My Wellbeing Toolkit: Ashley Chmelka

Juggling beauty and wellness for YOU, with toddlers. A breeze right? Let’s face it no matter what brave face we like to put out there, making sure the kids are happy and healthy often comes at the expense of our own me time. And for getting that balance back, we look to fellow busy moms who are doing. it. all. like Ashley Chmelka (@ashleychmelka). We love her tips for finding little moments for yourself that make a BIG difference to your overall wellbeing.

Her first tip? Celery juice! “I can’t recommend [it] first thing in the morning more,” she says, “It’s helped me so much with my energy, mood, anxiety etc.” She also prioritises getting up and moving, saying, “Moving my body daily is key”, and there’s something to be said for doing this in the morning too if you can, as moving your workout (or just a walk!) to the AM helps with your overall energy and stress levels, naturally. That’s down to your stress hormone cortisol peaking in the morning, so if you can get moving you’ll set yourself up for a calmer day with your energy levels boosted. And we’ll take every bit of that when there’s the school run, packed lunches, work and whatever else on the schedule.

Whenever you can squeeze in your exercise though is a WIN for self care, as that 30 minutes is time for just you. See also, “Booking a massage, nails etc...or jumping on a call with a good friend to chat.” Whatever your wellbeing goals it’s the little things that add up to make a big difference, so take a moment to check-in and ask when the last time you did something that brings you joy just because. It could even be a quick stop in the park on the way home from daycare or school, Ashley puts “getting outside with my kiddos” high on her list for what makes a great day - that’s quality time not rushing somewhere.

When the day’s done, it can be hard to switch from ‘on’ mode to ‘off’ as well, “I’m not much of a reader,” says Ashley, “But when I’m with my kids and at nights when my husband gets home from work, I set boundaries on giving them my full attention. At night, I put my phone away by 9pm.” For this challenge NEOM is here for you with different Essential Oil Blends you can switch up come evening. Choosing a de-stress blend or something from our Scent to Sleep range is the signal your brain needs that it’s time to wind down, especially if you’ve been working from home.

The purest essential oils are just one thing to have in your wellbeing toolkit, Ashley also swears by a De-Stress natural candle and Magnesium Body Butter, if you’re not on magnesium yet here’s why you need it in your life, from helping with stress levels from the inside out, boosting your workouts and optimising your vitamin intake (and the goodness from that celery juice). For a 360° approach to wellbeing though Ashley also recommends, “Key workout equipment like hand and ankle weights, a mat and foam roller. Also I love my shoulder massager from Amazon (by Nekteck) - when my shoulders are tight, it does wonders to get the knots out!” Having the physical things that boost your wellbeing close by is SO important, as they’ll be on hand whenever you need them, and the most successful wellbeing routines slot into your life super easily.

And when you’ve got the products you love down, we’re also all about the mantras and little techniques that help boost your wellbeing throughout the day. Nobody’s alone in their wellbeing journey, “I struggle the most with overthinking, and need to continue working on using my voice during difficult situations. I tend to hold things,” says Ashley. We hear that! And there are loads more tips and words of wisdom from experts over on the NEOM blog, designed to help you de-stress, boost your energy, boost our mood and get better sleep.