Things that made me feel human this week

After an unexpected 3 day hospital visit & two operations

Last week feels somewhat of a blur. At 2am on friday morning I was taken to the ER as a gallstone had got stuck in a place it shouldn’t be and as such required an emergency operation to remove it. On Saturday they decided to a second operation to remove my gallbladder completely. Needless to say after 3 days eating jello and having to wash myself with wet wipes, that first real shower back home felt all kinds of amazing.

I’m so grateful for the care I had, and while it genuinely feels like a great reminder how important my physical health (and mental health truly is) this week also had me appreciating the little things that got me through a rough couple of days.

L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil - By day 3 in hospital it was official, I smelt like a nana. With every wet wipe I dreamt of how good a real shower would feel, something I’ll never take for granted again! When I got home I remembered I had an unopened bottle of L’Occitane’s almond shower oil which made the shower somewhat of a a nirvana moment. The scent, the feeling of the oil on my skin, it was heavenly. It felt like the biggest treat, the very opposite of a wet wipe, and I felt so happy I could cry.

Having my nails done. As luck would have it, thursday morning before the ER visit, I had booked myself in to get a pedicure (i’m a regular polish girl, as they last just as long as gel on my feet) and a BIAB gel mani for my hands. During my hospital stay and the many times I could smell myself (insert vom emoji) it was nice to look down at well manicured hands and feet and take pride in how pretty they looked. It bought a smile to my face when the mirror showed someone I didn’t recognise. The truth is I enjoy looking put together, for me, nobody else. I fully succumbed to the messy hair, the bad breath, the stench and everything else that comes with a hospital stay and being ill, but seeing my nails done gave me something, it made me feel good when I felt anything but good. I always say that having my nails done is my thing. If nothing else looks polished but my nails do, I feel like my best self.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - When dave asked me what he wanted me to bring to the hospital I knew I wanted a moisturiser that wouldn’t feel greasy, but still deeply moisturising. I told him to bring my Elemis Pro Collagen cream and it was a great call. The scent is clean and fresh, and while I didn’t have the energy to do a skincare routine (naturally lol), having that one moisturiser to slather myself in throughout the day felt like a nice escape from my current situation, it felt like a treat.

T-Shirt dresses & fancy slippers - When it comes to lounge wear, especially after an abdominal surgery I haven’t wanted to wear trousers, so T-Shirt dresses have felt like a super comfortable alternative while I rest up, especially because its getting hot in LA now. These lounge shoes are old from Dear Frances but they always make my lounge outfits or wfh outfits feel that little bit more put together, and just feeling like I have somewhat of a ‘rest outfit formula’ is in itself making me feel more human.

Reading Substacks - For mental health reasons, I decided to take some time off of Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and honestly had no intention of writing Substacks, but I missed having a creative outlet, and there’s just something about Substack that feels like a warm hug. I love reading them as much as I love writing them. It feels like reading a magazine without the ads and without the doom scrolling. When I was in hospital Iread so many Substacks and now that i’m out, I love starting my day reading them. I’m sure i’m echoing a lot of what other Substack creators have mentioned but the fact that this genuinely feels like a creator first platform feels so special. During my time off, i’ve even pondered what would it be like if I left Instagram and just created here and YouTube, who knows? For now i’m letting it all marinade and just enjoying feeling human again.

Thanks for reading

Harry x