Beauties, we’re excited to introduce you to our new wellbeing contributor, Registered Nutritional Therapist Kaysha Thomas.

She will be writing for us  about nutrition and fitness.

Today she’s talking about the lockdown, the effect it has had on her and what has helped her get through it.

Things that got me through lockdown

Connecting with my family (mainly my sister). I called my sister every week to check in and chat about random things. I feel most comfortable sharing things with her. She’s a great listener and always helps me rationalise my thoughts around difficult situations. We had lots of fun festivals planned for the summer which is how we usually hang out. My brother and I have a different way of communicating, it’s usually memes and funny standup videos. Which has also been a great help.

Other things that have been really helpful is going for walks around my local area. I’ve lived in the same apartment for 6 years now, but lockdown has helped me find new walking routes and even a whole park to wander around in. It’s a wonderful way to clear your mind and reflect on your day.

What I have learned about myself in lockdown

I’ve learned that I often don’t do the things I’m passionate about because I’m forever seeking external approval. I have been doing a lot of work on understanding my race. I’ve been talking more about being black in the wellness space as well as being black full stop. I remember reaching out to my mum last year to get “approval” for an idea of mine to do more work around mental wellbeing in the black community. She wasn’t discouraging but I hoped to get more of a go ahead. Looking back I know that mental health is such a taboo subject in our black community and so I was asking the wrong person (or maybe the wrong question). Nonetheless, this is an example of me seeking external approval about something that spoke to my soul.

My Wellbeing Toolkit

Rain or shine, I love taking epsom salt baths, usually Westlab epsom salts (I get it from Boots). 3 big handfuls in a warm bath, not too hot, soak for 20 mins, then I exfoliate in the shower afterwards.

I do a daily meditation with the Calm app. I have to do it first thing in the morning otherwise the day takes over and I’ll forget.

Music is everything to me. I usually have BBC 1Extra on in the background when I’m not on calls. I’m a huge Drum and Bass fan! I have been enjoying all the Facebook Live broadcasts, listening to mixes on Soundcloud and just dancing around my flat. You know the saying “dance like no one’s watching”? Well, that’s me in my apartment!

About Kaysha

Kaysha is a Registered Nutritional Therapist & Pilates and blogger promoting mental health in the black community. Kaysha covers topics such as eating disorder recovery, body image and diversity issues in the wellness space. She studied at the Institute of Optimum nutrition and BASI Pilates UK and is currently studying for a Masters in Sport & Exercise Nutrition.

She will be writing for us about nutrition and fitness.

Find her on Instagram @kayshathomas and her website kayshathomas.com