Spring Style Inspiration
Some links in this post are affiliate links which means I earn a small amount of commission if you buy an item.
So it’s February and I'm already thinking about spring but with the UK weather as nice as it is, how can I not? I mean, I left the house wearing no layers other than a t-shirt and a cardigan the other day. I am loving it! The change in weather has come at the perfect time as I have been getting so bored of winter dressing and am ready to start changing things up. So, I thought I’d go through some of the trends/colours/patterns etc. I’m feeling inspired by for spring dressing. It’s a little different to my normal posts as there are no photos of me/taken by me but I hope you don't mind!
I’m not only writing this post because I’m excited about spring but also because I’m trying to think more consciously about the things that I’m buying, so laying everything out I’m feeling inspired by like this ensures I’m able to make more sensible shopping choices. With that, here’s some things that are inspiring me for spring…
Neutrals (Stick of Butter)
Image found on Pinterest.
I know I’m not alone in saying that I’m feeling super inspired by neutral tones and colours, I mean, they’re everywhere. I’ve always been someone who likes to incorporate colour into my outfit but I am actually so on board with this trend. Wearing head-to-toe neutrals (in what Man Repeller would call ‘the stick of butter’) is one of the most bold and striking ways to dress in my opinion, even more so than wearing lots of colour. Plus, it looks so effortlessly chic.
Despite neutrals being on trend at the moment, they’re not really ever going to go out of style, so I’m definitely looking to invest in some neutral pieces, specifically a pair of tailored trousers and some trainers (I LOVE the pumps in this image).
Here are some other things on my neutrals wish list:
Pastel Checks (Dressing like a picnic blanket)
Image taken from @michellemdriscoll on Instagram.
I’m always into check/gingham whatever the season. But I am particularly excited about pastel checks, especially when they come in the form of a midi dress, for spring! I already have a baby blue check H&M blazer from last year that I’m planning on pulling out from hibernation but I would definitely like to invest in some more check print, like I said, particularly in the form of a midi dress. I absolutely adore the & Other Stories midi dress in this photo but it’s a little bit spendy so I might have to look for another option…
Here’s the link to that dress and some other checked beauties…
baby blue
Image by @monikh on Instagram.
Blue has always been one of my favourite colours to wear but I’m particularly loving baby blue for spring. It’s a colour that just feels like spring, plus, it looks great with neutrals. I’m 100% going to get the beautiful midi skirt pictured below when I can afford it and I’d also really like to get some baby blue knitwear. The Rixo dress pictured below is literally my dream but, alas, very much out of my budget. If anyone knows of a dupe please let me know!
feminine shoes
Image found on Pinterest.
From slingbacks, to Mary Janes, to ballet pumps, I love how super feminine shoes look. My very wide feet don’t take to them as much as my taste in clothing does but I’m willing to suffer a little for a really good pair of shoes. I have some great slingbacks from Primark (their shoes are so great) that I picked up last year as well as some very old Mary Janes from ASOS that are falling apart but I still love.
I love how chunky heels look on a slingback but I don’t think I’d get very much wear out of them as I spend most of my time working at my desk or in lectures, but if I find a fairly affordable pair maybe I’ll pick them up for occasions when I actually do have the opportunity to dress up.
My favourite way to style a feminine shoe is with more of a masculine trouser/pair of jeans with a feminine blouse and a (faux) leather jacket. The contrast between masculine/feminine in an outfit like this always looks so cool and timeless.
Red is the ultimate feminine colour in my eyes so it feels only right to find a pair of ultra feminine shoes in this shade, even if they are a little bit ‘There’s no place like home’. Topshop brought out an incredible pair last year and I’ve always regretted not buying them so if I do find a pair this year I’m definitely going to take them home with me.
Here’s some feminine shoes I’ve found that you can shop now:
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments if you’re into any of the same things for spring styling as I am or, if not, what you’re looking forward to wearing this spring.
you might also like…
How to Become More Organised and Productive as A Student | 5 Tips That Will Make Your Life Easier
I would definitely describe myself as an organised person. In fact, I’m maybe too organised. I am by no means a tidy person or an ‘on time’ person so I’m definitely not organised in every sense of the word but when it comes to work, which in my case is university work, I like to have everything organised down to a tee.
This is a good thing in many ways, as it usually means I’m on top of my work, which prevents a lot of stress. But it also means that I become ridiculously stressed if I do fall behind my own schedule, which doesn’t even generally mean falling behind my university work, just my own made-up schedule.
So, personally I’m actually working on being more laid-back and trying to go with the flow a little bit more. But I know a lot of people do struggle with getting organised when it comes to work, and specifically university work. And because I have really perfected my methods of organisation over the years, I thought I should share them for those of you who are looking to become more organised and, at the end of the day, make your life easier.
Although putting all of these things into place will take a little bit of time, once you have done so, I can guarantee your life will be easier. They’ll make you less stressed by ensuring you don’t leave anything to the night before and, hey, they might even make you enjoy studying a little bit more, god forbid! Hopefully they will also ensure you spend less time procrastinating so you have more time do whatever you want with.
Get Prepared and Invest in All The Stationery
I’m hoping this tip will be music to some of your ears! I’m giving you free reign to spend lots of money on stationary! But if this doesn’t sound particularly exciting to you, stay with me, there is method in my (stationery obsessed) madness.
You couldn’t run a marathon without a good pair of trainers (I couldn’t run one with them, but you get my point) and you can’t get organised without all the materials you need to do so. You don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of money on the stationery you need either. Head to WHSmith if you’re happy for that do the job!
However, I personally find that investing in nice stationery that is also practical makes me excited to get organised. For example, since investing in a new desk planner, I love planning my week and don’t feel overwhelmed by it at all, because of the all the different sections to it which allow me to see my week in a balanced way. But like I said, whatever floats your boat is fine. This tip is more about making sure you’ve got the supplies you need to get organised.
Here’s a list of the things you need to up your organisation game as well as some shoppable links to the stationary I own or recommend, whether you’re after something a lil bit fancy or want to keep it simple…
A Diary/Planner for important dates, to-do lists and so you generally know what day of the week it is.
A Desk Planner so you can plan your days and weeks in advance and feel less overwhelmed by everything you need to do. I’m more of a weekly planner person but some people prefer daily planners or both.
Flash cards because they are essential for exam revision and having them on hand means you don’t have to run round the shops a few days before your exam, wasting valuable revision time.
Highlighters and coloured pens because colour coordination will change your life!
A notepad and/or desk pad so you always have somewhere to jot down random and important notes and thoughts plus a place to make to-do lists.
Post it notes because they always come in useful especially for revision and for making notes in books, very useful for an English student.
2. Plan, Plan, Plan and Write Everything Down
Obviously, a key part of being organised is planning but I’d also recommend that, in your planning processes you write everything down. Personally, as soon as I am given all my deadlines (whether they’re for essays, exams or just week-to-week reading deadlines) at the beginning of the semester, I write them all down in my diary on the dates when they are due, right up until the end of the semester.
I also write any other plans I have down, such as trips away, nights out etc. I use a paper planner for uni stuff but I tend to use an online Google Calendar and other online resources for blog organisation and any extra-curriculars as these things tend to change around a lot more than my university work does, so it’s just easier to do it online.
It takes about half an hour to write all of this down but it will make your life so much easier because every time you want to check when you need to read a certain book by, or when an essay is due, rather than logging in to your student account, you can just flick through your diary and see when it is. This also gives you more of a feel as to how long you have left to complete your tasks i.e. 5 flicks (assuming your diary has a week on a 2 page spread) don’t worry about it, 3 flicks maybe start thinking about it, 1 or 2 flicks, you really need to get started!
I’d also recommend colour coding everything, using your lovely pens and highlighters you’ve just bought! I’ve taken three modules this semester so I use a different coloured pen for each module and write all the reading, deadlines and whatever else I need to complete for that module using that colour. Again, when looking through your diary, this just makes it easier to see what’s going on that week and the module you might need to focus on a little bit more. See below for an example of a week’s spread in my diary:
3. Do Everything A Week Ahead
This one is a biggie for me in terms of how I keep up to date with my university work. After planning out all your deadlines in your planner, you can easily see when work is due, so you don’t really have any excuses to do things last minute! With this, it’s best to get everything done a week ahead.
My rule is, generally, everything for the following week must be done by the Sunday of this week. So if I have two books to read and an essay to write, for example, for the week starting Monday the 11th February, I would have ideally got started on all of them on Monday 4th February, or the weekend of the 2nd February, if my workload for that week is really heavy.
I know this sounds overwhelming but if most of your work is set in advance, like mine is, it just makes life so much easier to get it done in advance and it means you never get that overwhelming feeling of ‘I have so much work to do for tomorrow and the seminar tutor is going to ask me a question on the book I haven’t read’ because even if you do fall behind your schedule by a few days, you’ll still be on top of the current week!
4. Find Out How & Where You Like To Work
This one is essential in order to actually enjoy (as much as is possible) the time you spend working and, also, in order to get the most work done. Do you prefer working in the library or at home? I’m more of a working at home typa gal but a couple of hours spent in the library can sometimes be super productive for me, depending on my mood.
Do you work better during a ‘normal’ 9-5 working day or would you rather have your morning to yourself and do more of an 11-7 day? Personally, I think I work best during the hours of 10-6, so I tend to stick to that.
Do you work really well by turning your phone off for 3 hours and smashing out work, followed by a long break, or are you better with short bursts of productivity with short breaks (e.g. the Pomodoro Method?) I’m somewhere in the middle but I’ve learnt that putting a timer on anything makes me hate what I’m doing, so I just leave my phone in the other room and work for as long as possible till I feel like I need a break; sometimes I can go for a couple of hours, sometimes I struggle to do a couple of minutes.
What I’m trying to say is that to be organised and to get your work done in time, you need to be working in a way that suits you. Because if you’re not, firstly, you won’t enjoy it at all and, secondly, you won’t get half as much done as you could. So trial and error all of these different methods and find a way of working that is perfect for you.
Also, don’t just do things because they work for other people! Sure, some people are really productive when they do an all-nighter in the library but personally, I know my brain wouldn’t function at all in that environment. So really make it personal and don’t worry about other people’s judgement.
5. Allocate Time Off
And finally, a tip that seems kind of counter-productive right? How is taking time off going to make you more organised? Well, let me tell you! This is one that I’ve only started doing recently as I mentioned in my New Years Resolutions styled blog post. But taking time off has made the time I do spend doing work so much more bearable and has actually helped me reach my goals, because rather than just putting it off till tomorrow, I know that if I don't do it today, my day off will be spent feeling stressed.
So I personally take a day off every Sunday. When I say off, I mean off university work. I still work on my blog and all of my other extracurriculars but I do not allow myself to do university work, no matter what. It’s currently Sunday whilst I’m writing this post and I don’t feel stressed at all, as yesterday I pushed myself to finish the work I needed to for the week so I could enjoy today. That was my only motivation to get the work done though and before giving myself an official day off, I would always feel hopeless about my workload and view it as never-ending, because it essentially did feel like it could go on forever.
And here’s the thing, if you don’t give yourself time off, your work will go on forever! Not because you have so much work that you can’t fit into 5 or 6 days of the week but because you’re probably not using your time efficiently enough, maybe because you haven’t planned everything out, maybe because you’re not working in a way that’s optimised for you or maybe it’s just because you know you can always finish it tomorrow.
But if you don’t give yourself that final option, or any of the others, you’ll stop procrastinating as much, which means you can spend more time doing things you really enjoy, providing more motivation to get your work done; it’s a bit of a productivity cycle really! It’s revolutionised my productivity levels and made me feel more happy generally.
I’m very aware that this blog post is extremely long (who knew I had so much to say about organisation hey?) but I really wanted to provide comprehensive instructions on how to get organised as a student, and I hope I have!
you might also like…
The Monthly Media Catchup: Everything I've Read, Watched & Listened To | January 2019
As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I’ve decided to start a new series on my blog! It’s called ‘The Monthly Media Catchup’ and, in these blog posts, I’m going to take you through everything I’ve read, watched and listened to each month. It’s kind of similar in format to a monthly favourites but the difference is, I’m going to be talking about everything, not just my favourites. So some things I will 100% recommend, some things I will advise you to stay away from (see: the books category in this post) and others I’ll be fairly ambivalent about.
I’m going to be sharing everything, so that includes things I’ve read and watched for university as well as for fun! The main categories are going to be books, TV, films and podcasts, as if I was to include things I’ve read online the list would be extensive. I’ll only mention new things I’ve consumed, or things I’ve returned to (e.g. if I re-read a book or return to a podcast I haven’t mentioned before). I’m also going to be rating everything so you can easily see the media you should and shouldn’t consume, although obviously my word isn’t law! I’m going to try and keep my reviews short and sweet as some months the sections might pile up, i.e. when I have a lot of reading for university or when I have time off university and watch a lot of Netflix.
Anyway, without further adieu, lets get started!
Books
Heartburn by Nora Ephron | ★★★★
I started reading Heartburn at the end of 2018 and finished it at the beginning of 2019. I read it based on Dolly Alderton’s raving reviews and I did enjoy it, but I didn’t love it. It’s a semi-autobiographical novel that follows the protagonist’s life after finding out that her husband has cheated on her, depicting the ways in which she deals with this life-changing event, much of which is through food, which means the book is dotted with recipes. It’s an easy read and I enjoyed it but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it! Four stars is quite generous and 3.5 stars would be more accurate.
The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst | ★
I’m not even slightly joking when I tell you not to get me started on this book. I hated it so much! I had to read it for university (I was supposed to have it finished in November but I couldn’t bring myself to do so until mid-January when I had to for an exam). It’s about a privileged gay man in his mid-20s named Will and the novel follows his life, and that of an older, very similar, man whose biography Will is writing, in 1980s London. The prospect of this novel excited me but its content was truly disappointing. There are many books that are worth your time so much more than this one because honestly no one needs to read this account of an upper-class man discussing his sexual encounters, the descriptions of which are sprinkled (*read drowned) in classism and racism. Hollinghurst's pleasing writing style does almost nothing to counteract how painfully infuriating this book is and I struggle to believe anyone who says otherwise! So yeah, do yourself a favour and avoid this book!
TV
You (Netflix) | ★★★★
I ate up this Netflix series in a matter of days. It’s really addictive and although it didn’t change my life, I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something to binge-watch. It’s basically about a man (Gossip Girl’s Dan Humphrey) who stalks a women who he meets in his book-store, learning about her life and managing to get her to fall in love with him. Honestly the premise sounds very strange but to me, it was interesting in the way that Lolita is interesting in that it shows how an audience can accidentally end up rooting for the bad guy if he is given the opportunity to present himself in a positive light.
Sex Education (Netflix) | ★★★★★
This show is just brilliant! It’s addictive as it is empowering as it is educational and I wish it existed when I was 15. It’s based in a British high school (although it’s probably the most Americanized British high school ever) and the plot really starts when the show’s protagonist, Otis, teams up with cool-girl Maeve to provide sex therapy to their fellow students. It’s funny at times and emotional at others but it always presents growing up and feeling clueless about the way your body and relationships work in such an honest way.
Films
Mary Queen of Scots (Cinema) | ★★★★
I went to see this film for my birthday and I had high hopes because it features both Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, who have starred in some of my favourite films of the last couple of years. And it didn’t disappoint! As the title suggests, the film is about the life of Mary Queen of Scots, played by Saoirse Ronan, and her rise and fall from power. If you’re going to this film for historical accuracy, you’re probably not going to be best pleased but I personally wasn’t and I really enjoyed it. It’s great to see two women starring in a historical narrative and, not only was it engaging, but it did teach me a little bit more about a period of history I don’t know much about, so it’s a win-win really!
Bandersnatch (Netflix) | ★★
I was quite excited to watch this film that’s part of the Black Mirror series but it was really disappointing. It’s an interactive film so you get to make decisions on the character’s actions and decisions… but you don’t really. If you make the wrong decision, you watch about 10 minutes of what would happen if the character made this decision, then you are taken back to the point where you make the decision again and have to pick the ‘right’ answer in order to reach the end of the film. It was a loong watch and the storyline wasn’t particularly interesting either so I generally just found it quite boring. It’s an interesting idea but it needs more work.
Private Life (Netflix) | ★★★★
This film made for the perfect lazy Sunday watch. It’s about a middle-aged couple living in New York who are struggling to conceive. I don’t want to say anymore as I don’t want to ruin anything but it’s beautifully filmed and is surprisingly funny considering its subject matter.
Podcasts
Literary Friction with Sally Rooney | ★★★★★
I don’t have too much to mention on the podcast front this month as I’ve kind of just been listening to the same old stuff (take a look at this blog post if you’re interested to know some of my top podcast recommendations). But I loved this episode of the Literary Friction podcast with Sally Rooney, author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends. She talks a lot about her writing process, especially for Normal People, which was super insightful, especially if you’re a fan of her work!
━━━━━━━━
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! I know the photo isn’t brilliant but if I’m going to do this monthly I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to create incredible imagery to go with it- I hope that’s ok. Let me know if you’ve read/watched/listened to anything I’ve mentioned in this post, or if you do based on my recommendation!
You Might also like…
A Percentage Breakdown Of My Winter Wardrobe by Brand
Links in the post marked with a * are affiliate links.
Hair Ribbon- Urban Outfitters
I’ve been spending lots of time over the past couple of months thinking about the pieces in my wardrobe. It’s definitely been inspired by learning more about capsule wardrobes and although I don’t think a wardrobe that is limited to 37 pieces (or whatever the amount is) is for me, I’m trying to ensure my wardrobe is filled with pieces that spark joy, as Marie Kondo would say, and make me excited to get dressed in the morning!
After thinking so much about my wardrobe over the past couple of months, I thought it would be interesting to divide it up into brands and calculate the percentage of space different brands take up in my wardrobe. This is probably the most maths-y thing I’ve done since my GCSEs, so excuse me if there are some errors. But I thought this might be something interesting to see for other people too, as it not only allows you have a nose around my wardrobe but it means I can share my favourite brands (they’re nothing out of the ordinary) with you all!
So, before I started this deep dive into my wardrobe, I made some estimations based on what I thought my wardrobe would look like in percentages. Oh and I didn’t include shoes (as most of my shoes are by specific shoe brands), only pieces of clothing, bags and scarves. I’ve also excluded loungewear and sportswear as, again, they’re mostly by specific loungewear/sportswear brands. Here are my estimations anyway…
20% Topshop
15% ASOS
15% Second Hand
15% Zara
10% & Other Stories
10% New Look
15% Other
So I wasn’t totally off with my guessed but I definitely wasn’t 100% accurate. To do the actual ‘calculations’, I put all of the items by one brand onto a rail, counted them and photographed them (I’ve linked to any of the items that are still available). Here are my actual results, starting with the top 5 most featured brands in my wardrobe…
(DISCLAIMER: some of my clothes are at Uni but I couldn’t really justify bringing them all home for one blog post. But I’d say the clothes in this wardrobe are the ones that make up my winter wardrobe, because I haven’t missed anything that’s been at Uni for the last two months.)
Rust t-shirt* (gifted), Light Wash Kick Flare Jeans*, Black Straight Leg Jeans*, Black Kick Flare Jeans*, Navy Coat* (I used my gifted Topshop voucher to pay for some of this coat, the rest I paid for with my own money)
1.Topshop - 17%
Unsurprisingly, Topshop is the number one most featured brand in my wardrobe and Topshop pieces make up 17% of all of my clothes. I wasn’t surprised about this one, only that the percentage wasn’t higher! Topshop has always been my go-to high street brand since I started buying clothes for myself and I feel as though I can always rely on them for trendy pieces that will, mostly, stand the test of time. Plus, I’ve been partnered up with them for the past couple of months so a few of the pieces I own by them are gifted, boosting the percentage a little.
As you might be able to tell, I love Topshop denim. Four out of my six pairs of winter jeans are from Topshop (the other two are second hand). Not only is their jeans sizing accurate but they have a wide array of styles, all of which have a little bit of stretch to them, which I like as comfort is always my number one priority. I also love Topshop outerwear and I have two faux leather pieces, a blazer and a proper winter coat from Topshop, all of which I get a lot of wear out of!
I was surprised that only one of my knitwear pieces was from Topshop, although I do absolutely love this cream knit, so maybe I have been neglecting Topshop’s knitwear? Let me know what you think of their knitwear if you’ve tried it!
2/3. In joint second/third place is Zara! Again, I was kind of expecting this one. I don’t feel as though I can rely on Zara as much as I can with Topshop. But when I do have a good root around one of their chaotic stores, I always find a gem.
Clearly I’m a big fan of their neutral colour palettes, which I wasn’t really aware of until putting all of my Zara pieces onto a rail. But I also really love their t-shirts, which is something I definitely knew beforehand. Zara t-shirts are usually always 100% cotton so they last for ages and fit so well. Plus they’re so well-priced, it’s kind of ridiculous! I also love Zara scarves as they stock them in great, on-trend prints, plus, they’re usually so big that they can double up as blankets.
2/3. Sharing second and third place with Zara is my selection of second hand clothes. Some of these are vintage pieces, some of them I’ve found in charity shops and others I’ve picked up on Depop. There isn’t as much of a theme with the second-hand pieces, for obvious reasons. Although I do love vintage jeans and the two pairs featured here are some of my favourites ever.
This rail is perhaps the one I look at most fondly, as all of these pieces have memories attached to them. That’s one of the best things about second-hand shopping. I’d really like to make the second hand section of my wardrobe a bigger one, not only to make my wardrobe a little bit more sustainable, but because of how much I love all these pieces and the way they make me feel!
4. I’m kind of surprised ASOS wasn’t higher up on this list! I really get my use out of their premium yearly Next Day Delivery and I’d say most of my purchases are made from ASOS. But I realised I buy a lot of branded clothing items from ASOS (many of which make up my ‘other’ category) so my clothing items by ASOS’ own brand aren’t so extensive.
These two bags are my absolute favourite bags and if ASOS does bring them out in another colour, I will 100% be picking them up! They’re a great size and just look super chic in my opinion. I also really like ASOS knitwear for affordable options as, although their shapes and styles aren’t always the most interesting, they create really good basics that are super comfortable.
5. And finally, in fifth place, we have & Other Stories. If I had the money, my entire wardrobe would be made up of Stories pieces. But, alas I do not! So 7% of my wardrobe will have to do for now. I’m kind of surprised that it’s such a low percentage but I think it’s just because I get so much wear out of these pieces that I feel like I have more Stories pieces in my wardrobe than I actually do.
& Other Stories’ knitwear is actually fairly affordable, compared to some of their other items, and it’s such good quality and fits brilliantly. I’d really like to invest in some of their outerwear as it’s just so beautiful and of a really high quality but, sadly, I don’t have the funds for that at the moment. Maybe next year! Or when I’m no longer a student…
So those are the top 5 brands that make up most of my wardrobe but I thought I would just quickly go through some other brands that are part of my wardrobe, but feature less heavily…
6% Urban Outfitters
5% Pull & Bear
4% H&M
3% New Look (again, I must just be getting a lot of wear out of my New Look pieces as I thought this would be higher)
3% Warehouse (I was surprised about this one as I don’t think I’ve ever stepped into a Warehouse store- I think most of it has been ordered from ASOS)
2% Mango
2% COS
20% ‘Other’ (mostly brands that I only have one or two pieces from such as Uniqlo, Primark, random brands that I’ve discovered on ASOS, Nobody’s Child, Miss Selfridge)
So there we have it! My winter wardrobe in percentages, by brands. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, not least because it took me about 2 hours to go through my wardrobe like this! But, in all seriousness, I really enjoyed making this post and going through my wardrobe in this way, so let me know if you’d like to see some similar posts!
I’m thinking I could divide up all of my seasonal wardrobes in this way (although the UK doesn’t really have autumn or spring so maybe I can just do it with winter and summer) and maybe even divide my wardrobe into percentages based on the different pieces I own (e.g. t-shirts, blazers, knitwear etc.) Please do let me know if this is something you’d like to see!
Like I said, I’m never going to have a capsule wardrobe but being aware of what’s in your wardrobe is a great way of ensuring you make more responsible choices when it comes to buying new clothes. How aware are you of your wardrobe? Do you think you could accurately guess the space that different brands take up in your wardrobe? Let me know in the comments or on social media!
You might also like…
I Don't Feel Guilty About Unfollowing On Social Media and Neither Should You
Cardigan- & Other Stories
Trousers- New Look
Bag- ASOS (sold out, similar here)
Shoes- Converse
Necklaces- Missoma X Lucy Williams Mini Fang Necklace & Missoma Body Language ‘A’ Initial Necklace
I spend A LOT of time on social media, an embarrassing amount of time to be honest. The new iPhone feature that tells you your daily and weekly screen time has made me very aware of this. On average, I probably spend about 2 hours a day on Instagram, according to my phone. That’s 14 hours a week, 60 hours a month, 730 hours a year! I’ve tried SO much to cut down on my screen time but, mostly, it feels like a losing game. The truth is, we live in a society that is addicted to social media so breaking the habit of scrolling isn’t as easy as we might think.
So if I am inevitably going to be spending this much time on social media, I want it to be a positive space. I want it to add something to my life! I definitely don’t want it to make me feel bad about myself or my life. I recently watched Lucy Moon’s video about organising her life and putting mindful habits into place for the new year and one of the things she did was go through all of her Twitter and Instagram followers and unfollowed anyone who didn’t inspire her or wasn’t her friend. I thought taking the time out to do this was such a good idea as I’ve never gone through my followers in this way and I had been thinking a lot about how I wanted to make social media a more positive and productive space.
So I did just that! I started with Twitter because I’ve been using Twitter for a long time, probably about 8 years if not more, and I’d never really thought about who I’m following. Plus, Twitter had been one of the spaces I found to be stressful because of the sheer amount of words that were thrown at me, many of which were from people I’m not really in touch with anymore or accounts that I’m just no longer interested in, which meant I was consuming a lot of information that wasn’t really positive or productive for me.
Like Lucy, I wanted to continue following all of my friends, as well as accounts that I find inspiring, informative and/or positive. I didn’t actually check how many people I followed before my ‘cleanse’ but I think it was between 400-600 people and I now only follow 113 people on Twitter. My following now mostly includes my friends, bloggers/social media people whose lives I find interesting, authors and musicians and newspapers/online platforms that I enjoy (e.g. Man Repeller and The New York Times).
Even one day after my little unfollowing spree, I noticed how much more I was enjoying scrolling through my Twitter feed, and it’s actually meant that I’ve gone on Twitter less too because there isn’t as much to see so I don’t have an excuse to endlessly carry on scrolling.
I haven’t finished ‘cleansing’ my Instagram following yet, purely because it was taking a little longer as I have to look at everyone’s feeds and decide whether I think they’re adding something to my life (in the form of inspiration, positivity or information) rather than, like with Twitter, just knowing straight away whether this is the case. But I know when I do get the chance to finish clearing up my Instagram, it’s going to make scrolling there so much more positive for me too.
Despite the fact that I am doing all of this unfollowing to make social media a better space for me personally, there is still some guilt in unfollowing. Even if you haven’t spoken to someone for years, it can feel a little bitchy or arrogant to unfollow people. But it really isn’t! It’s a positive thing for you and your mental health. And after seeing how much my social media use changed for the better after doing my little ‘cleanse’, I really don’t feel guilty about it all.
I personally wouldn't be offended one bit if someone wanted to unfollow me, for whatever reason. Whether it’s because we’re not in touch anymore and they’re no longer interested in what I get up to or if it’s just that they just don’t find my content particularly interesting or inspiring! That’s fine! I feel like I’d have to be pretty vain to think that everyone is going to care about my life enough to hear about it pretty much every day.
Unfollowing people is an act of self-care, which means it’s absolutely nothing personal towards the people you’re unfollowing, in fact it’s the complete opposite, it’s all about you! And it’s okay to be selfish here. You can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t have to and if people are going to be offended that you’ve unfollowed them, it really is their own problem/issue, not yours.
So if you do have some free time over the next few days, take out an hour or two to go through your following lists on social media and cleanse it of anyone/anything that isn’t a positive influence on your life. If you spend as much time on social media as I do, it’s kind of necessary for it to be a source of positivity because if it isn’t, just think how that amount of time spent in a negative space will affect you, your mental health and your general mood. And please don’t feel guilty about it! You should never feel guilty for looking after yourself and if people are going to make you feel guilty about that, they’re not really people you want in your life anyway, so you know you’ve made the right decision in unfollowing them!
I’d love to hear how you feel about unfollowing on social media. Is ‘cleansing’ your following something you already do regularly or have you never thought about it before? Is your screen time as high as mine (please say yes)? Let me know in the comments or send me a message over on social media, speak of the devil!
Despite the fact that I’ve just referred to it as satanic, social media and a high screen time does not necessarily need to be a bad thing, as it’s often made out to be. If you can make your social media into a space that provides inspiration, positivity, information, or whatever else it is you want to get from it, it can be an amazing place to spend your time!
You might also like…
How I Wind Down & Relax Before Bed | Dealing with Anxiety at Night
As you may know if you’ve read my blog before (or if you know me in real life), I’m a bit of a worrier. I mean, that’s the understatement of the year to be honest, and we’re only 20 days in!
I’ve suffered with anxiety for a few years now and it’s always at its worse in the evenings. On a good day, my anxiety will start to materialise bit by bit (usually in the from of a stomach ache, feeling sick and/or jittery) as as it starts to get dark, on a bad day I often feel totally unable to cope with the amount of time I’m allowed to be left alone with my own thoughts during the evening.
This is why it has been essential for me to create a relaxing evening routine. I see my evening routine as a ritual, something I do every day to tell my brain that it’s time to settle down and to stop thinking about anything that might be stressing me out. And, so far, having a routine has really helped me.
Some days I do the bare minimum of this routine and sometimes I go all out, depending on how much time I have and how I feel that day. But I thought I’d go through the extended version of it with you step by step, in the hope that it might encourage or inspire you to find ways that you can wind down in the evening, especially if you struggle with them like I do.
I’d also like to point out that skincare is a really big part of how I wind down in the evening and I was actually going to include my skincare routine in this post. But, it’s fairly long and I wanted to go through it in detail so I’ve given it it’s own post, which you can read here if you’d like!
But here are the other ways in which I wind down in the evenings that I’d really recommend to everyone, whether you struggle with nights or not …
RE chocolate on the bedside table: if all else fails resort to something sweet and comforting i.e. your favourite chocolate
1. Relaxing Yoga and/or Meditation
I hope the suggestion of exercise before bed hasn't put you off already! The type of yoga I do before bed isn’t really exercise at all anyway. It’s mostly just lying down, usually with a pillow or blanket and focussing on my breathing, with a bit of easy stretching thrown in there. This is probably the step in my bedtime routine I skip the most due to laziness. But if I’m feeling really stressed or anxious before bed, I’ll always roll out my mat and take this time to myself. The only at home yoga practice I follow is Yoga With Adriene, who creates weekly yoga videos and is just brilliant. She has yoga for every mood but her bedtime yoga practices are particularly great.
Instead, or as well, as yoga, sometimes I do a little bit of meditation. It’s not something I’m totally convinced on as I often just sit there mentally-planning tomorrow’s to do list. But sometimes it does help me take some time for myself when I’ve had a busy/stressful day.
I’ve never done a meditation practice longer than 5 minutes because I’m almost sure I wouldn’t be able to get through a practice longer than that and I don’t want to make myself feel bad, so I stick to the 3-5 minute sessions. I use the app Headspace, although I don’t pay for it so I am very limited on my choice of practices. I would really recommend their beginners series though!
2. A Little Bit of Netflix
This is probably the one that I do manage every night! I’m not a big movie watcher but I LOVE a series. I think I like them because of the familiarity and comfort they provide and also because they’re usually only 30-60 minutes which is a lot more do-able and less intimidating than a 2 and a half hour film.
Anyway, I don’t need to tell you how good Netflix and TV is, you already know. I know the blue lights are supposed to be bad for sleep but, personally, I love the escapism TV provides before bed and it really allows me to get out of my own head and concentrate on something other than my own life. Some of my favourite escapist, easy-to-watch TV shows include Jane The Virgin, Crazy Ex Girlfriend and The Good Place, but there are many more.
3. Sleepy Candles
I was given a lavender candle just over a year ago as a Christmas present and since then, I will never go back. Burning a lavender (or any ‘sleepy’ smelling) candle before bed is so relaxing, not only because of the smell but because lighting a candle really feels like a ritual and a sensory reminder to your body that this is the time to relax.
I’m currently using this candle that I got for Christmas and I also have a This Works one ready and waiting to go, which is very exciting!
4. Some One on One Time with My Current Book of Choice
Even for people who don’t particularly like reading, I think reading before bed is something everyone should try! It might work, similarly to Netflix, in that it allows you to escape your own world, or it might work that you’re so bored you fall asleep. I choose to read before bed because of the former reason but whatever works for you is good!
Sometimes I read 2 pages before bed, sometimes I give myself an hour and read 40- it just depends how I’m feeling and how much university-related reading I’ve already done that day. The book I’m reading in these photos is Refinery29’s Money Diaries, which is all about how to sort your finances out. It’s not exactly the most relaxing book to read before bed, but sometimes because it’s slower it helps me to fall asleep. Plus, I only really like reading one book (for fun) at a time so I just read whatever I’m currently reading before bed. If you’re really struggling with reading, I have a blog post all about how to get back into it.
5. Pillow Spray the Day Away
Finally, we have my ultimate nightly ritual, the pillow spray! I’ve been skeptical of the humble pillow spray before, but after trying it, I don’t think I could ever go back. I use the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, which smells like a dream. It’s not really the smell that helps me relax though, it’s the ritual of spraying it and telling my body ‘it’s time to relax and sleep now’, much like the candles.
I sometimes use a de-stressing roller ball too if I feel like I need it. I like the This Works one and the Liberty one that they created in partnership with Aromatherapy. I also like doing a face mask before bed. They don’t even have to have a ‘sleepy smell’, I just find them super relaxing, even if it is a cliche. I talk a little bit more about this in my evening skincare routine blog post.
I hope you’re feeling inspired to have a relaxing evening tonight! If you’re reading this on a Sunday, which is when it’s going up, tonight is such a good time to carve out some time to relax and set yourself up for a great week. The time is so worth it as it will do wonders for your mental health, your quality of your sleep and therefore your happiness and productivity levels! If it’s not Sunday, start tonight anyway, I really hope an evening routine helps you as much as it has helped me!
you might also like…
20 Things I've Learnt in 20 Years
Today is my 20th birthday! I feel very weird about it. I’m no longer a teenager which freaks me out but I also feel like I’ve been part of the 20-something generation for some time now. Anyway I’m officially joining the 20-something club today! Who knows if that’s a good or bad thing? I’ll let you know in 10 years. For now, let’s go with good because I’d rather not live my life with a constant sense of impending doom.
On that positive note, here’s all the things I’ve learnt in the 20 years of my life so far, that is other than learning to walk, talk, eat, write, read… you get the idea. Really, this post is more about what I’ve learnt in the last 5-10 years of my life, but I’m sure some of it started to click a little bit earlier and 20 things in 20 years sounds much better so there you have it.
Anyway, let’s start my 20th year off with a little less rambling than normal and get on with the post! Here are the 20 things I’ve learnt in 20 years of being alive…
1. I’m a very hard working person and that’s probably one of my best and worst traits.
2. It’s ok not to enjoy the same things as everyone else.
3. I’m an introvert… definitely.
4. However much I think otherwise, I enjoy exercise and it’s one of the best things for my mental health.
5. Friendship is so, so important.
6. I’m a summer person through and through- the only thing I like about winter is Christmas. Period.
7. I have a sweet tooth.
8. It’s important to be engaged with politics but not at the expense of your mental health. It’s possible to be engaged without it being overwhelming but there’s a fine line.
9.It is actually possible to drink too much water! I am living, breathing evidence! It has affected my sleep and it’s just very inconvenient to need a wee all the time. But then again, nothing beats a refreshing glass of water- I’m an addict!
10. Travel is the best thing to spend your money on, or at least I think so. New clothes are all well and good for a couple of weeks or a month at best, but the anticipation, experience and memories that travel provides is unbeaten in terms of its longevity and how it can make you feel.
11. I’m happiest when engrossed in a book, preferably on a beach, and reading is something that I’ll never get bored of. I am a bookworm, always have been, probably/hopefully always will be.
12. I am a cat person and no one brings me joy like my little (he’s actually huge) cat Harley.
13. Working 24/7 doesn’t make you successful or even productive. Time off from work is so important and you can excel in your work without dedicating every breathing moment to it, probably even more so.
14. It’s ok to admit that you’re not coping with something and to ‘give up’. I’m not the most resilient person in the world and I’m learning to accept that. There’s no point pushing yourself through something you hate just to prove something to yourself or the people around you.
15. There’s nothing more rewarding than a good bargain from the charity shop. I will never stop feeling smug over my £2 favourite ever pair of jeans that I found.
16. Always eat the ice cream, or the chocolate, or the crisps. Restricting your diet is tiring and boring. To quote the great philosopher Drake, you only live once, and I’d like to spend my one life eating as much delicious food as possible.
17. You’ll never regret taking photos on a film camera. Whatever the cost and the hassle, they’re so worth it.
18. Romantic relationships don’t have to be easy to work. The harder times make the good times all the more incredible and they’re both just as important. I’ve learnt never to take advantage of any of my relationships, but particularly romantic ones, as the joy they bring and the things they can teach you are often unmatched.
19. Liverpool is the best city in the world.. I’m not biased okay? Honestly. I’m yet to visit a city with people as friendly as in my home town and that’s always the thing that makes me most homesick when I’m anywhere else. There are many other amazing things about it, but that deserves a blog post to itself.
20. Finally, life has bad moments, life has good moments, life has extremely mundane and in-the-middle moments. All of them are overwhelming. All of them will usually make you feel as though that’s what life is like when you’re in them, which can be as depressing as it is exhilarating. Perspective is key and learning to appreciate these moments, whether they’re minutes, days, weeks, months, or years, will only ever make you develop as a person. And I’ve done a whole ‘lotta developing over the past 20 years, let me tell you! (Very aware that this sounds like something a life-coach would say, but it’s my birthday so just let me get away with it, pleeeeease?)
Anyway, happy birthday to me! I’m off to drink cocktails in a hot tub whilst having a massage. Joking! I have an exam tomorrow and I’m not drinking alcohol at the moment, so I’m probably currently sat at my desk with a glass of water (or cordial, I mean it’s my birthday, I’ve gotta live it up a little!) 20 is a very adult age anyway so I might as well embrace it! Here’s to a great 20th year with more life lessons, more ice cream, more quality time with my cat and the people around me (but most importantly, my cat) and more of doing what makes me happy!
you might also like…
My Evening Skincare Routine (Cruelty Free)
Some links used in this post are affiliate which means I earn a small amount of commission if you purchase an item after clicking on my link.
I LOVE skincare. I’m crap at make up and often find it a bit of a hassle but I could lather lotions and potions all over my face (and neck, you don’t want a wrinkly spotty neck!!!) all day long. I shared my morning skincare and beauty routine a while back but I’ve been waiting to share my evening skincare routine on the blog until I got it down to a tee. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% there yet but I’ve definitely found some products I love and that work that I want to share with you. Sometimes I do all of this routine and sometimes I literally just take my make up off if that’s all I can be bothered with. But I think that’s why I love it so much, even if it’s just taking my make-up off, it ensures that there’s a little bit of me time every day!
I have oily-ish skin and used to suffer with acne throughout my teens but it’s not as bad nowadays. I still get spots during my time of the month and my skin is by no means clear. So I tend to focus on products that are aimed at people with oily skin and ‘detoxifying’ products, as that’s what I think my skin needs. But I’m not as strict nowadays and my skin can handle a little more oil than it used to be able to. Also, no I do not use a moisturiser in the evening. My morning routine is fairly focussed on hydrating so I like to allow my skincare one to deal with the oil and the spots and I just don’t feel as though using a moisturiser is helpful or necessary in dealing with that!
FYI: Everything in this skincare routine is cruelty free apart from the Garner Micellar Water, which I bought by accident thinking it was. I have still put a * next to all the products which are cruelty free just for confirmation.
I always start with a micellar water to take my make-up off, if I’m wearing it. At the moment I’m just using the Garnier Micellar Water as it’s cheap and the bottle is huge but my favourite micellar water is the Yes To Tomatoes Cleansing Water*, as it’s targeted towards breakout-prone skin. I’ll definitely be repurchasing this when the Garner runs out as not only is it effective in keeping my oily skin at bay but the applicator is just SO good.
Next, I move on to cleanser, to make sure all of my make up is off and to remove any dirt and oils that my skin has collected throughout the day. I’ve been using the Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel* for about a year, which I like but I don’t LOVE. In the last month I’ve switched to using the Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel*, which I think I prefer. They’re both super simple cleansers but the Dermalogica one just feels as though its doing a bit more, although the Mario Badescu smells better, so it depends what you’re after really! I’ll use one of these cleansers if I’m feeling a bit lazy or if I’m going to put a face mask on. If not, I’ve been using Lixirskin’s Electrogel Cleanser* which is a 2in1 cleanser/mask. After wetting your skin you apply it and leave it on for a couple of minutes- I leave it whilst brushing my teeth- then wash it off. It stings a little at first but I like that as it suggests it’s actually doing something and the appearance of my skin is slightly improved after taking it off. Plus, the packaging is v. cute.
This is the point in my skincare routine where I’ll use a face mask if I’m going to do so, although I only do this around once or twice a week as I’m usually too lazy. My current favourite is The Body Shop’s Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask*. Again, it stings a little but I notice an immediate difference in my skin every time after using it- it really does help to detoxify your skin and add a little bit of glow. It’s GREAT if you have an event coming up the next day.
If I’m not using a face mask, which is the case most nights, after cleansing I’ll use a toner. Again, I’ve been using Mario Badescu’s Special Cucumber Lotion* for about a year but I’m not besotted with it. I’ve recently been trying the cult classic, Pixi Glow Tonic*, which I’ve used before and wasn’t fussed on. But that was when my acne and oily-skin levels were much worse and my skincare priorities were very different so I’m open-minded. I think I feel least secure in this part of my skincare routine but I do like using a toner so if anyone can recommend a really good one that would be great!
Finally, I use my no.1, can’t-live-without-it product which is The Ordinary’s Salicylic Acid*. This has SAVED my skin. I apply it all over my face, just with my fingers, every night, without fail. Or, if I have a spot I’ll apply it straight on to that and it’s appearance has reduced by at least 70% by the next day. If you suffer with mild acne, I can’t recommend this enough! It’s my skin saviour and I always break out even if I forget to use it for only a few days. Plus, it’s cheap as chips!
PSA: THIS IS ME APPLYING MICELLAR WATER TO MY EYES, NOT ACID. PLEASE DO NOT MISINTERPRET THIS AND TRY AND RECREATE WHAT I AM DOING. DO NOT PUT ACID IN YOUR EYES!!!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! I’d love to hear all about your skincare routine in the comments? Do you even have one? Some of the people with the best skin I know use nothing more than a face wipe so I’m always really interested! I put my skincare routine into place to improve my skin obviously, but what I have really loved about it is that it provides some sense of routine for me every night, at university, at home, wherever I am! In next week’s post, I’m going to be talking about the other ways I wind down in the evenings. So I’ll see you back here, same time, same place, next Sunday for that! Oh and there might be a cheeky extra birthday-themed blog post as I turn 20 mid-week too…
You might also like…
Healthy Habits I'm Putting Into Place In 2019
Jumper- Urban Outfitters (old, similar here)
Necklace- ASOS
Jeans- Topshop (old, but these ones are basically the same)
We’re almost a week in to 2019 and this first week has been a weird one. I was expecting a rush of motivation and excitement about my work, but the reality is that a large part of my University work is just as dull to me as it was before Christmas, if not more! I’m trying not to put to much pressure on myself to feel super motivated though. After all, just because the calendar year has changed, it doesn’t mean anything else has or that it should.
That’s why when I was setting my New Years Resolutions, I tried not to make them too far-reaching or pressurised because that’s just not helpful. I know some people are totally against the idea of New Years Resolutions but I, for one, like them. They’re a good opportunity to take some time to think about what you’d like to do and how you’d like your life to be in the next 12 months and a year is a good amount of time to set and work towards any goals you want to reach.
Some of my New Years Resolutions are more goals based, although, like I said, none of them are too ambitious because I don’t want to be putting pressure on myself. But today I thought I’d just share my resolutions that are more about habits I want to introduce into my life, mostly to look after myself. In fact, more than half of my New Years Resolutions are focussed on self-care because the last 3(ish) years of my life I’ve been really difficult for me and my mental health and I don’t think I’ve focussed on looking after myself enough. So I’m hoping 2019 is going to be the year of self-care for me! Work and everything else is important but I can’t do any of it if I’m not functioning properly, so here are the ways in which I’m going to try and ensure I can be a fully(ish) functioning human in 2019…
Have A Day Off Every Week
This one is going to be the most important for me. Being a student, it often feels like if you’re not working 24/7 at unusual hours, you’re not doing enough. I don’t know where this attitude has come from but it’s well and truly embedded in student culture, at least at my University, and is upheld by most students. But as December came around last year and I felt not only physically and mentally exhausted but completely drained and bored by my work, I realised that this culture of overworking is not only harmful to my mental health, but also to my studies and the quality of my work.
I was literally counting down the days until the Christmas break because I was so desperate to just not think about work for a period of time. But as the Christmas break came to an end (it only really lasted about a week because I have January essays and exams) a feeling of complete dread came over me, and I was becoming so anxious and feeling really down about the thought of starting work again.
So I started thinking about my options. Dropping out of Uni? Doing barely any work and scraping a pass? Working myself to death and feeling miserable? None of these options seemed like they would have positive effects. And then I realised, what about if I take a day off every week? I wasn’t really sure if it was possible because of my workload. But I’ve thought about it and put some plans into place and realised, not only is it possible, but it’s going to be so positive for me, my social life, my mental health and (I hope) the quality of my University work.
I am still going to be doing blogging related ‘work’ on my day off, which is going to be on a Sunday, because, firstly, I don’t really have time to do it during the week very much and, secondly, because blogging doesn’t really feel like work to me. But my university work is going to be restricted to Monday-Saturday, no exceptions. My next habit will explain how this is going to be possible…
2. Get Into A Working Routine
As mentioned, student culture tells you that if you’re not staying up all night to work, you’re not really doing enough. But I’ve come to realise that this is only true for people who don’t wake up until the afternoon or would rather abandon their work for 3 weeks and, instead, pull a couple of all nighters and get it done then.
But, personally, I’m happy to get up at a normal time (pre-7am is kind of impossible but waking up at 7:30/8 feels completely fine for me). I also generally feel quite anxious in the evenings, so this really isn’t the best time for me to be trying to complete important work. I actually feel my best, and therefore do my best work, in the day time.
So I’ve decided that from Monday-Friday, my work hours will, mostly, be restricted to 10-6. I’ve gone with 10am because that’s when my University day usually starts (i.e. this is when most of my lectures and seminars start) and 6pm because an 8 hour working day feels like a good amount.
My working routine prior to 2019 was kind of similar to this, but some Wednesday afternoons, for example, I would decide to have a nap or go shopping, which would mean working into Wednesday night and feeling utterly exhausted the next day. Or sometimes it would just mean falling behind on my work which would mean I didn’t have a day off in months (Uni work can catch up on you very quickly). I don’t think I’ll be able to stick to this routine 100% but I think I can stick to it for about 90% of the time, which is enough.
So I’m hoping to be able to stick to this routine and, in doing so, I should be able to get enough work done during the week that I can always have my Sundays to myself. Oh, and on Saturday’s I want to do about 5 hours work, giving myself an extra 3 hours to sleep or socialise. It’s probably going to be an 11-4 working day or something like that, we’ll see!
3. Get Out In Nature At Least Once A Week
I am lucky enough, when I’m home from Uni, to have a beautiful beach literally on my doorstep, as you can see from these photos. But I just don’t make the most of it enough! Every time I visit, I vow to go more often as it’s so relaxing and refreshing to be by the sea. But I always forget or let life get on top of me. So this year I’d really like to get out in nature and head to the beach (or wherever else I fancy in the great outdoors) at least once a week, probably on my day off.
Whether it’s on my own or with my family, friends or boyfriend, I think it will be really beneficial for my mental health. I also think it will benefit me creatively, as I always feel super inspired after getting out in nature!
4. Exercise At Least Three Times A Week
On top of my weekly walk in nature, I’d also like to exercise at least three times a week. I started going to the gym (after a 2 year hiatus) in October, when I was going through a bit of a shit time with my mental health, as I was hoping it would help relieve some stress and clear my head. And it did! It really made me feel better and ‘lighter’. So this year I’d like to commit to exercising three times a week, at least.
It’s an easy habit to fall out of but as long as I’m paying for a gym membership, I generally feel motivated to go as it’s something I can’t really afford so if I am going to be paying for it every month, I feel the need to make the most of it.
I’m also doing Yoga With Adriene’s 30 Days of Yoga challenge this month, which, as the name suggests, means I will be doing yoga every day for 30 days. I’ve attempted this challenge every year for the last few years now, and have completed it a couple of times. It’s difficult both physically and mentally but it also has SO many benefits. Hopefully there will be a blog post on my experience with it when (if) I finish it!
5. Write More For The Love of Writing
I spend A LOT of my time writing, from blog posts to essays to Instagram captions. But I’ve fallen out of the habit of writing for myself, that is writing that is limited to my eyes only. Journalling is something I’ve tried and given up on, and tried and given up on a whole lot over the years and I’m still not really sure how I feel about it. But I’d really just like to pick up a pen and write about my surroundings, my feelings, my day or anything else I fancy more often as it is something I enjoy and I feel as though writing when you know no one else is going to see the words on the page is a really relaxing and freeing experience.
So there we have it! The habits I want to introduce to my life in 2019. Maybe I’ll do an ‘update’ blog post on how they’re all going in 6 months time, and then one at the end of the year? Maybe not though, if they’ve all gone to shit…
But I’m optimistic! I know that implementing all of these habits will have a really positive effect on my life, so hopefully my perfectionist mindset won’t get in the way of them. I’d love to hear about your New Years Resolutions, especially if any of them are centred around self-care, in the comments or over on my social media! Do also let me know if any of you’re thinking of introducing any similar habits into your life as well!
Oh, and FYI, blog posts at Words By Alice are going to be weekly from now on. There might be an extra post every now and then but as a general rule, there will be one new blog post a week every Sunday. So I’ll see you back here next Sunday!
You might also like…
Want to Keep Up With My Blog Posts? Follow Me on Bloglovin'
Hello! Just a quick one from to say that you can now follow my blog on Bloglovin’ to keep up with all my posts as they’re uploaded. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a website where you can follow all your favourite bloggers and Bloglovin’ will create a feed of all the posts uploaded by the bloggers you follow, as they upload! It’s basically like Instagram… but for blogs.
I’m working on a *proper* subscription feature for my blog at the moment but for now, this is a great way to keep up with my blog, if you’d like to, and any other bloggers you like too!
Click the link at the top of my page to follow me!
My Top 3s of 2018 | Books, Podcasts, Bloggers, Fashion, Beauty & More!
2018 has been a weird one. I’m honestly not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. But what I do know is that I have enjoyed so many things. Reading things, listening to things, wearing things, watching things, seeing things. I’ve consumed so much stuff that I have truly enjoyed and so I thought I would share it in one big post. I’m going to try and restrict myself to a sentence or two on each thing to avoid this being the longest post on my blog, but I love every single thing I’m recommending it so excuse me if I do ramble a little.
I hope you enjoy this blog post and I hope you go and consume all of the things I’m recommending during 2019 because they are SO worth your time.
Books
Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ (This book is equal-parts gripping and moving. I recommend it to everyone I know. In fact, on Friday I recommended it to 3 people in one day and bought it as a gift. Please read this book!)
Normal People by Sally Rooney (Another extremely gripping and moving novel. It’s beautifully written and easy to read- what more can you ask for?)
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (I actually listened to this book on audible but it still counts doesn’t it? I love Dolly and everything she creates and this book is no exception.)
Blogs
Shot From The Street (So much creative content. I especially love Lizzy’s use of 35mm film photography.)
The Anna Edit (Anna uploads blog posts so frequently and all of her content is useful and interesting. I honestly don’t know how she keeps coming up with ideas.)
Ropes of Holland (I don’t read Lindsey’s blog as much as the other two I’ve mentioned, but Lindsey has created some amazing content this year, including her post on heartbreak.)
Instagram Accounts
@lucywilliams02 (Lucy’s Instagram will probably always be my favourite. Her wardrobe is to die for, as is her travelling schedule and she documents these things in a really authentic but beautiful way.)
@livpurvis (Liv’s feed is also beautiful, providing me with lots of fashion and travel inspo. But I also love her stories! She’s always chatting away on them and, just like her podcast, they make me feel like I’m talking to a friend.)
@alicecatherine (Alice uploads so much high quality, beautiful style inspiration. I love everything she uploads and I would kill for her vintage collection.)
Podcasts
The High Low (As I have mentioned, I love Dolly Alderton and I probably love and admire Pandora Sykes even more- my boyfriend often pulls me up on how much I mention her. This podcast is reliably insightful and interesting and it keeps me informed as much as it makes me laugh.)
The Fringe Of It (Listening to this podcast comprising Charlotte, of Betty Magazine, and Liv Purvis, of what Olivia Did, feels like a catch up with your best friends. It’s so easy to listen to and always brightens my day, plus the subject matter is usually really interesting.)
Nobody Panic (I would actually go as far to say that Stevie and Tessa, the hosts of this podcasts, have got me through some difficult times. This podcast never fails to make me laugh out loud and reassure me that I’m not failing at life as badly as I sometimes think I am!)
Youtubers
Sunbeamsjess (Jess is forever my favourite YouTuber because the content she creates is based around fashion and books, which are my two favourite things. I can always count on her vlogs, especially her Uni based ones, to cheer me up and she generally just always makes amazing content.)
Samantha Maria (Sammi is another Youtuber whose videos I always watch. I love her vlogs as much as her styling videos and she’s another one who I’ve followed for years so will always feel a little bit of a connection to.)
Emma Hill (I’ve discovered Emma’s YouTube channel, unlike the others, this year and since then, have watched pretty much all of her videos. Her content is so consistent- uploading 3 times a week- and her fashion and styling videos are always genuinely informative.)
Fashion/Styling Pieces
Charles & Keith Ankle Boots (This pair of boots only came into my life in the last month of 2018 but they’re still my number one item because I have found a pair of vegan leather boots that actually feel and look like real leather and don’t rub my feet. Plus they look amazing and are probably now the comfiest shows I own.)
THAT Topshop Satin Midi Skirt (This skirt has actually made me enjoy autumn/winter styling so much more. I have it in the red and the brown which are sadly sold out but there are lots of other colours available.)
ASOS Satchel Bag (This one is a little bit random. But my croc burgundy satchel bag from ASOS has been such a good styling tool for me during the last couple of summer months and during autumn/winter. I love it and it was a bargain.)
Beauty/Skincare
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser (I love this cleanser so much. It has not improved my skin by any great leaps and bounds but I love how it feels and smells and it’s the perfect non-offensive, easy cleanser for my morning routine. I’m on at least my third bottle and have a backup bottle waiting to go.)
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid (This is another one that I have backups for but, unlike the cleanser, this seriously has transformed my skin. A drop of this on any spots overnight reduces their appearance by at least 80% by the next morning and since putting it all over my face every night, any acne has been reduced so much.)
Too Faced Sweet Peach Eye Shadow Palette (I have loved wearing eyeshadow this year and this has been my go-to palette for everyday and more formal occasions. My favourite shades are Bellini, Puree and Luscious.)
Films
Call Me By Your Name (This film is everything I could ask for. It’s a little bit pretentious but in all the best ways and it never fails to make me feel emotional and inspired.)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (I couldn’t include a post on 2018 without this film because I just adored it. It’s jam-packed with ABBA songs and without a doubt makes me feel good every time I watch it.)
Ladybird (I’ve watched this film upwards of 5 times this year- for someone who doesn't usually like watching a film more than once, this is A LOT. It’s relatable, hilarious and as easy to watch as much as it is thought-provoking. Plus it has Saoirse Ronan AND Timothee Chalamet starring in it, both of whom I love.)
Music
Rex Orange County (The music of Rex Orange County has soundtracked my year- as my Spotify Wrapped will tell you- and I could never get bored of his wonderful voice and lyrics. From the feel good songs to the ones that make me cry, I love them all.)
Mahalia (Spotify Wrapped will also assure you of my love for Mahalia. Her music always makes me feel like I can take on the world and I can’t wait to hear more from her in 2019.)
Jorja Smith (I’m late to the bandwagon with this one but I’ve fallen in love with Jorja Smith’s lyrics as much as I have with her voice this year.)
I could go on with more and more categories but I’ll stick with these for now. It was so difficult to limit each category to my top 3 but I can assure you that these really are the best of the best. Please do go out and consume some of this stuff, whatever it is you enjoy, because I can’t recommend all of it enough and I know I’ll be enjoying it all in 2019 just as much as I have in 2018.
I’d love to hear about your favourite stuff of 2018! Let me know in the comments or on social media, or link me to your posts/videos discussing your favourite things of 2018 as I’d love to read/watch them.
you might also like…
Why I Really Do Love the Most Wonderful Time of The Year | 12th Day of Christmas
Top- COS
Skirt- Topshop (sold out but it’s often re-stocked, here’s the nude version which I also love)
Necklace- ASOS
It’s Christmas Eve, which means it’s the last day of my 12 Days of Christmas blog posts (more on how I’ve felt about it at the end of the post). I thought I’d end this blog series with a super simple, kind of predictable post about why I love Christmas. One of last week’s posts was about how Christmas isn’t the most wonderful time of the year for everyone, and how it isn’t really perfect for anyone. But I always look forward to Christmas and it brings a reason to be a happy during a time of the year that I often find depressing.
In fact, Christmas is pretty much the only thing I like about winter. I would skip the whole season of winter if it wasn’t for Christmas (I’d even skip my birthday which is in January). I’m a summer person through and through but, despite this, Christmas is my favourite time of the year. Singing lots of crappy but catchy songs, having an excuse to eat anything and everything and also having an excuse to see friends and family who I might not have seen for the rest of the year is something I really love. It’s a cliche but even if nothing goes to plan at Christmas, being around family and friends regularly is enough to make it my favourite time of the year in itself.
I also love how Christmas forces me to take a break. A break from UNI work, and just generally from being the overly-organised, stressed out person that I am. I tend to take it easier than normal throughout the whole month of December (although a Christmas job and this blog series hasn’t allowed that quite as much this year) and because I love Christmas so much, I feel completely justified in doing so, which is something I don’t really feel at other points in the year even when my body is crying out for rest.
I’m going to stop this post here, mostly because it’s 7:22 on the 23rd December (remember when I thought I was going to write all of these posts in advance? Ha- I’m hilarious!) but also because I think everyone knows why Christmas-lovers are the way we are even if they don’t love Christmas as much themselves, so there’s no point me babbling on about it for 1000 words.
This post is also a short one because there’s a few more photos than usual. I love these photos, taken by the wonderful Jenny Gavan. I’m wearing my favourite Topshop red skirt in them, which epitomises Christmas for me, dancing around with tinsel and fairy lights, next to a freshly-decorated Christmas tree. What’s not to love?
I really hope you’ve enjoyed my 12 Days of Christmas posts. They’ve been hard work but I’ve also really enjoyed pumping a whole lot of content into my fresh new blog design and sharing my love of the festive season with you all. Hopefully they can provide festive inspiration for years to come- especially because I don’t think my schedule during my final year of UNI will allow me to do something like this next year. But I might try and come up with some sort of summer series in which I post every day for a certain period. Do let me know if this is something you’d be interested in!
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas filled with rest, food and loooove (for yourself as much as those around you) <3
you might also like…
Festive Traditions | 11th Day of Christmas
Happy Christmas eve eve! Today’s post, like last Sunday’s, is a fairly short one. I’m going to be taking you through some of my Christmas traditions! I’m really nosey and am a big Christmas lover (not sure if you’ve picked up on that from my last 10 blog posts) so I always love hearing/reading about what people get up to over the holiday season, so hopefully some of you feel the same way.
So, without further ado, here are my favourite Christmas traditions:
A Cinema Trip on Christmas Eve: this is something that my family and I have started doing over the last few years but it’s definitely become a tradition. Last year we went to see Paddington 2 (which was exceptional) and the year before we went to see the modern version of Annie. This year we’re stepping it up a bit and are heading to Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, one of the most beautiful venues in Liverpool, to watch It’s A Wonderful Life, which I’ve actually never seen before!
Manchester Christmas Markets: I’ve really unfortunately broken this tradition this year, which is inexcusable considering I go to university in Manchester now! But a trip to the Manchester Christmas Markets has always been a tradition for me and something that really gets me in the festive mood. In all fairness I’ve walked through them a fair amount of times but I am really disappointed that I didn't get a chance to have a proper visit this year. In the photos included with this post, I’m at the Liverpool Christmas Markets which, to be honest, aren’t very good, but they made a nice backdrop for these photos.
Heading to the Pub on Christmas Eve: another new tradition- this one is new because I haven’t really been old enough to do this until 2ish years ago. But going to the pub on Christmas Eve with my friends is something I really look forward to! It’s a really nice opportunity to get together and feel festive together before spending the next few days with our families. I’m interested to see how this year’s pub visit will go completely sober…
Christmas Eve Pyjamas: my pub visit gets in the way of this one a little bit but Christmas Eve pyjamas are a mandatory part of Christmas for me (and my sister). Last year I opened them before leaving to go out and put them on when I got back at about 11:30 with my sister whilst watching Elf in bed. I will probably do the same this year, although I might leave the pub a little bit earlier as everyone else starts to get more drunk and I become increasingly aware of how sober I am!
A Christmas Quiz: a Christmas Quiz (or 10) is pretty important for my family at Christmas. We always do a big one either on Christmas day or on one of the days in between Boxing Day and New Years Eve when seeing lots of family, but various quizzes take place on a smaller scale on other occasions over the festive period. I am so secretly (or possibly not so secretly) competitive during these but so are most of the other members of my family so it’s fine.
They’re all the traditions that spring to mind when thinking about it. I’m sure they’re are loads more but I’ll probably be documenting them all on my Instagram over the next week! Make sure you’re following me over there @alicemayporter if you’re interested.
I’d love to hear about your Christmas traditions because like I said, I find it super interesting. Let me know in the comments or on social media!
you might also like…
A Very Sober Christmas | 10th Day of Christmas
Dress- Urban Outfitters
In October of this year, I was advised by a doctor to stop drinking alcohol for 6 months, or maybe even forever. I’m not going to go into the details of why here because it’s just not that interesting but, very basically, I become very ill (think food poisoning symptoms) after a minimal amount of alcohol (I have been known to throw up for 2 days after 2 ciders, it’s extremely inconvenient). So 6 months off is either going to let my body re-build it’s tolerance up so I am OK to drink forever, or I am just going to have no tolerance to alcohol ever and never be able to drink alcohol again. Basically- I’ve become the biggest lightweight known to man.
When I’ve told people that I can’t drink at the moment, many of the responses are ‘But what about Christmas? Are you actually not going to drink all Christmas?’ People are generally baffled by the fact that I’m going to spend the festive period sober. This is probably because for about 4 years of my life I used to get very drunk every weekend without question, which is potentially the reason why I can’t drink now but like I said, it’s a long story.
But I also think it’s also because Christmas is a time of the year that is very much associated with alcohol. Last night was supposedly the biggest night out of the year, prosecco on Christmas day is near enough mandatory and also part of the festive season is New Year’s Eve, another night which is very much alcohol-focused.
However, I’m not nearly as intimidated as other people are at the prospect of not drinking alcohol this Christmas. I mean, I’d rather not spend the holiday period with my head over the toilet so there’s a lot of incentive not to drink. Plus, Christmas is also the time of year where nights in watching Christmas films and having an early night are encouraged maybe just as much as going out, so there’s that.
I’ve also managed to (kind of) get through 2 months of being a student and living in one of the most highly-populated student areas in the UK without drinking alcohol and perhaps the only thing that is associated with alcohol more than Christmas is student life. So if I’ve done that, I think I can stay sober through anything!
I don’t really know how I feel about not being able to drink alcohol at the moment. I haven’t hated it but I haven’t loved it. In all honesty, I haven’t noticed much of a difference to my life. I’ve had a lot of nights in but nights out haven’t really been an option over the last 2 months anyway because I’ve been so busy during the days that the only way I want to spend my evenings is passed out on the couch. The worst thing about not drinking alcohol isn’t actually the not being drunk part anyway, it’s all the unwanted attention I get from people who are interested in why I’m not drinking which never fails to make me uncomfortable.
I’m not even particularly looking forward to March when I can ‘officially’ try to start drinking again. I think this is partly because I’m skeptical as to whether anything will have changed in the way that my body reacts to alcohol but also because I no longer enjoy nights out like I used to (here I go again…19 going on 90).
I think I enjoy quieter nights, going out for food, to the cinema or just nights with friends that end with me in bed by 1am much more nowadays. It’d still be nice to be able to have a few drinks every now and then without being horribly ill but I don’t have a huge desire to get really drunk.
This has nothing to do with why I’ve stopped drinking but being drunk, and especially having a hangover, really does trigger my anxiety. Many of my worst panic attacks have happened when I’ve been drunk or the morning after, so I think this is another reason as to why I’m not overly nostalgic about drinking alcohol.
Overall, I feel fine about having a sober Christmas. I have a new found love for Coca Cola (hence me holding a can of it in all these photos as if I’m sponsored by the brand) which, believe it or not, I didn’t really used to like! Plus, not drinking leaves more room for food, so hopefully I can beat my own record of how much chocolate and crisps I can inhale over the period between Christmas Eve and New Years Day.
Let me know if you’d like more content on how I’m finding not drinking, particularly on how I find it as a university student. I’d also be super interested to hear about your relationship with alcohol, especially over the festive period. Let me know in the comments or on social media! I’ll see you back here tomorrow for a post on my favourite Christmas traditions.
The Highs and Lows of Seasonal Dressing and Instagram 'Themes' | 9th Day of Christmas
Jumper- & Other Stories
Skirt- Miss Selfridge (Old-similar here)
Boots- & Other Stories (I bought these in store for 70% off but they’re full price on the website, so definitely check your local store before making an online purchase)
Seasonal dressing is something I’ve got into this year, specifically this autumn. And, no, by seasonal dressing I don’t mean wearing a coat in winter and dresses in summer (i.e. dressing according to the weather), I mean wearing colours, prints, textures and shapes that are specific to whatever season it is.
I think I got into it this autumn because the high street came up with such a wide array of those beautiful autumnal colours, you know, the rusts, the camels, the chocolate browns. Speaking of chocolate brown, I think it was THAT Topshop satin skirt that really made me step into the ballpark of seasonal dressing. I became obsessed with the colour of it and most of my purchases were shaped by looking for colours that would look best with it, and most of them happened to be part of autumn fashion’s colour palette.
In some ways, sticking to specific colours worked really well for me. It ensured that my shopping was focussed and that I thought a lot more about things would fit into my wardrobe, meaning I made less impulse purchases. It also made it easier to get dressed in the morning as most of the clothes at the front of my wardrobe were part of the same colour palette, so looked good paired together. I’d actually kind of started building my own capsule wardrobe based on each season.
However, after about a month or two of almost exclusively wearing shades of brown and red, the novelty wore off a little bit and I began to feel a little bit trapped by my own wardrobe, the one thing that is usually super freeing for me. So I was glad when December hit and the season’s colours changed to red, green and anything a little bit sparkly. I mean… I was glad for the first week. Then I realised that I don’t own that many red, green or sparkly things (which is why I’m wearing this & Other Stories jumper in these photos for the 100th time in the past fortnight). So, again, I'm feeling a little bit trapped.
I can hear you shouting at your screen, ‘Why, just wear some different colours then! Nobody’s holding a knife to your throat!’ But unfortunately, logical reader, my Instagram grid sometimes makes it feels like they are. The idea of a themed Instagram grid is something that I’ve never really been very good at, mostly because I don’t always use the same camera, I live in a different place during the week than I do on the weekend, I generally wear lots of different colours and I’m not very good at editing.
So I kind of just accepted that an Instagram theme wasn’t for me. But when I started to dress seasonally during Autumn, an Instagram theme started to develop through my outfit shots. Seemingly because of this, my following grew and I was really happy with the appearance of my Instagram for the first time ever! But whilst I was happy with how my social media looked, I still wanted to change the way I was dressing. So I had/have a few choices, 1. abandon the theme, dress how I want and share it to Instagram, 2. stick with the theme and only wear ‘seasonal’ clothes, 3. stick with the theme and only post photos when your clothes work for it.
I know this may seem trivial to many but how I dress and Instagram are two of the main ways in which I use my creativity so they’re important to me! But at the end of the day, I think my personal style is a better and more important creative outlet for me than my Instagram so, despite the fact that all of these choices require some sort of compromise, the first one seems like the best option for me.
After getting into these habits of seasonal dressing and having an Instagram ‘theme’, I’m finding them kind of difficult to step out of. But I think once we get into the months of January-March when the only way I could dress seasonally is by wearing black and grey all the time to match the weather, it will be a lot easier and I can make the most of all the textures and colours in my wardrobe.
Although dressing in this way has been testing at times, it’s got me thinking more and more about a capsule wardrobe. I love the way The Anna Edit does her capsule wardrobes seasonally and it seems to be an environmentally and purse-friendly way of making getting dressed easier. But, in all honesty, I think I just love buying new clothes and coming up with new outfits all the time too much to have any sense of uniform so maybe this isn’t the best option for me after all!
Who knows? Maybe after reading Anna’s new book that comes out in January, I’ll feel even more confident about the idea of a capsule wardrobe. But right now, as you can probably tell, my thoughts on seasonal dressing, capsule wardrobes and Instagram ‘themes’ are seriously conflicting. I’d love to know how you feel about these things in the comments or on social media so please do let me know! Until then, you probably will see me wearing mostly red and glitter until New Years Day, that is when I’m not exclusively wearing pyjamas.
The Christmas Blues | 8th Day of Christmas
When I was planning my 12 Days of Christmas blog posts, I was obviously trying to think of festive themes to include. But I also really wanted to include a post talking about how Christmas isn’t a happy, festive time for everyone, despite what the media (and especially social media) presents. I’m definitely contributing to this festive facade of every day of December being one full of cheer with this series of blog posts and with my other content on social media this month and that’s why I was adamant about including a post such as this one, to remind anyone who might be reading my blog and who feels like they’re not feeing as Christmassy as they should be that they really don’t have to be!
Christmas can be difficult for people for a number of reasons; grief, loss, mental health issues, work, family problems… the list goes on. The holiday season isn’t this perfect month of happiness for anyone really, everyone has something going on in their life and it doesn’t disappear just because Michael Buble is back on the radio 24/7 (although a bit of Buble can definitely help, I have to admit!)
For me, Christmas generally is a happy time of the year and one that I always look forward to. But it still never lives up to my expectations of it being totally stress-free. I’m still thinking about Uni work and my anxiety hasn’t magically disappeared, if anything it’s escalated a little because this is such a busy time of year!
If you’re really not into Christmas this year, just try and treat it as an opportunity to rest. Hopefully you have some time off work and can treat the holiday season instead of the season of festive fun, as the season of self-care. Read a book you love or have wanted to read forever (a distinctly non-festive one would work well), watch your favourite films that have nothing to do with Christmas, take advantage of the huge selection of chocolate in your local supermarket at the moment and bury yourself in your duvet with it. Or do whatever else makes you happy, whether it’s festive or not!
I understand that it’s definitely not as simple as this though. Dealing with loss, grief or mental health issues isn’t just as simple as doing self-care and I can imagine it’s harder than I’m implying to remove yourself from the festivities of Christmas. That’s why this isn’t really an advice post. I don’t think I’m qualified to give advice on this subject and I don’t want to just hand out basic self-care advice like ‘try a face mask’ as I think that’s a little bit reductive and insulting.
Instead, this post is an acknowledgment and a reminder that Christmas doesn’t have to be the most wonderful time of the year for you and there’s no need to feel guilty if it isn’t. I also wanted to link to some other blog posts written on this same subject which I think could be really comforting if you are struggling with Christmas this year:
Some Thoughts on Christmas by Lizzy Hadfield (Shot From the Street)
A Different Perspective on Christmas by Isabelle Hardy (Fashion et Moi)
I hope you’ve benefitted from this post in some way and if anything I hope you’ve taken away from it that if you are feeling a little bit crap this Christmas, that’s ok! It’ll be over in 2 weeks time anyway and there’s really no obligation to get involved if you don’t want to- take it from Chloe in her blog post! I’d be really interested to know how you’re feeling about Christmas this year, whether it’s good or bad. And as always, my direct messages on social media are always open so you’re welcome to talk to me about it privately if you’d like to!
How to Be Vegan at Christmas | 7th Day of Christmas
Photography by Jenny Gavan.
Being vegan is trying at the best of times, and that’s generally not even because non-vegan food is tempting but because you’re constantly questioned on your choices and the food you choose to eat. So being vegan at Christmas, when the main event of the season for many is a turkey/chicken/pig, is even worse. From (often passive aggressive) jokes that you’ve heard a million times before at the dinner table, to the question that never ends of ‘but don’t you miss bacon?’ it takes a lot of will power not to get annoyed with people, and I think that’s where the label of ‘angry vegans’ has developed from (but I’ll save that for another blog post).
So I thought I’d write this blog post in order to provide some tips on how to stay sane as a vegan over Christmas as well as providing an extensive list of the best vegan food you can eat at Christmas (scroll to the bottom of the post if that’s what you’re interested in), because there’s absolutely no need for those with a plant-based diet to miss out on what is decisively the best season for food of the year. This is my third Christmas eating a vegan diet so I think I’ve really got both of these things down!
Here are my tips on how to stay sane:
1.Don’t Engage With The Age Old Vegan Comments, You’re Going To Get A Whole Lot Of Them!
As I started to discuss earlier, people LOVE to comment on the lifestyles’ of vegans, whether they’re making jokes or offering health advice. When I first went vegan around 2 and a half years ago, I would be asked/told on a daily basis questions like ‘Do you get enough protein? You need to be careful with that.’ Or, ‘But if we all went vegan, animals would overpopulate the earth, right?’ First of all, if anyone’s interested, yes I do and no they wouldn’t. But I’m going to stop there. During my first months of veganism, I would always engage with these questions, relaying facts and explaining to people why they were wrong, firstly because I was super passionate about it and also because I thought these were genuine questions and that I could actually help educate the people asking them. But the truth is, I couldn’t and you probably can’t either.
If people have these assumptions about you and your diet, they’re probably not even going to listen to what you have to say, so it’s just going to be frustrating for you to try and explain anything to them. I always give super simple answers (literally just yes or no) and if they push further, I keep my answers short (e.g. ‘It’s all good, I had blood tests last month and I’m fine, not to worry!’) Most people asking these questions really don’t want to know the actual answer and have their beliefs challenged, and this is especially true at the Christmas dinner table! So just answer the question simply and change the subject, unless you think they are genuinely interested.
With the jokes, just learn to laugh. They’re not funny and probably never will be but, again, the people telling them don’t want to hear that. So, again just laugh and move on. Whatever you do, don’t even bother trying to educate the joke-tellers, they’re even less interested than the question-askers, trust me!
2.Don’t Attempt to Convert People At The Christmas Dinner Table
This one is kind of similar to my previous tip, but don’t use Christmas dinner or any of the many formal eating situations of Christmas as a chance to tell people the facts about the meat on their plate. It can be tempting, especially if you’ve only recently learnt about how horrific the meat industry is, to become angry with all the meat consumption you’re seeing over Christmas. But telling people how bad their decisions are, especially when they’ve already bought the food and are in the midst of eating it, really isn’t going to be an effective way of turning people vegan and is going to leave you and the person you’re talking to feeling rubbish!
Just be content with the fact that by not eating animal products at Christmas, you’re making the right choice! I think being happy with your own decision and showing people just how much you’re thriving through eating a vegan diet is actually the most effective way of impacting other people’s decisions. My mum actually went vegan around 6 months after I did when she saw all the positive effects it was having on me, so trust me on this one!
3.Always Come/Go Prepared
There’s nothing I feel more uncomfortable with, in terms of veganism, than people fretting over me and feeling bad about there being a lack of vegan options. Obviously these people have the kindest of intentions and I always really appreciate that, but I don’t do well when being fretted over as I generally just don’t like the attention of lots of people, especially strangers, being focussed on me!
To avoid this, and to make sure you’re not left dipping carrots into hummus as your main meal of the night, take food with you to events if you’re not 100% sure whether they’ll be vegan options! I’m talking family events here, not a New Years Eve club night, BTW. This works especially well if it’s a family event with a buffet, as you can just add whatever meal you’ve made to the table and, if you’ve made enough for others too, your friends and family can taste just how good vegan food is! Easy meals to bulk make include veggie curries and chillies, but dessert always goes down well too (see below for a recipe for the best peanut butter filled dessert).
Waitrose Mince Pies
Linda McCartney sausages, Linda McCartney pork & apple sausage rolls, Tesco bubble and squeak
4. Stock Up On All The Vegan Alternatives/Treats
This one is especially for those of you who are newly turned vegan and are worried about the possibility of caving over the festive period. But it’s also relevant to all vegans, new and old, in because you don’t want to be left out of what is the best foodie time of the year. Stock up on all the fake meats, lots of vegan-friendly chocolate and anything else you’d usually eat over Christmas. I promise, your tastebuds won’t even know the difference if you do this effectively!
With that, here is a guide to all my favourite vegan-friendly food you can buy this Christmas:
SAVOURY:
Linda McCartney Vegetarian Beef Roast with Red Wine and Shallot Glaze
Linda McCartney Cocktail Sausages
Linda McCartney Vegetarian Mini Pork & Apple Sausage Rolls
Ready salted Pringles
Paprika Pringles
Violife Cheese Spread (I couldn’t find this one in the supermarkets so I made my own one for these photos, but Violife cheese is unarguably the best)
The White Rabbit Pizza (it’s expensive but it’s a nice treat and a good one to take to parties)
Ritz Crackers
Bubble & Squeak (Tesco’s frozen one is vegan)
SWEET:
Mince Pies (Waitrose & Lidl’s are vegan)
Tesco Frozen Churros
Mint Thins (basically supermarkets own brands’ answer to After Eights and they’re SO good)
Cadburys Drinking Chocolate (to be made with oat milk)
MooFree chocolate is the best, plus they do a selection box. Make sure to try their Bunnycomb bar.
Lazy Day products (including millionaires shortbread- available in Waitrose)
Vegan Magnums
Bendicks Mint Collection Chocolate Box
Co-Op Custard/Jam Donuts
Fabulous Freefrom Factory Dairy Free Chocovered Crunchee Bites (tastes exactly like a Crunchie chocolate bar)
Fabulous Freefrom Factory Dairy Free FudgeeBites
Fabulous Freefrom Factory Dairy Free Sea-Salted Chocolate Covered Bites
Alpro Custard
If you’re wanting to do some baking, this BBC recipe for peanut butter chocolate squares is always a winner. It’s not vegan but if you replace the butter with vegan butter, and use dark chocolate (my favourite is Bournville), as well as vegan digestives (most supermarket’s own brand digestives are vegan but always check) then it is suitable for vegans and it’s SO easy to make!
Being More Sustainable Over the Holiday Period | 6th Day of Christmas
Photography by Jenny Gavan
Christmas really is one of my favourite times of the years, mostly because it involves spending lots of time with family and eating more food than is socially acceptable. However, despite it being mine and many others’ favourite time of the year, it’s not a very good time of the year for the environment, due to the wastefulness and excess of the holidays generally. So, along with all my other typically festive posts, I thought I’d include one that can have some sort of positive impact on the environment, providing you with some simple tips on how to have yourself a more environmentally friendly Christmas (not quite as catchy as Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas but I tried!)
But first, here’s some facts on how the month of December affects our environment:
27,000 miles of wrapping paper is used each year in the UK alone.
Only 1% of consumer goods are still in use 6 months later.
The equivalent of 2 million turkeys end up in the bin every year.
1 in 10 unwanted Christmas gifts end up in landfill
(facts taken from https://www.asustainablelife.co.uk/12-not-so-fun-festive-facts/)
Now I don’t always like sharing facts like these because often guilt-tripping can scare people off. But I think it takes reading these types of statistics to actually make some changes, even if they’re only small! I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t buy any Christmas presents or that you should carefully measure out all of the food you buy to ensure none of it goes to waste (although if you want to, great, go for it!) The amount of people who are willing to make changes like this is minimal, but if everyone could make just a few changes to the way they do Christmas, think of the positive effects this could have on our environment!
So, with that, here are my top 5 tips t be more sustainable this Christmas! They’re not groundbreaking but they’re easily doable so do try at least one of them…
1.Use 100% Recyclable Wrapping Paper & Switch Out Sellotape for Washi Tape
As shown from the previous statistics, wrapping paper is one of the main ways in which Christmas can be a very wasteful time of year. Obviously the most effective solution would be not to wrap your presents but I’m not quite ready to take this step yet, firstly because I really do love having wrapped presents and, secondly, because I don’t have the energy to explain to every family member why their present isn’t wrapped and have them assume that I’m just lazy!
So, instead I’ve bought one roll of brown wrapping paper (just the one you get in the post office). It’s 100% paper and totally recyclable, plus it only cost me about £3 and it’s about 5x the size of a normal roll of wrapping paper. I actually really like how presents looked wrapped in this. I must admit that I have bought a few rolls of ribbon to ‘jazz it up’ a little bit but I’m hoping to reuse that for next year (I’ll be that person crawling around picking it up off everyone’s presents once they’ve opened them).
Another way in which I’ve made present-wrapping more environmentally friendly is by sticking down paper with Washi tape rather than sellotape. Again, washi tape is 100% recyclable and it looks a lot nicer than sellotape too! Unless you’re going to pull all the sellotape off the recyclable wrapping paper you’re using, it can’t go in the recycling bin anyway, so by using this you can avoid that and still recycle all the wrapping paper you’ve used.
2. Give the Gift of Sustainability
The statistic that only 1% of consumer goods are used 6 months later is one of the most shocking to me! That’s a crazy amount of waste. So, for that person (those people) that you always have no idea what to buy, why not get them something that’s going to improve their climate footprint rather than something that’s going to sit around and eventually go to landfill?
I received a Chilly’s water bottle for Christmas last year and, not only does it look super attractive and is very practical, I’ve probably bought around 500% less plastic water bottles because of it. Other ideas for environmentally friendly gifts include a reusable coffee cup, such as the Keep Cup, bamboo toothbrushes, reusable straws and reusable shopping/tote bags (of which you can get very nice ones, see this Independent article). Some of these I would reserve for people who are actually interested in being more sustainable but things like the Chilly’s bottle and the reusable coffee cup would be great gifts for anyone!
3. Lower Your Consumption of Animal Products
This might be the point where, if you’re a meat-eater, you click off this post now. But wait! I promise I’m not telling you to go vegan tomorrow! Animal agriculture causes 18% of all greenhouse gases and consumption of meat, dairy and eggs is significantly increased over the festive period, probably making this number even higher.
I’m not telling you to switch out your turkey for a nut roast (definitely do so if you want to) but maybe try some vegetarian canapés rather than meat-filled ones? What about switching out some of your milk chocolate for dark every now and then? Little things like this, do make a difference, especially in terms of supply and demand over the Christmas period.
I have a post coming very soon (like, tomorrow) with some tips on how to be vegan during Christmas and lots and lots of examples of the best veggie Christmas food! So even if you’re not vegan or vegetarian, be sure to check that out to see how you could maybe swap out a few animal products for some animal-friendly ones over Christmas!
4. Leftovers
This is one that you’re going to like, I know it. I’m encouraging you to make the most of leftovers! Savour your Christmas dinner for as long as possible! Put it in sandwiches, eat it for breakfast, feed it to your pet. I know from my own experience, and I’m sure you do to, that the amount of food waste over Christmas can be crazy. Everyone panics and stocks up on enough food to last them a month on the days leading up to Christmas and so much of it ends in the bin, which then goes into landfill.
Firstly, try and not buy too much food! But when you inevitably do, make the most of it and eat ALL of the leftovers. Lots of food lasts for days even after it’s been cooked, such as all the vegetables that people avoid on their Christmas Dinner plate. So maybe even research/plan in advance the types of meals you can make with your leftovers, so your boxing day menu is just as good as the Christmas Day one. Also, if we’re talking about planning in advance, clear some space in your freezer so anything that can go in there for a later date instead of in the bin can fit.
5.Avoid Spending All Your Christmas Money on the Boxing Day Sales
There has been a huge increase in awareness of just how bad the fashion industry is for the environment over the past year. Black Friday, the Boxing Day sales and the January sales all fall in this period, causing many people to impulse buy clothes that they’ll only wear once, which will more than likely eventually end up in landfill. So, even though the sales are tempting, try not to buy anything that you wouldn’t already want to buy if it was full price.
It really gets on my nerves when bloggers tell people not too shop the sales, as, for many people, the only time that they can afford to buy clothing they want is when its reduced! So, I’m not saying boycott them. Just really think about the things that you’re buying (almost) as much as you would if they were full price items. Maybe even make a little wish list in the run up to Christmas of things you really like and have thought about, so when these sales do happen you can buy things you actually want rather than shop impulsively.
I hope this post has been helpful and that you’re considering taking some of these steps in order to have a slightly more sustainable Christmas! But, also, don’t feel guilty if you’re not having the most environmentally-friendly Christmas possible- we live in a world that generally has never really cared about the environment so you’re working against the odds in order to live in a way that is careful, especially around Christmas! So just try your best and hopefully, Christmas can become more and more environmentally sustainable every year.
A Gift Guide for Your Boyfriend | 5th Day of Christmas
*some links used in this post are affiliate which means I receive a tiny amount of commission based on clicks*
I’m sharing my third and final gift guide of the year as part of my 12 Days of Christmas blog posts today! I've saved the trickiest to last which is, predictably, a gift guide for your boyfriend. I know it’s a cliche but men really are so hard to buy for, at least in my experience. But I’ve tried to put an edit of gifts together that I think most people would like, but it might be slightly biased towards my boyfriend as some of the things in these photos are things that I’ve bought him in the past…
As always, starting with books! I’ve bought Sam 2/3 of the books here in the past, the Monkman and Seagull Quiz Book and the 101 Weekends in Europe Book. The former is probably only going to work as a gift if you and your boyfriend like University Challenge as much as me and Sam do but the latter is a great present for all in my opinion, especially if you like to travel together. The third book, Homo Deus, is the sequel to Sapiens but I’ve included this one because, firstly, I’ve lent Sapiens out to someone else, and, secondly, lots of people have already read it and don’t know that this sequel exists. Sapiens is subtitled ‘A Brief History of Humankind’ and that’s basically what it is. Despite this slightly scary subtitle, it's surprisingly easy and enjoyable to read and I don’t know anyone who’s read it and doesn’t like it. I’m yet to read the sequel but I think it takes a similar format to Sapiens, writing about the future of humankind instead.
My next category in these posts is usually skincare/beauty and although there are products in this category that you can buy for men, I’m not very clued up on them so I’m not going to even try and attempt to cover them. So rather, let’s just move on to the other miscellaneous items in this photo. I’ve included Nirvana’s Nevermind album on vinyl here (Sam actually bought me this for my birthday a couple of years ago) and if your boyfriend does have a record player, a vinyl is a really great gift to them. You can make it personal, choosing one you both like or associate with a certain memory, plus they’re really easy to wrap (I’m joking but I’m also not joking). If they don’t have a record player then this one isn’t really an option- if your budget is a little bit higher than mine, you could even get them a record player if you think that’s something they’d like?
Next up is something else that has come back into fashion in recent years, the film camera. If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know how much I love film photography. I’m not even massively into photography generally but I love the simplicity and spontaneity of film photography and obviously the way in which the images look as well. Film cameras can vary from £5-£500 so whatever your budget, this is a present that could work for your boyfriend. Do your research on the best film cameras within your budget but, in my experience so far, the best one is the Olympus MJU II, which vary in price from about £50-£250 depending on how lucky you are on eBay.
Finally, I’ve included this set of general knowledge quiz cards. As mentioned before, Sam and I are embarrassingly into quiz shows (especially University Challenge) so we’ve had a lot of fun using these since he bought me them a couple of years ago. If you and your boyfriend aren’t as into quizzing though, a game of some sort could still be a good idea. Whether you only use it over the Christmas holidays or play with it throughout the year, it’s a nice thing you can do together and you can make it particularly thoughtful if you find one to do with their interests.
Something I haven’t included in these photos but that is always a great idea is a scrapbook or even just a framed photo of you two together. Sam’s born in November and I’m born in January so we always set a fairly low budget for Christmas so a personal gift like this can be really nice without breaking the bank.
As always, here’s some more gift ideas…
Books:
Clothing/Accessories:
Other/Miscellaneous:
The Books on My Christmas List | 4th Day of Christmas
Today’s post is a relatively short one for some easy Sunday reading; I’m going to be taking you through the books on my Christmas List. As I feel like I’ve mentioned 1000 times already in my 12 Days of Christmas posts, I love receiving and giving books for Christmas. I always spend a fair amount of time thinking about the books I’m going to ask for for Christmas to last me for the following year and this is the list I’ve compiled this year (in no particular order, as Dermot O’Leary would say)…
Heartburn by Nora Ephron (as frequently recommended by Dolly Alderton)
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes (one of my favourite authors)
Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes (I told you he’s one of my favourites)
The Only Story by Julian Barnes (promise I’m not just doing this to prove a point)
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin (I’ve read a couple of books by Nigerian female authors this year that I have loved and I’ve heard great things about this one too)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (one of said Nigerian authors who I’ve been loving this year)
Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life by Katherine Ormerod (social media has become a huge part of my life with the launch of my blog this year so I think this is a book I should definitely read)
Refinery 29 Money Diaries: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Your Finances… And Everyone Else’s (I love the Refinery29 Money Diaries series and I also need help with managing my money so this book sounds good for me)
Milkman by Anna Burns (this won this years Man Booker Prize so I’m very interested to read it)
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (I loved Normal People so I’m DYING to read this)
What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons (honestly can’t remember how this one made it’s way on to my reading list- I think I just like/d the sound of the plot)
Weaverbird (this is a collection of short stories, one of which is by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ who wrote my favourite book of the year Stay With Me so I want this book as part of my quest to read everything she’s ever written)
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (another one that I don’t really know where it came from…I’ve heard lots about it and the plot looks interesting so, there you go!)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this short but sweet post compiling all the books on my Christmas List. Just a heads up, I’m not expecting to receive ALL of these! I’ve written them down for myself so if people ask me what I want from I can give them this list and they can pick one that they like the sound of too. Any that I don’t receive I might treat myself to after Christmas or just transfer them to my Birthday Books list (my birthday is in January so there won’t be too long to wait)!
I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these books or if you like the sound of any of them! Or, even more excitingly, let me know in the comments the books you’ve put on your list to Father Christmas this year.