Blogger problems

I love being a blogger, it's something I hope to continue in the future as a part time job. Ive been doing it for 3 years now and I wanted to share with you some of the "problems" that I have experienced as a result of what I do. 

Matalan Christmas homeware

I think that it's pretty easy to see that lately I've been getting into the Christmas spirit (some might say it's too early). In order to prep for some blog posts, I have been spending quite some time online looking at everything Christmas themed. While I may not have put any decorations up yet, I'm always open to buying new ones and creating new traditions with my loved ones. Here are a few things from Matalan that I just love!

Holiday coping tips

Wow, its hard to think about just how fast the year has gone. There have been so many things that have changed for me this year and I couldn't be more grateful for them but if I am honest, like most people with eating disorders, I am a little worried about the holidays. The holidays means lots and lots of food and that makes me worry about whether or not I can stay strong during this season. Here are some coping tips for those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving and/or Christmas....it's coming soon!!!!!!!

November reading list

I'm a complete book nerd at heart so this month I gave myself a little extra money to buy some gems that have been sitting in my Amazon basket for a while. Ever since I saw the trailer for the film Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, I have been wanting to not only watch the film, but read the books behind it. Needless to say, I watched the full film and straight away jumped online and ordered all od the books in the set. Just before I clicked "Purchase", I threw another book off my wishlist in for good measure. Here is what I brought;

Beauty Subscription Box 101

For me, I think there is nothing better than getting home to a wonderful package containing loads of beautiful goodies that (hopefully) my skin is just going to love. I've always loved the idea of subscription boxes because I literally have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to makeup. If you ask my Best Friend how much I know about what it is that I actually (eventually learned to) put on my face, then she will tell you that I know basically nothing. I know the bare basics and stick to the same things. A beauty subscription box quite literally picks products for me to try so I don't even have to pretend to know what I'm looking for in the drugstore. I went online and collected together some of my favourite looking boxes that I wish I had the money to be able to purchase (because I'd have them all lets not lie to ourselves).

P.s. all of the prices are in GBP but most sites have the prices in most other currencies and therefore deliver to other places too!

Christmas Gift wishlist

CHRISTMASSSSSS!!!!

Yep, sorry for saying it. I have decided to start sharing some of my Christmas gift planning online. You're probably hating me for even mentioning it right now but planning your gifts in November actually makes life a whole lot easier. It becomes a fun experience rather than a mad dash in December. Give your loved ones a little more thought and a little less stress for yourself. Think about what makes these people who they are and gain inspiration from it. 

A-Z of Recovery: Hope

Once again it's time for another A-Z of Recovery post. I must admit that I love coming back to this kind of thing. It's a really therapeutic thing for me to be able to go over old thoughts, feelings and be able to reevaluate them into the now. Recovery is a bumpy process and I've been through a lot of dips in my mood and relapsed lately but I never lost hope. 

The most important thing for me in this entire world is hope. Hope that there is a better life, hope for everything that I want for a fulfilling life. No matter, who you are or what you do, hope is the most important thing. It is what keeps you going, it's what helps you accept the past and embrace the present and the future. 

Three years ago when I started this blog as 'Perks Of Recovery' with a Alyssa (some of you who have been around that long will know who she is and why she doesn't run the blog with me anymore), I had no hope. Throughout my journey I have been tested through so many different ways. I thought each time that I had lost all hope of living. The beauty of it all is that there is always a little extra reserve inside each of us that keeps us going even in the toughest of times.

For some people, we can be reminded of it just by something that we see, feel or hear. For others, it's about the people around you that can remind us of the hope. I can guarantee you that if you are reading this then you can be that ambassador for someone everyday...even if that person is yourself. 

We should never lose hope. its the best thing we have got and it helps us to be open to seeing all of the beautiful things. 

Good luck 

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Shine A Little Light

I have decided that from now on I will be more appreciative of the things that I have in my life and I will set myself a daily goal. It will be a small goal that will help me to stay happy. I have learned over the time of having this blog that its the small things that make a difference. Each small thing that happens everyday that I either do to help someone or someone does something small to help me, it makes a huge difference.

Just remember that when you are thinking about your life and the way that you can make a difference, just small things that you can do can have such an impact. Here are some little suggestions for you to do;

• smile at a stranger
• help someone with their shopping
• hold the door open for someone
• lend a helping hand
• be there for someone
• make someone laugh
• create something for someone
• believe in someone (including yourself) it could be the extra push that they need to succeed!

You are all beautiful people, inside and out. Let your light shine in this world and don't ever let anyone bring you down. Bad things can happen, that's life but it's our job to help others (and ourselves) to make the best out of every situation. We are all going through problems so make sure that you are there for anyone who needs it. We all stick together and support each other.

Keep smiling.

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L'Oréal clay mask review

I'm really quite excited to share with you guys today a wonder product. I recently went into Boots in search of a new face mask (Because I'm a little obsessed with using them) when I came across the new clay masks from L’Oreal Paris. I had been meaning to try them since they were released so I instantly put them in my basket. I began with the Detox Mask and then a few days ago I went back for the Purity and Glow Mask (nor pictured) . 

The best things about Concert life

It's pretty well known that I'm a huge fan of country music. When I came across the tickets for country duo Maddie and Tae, I literally screamed my little head off. I missed C2C (country2country) when it came round so the fact that I could go to my first ever country concert was the best feeling in the world, especially considering the fact that I've loved these ladies since they dropped their first single! The only thing that made it better was the Emily could come with me.

As someone who really doesn't do well with crowds and strangers, concerts are always on of those scenarios where I get to push my own boundaries. It really helps me to feel like I am growing as a person and managing my issues really well. Plus, lets not forget that concerts are a great way of getting to know new friends (because lets face it, you've definitely got some common ground to build a friendship on).

Autumn scents

Yep, I'm back again with another wishlist...shouldn't really have made the first one because now I'm addicted. It's a perfect excuse for me to scour the internet and find products that in an ideal world I would be able to splurge on. 

I'm a sucker for all kinds of earthy, woody toned scents so naturally (see what I did there?....I know that was lame..) when it gets to Autumn, all of my favourite things begin to emerge and I'm in my happy place. There are so many things that are so beautiful in terms of their looks and their scent so I thought I would share with you all some of the items on my Autumn scent wishlist!

The spirit of Halloween

Halloween is fast approaching and there is nothing that is making me more happy! As you all have probably experienced,  every year pretty much every fan of the holiday creates a bucketlist of all these Pinterest worthy activities to fill your Autumn/Fall with every kind of themed goodness ever created!

For me, it's the activities and the sights of the seasons that just make everything that much better. I love to decorate the house and spend hours on pinterest looking at all of these fabulous different things that I can do that will magically make Autumn a more memorable experience.

Blogging goals

Ive always been one of those people that LOVES to make goals, lists and all forms of self improvement. The fact that I can make goals for my blog regularly makes me little list making soul super happy. Its always super motivating to be able to set targets for the amount of followers, readers,  posts I need to make etc and be able to smash those targets. Each time you meet one it's like you a have a personal little party.

A-Z of Recovery: Gaining back your health

Even after I wrote the post explaining why I wanted to change up the way I was blogging and the sort of things that I posted about, one thing that I wanted to continue with related to Mental Health is my A-Z of Recovery series. I started this at the beginning of the year and I'm really happy with how consistent I have been with it and I still really enjoy writing about some of these topics and so here it is!

Halloween home decor lust list

So since doing my Stationary lust list the other day, I've been really excited to share more of my homeware obsession on my blog. This is a kind of avenue I have never taken in the past with my blogging but its so darn fun that I am probably going to bore you all to death with a regular lust list every few weeks. #sorrynotsorry

5 Things to be happy about

So lately my life hasn't quite been going the way that I have wanted it to (isn't that always the way?) It's very easy for me to become a complete negative Nancy but I had a chat with a friend recently and as usual I've felt a lot better after getting some things off my chest. Sometime sit just talked someone who is not a part of the everyday runnings of your life to be able to cut through the crap and help you get everything back on track.

Sometimes it's very easy to be consumed by the  negative things that are happening to you and because of this,, you miss out on some of the blessings you have been given everyday.  Because of this, I wanted to share with you guys some of the things that make me happy.

Back to uni stationary lust list

Whether you are heading back to your studies or you just REALLY enjoy a good old stationary binge when September comes about, it is that time of year again!

I like to use whatever excuse I can find to stock up on all of the most cutest looking notebooks, pencil cases and pens around. Nothing pleases me more than opening that NEW notebook, the one that smells like paper-y goodness – ready to be filled with ideas, endless lists and silly doodles (I mean, whether we make light of anything that actually goes in there is another question but still)… Here is my stationary lust list…

12 ways to turn a bad day around

It's inevitable that you're going to have a bad day at some point in your life. no matter how hard we try to be happy, positive people, because we are human, there are going to be situations out of our control and some things are going to go completely wrong. While its inevitable that it will happen, you don't have to sit there and deal with it. Following some first hand experience and tips I've found on the internet, I've compiled some ways to help turn a bad day around.

Make a list of everything youre grateful for
One of the ways to change your perspective for the day is to focus on something else. Listing what you are grateful for will help to train your brain to look for positives in life, even during times of emotional distress. This activity will consequently reduce the amount of bad days you will actually experience- so its a win-win!

Listen to a playlist of music that makes you happy
Recently I shared a playlist that contained some of the songs that I use when I am having a bad day. I'm a firm believer that there is a song for every emotion; whether you're feeling sad, angry, happy or lonely, there's always a song out there that helps you to feel a little more settled. If you are having a down day or just a 'flat' moment, listen to some tunes that you find to be uplifting for your mood. You'll soon feel 10x better about everything. (And having a good dance isn't out of the question either!)

Twitter chat timetable

So Monday I took part in my first ever Twitter chat. I kept telling myself in the past that I was going to join in but I always somehow managed to miss the chats. On Monday I stumbled across a tweet announcing that the #beechat was about to begin and so I took a deep breath and delved deep into the wonders of a blogger chat. I must say that form my experience, I now know that once you begin a chat, put your phone on vibrate/silence it because your mentions WILL be going crazy. Also, make sure that you've carved out time to do nothing other than answer the thousands of people that pop by to say hi on twitter because they have stumbled across your profile.

I can honestly say I talked to over 20 strangers (I mean that in the nicest way I swear!) that day and even though it was all very fast paced (something I'm not usually too good with), I had a really good time and hopefully I will be able to join in with more in the future.

To help you all (mostly myself) keep track of when the chats take place, who the chats are aimed at etc, I thought I would compile as many as I can find into a nice little timetable. Enjoy!

Autumn Equinox & bucketlist

First of all...HAPPY AUTUMN EQUINOX!!!!!

Today is officially the first day of Autumn/Fall in the Northern Hemisphere. So you guys know that I love Autumn. There's so much about this season that just makes my soul so happy. Recently I was going through my old blog posts and I came across this . It reminded me of how much I enjoyed doing seasonal themed posts last year and I thought I would carry it on into 2016.

I'm always seeing bucketlists online that aren't really reasonable to do. I live in the UK so it's disappointing when a lot of the lists include "going on a hayride" etc because as much as I would love to do so...I cant. I don't know of anywhere that does that. So after a bit of research I created my own little list of things I want to do this Autumn that I will actually be able to do and it has made me even more excited for the season.

*I hereby solemly swear that I shall undertake every task on this list*

Through the web: Blogger love

As part of my choice to seperate the Perks of Recovery part of my life from my blogging, I revamped an old twitter account last week so that I could dedicate it solely to blogging. I thought it was a great way of giving a little more BTS information of my blogging, whilst letting you all see a little more of what makes me tick. It also means I'm not taking away the ideals behind POR since it's not actually a blogging account, but one of positivity and a healthy lifestyle (including Mental Health). In the last week I have been able to interact with so many new bloggers because of the new account and it's been a great way to gain some blogging inspiration because I'm constantly checking out new blogs. I thought I would share just a handful of the blogs that I've been binge reading (#sorrynotsorry, I've been going all the way back to the beginning on all of the blogs having a good old stalk read). 

My top 5 ways to unwind

So for me, University begins again in just under 2 weeks so I have been enjoying what little time is left to relax in. I'm a firm believer that no matter how much work you have to do, you should always find some downtime to fit into your schedule. I've not followed this advice in the past and got myself in a right mess because of it. Throughout this holiday, I have been pretty successful in giving myself some time off because I have a lot of stuff going on. I've indulged in the things that make me happy and I want you to know that that's a good thing. Find some of the things that make you happy and make time for them, no matter how busy your life is. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

Photo Diary: Adventuring

I've always been a big fan of being in open spaces, but due to some physical issues, I cannot always get around to be able to enjoy the scenery. Nothing has made me happier than being able to go adventuring with my best friend a lot over these past few weeks. 

Something I've always been a little worried about doing is taking pictures on my travels, but Emily has inspired me lately to just do the things that make me happy. I have a lot going on right now so a little personal time with someone who really understands me has made the world of difference. 

Although my photography skills are rather lacking atm, I would like to think that I am slowly getting better. Who knows, I may even take a photography course to help boost my knowledge. It's been really fun being able to go round and take snapshots of things that make me happy. I hope you like them!

A-Z of Recovery: Freedom

The meaning behind this post really resonates with Sundays post. Just because someone suffers with a Mental illness (or any kind of illness), doesn't mean that it should have to be the be all and end all of your life. Its an issue that needs to be dealt with and will take constant care and attention. It's very easy to let it become the center of everything you do, to let it dictate who you are and what you can do. You are in charge of your own life, if there is something that you know will undo your hard work then of course, leave it alone, but don't restrict yourself just because you are afraid to let go.

One of the greatest things about recovery (for any kind of illness) is the freedom you gain. You eventually get to the point that you're not tied down or hindered by the thoughts, the feelings etc that you've faced in the past. This isn't a fast acting thing. There's no way (that I know of) to begin recovery and completely feel fine straight away. It's a constant progression from the life that you used to have, to one of love and acceptance.

And so it ends

I want to firstly apologise for the sort of click-bait style title but it rang true for me so I wanted to keep it.

Ever wonder if your blog is worth it? We put so much time and energy into our little space on the internet and yet after 3 years its pretty clear to see that the way in which I blog is not getting me anywhere. Don't get me wrong, I love writing on here and some of the topics I choose to write about are very important to me. On the flip side, some of the stuff I write purely because I think that it;s what you guys want.

I often feel guilty for feeling like my blog is going no where because I love it so darn much and it's a big part of my life. The issue is, 3 years is a long time for me to be doing this and there has been countless amounts of hours, sweat, blood and tears put into this. You expect it to take time for things to get off the ground eventually.

 "Success" is all in the eye of the beholder if I'm honest and don't get me wrong, this isn't one of those posts where I complain that I don't get sent products from companies or invited to blogging events etc because it isn't. My issue is that my blog isn't what I want it to be. I've changed a lot over the years and I've let myself get stuck in a rut where I'm too worried about what everyone else will think, that I don't know what direction I'm setting myself in anymore. Let's be clear about this, there have been a few posts dotted around on this blog that have actually shown you another part of who I am. Whether these posts are ones that will ultimately help me get my blog off of the ground, we won't know just yet, but I'm cutting through all of the crap and being 100% honest with you all.

Insomnia 101

A lot of you know that I suffer with insomnia and recently it has flared up worse than ever. Although finally being able to sleep at around 5am is a new experience, its not one that I tend to enjoy. If something is bothering me then I'm not one to sit there and suffer, if there is something that I can do to help myself (especially if it's as important to me as sleep is...I love me some sleep) then I will give it a try. I've been doing some research lately for some things that I can do to make it better and after a quick Q&A on Twitter, you all told me that you wanted me to share what I found.

Natural beauty: Tarte Cosmetics

I'm a huge fan of everything natural so when I had the opportunity to get my hands on some Tarte Cosmetics, I just couldn't say no. I have never really been a big makeup wearer so this was a big jump for me (especially because its somewhat pricey). Not only is this makeup great for nature and the environment but its super easy to apply and it just glides on. After a few months of using, I am still in love with them all!

From the beginning

It seems pretty crazy when I think of the 150 posts that I have written since I started my blogging journey. Every now and then I take a stroll down memory lane and sit and read through some of our oldest posts. I've done similar posts for our 3 year anniversary and to commemorate the 100th post every published on Empty Journal. Since then I have written more favourites and I wanted to share them all with you

Whatever I write on my blog more often than not can give a truthful representation of what is going on in my life right now and how it is I'm feeling. Lately I've been filling my posts with different forms of self love because that's what I have needed to surround myself with. It's a great form of mindfulness therapy and CBT. Added to that, its a great thing to be able to look back on and give myself a little therapy session when the need strikes. If I've been feeling low in body confidence or struggling with my ED then I can read my 8 tips for a positive body image

My workout playlist

So as you all know, Iv'e been trying to get my fitness back on track. If you've read the last few blog posts I've written then you will know all about the struggle that people in ED recovery sometimes have to deal with. For a lot of people, when they exercise they enjoy the peace and quiet. Others prefer working out to chat shows or other TV shows. For me, I'm one of the many that love working out to music. I remember doing circuits in P.E. at school or running round the tennis courts and whenever a song I liked came on we would all cheer and dance round the place (which got us to move faster so the teachers loved it!)

8 Tips for a positive body image

1. Appreciate all that your body can do. Every day your body carries you closer to your dreams. Celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you—running, dancing, breathing, laughing, dreaming, etc. Your body is the vehicle that has brought you towards every person that you care about. Without your body, you literally wouldn't be able to do anything.
2. Keep a top-ten list of things you like about yourself—things that aren’t related to how much you weigh or what you look like. what are your favourite things about your personality? do you love how caring you are? how artistic you are?  Read your list often. Add to it as you become aware of more things to like about yourself.
   

A-Z of Recovery: Eating Healthy

One of the big things about recovery from many mental illnesses is the way we treat our bodies and our mind. For some people, nothing makes them feel more free than being out and about. Having a complete distraction from life when you’re working out can be super important because you have to give your complete attention to the task at hand. It also releases endorphins, which are powerful chemicals in your brain that are energizing and make you feel good. That’s why exercise is often used as a way to help combat mental Health issues such as Depression or Anxiety.

#Bossgirl playlist

Music is a universal force that can be used for so much. Sometimes we all just need a little extra push to help our mood. I'm a huge fan of people feeling empowered and strong. Everyone knows about the whole "boss girl" thing that's floating round and naturally I'm ecstatic that it even exists. Add this to the fact that I really enjoy organising things (and making a playlist is basically just organising music, for me) and you've got yourself a winner!

When I sorted through these songs, I've found ones that make me think about my inner strength, some that make me think I'm a sassy woman with all my shiz together but overall all of these songs make me feel just that little bit more confident.

The child within

Remember that saying, where people ask you if you'd treat a little kid the same way that you're treating yourself...and then reminding you that you were once a little kid and you're still someone's child. I've never been more enlightened by something than I was when I was first told this, it's so true, I love the purity of children and how they can find joy in the simplest of things. Then I thought back to my childhood. I think there's a little healing that needs to happen here.

Everyone has those photos of themselves from the past, many find them cute or embarrassing. I cry when I see them, I question just why I every treated that little girl so badly. 

you see that little girl below? She was very happy, she never knew just what she would have to go through in life. There is so much in life that we do not know, no-one can predict whether good or bad things are going to happen. at the beginning of any life, there is an infinite possibility of things that can happen. That's the beauty of what happens, you can make whatever you want of your life.

Journal: July edition

So July is over, and it's that time again. this year is going so fast, I feel like so much has changed. I've finished my first year of University, I have made some big emotional changes in my life and I've been trying really hard with regulating these emotions. Some days it goes well, others it doesn't. but that okay, that's part of life. Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is completely black and white.

I'm really feeling like these monthly reflection posts are actually making a difference for me. It's great that I can look back and know what was going on in my life like 3 months ago. It also means that I can see how much my mindset is changing. I've had a rough few months lately but I've really been giving it my all and I'm starting to see a bit of a difference.

Quick and Easy Natural beauty treatments

One of the best things about natural products is that often, you can make them yourself in the comfort of your own home and they're more often than not, a whole lot cheaper than going out and buying all of these products that are full of chemicals. While I can understand that the pro's obviously know more about skincare than I do, I don't like putting things on my skin that I know nothing about so if a product contains something that I cant even pronounce then I most likely will be really reserved about using it.

I'm an avid natural product fan. I always have been and so I have quite the collection of books with different "natural beauty" recipes and step by step tutorials that I love to go through. I'm up for trying anything so I always give each thing a go, even if its only once. Because of this, I wanted to share with you guys some of the easiest beauty treatments that are 100% natural and literally take like 2 mins to create!

Self love

Hello beauties,

So today I really just wanted to spend some time sharing with you some of my favourite quote pictures from the internet. If this isn't your first time on here then you know that I spend (probably too much) time on sites like Pinterest, Tumblr etc looking at all of the different pictures. I literally hoard them on my phone and happily spend hours going through them all when I finally run out of memory on my phone.

It's a perfect way to put me in a good mood because I'm literally just surrounding myself with all of this positivity...and then the fact that it's so visually appealing is just fantastic! Because I've been having a few more struggles lately, I wanted to spend a little more time bathing myself with these little nuggets of wisdom. 

A-Z of Recovery: Dawn after darkness

Whenever anyone goes through a rough time, there will always be someone there who says that the darkness wont last forever and soon the light will shine again (or reworded some other way). It's one of those things where people will either think its super inspiring or super cheesy. But let me tell you something....its true.

Life isn't smooth sailing, if it were then it would be super boring. but its the scary and sometimes really unsettling part of life that we are going to learn from, I mean think about a sailor, they'd never become skilled at steering a boat if they never had any wind. We grow and develop as to the things that we are to experience in life. It's the versatility of these experiences that helps make us all even more unique. No one has followed the exact same path as you, and so they have different ways of viewing the world.

Journal: June edition

So its back again! My monthly little journaling and goal time. I must admit, I kind of enjoy writing these regularly. It really makes me reflect on what has been happening and pick out the things that have been great that I probably would have forgotten about ...and I guess we all know that I wont have remembered what my goals were so it's always fun to look over those again.

These kinds of posts are basically just excuses for big rambles....and those are my favourite kind to write. I love not having too much of a theme and just being able to talk about whatever I want and it really has become just like an online journal. In essence, I suppose I should really be a lot more careful as to what I post on here because I've got super personal lately but this blog is for me really, I just enjoy sharing some things with you guys too.

Brands to Bloggers

I think one of the things that most bloggers eventually wish to do (or at least all the ones I have talked with) is work with other companies. It's a great way to make connections in the business world, make connections for potential projects. Some people are lucky enough to have brands drop upon their blogs without much self promotion, and if you're one of these people then congratulations! Sadly, I'm not one of these people but don't worry, you never get anywhere without a little hard work so why not put yourself out there? Get in touch with different brands and pitch your services to them.

For all of these sites there are a few forms to fill out, explaining your followers, average reader count, the amount of unique viewers you receive per month, social media links etc. These help fill out a profile that brands and other bloggers can see. This way they can assess whether you have the right content that they're after.

How do I stay productive

As my career in blogging has progressed, I have noticed a lot of times where I have been really unproductive and you can tell in not only the amount of posts that I write but also in the depth of the content. We are only half way through 2016 and I have now already written and published MORE posts than I did in the entire of 2015. How have you done this? You ask, through a lot of trial and error, scheduling gone wrong and patience tested, I have finally come across some great apps and tips to help me keep on the ball (or at least appear to).

Planning
I am a stickler for planning. I love to make lists and really think things through before I ever do anything (that's probably why I never actually get anything done). You might not believe this but I actually have blog post titles drafted on a spreadsheet to last me until 6th May 2018! Obviously these ideas will most likely be deleted, changed or moved around the graph when those dates happen but its always good for me to have a bit of reassurance that I have something in the bank for a 'no inspiration' day.  You most likely wont want to go quite so overboard with your planning as I do but there's nothing bad to be said about a little structure in your life every now and then. Maybe plan your next day out or make a schedule to help you tackle a big project you have been meaning to start.

Timing
This last year I finally decided to give myself a little stability. I was forever writing posts and just randomly publishing them whenever I felt like it. Now don't get me wrong, this is perfectly fine if that's what you want to do but its just not for me. No one knew if and when I was going to put something out there and so my number of readers had dropped. Since dedicating certain days of the week and certain times to publishing my posts I have noticed a steady increase in the amount of people taking the time out of their lives to read my posts (yes that's you..thank you!) Don't worry if you're not always consistent with it though, everyone knows I'm certainly not. Sometimes the scheduling doesn't work, sometimes I forget to keep an eye on the time or sometimes I actually haven't finished my post in time for its regular showcase to the world (like now for example, it's 3:53pm...there's no way I will finish in 7 minutes). It's okay to sometimes not meet the targets, they are just there to provide a little structure and help me feel a little more in control of my day.

As well as the timing for posting, I have obviously had to carve out time to write my posts. I know they say that you have to wait for inspiration to strike but honestly sometimes I can just sit myself down, look through some of my planned posts and just pick the one that I am drawn to the most. It's the planning ahead that has harnessed my little 'light bulb moments' and allowed me to space them out effectively. It sounds dreadfully boring but it's what works for me. I'm not a very spontaneous person (although I do have my moments!)

Lately, I wonder if many of you have been thinking why I have been tweeting so darn often? Well the answer is very simple; Hootsuite. It's a wonderful app that allows me to draft and schedule loads of tweets and Instagram pictures ready to go up at a time of my choosing. previously I used Buffer but this app only lets you draft 10 things before you hit the limit. Sometimes this was fine for me because I only drafted the next days social media rambles, but sometimes I wanted to do it over several accounts (which obviously adds up fast). Now I am able to draft my tweets to go live every 2 hours between 9am and 10pm! The regularity of this has really boosted the interaction I get with my tweets so you should give it a go!

I hope these tips have inspired you to be a little more productive with your time (or hopefully made things easier for you).

Love,
Louise x

How to keep your blogging spark

So as you all know, I'm no newbie to blogging. 3 years is a long time but quite often it doesn't feel like that means you have had enough experience. When you're writing a blog, whether you want to make it into a career or maybe you just want to blog for fun, its important that you plan what it is you want to write ahead of schedule. Whether we like the idea or not, more often than not, planning is imperative for us.

No matter how often you want to blog, if you truly want to give your site the love that it needs, you need to make sure that the love you have for it never fades. I have been at the mercy of this more than once; it's very easy to get frustrated with the topics that you are talking about. It took a while but I eventually learned that this is perfectly natural, we grow as people as we experience new things. This means that the things that used to make your soul soar my just fizzle out and leave us feeling bored. At the same time, you may be blogging about a certain period of your life, just like I did, and then as you grow older you realise that you no longer need to talk about that past stuff.

Best friend appreciation

So what some of you might not know is that today is my best friends birthday! Emily who created PerksofNeverland is officially 19 today! It's really exciting when I get to be a part of all of her memories and share the joy with her.

I wanted to create a playlist that I really thought showcased our friendship. I want her to know just how proud I am of the fact that she has faught so hard to be the loving, caring, beautiful soul that she is today. So I went through songs that I thought reminded me of memories we have had, songs we always sing/have dedicated to each other and some that pose as messages I want to give her.

3 year Anniversary

I'm forever talking about how long I've been blogging and just how much it has changed my life etc. but today actually signifies my 3rd year doing this! Now, some people could (and have) look at what I do and think that I'm not very "progressed" considering how long I've had this account. There are most definitely others who are more "successful" and when they have been doing this less time than me it can be a little demotivating but my little slice of internet is my happy place. I would not give it up for anything!

It feels weird writing this post purely because it wasn't that long ago that I wrote something similar. Purely for my own memories, I wanted to use this post as a way to recap all of the great things that have been accomplished over the years!

Exercise after ED?

So recently I wrote a post all about the issues that I have personally found between exercise and trying to recovery from my Eating Disorder. The thing is, a lot of people have the same issues as me, even now I have to be very careful with what I allow myself to do because its still very very easy to fall back into that destructive cycle. My friends, it takes a lot of time to begin to change the relationship you have with exercise...here's my story.

Mid-year Sprinke of Glitter diary: review

Many of you guys know that I'm a huge fan of Louise Pentland, otherwise known in the Glitter world as Sprinkle Of Glitter. She is the queen of inspiration in the YouTube world and so naturally when she announced that she was releasing a diary I was straight on those pre-orders! Now 6 months into the use of this book, I figured I'd let you guys know how it's going. I love reviews that include a first impression of a product but I think its great for people to know what it's like when its actually used too.  

A-Z of Recovery: Choosing Life

I'm really enjoying writing this series. It's not only something that I like to do for you guys but writing about all of the reasons to choose recovery really reinforces my choices within myself. It's great if I'm having a bad day and I have something like this to read (or even to write) because it shows me just what I have to recovery for.

When we are in the midst of our darkest times, we often think that there is no reason to get better, that nothing will ever be good in our lives again, or at least that the good stuff will never stay. I've got one question for you though...how will you ever know if you give up trying now?

Journal: life lessons

Warning: this is some pretty heavy content so feel free to skip it

So the main reason for changing the blog name to 'Empty Journal' is because that is how I wanted to treat it; I wanted it to be my online journal that I could fill with whatever I felt that I needed to say during that moment in time. If you're reading this post then I have been really brave and decided to share this part of my life with you all. I have been open with many aspects of my life over the years on here but I have never talked about my love life. Many of you probably don't even want to know about it so feel free to stop reading.

Journal: May edition

So formerly known as my monthly reviews, I have decided to treat this mini series as a sort of journal where I can talk about whatever has happened in my life in that month whether its good or bad.