If you caught this post, then you’re well aware that one of my goals for 2019 is to keep bringing you dear readers what you want. Time and time again, we see not only French Girl content perform well, but we’ve also seen a growing interest in more personal content here on Margo & Me. And while there will forever be an air of style, beauty, and travel behind the brand, I’m excited to show more behind-the-scenes of my life, blogging & business tidbits, and everything inspiring me – on and off the runway.

With that, it only felt necessary to share a story on overall health. I dedicated January 2019 to nourishing my mind, body, and soul, and to be honest, I’ve never felt better. Here’s what I’ve been doing – whether new this month or a practice I’ve honed for years – and what I recommend if you, too, are looking to improve your life internally.

Scheduled workouts

While this tip might not be something I’ve never heard of, it wasn’t until later last year that I started scheduling in workouts. Instead of waking up every day and considering a class, I now plan out my workout schedule every Monday morning when I’m planning the rest of my work week. I book the class, color coordinate it as a calendar event, and then stick to it just like I would a meeting with a brand or dinner with a girlfriend. Simply taking out the guessing game of, “will I go and when?” has been so peaceful, and my routine is more regular than ever.

Monthly pamper days

There’s something so incredibly nourishing for the mind, body, and soul when you take the time to pamper yourself. Especially when done in a synchronized routine, I find that it truly shuts down my brain and resets me. I now try to schedule in monthly “me” days that might be a massage, a facial, a manicure, a doctor’s appointment, and the like. I love that it’s all on the same day instead of running out to these appointments in a rush 5x a month. Even if it’s not in the budget to have a full-on spa day, taking a day to do an at-home face mask, exfoliate your body, and light candles among tea is just as special.

Clean the feed

My job revolves around social media, but I’ve been open about my love/hate with things like Instagram. And while I do my best to cancel out the criticism or comparison that comes with it, I’m human; it takes its toll. Along with social media detoxes, which I’ve talked about here, I’ve also been cleaning up my feed. By removing accounts that no longer serve me, or worse, make me feel bad about myself every time they scroll by, it makes social media less intimidating. It also gets your feed back to a form of inspiration – which is what the app was created for in the first place. I also appreciate my friend Geri’s advice on muting people to save hurt feelings. Brilliant!

Learn

Something you may not know about me is that I’m a lover of all things self-development. From books like these to studying art to learning new languages while traveling, I adore learning. I love feeling smarter each month via inspiration and even conversations with others and find it vital to continuous growth. Whether it be a TED talk, a podcast, or meeting someone new for coffee, I highly recommend learning and being inspired wherever you can. There’s only so much Netflix can do for our brains after all, right?

Touch base with myself

Remember how I shared what I’m doing more/less of this year? It’s something I try to look at every single day – and I’d suggest doing the same. Goals and resolutions and mantras are much more powerful when they are constantly in eyesight instead of being something you look at once a year. You can hang them above your desk, set them as a phone reminder for every morning, or whatever works. The important part is to check in with them daily to serve as a reminder of what you’re trying to cultivate. I love nothing more than sipping my coffee in the morning, reading through these sites, and then looking at my list – before doing anything else! I always have my best days when I stick to this routine. Which brings me to my final “tip”…

Get grounded

How many days have we all woken up, grabbed our phones, worked all day, came home to the TV only to then go asleep without actually checking in with ourselves all day? It’s the worst! It’s always a very easy way to feel burnt out, stressed, or out of touch with yourself. This past month especially, I’ve really dedicated time to ground myself daily – in the mornings and evenings when I can. In the mornings, it’s usually the little routine I mentioned above, but it also might be going for a walk to grab a coffee or watching the sun rise from my window. In the evenings, it’s either a candlelit yoga class, curling up to a book and a glass of wine, or even keeping the TV off and talking about life with Freddie. By starting and ending the day in a peaceful mode, I’ve noticed HUGE changes in my mind, body, and soul, and I cannot recommend doing this enough.

Clearly I’m passionate about this subject as I feel like I could keep writing for days! Let me know if you’re into this content and I promise to make it a more regular thing. In the meantime, what would you personally add to this list?

Photography by Freddie Cipoletti