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A Digital Detox Day Reflection | What to do during a digital detox
Recently I decided to have a digital detox day. It's something I'd been meaning to do for years but never got around to, however, the Zoe Sugg digital detox campaign was what I needed to push me in the right direction.
I didn't go completely phone and laptop free, I decided I was allowed to watch Stranger Things with my boyfriend and enjoy dipping in out of an audiobook - but that social media was a no-no... To be completely honest, I did slip up, twice. I caught myself beginning to scroll twitter, and pressing the Instagram app but those 10 seconds, were a whole lot less than the hours that usually pass me by staring at the lives of strangers through my iPhone screen.
It was really lovely. My boyfriend and I had a lazy morning at home, I did some sewing for my Etsy store, we went for lunch and I didn't pause to snap a shot of our food for Instagram stories. We visited my mum, and I didn't find myself trying to both scroll and engage in conversation. I was present. We laughed and chatted and drank tea, and I didn't tell the internet about it. It was nice to be anonymous. We drove back, listening to Harry Potter on the way, I took in the story along with passing green fields and blue skies. We returned home and I got out my paints and fell back in love with one of my old hobbies - I painted watercolour strokes on a page and tried not to be too precious about the outcome. We cosied up and watched Stranger Things and I didn't miss out on the details because I was distracted by twitter. I felt free - and when I write this a day later I feel refreshed - excited about life, offline and online.
I can see that one day away from the small screen was the mental health day I didn't know I needed. Disconnecting gave me the chance to reconnect - with my family, my boyfriend and myself.
I won't be doing it all the time, because there's a reason I love the online world, both when it comes to consuming and creating content, but I am going to aim for a least once a month because it felt good for the soul.
I do however know how daunting a digital detox day can be, which is why I put off doing it for so long. I thought I'd share some ideas of what to do during a digital detox day, to ease you into the idea:
Activities for a digital detox day:
- Read: I'm always wanting to lose myself in a good book, it's something I always wish I had more time for. A digital detox day is a perfect excuse to catch up with some reading. If you're after some book recommendations, you can find my book-related blog posts here.
- Spend time with loved ones: You do that all the time already right? But I bet you don't do it without digital distractions. Catching up with loved ones without scrolling is a whole lot more special.
- Games: FYI, board games aren't just for Christmas time. A digital detox day is a perfect time to dust off the monopoly.
- Jigsaw Puzzles: The same goes for jigsaw puzzles. I love getting out a puzzle during the festive season, and there is absolutely no reason you can't spend your time puzzling all year round, and they will definitely keep you entertained during a digital detox.
- Go for Walk: I've said it a million times before on this blog. I bloody love going to for a walk. I find being outside in nature refreshing.
- Go for Bike Ride: Now personally, I won't be doing this one, because I'm not the most confident on a bike - my boyfriend, however, is obsessed with going for bike rides with his friends - so if you want a tech-free activity, bike rides could be the one.
- Drawing/painting: Growing up, drawing and painting were some of my favourite hobbies, as I've got older it's gotten a bit forgot, one of those things which get pushed aside because I don't have 'time' for it (still have time to play The Sims and scroll Instagram though). On my digital detox day, I spent a couple of hours rediscovering my love for painting, and I'm going to try to keep it up. Creativity is something to be rediscovered during a digital detox day.
- Pottery painting: A few years ago we went to centre parks (vlog here) and we did some pottery painting and it was my favourite part. It's something I've been meaning to do since, and a digital detox day is a perfect time to do this.
- Go for a Picnic: Sadly for those in the UK, this is kind of weather dependant. But who doesn't love taking there picnic blankets and sandwiches to the park?
- Clean/Organise: There's always cleaning and organising to be done, and although you might hate it, I find it pretty therapeutic, making it the perfect activity for a digital detox day.
- Fruit and veg picking: I'm not the only one who feels a bit envious when I see the pumpkin picking pictures on Instagram, am I?! a digital detox day is the perfect time to arrange to go picking.
Outfit Details:
Dress: M&S (old, similar linked) | Headband: Chloe Harriets Creates | Scrunchie (worn on the wrist): Chloe Harriets Creates | Necklace: MoonglowSandals: New Look
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Today I thought I'd share some book reviews of all that I've been reading this Summer.
What I've Been Reading | 2020 Summer Books
Today I thought I'd share some book reviews of all that I've been reading this Summer.
It's one for all of you bookworms out there - A little update on my pages I've been flicking through and my thoughts on them.
The Kissing Booth (1 & 2) by Beth Reekles
I read this on my kindle (hence the lack of book in the photos), after watching the Netflix film (and falling in love with it, obviously), I was excited to get stuck into it - I am a lover of YA fiction and high school romance. I ended up reading both books - The Kissing Booth and The Kissing Booth 2: Going the Distance - I sped through them, finding them to be a light easy read, but also I found the characters to be frustrating. There's no denying that I enjoyed the books, but I found them to romanticise quite a toxic relationship - which reading it as a 28-year-old woman I can recognise that but feel the 15-year-olds that these books are aimed at might not. They're perfect if you want a light-hearted read, that makes you feel young, but remember there's nothing romantic about an up and down, secret relationship, with a lack of communication as these books make it seem.
A Map from Here to There by Emery Lord
A Map from Here to There is the sequel to The Start of Me and You - However, I went into reading unaware of this (oops) and although I've read The Start of Me and You, it had been a while so I could have done with a little refresher on it. Although young adult fiction is usually my favourite genre - I found this one to be a little too much on the young side for me. A lot of the characters' worries revolved around choosing a college, and the impacts on that on her relationship alongside and juggling having schoolwork, a social life, and an internship, which isn't very relatable for me as a 28-year-old woman, however, if I read this at 17 I'm sure I would have felt differently about it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for some light reading - I love Emery Lord's style of writing, so if you also really enjoy YA fiction I'd recommend checking out some of her other books (my favourite is When We Collided and you can read my review on it here). It has the themes of friendship and mental health running throughout it which I really liked.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
I've never read anything like this before - it felt like a children's book, which is aimed at adults with deep themes but a simple yet, beautiful writing style. Being in the perspective of a child made it different from most of my usual reads. A Monster Calls is the story of a young boy, with a sick Mum, and who is having a tough time at school. A monster begins visiting him, the monster tells him stories as he tries to navigate his way through all that life throws at him. It's beautiful and touching.
We of the Forsaken World by Kiran Bhat (AD - Gifted)
We of the Foresaken World is not my usual style, but as I was offered a gifted opportunity with this book, I decided to give it a go, and I really enjoyed it. I found it to be a lot more intense than my usual read, and found myself completely swept up in it. I did find reading it took a lot of focus - it's not one to read with your mind elsewhere. We of the Forsaken World tells several stories of interesting characters from a future world, in different locations which all knit together. Each story is touching and gave me plenty to think about from stories about tribes, the impact of oil spills, the story of a one-armed woman and more. It shows a world, both so similar to ours, and completely different to everything we know. The characters felt relatable and a world away. It's unlike anything I've ever read before, and it's a book which took some time for me to digest. It explores environmental issues and humans stories. I really enjoyed this, if you're looking to read something which will get you thinking, this could be it.
Find Me is the sequel to Call Me by Your Name. I really enjoyed reading it, it had the same beautiful style of writing as Call Me by Your Name (you can read my thoughts on that here) however, it felt very far removed from the original story and I enjoyed it much more when I stopped thinking of it as “Call Me by Your Name: 2” rather than it’s own thing. The book is split into three separate love stories. There aren’t individuals chapters beyond this, which at first I found frustrating but once I got used to not expecting chapters to end, I realised the format worked for this book. With each section, the location and the perspective changed. A first I found it difficult to grasp which character point of view I was reading from (especially in relation to Call Me by Your Name) but trying to figure that out, kept me hooked. Throughout the book, links were revealed. I found the writing style to be as beautiful as I had expected and I loved each individual love story. Just a warning, if you're reading for Elio and Oliver - they don't come into the story until much later.
Have you read any of these? What did you think?
I did have a little impromptu blog break, so I've got a whole new pile of books to update you with my reviews on, so you can expect more book blog posts coming soon.
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5 Hobbies for Self Care | AD - Gifted Items
Over here on chloeharriets.com, I talk about self-care a lot (see posts here, here and here) because I think the main key to living a happy and fulfilled life is looking after yourself - that self-care thing I'm always banging on about.
Today, I wanted to share some creative hobbies that are good for self-care. Hobbies which I find relaxing and fulfilling because sometimes an evening in front of Netflix just doesn't cut it.
- Crocheting:
This post is in partnership with Love Crafts who reached out to me and asked if I'd like to feature something from their website in a blog post. When I saw they had crochet supplies I, of course, said yes. For years I've been crocheting as a form of self-care. There's something about the repetitive movement, keeping my hands busy (if I'm ever feeling anxious I fidget like crazy which doesn't help, crocheting settles me), and the feeling of 'I made this' (I like that feeling, hence my Etsy store - gotta get that self-promo in somewhere). Until now, I've only crochet blankets, sticking to the few stitches I knew, although I'm sure my friends are have appreciated the baby blankets, for a while I wanted to make more but had no clue where to start with following a pattern and learning new stitches. This gifted opportunity gave me the perfect opportunity to push slightly outside of my comfort zone while doing one of my favourite things. I chose this pattern to be gifted, so I could make a jumper which I love - it's right up there with my style, plus the website also shows pattern difficulty levels - and as this is my first time working from a pattern, I wanted to start easy with beginners. I went for this wool, and also have the appropriate hooks gifted. I'm still not quite finished (I had one of those baby blankets I spoke about earlier to complete before I got started on the project). Once I got stuck into it, I found this to be the perfect self-care activity. It kept me feeling like my evenings we're going to waste. Seeing the jumper begin to form is so satisfying. I get to feel a great sense of achievement and a great sense of chill when I spend my time crocheting, and sometimes even watch Netflix at the same time, the best kind of multitasking. If you're interested in starting a new crochet project, they have tonnes of free patterns available here to get you started.
- Reading:
I've always been a big reader, but it's a hobby which is often easily abandoned when I get busy. After falling a little out of love with reading a few months back, I've recently got back into it, and boy oh boy is it a hobby worthy of my time. Reading is an easy escape from the day-to-day. I read a bit of everything. Self-development books are great for when I want something to motivate and inspire me. Fiction for when I want a break from my own life - it's always nice to dip an imaginary one. I'm currently reading My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing (*affiliate link) - this thriller stylebook is not my go-to read, but I'm hooked - it's even nice being able to look forward to picking up my book when I'm going about my day. I have an online book club, you can read more about #chloeharrietsbookclub here, you can find any book review or book-related blog post here, and follow me on Goodreads here.
- Painting/Drawing:
I've always been a creative person, some of my favourite childhood memories include me sat on a bedroom floor drawing pictures. Similar to reading, painting and drawing are both things I go through phases of doing but when I am putting my time into them, I just feel calmer. It's a hobby which takes my focus in the most relaxed way. There's not really any right or wrong, but there's is the feeling of accomplishment when completing the picture, and the escape strokes of a paintbrush allow. My friend @staciejayneart on Instagram I find super inspiring when it comes to painting, she just paints for the process and produces such beautiful pieces - she really reminds me with should have hobbies for the joy of the process and creativity should be a form of self expression.
- Journaling:
I'm sure I've mentioned a million times (well - here, here and here) how much I love journaling so I won't go on about it too much - just know putting a pen to paper is often both healing and empowering. Whether you're scripting what a day in your life in will look like in the future, or getting something off your chest - moving feelings from the mind onto paper makes all the difference.
- Dancing:
The simple act of moving our bodies is so freeing. Listening to high vibe music, and dancing just get me feeling positive and excited for the what's to come. It doesn't need to be a big deal either. Dancing in the kitchen while you cook your dinner just adds some more fun to your evening, and who doesn't want that?!
What creative hobbies would you suggest for self-care?
Have you tried out crocheting before? One of those free patterns on Love Crafts might just be your next self-care project!
Keep your eyes peeled for a picture on my finished crocheted jumper which I will post on my Instagram once I finish it!
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I'm not going to lie, I used to be a pretty negative person. Most of the time I felt, well...rubbish. I had a habit of feeling sorry for myself for the sake of feeling sorry for myself, rather than taking action and making change, or simply looking on the bright side.
Tips for becoming a more positive person | No Bad Vibes | AD Gifted Outfit
A few years ago, after a few firm talks with friends, I decided enough is enough. I didn't want to be that sad girl anymore, I wanted to make my life one I liked, loved even. Fast forward to now, and I'm happy, most of the time. I still have bad days and hard times of course, but on a whole, I'm happier in general. The good days outweigh the bad and my mindset is a pretty positive one. I can find the light in situations which once would have floored me. As dramatic as it sounds, I've transformed my life. My energy has changed for the good. I no longer welcome those bad vibes, at one point I couldn't shake off.
If you're looking to become a more positive version of yourself this is the place to be, as I thought I'd share my tips on keeping the bad vibes away.
- Get to know yourself
This one sounds a little weird, I know, but hear me out. We all have different stress triggers, big or small. When you know what yours are, it's much easier to manage what could become a stressful situation. With me, if I feel like I'm in a rush really leaves me feeling off - so I limit my plans to avoid that super busy feeling. The same goes for happy feelings, there will be certain things which always get you feeling joyful - spend time with those things (for me - hello Gilmore Girls).
- Set boundaries
Setting boundaries will save you time, prevent others from taking advantage of your kindness, stop you spending unnecessarily, and allow you to be aware of your limits. Boundaries make things run smoother and give you a guilt-free way to say no.
- Stop comparing
We all know comparison is the thief of joy, but it's so easy to compare - if that's something you struggle with I'd recommend following Lucy Sheridan on Instagram (I haven't read her book The Comparison Cure (affiliate link) yet but I'm looking forward to diving into it soon). Try to keep your focus on yourself, make your past self your competition not a stranger on Instagram. Write a list of things you love about yourself. Basically, make it all about you - it is after all.
- Slow down
If lockdown has taught us anything, it is that sometimes it's good to slow down. There is no need to be rushing around. When life is too busy it's easy to forget to take the time to enjoy it. Plus, a lot of the time we're more productive when we were thinking with the clarity of a slow mind, not an overactive one.
- Be grateful
Gratitude is so important, it's also easy to forget. Every day take some time to write a list of the things you're grateful for. It will make you realise how fortunate you are.
- Let go
Sometimes it's time to move on. Some things no longer serve us. Replaying times you acted certain ways or constantly mourning a friendship which drifted will only have you feeling blue. Live for the present and the future, not the past.
- Surround yourself with the good
Good people, good music, good podcasts, good environments. The things we surround ourselves with affect how we feel. Consume media which makes you feel good. Give your home a good clean so it's a nice place to be. Unfollow accounts which have you feeling rubbish.
Outfit Details
Pink No Bad Vibes Tee (gifted) - Femme Luxe | Blue Ripped Jeans (gifted - old) - Femme Luxe (similar linked) | Bag - Coach (similar linked - affiliate link) | Trainer - Nike (similar linked)
I hope you found this post helpful! What are your tips for keeping those bad vibes out?
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5 Ways To Find Motivation | What to do when you're feeling unmotivated | AD
We can't always be productive and motivated. Sometimes you start your day with good intentions, yet still find yourself scrolling when you should be making your way through a to-do list, completely lacking any motivation to actually do the stuff. I've been there. I know it's frustrating having that nagging feeling of 'I should be doing this' and then desperately trying to push it to the back of your mind because Netflix is calling your name.
Sometimes our motivation levels drop during the day, and other times they're nowhere to be found when we wake up. When we've got things to do, goals to meet. If you want to feel like your best self, a lack of motivation can really get in the way of that. So today I've thought I'd share some tips on what to do when the motivation goes out the window, and advice on where to look for it again.
Here is a list of things to do when you're feeling unmotivated:
- Move
Sometimes we're just feeling a bit restless, our body wants to move rather than sit at a desk typing. So do exactly that. Go for a walk, a run, do a workout video, dance around your bedroom, find your zen by doing some Yoga (I have a full blog post why to do a yoga challenge here) - whatever suits you. Find a way to burn some of that energy. The combo of those post-workout endorphins and a break from the screen might be all you need to get back with that inspiration flowing.
- Change your surroundings
Sometimes, something as simple as working somewhere new can really spice things up - or if that's not an option have a tidy and rejig of your desk. Our surrounding affect how we feel, so if they're feeling a little stale, you probably will too.
- Listen to/watch motivating content
Soon I will do a full blog post on the content I like to watch when I'm looking for that extra push of motivation. Don't underestimate the power of a Youtube video. I always have my most productive days when I've watched a motivating video or listening an inspire podcast while eating my breakfast.
- Vision board
I am a big fan of vision boarding (I have a blog post on it here and videos here and here). It helps to clarify where you're heading and what you're working towards. Plus it actually freaking works (honestly I should have thought it through more when I added a magazine cutting which says "stay home, work out" to my 2020 vision board because it's certainly happened). If you don't feel motivated, it likely that it's because you've lost sight of your end goal - vision boarding will help you to figure out where you want to be heading.
- Take a walk
I pretty much say it every blogpost now (see here, here and here - I guess I'm obsessed with walking) - nature is healing, refreshing and inspiring. If you're not doing your work, you may as well take advantage of the benefits of spending time in the world around you.
- Read
You really can't bring yourself to go through your emails, write that blog post or do whatever you're supposed to be doing? Why not pick up a book? A self-development book might get you considering how to move forward with your goal or a fiction book can transport you to a new world, so your chill time will no longer include that nagging feeling of an untouched to-do list - If you're looking for book recommendations you can find tonnes of reviews here.
Outfit Details
Coming to the end of this post I've realised some of my tips are very similar to what I say in my habits for happiness blog post, but what can I say, for me, happiness and motivation go hand in hand.
I hope you found this post useful! What do you do when you're in need of some motivation?
*The Femme Luxe tee was gifted along with some other pieces which will feature in upcoming blog posts - I could have featured them all together but didn't want to overload this post with images - so I hope you don't mind more gifted posts in the near future.
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Recently I found myself falling out any routine, my once good habits became abandoned - I think the combination of being unwell, lockdown and moving into a new environment got to me, and I found it easy to push aside those little habits and daily routines, unaware of the impact it would have. After a few weeks of feeling all over the place and noticing the toll of that on my mental health, I realised I needed some positive routine back. So once again I've been developing new routines to follow, of the little things which keep my wellness up.
5 Habit for Happiness | Positive Habits for your Daily Routine.
In the future, I will post sine more detailed versions on my morning and evening routines (possibly on my Youtube channel, so make sure you're subscribed) but for now, I thought it would be nice to share some of the habits which have got me happier on the day-to-day.
5 Habits for Happiness:
- Journalling:
Honestly, I find daily journaling has such a positive impact on my mental health. Just getting my thoughts and feelings out onto paper, makes me feel as if I've emptied any negativity from my mind. Sometimes I use journaling to get things on my chest, sometimes to express my hopes for the future - usually, it's just word vomit, I don't think about it too much, I just write what comes to mind and boy oh boy it can be therapeutic.
- Reading:
For me, there's no escape quite like reading - I find it transports me to another world and allows me to let go of my worries. I read everything from self-help to fiction, I listen to audiobooks, flick through pages, the lot. You can read some of my book reviews here or join me on my reading journey for this year with #chloeharrietsbookclub.
- Moving your body:
When we work at desks, spent our evening binging Netflix, and our nights sleeping, it's easy to really not spend that much time moving... however I've found on those days I find myself more stationery than not, I feel a little slobby. Implicating more exercise in my routine has worked wonders for my mental health. I do regular fitness session via Zoom with @laurenalicefitness, and on the days which I'm not up for a full-on workout, I find something as simple as going for a walk or dancing in the kitchen gets those good endorphins going for me.
- Going outside:
Fresh air and nature are good for the soul. Yet still, it's super easy to end up cooped up in the house if I don't have plans (which I haven't had many of due to lockdown) so I've been making going outdoors a priority and taking myself for daily walks and it's been so refreshing - definitely, a habit to I need to keep up.
- Phone free time:
I've been trying to step away from my iPhone screen a little more because as we all know too much phone time isn't good for the brain. So recently I've committed to at least an hour before bed screen-free - and I'm just trying to leave my phone in a different room to me during to the day to ease back on the mindless scrolling, and I'm feeling so much better for it.
What daily habits do you try to keep up for a positive mind?
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