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.

Mental health talk: Eating Disorders and Exercise

Disclaimer: what I am about to talk about isn't gospel. It doesn't happen for everyone. these are my personal views and experiences. For some people, exercise is an excellent tool for managing their weight in their recovery and they truly excel at owning their mind and body! It's a safe and healthy way for them to retrain their brain...but this isn't true for everyone. I'm a firm believer in sharing all sides of the story so that we can provide more support for everyone.

1 year anniversary : Evolution of Perks Of Neverland

If you guys follow me on twitter then you may very well know that today is the 1st Anniversary of my best friends blog (of which I blog with - not as often as i would like but often this one takes up a lot of my time). From personal experience, I know just how much these days can mean to the creators and how fast the time goes when you're doing something as fun as blogging.

Today is our 1st Birthday. Thank you for following our blog. Tweet us what you've loved about the past year #1yearofperksofneverland

— Perks Of Neverland (@NeverlandPerks) May 25, 2016

I wanted to use todays post as a way of showcasing all of the amazing things that she has achieved and spoken about over this past years, I hope you guys have learned to love her as much as I do!

What does 'Happiness' mean to me?

'Happiness'

If this isn't your first rodeo then you guys all know that I am completely obsessed with quotes. It doesn't really matter what they are about, I just love them and have so many books on my shelves full of them. I've always found it amazing how just a few words from someone can change the course of your entire day, they are perfect for something to read in the morning and just put life into perspective. 

Using this post as my excuse, I've spent slightly longer than is necessary on Pinterest, Tumblr and even Google images just reading some of the fantastic quotes that people have written. I thought I would share some of my favourites with you all. Hopefully it will help to brighten your day and maybe you can even come back to this post if you're ever having a bit of a down day. 

A-Z of Recovery: Bravery

Recovery is one messy subject, let me tell you but its also the most beautiful thing in the world. you will constantly see people out there, me being one of them, saying how recovery is so worth it, and you may think that we make recovery look easy or that you are not strong enough to make it. Let me tell you something right now, you are strong enough. You always have been, you just have to be brave enough to take that leap.

Recovery finds

I'm always up for things that can make recovery more approachable for everyone, so every now and then I scour the internet for new things for me to learn. As usual, whenever I'm doing something that is very important to my future and I'm stressed (in this instance it was my University assignments), it makes my recovery decisions a whole lot harder. So something I was spending quite sometime doing while I was off doing my assignments is looking at the kind of recovery tips and tricks that are offered by other people. Two of my favourite sites literally have everything that you need so I thought today I would just link some of my favourite things from them!

10 things about me

Hi guys, so since today is my birthday, I decided that I would do a '10 things about me' fact post because personally I'm really nosy and I love finding out things about other people so maybe you guys would like to more about the person that you've sort of known for nearly 3 years? If so then read on!

(Disclaimer: its just like when you do those ice breaker activities in class and suddenly you forget everything that you know about yourself! So apologies over the boring facts but I'm not a very exciting person.- I should have been creative and made it 19; one for every year of my life but I don't appear to know enough about myself for that hehe)

1. Cringe time....I have the BESTEST -that's officially now a word...for me at least- best friend in the entire world!

2. I'm going to see McFly in concert with my best friend in June!!!

3. I LOVE photography...im not necessarily very good at it but you don't need to be good at a hobby right?...right?

4. When I was a kid I used to literally cry my eyes out at the prospect of a photo of me being taken...except this one...hehe

5. I'm addicted to social media- I mean Snapchat is just life right now...and of course twitter is an all time love *wink wink*

  

 

6. I'm an animal lover...I mean, you've all heard me gush about my cat 24/7

7.  I come from a BIG family...like multiple brothers and sisters (and 10 pets)

 8. I am your stereotypical British lover of tea...I mean seriously, I drink up to 10 cups a day...woops.

9.  I had never taken a selfie until around February last year!...I know, how bad is that?!

10. As of today I am officially 19!
So its customary for you guys to have a very embarrassing ugly baby photo...enjoy!

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Hope you guys enjoyed these, if you don't really care about any of these facts at all (because lets face it, they're not exactly riveting, then thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day)

Love,

Louise x

Purchases: Mindfulness books

 

Most people who know me, know that I am a complete book nerd. if I have any money, and theres a book store (online or in a town) available to me then that money isn't going to last. I love reading, and reading inspirational thingsm especially mindfulness or positivity books. these are a really large part of my recovery, reading just one small passage a day helps put me into the right mindset to approach the day with a healthy outlook. I thought id share with you guys some of the books that I have brought over the last month (sorry bank account) because theyre all too damn good to miss out on!

 

 Gabrielle Bernstein: I've been a big fan of her books, YouTube videos and statuses on Facebook for a long time now. I kept promising myself that when I had some spare money I was going to invest some of her books...they consequently stayed in my "saved for later" list on Amazon for over a year. Finally, I've got them and I cannot wait to read them!

 

Doreen Virtue: I've used her oracle cards for a few years now, one deck I have even had since I was a little kid- and they're Unicorn Oracle cards! I still like to use them every now and again though- even if its just to look at the pictures...they're absolutely beautiful! added to this, I knew that her books on negativity were just what I needed and they have a little added magic in them or 'sparkle' as she puts it.

 

 Louise Hay: I have been a huge fan of Louise Hay for a little over a year now, since I got into mindfulness as a practice and anything I buy that has her name on it, I know is going to be just the ticket! I honestly cannot wait to implement these practices into my busy lifestyle.

 

Don't sweat the small stuff: This was one of the books that was suggested to me by a good friend (I think on her Instagram account) when we had been chatting about how I still struggle with focusing on the negative things when they crop up. As usual, she's absolutely right, this book is perfect for me! so if you find yourself thinking a little too much about the negative stuff or the stresses in life then I recommend this book for you!

 

Holistic therapy (overcoming Depression and Anxiety naturally) by Emma Mary Gathergood: I'm a sucker for self help books, I think that the more we know about a subject, the easier we will be able to deal with it. Plus you've got to admit, learning the different ways in which we can approach any troubles in our lives cant be a bad thing right? This book covers different holistic therapises such as 'the three faces of self', CBT and coping strategies, body-mind awareness and also provides an understanding of depression, anxiety and panic attacks. For me this book is perfect not only for people who suffer from these illnesses but for people who want to learn more about how they "work" and how they can be dealt with.

 

Gala Darling: So this book was on the recommended list after I brought some of the other stuff (above) and I just felt I needed to have it. After reading an article on her in the Spirit and Destiny magazine, May edition (I think), I knew I had made the right decision. Everything about this lady just makes me think of a light, beautiful soul. She is a perfect example of how you can turn your life completely around.

 

Kate Hudson: So I must confess, I have never actually read anything like this with examples from these celebrities lives, I'm not even a huge Kate Hudson fan (I mean she's fab don't get me wrong) but after reading the write-up for the book and just getting a general look at it, I knew this book would be a major interesting read even if I never tried anything out from it. But we all know I will because it's full of healthy lifestyle tips and emotional wellness advice!

 

Hope you enjoy them!

-Louise x

Where I'm at lately...

So my life has been really busy at the moment, I regularly (or try to anyway) post over on Perksofneverland, I have university assignments to write, blog post ideas coming at me left right and centre...This is all fantastic but with restricted time and too many ideas having to be written down, I'm spending more time writing down ideas and organising them than actually writing the posts!

I'm also a carer so most of my time is taken up with that, but you know what? It's fun and its something that I really enjoy. It gives me just a little bit of cash that allows me the flexibility to splurge and buy some little things whenever the mood strikes me. This is really good for my emotional health because it allows me to show myself (and others) a little love when we need it.

Heres a few good things that I'm loving about my life right now:

Friendships
I have never been the kind of person that has lots of friends but I honestly have to say that I wouldn't change that for the world. I have the worlds greatest best friend and two fab uni friends who we are getting to be really close with. That's the kind of thing that matters the most in my life, the depth of the relationships not the amount of them. So to say I'm happy with my friendships right now is an understatement

My emotions
Over the past few years, as some of you know, I've been trying to be positive but my negativity has been showing through and effecting the people that mean the most to me. I've been making a really conscious effort lately to not do that and I would like to think that I'm doing a good job...happy time all round!

Work
I have got lots of assignment work off uni at the moment because deadlines are in two weeks time and I work as a carer but the work is really rewarding so no matter how stressed I start to feel, I cannot help but feel blessed that I have the opportunity to be able to have these chances.


Overall, I think I'm doing just fine in my life right now,
I hope you all have a great day,
Louise x

5 ways to beat boredom when running

Trying to be active and live a healthy lifestyle is not the easiest thing. it can take a lot to be motivated on those dreary, cold days to get up and work out, for me running is the one thing I find really demotivated for. in order to combat this, I did some research about some of the ways that you wont be bored about the idea of running.


Try going up- Just running at the same pace, for long periods of time can be really quite a boring task. One of the ways to mix up your routine is to incorporate a hill or some stairs- it is actually a more intensive activity and includes interval training into your workout, plus the views you can see from the top of a hill are just breath-taking...so its a win-win!

Change your route- find somewhere like a forest, stream etc. There are so many beautiful parts of the world so no matter where you live, there will always be some wonderful slice of nature that you can easily have access to. its refreshing to be able to explore new places and see all of the amazing things that I never knew existed! (plus it makes the time go faster).

Listen to something- I'm a music lover, and theres no better way in my opinion to make exercising better and more enjoyable than music! There is something literally for every kind of exercise (especially when a mini dane session is accidentally incorporated into your workout because the music is just that damn good!) If music isn't really your thing then what about an audio book or a recorded lecture? It's a great way to catch up with studies or stay up to date with your favourite novels\tasks.

Rewards- Pinterest has great ideas about using a coin jar and dropping £1 or $1 in every time you workout. When the jar is full, take the money out and buy yourself something nice. what about some new workout gear, some clothes or even a new book? (Alternatives to actual money is counters, then just like before, when the jar is full buy yourself a treat!)

Make it social- run with friends, family etc. I love it when I get to run with my friends, it gives me a chance to catch up with them, whilst we do our warmups (and especially during the cool-down afterwards). Plus, I find that I'm really competitive so I push myself a lot more and obviously get more out of it if I'm with someone else! 

I hope you find these helpful,
Enjoy,
Louise x

Through the web: Fave instagram users

So as some of you know, I've actually had my own personal Instagram for years now but in March I created a new account for this blog called Perksofrecoveryjournal. It's actually one of those decisions in life where it a split second decision and then you cannot be more thankful of it later on. You've all shown me so much love on there and the amount of interaction we can have is just great. It's the perfect way, in my opinion, for me to be able to share more behind the scenes stuff and stuff from my private life with you all.

Yesterday's Spring sunshine. Life is beautiful 🌞 #happy

A photo posted by Empty Journal (@perksofrecoveryjournal) on Mar 21, 2016 at 3:15am PDT

Since creating that account, some new users have come to my attention (because obviously following less people means I can see more of their posts and appreciate their awesomeness a lot more). But some of these I've been following for months or even years on my personal account, even so I wanted to share just a few of my favourites with you.

https://www.instagram.com/healthyisthenewskinny/

 So throughout my journey I've slowly become a big believer in working out and eating healthy foods, not to lose weight but to treat my body the way that it deserves. In society its full of all of these controversial ideologies that we all have to look a certain way in order to be classified as beautiful. We've been through 'fat-shaming', skinny-shaming' and everything in between. What happened to just loving ourselves for who we are on the inside rather than completely focusing on the outside? This account, 'Healthy is the new skinny' is perfect for reinforcing this message; they show the importance of being happy and healthy rather than being the smallest size that you can be. I always see a wide range of body sizes shown so much love on there which teaches everyone that we are all beautiful from the inside out. So whether you're looking for bodyposi, healthy recipes or just some all round good cheer, go check it out!

https://www.instagram.com/projectheal/

 Everyone knows that I am a complete quote addict, I can never get enough of all of these different quotes, they literally are perfect for any emotion. 'Project heal' is a "non-profit organization that raises funds for eating disorder treatment & believes recovery from an ED is possible." Honestly if you every are feeling a little down and you find reading positive messages very inspiring then this account is 100% up your street! I love using some of the quotes for my quote jar (post to come soon to explain), it sets my day off for the best possible start.

https://www.instagram.com/positivebodyimage/

This account is so empowering, its literally amazing. It's one of the larger accounts that I follow, and I have to say a huge congratulations to the two girls who run this account because inspiring isn't the word for it! There's something on there for everyone, no matter your body size or background because these issues don't discriminate. It has become a wonderful little community over there so be sure to go over and say hello!

https://www.instagram.com/nourishandeat/

 For so long now I've been a huge fan of this account. It is literally, in my opinion the perfect account for anyone who is currently dealing with body issues. She shows her transformation through pictures and shares her recovery story with everyone. Not only that but she is a big advocate for showing up the way the media have been influencing our views of ourselves; she covers the Photoshop myths that they use and how they portray the perfect people to be thin, and have a 'perfect' face. Another huge selling point is pointing out societies myths that your weight signifies the severity of your eating disorder and what type it is. There are so many people out there who have Anorexia but they constantly get shamed with the thoughts of "but you don't look like you have an eating disorder" or "you're too fat to be Anorexic or Bulimic". 

 Life is beautiful so why not capture all of those memories? Come over to Instagram and lets chat!
- Louise x

How I got out of my blogging rut

So if this isn't your first rodeo over here then you will know that recently I have suffered with yet another bout of blogging blues. I'm not the first to have these, and I certainly wont be the last. Bloggers, no matter what their niche, all experience this at least once during their blogging journey...and thanks okay. There's no way that any one person can stay motivated with one thing for months or even years at a time without feeling like they need a change because they are bored or have ran out of ideas.

Originally, the change from a solely recovery and Mental Health based blog created a lot more opportunities for me to continue my journey but the change between the two was very daunting and thus, my first rut was born. The amount of consistency on this blog over the years has been up and down like a rollercoaster because life got in the way. Now that's not to say that its a bad things, because we were very good at sorting out the more pressing issues that we were facing and then we used the free tme after that to return here.

Pretty much since the start of 2016, I have been really very good with my consistency of posts...which as you all know is pretty much a miracle... but I did it! I'm really getting back into blogging a lot more and I'm enjoying it just as much as ever because now I have freedom. I have the freedom from my thoughs that used to weigh my down.

Heres how I picked myself up out of the blogging blues;

- Chat with Frankie- so she is one of my favourite people that I have ever met over the internet. She's like my Nanny McPhee, I love her so much. Whenever I have something great to share or im in need of advice or help, she always there...through the good and the bad. It's really great when I get her perspective on things- she just somehow gives the right kind of advice for every situation! It felt so good to get everything off my chest and she was very quick to point out where my struggles were originating from!

- Not focusing on statistics- followers, likes, Rts etc. Like many people,  I've fallen into the trap of caring more about how many people are reading ym tweets, reading my blog posts, liking my photos on instagram etc and you know what? It's exhausting! My self worth and the worthiness of what I do isn't contingent on how many people shoe their interaction. Some days it's High, other days it's low...and that's okay. I'm doing what I love and that's all that matters.

- Writing what I want rather than what I think will get peoples attention- it's really easy to get bored and unmotivated when you cannot carry on doing something that you love. This blog means the world to me but constantly feeling like I had to write about certain topics rather than what I actually wanted to is really demotivating. It just took the love right out of it. Although views and interaction is obviously important in its success, I made the decision to put that stuff out of my mind and write what I wanted to Write. At the end of the day, if you guys like it then you'll read it...if not then that's cool too, but someone out there will like it!

- Getting back to my roots- getting back to my old posts where I have literally done no planning and I just ramble on about how I'm feeling that day was so important to me. They are literally my favourite to write and I had convinced myself that planning was the key to improving my blog...while that's mostly true, the occasional spontaneous post is good for me!

- Not putting as much pressure on myself- after blogging for a few years,  it's reasonable to put the pressure on for great content, right? Wrong. While the content is important, the amount of pressure I put on myself (and I'm definitely not the only one) to post as often as possible with the best content, in order to get loads of views and comments was ridiculous! So out with that idea right away.

- A schedule (my title planning, post idea planning before the actual write, specific times and dates to post etc.) - Schedules don't usually work for me in the long run. I'm an avid list maker and I love making schedules but rarely do I actually manage to stick to them. One of my goals for 2016 was to be more organised on the blog.. this was a loose goal which meant less pressure if it "didn't go to plan" but in fact it's going great for me! I'm planning posts and writing in bulk whenever I'm in a writing mood and I always know what time and what day I'm giving out content.  It's given me milestones to meet and actually has made my life a whole lot easier.

- Reading other peoples blogs (something I've gotten out of the habit of doing)- one easy way to get more blogging ideas and to get the inspiration  to blog again is to read some of the other ones out there. It's as simple as that!

-Getting out there and doing things- both me and my best friend don't have a very avid social life but when we go out on day trips or go somewhere fun, it's really great because she is one of the few people who know about my blog so she's always fill of ideas for it! She's super helpful and especially since she started Perksofneverland, she's been like this little bubble of blogging heaven!

- Enjoying the simplicity of it all again! - the origin of this blog was just a place to voice my thoughts and potentially help someone with the knowledge of my experiences. Going back to that simple outcome has made it all a lot easier.  Forget about the people who read it (the amount of them at least!) Just do what you enjoy and you'll never go wrong.

All in all, I learned to ask for help and be true to who I am.
Love,
Louise x

Favourite Spring recipe

Spring time food!

Spring is that time of the year when we start to relish in the sunlight again; its been so long since we have had decent sun in the UK that spring is often that time where even a hint of sun and everyone breaks out the Barbeque. Grilling aside, there are so many different things that you can eat or drink to get you into a spring spirit!

Lavender Lemonade 

Lemonade is one of those things that although I've never actually had fresh, I associate with the warmer days and will be perfect through the summer too. after some web searching and a lot of time on Pinterest, I came across a recipe for Lavender lemonade... This immediately had me clicking on it! Although you don't actually have to use the lavender flowers, the recipe suggests Lavender essential oils instead. For the actual lemonade recipe, The Melrose Family (where this recipe is from) have created a yummy sounding one, so here it is!




Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  5 mins

Total time:  25 mins

Serves: 12 - 14

Ingredients

• 3 lemons squeezed with pulp {1/2 cup lemon juice}
• 8 cups of water
• 1¾ cups of sugar
• 1 cup of lemon juice

Instructions

1. Heat 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Add in the 1 and ¾ cups of sugar to the boiling water to dissolve and create a simple syrup. Continuously mix the sugar until it is completely dissolved. You'll be able to smell the cooked sugar.
2. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, cool the simple syrup by covering and chilling in the refrigerator.
3. While the simply syrup cools, squeeze three lemons. Remove the seeds, but be sure to leave the pulp. The lemons should give about ½ cup of lemon juice. Add in 1 cup of lemon Real lemon juice to have a total of 1 and ½ cups of lemon juice.
4. Combine the 7 cups of water with the 1 and ½ cups of lemon juice.
5. Finally, add in the simply syrup.
6. Garnish with lemons.

Hint: For the Lavender flavour, use 2-3 drops of Lavender essential oil but for Purple colour, use purple food colouring (original recipe used 'Neon purple food colouring')- the colouring is optional and will be yellowish without it.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, I cannot wait to be able to try this out. If you give this recipe a shot, be sure to send me a picture to my Twitter.

-Louise x