journal
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What I’m learning in my year of healing
Halfway through the year feels like a good time to reflect on what my word of the year has taught me so far. Every January I choose a word of the year. If this idea is new to you then you can…
Why we’re all so obsessed with interiors and rightly so
It felt so indulgent, wasteful and the emotional barriers I had to get over to finally create an event in my calendar were frankly ridiculous. Who did I think I was? What was I thinking getting…
A slow travel photo journal from Athens
I’d been waiting for this trip since I unwrapped an Athens guide book on Christmas morning. It’s been a while since I collected so many photos I love from one place I’ve visited…
How to manage emotional spending according to a recovering emotional spender
Hello, my name is Jessica and I’m an emotional spender. According to habits expert Gretchen Rubin there are two types of people; over-buyers and underbuyers. The over buyers amongst us…
The importance of nurturing our friendships
If I’m going to write about living a more meaningful life then I can’t not write about relationships, and not just the relationship we have with ourselves, which yes is an important one, but the…
In praise of instant gratification
Your future self will thank you is a phrase we’re all used to hearing and probably rolling our eyes at. It’s intentions are honest enough, to encourage us to forward plan and make sacrifices in the present so…
My year of enough and what it’s taught me
It’s been a year of extremes. One the surface it’s been the most successful year of my life - I not only wrote a book that’s going to be in book shops in two weeks, I also won the…
Why I decided to rent instead of buy
Here in the UK owning a home is one of those boxes we’re conditioned to want to tick and sadly, home ownership is often seen as a measure of our worth. Anything we identify our self-worth with ramps up the…
The four best decisions I ever made thanks to minimalism
My minimalist journey started over five years ago now and writing this book has whisked me right back to the beginning. I’m 28,000 words into writing and I’ve been spending a lot of time with my past self as…
Why we should keep our expectations low
I turned 33 last month. It could’ve been lockdown, it could’ve been the fact this was my first birthday with my estranged dad or it could’ve just been a moment of pure insanity but I found myself uttering the words…
A slow January
How was your Christmas and New Year? I hope you got all the rest and nourishment you needed. Mine was very different to the Christmases I’m used to as it with my first Christmas with my dad. I keep joking that..
What 2020 (the year of love) taught me
At the beginning of the year my horoscope assured me I’d never have another year like this one - it was right. Coronavirus aside there will never be another 2020 for me. I will never meet my brother or my…
We can’t do it all
There’s a reason the time we’re given is the most precious resource we have - it’s finite. Basic economics tells us the less there is of something the more valuable it is and time is no exception. We can…
How to buy quality, sustainable clothes that will last
Fashion’s dirty secret is out. I think we can all agree it’s becoming increasingly difficult for us to turn away from the poor practices that flood the clothing industry. The effort brands invest in hooking…
Post lockdown could be the ideal time to start saying no
I’m determined to find the positives when it comes to lockdown. One thing I’m feeling particularly grateful for is a fresh appreciation for my relationships. Forced deprivation has shown me just how…
It’s ok to slow down, we’re allowed
This time last week I had something of a burnout meltdown. My vlog was just about edited and ready to upload, I knew what I wanted to write about in my weekly letter to you but hadn’t even started…
Downsizing and moving to the countryside two years on. What it’s really like and some tips if you’re thinking of upping sticks too
The wrench in my gut was too deep to ignore. I was officially worried I’d gotten in way over my head and we were about to make another huge mistake. We’d tried country cottage living once before. It didn’t …
What happened to rest?
Back in primary school I had a friend called Vanessa. She lived around the corner from my nan and grandad’s house and she was my favourite friend to play with. Her imagination rivalled mine and we’d…
What can we gain from splitting the domestic to do list?
How much time do you spend feeling guilty for not doing everything you think you should be doing? I spend more than I’d like, specifically at home. Working and living together means we’re home 90% of…
Giving up alcohol: it’s not why you think
The 4 December 2015 was an ordinary night out with my best friends Liam and Michael, except for one detail. It was the last time I drank alcohol. I did not see this change coming. Up until this point…