Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
mental health 2021 goals
Mental health 2021 goals

Hey Stranger,

Long time, no see. It’s been a while since I sat in front of my laptop and just typed. I feel a little rusty if I’m honest so bare with me. To say this year has been a roller coaster would be an understatement. Amid all the painful moments there were a handful worth celebrating. I think we can all agree it's for the best to put last year behind us.

I struggled a lot with my mental health last year and ended up cutting back on a lot of the things I loved doing. I took a long break from social media and blogging when things got too much and then felt a little out of my depth when I wanted to come back. One thing I missed the most was being creative and producing content. One of my goals for 2021 is to be consistent with my content. 

A lot has happened since I last wrote a blog post. One of those things is I’m now working as a journalist. Me! This is something I have been dreaming about since I was in year 11. It’s a completely new field for me and I’m really enjoying it. Writing about more formal topics at work has made me miss what I was writing about when I was blogging. This space has been a place for me to write about beauty, fashion, books and my favourite places in London. A lot of the things that “fed my soul”, if you will, ended up closing during the lockdowns and in the new tiered system. I wasn't very good at finding alternatives, that I could to, to all those things.

The pandemic threw more than I realised and one thing I'm focusing on this year is my mental health. Last year taught me how important a good mental health is in being able to function. After all, we’re only human and we can only take so on much.

Here’s a couple of things I’ll be doing to look after my mental health this year:
  • Be kinder to myself. Funnily enough, I wrote a blog post on this and never followed any of it. I can count on one hand how many times I have been kind to myself this year. It’s quite shocking really. As the pandemic continues, I’m going to have to rethink what things I can do to bring me happiness since what I used to do has been put on pause. Taking it easier and not putting so much pressure on myself are my two priorities. 
  • Have more ME time. For the whole year, I have felt that my time belonged to someone else. I think that’s been a big cause of my anxiety. This year, I’m focusing on taking ‘protected’ time out for just me. I started doing it last Autumn and it really helped. Essentially, Sunday will belong to me. For that day, I will do whatever I want to do whether it’s catching up on my latest read, creating content or going for a nice stroll. The most important thing is feeling as though that time belongs to me and no one else.
  • Be creative. I thrive on creativity. It’s one of the reasons why I wanted to make writing my career. I used to bake, cook, write, read, and film. I loved it all! I mentioned earlier that I stopped  doing those things when everything got a little too much. Really, I should have kept those things going. 

Love, Aoife xo



Happy new year!! I started writing this post sharing all the lessons I had learnt in 2018 and turning them into new year's resolutions. I had it all typed out and everything. But then I thought to myself, why am I doing this? I don't know what I’ll be like in March or what my headspace will be like in August.

The truth is, I find New Year resolutions a bit of a waste of time. They just don't work for me. I find it easier to keep personal short-term goals rather than build long-term goals. I like setting myself monthly goals as a way to keep a perspective on things. So here is my first set of monthly goals for 2019!

ONE // Go to the gym at least once a week.

I joined the gym back in November and I found it mentally liberating. For however long I was in the gym for; I came out relaxed, energised and focused. I was in the same mindset that I would have after taking a holiday. This month, I’m going to try and go to the gym twice a week. If I can't then I’ll happily settle for one visit. 

TWO // Let it go. 

There is so much out there to be stressed and worried about than the shitty comment your friend made or petty house drama. I’m in my second year at university and it’s an important year, so this month I’m going to focus on what’s important to me and let the other stuff go. Find my inner Zen and channel that for a while. I might even start meditating.

THREE // Find my end goal again.

Somewhere between September and December, I lost sight of my end goal. The place I wanted to end up. This was something I spoke confidently about only a few months before. Around that time, I started to doubt myself and let others scepticism sink in. This month, I want to work on aligning my end goal and start working on getting there again. At the end of the day, the only person stopping you from reaching that goal is yourself. So get out of the way!


FOUR // Go Dairy free! 

Well, as close as I can get to dairy free. I have been dancing around this idea for the last year and a half. Back in 2016, I decided to swap normal cow’s milk to almond milk. I also swapped normal ice cream for a dairy-free alternative which is incredibly hard when you see the new McFlurry flavours. I decided to reduce my dairy intake in the hope it would improve my skin and reduce the number of spots I get. I still get spots but the swap has definitely helped. I now feel more alert and less sluggish. I think my biggest challenge is going to be overcoming the urge to eat chocolate and having to eat a vegan cheese substitute, which stinks! 

FIVE // Post more. 

When I post more, I feel more productive and I love that feeling. I love working on projects and the motivation it gives you to succeed. I have a ton of draft posts that are waiting to be published and for some reason, I can’t seem to press ‘Publish’. This month, I want to focus on posting more; on my blog and on social media. Ultimately, I want to be less afraid of people's judgement and to stop comparing myself to others.

Have you got any January goals or New Year's resolutions?

Love, Aoife x

P.S- Thank you Saskia for the images xx



Welcome to my first Blogmas post!!! I’ve never done blogmas before so we’ll see where I get to… This is probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done!

For those of you who don’t know -although most will- blogmas is a series of Christmassy related posts posted on the lead up to Christmas. Don’t worry I’m not going to go Christmas mad or anything! Day 5 is probably my non-Christmassy post but it keeps the essence of the magical season. Anyway, I’ll be posting Christmas wish lists, some fashion and beauty related posts and other special posts- So keep your eyes peeled! 

Christmas for me is a time of love, family, friends and good times. I hate the cold but I love the cosy nights in cuddled up on the sofa watching a tacky Christmas film- which are always the best! 

With that introduction done, let’s get on to my December goals!


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Last month I posted my November Goals and I’m proud to say I checked most of the goals off. I’m still not as organised as I want to be but we’re halfway there! I know you are all after whether I went and did something out of my comfort zone. I think in every day there’s something we do outside of our comfort zone, so in a way that one could be ticked off easily. I didn’t get as far the club but I almost made it to the pub. Haha! One of the girls forgot their ID so we had to turn back and we ended up chilling in the kitchen instead.

With that said, I’ve got some new goals to set for myself for this month:

Sort everyone’s Christmas present out early and not leave it last minute. Running around London and shopping is not fun when you feel under pressure.

Keep up with Blogmas! This one’s not a joke. I’m going to need focus and determination to keep this thing going. It’s a massive challenge for me but it’s important to challenge yourself otherwise you’d never get anywhere.

Make the most of my holidays. I don’t think I’ve ever been one to sit around and do nothing all holiday. I like to keep busy, keep moving. When I go back home -London I’ve missed you!- I want to make the most of my time there. There are already places I’d like to visit and things I’d like to do.


Put more effort into relationships. I feel like I often take advantage of the fact that I already know people and that I have lots of friends so I don’t put in as much effort as I perhaps should. Like I said earlier, Christmas is a time for friends and family and I’m going to set myself the goal of putting in more effort to make them feel more special and letting them know I care about them.

Get ready for the new year. We’ve reached the last month of 2017 and whilst I wish I could say this year has gone quick- it hasn’t. June seems like ages away and February is history. By the end of this month, I want to be ready for the rollercoaster of 2018 because it’s going to be great!



So those are a few of my December goals, have you got any to add?

Love, Aoife x

Photo Credit: Nazani


Self-improvement is something I've always been interested in. How can I make myself a better person? I've been at uni for just over a month and I'll keep banging on about it but literally, WTH! Life is well underway now and sometimes it moves too fast for me to catch up. We've been in November for a little while now, (I know I'm a bit late with this post,) and I've set myself up with a few goals for the new month. A few goals to make me better at who I am and what I do. With that said...

Get Organised. I feel like this will become an every monthly goal. I’ve got assessment dates coming up and homework, which I keep forgetting I have. Working out dates and sorting deadlines is definitely something I need to get on top of this month. And also, getting into a routine so I have a set work time and a set 'play' time.

Pamper myself more. I feel best clean, shaved (my legs!) and moisturized. I keep forgetting how important it is to look after and cherish your body, both physically and mentally. It’s definitely something I need to work on. And if my body is a temple, then it needs to be worshipped and treated right.


Sort out a blogging routine. I can't blog on demand, it's something that will come to me any time of the day even when I'm trying to sleep but I need to sort out times when I can blog and when to do uni work. I need to get on top of everything and post reguarly. Plus, I feel better when there's content going out.

Budget! I’m a uni student and budgeting is definitely something I have to do. Whilst I’m living within my means, I do need to sort finances out and start saving. Work out money for groceries and for shopping.

Lastly, I want to do something out of my comfort zone. I’ve been spending my nights in my room and it’s about time I went out one night. Whether I go to a club one night, or go the cinema by myself, or venture to the theatre. I want to do something different and be out there one night.


So those are some goals I’ve set myself for the upcoming month of November. I posted some of my monthly goals earlier in the year and they were so beneficial. I definitely kept most of my goals throughout the month. Self-improvement is always a good thing. And like I mentioned earlier, setting goals is one way of identifying something you want to work towards and putting that into action.



Love, Aoife x