Enable Asks… Chessie King

YouTube star and body confidence advocate, Chessie King takes us behind the scenes of her lockdown experience.

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I believe there are four layers that make up you, me, your sister, your boss, your colleague, your therapist, your teacher, your coach… & that’s what shaped the book. We start zoomed in, at the core of us all – our insides… what I like to call our ‘juicy bits’. The bits we find once we peel back all the outside layers & delve deep into our centre – our brains. Our brain’s function is to think – she’s the powerhouse, she’s the boss, she’s got endless feelings, emotions, thoughts likes, dislikes… all disrupted by a cocktail of hormones, our uniquely curated personalities. Throughout the book I’ve injected interactive elements to help you explore & express yourselves. You can be the architect of your own story, page by page. I believe the more we get to know ourselves, the stronger our relationships with ourselves. Every day is an experiment – notice when you’re feeling the happiest version of yourself. Remember who you were with, remember what you were doing, remember where you were. I want you to get to know what makes your heart feel full 🤍 preorder by clicking dat link in my bio

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on Feb 27, 2020 at 11:58am PST

Known for “breaking up your perfect feed” on social media with positivity, body confidence and making social media more “real”, and author of Be Your Own Best Friend (set to be published on 11 June 2020): Chessie is sure to leave you feeling happier – even in these uncertain times.

And this is what she had to say to the #EnableCommunity

Hi Chessie, thanks for getting involved with Enable Asks. How are you adapting to life in lockdown?

Like everyone, I’m spending 23 hours out of 24 inside, so I’m making my home as calm as possible.

It’s tidier than it’s ever been because we actually have time to keep it clean. I’m splitting my work into bite size chunks and making sure I take a break from my laptop, and move every half an hour.

I write a list every evening when I get into bed of five fun things I want to do the next day, five work things, and five people I want to check in with/ speak to ­– whether that’s FaceTime or just over WhatsApp.

Can you offer any advice to our readers to help maintain positive mental health at this time?

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I splattered my brain on a canvas⁣ & painted my word of lockdown in lucid colour: ⁣ S U R R E N D E R ⁣ ⁣ letting go & relinquishing control⁣ – knowing I cannot change what is happening ⁣ peeling back all the layers I’ve built up since being an ‘adult’ ⁣ ⁣ unleashing things I haven’t discovered since childhood, or ever ⁣ ⁣ painting has been my tranquilliser ⁣ ⁣ it’s taken me out of reality ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ what’s been your escapism in amongst the chaos? If you haven’t found anything, experiment, have a little play. It could be learning to juggle, knit, scrapbooking, writing poems. This is not me saying ‘you need to be productive & fill all your time with doing’ … I have just noticed I am at my calmest when painting or drawing & it’s so lovely knowing that’s in my toolkit when things get overwhelming’ 🎨

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on May 3, 2020 at 12:37pm PDT

1. Find joy in the simplest of things ­– take more time to enjoy making that morning coffee.

2. Create a ‘feel good playlist’ with all your favourite songs you can sing along to. 

3. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, take yourself out of reality with something that fills you with happiness – for me that’s painting. It’s been my form of escapism and I forget about everything else going on when I’ve got my paintbrushes out.

Finally, what book, podcast, boxset or recipe have you discovered over the past few weeks that you would like to share with our readers?

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JUST GAVE BIRTH TO A BIG OL’ JUICY BOOK… oh wow oh wow, 35,000 words later & today is preorder day. I’ve poured love, honesty & memories into this baby over the last 6 months. This is for YOU, a book all about celebrating the glorious truths of Femalehood & becoming your own best friend. I invite you to take a comfy seat in my brain, whilst you become the CEO of your busy mind. We’ll unravel all the delightfully complex layers that make us whole and delve into the things we wish we were taught at school. My scrumma-mumma-doo-dah fired me out into the world on 23 June 1993, so I know I’ve not yet experienced all the bonkers things life can throw at us… But I want to be dancing around in my underwear until I’m 100 – so I’m not even a third of my way through the game. I’m absolutely no expert, nor am I trying to ‘fix’ you, but I believe I don’t need a PhD or a degree to want to help you or to share my life, my stories && my advice with you. Every single one of us is navigating our way through life & sometimes, in this huge, gigantic world, you can feel like you’re doing it on. your. own. It’s a jungle out there, but I hope, while you read through, you’ll be nodding your head like ‘Yes, uh-huh, this is totally me – oh holy mother of Dorothy, I thought I was the only one. Phew. WOW. Okay, so if Chessie’s been through this too, I’ve totally got it.’ Together, we’ll strengthen your relationship with your bod, your brain, with all of the phenomenal humans that make up your solar support system & with the rest of the world. PREORDER BY CLICKING THE LINK IN MY BIO 🚀

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on Feb 23, 2020 at 10:30am PST

I have absolutely loved reading. The Silent Patient (Alex Michaelides) and Flat Share (Beth O’Leary) have been my favourite two books since lockdown.

What books are you enjoying in lockdown? Share with the #EnableCommunity on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Don’t miss the next Enable Asks on Thursday (28 May).