Living more sustainably in 5 small steps

FeaturedLeave a comment

True story: I joined Greenpeace when I was 8. I still have an envelope full of literature and stickers about the Ozone layer, Save the Whale and the dangers of pollution. Let’s just say I was a precocious, super sensitive little Sally Draper who was very obsessed with saving the planet. Plus, I’d read The Baby-sitters Club ‘Dawn Saves the Planet’ that summer and well, just about everything in my life can be traced back to The Baby-sitters Club books. Continue reading “Living more sustainably in 5 small steps” →

Bouquet of lilies

Positive habits I picked up during the pandemic

Leave a comment

Since the world has started reopening and things are returning to the pre-2020 way of life here in Ireland at least, I’ve noticed some of my old, pre-pandemic bad habits creeping in already.

As the world got smaller over the last 2 years, there was a lot of time to think and reconsider the way things were. I made small improvements to my life that somehow made a huge difference. Even though I’m determined to get as far away from the pandemic as possible (when it finally does end), I’m equally determined to continue with these healthy habits (and hopefully add more to the mix) in the After. The old way of doing things no longer serves me.

Following on from my 6 things I learned during lockdown post, here are a few positive habits I picked up during the past two years:

Continue reading “Positive habits I picked up during the pandemic” →

Books I read in one year of lockdowns

Leave a comment

For most of the pandemic, my concentration skills shot from hyper-focused to barely able to follow an episode of Gossip Girl (yes, even when Nate’s face was on screen – shocking). My voracious appetite for reading went out the window, alongside my appetite for pretty much everything else. These days if I read 5-10 pages each day of whatever book I’m reading, I’m doing good.

Continue reading “Books I read in one year of lockdowns” →
orange and yellow LA lilies

5 things that got me through September

Leave a comment

Pretty dramatic headline, right? Truth is, I’ve been feeling a bit Eeyore about everything lately. No idea why. I mean, it’s a mystery! As part of my attempt to practice gratitude each day, I’m counting my blessings in whatever shape I can find them, whether it’s the big stuff (my health) or the silly stuff (things I consume to brighten my week). You guessed it – this list is mostly the silly stuff.
Continue reading “5 things that got me through September” →

6 things I learned during lockdown

3 Comments

Number one: fluent Russian. Just kidding! Don’t worry, this list of “lockdown lessons” won’t make you feel bad about yourself. Despite my occasional Oprah-inspired moments of insight, my lockdown achievements are less “valuable skills” and more the product of too much time in my own head. Nonetheless, I wanted to share what I got up to and things I realised during this time. Continue reading “6 things I learned during lockdown” →

5 free online courses to do in lockdown

1 Comment

Be productive during the coronavirus pandemic! Now is not the time for productivity! Upskill! Take it easy! I don’t know about you but I’m getting whiplash about how I should be using lockdown time. My advice? Do what works for you.

One thing I know for certain is I need to keep busy. Too much downtime and I start to dwell on things. All the wrong things. Ever heard the old adage that you can cure feeling down by learning something new? Online courses are one way to do just that. Continue reading “5 free online courses to do in lockdown” →

Stack of books

Books to (re)read during a pandemic

1 Comment

God, I miss the library. Specifically the weekly thrill of a delivery of orders arriving, the greedy reward for spending so much time stalking the catalogue. With my beloved library out of reach for the foreseeable future (sob), I’ve taken drastic measures – I’ve raided my bookshelves for something, anything, to distract myself from reality.

After falling down a rabbit hole of “How do I own three copies of Valley of the Dolls?” I emerged clutching a stack of books I first bought at a very specific time in my life and haven’t been sucked into the pages of since. You don’t need to be an armchair psychiatrist to analyse why my book choices are all from a better, less anxious time. Needless to say, if you want to escape the present moment, you could do a lot worse than escaping into books you last loved as an awkward teenager. Continue reading “Books to (re)read during a pandemic” →

5 ways to cope with coronavirus anxiety

5 Comments

I’ve never been a newshound but in the past two weeks, Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise couldn’t take me away from the endless scroll of my Twitter feed. With the coronavirus pandemic seemingly changing by the minute, I’ve spent more time online this month than I have in years. I feel a weird mix of wanting to know more, more, more, and conversely craving the days when all we talked about was Baby Shark, Pokemon Go, and whether a dress was blue or black (for the record – it’s blue, I tell ya). As a result, my anxiety has hit the roof. Continue reading “5 ways to cope with coronavirus anxiety” →