How a Night at the Pub Helped Me Reconnect With Myself (and My Community)

You ever have one of those weeks where your face tells a story your words won’t? That was me this weekend.

I’d been under the weather, feeling off physically and mentally, with my skin breaking out and my eyes showing the kind of exhaustion you can’t hide with SPF. As an award-nominated aesthetics practitioner, you’d think I’d have skin that glows on command—and I used to. But life, stress, and neglect (yep, even we pros let it slide sometimes) had caught up with me. I was stuck in a rut and second-guessing everything.

But Saturday changed things.

A lovely Irish lady I met through the local coffee group, Celine, had been asking me for weeks to meet up. And every time I was either too tired, too overwhelmed, or just "not feeling it." But this time, I said yes. I finished up with my last client and met her in town for a coffee.

We talked, laughed, and she invited me to meet her friend Emma. Next thing I know, I’m in a local pub with two gorgeous souls, sipping drinks (non-alcoholic for me!) and chatting about life, fundraising, and aesthetics. One conversation led to another and, before I knew it, I was handing out flyers, being introduced around the place, and welcomed with genuine warmth.

I can’t tell you how much I needed that.

Then came the games. Oh lord.

First was a card game where you guess if the next card is higher or lower. If you make it to the last card, you win the jackpot. I got to the second last card and lost my first time playing. FOUR TIMES I got up to play... and lost!! I was buzzing with nerves and excitement, shouting out my predictions like I was on a game show. Palpitations and all — had to step outside for a smoke to calm down!

Then came bingo. Simple, right? Not for me. I thought each card had random numbers and there were multiple chances to win per sheet. So I’m marking off 15s on every card I have. Turns out, I misunderstood the rules completely and missed most of the numbers. The girls were in stitches. But I learned. And I’ll be back next Saturday, bingo-ready.

That night reminded me of something important: community matters. Getting out of your own head, connecting with people, sharing laughs, and feeling part of something — it resets you in a way no serum ever could.

So while I’m back to treating my own skin and getting it back to a place where it reflects the practitioner I am, I’m also remembering to nourish me. Not just the outer layer, but the spirit inside.

To the women who welcomed me, laughed with me, and made me feel like part of something again — thank you.

And to anyone else feeling off lately? Say yes to the invite. Go out. Laugh too loud. Get bingo rules wrong. You might just come home with more than you expected.

Laura xx