I’m not sure I’ve done ‘a day in the life’ post before, but I always find them so interesting, plus it might mean you get to know me a little better too.

9am: I actually don’t get up much earlier than 9 o clock because I work in the afternoons, and I am the biggest sleep fiend you can meet! I’ve always needed a lot of sleep to keep myself feeling good. Of course the first thing I reach for in the morning is breakfast, which is usually weetabix with almond milk, and chopped banana on top, with a cup of breakfast tea, of course.

10-11am: Once I’m dressed for the day, I’ll either walk Harvey, go and get some food shopping from Asda, blog, or take some photos for Instagram. Depending on how I’m feeling and which feels more essential- apart from dog walking, which are never optional obviously 🙂

12pm: It’s work time! I work for a family business from 12pm until 4pm three or four times a week. This is where my income comes from, and I really enjoy being part of it. The typical things I do there are mainly admin based, updating schedules and keeping on top of lots of different jobs.

5pm: By this time I’ve arrived home and I start thinking about what I can have for dinner. I like to eat around 6pm, if not a little before, and because I eat a vegetarian diet, it can range from a pasta dish, wraps or veggie sausages and sweet potato. This is a time where me and Dan can sit and watch an episode of a TV show together too.

6-7pm: This is where I start to wind down for the evening. I do yoga, meditate, have a nice bath, and do my evening skincare routine (which is always one of my favourite times of the day).

8-10pm: Because I live next door to my mum and stepdad, me and Dan will head over there to watch a bit of TV and chat! Of course, I’ll be checking Instagram too and having a quick (but not that quick really) scroll.

10pm-11pm: I head to bed around this time, because I like to settle down and read a few chapters of my book before I fall to sleep, I find reading before bed so relaxing. If I’m having trouble relaxing, a few spritz of a pillow spray will always help.

Does your day in the life look like mine?

If you’ve followed me online for while, you know I absolutely adore everything to do with creativity. I really do think it’s an important thing to factor into your life, so for todays post I thought I’d give you a little insight into why I love it so much…

1. It makes you feel good. When you’re in a creative flow, you suddenly see everything with a fresh pair of eyes, a child-like wonder of curiosity. It significantly increases happiness levels, and there’s nothing quite like the joy of making something with your own hands.
2. It brings you into the present moment. At that moment, you’re not thinking about tomorrow’s to-do list or the mountain of washing to do, you’re completely living in the present. I think creativity is totally a form of mindfulness, and I know for sure that it definitely quietens my busy whirring brain. I usually find that whenever I have a dilemma going on, taking my mind off it for a few hours and doing something creative can really help, and because it’s so therapeutic, I leave with a clearer head and direction I didn’t have before.
3. It can be anything. I used to think being creative meant that you had to go to Art School and be a world-class drawer, but thankfully, I’ve come to learn that’s not the case at all. Creativity can be found in oh so many forms. From adult colouring books, knitting, and even making up a new dish for dinner, creativity is all around us. Plus it’s free too, a bonus point in my eyes.
4. It’s unique. In a world where comparison is rife and it’s so easy to have a look at what everyone else is doing, to me, creativity is like a middle finger to that, and bringing your own game in the playing field. There are no rules, and no ‘shoulds’. You can just do what feels good.
5. Plus, sometimes it looks pretty too 😉 Because what is Instagram for if not for showing off your creative props?

Ways you can be creative without even realising it:

• Planning your weekend
• Painting your nails
• Choosing your outfit
• Dancing and singing in your kitchen
• Cooking a meal
• Re-organising your shelves

What’s your favourite way to be creative?

It’s been ages since I did a book post, so long in fact I can’t even really remember the last time. So I thought today I’d update you on all my recent reads, and whether or not I think you should give them a go too.

The Break- Marian Keyes- 3/5

This was quite a hefty book, and considering I haven’t read any of Marian’s books before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. There were definitely times I was more hooked in the story than others, and by the end I was getting a little bored of it, but I did enjoy it overall. It’s about a woman who’s husband wants to go on a break from their marriage for a year, and the story follows from there.

Our House- Louise Candlish- 2.5/5

I’d seen quite a bit of this book on Instagram, so I picked it up from the local supermarket, and decided to give it a go. It’s not something I usually read, but the description sounded really interesting. In reality though, I ended up thinking it was a bit of a weird one, it didn’t seem to flow as smoothly as I’d like, although there was a good twist in it I didn’t expect. Some parts were gripping, but I feel like I’ve read better. The ending was a bit of a let-down too, so unfortunately I wouldn’t pass this one on.

One Day in December- Josie Silver- 4/5

Despite the title, I definitely wouldn’t class this as just a festive read, and I think you could enjoy it at any time of the year, so that’s why I’ve included it in this post. I loved this book, it was just up my street, all about love, relationships and general life-happenings that get in the way, it’s chick lit at its finest. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Power of Crystal Healing- Emma Lucy Knowles- 4.5/5

I got this from my mum for Christmas, and it was perfect timing because I’ve been meaning to increase my knowledge in crystals and learn more about the use of them, in particular which ones help which different areas in your life. This book is super super helpful and every chapter is a different category, such as how to store them, what ones to use for positive energy, or to have a peaceful evening sleep. The only slight downside (and why I didn’t give it top marks) is because it doesn’t have pictures of what every crystal mentioned looks like, but I googled them whilst reading instead which works fine. If crystals is something your interested in or want to know more about, definitely pick this book up! It’s one I’m going to store on my bedside table and I know it’s going to come in so handy.

What have you read recently?

If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know I’m all about self-improvement and setting myself small, achievable goals that I can do to be my best self. I’ve been thinking about some new habits I really want to create lately, and I wanted to share them on here with you too.

A calming night-time routine.

Over the past few weeks my sleeping pattern has been really messed up, and it definitely makes such a difference to my overall general mood and wellbeing. I really want to set an intentional bed time routine that means I’m going to sleep feeling as calm and relaxed as possible, and I’ve been trialling it the last few nights, it’s been working well! I’ve been making sure I’m off my phone for at least half an hour before bed, reading a book and spritzing some pillow spray, aswell as doing a short 5 minute meditation. Hopefully I can continue this and keep it going!

Less time on my phone.

I think we all want to spend less time on our phones, don’t we? I’ve had the Moment app for a few months now, and I’ve set my goal to less than 3 hours a day (which is still pretty big, but I’m trying to start small!). I’ve noticed I get a lot more headaches when I spend more time on my phone, so I’m making an effort to not pick it up as much as I can.

Putting less pressure on myself.

Again, something I think affects us all from time to time. I feel like I’ve widened my eyes lately and realised just how much pressure I put on myself, whether that’s making sure the house is clean and tidy every day, or whether I’m spending enough quality time with my loved ones, working hard enough and producing good content online. It’s just not possible to carry on like that. Every day I want to remember that I’m doing my best and it’s good enough.

Eating more varied fruit and vegetables.

I read in a Deliciously Ella podcast that we should aim for 30 different fruit or vegetables a week to ensure we’re getting all the right nutrients possible, and that’s really been on my mind the past few weeks. I’ve been trying to pick up different stuff in my supermarket shop and not rely on the same stuff I do week in, week out, and I’m really enjoying the variety.

Do you have any new habits you want to create?

It’s time for another behind the scenes look at my Instagram! And like last time, I’m showing you the before and afters too.

Lets get started…

The above photo is one of my favourite recent ones that I’ve done lately, and it honestly happened on such a whim! I wasn’t even thinking about picture ideas, I was just going on a walk on my work break when I saw a holly bush, and had the idea to take a picture for Kika’s hashtag, my found wings. I took my phone on something random at the park using the self-timer, and added the wings in afterwards. A pretty easy process and I love how it came out, although I did have to change the leaves a little in photoshop as one was broken!

While at Whitby, I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and get a shot for the grid, so I had the idea to come up with a funny, silly one with this stick of rock- which only cost me 35p ;). Luckily there wasn’t too many people around while I stood there sticking my tongue out! (Dan happily obilgied to take this one, maybe he’s getting used to my crazy Instagram ideas after all?) I love how the light looks in this photo, and it added a bit of humour into my feed, which I really like. Plus, look at the colours of the cottages behind, beautiful!

When I was doing Sara’s Bloom & Grow last year, I loved using flowers as props in my pictures. It’s not something I’ve thought about for a while, but I want to carry that on this year, hopefully. I love the whimsical touch flowers give, and I’m obsessed with the idea of putting them somewhere a little different. I wish the light was a bit clearer in this photo but unfortunately that’s just what you get in winter and using your iPhone camera, never mind! Fun fact: I added a bit of kitchen roll in the bowl so I didn’t use as many petals 🙂

Which ones your favourite? My Instagram is here if you’d like to follow me over there!