6 Conscious Acts to Calm the Chaos & Improve Mental Wellbeing
Few are immune to life’s daily stressors, so we at Beyond Storage have put together 6 achievable ways to calm the feelings of chaos and support mental wellbeing when the cacophony reaches fever pitch.
1. Recharge
We’re so busy in the daytime with work, being parents, running errands, doing chores, being well-rounded, functioning adults - the list goes on. Introduce calm to your day, even if it’s just for an hour, by creating a new evening routine that allows you to reconnect with yourself and what really matters.
This time can be just for you, shared with your partner or with your children, or even your pets - whatever works to make you feel settled.
If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few ideas to get you inspired:
- Enjoy a hot drink in your favourite mug
- Put your comfies on
- Write a sentence summarising your thoughts for the day in a notebook or journal
- Read a book
- Enjoy the fresh, evening air - weather permitting!
- Light candles
- Connect with your loved ones
- Listen to a podcast
However you decide to unwind, try and stick roughly to the same times every evening. Continue the calm into the nighttime with our 5 simple tips for a better bedtime.
2. De-stress in fresh & functional spaces
We can get complacent with our rooms and spaces - “that’s how it’s always been!” But that doesn’t mean the current layout is functional or makes the best use of the space, both of which are key to ensuring a room is a conduit for calm.
Be invigorated by a new perspective and rearrange an area of your home in a way that really works for you.
Depending on the quantity and size of your furniture, it can double up as a decent bit of exercise, too. Winner!
Tape measures and dusters at the ready.
3. Negate the niggle
Whether it’s in the forefront or back of your mind, it’s brain space worth freeing up! So do that one thing you’ve been putting off for a little or long while to kickstart the calm and boost your mental wellbeing.
And no matter how small it is, it’s another thing to tick off your to-do list at the end of the day - so satisfying!
Tip!
Be kind to yourself. Whether it’s a pat on your own back, something nice for dinner or a long bath, don’t let small victories go unrewarded.
4. Happy scrolling
For better or worse, we spend a lot of time on social media.
Given that it takes up so much room in our minds every single day, it’s important to remove it from the list of daily stressors and ensure that our social media feeds are balanced, of value to us and make us feel good.
Take a hard, honest look at your social media feeds. Are you inspired? Do you feel empowered and confident? Are you learning something new? Do they make you laugh? If you’re unable to answer yes to some of these questions, it might be time for a social media deep clean.
And that’s not to say that we should banish all content that challenges us and encourages us to think outside the box or our comfort zone: find a good balance and follow accounts consciously to omit the social media feed from the daily chaos instigators.
5. Declutter to destress
While we can all attest to the benefits of a tidy, well organised space on our mental wellbeing, you’d be forgiven for breaking into a sweat on hearing the word “declutter”: our minds throw us back to the last time we thought a declutter was a good idea but found ourselves standing amongst more mess and madness than there had been previously and wondering why we’d ever started.
But hear us out - this is calming, sans-skip, small-scale decluttering!
Focus on one area at a time, be it a cupboard, a corner, a shelf, any little bit of your home that you haven’t had a good rummage in for a while. You’ll be surprised by how much you own that you don’t need, want or even like, and once you’re rid of it, just how much it weighed you down.
If you need a helping hand or some general principles to abide by when decluttering, take a look at our blog post about Marie Kondo and the life changing magic of tidying up. If you want to make an even bigger dent in your clutter, why not try our Marie Kondo-inspired 30 Day Room Declutter Challenge?
Remember!
Where possible, avoid the bins skips and tips: recycle, sell, rehome or gift!
6. Reconnect
One of the most important things to remember when things start to feel a bit much is that we all have these moments. Take the time to reconnect with a friend or family member that you haven’t spoken to in a while, not just to check in with them, but to check in with yourself.
It’s amazing how grounding a few kind words and shared laughs can be!
For more great ways to encourage daily mental wellness, take a look at Beyond’s 30 self-care methods.
“Have you seen the new neighbours?!” 8 ways to welcome garden wildlife into your outdoor spaces.
Creating a welcoming environment in our gardens for wildlife such as birds, insects and other animals not only benefits our friendly neighbourhood critters, it can also be a fun and rewarding activity - both the creating and subsequent garden watching! Here are our 8 favourite ways to become garden wildlife’s new best friend:
1. Let it grow!
The uncut lawn: one of nature’s rarest and richest wildlife habitats. But before committing to jungle life, a small area of overgrown lawn will do! Cultivating this mini wilderness will be a big draw for little mammals like shrews and voles because it offers a banquet of tasty insects and protection from predators.
If you want to entice some larger foragers, a pile of dead wood encourages beetles and grubs which will do just the trick!
Take it one step further and leave a patch of flowering weeds like daisies, buttercups and dandelions - they’re great food sources for butterflies.
2. Hungry beasts
The way to any garden mammal’s heart is through their stomach.
Badgers and squirrels will eat unsalted nuts and seeds, fruit and root veggies. Hedgehogs are a little pickier, but you can buy special feed from most garden suppliers.
Believe it or not, milk and bread are big no-no's when it comes to feeding wildlife as they cause digestive problems!
3. Wildflower Power
Bees and butterflies alike love wildflowers and they’ve never been easier to introduce to your garden! You can purchase readymade wildflower packs which you can sow straight into soil, and pre-seeded mats that make germination even easier.
Big or small, any patch of your garden will do, and the best time to sow these little gems is in April.
Just remember to water them every now and then should the British weather pull a blinder and bless us all with an actual summer!
4. Just add water
One of the best things you can do for wildlife in your garden is provide them with a water source.
A pond, even a small one, in a not-too-sunny, not-too-shady spot will be the best and quickest way to diversify your garden ecosystem. It’ll make a welcoming home for frogs and other amphibious wildlife (who enjoy shallower water than you think) and beautiful insects like dragonflies. Add plants like water lilies and pondweed to develop your underwater habitat and help prevent it from going stagnant.
And don’t think your tap or hose will have to do overtime. Collect rainwater in containers to top up your pond, or leave them as is! Water sources are essential for all wildlife, especially for birds in the winter.
5. Don't lock them out!
Leave gaps in your fences that are small enough to keep the dog in but big enough for animals like hedgehogs and frogs to discover your lovingly-made wildlife habitat - simple!
6. Make it their home
Another surefire way to draw wildlife into your garden is by introducing nesting boxes and houses, whether that be for birds, bats, hedgehogs or insects. You can either put something together yourself as they don’t need to be complicated, or buy something purpose build.
Store bought or DIY, even the simplest of shelters become safe homes for many animals that struggle to find natural nesting sites in the winter when conditions are harsh (I’m talking about the British weather again aren’t I?).
Hedgehogs especially need a safe place to hibernate through the cold months. Fancy taking on a DIY project? The Wildlife Trusts have a fantastic step-by-step guide of how to build a hedgehog home.
For bird boxes, make sure they’re installed in a high, sheltered area away from common predators such as cats, and provide them with fat balls in the spring and seeds in the winter to keep them safe, fat, and happy.
Insect houses provide nesting sites for solitary bees and insects. You can make your own simple bee house using reed or bamboo of varying lengths between 4-10cm tied together, or you can buy a commercially-made bee pad.
7. The Hedge, Birds Nest Lane, Birdville, BB1 1RD
Not in the mood for DIY? Let nature build a home instead!
Hedges offer great sheltered nesting areas for birds and small animals. There are loads of suitable hedge plants to choose from, but winter honeysuckle and hawthorn not only make great hedges, their perfumed blooms are perfect for bees, too.
8. Bee-utiful flowers!
Most people are now privy to the importance and the plight of our bees, so do your bit by planting some of their favourite flowers.
Bees can see blue and purple more clearly than other colours, so blue and purple varieties of rhododendrons, alliums and chives, geraniums and lavender are great places to start! Not only are they all hardy perennial (they’ll bloom every year) plants, they’re relatively easy to grow.
Geraniums also form good-sized clumps of flowers in a short space of time, which is sure to get pollination off to a buzzing start.
Top tip: wild windowsills!
You don’t need a garden to befriend garden wildlife. All the flowers mentioned above can be grown in containers to adorn a small outside space or reside on windowsills.
What are your tried and tested garden wildlife hacks? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
More about the aesthetic? Check out our blog post for smart ways to brighten up your garden.
And if you’re keen to bring the jungle indoors, we've got a blog post for that too! Read all about the benefits of plants in the home here.
“I can use it for what now?!” - Beyond’s 5 Alternative Uses for the Humble Self-Storage Container
While the purpose of a self-storage container might seem pretty self-explanatory, there are so many other ways that you can make use of what is essentially an additional space to call your own. We at Beyond Storage have put together a list of some of the most interesting and creative alternative uses for self-storage containers - but don’t let your imagination stop at number 5!
1. Gym
Not everyone is able to establish a home gym. Give your chest, triceps, back and biceps the love they deserve and create your perfect gym in a self-storage container. Whether it’s space or a bit of peace and quiet you’re lacking, the units have both in abundance!
Many come packed with useful features. Our containers are accessible from 6am to 9pm 7 days a week and the site is secured by a fingerprint scanning system. Not only can you use your gym as and when it suits you, but expensive equipment is kept safe and secure.
The only downside is you’ll be without an excuse to skip leg day!
2. Photography or art studio
Self-storage containers are blank canvases of four walls and endless possibilities, making them ideal for photography and art studios. You’ll have absolute control over the conditions and layout of the space to ensure it’s the perfect conductor of creativity.
You could install backdrops, create the ideal lighting setup, store photography props and artworks, and curate a segregated, flexible space that’s all your own.
3. Office
Begin to establish the work-life balance we all strive for in an office space that works for you.
Working from a storage-unit-turned-office has loads of benefits over the at-home alternative. There are no interruptions or distractions, everything you need is kept securely in one place and you’re able to switch-off from work at the end of the day.
Ours units have WiFi, are insulated and have a dehumidifier as standard, making them as comfortable a space to work from as any.
Remind yourself of the true meaning of home time!
4. Hobby space
A self-storage container is the perfect vessel to dedicate to the things that bring you joy - whatever they might be.
Store your antiques, curate a display of collectibles or merchandise or install your full gaming setup all in one secure place.
The only limit is the unit size required for your equipment, memorabilia or collectibles - current or aspiring!
5. Cosy meet-up space
If you’re anything like us at Beyond Storage, you’ll appreciate the beauty of a good cuppa and chinwag.
Kit your unit out with all the comforts you’d expect from a cosy living room or your favourite quaint coffee shop for the perfect space to touch base with your nearest and dearest.
Whatever you envisage using a self-storage container for, we’d love to hear about it! Visit our website for more information about our units or get in touch with us directly.
Interested in more self-storage shenanigans? Here are 5 of the strangest things ever found in storage units.
Better Together: 10 Home Activities to Entertain the Whole Family
When you’re stuck at home for any reason, be it the weather, school holidays or to save money, keeping the kids busy and entertained can be a challenge - and adults need some stimulation too! So the Beyond Storage team has come up with 10 ideas to entertain children and adults alike, all the while bringing the family closer together.
1. Take online classes together
Learning and growing as a family unit can be really rewarding. With so many free online classes and tutorials available to us now for just about anything, there’s no better time to expand on your skills and knowledge - together!
Whether it’s yoga to find your zen and up your fitness, baking to have fun and fill tummies, or art classes to inspire you and get creative, you’ll definitely find something that everyone can enjoy.
2. Junk crafts
You would be astonished what kids can make out of things that would ordinarily be on their way to the recycling bin. These items can include toilet and kitchen roll tubes, cereal boxes, sweet wrappers, crisp packets, and basically anything you can rinse/give a wipe down ready for crafting!
We especially love the idea of making mosaics, collages and stained glass window designs out of wrappers. Just chop them up into lots of little pieces and shapes and provide the glue sticks and paper. Their imagination will do the rest!
3. Run an in-house restaurant
Set up your own restaurant at home and bring dining out in. It’ll be the first time ever that kids enjoy setting the table!
Even if it’s cushions on the floor around the coffee table, you can make a space special. Hang some fairy lights, put some music on and even dress for the occasion. For that extra touch, kids can design the menus or you can work on them together, and don’t forget to include a starter, main and dessert (and if you have a laminator, it’s time to put it to good use!).
Now, I know you’re thinking “wow that’s a lot of cooking!”, but it doesn’t have to be. Pick a rough date in advance so you can freeze leftovers in re-heatable portions ready to serve.
Most importantly, keep the food simple: as long as bellies are full and spirits are high, it’s all about the novelty of the occasion!
4. Treasure hunt
The humble treasure hunt is by no means a new concept, but it’s easy to set up, fun, can cost nothing. If you’re fortunate enough to have private access to an outside space, it's also a great opportunity to get some fresh air.
Do you know what’s possibly more fun than watching kids frantically hunt for treasure? Watching dogs hunt for treats. We really did mean it when we said “the whole family”.
5. Create a family tree
This is a great way to feel closer to family that you aren’t able to see very often, or if they’re sadly no longer with us.
Dig out some old photographs and reminisce together, or alternatively you can print them out. Stick them to a family tree that you’ve designed and drawn on a piece of paper, or even devote a whole wall to it if you have the space!
You can even add extra detail such as a phrase they always say, favourite holidays you went on together, where they live and what reminds you of them.
Once you’re done, don’t forget to take a picture and share it with your family, especially those who might be on their own!
6. Make a blanket fort
Another classic, but there’s no beating a good ol’ blanket fort!
Once you have a few chairs or other stable objects to drape blankets and duvets over, it’s up to you how elaborately or simply you furnish it. Use blankets, cushions and fairy lights to make it extra cosy.
This little space is great for reading, playing, watching a movie or even having some downtime. If you’ve grown-up and forgotten the wonders of the blanket fort, try it for yourself, we won’t tell!
7. Play dress-up
With a new season upon us, it’s as good a time as any to declutter and organise your wardrobe, but think again before casting out your unwanted clothes, shoes and accessories.
Take the dress-up box to the next level and get your craft on to redesign the clothes, come up with fun costumes using them or even put on a fashion show. Dressing up and being silly never goes out of fashion.
8. Make a home cinema
Who doesn’t love sitting down with the family to watch a movie? Make this time extra special by turning your living room, or any room, into a home cinema. It'll be just as exciting as the real thing but infinitely cheaper!
Pick a film in advance that no one’s seen and shuffle some furniture around as best as you can so that you’re all snuggled up together in the middle of the room. All that's left to do is grab the popcorn, switch off the lights, and enjoy the cinema experience from the comfort of your own home.
If you want to go all out, there are some relatively affordable mini projectors on the market that might be worth investing in. Even after two uses they pay for themselves with the money you would have spent on otherwise going out to the cinema!
Fancy watching your film alfresco? Check out our guide on how to create your own outdoor cinema!
9. Watch live zoo cams
You can now watch all your favourite animals live from zoos across the globe! You’re able to tune into a variety of different animal enclosures and see what they’re up to right this second.
Make a day of it and include other activities, such as dressing up as your favourite animals, finding interesting facts or drawing which animals would be in your perfect zoo.
Our current favourites are the San Diego and Edinburgh Zoo and Cincinnati Zoo has a great page of activities for when the kids are at home.
10. Stargazing
Clue up on all the constellation and asterism greats such as Orion’s Belt and the Big Dipper, wait for a clear night and set your gaze upon the sky.
To make the most out of your stargazing night, check beforehand which constellations and star clusters will be visible in your location and if there might be astronomical events taking place. You can find lots of tips and visual indicators online to help you spot the starry figures.
If you have an outdoor space where you can lay down blankets and cushions, even better, but clear nights can be chilly, so wrap up in something comfortable and warm. Bring along snacks and a round of hot chocolate for a Spring night to remember!
Whatever you decide to get up to, the most important thing is that you’re able to spend quality time with your family in the safety and comfort of your home. Let us know if this inspired you to try one of the activities, we’d love to see your family’s take on it!
Looking for grown-ups-only activities? Check out our blog posts for handy living room storage hacks, 3 brilliant ideas to create the perfect outdoor space and some kitchen storage tips for the perfect cooking environment!
5 Household Items Essential for your Spring Clean
We’ve all been there: organising your belongings and having a good clear out might be just what you need to free up space in your home and mind, but it can also reveal a build-up of undetected dirt and grime.
With Spring around the corner, crack open a window and let that still-actually-chilly fresh air in while we give you a run down of 5 items that you may already have around your home to make your Spring Clean a breeze!
1. Vinegar
No Spring Clean would be complete without this potent natural cleaner. Malt or white vinegar, you don’t need to worry about releasing harmful chemicals into the environment or keeping it out of reach of children. Not to mention it’ll save you money over various bottles of bleach, antibacterial spray and other cleaning products! (Psst - while malt vinegar is cheaper, use white vinegar if you’re cleaning fabrics!)
Here are some of our favourite uses for vinegar as a cleaner:
- Create an all-purpose surface cleaner by filling a spray bottle with vinegar and adding citrus peels and herbs of your choice. Allow this concoction to sit for two weeks, strain it, and enjoy your lovely scented vinegar infusion made out of entirely natural resources!
- Keep soap scum, limescale and mildew in your washing machine at bay. Every few weeks, pour a pint of white vinegar straight into your washing machine and put it on an empty full cycle. It’ll get to work cutting through the grime, all the while disinfecting your appliance.
- Wipe down your stainless steel surfaces and appliances with oil on a cloth to begin lifting stains, then follow it with a cloth dampened with vinegar to remove any residue. Watch your surfaces sparkle!
2. Oils
Used in cooking, beauty regimes and now for cleaning, oils are multipurpose superheroes! While they may not contain antibacterial properties, they’re amazing at lifting stubborn grime for that preliminary clean - minimum elbow grease required.
- For dirty bathroom surfaces, oil will get into those hard to reach nooks and crannies. Add oil to a spray bottle and spritz over surfaces, finishing with a round of soapy water - simple!
- Get your greasy cooker-hood gleaming by buffing the surface with a cloth and coconut oil. All the hard work is done for you, just simply finish off with your all purpose vinegar cleaner and you’re ready to go.
3. Lemons
When life gives you lemons, up your cleaning game! A natural, gentle disinfectant that fits in the palm of your hand, the humble lemon is an unsung ambassador for safe but effective cleaning throughout your home.
- Dried-on food spots in your microwave? Fill a microwavable bowl with 400ml of water and half a lemon and set the microwave for 3 minutes on full power. After the 3 minutes are up, leave the door closed for a further 5 minutes and let that lemony steam get to work. All you’ll need to do then is give it a good wipe down, minimum effort required.
- For hard-water stains in your shower, cut a lemon in half, dip it in coarse salt and get to work scrubbing at those stains. The acid in the lemon dissolves the buildup of limescale and other grime while the salt buffs it off.
- Clean and deodorise your smelly plastic containers by rubbing a lemon on the inside, or soaking it in a bit of lemon juice. It really is as easy as that!
4. Essential oils
Diffusers, move aside! Essential oils are in a multipurpose league of their own. Not only do they smell amazing, but they’re natural, potent and so versatile.
- Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil scent to your washing machine load to achieve fresh smelling laundry without the harmful chemicals.
- Basil is a natural antiseptic with anti-fungal properties. Dilute a few drops of basil oil with water and use it liberally on grimy tiles and grout, to spruce up your bathroom or kitchen.
- Create a customisable air freshener using only water, baking soda, and your essential oil of choice. Add water, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 15-20 drops of essential oil to a spray bottle and you’re ready to go! Natural never smelt so good.
5. Tools of the trade
All the points we’ve covered so far have focused on the items that do the cleaning, but you'd be surprised what handy cleaning utensils you'll find in your home that you may not have thought of!
Here are some natural alternatives and throwaway items we love to use for our spring clean:
- Cut up old, unwanted t-shirts to make the perfect cleaning rags. You’d be surprised how many rags you can get out of one t-shirt and best of all, you’ve not spent a penny and found a use for an item that otherwise would have been thrown away. Everybody wins!
- A tried and tested oldie but goodie, think again before throwing out your newspapers because they’ll make small work of cleaning your windows and mirrors. Introduce your old newspapers to your new best mate vinegar for a match made in sparkling-glass heaven!
- Put that old pumice stone you have lying around your bathroom to good use and scrub off stains in your tub and toilet - no harsh solvents necessary. Don’t forget to add a few drops of essential oil to your toilet as well!
Hopefully this has inspired you to add a natural spin on your Spring Clean and save money and shop runs in the process! If you’ve already tried some of these hacks, let us know!
Struggling to get organised? Check out our 30 Day Room Declutter Challenge - and no matter the grime you uncover, your new Spring Cleaning kit will have your back!
Beyond’s Self-Storage Tips For Packing Units Effectively
Self-storage is an easy and affordable way to get that extra space you need. Whether you see it as a short-term solution whilst you sort out a home move, or a longer-term option to help you downsize effectively without losing your precious items, self-storage gives you convenient access to your items at all times. Beyond Storage’s self-storage solutions are designed to make your storage experience as good as possible. However, before you can store your items, you need to pack everything up first!
Thankfully, we’ve created this blog to give you our top eight tips for packing, to help you make the most of your storage space and keep the items you are storing in the best possible condition for when you next need it.
1. Use dustsheets or blankets
Whether you are storing unused gadgets, technology or an extra wardrobe, you don’t want to come back to it covered in dust. Before storing anything, Beyond recommends wiping it down with a clean cloth (and polish if you have it to hand!) and then cover items with a dustsheet, blanket or sheets to prevent your stuff being damaged.
2. Use appropriate protection
When you pack your boxes, you need to make sure that items are not moving about and slipping around as you transport them. We always recommend using old newspapers, packing peanuts or spare bubble-wrap to help bolster your boxes, as they are pliable and not heavy. This is especially important for fragile or sharp objects.
3. Label every box
To make it easy for you to remember what you have and haven’t stored, you should label every single box clearly with a black marker pen to tell them apart. After all, nothing else could be worse than unstacking your careful tower to get to that bottom box and finding out it doesn’t actually have what you want in it.
4. Keep a list
Following on from the previous point, if you are going to put a lot of items in storage, you should be keeping a full itinerary of what items you put into storage.
5. Balance is key
When storing, you should apply basic principles of putting heavy items at the bottom, such as furniture or large objects. Stack items carefully and try and use similar size boxes in order to keep them from toppling over.
6. Use shelving
Although we don’t provide shelving as standard, because it takes up space, we do recommend that people look at investing in some free-standing shelves if they think they want to make the most of the vertical space in their unit. It also means you can make certain items more accessible than others, which is important if you have items that need to keep coming in and out.
7. Use drawers as extra storage spaces
If you are storing wardrobes, drawers or other similar items, you’ll have extra drawers, cupboards or shelves that you should be taking advantage of. Store smaller items inside of them and try and make note of where you leave items to make it easy to unload.
8. Swap items for seasonal needs
You won’t need your Christmas decorations in July and in the same way you won’t need your BBQ in the middle of winter. Swap your items accordingly, for when you need them.
For all your self-storage needs, get in touch today and start your storage journey with Beyond Storage today.
Beyond at Christmas: 2019 Opening Hours
It’s December already! With the year, (and the decade!) almost over, we’re sure you are all as excited as we are for the festive season. Whether you are busy stockpiling the Christmas dinner essentials, chasing around frantically for last-minute gifts, or just relaxing by the fire, we hope you have a wonderful time of year.
Of course, we know that for some people, you’ll still need to access your storage facilities with the usual assurance over the holidays.
We’re delighted to announce that our standard site opening hours won’t be changing over the festive season: 6am to 9pm seven days a week, so if you need to collect that snow shovel, you’ll only need to worry about getting to our site from the roads!
However, physical staff won’t be on-premise all the time – we like to give our little helpers a break!
With this in mind, please find our Christmas office opening hours below:
- Christmas Eve: 9am – 5pm
- Christmas Day: OFFICE CLOSED
- Boxing Day: OFFICE CLOSED
- Friday 27th: 9am – 5pm
- Saturday 28th: 9am- Midday
- Sunday 29th: OFFICE CLOSED
- Monday 30th: 9am – 5pm
- Tuesday 31st: 9am-5pm
- New Year’s Day: OFFICE CLOSED
From Thursday 2nd January, we’re back to business as usual: 9am-5:30pm on Monday to Friday and 9am to midday on Saturday. Please feel free to pop in and say hello – with the cold weather, we’ll always be up for sharing a cuppa to shelter from the blizzards and the rain!
On behalf of the entire Beyond Storage team, we’d also like to thank all of our customers and partners for their outstanding support and patronage during 2019 and across the decade. We've continued to strengthen our ties with local communities in the past 12 months, and they culminated in our fantastic Beyond Storage Family Fun Day in the summer, which allowed us to unveil the winner of #HomeIsWhereTheArtIs and raised a fantastic for St Michael's Hospice, one of our key charity partners. We’re always striving to go beyond in everything we do, to provide the best possible customer service and to maintain our reputation as England’s friendliest and most satisfying storage company.
We’ll be back again with more regular blog content in 2020, but for now, we wish everyone a happy holidays, a very Merry Christmas and hope you all enjoy your New Year celebrations.
See you in the next decade!
8 Hair-Raising Halloween Activities
Happy Halloween from Beyond Storage!
Whether you're looking to go out and have fun or fancy some spooktastic chill-out time at home this Halloween, here’s 8 great ways to have enjoy the festivities, no matter your age!
1 - Dance from Dusk till Dawn with a Fancy Dress Club Night
2 - Scream all night with a Horror Movie Marathon
3 - Get Down with Apple Bobbing
4 - Cook up a Halloween Feast
5 - Create a masterpiece with Pumpkin Carving
6 - Host your own Halloween Party
7 - Solve the riddle of a Murder Mystery Events
8 - Let fates guide you with Fortune Telling or Tarot Reading
Beyond's Top Makeup Hacks for a Hassle-Free Morning
Ah, mornings. That time of the day when the pressure is on, with a million things to get done in every aspect of your life. And staring you straight in the face is the gauntlet of getting perfect makeup done, so you can continue with your day as normal. With so little time, this can seem like an impossible feat.
However, with a sprinkling of tips and tricks up your sleeve, it can become possible to look and feel beautiful the part to take back control of your life, even on the most hectic morning. To help you out, we're sharing some of our best tips to make sure your makeup can be on-point, all day.
Go Beyond your Comfort Zone - Literally!
Don’t be afraid to step it up and go bold. Using contrasting colours, especially between your hair accessories and your makeup, can create a look that instantly pops. If you have dark hair, pair a bright yellow or blue headband or clips with pink lipstick or orange eyeshadow, and the complementary shades will bring out the best in each other.
Kiss your eyeliner goodbye.
Forget liquid eyeliner, eyebrow pens, and any other watery trends- liquid eyeshadow is now your new best friend. A lesser-known phenomenon which doesn’t get the respect it deserves, this is perfect for those perfectionists who want to make sure their makeup fits the shapes and curve of their faces down to a T. With liquid eyeshadow, the perfect cat-eye can be created as large and bold as you like, and the long periods spent labouring over getting your eyeliner just right are no longer needed when your entire lid is already clearly defined with a popping pink flick.
Mascara to the rescue!
If you’re still looking for a more dark and defined look but don’t have any eyeliner at hand, your mascara bottle may be able to do more for you than you think. Apply the wand horizontally in small increments along the edge of your eyelid, stroking the skin gently several times in short movements. This will produce a smoky, sultry look. Alternatively, take an old eyebrow pencil, coat the tip in mascara, and run it along your eyelid just as you would when applying eyeliner.
Flawless skin?
Considering the number of times you see plant-based influencers being answering questions about their favourite thing about cutting out dairy and they reply saying that eating fewer cakes and puddings cleared up their skin, there’s got to be something in the claim that both sugar and fat are our skin’s worst enemies. According to Dermatologist Avnee Shah M.D., the hormones and sugars found in milk products alone are known for flaring acne. As hard as it can be to cut tempting treats containing these things from our diets entirely, taking the plunge and going at least halfway can build the foundations to a creamier complexion.
Straight hair? Don’t care...
Because you’ve got a hidden curler ready to transform your look! We’ve all been there: you’re getting ready for a busy day and pining after curls but don’t have your curler at hand, and there’s nowhere near enough time to leave your hair in plaits for hours. Plait your hair into several thin, flat braids, and run them through a hair straightener at a tight setting. Undo the braids and watch perfectly crimped waves appear.
Do all of this, and you'll be a-okay for whatever you are doing that day! Whether you are off to work, or relaxing, you are sure to look great! Why not pop into our storage sites and show off your new style?
Beyond's Tips for Creating Space for Positive Mental Health
It’s a fact that life can be stressful, no matter how hard you try to stay calm. Whether it is personal worries, employment issues or any other myriad of problems, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. Although people are realising the importance of looking after their mental health in the 21st Century, they aren’t necessarily always creating the best environment to help their mental health flourish. With this in mind, we’ve created a shortlist of the best ways you can create a personal space to help generate that positive mindset.
Create a Neat and Tidy Area
When we look at clutter in our home, we feel stressed out because we realise clearing it all up and sorting it out is another task to do in the future. Unsurprisingly, this isn’t a great option for mental health! Try and find an area that is free of unwanted objects, and is arranged in an aesthetically pleasing, organised or neat manner. Without additional things to distract you, you’ll be able to focus on getting the most mindful benefits possible. If you’re worried about throwing out your belongings, then you can always store them away at one of our sites to help tidy up.
Fill It with Memories
If it all feels like it is getting too much, it’s worth reminding yourself how you are still here. Photos of loved ones and happy memories, or reminders such as souvenirs are a great way to bring your mind back to a better state and help you focus on the positive things in life. If you’d rather look forward, then put a calendar counting down to the specific memorable date and use each mental health session to cross off another day closer to your goal.
Add Greenery
It might be an old cliché, but plants really do brighten up a room. For starters, it can give you a sense of care and achievement. you can watch your tiny sprouts mature into beautiful flowers, or see your cactus triple in size. More importantly for mental health, you’ll be sucking out all that negative carbon dioxide and transforming it into healthy oxygen ready to give your breathing that boost it needs.
Let in Light
Natural light has tons of benefits for you – it warms up rooms in the summer giving you that vibrant feeling, it boosts moods by reminding you of longevity and life and helps you save money by switching off those artificial lamps. Although sometimes people can get overwhelmed if it is too bright, a good level of natural light can do wonders for easing anxiety, stress, and mental health.
Make it Comfy
Your mental health space should give you positive vibes and help you alleviate any tensions or burdens. No one wants to be trying to relax and unwind on hard wooden seats, or lumpy flooring. Give yourself access to ample amounts of blankets, pillows, sheets, quilts, throws, beanbags or whatever you think will help you relax to the maximum. If you want to help encourage the feeling of relaxation even more, then you can put some incense, candles or potpourri on a nearby shelf or table to help create the best ambiance.
These are just some starter tips to help you create the best zone to boost your mental health, but in truth, it should be all about what you want. And even if you are struggling with creating the best space in your home, you can always go outside to boost your mental health. Take a walk through the woods, a stroll through the village or even pop onto one of our sites for a friendly chat and a cup of tea! Whatever you choose to do, make sure that you are always putting your mental health first.