Bullet journals are something I can spend hours obsessing over on Pinterest, Instagram, and well the entire Internet really. I'm a sucker for a good double page spread. Now, I spend a bit of time most evenings pouring my heart into my bujo, and having a habit tracker is something I'd been meaning to set up since February. Naturally June was month one.
Mental health and physical health can be likened to one another in a myriad of ways, but ultimately although they are somewhat similar, there's one clear difference: with the majority of physical health concerns, there are a number of tests that can give you an answer as to what's going on. You go to the doctors with a problem, and you expect them to (eventually) be able to say, okay, you have X illness, and here's what we can do. I'm not saying this happens with all physical health conditions, or that things always get diagnosed correctly at first all the time. For mental health issues however, there are no blood tests or urine samples or anything that can really tell you if you have a problem.
Ever since L'Oreal sold The Body Shop to a cruelty free parent company there's been such a massive improvement in their products and ethics. From campaigning for more sustainable environments around the globe, to their petition to end animal testing, to producing more vegan products, I am here for this improved version of one of my favourite stores.
2018 has been the speediest year of my life, but also one of, if not the absolute, best. I'm working in a job I love, I've got a strong support network around me and I've even managed to keep a plant alive for a whole month. Everything's comin' up Milhouse.
I don't use 'life changing' to describe a book very often, but I've got to use it now. The Vagina Monologues is a short play by Eve Ensler, and the edition I have has an absolutely incredible Foreword by Gloria Steinem. This was a quick, but heavy read, and although I would recommend it to anybody, I'll give the recommendation with a massive trigger warning for sexual assault.
July so far has been a month of perpetual sweat and sighs of 'oh god it's hot in here isn't it?!'. We're still in the middle of this never-ending heatwave also known as a disturbingly hot British summer. Showering has become one of the only blissful parts of the day, apart from that odd waft of breeze that cools the sweat on the back of your neck (tasty).
I find being creative with no boundaries or guidance really, truly hard. Hand me a piece of paper and a pencil and tell me to draw what I want and I'm lost. I'll dither, get anxious and end up producing something that objectively looks shit. From anyone's point of view. But, hand me some instructions, and a little extra guidance and I'm golden.
Bullet journals were always something I thought I wasn't creative enough to do, or wouldn't get on with at all, but as it turns out, that's just not true. I ADORE my dotty little book of ideas, plans and memories.
A few months ago I got totally absorbed by the idea of starting a scrapbook to document my favourite times so that I could look back on them when I'm sad. Aaaand then I realised I totally had a mini scrapbook at the ready in the form of my bullet journal?
June was a pretty epic month if I'm honest, and I can't imagine having ended the first half of 2018 in a better way. The month got kickstarted with having my dad's family over for a birthday barbecue in the new house. It's the first time I've hosted something like this, and it was hella stressful but also made for some incredible memories.
The title of this book raised my hackles a little, as myself, and so many other people who have suffered from anxiety, have been told that if we just tried a bit harder, we'd *actually* be able to do things. Thankfully this was not what this book was about at all. The author uses this phrase in her own blog, a precursor to the book called 'Paula Must Try Harder' to subvert the negativity that people with mental illnesses have had thrown at them, using it in a fairly comedic way to document her fight against anxiety.
I think it's pretty clear by this point that I'm no beauty blogger, BUT makeup does make me feel that extra snippet more confident, especially when I'm at work. Soap & Glory have been one of my favourite skincare brands for a couple of years now, and mostly because their products just smell so damn good. Now though, I'm a full convert to their makeup range too, and it's definitely one of the most underrated ones I've come across.
This heatwave has me dreaming of poolside vacations with a cocktail (including a tiny umbrella) in hand, slathered in sun cream because my pasty Irish heritage makes me a little bit of a lobster. But, after moving, taking two driving tests and getting insured over the last couple of months, a summer holiday just isn't on the cards this year. Instead, I'm going to grab a cold cider and write this, pretending that it means I'm *basically* on holiday.
