Life update - finding the work life balance

 

Hello hello 

Long time no see! 

I seem to have started many blog posts this way over the past year and that is simply because life is so busy.  The past few months I have lost the work life balance completely and therefore lost touch of doing the things I love such as blogging and instagramming (no idea if that’s even I word, but I have made it one!) 

I feel like I have had a little self revelation (if that’s the right phrase) and decided to try and change things. 

Those of you who have been following me for a while may know I took up a new job in January at a big production and events company that required me to travel to London.  This was a massive step out of my comfort zone as I went from coordinating events with white dresses and guest numbers of up to 200 people to televised events with red carpets and ball gowns! 

This year was the craziest award season the company has had as COVID pushed us for time and bringing with it a lot of long hours and stressful days.  However I have had the best time ever and learnt so much! Looking back at my first award to my last I can see a real difference in myself and how I handled things, really seeing my growth. 

You may have noticed I am using past tense when speaking about my job.  That is because my contract is due to end and I have decided to enter the world of freelancing offering my event services to a variety of different events. This again is a huge step out of my comfort zone as I loose my comfort blanket of 

Job security. However, this is where the change comes in. 

Unlike the past few months I have decided to try and look after myself more and try to make time to do the things I love.  

I worked on my first freelance over the bank holiday weekend as I got to be apart of the platinum jubilee assisting with back stage areas - which was amazing to be apart of such a historical event! This was another week full of long hours and after taking things easy on the Monday, working from home, washing my hair and watching love island something clicked. 

Work life balance doesn’t have to be so full on every day and doesn’t necessarily have to be 50/50.  Looking after myself doesn’t necessarily mean having a full pamper session or gym session for long hours every day. It can be a slightly longer shower here and there or taking time to actually cook a good meal or sitting down to watch your favourite TV show for an hour. I was putting so much pressure on getting an exact equal balance and trying to do too much in them both that it didn’t work.  

So, as I enter the world of freelancing I know there are going to be long days and stressful times. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get some me time in whether that be having a decent meal instead of half a sandwich or doing my skincare routine instead of using a makeup wipe. Then when I do have slightly more time on my hands where I don’t need to work, then I can do those bigger self care bits and really enjoy it. 

I don't know how well this will work, but I want to try it in the hope that even during those stressful times I feel more green and less red as I reward myself for the little things as well as the big. 

If you have some good self care ideas, please let me know and hopefully we can figure this out together! 

2021 Rewind

 

Happy New Year everyone!

This year has defiantly been the craziest one in a long time and yet it has flown by.  Looking back it seems surreal to me all that has happened in the past 365 days. So, as is tradition I wanted to share with you a look back into last year in my 2021 rewind.

I started to write this post detailing what happened and how I felt each month, but I only made it to April and I didn’t like how negative it made the year sound.  So, I wanted to try something else that would recognize the hard times but focus on the good times.

The first three months of 2021 was the lowest I think I have ever felt.  Anxiety was at an all time high, I was fed up, sad and spent most nights in floods of tears.  It was during this time that I really learnt the importance and power of gratitude and looking on the positive side of things.  As cases/deaths decreased and the vaccination process was in full swing, we began to come out of lockdown.  By April, the end was in sight, the roadmap was set out and we would soon be able to see family/friends and the events industry would open giving me the hope that I would return to my dream job.

Although these months were some of my worst, I learnt so much and so I don’t want to forget that. I normally describe myself as a glass half full, positive person.  But being positive doesn’t have to mean you are happy all the time.  It means that even on the toughest days you know better ones are coming. This is a lesson I hope to carry with me forever.

Better days did come and looking back I actually did a lot more than I thought, despite various restrictions!

I had some amazing family reunions from dinners and shopping trips to my Aunties wedding.  It was so nice to finally see everyone again and what a way to celebrate than at a wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony and the evening was filled with lots of dancing, laughs and crazy games.  I even got to help decorate it which was so nice to do again!

In May I recorded a song with my sister about our relationship and growing up together which was so much fun. Check her out on Instagram @wattnotsings for amazing covers and originals.

I made some amazing memories with friends, making the local paper watching the football, breaking out of my first escape room, going on dog walks and dancing away at the local festival.

In July I had the best staycation with my boyfriend and my family in Wales.  We climbed Mount Snowden, climbed a waterfall, went extreme canyoning and so much more.  It was a beautiful week filled with love and laughter that I will always remember. 

 

In October I completed the Great South Run blindfolded and deaf in order to raise money and awareness for Ushers Syndrome.  My boyfriend and I completed it in under 2 hours and raised an incredible £1,422.  It will be a day I never forget as I crossed the line and hugged my cousin who was diagnosed with Ushers Syndrome. I couldn’t have done it without my amazing boyfriend who was quite literally tied to me the whole way round!

To celebrate my birthday, my boyfriend and I were lucky to make it to Paris in November!  It was such a magical weekend as we saw all the sights from The Louvre, Notre Dame, St Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe and even climbed the Eiffel Tower. Our first trip away together and I didn’t want it to end.  Although it was very different due to COVID restrictions, we were lucky to get to go and do all that we did there. If you want to read more about out trip, check out my previous blog post: Birthday trip to Paris.

Another great thing to come out of 2021 was my job.  The year began in roadworks, dreaming about events. In August, my dream came true as the events industry re-opened and I landed an internship at one of the local museums.  I met some amazing people and learnt a lot during my time there.  My biggest achievement being planning and coordinating the first live event on their newest attraction, a WW2 vessel.  As I stood there watching the performance, news camera around me and audience members singing along my eyes filled with tears.  This had been what I was waiting for.  I was back in the world of events and I felt so happy.

Having been triple jabbed Christmas was finally here and I got to celebrate it surrounded by all my family.  It felt so good to be able to bring our traditions back and sit around the tree once more.  Although the crazy is starting to come back with a new variant on the loose it didn’t matter for we were together at last.

Unfortunately, my new year hasn’t started how I had hoped.  As the clock struck midnight, I sat on facetime to my boyfriend, a shot of night nurse in my hand watching the London fireworks suffering with COVID. 

It may not have been the start to the year I had hoped, but if I have learnt anything from last year it’s that it can always go up.  2021 had its good times and its bad.  I feel I have grown a lot as I experienced new things and took on new challenges.

I don’t know what 2022 will hold but unlike last year, I feel a lot more positive and I know good things are coming.