Mollie's Feel-Good Feed: My go-to self care ritual

Plus the tracks you need for your heatwave playlist

Welcome to Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed, a place where each week Mollie King shares her round-up of the things bringing her joy in these strange and uncertain times. Check back each week for uplifting music, self care tips and, hopefully, a smile being put on your face.

Hello, August! So who’s ready for this heatwave? We wait for sunshine all year round, don’t we, and then when it arrives I'm never prepared and urgently need a fan. Please tell me I’m not the only one that does this?

This week I’ve got music to get you moving, and a very quick but super effective addition to your morning routine that could give you a better chance at starting your day off right. Let's dive in!

Singles

I hope you’re up for a dance this week, as both my recommendations have those undeniably good beats and have found their way to being some of my most listened to tracks over the last few weeks.

This first song gives me the feeling of lying on the sun lounger around a pool, feeling the odd splash from someone attempting to get on their lilo (we’ve all been there!). It comes from legendary DJs Paul Woolford and Diplo, featuring Kareen Lomax – Looking For Me. It’s laid back and has addictive pop melodies, which, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself singing to yourself a few hours later!

Next up, one of my favourite voices in dance – the powerhouse that is Becky Hill. Becky is one of those amazing people who’s just as much fun off stage as she is on. She’s the act you want at every dance festival!

She’s teamed up with Sigala on this track, making it their second release together, following the huge hit that was Wish You Well. Heaven On My Mind has a similar feel to it, making you want to head out for the night… even if in these unusual times that’s just moving from the kitchen to the living room.

TV series

I have whizzed through this series in remarkable time. I probably shouldn’t be sounding so proud about that, but I've been waiting all week to tell you about it! Let's talk Succession. It might be one of those series you've heard friends mention but have never got round to watching, but with only two series released so far, it’s very easy to catch up on.

This TV drama follows the family of media mogul, Logan Roy, and all the on-goings at his multi-million pound firm. With his children all striving to take on the company once Roy hangs up his boots, it’s never-ending dilemmas at their very best. The first few episodes set the scene, but it really revs up after that, so be patient and stick with it! I’ve just finished Season 1 and am counting down the hours until I can start Season 2 tonight. Who needs Zoom calls when you’ve got the state of the Logan empire to worry about?

Fitness

We all have those weeks where we find it hard to gather the motivation to workout, don’t we? My week certainly started like that. However, after making a point of setting a specific time in the day and knowing I had to stick with it, I did, like always, feel so much better for it. Endorphins are a wonderful thing!

This week I set up my own boot camp (albeit in the hallway of my flat) and committed to doing my least favourite form of workout… circuits! It was, however, great to get back to weights and feel that ache the next day. I’ve been using a kettle bell, which is basically a weight with a handle for the uninitiated, enabling me to swing and lift to tone many different body parts. If you haven’t used one before I would highly recommend it – but watch tutorials beforehand, as it’s personally taken me a while to get the technique right!

Self care

When we think about self care, we often think of our beauty regime and products we might be using. But this week I wanted to share with you a technique I’ve been using to look after my mind and mental wellbeing.

I’ve spoken before about being an anxious person and an over-thinker, and I think for a lot of us our minds can quickly turn to worries or negative thoughts, rather than any of the lovely things we have going on around us. For me, a way to turn my focus to a positive mindset is to write a gratitude list every morning, which I do as a three-point bullet list of the things in my life that I am grateful for, or have put a smile on my face.

The wonderful thing about doing these is that the process makes you hone in on things we often take for granted when life gets busy. This week, simple pleasures, like having food in the fridge or being able to pick up the phone and talk to a loved one, have made an appearance. It has been a really positive way to start my morning when I would normally be doing something like scrolling my phone or checking for emails. It only takes five minutes and has been hugely helpful, especially during these recent difficult months. Today I've been grateful for being able to write this column – which is always a highlight of my week, along with you guys reading it. Now I'm already two thirds of the way there with my three point list!

Thanks so much for reading this week’s Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed – check back on Marie Claire every Friday for more of my feel-good recommendations. Stay safe, take care and enjoy!