years of fighting for some answers I would get them. I was so nervous I'd put my gown on backwards & I remember thinking I need a picture today, I need to remember all I came through for this one day that would change of everything.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Having an invisible illness I would argue does as much damage to your mental health as it does to your physical health. At least that is my experience. It makes you feel isolated, fraudulent, and foolish, it can also make you feel badass, brave and powerful. There is nothing in my life that probably makes me more proud than the daily battle I take on with my own body, it's also the first thing to absolutely floor me. It is the ultimate headf**k. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I always associated Imposter Syndrome with work, but I definitely struggle with it with my health. I ALWAYS feel like my 'mild' experience of IBD isn't somehow traumatic enough to be talked about. I consistently live in a cycle of wanting to be seen & heard and yet feeling overwhelming shame & a compulsion to hide it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I guess today what I really want to say is physical & mental health are intrinsically linked. When my disease is in remission I often feel better mentally, when my mental health dips, so does my disease. We have to treat and talk about both together and recognise their inseparable connection.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Right now I'm in the middle of my worst flare in two years, it's exhausting, constant & unforgiving. Taking that on during a global crisis is frankly a nuisance. But I know that some of the best things I can do are to look after my mind, to be kind, gentle & patient and continue to heal both mind & body in sync, one day at a time.

19/05/2020

This week marks . It's the entire reason I started writing, to encourage conversations that matter, to ask the important questions like "hows your head today?"
It feels even more poignant this year to be asking those questions, as the whole world takes on an additional mental strain. I could talk about mental health all day long and there are so many branches to it so I'm going to try and break this chat up into some smaller daily topics that you can join in with, I want to talk about vocab and the words we use to communicate about mentalhealth. I want to talk about mental health as an and the connection between physical & mental wellbeing. I want to talk about the tools that I use each day to acknowledge, explore and take care of my mental health. And I want to talk about how mental health in times of crisis should be at the top of our priority lists and gives us the opportunity to build deeper, stronger connections as we are united in our struggles.
I hope you'll join me this week in sharing your own stories and starting a conversation that matters.
Look after your minds team, sending love & light x

18/05/2020

Happy Monday Everybody!
The sun is shining, birds are singing and I've got a Tropic order going in on FRIDAY.
It's no secret these products have always done wonders for my own skincare/wellbeing/headspace and the same goes for my wonderful tribe of customers. But what you might not know is that right now as well as bring some much needed TLC to our lives they also continue to support United World Schools (funding the opening of a new school in Cambodia!) and are now using profits made from the sales of our new Pamper Packs to send sanitisers and bespoke cream balms for those NHS healing hands!
We've already sent out over 50,000 to those heroes in blue. So whichever cause you wish to support whether you need a little pamper pack or some Summer skincare then have a browse and discover something new below...
https://tropicskincare.com/amyhudson