the ward method

Tag: life

  • 4 Simple Ways to Tap Into Your Inner Child (and Actually Have More Fun)

    4 Simple Ways to Tap Into Your Inner Child (and Actually Have More Fun)

    Somewhere between responsibilities, routines, and trying to “have it all together,” many of us forget how to have fun. Real fun. The kind that isn’t scheduled, productive, or shared for validation, just light, curious, and a little bit silly.

    Tapping into your inner child isn’t about being immature or avoiding real life. It’s about reconnecting with parts of yourself that knew how to feel joy without overthinking it. The parts that didn’t need a reason to laugh, create, or play.

    Here are four simple, realistic ways to invite more of that energy back into your life.

    1. Do Something Just Because It’s Fun (Not Useful):

    As adults, we’re conditioned to justify everything. Workouts have to burn calories. Hobbies have to turn into side hustles. Even rest has to be “earned.”

    Your inner child didn’t operate like that.

    Think back to what you loved doing as a kid, drawing, dancing in your room, baking for fun, riding a bike with no destination. Try reintroducing one of those activities without attaching an outcome to it. No goals. No productivity. No posting it online.

    When you allow yourself to do something purely for enjoyment, you remind your nervous system that life doesn’t always need to be so serious.

    2. Let Yourself Be Bad at Things:

    One of the biggest blockers to fun as an adult is the fear of being bad at something. We don’t want to look silly. We don’t want to fail. We don’t want to be seen trying.

    But kids learn through mess and experimentation, not perfection.

    Sign up for a class you’ve never done before. Try painting, pottery, surfing, or learning an instrument. Give yourself full permission to be awkward, slow, and imperfect. The joy is in the trying, not the result.

    Being bad at something can actually be incredibly freeing.

    3. Create Little Moments of Play in Your Day:

    You don’t need to overhaul your life to feel more playful. Sometimes it’s about small shifts.

    Wear something fun just because. Take a longer route home if it’s prettier. Dance while making dinner. Buy the colourful mug. Order dessert for the table. Watch a movie you loved when you were younger.

    Play doesn’t have to be loud or dramatic, it can be quiet, cozy, and woven into your everyday routine.

    4. Spend Time With People Who Make You Feel Light:

    Notice how you feel after spending time with different people. Some connections feel heavy, performative, or draining. Others make you laugh, relax, and feel more like yourself.

    Your inner child thrives around people who don’t require you to explain yourself or have everything figured out.

    Make space for the friendships that feel easy. The ones where conversation flows, laughter comes naturally, and you don’t feel the need to be “on.” Feeling safe and light is one of the fastest ways back to joy.

    Tapping into your inner child isn’t about escaping adulthood, it’s about softening it. It’s about remembering that joy, curiosity, and play are not things you grow out of. They’re things you grow back into.

    Life feels lighter when you let yourself enjoy it again.

  • It’s Sunday. It’s Hot.

    It’s Sunday. It’s Hot.

    It’s Sunday. The kind of Sunday where everything feels slower, softer, and slightly dreamlike, except for the heat. It’s almost Christmas, but Cape Town is doing what Cape Town does best: serving full summer energy. The sun is out, the air is heavy, and even doing the bare minimum feels like a lot.

    Today feels like one of those days that isn’t asking for productivity or plans. It’s asking for rest, cold drinks, open windows, and permission to move at half speed. A day where the goal is simply to feel comfortable and a little bit present, even when the temperature says otherwise.

    When the heat hits like this, I’ve learned to stop fighting it and start working with it. Here are three simple, realistic ways to keep cool during a Cape Town summer, especially on days like today.

    1. Change the pace, not the plan.
    On hot days, everything feels harder because we’re trying to move at normal speed in abnormal weather. Instead of pushing through, slow the tempo. Stretch things out. Sit down more often. Do less, but do it gently. Even simple things like slower mornings, longer breaks, or postponing non-urgent plans can make the heat feel more manageable.

    2. Cool your body, not just the room.
    Fans and aircon help, but cooling yourself directly works faster. Cold showers, rinsing your wrists with cold water, keeping a chilled face mist in the fridge, or placing a cold cloth on the back of your neck can instantly bring relief. It’s small, but it makes a difference, especially when the air feels thick and unmoving.

    3. Eat and drink like it’s summer.
    Heavy meals in this heat are a no. Think light, hydrating, and easy: fruit, smoothies, salads, iced teas, and plenty of water. Even switching to colder drinks or adding ice to everything can help regulate your body temperature. Sometimes staying cool is less about doing more and more about not overloading yourself.

    Days like today aren’t meant to be maximized. They’re meant to be felt, slowly, imperfectly, and with a bit of grace. It’s Sunday. It’s hot. Christmas is close. And if all you do today is stay cool and take it easy, that’s more than enough.

  • how to mentally prepare for summer (eeek).

    how to mentally prepare for summer (eeek).

    Summer’s coming, and honestly, that’s kind of exciting.
    The energy shifts. The days stretch longer. Everything feels lighter, freer, a little bit golden. But with that comes this quiet pressure to do more, to fill every weekend, to make memories, to be “on” all the time.

    And while it’s fun to crave a main-character summer moment, it’s also okay to want something slower. Maybe this year isn’t about changing everything. Maybe it’s about actually being present for the good stuff you already have.

    Here’s how to mentally prepare for the season, without the pressure to glow up, fix yourself, or turn into a beachy Pinterest board version of you.

    1. Romanticize the real summer.

    Let’s be honest: the perfect summer doesn’t exist, but the real one? That’s where the magic is. Think: long walks at sunset, cold drinks on a warm night, hair that smells like sunscreen, music playing from someone’s car. That’s the good stuff.
    Try this: instead of planning the perfect summer, make a “feel list”, how do you want this season to feel? Calm? Playful? Free? Once you know that, build small moments that match it.

    2. Protect your peace (and your social battery)

    Summer can be social overload, plans, parties, beach days, last-minute everything. It’s easy to burn out trying to keep up with everyone else’s version of “fun.”
    Try this: be intentional with your yes’s. For every social plan, plan a recharge moment too, a solo coffee, a quiet beach walk, a day with no expectations. Summer is supposed to fill your cup, not empty it.

    3. Let “good enough” be the vibe.

    You don’t have to transform just because the season changed. You don’t have to become “that girl” or have your life together by June.
    Try this: do one thing every day that helps you feel like you. Read outside. Go for a drive. Make your favourite playlist. It’s not about being ready for summer, it’s about feeling alive in it.

    This summer isn’t about pressure. It’s about peace.
    It’s soft mornings, salty skin, laughter you didn’t plan for. It’s giving yourself permission to exist, as you are, where you are, right now.

    Same you, just a little sunnier.

  • i deleted instagram for 2 months. here’s what actually happened.

    i deleted instagram for 2 months. here’s what actually happened.

    i’ve always joked that instagram is my toxic boyfriend. i know it’s bad for me, but somehow i keep going back. the mindless scrolling, the comparing, the random dopamine hits, it’s like emotional junk food for the brain. but this year, something in me snapped. one morning, i opened the app, scrolled for two minutes, and realized i didn’t actually care about anything i was looking at. so i deleted it. no big announcement, no “digital detox” story post, i just… left.

    and honestly? it was weird at first. like my thumb kept going to the exact spot where the app used to be, as if muscle memory was exposing how addicted i really was. but after a few days, the noise started to fade, and i started noticing things. real things.

    1. i actually have time.

    turns out, when you stop scrolling through everyone else’s life, you get to live your own. shocking, i know. i didn’t realize how much time i was wasting until my weekends started to feel longer. mornings felt calmer. i was making breakfast without also mentally drafting a caption about it. there’s something strangely freeing about doing things without thinking about how they’ll look online.

    2. my brain got quieter.

    without the constant stream of opinions, aesthetics, and “inspo,” my thoughts stopped feeling so crowded. i didn’t realize how much space instagram took up in my head, always comparing, analyzing, trying to keep up. after a few weeks, i felt… lighter. more focused. i could actually sit in silence without reaching for distraction.

    3. i reached out more.

    when you’re not liking everyone’s photos, you actually text them. weird, right? i started texting friends instead of just watching their stories. i had longer conversations, met up more, and realized how much deeper connection feels offline.

    4. comparison lost its grip.

    there’s something about being away from the highlight reel that makes your own life feel more than enough. i stopped obsessing over what everyone else was doing, where they were traveling, what they were wearing. instead, i started noticing how good my own coffee tasted in the morning, how peaceful it felt to walk without headphones, how lucky i am to have the people i have.

    5. i figured out what i actually like.

    this was the most unexpected one. without being subconsciously influenced by trends, I started gravitating toward things that genuinely made me happy, not just what looked “aesthetic” or got likes. i realized i love slick back buns, minimal make-up, baggy clothes, random playlists, and long walks with no purpose. my taste, my style, my thoughts, they felt like mine again.

    stepping back from the app reminded me of something i kind of forgot: scrolling isn’t living. it’s observing. it’s watching other people’s lives through a tiny glass window. but when you shut it for a bit, you realize how much beauty is sitting quietly in your own world, your people, your routines, your quiet mornings, your bad days, your good ones.

    and life offline? it’s slower, softer, more real.
    and honestly… it feels pretty damn good.

  • Ghosting your negative thought patterns.

    Ghosting your negative thought patterns.

    We’ve all been there, caught in a loop of overthinking, self-doubt, or that one embarrassing thing we said in 2016. Negative thought patterns have a sneaky way of making themselves at home, like uninvited guests who refuse to leave the party.

    But here’s the thing: just like you can ghost a toxic ex, you can ghost your own negative thoughts. The trick isn’t pretending they don’t exist, it’s deciding they don’t get front-row seats in your mind anymore.

    So, how do you actually do it? Here are two practical (and kind of freeing) ways to start:

    1. Call them out like a bad Tinder date.

    The next time your brain tells you: “You’re not good enough” or “You’re never going to figure this out”, don’t just accept it. Call it out. Literally say (in your head or out loud if you’re dramatic like me): “Cool story, but not true.”

    It’s wild how much power negative thoughts lose when you stop letting them be the authority. Label them for what they are, fear, insecurity, old conditioning, and move on.

    Think of it as swiping left on mental clutter.

    2. Replace the story with a better one.

    Ghosting isn’t just ignoring, it’s choosing something better for yourself. Once you’ve called out the negative thought, replace it with a new story.

    Example:
    Negative thought: “I’ll never be successful.”
    Replacement: “I’m still learning, but every step I take is proof I’m building something real.”

    You don’t have to jump from zero to “I’m a billionaire genius” (though hey, manifest away). Just shift the story into something that feels possible, true, and kind.

    Ghosting your negative thought patterns doesn’t mean you’ll never overthink or spiral again. You’re human. The goal is to stop letting those thoughts run the show. Every time you call them out and rewrite the story, you’re proving to yourself that you’re in charge, not the voice in your head.

    And honestly? That’s the kind of glow-up no one can take from you.

  • 4 ways to feel more positive (even on the messy days).

    4 ways to feel more positive (even on the messy days).

    Let’s be real, life isn’t always Instagram-perfect. Some days you wake up, spill coffee on your shirt, and wonder if anything’s actually going right. But positivity doesn’t have to be some grand, unattainable state. Sometimes it’s just about the little things that help you shift your vibe. Here are four ways I try to feel a bit lighter, even when life gets messy:

    1. Move Your Body Without Pressure

    You don’t need a full workout or an intense gym session. Walks without a destination, dancing around your room to that one album you’ve been obsessed with, or even stretching while your coffee brews, all of it helps shift your energy. Moving your body reminds your brain that you’re alive, capable, and ready for whatever comes next.

    2. Give Yourself Small Wins

    Positivity grows when you actually see yourself doing things, even tiny things. Make your bed, finish that podcast episode you’ve been putting off, or make yourself a snack you genuinely enjoy. These small wins tell your brain, “I’m doing okay, actually.”

    3. Curate Your Mental Diet

    What you consume affects your mood. Music, books, podcasts, even the social media accounts you follow, all of it adds to your mental landscape. Surround yourself with things that uplift, inspire, or entertain you, not just things that stress you out or make you compare.

    4. Celebrate the Small Joys

    It sounds cliché, but noticing little things makes a difference. That matcha you’ve been obsessed with, a hilarious show you can’t stop bingeing, a cute outfit, or just the sunset on your evening walk, these tiny moments are the fuel for positivity.

    Bottom line: positivity isn’t about ignoring the hard stuff. It’s about creating pockets of light, energy, and comfort in your day, the things that remind you life isn’t only chaos.

    Sometimes it’s just that small shift that makes the whole day feel a little brighter.

  • A few things I’m loving rn.

    A few things I’m loving rn.

    Life feels a little less overwhelming when you slow down and notice the little things that are currently making you happy. Here’s a list of what I’ve been obsessed with lately, the random mix of music, drinks, hobbies, and small joys that are making my days feel more like me.

    1. G-Eazy’s HELIUM album (on repeat, literally)
    I don’t think a day has gone by without me playing this album. It’s one of those soundtracks that just gets under your skin in the best way, moody, therapeutic, nostalgic, but also motivating in a weird way. There’s something about having an album on repeat that feels comforting, like you’re creating the backdrop to your own movie.

    2. Justin Bieber’s Swag album
    Okay… Justin came back with this album and it’s everything I didn’t know I needed. It has that confident, playful Bieber energy but still hits you with emotion in the right places. It’s been giving me 2010s nostalgia while still feeling super fresh and artistic. I catch myself humming it while making coffee, which is basically the ultimate stamp of approval.

    3. Matcha Frios (my current personality trait)
    I’m in my matcha era. I don’t know what it is, but an ice-cold matcha frio feels like therapy in a cup. Maybe it’s the earthy flavour, maybe it’s the ritual of sipping something green and aesthetic, but it’s definitely become my go-to little pick-me-up.

    4. Reading weird poetry
    Lately I’ve been gravitating toward poetry that doesn’t necessarily make sense right away. The kind that feels more like a vibe than a structured story. There’s something freeing about reading words that just exist for beauty and emotion, without needing to be “solved.”

    5. Vintage-style sunglasses
    Big, bold, slightly over-the-top sunglasses have become a part of my identity. They’re dramatic but effortless, and the right pair can make you feel like the main character even if you’re just running errands. I love anything vintage that has some real character.

    6. Making jewelry
    This has been my creative outlet lately. There’s something so grounding about sitting down with beads, chains, and wire, and turning them into something you can actually wear. It’s almost meditative, plus, it feels good to make something tangible in a world that’s mostly digital.

    It’s funny how these little obsessions come together to paint a picture of where I’m at right now, nostalgic, creative, slightly caffeinated, and finding joy in small, beautiful details.

  • Lately I’ve been in my head too much.

    Lately I’ve been in my head too much.

    Lately, my brain has been loud. Not in a creative, let’s-write-50-ideas-down kind of way, more like anxious, overthinking, spiraling-at-2am loud. I’ve been feeling off: low energy, sad for no clear reason, and kind of disconnected from myself.

    Some days, I wake up ready to go. Other days, I stare at the ceiling wondering how I’m going to make it through the day. And honestly? It’s exhausting.

    I’ve been trying little things to get out of my head, because if I sit in the noise too long, it swallows me whole. Here are a few things I do that sometimes help (keyword: sometimes):

    Walks with no destination. I’ll put on a random playlist, leave my phone on “Do Not Disturb,” and just wander. Something about moving my body without a plan makes me feel lighter.

    Driving around. Weirdly therapeutic. Even if I don’t have anywhere to go, I’ll just roll the windows down and drive. Bonus points if the sun is setting.

    Journaling… but not cute Pinterest journaling. Just messy word dump on paper. It’s not about being profound, it’s about getting the chaos out of my head and onto the page.

    Little treats. A smoothie, an iced coffee, a snack I usually wouldn’t buy. It sounds small, but it’s like telling myself, “Hey, I see you. You’re trying.”

    Comfort shows. Sometimes I don’t need advice or motivation. I just need The Vampire Diaries or some other comfort show playing in the background while I zone out. Currently binge watching comedy films and classic sitcoms.

    Reading – There’s something about diving into another world that calms me down. Right now, I’m reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and it’s been exactly the vibe I need, messy, adventurous, imperfect, but somehow freeing. It reminds me that life isn’t about having it all figured out, it’s about actually living it.

    I guess what I’m learning is that it’s not about fixing my mental state in one big move. It’s about small resets, tiny moments that remind me I’m human and that I’ll get through this wave.

    If you’ve been feeling stuck in your head lately, just know you’re not alone. We’re all just figuring it out, one messy journal entry and one iced coffee at a time.

  • The simple things that help me mentally.

    The simple things that help me mentally.

    Let’s be honest, life can get loud. There are moments when everything feels like too much and other times where it’s just this dull, empty static. In those in-between moments, I’ve found that the things that help me mentally aren’t always grand or Instagram-worthy. They’re the soft, simple, solo rituals that bring me back to myself. No guru, no subscription needed.

    Here’s my (not-so-secret) list of little things that actually help when my brain needs a breather:

    Solo matcha dates
    There’s something healing about sitting alone with a warm drink and no pressure to perform. Just me, my thoughts, and the creamy comfort of a homemade matcha (or the overpriced but emotionally necessary café version). It’s less about the drink, and more about giving myself permission to just be.

    Reading in the sun
    Nothing recalibrates my mind like reading outside. It feels romantic and slow and slightly European. Bonus points if I’m wearing sunglasses and pretending I’m the main character in a coming-of-age film. It’s the simplest escape, and my brain? Loves it.

    Beach walks
    Barefoot if possible. Hoodie on, hair messy, ocean air in my lungs. It’s not about hitting 10k steps. It’s about remembering the world is bigger than my overthinking. The waves don’t care about my inbox. And that’s kinda beautiful.

    Hiking
    Not for the aesthetic. For the quiet. For the burn in my legs that reminds me I’m alive. For the moment I reach the top and realize I didn’t check my phone once. For the grounding reminder that nature isn’t in a rush, and I don’t always have to be either.

    Painting
    I am not Picasso or anything. That’s the point. I grab some paints, maybe some cheap brushes, and just throw colour around until something makes sense, or doesn’t. It’s messy, freeing, and not for anyone else’s eyes. Which makes it kind of sacred.

    Writing poetry
    Sometimes I just write one line. Sometimes a whole page. But when my thoughts feel tangled, poetry unties the knot. It doesn’t have to rhyme or be “deep.” It just has to be honest.

    Yoga
    The real kind. The “I just rolled out of bed and my mat is dusty” kind. Some mornings, it’s five minutes. Other days, I stay in child’s pose for what feels like a lifetime. It’s less about flexibility and more about feeling my body again.

    Journaling
    My therapist in a notebook. It’s raw, repetitive, and sometimes wildly dramatic. But it helps. Getting the chaos out of my head and onto the page makes everything feel lighter. Less scary. Less stuck.

    Couch days
    Because sometimes mental wellness looks like doing nothing. Lying horizontal with a comfort show playing in the background. Fuzzy socks on. Snacks within arm’s reach. No pressure to be productive, just a reminder that rest is part of the process.

    None of these things “fix” me.
    They don’t make the anxiety disappear or magically erase bad days. But they help. They soften the edges. They give me space to feel, reset, and come back to myself without the pressure to be anyone else.

    If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or just a little tired of being a human, try starting small. Sit in the sun. Paint something weird. Walk by the water. Do it just for you.

    Because healing doesn’t always look like a breakthrough.
    Sometimes, it just looks like a quiet moment with a matcha.

  • The trip that saved my mental health.

    The trip that saved my mental health.

    Howdy friends

    So… I recently took a trip that honestly changed everything. Not in a huge, dramatic, life-turning-upside-down kind of way. But in that slow, subtle, soul-shifting kind of way. The kind that reminds you what it actually feels like to be alive, not just functioning.

    I’ve been in hustle mode for a few years now. Wake up, create content, tick off the to-do list, try to keep the algorithm happy, try to keep myself together… and somewhere along the way, I forgot how to pause. I mean really pause. I forgot what it felt like to not be performing productivity 24/7. Like, when was the last time I did something just because I wanted to, not because it needed to be documented, edited, posted, or optimized?

    Let me tell you: a few days on a farm with no real plans, no pressure, and no phone signal will humble and heal you real quick.

    The trip was for my friend’s birthday, just a bunch of us, a car packed with snacks, and a long drive into the middle of nowhere. I had my headphones in, the mountains were rolling by, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel the need to check my phone. It was just me and my thoughts… which, if you’re like me and have an extra chatty brain, can feel like a lot at first. But after a while, something softened. I started to settle.

    We stayed in this big old farmhouse surrounded by open fields and animals and that crisp kind of mountain air that feels like therapy. We’d wake up early (like… sunrise early), explore the land, walk until our legs ached, and just be. No notifications. No chaos. Just conversations by the fire, good food, shared laughter, and the kind of silence that feels full instead of empty. The stars at night were unreal. Like movie-scene unreal. And I remember thinking, “This. This is what I want more of.”

    And that’s when it hit me, how much I’ve been craving presence. Like real, grounded, I’m-actually-here presence. Not “here, but thinking about five other things.” Not “here, but worried about who saw my story.” Just… here.

    When I stepped away from the routine, the social media, the constant noise, I finally had space to hear myself again. I could actually feel what I’d been too busy to notice: how tired I was. How overstimulated. How I’ve been using productivity as a distraction from my own feelings. How healing isn’t always about doing more, it’s about feeling safe enough to stop doing.

    Which brings me to this thing I’ve been learning about (and slightly obsessing over): nervous system regulation.

    Here’s the deal: your nervous system is basically your internal thermostat for safety. When you’re overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck in go-go-go mode, your sympathetic system (aka fight or flight) takes over. It’s like your body thinks you’re constantly under threat, even when you’re just answering emails. But when you’re grounded, calm, and feeling safe, your parasympathetic system (rest and digest mode) kicks in. That’s where real healing happens. That’s where you can actually feel good.

    On the farm, I was unknowingly regulating my nervous system every single day:
    ☁️ Waking with the sun
    🌲 Walking in nature
    🧘🏽‍♀️ Sitting in stillness without performing it
    🔥 Laughing by the fire
    ⭐️ Staring at the stars with no agenda

    And slowly, I realized: this is the kind of peace I want to build into my everyday life. Not just something I escape to once a year. But something I create in small ways every day. A little pocket of calm here. A moment of joy there. A breath, a pause, a decision to put the phone down and pick presence up instead.

    Here’s the truth: you don’t need to go off-grid or live on a farm to feel this. You just need to remember you’re allowed to stop performing. You’re allowed to rest. To feel. To be soft. To enjoy things that don’t look productive but feel peaceful.

    So now, I’m in this new season, still healing, still figuring things out, still craving slowness. I’m not trying to “fix” myself all the time. I’m just trying to feel more like myself. I want to spend time with people who calm my nervous system, not trigger it. I want to create, but not at the expense of my joy. And I want more memories that feel like that trip: unfiltered, unshared, mine.

    If you’ve been feeling stuck in survival mode or like you’ve forgotten how to just be, maybe this is your sign to step back. Take a day. Or even just an afternoon. Go outside. Sit in silence. Turn your phone off. Make something with your hands. Water your plants like it’s a ritual. Make a smoothie and drink it without scrolling. You don’t have to earn rest. You just have to remember that you deserve it.

    Thanks for reading. I hope this gave you that little breath of fresh air you’ve been needing. You’re not broken. You’re just tired. And I promise, stillness isn’t scary once you let it hold you.

    Until next time, breathe, rest, and romanticize the boring stuff. That’s where the magic really is. 🤍