Tag: self care

Reading Journals & why they’re a bookish hobby you should try 🎨

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ Leave a comment

I’ve recently discovered the joy and creative expression of a Reading Journal and I have to say … I think I’m a changed reader. I’m already onto my 5th book for 2024! Who even am I?!

A reading journal is either a blank, lined or dot grid journal that you use to log a variety of bookish things. For example, you could log:

– your reading goals for the year

– track the genre of books you read each month

– log your favourite anticipated releases

– collected stats on your star ratings

Basically, reading journals are a great way to motivate you into reading more, reflect back on your month & year of reading and patting yourself on the back as you move through the months by ticking different pages or reading challenges off.

Now, I’m all new to this and it’s something that I felt motivated to do as I wanted a creative ‘down-time’ hobby that I could also turn into a workshop next year.

I promise you, I’m no artist and I guarantee you don’t have to be either.

I’ve started with some very basic felt tip pens from Ekersley’s, a dot journal and alphabet stencil from Big W.

I think the main take away from reading journals is that you feel fulfilled by your own creative abilities and take the time to look back on small (or big) successes throughout the year.

I will be using my reading journal to also write personal journal entries. I’ll dedicate pages to write about experiences I’ve had throughout the year or if a book I’ve read reminds me of a memory or experience I’ve had. I think the double whammy of reading reflection and personal reflection will be a nice token for future Mel 💝

+ a beautiful friend of mine encouraged me to be dynamic with my reading journal and really make it my own!

Here are a few YouTube videos that helped kick off my reading journal journey (say that 3 times fast 😉)

Rachel Catherine is an Aussie BookTuber that a dear friend of mine introduced me too 💖
Destiny is a BookTuber that Rachel Catherine refers too often

Thursday Real Talk: A Gentle Week

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ 4 Comments

The last two weeks, I came across some challenges I was not expecting to face and then some other regular ones. Let’s just say the past fortnight has been hard on my brain, body and ability to get up and enjoy something in each day.

But that’s okay, we’re over the hill now because on the one day that I had 3 relatively unhappy things happen, 1 good thing happened and I just needed to focus on that. Because it was majorly good and I have the internal belief that everything happens for a reason.

So that lands us at this week. This week has been a gentle week.

This week I’ve only said ‘Yes’ to the things that bring me joy.

I’ve cooked a homemade meal every night for dinner. I’ve had meetings with local creatives for the Riverina Readers Festival. I filmed a piece for local tv about our Book Festival and a book event we have coming up. I took myself to get a much deserved massage. I’ve made appointments to help improve my future self. And this weekend, I’m spending time with friends in a happy and celebratory environment.

This may still come across as a lot, but this is considered a slow week for me at the moment 🙈 And for that, I’m very grateful 💫

Tell me – what’s an activity you like to do on a slow week?

Xx Mel

🎨 @holliestartup

Thursday Real Talk: Are Opportunities Really That Scary?

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ 2 Comments

I’ve always been one of those people who thought that opportunities were scary because opportunities change things. They can alter your path and most of the time, opportunities bring change that you may not have planned for. I was fearful of this for a very long time until I realised something quite significant.

Opportunities do not have to be BIG! They don’t have to be so large that your whole life upheaves for them.

Opportunities can be; choosing to take that spare 10 minutes to go grab a coffee for yourself instead of making one; rather than spending the evening alone, text a friend and see what they’re up too; or if you’re in a new environment with new people, it’s an opportunity to make a new friend.

Saying yes to these opportunities could help to build your self-care routines, connections with those you love and care for, and find new people to love and care for in your circle. By no means are these opportunities not life changing, they are but they just look a little different to what the typic ‘life changing opportunity may be’. And they are still quite significant!

What I’m coming to learn is that if you don’t say yes to these types of self-building opportunities, they cannot lead you onto finding the confidence and circle of encouragement to say yes to some bigger opportunities, such as; changing your job; showing someone your worth through action; or building something new from scratch.

All of these ‘big’ opportunities still require those initial, un-life heaving opportunities of; self care; consideration; connection; and self-worth.

So maybe we need to change our perspective of opportunities as we move into 2024 this weekend.

If we were to scale it back, the flow on effect of saying ‘yes’ to a daily opportunities, could in fact be more effective and enhance more stability and strength for when that big opportunity shows itself. And at that point, the big opportunity may not look so scary anymore x

Thursday Real Talk: It’s OK to Have a Wobble

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ Leave a comment

It’s ok to have a wobble 🍮

Sometimes, life doesn’t go to plan. People don’t always act in the kindest way you know that they can because they themselves are having a rough trot of things at the moment.

Sometimes, life gives you lemons.

I have these days, everyone does. They are days when you wish you could just jump back into your pjs by the time lunch rolls around and soak up some cozy time reading, back in bed, maybe with a cup of tea or slice of chocolate cake.

I mean, I don’t know what these days look like for you but what I do know is … sometimes if you don’t let your body, brain and heart have these wobble days, the wobble days can last longer than they need too.

So I guess I’m telling you that, if you need a mental health day once and a while, tell the people around you that that is what you need.

Try to explain to them what it is that’s going to help you and why you think you need a wobble day.

Then ask them to check in on you in a day or two.

If your wobble day has turned into longer than just a day or two, maybe you can try explaining a little bit more to that trusted person. They may be able to help you find a new perspective you couldn’t see from under your cozy bed sheets x

Thursday Real Talk: The Key is Delegation

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ Leave a comment

It can be hard in these busy, bustling lives of ours to not feel as if we have too much on our plates. For me personally, I choose to juggle (key word here is choose – we’re usually in control of how much we take on), full time work, recreational sport, book blogging and reviewing, interviewing authors, developing a book festival and making time for friends & family.

I’m not here to boast or brag – I don’t want your empathy as I’ve said, it’s a choice I make – but I’m explaining this to give context in how try to use delegation in my life.

At this stage of my life, I choose to delegate; developing the book festival and friend & family time.

I delegate festival time by having found the most wonderful people who share it’s passion. These people have formed our strong and involved committee, whom each have a plate the size of mine, if not larger. But the key is we choose to delegate areas in which each members skills are going to excel. For example, I love communicating with others. So my areas of excelling include email correspondence, finding local community members to support us, attending networking events and organising our meetings + some more on the creative side of things. Therefore, anything that tends to fall outside of this scope, we discuss who will best suit the task. This is because somebody else in the room will find a task related to their skillset a heck of a lot easier than I, and will have the capacity to have this said task knocked over in 2 hours, compared to my 6. That my friends, is delegation at work.

With my friend & family time, I also choose to delegate. I generally choose to dedicate my Sundays spending quality time with those I value and who bring value to my life in return. You will see online that I tend to do my baking of cakes, biscuits, roasts and entertaining meals on a Sunday. This is because I delegate my other ‘need-to-do’ tasks throughout the week, leaving my Sunday for visitors. I think this comes from growing up and always dedicating time as a family to a Sunday night dinner together. As Italians, it was always pasta on a Sunday – and funnily enough, I still do that now at times. I personally choose a Sunday because it is typically known as our day of rest, but mentally for me, it’s also a ‘fill-my-cup’ day before heading back into the Monday to Friday grind.

I instantly resonated with this post saying the simple 4 words of “Don’t carry it all”, because I’ve had times in my life where delegation wasn’t my strong suit. And don’t get me wrong, as someone who has strong perfectionist traits, this can be extremely hard to work on and I do slip up – it’s only natural and normal. But choosing to have a healthy system of delegation in your life is something I would encourage you to try. And lastly, find those people who are in your corner and WILL cheer you on and work around your choices – they are your people!

Slow down, you’re doing fine

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ 3 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I have the ability to let my brain run at a million miles an hour and sometimes, this isn’t healthy.

I tend to have the skill of thinking about every decision I could, would, should and should have made in a span of 10 minutes OR I elaborate on the ‘what if’s’. Now sure, don’t get me wrong, reflection is a very very insightful and helpful tool for appropriate situations but when it overtakes your ability to think clearly – not so helpful.

To slow down my brain and emotions, I’ve taken to using a new skill introduced to me recently.

Spend a moment letting those thoughts in. Acknowledge them. Mentally tell yourself “okay, you have 2 minutes to catastrophise, hypotheticalise, reimagine what has and will be” – and then, after that 2 minutes is up, push them out of your brain. You run them out fo town, bat them for 6 and all that!

By giving the thoughts time to do their thing and then sending them away, you’re in control. You have the ability to let them in when you want too, when you’re ready and if it’s the right time. If it’s not the right time – see you later overthinking, I don’t have time for you today 👋🏼

So sometimes it’s good to remember, slow down you’re doing fine.

If you have helpful meditation and brain slowing tips, techniques and skills under your belt – drop them in the comments below. Let’s help another book friend out today 😊💫

🖼 @theeverythingadvocate

Thursday Real Talk: A Burning Desire for Change

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ Leave a comment

Do you ever get to a stage where you feel that if something doesn’t change in your life, you won’t have the space to grow? I like to call this A Burning Desire for Change.

I think I’m at that stage and sometimes it’s hard to understand where it’s come from, where it’s going and what will happen next. It’s a flow. And a somewhat terrifying flow for people (like myself as my friends and family would confirm) who do not like change.

Change is defined as; to alter or modify; an act or process in which something becomes different. Thanks Google.

I think the word that stands out to me the most here, and it could be quite different for you reading this, is process. Change is a process. Change is not linear, nor can it be sudden in some instances or can it be forever. But something about change is that once the idea has sprouted in your mind, body and soul, it can be hard to quiet it down.

Desire is defined as; strongly wishing for or wanting something. … Wanting.

So if we put together – a wanting to alter the process of things, we have A Burning Desire for Change.

My wanting the alter the process of things has come in the form of going back to study. I am currently underway in studying to become a Librarian Assistant. I love bookstores and have a want to be in them long-term. However, there is a burning desire inside of me to experience books and what we can do in the form of books and community combined. And this comes in the form of a library. I guess from the outside looking in, there is starting to be a melding of Social Work values and books.

What an exciting and nerve racking time ahead! But again, change is not linear and nothing in life goes to plan. Sometimes, as humans we just need to take one day at a time. One breathe at a time. One change at a time.

Are you a lover of change? At what stage of life did your Burning Desire for Change come around?

Mel x

‘Go Your Own Speed’

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ 3 Comments

The past few weeks haven’t been the highest in my life, but I think one of the core thoughts that got me through was “go your own speed”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been hard. Physical health, mental health and emotional health are all factors in a persons life that are not fixable overnight – well, at least for me they never have been.

I am incredibly grateful to live in a world, an environment and surrounded by spectacular people who support me in going at my own speed and allowing me to lean on them.

So today my book friends, I encourage you to also go at your own speed, don’t rush because if we do, somethings we miss all the little achievements in between and along the way xx

What do you practice?

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ Leave a comment

Do you practice gratitude? 💬

I am a firm believer in bringing peace and comfort to my life. I have a lot to be grateful for, but I only came to realise this when I started writing down 3 things during my day, right before I go to bed, that I am grateful for. A counsellor at the time, and also an additional close friend suggest I try this exercise years ago. It is a technique I still practice to this day.

When I’m going through a hard time, I find practicing gratitude gives me insight as to what parts of my life make me happy and feel fulfilled. It also makes me realise what areas of my life are not bringing warmth, comfort, care, peace and positive energy. I highly recommend trying to bring aspects of practiced gratitude into your life – it will bring about a clearer picture mentally, emotionally and spiritually 💖 Happy Monday book lovers!