TAMU THOMAS SHARES ON HOW TO LIVE THREE SIXTY

Three Sixty is a wellness lifestyle brand aimed at women in their late 30’s and 40’s.  Tamu Thomas created the brand as a response to her own emotional and physical situation. At the age of 40, and after years of compromising her health, joy and pleasure to meet the demands of her career and role as a mother. She realised that feeling emotional and being depleted physically was not a prerequisite for a good life.

As  she slowed down and stripped back the layers to try and understand why she had allowed herself to become so burnt out, she realised something important. She had held onto internalised beliefs which, related her self-worth to her output, with overload being held as a status symbol.  Her conditioning enabled her to confuse being busy with being productive – a belief system that many Generation X women uphold.

Her wellness business supports women in a manner that is useful and encouraging.  She is creating a space for women that have been overlooked, at a time in life, where responsibility increases and joy is dismissed as frivolous.

It is her view that we can put joy at the centre and live more fulfilled lives if we give ourselves the gift of time and use it well.  When we do this everybody benefits.

‘Beauty they say is in the eye of the beholder’ and so she says..

Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.  My friend described the eyes (and other organs) as esoteric.  I like this description as beauty is totally subjective and influenced by your surroundings.  Beauty in one place is grotesque and for others cool.

In the case of Black women, especially black women with a darker complexion and features, that vividly display Africa.  We have to work more diligently at defining our own beauty, as the “Global” standard of beauty excludes us.  It is underpinned by centuries of white supremacist ideals that say eurocentric is the standard of beauty .

It is imperative that we define our beauty for ourselves because we too have internalised the message that our beauty is only beautiful if it looks European.

Finally, How do I define beauty-  I don’t it is indefinable.

She shares her beauty regime; which is homemade and nourishing.

My beauty regimen is very simple.  I wash my face morning and night with a gentle soap that contains rose and or frankincense essential oils.  I prefer soap as it feels like it really cleanses my skin.  I make my own toner using rose water, vegetable glycerine and some oils as my skin is dry and needs the nourishment.  Then I moisturise with a rich lotion that I make by combining rich butters, oils, floral waters and essential oils.  I use a home-made clay mask on a weekly basis.  If my skin needs detoxing, I use bentonite clay mixed with oils and floral water. If it feels like it needs nourishment I use rhassoul clay instead.

My ultimate beauty product is water!  My skin, in fact my whole-body functions beautifully, when I consistently drink at least 2 litres of water a day.  Aside from that I could not do without my toner, its soothing and so nourishing that I could do without a moisturiser. It can also be used as a make-up remover, hair and scalp moisturiser.  It’s uses are endless!

I also try to have a weekly bath using homemade bath salts that are a combination of magnesium flakes, essential oils, fatty oil and a clay or Himalayan salt depending on what my needs are.  Ideally I should do this twice a week but I don’t like baths, I prefer showers.

Let’s talk stress and ageing.

I think that we need to accept that we age.  That’s it.  Full stop.

We can support ourselves throughout our lives by taking care of our mental, physical and emotional health.  Stress accelerates ageing and illness, so we need to become more connected to what makes us who we are.  Not our roles and titles, who we actually are not what we do.  This will allow us to focus on, what we want and the things that make us feel alive. We should cultivate more of that in our lives.  This creates a sense of peace and that is the most beautiful thing to me.  When you are peaceful you have no time for low vibrations.

How to stay beautiful; It starts from the inside- out.

1. It is important for us to look after our bodies with regular exercise, good nutrition and care for our environment. With the above in mind, I exercise regularly and try to make time to just be outside, walking when I can instead of driving.

2. Try to eat well, for females, study your body well enough to know what you need to eat depending on the stage of your cycle. I am mindful about my carbon footprint and am actively trying to reduce my impact on the earth, consuming less and reusing more. 

3. In terms of my mind journaling, affirmation, congratulating myself and gratitude help me to maintain perspective and stay close to who I am rather than what I do.

It is also important for me to be active so that I do not stay so deep in ‘the work’ that I am not taking action and moving through the world in the way I feel called too.  Knowing that you didn’t do what you could have is a fast track to feeling low.  When I do this I feel peaceful and you can see it all over my body.

Tips for creating love, beauty and peace in your daily lifestyle.

Harmony, beauty and peace are expressions of love.  It’s only human if you don’t harmonise these daily.   We should all learn to forgive ourselves and view self with compassion and curiosity, rather than judgment and disappointment.

• Try to start each day with gratitude, journaling, meditation and some exercise. This says I love me.

• Start congratulating yourself for very accomplishment; big or small. Entrepreneurs work by themselves for the most part and it becomes quite easy to criticise yourself and get stuck.  

• The practice of acknowledging self out loud motivates you.

When you are in a state of harmony and peace you have the room to love yourself in a way that naturally and generously extends to others.

Attraction vs Physical Looks – Beauty vs Love

Quite simply yes, I have never loved anyone that I do not find attractive.  The attraction is the pull that leads me to love.  I have to be attracted, I want to look at my lover and feel excited by what I see.

Unearthing Generation Z’s attachement to Superficial Beauty and The struggle to achieve ‘The perfect look’.

We are all struggling to understand what beauty is, it’s not exclusive to any age group.  I think that Gen Z and Millennial’s are actually doing a better job of diversifying beauty standards.

My Words of advice are:

• Be clear on who you are and what your values are.

• Note that difference is a privilege, we are able to experience so many things. Even if it makes you uncomfortable challenge yourself to view things with compassion and curiosity.

• Operate in an echo chamber will stunt growth. Disclaimer: do not make excuses for harmful behaviour such as racism, ablinism, homophobia and sexism.