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- [00:00]
Alyssa
Welcome to Sustain this, a podcast where we discuss mindful consumption, personal style, and the quest for living a more intentional life. I'm Alyssa, a sustainable stylist.
- [00:10]
Christina
And I'm Christina, a shopaholic turned minimalist.
- [00:12]
Alyssa
Ish.
- [00:13]
Sina
And I'm Sina, a color consultant and slow fashion style coach.
- [00:16]
Alyssa
Together we will unpack the nuances of what it really means to be a conscious consumer and find more joy in what we have right now. So grab your tea, your coffee, or whatever floats your boat and join us in the conversation. Let's go. Yay. Yay. Welcome back, everyone. Thank you for being here today. We've got an interesting, interesting subject. I'm really excited to talk about it. You know, we think often of shopping really centered on a piece, an item that we need or we think of when we shop. But here on this podcast, I think we like to talk about how we shop. So today we're going to talk about other things that we do in our life. Self care techniques, like whether we gratitude or journal or all these different things, exercising and how all of these things affect how we shop, because they do. I think the way we just go about our lives affects our consumption habits. So, Christina, you are like, big into fitness.
- [01:23]
Christina
Yes.
- [01:24]
Alyssa
Has that affected how you shop? Like, do you see a direct correlation?
- [01:30]
Christina
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Getting jacked is my new personality. It is. Oh, my God. Yeah. I'm a gym rat and I love it. But it has because it's been interesting because in some ways, a lot of ways, my body has changed. So a lot of clothes do fit differently. So it's been a bit of an adjustment, but it's more like I feel more confident in my clothes because I have learned to push my body to do things that I never thought it could do. And it almost like shifts what I feel is fun and important and like, the things that I want to progress on and work towards is like, you know, it used to be, oh, I gotta get that one specific blazer. But now it's like, okay, I want to add 10 pounds to my lip this week. You know, like it's. Or I can't believe I can pull up my body weight. Or it's the physical challenge and even the mental challenge of just showing up, like, when you don't want to and kind of like sticking to your plan and not your mood and all of that. The confidence comes from within because you're like, holy shit, I can't believe I could do that. Look how far I've come. Just your priorities change. And I think it Translates into my wardrobe and how I shop. Because I just feel more confident overall going into that rather than searching for it externally. Because it's like, yeah, I'm at the gym and I'm working out, but I'm pushing my body. I am having a talk with myself in my own head about, like, oh, I can do this or I can't do this. And then, you know, when I. When I do see that progress or I hit that. That goal or something, something that was once hard suddenly feels easy. It's like, what else can I do? Where else can I. Can I. Like, where else does this translate? Yeah, when it comes from within, then it just makes. It makes how you carry yourself so much. Like, I can't believe how differently I carry myself now because of building those habits. It's been the best way to build, like, self confidence and self trust.
- [03:43]
Alyssa
Yeah, self trust is a really big one. We've talked about that in my community before, where it's like, if you want to take a style risk, you feel a whole lot better being, like, you know what? I don't know if this is gonna work. I don't know if someone's gonna think it's weird. But, like, at this point, I don't mind. Like, I'm learning something new about myself and I'm gonna try it. Or I guess for you, Christina, does it translate into when you do your no buys, you talk a lot about showing up for yourself in fitness. So is that another way, like, if you're doing a no buy and maybe you get tempted by something and you think, like, no, like, I'm going to show up for myself by not making this purchase.
- [04:27]
Christina
I think self confidence comes down to keeping those promises to yourself and having proof that you did that. You know, if I promised to myself that I am not going to buy anything this month that I don't need, then it's like every day when I say no, that's like, proof that I can trust myself to continue making progress with that goal, like, not break the streak. So it's like every time I want to, like, lay down on the couch and watch Netflix, but I know that I scheduled a workout at this time, and I actually go that. That's like a check off. Like, the checkbox of, like, I kept this promise and I can trust myself to say what I'm to. To do the thing I said I was going to do when I said I was going to do it. Instead of, like, continuously pushing. I always have, like, a dialogue with myself of like, oh, you Know, I can maybe an hour later, I'll do it in an hour, I'll do it in an hour and then I'll do it tomorrow morning and then I'll do it next week and then I'll. I'll try it again on Monday. And like, that's when I feel self confidence, at least for me, really starts to crumble because I'm losing trust in myself and I can't rely on myself to get the things done and do the things that I wanted to do that I said I really wanted to do. So I feel like little things like that showing up or even just saying like, you know, like, after this I could dive right into work and move on to the next thing. But I think like a kinder thing that I'm trying to do for myself is like, go for a walk, go outside for like 15 minutes after doing a bout of work or like being in meetings and stuff. And like even choosing to do that and actually sticking to that plan is a way of. I kept this promise and I know what I'm doing is good for me. I know that taking a brain break and getting fresh air and getting steps is going to make me feel better and more ready and willing to do the work, the next bit of work that I have to do rather than just like diving right into it and then feeling like my brain is melted and burnt out because I didn't give myself that break.
- [06:28]
Alyssa
Yeah, that's like a whole, a whole conversation, isn't it? Exercise and the benefits. That was really, that was really deep and such an interesting point. I've never thought of it that way. Building self confidence or even like how you talked about the erosion of your self confidence comes from not keeping promises to yourself. I've never, never thought of it that way. So that's a really, really cool perspective.
- [07:00]
Christina
Yeah. And I just think it's also like, I'm almost thinking back to like my shopaholic days where I would almost have like a daily conversation with myself of like, okay, today we're gonna get our together with money and we're gon to pay off the credit card bill. And like you're getting paid this much this month, so all of that is going to go into this. And it was kind of all or none thinking and very sort of disciplinary, I guess, or like putative thinking, I guess. But. So that's something that I had to work on. But, but I think because I was so harsh on myself that I would always break those promises and then it would almost be like, okay, Well, I couldn't do it. So I guess I'm gonna go shopping even more and like, I don't feel good about myself, so I'm gonna go shopping more to try to feel better because I'm yelling at myself to do better. So it's like this, this loop, right? Yeah. And even, like, within budgeting, when I learned to track my spending and my money and, like, understand how much I made, how much was going out, what was going out, and why, that was insanely helpful in just building self trust and self confidence. Because I, like, it was just another way I could show up for myself and learn more about behaviors and spending and money. Because it gives you, like, the sense of control and power over. Over things that I think can very easily feel out of control and make us feel like we aren't competent and we don't have trust in ourselves because.
- [08:29]
Alyssa
Of that, like, inadequate.
- [08:32]
Christina
Yeah.
- [08:33]
Alyssa
I think awareness, I guess, is a really big one. Like being aware in your life of. I like how you talked about being aware, like tracking your spending. So if we translate that to how we shop, it's. It could even just be as simple as, like, okay, how many new things did I buy this month?
- [08:54]
Christina
Yeah.
- [08:54]
Alyssa
And it's not even, you know, there's. There's no blame or shame in that. It's literally just bringing awareness to consumption habits.
- [09:05]
Christina
Totally.
- [09:06]
Alyssa
Yeah. And you can do that all kinds of ways. I like that. Self care. That's good. I think awareness is a big one because you can't even. You can't even adjust or make changes in your life without. Without knowing, like, what your baseline is. Right.
- [09:24]
Christina
Yeah.
- [09:26]
Alyssa
And I think we talk. We. There's so much talk around self care on the Internet that's like, yes. You know, we hear the make sure you have downtime and going for walks and everything, but all of those things don't really move the needle in terms of feeling good about yourself if you're not quite sure how they're affecting you or, like, what changes you're making.
- [09:49]
Christina
So that's a great point. Like, I'm gonna go for a walk this morning. I'm gonna make sure I, like, kind of like just like look around and really, oh, the sun is out, or buds are starting to pop up on the trees and the snow is melting. Like, just like noticing things and just being like, wow, this is great. Which leads us into, I think, gratitude and actually practicing it, which you're an expert at. And you inspired me to start. And it's been, it's been. It's Been profound, honestly. I think the thing about all of these little habits that we're going to talk about is you start with one kind of a goal in mind. If it's like going to the gym, maybe your initial goal was, you know, I want to lose 10 pounds or I want to get abs, which is fine. But then I think the more you do it, the more you realize the benefits come up. And yeah, you have that goal, but it's like just doing it for the sake of it is, is like kind of why you do it because you do feel so good. And like the positive habit loops that come from there is what keeps you going.
- [10:49]
Alyssa
You know, I think that's such an interesting point that you raise about when you start you, you have this goal. But what I love about, what I love about tiny habits, gratitude, journaling, exercise, is that like you said, when you reach that goal, it's almost as if it doesn't even feel like a big achievement in the best way because it's just now part of who you are. So I think that's where the awareness, if we bring it back to awareness again really quickly, that's kind of where. Why it's so important because you can actually look back and be like, wait a minute, like now I am the person with abs or lost 10 or whatever, whatever your goal is. But it's not like a, it's just now, it's just who you are. And I think that's, that's the really beautiful part of these small, these small self care techniques.
- [11:47]
Christina
Yeah. Because you had to set systems and build new habits to as you said, like you, to become a different, to become that person or the type of person who does this, who like goes to the gym, eats healthy, drinks water, gets sleep, shops their closet. You have to, yes, you have a goal in mind, but you do transform along the way so that you know once you've reached that goal, you are a different person. That's why there's. In the, in the book Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about how setting systems is greater than setting goals. Because once you've reached your goal, it's kind of like, now what do I do? Yes, this is how he says it. The purpose of setting goals is to win the game, but the purpose of setting systems is to continue playing the game. Ooh, that's hot. That's great.
- [12:41]
Alyssa
I love that. I love that. That's hot. We love you, James. Claire, please come on the podcast. Yeah.
- [12:51]
Christina
Living.
- [12:55]
Alyssa
It's true though. I love that. That's really cool. And I Think. Yeah. We do realize that when we hit whatever those goals we want to achieve. Yeah. I had a question for you about gratitude. Well, what's your system for gratitude? Or what's your. Even with your. Wait, can we go back? I want you to tell us about your system for exercising. Do you put it. Do you put it. You say you schedule the time. Do you have to book the time at the gym? Do you put it in your calendar? How often do you go? Like, what's. Do you go the same blocks of time every week? Do you work on the same parts of your body every day a week?
- [13:33]
Christina
Yeah, pretty well accident, I heard.
- [13:36]
Alyssa
Did you. Sorry.
- [13:37]
Christina
Some road rage outside moments.
- [13:42]
Alyssa
Since I lost the barbershop. Oh, God, no.
- [13:45]
Christina
So it's okay. Yeah, I. I do schedule it. I mean, two days a week I do work in a group setting with my coach. So that's like, that's a set time. But the other times I don't schedule it to the hour, but I kind of like have an idea of when I'm going to go. So the gym is not the hardest thing. So I would always say, like, get the hardest thing out of the way first. Which is why, for example, I schedule my runs. I try to do it first thing in the morning because I know that I'll like, put it off and put it off and put it off and then it, like, won't happen. So that's something that I will schedule. But now that the gym has been a habit for me, like, I know that I can put in a full work day and still go to the gym because it's something that I want to do. It's now like part of. That's almost my reward at the end of the day. So. But like I said, if that's harder for you, then I would schedule it. Get the hardest thing out of the way done. Or if you, you can't and you like have to go after work, for example, then bring your stuff with you. Don't go home and sit down on the couch because as soon as you do, you're done. You're not gonna do it. You're not like. Or I'd be like, oh, I gotta eat dinner. And then I like, no, just go, have, have like a quick snack, bring your workout stuff with you and go straight there. And that's what I often do when I am working as well during the week. Like, I'll just go straight from work and my day isn't done until I get home from the gym. You know what I mean? So That's. Those are some systems that I implement. And then as for, like, programming. Yeah. I follow a program, and I do the same thing literally every week. Like, my. My workout program hasn't changed in a year. It's just, like, things that, like, whether the weight gets varied or the. The style in which I do that exercise is slightly different to keep variation, but it's. It's. Yeah. Simple, not easy, I guess.
- [15:36]
Alyssa
Oh, I like that. Simple, not easy. That's great. So it does help you have a system for your exercise. I know we were kind of getting into gratitude. You said you practice it throughout the day. Do you ever. Like, if you're going to bed at night and you haven't found yourself practicing gratitude? Are you like, oh, what am I grateful for today? Or what was good today that I'm grateful for?
- [16:03]
Christina
Yeah, I do. I try to think about that. And, like, now I'm. I'm. I've moved my journal into shameless. Plug my journal. So it kind of, like, it asks you at the end of the week. You can also do it at the end of the day to celebrate three wins. How did things go? How did I support my goals this week? Stuff like that. So I've been doing that, but I find I'll just do it within mindfulness, too. Like, if I'm putting on my makeup in the morning and, like, my concealer is going on well, and it's not. It's not. It's not grabbing on, like, dry patches. I'm like, oh, I'm having a good skin day. Let's, like, be grateful. Stuff like that. And, I mean, I would love to hear what. What you do, because I feel like you. You inspired me to do it years ago. So thanks.
- [16:50]
Alyssa
That's really cool.
- [16:51]
Christina
And then how it. How it does translate to your style and your shopping, because I think what you guys are gonna. I think the underlying theme here is we're all sort of choosing our different form hard and doing something that you think you couldn't do or having doubts when you started and then showing yourself that you could do it. That's where that inner confidence comes from and how you learn to be proud of yourself and carry yourself differently. And then, like you said, Alyssa, I think that's when it's either you build the confidence to take risks in your wardrobe to try a different outfit combination, or to even just realize, like, maybe I don't need that thing, or, like, I can acknowledge that I like this, but I know that this isn't for me, and I'm Strong enough to say no to it. And I know that something better is going to come along. So I think it also, not only does it help you in getting dressed and how you carry yourself, but I think it also helps you resist temptation and, like, know when to say yes versus no.
- [17:53]
Alyssa
Yeah, you put that so well that, Yeah, I feel like there's not much more to add, but it's, it's bringing in that self confidence. I think the biggest piece is the ability to say no because we live in a world of yes where everything is convenient and accessible. And I think we also have, perhaps because of our environment and how difficult everything is. For most people these days, it's easy to justify purchases and shopping by saying, like, oh, I've had a rough day or I've had a rough week. This is self care. You know, this is self care. I'm going to treat myself. And sometimes I think that's valid and real, but I think that's where those, these things like gratitude and journaling center, like, they help you stay more grounded in those moments than if you haven't been setting yourself up in that way every day. So, you know, because we need, in order to say no to things that are really appealing and attractive, we need to have very strong. We need to be in a very strong and solid emotional and mental state. And like, I don't know about you, but I'm rarely in that, like, unless I'm just coming off of a run or something. Like, yeah, the world is crazy. Like, we don't.
- [19:27]
Christina
I know.
- [19:27]
Alyssa
And for people with kids, like, I don't even know how they function and also take care of other humans. Like, so, yeah, no. Do you know what I mean? So I think the majority of us do not have the emotional capacity to say, to fulfill ourselves and be like, I don't need the thing right now because I'm okay. Like you said, I'm going to be okay without it. So that's where the gratitude and the journaling and the exercise and the eating well, which we can talk about and the spending time with friends who fill you up or being solitary, which also can fill you up. I think this is why it's really important to practice these unsexy bits of self care because I think I'm just repeating what you said.
- [20:15]
Christina
Well, go for it.
- [20:17]
Alyssa
But it, but it kind of. That's it. It just acts as, you know, starting yourself off from a place of strength to know that you are enough without the thing.
- [20:30]
Christina
And I think also what it does help do at least what it's helped me. I've noticed this in the past, like in 2025, because I think I still struggled a lot with living in scarcity and always thinking that this wasn't enough or I'm going to miss out or I just need that. I just need that one more thing or, you know, stuff like that. But now I find it's. Not only do I feel more comfortable when I do say no to something and just let it bypass, but when I open up my wardrobe, I really, truly feel like I don't have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. I have plenty to wear and I'm excited to wear it. And I haven't felt that in a long time here and there, but just maybe not in a long time. But as profoundly as I feel it now, like, I feel very, very settled. That's exciting. That's a very exciting thing to just be like, you know what? I do have good taste. I am confident about all the things that I bought. I'm excited to wear it and I'm not overwhelmed by it. I think that is a nice, nice place to be. And I, I feel like practicing that gratitude and shifting hobbies and things like that has helped a lot. But the gratitude, definitely and that mindset shift of nothing to wear, to look at all this great stuff that I have to wear and let me play, Let me, Let me play dress up. Yeah, just play. I think that is so much fun.
- [22:03]
Alyssa
Yeah. Yeah. I think gratitude is such a good. I mean, like I said, it's. Yeah, it's probably one of my favorite tools for self care and it, it definitely is. I think for me, the biggest thing that helped transform scarcity to abundance in my head just very, very slowly. Overnight. Not. Not overnight. Sorry, I should say, like, yeah, over time. Over time. But it really helps. You journal in your journal. Do you journal every day?
- [22:37]
Christina
Yeah, I do.
- [22:38]
Alyssa
Okay.
- [22:39]
Christina
Yeah.
- [22:39]
Alyssa
That's great. At the end of the day or the beginning of the day?
- [22:42]
Christina
It depends. Um, you probably. Usually in the morning, I like to do that with like a coffee even just like. Yeah. Having a more slow morning. It doesn't happen on the days that I go to work because I'm still. That one that I'm still working on. But even taking like an extra 15 minutes to make a coffee and like even journal for five.
- [23:00]
Alyssa
Yes.
- [23:01]
Christina
It just gets, like, it just gets the shit out of your head and.
- [23:04]
Alyssa
Yeah.
- [23:05]
Christina
Like, I always thought that I could just have it in my mind floating, but no, like, you need somewhere to process that. Yeah.
- [23:12]
Alyssa
Because thoughts are so nebulous. Even the ones that you don't want to. Even the ones that you don't feel a need to remember. Like, half of the stuff that I journal has. No, it's not stuff that I want to remember or particularly even, like, sometimes even process. It's just like a. Oh, I'm having these thoughts and they're swimming around in my head. And like you said, like, if you don't get them out, then they're just going to keep taking up so much space. And then you don't have space for things, like you said, like creativity and play in our closets because we're so busy thinking about whatever. So journaling, even though it. It could seem maybe benign, that's a tougher. That's a tougher habit to get into. But I. I definitely agree. I think it. It can be very beneficial, even if it's just five minutes. Five minutes for, like, in the morning. I don't journal every day. I'll be totally honest. I tend to journal more when I'm going through, like, a turbulent time or if I'm really stressed. But I've. I've started. Oh, my God, did I do it today?
- [24:15]
Christina
Maybe I didn't.
- [24:16]
Alyssa
I've started meditating. Wow. Yeah. So I. Just. Five minutes, though. Just five minutes. I have a timer on my phone, and after I do my gratitude practice in the morning, it also takes five minutes because I'm not writing anything down. And then I do five minutes of meditation, and then I get out of bed.
- [24:33]
Christina
Do you have like a d. Is like a. Like a prompt? Or what do you do? Or you just lay in silence or, like, how do you do it?
- [24:41]
Alyssa
Oh, I. Well, I'm sitting because I've already sat up for my gratitude, so I'm. I'm like, sit. I just sit in my bed, and then I have my phone. I have to get up to get my phone, and then I just put the timer on right away. It's like one. It's like, you know, it becomes like your body just becomes conditioned. So it's like you wake up. Gratitude, meditation workout.
- [25:00]
Christina
It just becomes something you do, which is awesome. Yeah.
- [25:04]
Alyssa
Yeah, definitely. It's not always successful, though. Like, it's like half the time I'm thinking about, like, what do I have to do today and why respond to this person? And that's okay too. Like, yeah, it's rarely, like, ooh, silence in my brain.
- [25:20]
Christina
Yes. Yeah. Agree.
- [25:22]
Alyssa
Yeah. And I hope this episode. Oh, my God. I have to say, like, I think, you know, we're talking about all these little things. And to Christina's point, I think you said this at the beginning. It's like you just start with one small thing that you want to add and then you can stack and build it. There's this. Oh my God. Have you seen it? I don't know if I'll be able to find it. It's. It's this amazing. Oh, no, I will. It's this reel by a comedian who. She like, she wakes up and she's got like her hair in a thing and she's got a face mask and she goes, this is my morning routine. I wake up at 1am because I'm better than you. Then I do my five minute meditation and starts and then I take off my thing and then she's like. And it's 7am And I'm ready the morning.
- [26:06]
Christina
Yeah. Yeah.
- [26:09]
Alyssa
So like, this is not at all, not at all like, you see, like, I don't know. My. My morning routine is like 10 minutes long for. For gratitude and meditation. Journaling. Sometimes you can only do your best. Right? So.
- [26:24]
Christina
Yeah.
- [26:24]
Alyssa
I just wanted to put that caveat in there as we're talking about this.
- [26:28]
Christina
Yeah. And neither of us jump into an ice bath. Did you know?
- [26:35]
Alyssa
Yeah. No, no. Although you know what? Last year was it. Last year at this time, I was ending my showers with like a minute of cold.
- [26:44]
Christina
Oh my God. I literally could only live tried it. And I last like five seconds. Like, I cannot really hard.
- [26:51]
Alyssa
Have you ever been to other ships?
- [26:53]
Christina
Yes, I have. And I, I went in and I'm like, nope. And then we tried it a second time where people were like rooting for me. I made it for like 10 seconds. Okay. And doing one session at other ship is like $50. So I spent $50 to just not chill. I couldn't do it.
- [27:10]
Alyssa
Okay.
- [27:10]
Christina
So my nervous system, I get that benefit to teach your nervous system that you're like, okay, but with discomfort. I could not. Okay, G. I. I'll take any other kind of discomfort, like, you know, pushing myself through a run, lifting a little heavier, whatever. But the ice bath, I could not.
- [27:29]
Alyssa
I could not ice baths. The only thing that got me through the ice bath is okay. But actually here's another one that we didn't have on our. On our little list was breathing. The only thing that got me through the other ship. I spell was.
- [27:46]
Christina
Yeah.
- [27:47]
Alyssa
Was breathing. Like practicing breathing. And I've. I've fallen out of practicing breathing. I do it now when I need to refocus on my meditation. Like If I. If my brain is wandering, then I breathe. I do the kind where you breathe in for. I think it's called box breathing. I don't know. You breathe in.
- [28:07]
Christina
It's like you breathe in for four seconds. Seven. Okay.
- [28:11]
Alyssa
I feel like it's seven or eight, and then I hold for four and then I breathe out for anything over eight counts. Like the, the exhale is always longer than the inhale. That's all I. That's my.
- [28:23]
Christina
Yeah. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for four and exhale slowly for four.
- [28:29]
Alyssa
Oh, okay, cool. So, yeah, so I've done. Yeah, I tend to do my inhales a little longer, but then the exhale is like long. But yeah, breathing. Breathing was immensely helpful. Especially like post divorce, when I couldn't sleep. Breathing was.
- [28:47]
Christina
Yeah.
- [28:47]
Alyssa
If. I don't know if you have insomnia or if anyone who is not sleeping, that, that little breathing technique was a savior for me. And I think breathing techniques is self care because we forget about it and.
- [29:01]
Christina
Sleep is self care.
- [29:02]
Alyssa
Right. Sleep huge. Okay. Should we talk? I sleep. Okay, here, look, here's my confession. I have been obsessed with sleep since I was like five. You know, when you're little and your parents, like, I love. I'm one of those people who's been living like. I don't want to. I don't want to say like an octogenarian because, like, there's octogenarians who like party until 2am So I don't know. But like, I've always, I've always been like a nest obsessed with sleep. So you know when you, your parents are putting you to bed when you're little in the summer and it's still light out, so you're like, man, I want to go to bed. I was like, yes, man. Like, let's go.
- [29:49]
Christina
To me in the summer, as in.
- [29:51]
Alyssa
I need my sleep. If I'm an. Like, if I'm an adult now, as an adult, to me, there is some nights in the summer when I'm really tired. There is nothing more indulgent than getting into bed when the sun is just setting at like, like, I'm sorry, but to me, like, that, that means I'm on vacation. If I'm going to bed, the sun is still up. Not because it's 6am but because it's 8pm I am like, yes, I have.
- [30:19]
Christina
So are you like a super early riser? Are you like up at 5am Yeah.
- [30:23]
Alyssa
I used to be. And then after the divorce, it took me A long, long time to get back to the 6am like even in high school I remember I would be up. I would do like 6am spin classes in high school. Like, wow.
- [30:37]
Christina
I love.
- [30:38]
Alyssa
No, but like I love, I love sleep. I need eight hours. It's been really tough Christina, over the. With the past two years with the divorce when I wasn't sleeping. Like, yeah, anyway, you need your eight hours if you can. Sleep is huge. I'm obsessed. Nighttime routine is not just for fancy YouTube videos. I actually think even the simplest nighttime routine is like, can help you fall asleep faster. Do you have one? Do you have a nighttime routine?
- [31:10]
Christina
No. Yeah, that's one thing I gotta work on because I find, yeah, my like sleep hygiene is not. Not great in the sense of. Yeah, you should not be on screens like two hours before and like, nope, definitely on it. You know, stuff like that. So yeah, I find that's something I would like to disconnect from especially because just. Yeah, the world feels so in like more inflammatory than ever lately. And I'd love to get into a little bit more like reading or something that like from a proper book. Because if you follow me on my channel then you know, like, I prefer like audiobooks the most. But I think there's so much value in just like being able to like slow down and give your attention to like physical pages as opposed to absorbing things through content and on your phone and we're on screens all day and then our idea of downtime is going on a smaller screen. What's your nighttime routine?
- [32:02]
Alyssa
I read. Well, I read, I read. Although. Okay, I'm not. Full disclosure. This doesn't happen every night. Like there have been nights where I'll work up until 9:30 and then just go to bed, which is not great.
- [32:17]
Christina
I can't do. I find that like that was my week all last week. But like, aren't you so wired even though you're so tired, but then you're just. Yeah, can't. And that's like when the worst times of falling asleep.
- [32:29]
Alyssa
100% because you're like so. Yeah. In it. I think what I, what I did. So my, my nighttime routine, which I've sort of just rediscovered is I'll put a candle on beside my bed and I'll read my book. So even, even if I. So even, like if it's bedtime at 9:30, I would still. Or 10. Like even if it's late and I know I have to sleep, I would still light the candle for a minute and like hold my eyes just Be like, I can't do that.
- [33:00]
Christina
Yeah, don't sleep with the candle on, please.
- [33:02]
Alyssa
Yeah, no, so that I would just blow the candle and be like, okay, just trying. But I would try. I would try to still maintain at least, like, the physical act of doing those things.
- [33:14]
Christina
Yeah. Because it's kind of a cue for your body too. Right, right. That helps. Yeah.
- [33:18]
Alyssa
Yeah. So that's. That's the nighttime routine. But I have been a bit concerned with lighting a candle beside my bed because, like, the sheets and the duvet and it's like, wait a minute. When is this, like, catches fire?
- [33:29]
Christina
Yeah, yeah.
- [33:32]
Alyssa
Maybe I'm gonna rethink this one. But it's so beautiful and peaceful.
- [33:37]
Christina
I'm not a candle person. I should. I should try that.
- [33:40]
Alyssa
Yeah, yeah, try it.
- [33:42]
Christina
No, I don't know. I don't even. We don't even own a candle.
- [33:45]
Alyssa
Oh, my gosh. I must get you one.
- [33:47]
Christina
See? Minimalist. Ish. I have a big closet. Then I don't own other things.
- [33:51]
Alyssa
So there you go. But you don't. If you don't want and you don't, like, that's okay. Yeah, that's it. Yeah. You're balanced. Also sexy. Everyone looks good in candlelight.
- [34:01]
Christina
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [34:02]
Alyssa
You know, I'm just saying.
- [34:05]
Christina
So, like, all these habits, no matter how, no matter what you choose to do, what you choose to adopt, how. How has it translated to. To your closet? The meditation, the. The journaling, the gratitude, the running, eating while sleeping. What do you think?
- [34:23]
Alyssa
What a great question. Bringing us right back on track. I think. Well, like you said, that confidence piece, although I've never seen it that way. I think. I just think all of these things in confluence, whether you do them a little or whether you do two out of the several that we've spoken about, they ground you mentally. But also when you're in a good physical state, you just have better judgment. And I think, like you said, you have an easier time showing up for yourself and thinking of future you. Because if we think about impulse purchases and if we think of shopping in an unhealthy way or having an unhealthy relationship with shopping, that usually stems from not being in a physical condition that we're happy with or just not feeling right in our bodies. We're tired, we're stressed, we're anxious. So I think it's really about creating an environment that simply allows you to be more connected with who you are intuitively and also physically. And then when you're in that state, you are harder to manipulate from Like a marketing perspective, right? You have a little bit more agency and a little bit more sovereignty over yourself and your decisions. So I think that's at least for me, that's. And it's not just shopping. It's like all things, but particularly for those of us who do like fashion and like feeling like expressing ourselves through clothes. I think that's what it. That's how it really translates. It just sets us up to make better decisions.
- [36:07]
Christina
I love that. I think that was perfect way to end out this episode.
- [36:12]
Alyssa
Okay, great, great. Thanks, Christina.
- [36:15]
Christina
Thank you.
- [36:16]
Alyssa
That was a great conversation. I learned a lot.
- [36:18]
Christina
Yeah, I loved that. I loved learning a little bit more about what you do for self care and your routine. So very inspiring. So let us know in the comments. Something that you do for yourself that you feel like has translated to how you feel about yourself, how you dress, and even how you shop. Let us know in the comments on YouTube and if you're listening on Spotify, Apple, don't forget to rate to podcast. It really helps us out. And we'll see you next week. Yes, thanks for listening. Thanks for watching.
- [36:48]
Alyssa
Ciao Ciao.
- [36:50]
Sina
Thank you so much for joining in our conversation this week. If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple and leave us a rating and review. It's one of the best ways to support the Sustain this podcast at zero cost to you.
- [37:07]
Christina
We're also a community led podcast, so if you have any questions for us, topic requests, or even guests you want to hear from, please send us a DM on Instagram @ Sustain this Underscore podcast. We read all of our comments and look forward to hearing from you.
- [37:20]
Alyssa
We hope you join us again next Tuesday where we'll talk about so much more than clothes. Ciao.