31 March 2017

Am I Falling Out of Love With Blogging?

 Am I Falling Out of Love With Blogging? Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

I'm a quitter. I have been all my life. There was the month in which I learned guitar, my dabbling in Ancient Greek (what a cool kid), those few months in which I was obsessed with the idea of doing gymnastics and about ten thousand other hobbies that I took up and dropped with a few days, weeks or months. But for some reason, blogging has stuck with me. It's the only hobby that I've kept up and continued for over a year because I bloody love it. Or did, I'm not so sure anymore.

I've been avoiding writing this post for a few weeks because writing it down kinda meant admitting it (does anyone else get this?), but I like to be open on here, and hiding away from how I feel is just going to make my content distanced and impersonal.

In the past few days I've actually begun to feel like I'm getting my mojo back a little bit, but this month has been full of ups and downs in my blogging experience. I seem to have gotten a zillion emails offering cool brand collaborations, only for them to include follow links, no payment, and sometimes even no product. Some were really random, filled with things you guys would never be interested in, or the usual obscure infographics. I even got offered a box of fucking teabags in exchange for an entire blog post and SM posts, because the PR company had 'no budget' for their campaign. I've heard the words 'no budget' so many times this month that it seems unreal. And the worst part? As much as I tell myself it shouldn't happen, I know a newer blogger to the scene would jump at the chance of a freebie or two, so the PR person would still get their campaign sorted, just without me.

I found myself thinking about whether you guys would like to read a post on teabags (albeit special matcha green tea ones, oooh) before considering whether I'd actually enjoy writing it. And I think for me that's where things have gone a little wrong. I considered the fact that it'd bring in low page views before the fact that I'd be doing a good two hours of free work for a PR company. 

My obsession with numbers at the moment has been extreme. Slow growth is a failure, or at least that's what I've been telling myself. And it's even worse when, with a cheeky little purchase, someone gains three times as many followers in ten minutes as I've gained in the last year. But I don't want to have to look back and think that I've bought my way up, and I like genuinely engaging with you guys. I don't want to tweet to a load of bots and have no one actually care about what I'm saying. 

I'm not going to say that when I started blogging things in general were a lot simpler. They weren't, but I was oblivious to a lot of the complexities. Now even when I'm not writing, I'm scheduling content months in advance, thinking of witty tweets to pop onto Buffer to go out during the day, and wondering why I'm wasting my energy doing anything that isn't blogging-related. It shouldn't be like that. I feel a little bit like I'm back at uni again: everyone seems to be doing more and getting further ahead, whilst I'm left trailing behind. 

At the beginning of March I was faced with a dilemma: what do I do with my blog whilst on holiday for most of April? Do I write a post every single day in March so that I have content prepared, ready to publish? Or do I wing it and try to write on holiday? It took me a good fortnight to even consider not publishing new content whilst I'm away, but that's what I've decided to do now. My blogging schedule for Florida is officially cleared. I'll be on Instagram and twitter whenever I feel like it (obvs) and I'm sure I'll think of a buttload of new content whilst I'm out there, but the important thing is that there will be no pressure. I can spend my time chilling by the pool, not hunched over my laptop, forcing content that won't come because I'd rather be somewhere else. I know by the end of the break I'll be itching to get writing again, but that's what it should all be about, right? 

So, goodbye for now - I'll see you soon with posts that feel a bit more me!

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29 March 2017

February and March book haul

February and March book haul. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

I love book hauls: I love reading them, writing them, stocking up for them, everything. My last one was a December and January book haul and you can read it here. But, as it's 2017 now and environmental concerns are getting ever pressing, I've been thinking more about my impact on the planet. So, one of my goals for 2017 is not to buy any brand new books. From now on (unless temptation gets to me and I fail), all of the books featured in my book hauls will be second hand. And once they're read, all of my books will be going on to a new owner, either via Depop or a charity shop. I'm not someone who really keeps up with new book trends religiously, and so it seems like a good way to be a little more friendly to the environment by re-using things. 

February and March book haul. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

February and March book haul. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

The first three books in this massive little haul are all young adult fiction books. I've started to get back into the genre a little bit recently, so I picked up some new reads to help me continue with it. 

Every Day by David Levithan is something that I've seen in book stores a zillion times, but have never picked up. Now that I've read the blurb I am SO gutted I ignored it. It's all about a kid called A who wakes up in the body of somebody new every day. His one rule is not to get attached to the people he meets. But one day he meets a girl that changes everything - he now knows who he wants to spend every day with. 

All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls is a historical novel all about the Black Death. I'm a big fan of historical books but I haven't read a young adult one in what feels like forever, so I'm excited to see how the topic of the plague in England is dealt with. The title is also a reminder that the nursery rhyme 'Ring a Ring of Roses' was actually about the Black Death.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is the first Gothic novel that I've bought in ages. It's all about a small town called Mercy Falls, in which a girl called Grace meets a pack of wolves who seem a little human. One has piercing yellow eyes that seem almost too similar to the yellow eyes of the new boy in town ...

February and March book haul. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

February and March book haul. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. I've honestly had the 'and I said, what about breakfast at Tiffany's / She said I think I remember that film' Deep Blue Something song stuck in my head since I picked this book up, ffs. But, it's such a big part of American culture that I really want to see the book that inspired the film and the song. 

The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. I'm looking into the list of '1001 books you should read before you die' (way to procrastinate packing for holiday Steph, I know) and this author's name kept popping up, so I've decided to see what the fuss is all about. The novel was written in the 1980s and is based around a uni student in America who is sexually promiscuous and indecisive about her university career. It also features her relationship with a bisexual man, and I'm intrigued to see how the author discusses this.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is a novel by another author that kept cropping up on the 1001 books list. This is a murder mystery novel set in an Italian monastery in the 1300s. As I mentioned before, I love historical fiction, but I don't know much about Italian history during this period, so it'll be interesting to see what I can learn. 

February and March book haul. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
February and March book haul. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossini is a novel that I've been hearing about for a good decade. I was told to wait until I was a little older to read it when I was in my teens, to understand everything fully, so when I spied a copy in my local charity shop I knew I had to have it. I'm fully prepared to have my heart broken by this novel, and to learn more about the history of Afghanistan.

More Than This by Patrick Ness. I was a massive Patrick Ness fan as a teen. The Knife of Never Letting Go trilogy was something I was obsessed with, and would recommend to anybody that asked. I'm so excited to see what he offers in this standalone novel about a boy who dies ... and then lives.

Room by Emma Donoghue. This has been on my mental TBR list for about five years. No joke. It's been recommended to me time and time again and I just kept forgetting to buy a copy. Room is all about a five year old boy named Jack who lives in Room with his mother. Those four walls are his home, his world. Jack has no idea there's a world outside of Room, until one day Door opens.

The Secret by Katerina Diamond is the final novel on my list, and the only thriller. I've been loving thrillers over the past year or so, and this has got me hooked from just the blurb. DS Imogen Grey, the novel's protagonist, is on a search for a missing girl. As she gets deeper into the mystery she uncovers a terrifying trail of murder and abuse, and she ends up delving into secrets from her own past as well as the victim's.

So there it is, my book haul from the last two months. *This post contains affiliate links*
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28 March 2017

10 things you need to do before holidaying in Florida

10 things you need to do before holidaying in Florida. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
Before I get cracking on this one, can we talk about how dreamy these shoes are? They're nude, suede and come in at under a tenner from Primark. I'm in love, and they're now my staple shoes for my upcoming trip to Florida, eeek!

If you haven't heard me banging on enough about it recently, then let me tell you: I'm heading to Florida in under a fortnight. Despite having known about it for ages, it feels like it's totally crept up on me, and all of a sudden I'm needing to make the final arrangements. So, naturally I thought I'd procrastinate with a post on all the little things you need to do before setting off on holiday to Florida if you're from the UK.

1.) Arrange travel insurance. This was a bitch, hurt my bank account and it took about 3 years to read through all the contracts. BUT the idea of having to pay for healthcare in the US, and not have the trusty ol' NHS keeping me safe is a little terrifying. Plus, it means that if you need to cancel the trip for any reason (health, close family death etc), you're likely to get a good part of your money back. There's even little things that I'd never thought of included, like insurance against the plane company going into liquidation. It's best to do this as early as possible, as it covers you from when you take out the policy.

2.) Apply for an ESTA. This is basically a visa for your holiday. It asks for about a zillion pieces of information about yourself, so pop the kettle on and get cosy with this. It also comes with a little fee - I believe we paid about $14. We did this three months before leaving.

3.) Make plans for your home whilst you're away. I don't know about you, but the idea of leaving my home empty for two weeks makes my anxiety go sky high. See if you can find a house sitter, or ask someone to pop in every few days to make sure everything is okay.

4.) Make sure your passport is in date! This is such an easy thing to look over. My passport ran out a few years ago and I had no driving license for ID. Safe to say, six weeks of trying to get into clubs with no real ID in the first few months of uni was not ideal.

5.) If you have pets, make arrangements for them early on. We've got a hamster (sadly we lost our second one a couple of weeks ago) and a bunny. I didn't want to have to fork out lots of money, or be frantically trying to find somewhere for them to stay at the last minute, so I sorted out their holiday arrangements two months before ago. In case you're stuck with what to do with small pets, there are places that board them like cats or dogs.

6.) Read up on the current rules and regulations about hand luggage/actual luggage before going. I'm yet to do this, but there's nothing worse than having your stuff binned because you've not read all about what you can and can't have. Security is extra tight in the US in comparison to heading to other places in Europe, and I so don't want to be caught out.

7.) Save, save, save. Let's face it, I'm a Disney fanatic. I'll want everything at the parks. I set myself three months to save everything I could. This has meant no cheeky trips to Maccies, no new makeup and skimping on every necessary payout I can. But it'll be worth it once I get there. Set yourself a budget and a reasonable time to save it in to make sure you have the best time. 

8.) Decide how you want to access your money. Do you want it all in cash? On a cash passport card? A credit card? I think we're taking a little in cash and getting a cash passport at the weekend to put the rest on.

9.) Prepare yourself for a long flight. I'm not a nervous flyer, which is fab, but a buttload of hours in a confined space can make you hella bored. I'm packing a blanket (gotta get those plane naps in, right?), a pack of cards, my kindle and some headphones as my 'starter kit' for keeping occupied, and I imagine I'll add in a few bits closer to the flight.

10.) Go on a massive shopping haul. There's about ten thousand things I need but don't have yet. Sunnies? Nope. Suncream? Nope. I've kick-started things by picking up some staple clothing pieces, like my bikini, these dreamy pumps and a pair of comfy shorts, but there's still a lil list of things I haven't yet got to.

And there we have it: 10 things to sort out before holidaying in Florida. Have you been there before? What are your recommendations of things to do?

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26 March 2017

Why I'll Never Get Back Into Tumblr

Why I'll Never Get Back Into Tumblr. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk


I love the internet, and I love social media even more. But let's face it, there are some really dark corners of the 'net out there. Social media for me now is a place to share things I love; quick snaps of yummy things I've baked on Instagram, blog posts I've poured my heart into on Facebook, and snippets of what's making me feel good on Twitter. However, it wasn't always like that. Twitter used to be a place for me to vent, a place I'd go to and angrily scrawl song lyrics into a tweet. And the only other platform I really used was tumblr.

Before I really got into the platform, I was warned against it by some of my closest friends. All three of us suffered with self harm and depression, and they told me that it'd be a mistake. I promised I wouldn't look into the 'dark side' of tumblr. I lied. It's a site where there's no real kind of monitoring. If I see someone tweeting #thinspo pictures, or Instagramming self harm, I can report them, or block them and it'll go away. But with tumblr? There's no real protection, especially if part of you doesn't want protecting.

I really wanted to go with a black and white 'theme'. I wanted to follow accounts that reblogged pictures with emotive quotes about mental health issues. I wanted to be in the 'community' of people on tumblr who suffered with self harm, in the hope of connecting with people that felt the way I did. Although in some respects I got what I wanted, I also got a whole lot that I didn't.

My dash(board) was now full of images and gifs that summed up the way I was feeling. But, interspersed with them were things I didn't need to see: thinspo accounts with seriously underweight girls calling themselves fat, words cut into people's skin to define what they hated about themselves, and more. This isn't what I came to tumblr for, but it's what I got wrapped up in.

It's almost a kind of competition over there. People regularly post  pictures of their self-harm, which is always going to make you compare yours to theirs. I know that mine got a lot worse because of these images: clearly I wasn't doing enough damage to have a 'problem'. Then there's a whole corner of the site where you have people counting down their weight, and posting pictures of them getting thinner and thinner. It's a dangerous place to be. A really dangerous place to be. If there's one site that I wish could be banned, purely for the easy access it gives teens to images or texts posts like these, it would be tumblr. 

And yes, obviously not everyone uses it for these purposes. For some it's a place to get politically inspired, for others it's a place to visit 'for the aesthetic'. But for a lot of people, it's a deep, dark and terrifying place. 

What do you think of the site?

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23 March 2017

3 Bloggers Whose Content I'm Loving This Month

3 Bloggers Whose Content I'm Loving This Month - March 2017. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
This is now the third installment in my little 'share the love' series (you can check out the last one here). This month, things have been pretty darn hectic. I've been doing a zillion shifts to save for going to Florida in a fortnight, eeeek. So, I haven't had too much time to read a whole load of blog posts, but, amongst the ones I did read, these beauties shone out so much!

First up is Samantha Jayne, whose blog is titled under the same name. It's rare that I save two of a blogger's posts on Bloglovin' to come back to within the same month, but I've just been loving her beauty content. My absolute favourite read of hers this month was a post all about some scrummy-sounding bubble baths from Treacle Moon. I've seen this brand a zillion times and always glossed over them, BUT I didn't know that they did warm cookie dough scented goodies. I mean, what could be better?!

Next up is Gwennan from Twenty Something Meltdown. Apart from being one of the nicest bloggers I've ever spoken to, and a damn good illustrator (check out her Etsy shop here), she's also one of my favourite lifestyle bloggers at the moment. I've read so many posts on bullet journals before, and all of them have made me think 'that's not for me'. They've been too arty, or too sterile and I haven't seen anyone go through all of the content that might even seem a little tedious. But, Gwennan's post on her 2017 bullet journal made me fall in love with the idea of having one. I'm taking a fortnight off of everything when I go on holiday and I'm SO tempted to use this time to really get into bullet journalling. Safe to say I've bookmarked her post for reference.

And finally we have Fii, aka Little Miss Fii. Recently I've been obsessed with the idea of visiting South Korea. Partly because I found out you can ski there - how cool is that? Fii's recently moved over there, and so all of her posts are giving me some serious wanderlust at the moment. My absolute favourite so far has to be her post on visiting a meerkat cafe. I mean, I didn't even know they existed, but now I NEED to go to one. How cute would it be to sip on some green tea and watch the meerkats play? This is 100% on my bucket list now.

Which bloggers have you been loving this month?

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22 March 2017

10 Reasons Why the Beauty and the Beast Remake is Perfect

10 Reasons Why the Beauty and the Beast Remake is Perfect. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

10 Reasons Why the Beauty and the Beast Remake is Perfect. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

10 Reasons Why the Beauty and the Beast Remake is Perfect. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

I went to see the new live action Beauty and the Beast remake with my mum for Mother's Day last night and holy moly was it incredible. BATB is one of my favourite Disney films, and I was so worried about getting my hopes up in case the producers ruined my impression of the original film, or it totally fell flat. But it shone. I was overwhelmed by how much I loved it, and ten minutes into this film I was pretty darn certain I'd be writing this post. So, here are my top ten reasons for falling head over heels for it, and obviously I'm putting out a massive spoiler alert, because duh.

1.) All of the original songs were kept in. I was half expecting just to see 'Tale as Old as Time' and 'Belle' (aka Little Town) but they were ALL THERE *weeps*. They didn't try to jazz them up too much, and the remake of Gaston's song was just incredible IMO.

2.) Iconic outfits were kept in. We've all seen the hype over Emma Watson's yellow Belle dress, because that's just a part of the film that had to stay, right?! That dress is #goals. But, they also kept her plain blue and white frock (I love this one SO much), the red hooded coat she wears in the snow, and the Beast's white transformation tee and iconic navy blue suit.

3.) Chip and Mrs Potts had cockney accents. I don't know why I loved this so much, but it just added that extra bit of charm. I guess tea = British and London = the capital of England so it makes sense? I think it made Chip that extra lil bit adorable. On a side note, they kept the Chip's bubbles scene and his 'what's there mamma?' line. Major love for that.

4.) There was a reason for Beast being nasty. Let's face it, in the first film he's just a straight up bellend. He's a rich Prince who turns away a woman because she's ugly and only realises his mistake once she's pretty *sigh*. In the remake we get a back story: the Beast lost his mother at a young age, and his cruel father turned the sweet young boy into the Beast he is inside. And yeah, he still rejects the old enchantress, but it's because of his pride rather than misogyny. Not much better, but a little different none the less.

5.) Le Fou was attracted to Gaston. There were so many homoerotic undertones in the film in their relationship and I LOVED IT. And the best thing? It wasn't made a big fuss of. Le Fou was in love with Gaston, or at least attracted to him, and that was that. He wasn't mocked by any character, or cast off by Gaston because he loved him. Equally, the producers weren't making him stand there shouting 'LOOK AT ME, A GAY CHARACTER IN A DISNEY FILM, GO US'. In fact, the only other character to comment on the attraction was Mrs Potts, saying that Gaston didn't deserve Le Fou anyway. 

6.) The cast wasn't completely whitewashed. I don't remember the last time (maybe there hasn't been one?) in which there were so many POCs in a cast without the film being about racial issues. For real. Although the majority of the main characters were white, the producers hadn't used any of the age old excuses of 'sticking to the original film' or 'sticking true to the history as we see it' to make the entire cast white. Madame de Garderobe (the wardrobe, and originally part of the Prince's court; she sings the opening song of the film), Plumette (the castle's maid and Lumiere's love) and Pere Robert (the librarian) were all played by POCs, as well as a large proportion of the extras. It was so fab to finally see this in a mainstream film.

7.) The trippy colourful 'Be Our Guest' scene from the original was incredible in 3D. You know the scene with all the plates and cutlery flying around, in which the household is treating Belle to her first (secret) dinner in the castle? I always wondered how they'd do it in the live action remake; would it just be left out? Nope. It was just as fun-filled, colourful and hypnotic as it was the first time around.

8.) The new songs were incredible. I didn't realise before we went that the LA remake was more of a musical than the original. I love musicals so we were all fab on that front. There were a few new songs to mix in with the old and they slotted in so naturally, it was amazing. My personal favourite was 'Evermore', which the Beast sings after Belle leaves the castle. It tugged on pretty much every single one of my heartstrings.

9.) It made me cry. Fun fact: the original Beauty and the Beast was the first film that ever made me cry. Watching this for the first time made me shed a few tears too. I'm a sucker for a back story, and seeing both Belle's and the Beast's opened up new aspects of their characters to me. 

10.) Belle was no damsel in distress. Belle of the original is iffy ground for me: she doesn't want to marry Gaston because she's not physically attracted to him, that's pretty much it. Her father doesn't notice the rapacious advances of Gaston, and Belle just kind of settles for it. Plus, when she reaches the castle, she offers herself up as a sacrifice - the Beast and her father don't really care. She needs rescuing from the wolves. She remains subdued and quiet and all in all I find her a bit problematic. The new Belle totally turned this around. She tells Gaston in no uncertain terms that she will never be his wife: she doesn't like him and she's too young to marry. Her father actively goes against Gaston and him and Belle team up against the man. She holds her own ground in the face of the Beast, makes several attempts at escape, and it's only her belief in the inherent goodness of people that makes her help the Beast. 

I was really prepared to come out of the cinema underwhelmed and disappointed that one of my favourite movies had been wrecked but oh my word I was amazed. All I wanted to do was march back into the cinema and rewatch it straightaway. Safe to say that I NEED the soundtrack now, and I'll be buying the film as soon as it comes out. Love, love LOVE.

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19 March 2017

Dealing with Anxiety Triggers: Being Home Alone

Dealing with Anxiety Triggers: Being Home Alone. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
My mini series on 'Dealing with Weight Gain' (check out the latest post here) has contained some of my favourite posts I've ever written. Thinking about ways to tackle certain issues I've faced when it comes to weight gain has really helped me to come to terms with things and hopefully will have helped others to deal with similar issues. So, I thought I'd tackle another area of my life which can have quite a consuming impact on my mind: anxiety. I'm not sure yet if this will be another series; for the moment this is a standalone post.

18 March 2017

What is a 'DA' and how can I improve mine?

What is a 'DA' and how can I improve mine? Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

There are so many aspects of blogging that are useful to keep up to date with now. It feels like so long ago that it was sufficient to write something, throw in a quick snap and be done. There's Google Analytics to think about (vom), tweet scheduling, media kits, and what we're here to talk about today: DAs. I personally love this side of blogging, but I know most people hate it, so let's get down to business.

What does 'DA' mean?

17 March 2017

8 ways to deal with homesickness

8 Ways to deal with homesickness. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

8 Ways to deal with homesickness. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

8 Ways to deal with homesickness. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Eight months ago I packed a truckload of stuff my bags and moved an hour and a half away from the town I'd called home for the last four years. Although the move was exciting - it signalled the start of my life away from uni and my parents as a 'real adult', it was also terrifying. The town I needed to start calling home contained no one for me apart from my boyfriend: not one single family member, friend or even acquaintance I could call on. So, for the last eight months, as I've been adjusting to my new life, I've been hit with waves of homesickness, both for my university town, with all the friends I'd left behind, and the town I grew up in, where my family remains. These are the top ten things that I've found really help when homesickness overwhelms you:

1.) Get in touch with people you miss. This sounds simple, but it's one I kept forgetting to do, and it made me even more lonely. Drop them a Facebook message, and check in with how they're getting on. You can chat about what's changing back at home, and re-connect with your home-town that way.

2.) Re-visit your home town. Just because you've moved away doesn't mean you're gone forever. Go back and see everyone every so often, it'll help you to stay in touch with them. Revisit your old stomping grounds and discover what's new.

3.) Connect with your new town. There's only so much looking back into the past that will really help. Discover quirky new restaurants, or take a wander to the local parks. The release of Pokemon Go at the same time as me moving helped wonders in getting me out and about, and discovering new places in my new town.

4.) Don't isolate yourself. For ages I felt like an outsider in the town I moved to, and I really didn't make too many attempts to get to know people. This month I've met up with two local bloggers for coffee and joined a gym to enlarge my social circle here.

5.) Talk about how you feel. Whether it's to somebody living with you, or someone you've left behind. Express how you're feeling about the move, and they may have some suggestions or ideas to perk you up.

6.) Take some time out. Acknowledging that you feel homesick is fab, but it's important to recognise that it can have a massive toll on how you're feeling. Take an evening off of chores or hobbies, and just chill out. Make your favourite food, stick on a favourite film and consider why you're feeling homesick, and what might help: is it because you're missing someone in particular? Or a favourite place to go? Or just the comfort of being there?

7.) Engage in some 'home comfort'activities. You know the ones I mean: popping on a onesie, ordering a dominoes and binge watching some Netflix. Exactly as you would have done when you're feeling a bit down where you used to live. Just because you've moved doesn't mean everything has to change.

8.) Put up your homely accents asap. Moving to a new home can make everything feel a bit sterile and bare. Once you've got the main bits of furniture sorted, put things up that make the space feel a bit more 'you'. Get those candles out, pop your favourite bedding on and hang your photo frames up.

Have you moved away from home recently? What did you find helped you?
 
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13 March 2017

What to expect from a CBT course

What to expect from a CBT course. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

CBT is a form of therapy that seems to divide opinions more than most other forms of therapy I've heard of. And that's natural. What works for one person, won't necessarily work for the next person. It makes sense. This is why there's so many forms of therapy out there: clearly not all people respond to the same therapy in the same way. As such, some people sing the praises of CBT, whilst others rate it as being utterly useless. 

So, today I'm chatting about what CBT is about; what it's designed to do, and as a result of this, why it might/might not be good for you. Obviously I'm no healthcare professional, so I could never say that 100% yes, CBT will fix all of your problems, or no, it'd be totally useless for you. Instead, I'm laying out what CBT is all about, to perhaps let you think a little bit more about it, and get to know the subject a little better. 

11 March 2017

iPhone vs Canon DSLR: which is best for Instagram?

iPhone vs Canon DSLR: which is best for Instagram? Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

iPhone vs Canon DSLR: which is best for Instagram? Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

iPhone vs Canon DSLR: which is best for Instagram? Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
I'm Instagram obsessed, I won't lie. But things have gotten harder on the platform over the past year or two. Gone are the days when grainy photos, meaningless captions and drunken selfies were acceptable. Everyone's taken their game up a notch and it can be hard to compete. I touched on the subject in my post on whether you need to be rich to be a successful blogger.

10 March 2017

Am I crazy? Or is crazy just a construct of society?

Am I crazy? Or is it just a construct of society? Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Am I crazy? Or is it just a construct of society? Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
This question has been plaguing me for years. For years I've felt odd, I've not felt normal. I was 'that girl who self harms' and now I'm 'that girl who doesn't feel ready for a full-time job *rolls eyes*'. I've felt crazy. That's the only word that ever came to mind. In those stupid 'get to know each other' first seminars of each uni term in which you had to describe yourself the first word that came to mind was always crazy, or fucked up, or anything but normal. But what if crazy doesn't exist? 

8 March 2017

Get hydrated with fruit infused water*

Get hydrated with fruit infused Highland Spring water. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Get hydrated with fruit infused Highland Spring water. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Get hydrated with fruit infused Highland Spring water. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Get hydrated with fruit infused Highland Spring water. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Get hydrated with fruit infused Highland Spring water. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

Get hydrated with fruit infused Highland Spring water. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

I mentioned in my February life update/favourites that I joined a gym last month. I am loving it. It's all part of my plan to get more energy (seriously, naps are my LIFE but I've got to learn to adult sometime, right?) so that I can boss my life, do my best and live life to the fullest. I've started making other little changes too: I've mostly cut out naps so I'm not sleeping too much, I've switched out fruit juice for green tea and I've (mostly) given up the sweeties that give me a quick sugar fix. 

6 March 2017

39 Spring Blog Post Ideas

39 Spring blog post ideas. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
Spring is finally here (sort of), so I'm kick starting the season with a big ol' blogging brainstorm. Let's go!

3 March 2017

February Favourites and Life Update

February favourites and life update. Nourish ME: www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

February, aka the shortest month of the year is gone. Finally Spring is here. The start of March makes me so nervous but so excited: in almost exactly a month today I'm heading out to Florida. The holiday panic is nigh: I have a buttload of money I need to make and save and a buttload of exercise to do to make sure I don't end up as exhausted as I always am whilst I'm away.

So, what did February hold for me? In blogging terms it's the first month in which I've achieved all of my social media follow goals across board, which has given me such a lil confidence boost. It's also a month in which I've been really proud of so much of my content. I've created some important mental health posts, and I've loved everything I've been putting out there.