New Year, New Me (so it seems)

Have you ever really wanted to do something but then stopped yourself because you were worried about what other people might think? Have you ever let the fear of failure stop you from giving something a go? Have you ever seen somebody do something and thought to yourself ‘I wish I could do that’ and then proceed not to even try because you don’t think you’ll be any good at it? Well, I can tell you that my answer to all those questions is a resounding yes.

I blissfully skipped through my teens and early twenties, full of confidence and fearlessly willing to have a go at anything and everything I fancied. I then hit 25 and was suddenly overcome with self-doubt and the need to constantly compare myself to other people. I went from being young and carefree to feeling as fragile as a Nature Valley granola bar (if you know, you know) in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Fast forward to now, we’ve just shut the door on a turbulent 2020 and the ‘New Year, New Me’ gang are out in full force and whilst I don’t think anyone needs to reinvent themselves, I do think January is a great time for a bit of reflection and a fresh start. Let’s not beat around the bush, 2020 was a bit of a shit show but (credit where credit is due) it did bring with it some valuable lessons that have changed my perspective, so I thought I'd share some of them with you.

I have learnt that you don’t have to be productive every single day of your life, that it’s important to celebrate even the tiniest of victories and that self-care looks different to everyone; some people will bake banana bread, some will run a 5k and some will binge-watch an entire Netflix season in one sitting (I definitely did all these things at some point last year, and all are brilliant forms of self-care in their own right). I’ve learnt that if you have a family who love and support you, you are extremely lucky, and I’ve also learnt how important it is to have a fully stocked snack cupboard. I’ve learnt that staying in really is the new going out and that nothing good comes from spending hours scrolling through Instagram, comparing yourself to people on the internet who don’t even know you exist. Most importantly, I’ve learnt how important it is to just crack on and do the things that make you happy and not worry too much about what Karen-down-the-road has to say about it.

So, with all of that in mind, here I am being brave and doing something I’ve stopped myself from doing for so long – starting a blog where I plan to share the things I’ve learnt and the things I’m still learning as I navigate my way through adulthood. I really hope you enjoy it.

Katie x