an introduction

this blog may be fresh out of the packet new but the idea of creating a wellness blog has been an initiative that has evolved from an 18 month long shift in focus.

for as long as i could remember my world had been all about fashion. i literally consumed every fashion title, blog and glossy i could get my hands on. i worked in fashion retail, studied journalism and had high hopes of working as a buyer (didn’t we all) or writer but the thing is… i was miserable.

i had racked up an enormous debt feeding my fashion habit, retail was (and still is) floundering and my career definitely wasn’t going anywhere fast. after 10 years in the game i had become despondent.   i felt like i was drowning. like every choice i had made was making me sink that little bit lower.

then in a very clichéd eat pray love moment i decided to change it all. and yes i was lying on a beach in seminyak when this lightbulb happened to ignite. i don’t know if it’s something in the balinese sunshine or smiles or maybe it was just having 10 days to be able to reset myself but whatever the reason almost in an instant my mind seemed to clear and see opportunities and inspiration it had never thought possible.

dormant dreams, hopes and goals i had always been too afraid to acknowledge suddenly seemed possible. finally at the age of 27 i had kicked off my concrete boots and was swimming for the surface.

this breakthrough came from the realisation that sometimes we confuse what we want with what we need. especially in our society that suffocates itself with capitalist idealism. we are saturated in consumerism day in and day out, feed marketing ideals from how we should look, to what careers we should have, what diet we should be on, style we should be wearing, the house we should buy… the list is endless and all of this accompanied by a resounding noise that what we have or who are is never quite good enough. and maybe i’m a sucker but i was blinded by all of it. i spent without consequence and was consumed or maybe hyponotised by achieving a carrie-bradshaw-esque existence.

now don’t get me wrong i still appreciate an ensemble or two but the difference is i don’t NEED that outfit, shoe or lust have piece of something to secure my happiness. or what i thought was happiness.

what i needed was a career that fulfilled me, one that afforded me the opportunity to manage my own schedule and allowed me to accommodate a family when the time comes and what i needed most of all was to put my mental and physical wellbeing at the top of my priorities. as soon as this shift in focus transpired, serendipitous circumstances started to support me in my change of direction. positive people, opportunities and insight began to infiltrate my awareness.

i am now studying psychology and actively research living a more holistic and balanced life. this blog is named wellness is the new black because i am not the only one. a new wave of wellbeing is beginning to swell. affirmations have begun to enter your facebook feed, green smoothies in mason jars have begun to jam up your instagram and detox is the new buzzword. perhaps the mayan’s were right and with the end of their calendar, we are now witnessing a shift in human consciousness. whatever the reason now is the time to let go of old ideals and push for a higher purpose. Happiness.

my ultimate aim for wellness is the new black is to create a space i can share knowledge in the hopes to enlighten, inspire and entertain. please remember though i’m not a registered psychologist, nor an authority on health and nutrition. i am just an everyday person aiming to live rather than just exist.