For sure, the past year will go down in history as one of the strangest we have ever experienced and certainly one that none of us will ever forget.

Wherever you find yourself reading this, either having come through this period unscathed, perhaps even flourishing in some way during this time, conversely with scars of great loss and trauma, or somewhere in between it all, one thing that could massively affect our future is how we are able to EMERGE from it.

The dictionary definition of the word EMERGE is “to rise out of anything; to re-appear after being concealed” Roget’s Thesaurus gives us further insight – “to appear, arise, become visible, come forth, come into view, become apparent, become known, develop” and the antonyms – “depart, disappear, fade, recede, fall, retreat, sink, vanish from sight, wane, withdraw”.

These antonyms feel familiar with these last months don’t they? In themselves, lockdown forced us to retreat and vanish from sight, isolation meant we had to withdraw, physical interaction waned, furlough caused some to fade, many have suffered mental health issues and sunk into despair and for sure, we’ve all become one sad tribe in our identical masks reminding us we’re united in uniform and consequential fear.

But as we look at our roadmap towards the destination of ‘new normal’ we can thankfully and cautiously see that the worst is behind us and there is daylight at the end of the tunnel. With that in mind, I am interested to see what it might look like to emerge well; lessons learned that we take with us and those we will emphatically leave behind.

I remember my father could never eat corned beef after he’d been in The Forces during the war because it’s pretty much all he’d eaten during that time. Similarly, I’m sure there are things we will be glad to lose, but as I mentioned in my April blog, before Mark & I galloped into the future, we decided to take some time over Easter to really reflect on those things, new habits and learnings we’d take forward and it was quite a list; here’s just a few.

Actually, the list goes on; you will be amazed how yours could look if you journal it and it’s quite a cathartic exercise. Wouldn’t it be something if ultimately, we could emerge from this time stronger? Considering those words – to arise, come forth, become apparent, visible and into view and then to become known and develop, I say WOW! That’s what I want for myself, for my Company and colleagues and for all who I do life with. So how do we emerge in style? Here are 5 of my top tips.

1. Choose JOY

 Joy and happiness are wonderful feelings to experience, but they are very different. Joy comes from within when you make peace with who, why and how you are, whereas happiness tends to be externally triggered and is based on other people, things, places, thoughts and events. Joy is superior to happiness and is a treasure to pursue and harness. Funnily enough you will become a magnet for happiness if your inner joy is given a chance to be unleashed, it’s the law of attraction.

2. Press PLAY

In the past year, probably most of us feel we have had to press ‘pause’ on life being lived to the full, so we’ve pressed ‘fast forward’ to the future, or ‘re-wind’ to pre-Covid. But in reality, we have to press PLAY in whatever season of life we find ourselves in, because truly life is a gift and it goes super-fast and even if we have depleted resources, to be immersed in the now is a great mission and brings satisfaction, instead of feeling everything is on hold and you’ll only be happy once you get “there”, because we all know, when you get THERE you’ll find another THERE you want to be!

3. Watch your WORDS

I have a very active mind, frequently having multiple conversations going on simultaneously. As a child, my school reports usually said “Liz should think before she speaks” so I’m preaching at myself when I say this! But we don’t have to speak out everything. It isn’t always helpful to say how you’re feeling, to catastrophise situations, to disclose a confidence, to repeat the disaster over and over again and to use the precious and limited time you have with mindless chatter. Words can be a self-fulling prophecy and we all have to be careful we don’t speak something negative into being because we’ve fed and watered a bad seed, better to starve it.

4. Be a GOOD NEWS channel

I know I’ve shared this with some of our TEMPLESPA family, but recently I went to London for the first time in over four months for an interview and studio session. I met with an editor, journalist, hairdresser, make-up artist and photographer all in a Covid-safe environment and without exception each commented on my storytelling of the past year, my positive outlook, my apparent joy and countenance and actually it affected the whole outcome of the interview and shoot. I had to take 2 taxis and pop into a coffee shop and was shocked at the negativity of the conversation, it was beyond gloom and doom and whilst I’m not in the slightest saying it wasn’t their reality, I couldn’t wait to get away from them.

This past weekend however I popped into a local boutique that has been closed since December. The shop looked fabulous and the owner greeted me with cheer, asking me if I wanted to have a cheeky glass of prosecco while I browsed. When I asked her how she’d been, she said “really well”, she’d managed by diverting to online, had done some interior designing, sourced a whole new collection and home interiors venture to go alongside her clothing and it was a delight to be around her. I of course purchased!

We have ALL been through this time and for sure, some have fared much better or worse than others. BUT people will only be able to stomach so much chitter-chatter about it and you would be better to position yourself as a good news channel and reflect a positive disposition and you know what? If you have a business, people will want to buy from you, if you are a work colleague people will want to be around you and even if you bring your brand of cheer to a restaurant, shop or establishment it will make them and you feel better and that’s a good thing. If you take the lead with no moaning, you’ll be surprised how much oxygen you have left for the important stuff.

5 Be KIND & LOVELY to others and to yourself

Early on in the pandemic I noticed how nice people were with their salutations and interactions – “be well”, “take care”, “stay safe” were regular phrases in the lexicon. However, I also noticed how quickly they faded and were replaced with a lot of aggression and carelessness in people. Scripture refers to a beautiful list of “fruit” and it’s a very inspiring collection of attributes to cultivate - LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL. Now that’s quite a job description for life hey?! I don’t have a tattoo, but if I did, I think I’d just go for that list and concentrate on trying to live them out.

If you had to paraphrase it, I reckon if you just choose to be kind and lovely to others and to yourself you won’t go far wrong.

I’m very fortunate because I work in a business devoted to well-being. TEMPLESPA is all about treating your skin, body and soul very well. But I know this, true beauty starts within. For sure, we have beautiful products and experiences that are a tool in the hand towards a better self-esteem and our heart certainly is to positively influence all who come into contact with our brand. However, to make a quality choice to be kind and lovely will permeate through your skin, affect your posture and grace and uplift your whole demeanour.

A final word on mental health. We all have one and there are times when it’s in better shape than others. If you’re not in a good place with all of this, I urge you to be brave and reach out for help. There is a reason why MIND has been our key charity partner over the past 3 years and we have raised over £300,000 for them. Your breakthrough could be just a phone-call away.

MOST REVEALING

So, as we emerge, it seems very apt to be introducing you to one of the most exciting new product launches we have ever had. Bring on MOST REVEALING, a state-of-the-art oxygen peel that lets pure, clean, re-surfaced and smoothed skin emerge. This is our hottest innovation ever that has brought together an incredible formula, ergonomic packaging and a highly advanced manufacturing process to give a most unusual application that fizzes and bubbles nibbling away dead skin cells revealing glowing, healthy skin in less than a jiffy. It suits the season perfectly and a product that will spring clean your skin and be an important addition to your regime.

And finally…

I don’t know what you have planned for the lovely month of May, but with 2 glorious bank holidays and early signs of a summer breeze in the air, I hope it’s going to include picnics, BBQ’s, outdoor swimming in a lido (or sea if you’re lucky), maybe even some camping or B&B and for sure, family and friends YAY! Last week we sported a blanket, hot water bottle and thermals and took to our favourite country pub to eat outside, just bliss. The atmosphere was jubilant to say the least.

So, as we work through these next stages of un-lockdown, I send my love and deep appreciation for staying friends of the brand. In spite of it all, we are blessed to have experienced a year of exponential growth and we are truly thankful.

When you’re planning your social calendar this month and would like to gather some friends virtually on screen, or in your garden, maybe you’d like to host a TEMPLESPA pop up spa with a few special mates. They will love it and you will get a gorgeous gift. We can put you in touch with one of our wonderful Lifestyle Consultants who are placed all over the country. For more info visit our Host A Class At Your Home.

Have a wonderful May. Be wise, be careful, but stay hopeful dear friends

My love, Liz xx