We are officially in September! I don’t know about you, but the minute the 1st September arrived a few days ago, I suddenly felt Autumnal. For me, September symbolises the end of Summer, the start of Autumn and Winter and it is the beginning of the darker nights. Usually, I’m not ready for the Winter nights to arrive. I love light, I love Summer and I love warmth. But this year, I feel ready for the colder nights. Maybe it’s because we finally got our boiler fixed and I’ve been having a bath like they’re going out of fashion. Maybe it’s because I feel as though it’s a chance to start afresh. I’ll be leaving my job next Friday and I’m excited and nervous for what lies ahead. For some reason, this September is beginning to feel quite magical.
I hope those of you in the UK enjoyed the last bank holiday weekend of the year! We went camping again at the weekend to a beautiful part of North Wales with my parents. It was such a lovely weekend, we took Riley with us and she had her first experience on a steam train! She wasn’t too sure, but she definitely loved the pub at the other end!
So, what recommendations do I have for you this week?!
Reading
Mental Health and Social Media – Her Journey to be Free Blog
I stumbled across this post recently because the author sent me a lovely, kind birthday message on a previous blog post. One of my favourite things about blogging on WordPress is that it puts blogs onto my radar, that I otherwise might not have found. Many of the blog posts I read have been found this way, and generally when somebody comments on a post on WordPress, I’m intrigued to see what they write about too. That’s how I found this one!
The person behind the blog, Cara, uses the blog to write about her journey of recovery from mental health issues. This specific post was written about mental health and social media. It interested me because I have actually written a post about this same topic (more specifically about my own experiences when I went a week without social media), which I’ve yet to publish. I found this post really interesting from the point of view of somebody coming back to social media after years away (Cara – not me). Having only got back on Instagram last year, I found it really strange and quite difficult to navigate at first and can completely understand what Cara describes. I found myself resonating with so much of what Cara described in her post and it was refreshing to read such a raw, honest, first-hand account of somebody else’s experiences with social media. It’s a really interesting post.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll completely comprehend the feeling she describes as “I felt like I needed a three hour walk in the countryside after just an hour on there trying to sort things out.” I know this feeling all too well. Social media is an interesting topic, and whilst I won’t go into too much detail in this blog post, I do think I need to be more aware about how I’m using social media, how it’s affecting me etc. Keep an eye out for a blog post on my experiences coming soon! In the meantime, if you are interested in a personal account of recovery from mental health issues – make sure to check out Cara’s blog Her Journey to Be Free.
Watching
Guy Creates Racetrack For Kid Who Cycles On His Driveway
I somehow read the caption to this video before seeing the title, and it stated ‘this is the best way for dealing with kids who play on your driveway!’ I don’t know why, but my first thought was “Oh no, how cruel has somebody been just to get them off their driveway?” I felt it was really harsh to put a fence up or something like that to stop children playing on your driveway, whether it annoyed you or not.
Then I realised that I had completely jumped to conclusions about this and assumed somebody had put a fence up, all within less than 2 seconds of me reading the caption. I found it interesting that my mind jumped to something so negative, and that I immediately believed my own thoughts. I wondered if that’s a product of the current world we live in and my expectations of it, or whether put simply, I’m a crank. I decided it was the former, there is so much negativity right now that of course I’m going to jump straight to conclusions and expect more.
Anyway, I’m glad I continued to watch the video and I’m not going to describe it to you because it’s so beautiful that you absolutely must watch it yourself! I grinned from ear to ear throughout and may have shed a little tear (come on – you know I’m overly emotional!)
Enjoy this beautiful video and I hope it brightens your day as much as it did mine.
Listening
Almost Home – Mobv and Damien Jurado
Moby is one of my absolute favourite artists on the planet. He is the ultimate chillout artist and has a transcendental, ethereal sound to him. If I meditated, he (along with Enya) would be my artist of choice for meditating along to.
Having recently had our boiler replaced, we now have hot water and the ability to have a bath for the first time in months. Our bath now fills up quickly, the water is hot and there’s enough pressure to create loads of bubbles. It’s my favourite thing ever and I feel so lucky to have this joy in my life. So that’s why, as previously stated, I’ve been hammering the baths. I’ve been listening to Moby whilst relaxing, and this song popped up. I’ve not heard it for years and I could have cried when I heard it again, I completely forgot it existed. It’s such a beautiful song and I recommend you listen to it if you haven’t already heard of it. And even if you have – reconnect with it!
Word of the Week
My dad recently used this word to describe somebody and I was taken aback as I’d never heard it before. It’s not really a pleasant concept, but it’s still a new word nonetheless and I enjoyed hearing a new one and researching its definition. It means:
showing an extremely strong wish to get or keep money or possessions
I’m going to start keeping a glossary I think so that I can use new words I hear in conversation moving forwards!
That’s all from me this week – I hope you enjoy some of these recommendations!
Take care and I’m sending you lots of love and light!
Reflect and Introspect 