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Posted in Bipolar disorder, depression, health, intentional living, lifestyle, mental illness, wellbeing, wellness

Currently… Life update February 2026

Posted on by Laura

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. Those of you who regularly read my blog posts may have noticed that I’ve been AWOL for a long time and haven’t written anything since April 2025. The truth is that for over six months, I really struggled with my mental health, coping with (or not) a lengthy spell of depression and chronic anxiety. And, unfortunately, one of my symptoms of really low mood is that I’m barely able to string a sentence together let alone write a blog post.

When I first started struggling, I was convinced it was due to something that had made me upset at work, but as time went on, I wondered why the event was still upsetting me. I’d been stable with my bipolar disorder for a fair few years, using both my medication and therapeutic strategies that I’d learnt in various therapy sessions to keep me well. However, the anxiety and depression continued and I became worried that I would never get better again (another symptom).

After around 4 months of difficulties, I saw a mental health practitioner at my GP surgery and she suggested that it might be worth tweaking my medication by increasing my anti-depressant. She also suggested that I might get blood tests done to check my hormone levels in case I was perimenopausal and the community pharmacist she had contacted about me agreed. At 48 years old, I was convinced that I could have started the menopause but I was so wrong! My levels were incredibly low which, according to my online reading, suggested I was well into the menopause – this came as a huge shock. After what felt like a long and agonising wait, I was started on HRT (in the form of patches), which I was advised could take up to three months to work. I kept taking the higher dose of my antidepressant but knew that it would cause extreme agitation at first and would take weeks to kick in. I was given a short course of Diazepam for this but it persisted for weeks and I wasn’t allowed any more. I was then prescribed a beta blocker to deal with the physical anxiety symptoms but it was still a real struggle as the medication doesn’t help the psychological side of things at all.

Whilst waiting for the antidepressant and HRT to kick in, I did lots of reading around bipolar disorder and menopause and discovered that fluctuating or low hormone levels can affect the efficacy of bipolar medication such as mood stabilisers and antidepressants (which I’m on both of), reducing the positive effects. I was upset that not one of the medical professionals I saw while unwell knew this and the various doctors I’d seen before the mental health practitioner had any idea about this.

Christmas was hard as my mood was so low, but, just after new year, I noticed the depression and anxiety had gone and I finally had my old self back. As with all previous episodes, it was like a switch had been flipped and I felt so much better. Unfortunately, I had a few issues with my physical health as I slipped down the bottom half of the stairs at home in my socks and then slipped again on a very icy pavement, injuring my coccyx (which is still not totally better). However, despite being in a huge amount of pain when sitting, it didn’t get me down and I accepted it would take a while for me to get better.

My writing mojo is totally back, as you can see from the above and this is the first of hopefully many posts and updates in 2026. I thought I’d ease myself back into blogging with a life update, including what I’m up to right now. I’m like a completely different person and so many friends have commented on how well I look. It’s such a relief for me and my family and, hopefully, I’ll be stable for a long while to come and as such, making the most of my life going forward. Here’s what I’m current finding joy doing:

Currently reading…

This month, I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone and reading some books that are not the crime or psychological dramas I usually prefer. I’ve read and listened to on Audible, a historical fiction classic novel called I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and despite it being completely different to what I usually read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, it was a book club read for a new online challenge created by Kelseyleigh at My Abiding Journal over on YouTube and it was nice to listen to her thoughts about it too. When I’d finished this book, I again opted for a different style, this time a Romcom called The Switch by Beth O’Leary. This light-hearted read isn’t as fast paced as my usual choices, but again, I’m enjoying the story, reading a few chapters in bed each night.

Currently watching…

There are so many fantastic dramas on at the moment and we’ve had to record some of them to watch over the next few months. We’ve just finished the BBC’s Wild Cherry and ITV’s Betrayal which were both fantastic and gripping. Right now, we’re loving the 29th series of Silent Witness and have also just begun watching The Lady which is based on the true story of Jane Andrews who was royal dresser for Sarah Ferguson in the late 80s to late 90s. We’ve only watched one episode so far but it looks promising.

Currently preparing for…

…spring arriving next month. There are lots of shoots popping up in the garden and we have a few miniature narcissus already out. There’s lots of tidying up to do out the back and as well as writing a list of gardening jobs, I intend to write a room by room list of spring cleaning jobs.

I’m also looking forward to changing up our home decor for the new season. I have lots of items I’ve purchased over the years (many decorative bunnies) but I’ve also purchased some mini honeycomb eggs and some tiny ceramic bunnies for my twig tree. In addition, I’ve ordered a lovely handmade felt banner from Etsy featuring daffodils and felt balls in shades of yellow and orange which I can’t wait to display in my craft room.

Currently working on…

…my new memory keeping and creative journal which I started last month. In it, I’m recording the highlights from each month as well as a bingo challenge from My Abiding Journal that I’ve signed up for which encourages you to create new seasonal memories following a fun game format. So far, I’ve completed my January pages and have printed lots of photos and collected ephemera for my February entries. I like to combine small amounts of journalling with the images and I’m also trying to draw a small piece of art each month to represent something I want to remember. Last month, I drew and coloured in some snowdrops and this month, I plan to sketch a sanderling which is a small wading bird that we’ve enjoyed watching feeding in the shallows of the sea as the tide comes in.

Currently enjoying…

…doing much more work at my local university. Whilst I was unwell, I struggled to get out of bed as I was always tired. This meant I only made myself available for sessions on an afternoon. Now I’m well, I’m available mornings and afternoons and have had much more work. It’s lovely to be back on top form and I feel such a sense of accomplishment after each working day.

Currently trying out…

…a number of new recipes from a vegan cookbook that I bought my husband as a gift. It’s wonderful to be spending time together preparing home cooked meals again and we’ve even learned how to make our own stir fry sauces which are so tasty and flavoursome. We’re looking forward to trying out many more over the coming months.

Final words…

I’m currently doing so much that I would be able to carry on writing this for hours yet but I don’t want it to end up being a TLDR affair! So, for now, that’s the end of my update and I invite you to comment and let me know what’s going on for you at the moment. I’d also love to know what everyone has planned for the spring months and I hope you’ll join me in a little seasonal cleaning in the March to May period. I’m planning on writing a blog post about how I’m going to prepare my spring cleaning lists so that I can be sure that all of those once or twice yearly tasks get ticked off.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful springtime,

Posted in creativity, goal setting, intentional living, lifestyle, planner girl, planner lifestyle, Planning and journaling, Setting goals and intentions

Falling for a New Season: My Autumn 2025 Bucket List

Posted on by Laura

As August is fast coming to a close, my thoughts have turned to the approaching Autumn and what I’d like to achieve and have fun doing over the next three months. My mind is brimming with ideas, and, as has become my routine for the last couple of years, just prior to the beginning of a new season, I work on writing a bucket list, planning things to ensure I live intentionally and in line with my core values.

In today’s post, I’m excited to share my bullet journal pages in which I’ve created a bright and colourful double page spread for my Autumn 2025 bucket list which serves as a reminder of my plans and provides inspiration to keep me on track. I’m also going to explain a little bit about the process I go through to come up with the best, personalised ideas which reflect what I want in my life currently. Finally, I thought it might be helpful to provide some detail about each of the items on my list and why I chose them.

How I prepared myself for creating my autumn bucket list

  1. Reflection and reconnect – I took plenty of time to look at previous bucket lists and plans. I asked myself lots of reflective and orientating questions such as – what did I enjoy in the summer time? are there any activities that I would like to continue doing? what did I focus on in previous autumns – do I want to revisit any activities, or, are there things on my lists that I didn’t get around to but would still love to try? I also checked in with my vision board for the year, again asking more probing questions including what are my priorities and intentions for 2025? what kind of seasonal activities fit in with these? which classic activities and pastimes do I associate with autumn? what do I most love about the autumn season? what memories do I hope to create? what do I need emotionally right now? (e.g. comfort and cosiness, connection with others, rest and recuperation, creativity and expression, a fresh perspective, a new sense of purpose, self compassion etc) which activities are likely to instill these?
  2. Gather inspiration – I asked friends and family members to share their favourite autumn traditions and talk about what they look forward to the most about the season. I also went online seeking ideas – Googling ‘autumn bucket list ideas’ checking out Pinterest for all things autumnal and searching tags on Instagram including #autumnaesthetic, #autumnvibes, Finally, I took time to explore what’s on in my local area over the coming months and if there were any events I’d like to attend.
  3. Jot down anything that resonates with me – as I did the above, I jotted down anything that came to mind or resonated with me, include activities to try out, things to start doing this autumn, moods or vibes I want to create and how I wish to feel.

My Autumn 2025 Bucket List illustrated in my BuJo

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

I chose a neutral colour background from the 12×12 paper pack I purchased Dovecraft to ensure all of the items on my bucket list and the decorative stickers I made stoodout and created the most impact. I also selected a colour palette of deep red plus shades of orange, yellow and brown to give the pages an autumnal feel.

My chosen bucket list items explained

  1. Choose a new seasonal decor item to display in our home – I love changing up our home decor each season and I’ve got quite a collection of autumnal items to display. I do think it’s nice to pick out one or two new items to add each year and I’ve already been looking online for inspiration. Although it’s not quite autumn yet, I’ve already spotted a pumpkin garland on the Lisa Angel website that would make a lovely addition (okay, I might have cheated and ordered it already but it won’t go up until September 1st!).
  2. Buy a vegan scented candle kit and make own jar candles – I love scented candles and I’ve been wanting to have a go at making my own for a while now. I’ve found various suitable beginner kits and I think candle making is a really nice, cosy activity to do with my husband one weekend. Crafting together is always fun and a wonderful way to strengthen our emotional bond. I’ll be opting for a scent that I associate with winter time so that we can use our handmade items later in the year.
  3. Create an autumnal hanging basket using pansies or violas – We’ve been making our own summer hanging basket arrangement for the past couple of years and I love the charm that it brings to the front of our house. I thought it would be nice to have a go at making an autumn one this year in rich seasonal colours, and my mum said that pansies or violas would be good choices.
  4. Make a list of TV series to watch this autumn – There are always lots of great dramas on the TV as the nights draw in and to ensure we don’t miss any must sees, I like to make a list in my bullet journal. My husband and I both enjoy crime and psychological dramas and watching an hour of TV together is a nice way to relax after a busy day.
  5. Make the vegan rocky road fridge cake from The Veganuary Cookbook – In January, I made a vision board for the year and something I wanted to do in 2025 was eat more plant based. We’ve made lots of recipes from the cookbook so far, but until recently, we’ve mainly done main courses. After flicking through the dessert and bakery chapters in our cookbook I found the perfect quick and easy to make recipe that I can’t wait to try.
  6. Have a go at making the leaf mandala from Painting Calm (using own paint colours) – I found a lovely book in a National Trust shop last year which focuses on connecting to nature through the art of watercolour and my husband bought it for me for Christmas. There are so many different exercises and projects to try and, as I’m keen to spend more time developing my watercolouring skills, I’ve added an autumnal idea to my bucket list.
  7. Try a new recipe with pumpkin in it – For almost a year now, my husband and I have enjoyed the taste and health benefits of lots of home cooking. As part of this, we try as much as possible to eat seasonally. During the autumn, the supermarkets are full of nutrient rich pumpkins and other squashes and we love trying different varieties and experimenting with different recipes.
  8. Enjoy an autumnal treat at Costa or Starbucks – Going to a cafe for coffee and cake is a regular pastime of ours but we tend to opt for the same drinks and sweet treats each time. It’s always good to try something different and both of these chains bring out seasonal flavoured drinks and limited edition bakery items so there’s bound to be something new to try.
  9. Complete an autumn themed jigsaw – There are so many benefits of doing jigsaw puzzles and I find them great for helping me to maintain good mental health. I’ve already browsed a range of autumn themed jigsaws online and I’ve picked one out to treat myself to next month so I made a sticker from the Amazon image and added it to my bullet journal spread.
  10. Visit Castle Lake for seasonal bird spotting – My husband and I love spending time in nature and one of our favourite outdoor activities is bird spotting. Last week, I was looking online to see if I could find any nature reserves that we haven’t yet visited, and I came across a place called Castle Lake. Their conservation group website describes the place as ‘a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers’ and promises an enjoyable circular walk so I added it to my list straightaway!

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing my bucket list for this autumn and reading about why I picked each of the items on it. During the season, I will look at my bullet journal double page spread regularly when planning out my weeks and days. For any items that fall into the project category (such as candle making), I’ll sit down and do some goals planning, such as turning them into SMART goals and outline key action steps. I also like to tick off items as I go along (yes I made myself some little tick stickers on my Cricut!), whilst at the same time remembering that my list isn’t something to work through and ensure I get finished by the end of November, but simply a collection of intentional living ideas to help me and my husband make the most of the coming autumn months.

Wishing you an amazing autumn season,

Posted in mental health, relationships, wellbeing, wellness

Monday Matters: 5 Great Ways To Expand Your Social Circle

Posted on by Laura

Social connection is a key part of good mental health and wellbeing, but, making new friends and acquaintances can often feel much more difficult as we get older. So, today, I’m sharing 5 ways in which you can widen your social circle so as to easily enjoy a diverse range of relationships and hopefully find some good friends along the way.

Volunteer

Volunteering for a cause that you are passionate about can be a great way to meet people with similar interests and core values. I used to volunteer for the RSPB and, although I worked alone in my particular role, our team used to meet up for regular social events where birds and wildlife were one of our many topics of conversation.

There are tonnes of different ways to volunteer but here are some ideas to get you started:

  • work for a local food bank
  • help out at a local animal shelter
  • become a gardener at a nearby National Trust place
  • if you live by the coast, get involved in a beach clean up
  • support your local hospital trust
  • become a youth mentor
  • assist at a local charity shop
  • join The British Red Cross

Get a pet dog

Now, I haven’t tried this one myself as my husband is allergic to dogs, but I do know that taking your pet for a walk in your local park or just around the block is a guaranteed way of meeting others and potentially building friendships. Whilst your mutt says hello to other dogs he or she meets along the way, you’ll likely find yourself chit chatting with their owner, firstly about your dogs, but then, often widening the conversation to a topic of your choosing. And, in all likelihood, you’ll bump into each other again another time, and if you enjoyed chatting before, you’ll probably find yourself talking to one another again.

Become part of an online community

One of my favourite ways to connect with like-minded individuals is on a virtual basis through joining groups on Facebook. Wherever your interests lie, there’s likely to be a related group that you can try out. I’m a member of all kinds of groups including Ethical Hamster Care, Angry Birds 2 Gamers, Dolphin Spotting NE From your Facebook homepage, just click the fifth icon in the middle section of the upper bar and either peruse available groups using the discover button or search for topics of interest using key words.

Attend a class or workshop

Signing up for a class or workshop is a great way to meet new people with similar interests. I’ve done a number of different short courses over the years including two ceramics classes (beginners and intermediate), photography for beginners, Tai Chi, The Wheel of Wellness, Mindfulness and aromatherapy. I met people of all different ages and backgrounds and I’ve stayed in touch with some of them since finishing.

Join the gym

I’ve been a member of my local gym for a few years now and I’ve met so many people who share my interest in keeping fit and maintaining good wellbeing. I’ve found that in the gym itself, people don’t tend to make conversation but in the classes that I go to, there’s plenty of chatter before the activity starts and as we pack away our equipment. There’s also a cafe where I go and at least a handful of participants grab a coffee together afterwards.

Final words…

I hope you’ve found today’s post beneficial and it has given you some ideas about how you can grow your social circle. I would love to hear in the comments of any stories you would be happy to share about different ways in which you’ve made new friends and acquaintances as an adult.

Posted in art, Bullet journaling, coloured pencil, creativity, goal setting, intentional living, lifestyle, line drawing, planner girl, planner lifestyle, Planning and journaling, productivity, Setting goals and intentions, Uncategorized

Setting up my Bullet Journal for July 2025: Summer flowers theme

Posted on by Laura

Happy July everyone! This month, I’ve opted for a floral theme for my bullet journal, taking inspiration from nature, particularly wildflowers and those found in our garden. I initially found some simple flower bouquet stickers in my collection and planned to have a go at recreating them but, I decided that doing some drawing for my front cover was going to take enough time so I used the stickers themselves in my following pages. I know I said when I moved into this notebook that I was going to try to avoid too many stickers in my BuJo but the vinyl is very thin so I relented!

The front cover

For the cover page, I sketched out a number of flowers and leaves focusing on different shapes and sizes of bloom as well as different colours for both the flowers and the foliage. I took some inspiration from my own garden as we currently have some lovely bright orange poppies next to our pond, lavender in one of our pots and some pink flowers with white tips in our hanging basket.

After sketching, I used a size 0.2 Pigma Micron to outline before using coloured pencils and a blending pencil to add some nice, bright colours. I kept the stems black so the focus was on the blooms themselves.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

The monthly calendar

This is my usual calendar layout with stickers added as decor. I wanted to do something in the white spaces between and decided to add a few loose petals. I opted to do the title in a different font from my usual choices and I selected a nice bright purple which I felt complemented the flowers.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

July finances

I like to choose quite a pale colour for the lines in my finances log and I picked out this minty green to go with the mid pink colour of the title. I also used one of my stickers leftover from the calendar and added a few petals to look like they’d fallen from the bouquet.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Monthly goals

A goals page has become a regular feature in my monthly bullet journal pages. I look at my vision board for the year and also my bucket list to help me choose a small number of goals to work towards. When I first started adding goals, I would come up with around eight in total, but I soon discovered that this was too much and for the last few months, I chosen five which I feel is a lot more attainable, even if I’m busy with work and fitness classes.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

I’ve actually created some more little stickers to add to my goals pages but unfortunately Cricut Design Space is currently down for maintenance and I wanted to get today’s post up at soon as I possibly can so I’ll have to print and cut them later and add them tomorrow.

Weekly spread

This has become my favourite layout for weekly spreads as it allows plenty of room for events and to dos. Sometimes, I’ll add decor at the bottom of the boxes and sometimes it’ll just be a long list of things I want to get done that day so I’ll skip the decor. Often, I’ll add more information or to do lists to the boxes as the days go by. Also, on a weekend, we might make last minute plans so I’ll write in what we got up to in retrospect. This helps me remember any days out so I can include photographs and text to my highlights journal when the month is over.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Final words…

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog to look at my bullet journal set up for July. I’m super excited to use my pages this month as I love how bright and colourful they are. As well as drawing flowers, I’ve also treated myself to a flower press and I’ve been busy pressing blooms from our garden. I’ve had mixed success with it so far, with some of the flowers falling apart when I’ve removed them from the greaseproof paper, but I’ve also had some which look fantastic. I’m hoping to get my watercolours out to have a go at painting the results but this was one of my goals for June and, so far, I haven’t dedicated any time to it. I have my second lot of flowers pressing and they’ll be ready by mid month so hopefully, I’ll give it a go at some point in July or, if not, August.

Wishing you a relaxing month where you find time to do some of the things you enjoy too.

Posted in intentional living, journalling, lifestyle, mindset, Planning and journaling, reflective journalling, self care, Setting goals and intentions

Why I’m ditching The Five Minute Journal and what I’m trying now

Posted on by Laura
Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

For the past couple of years now, I’ve been using The Five Minute Journal consistently as a way of recording what I’m grateful for, thinking about how to make my day as good as possible, selecting a positive affirmation and making a note of the main highlights each evening. There are so many positives about this journalling system, which, as the name suggests, can be filled in very quickly using the prompts given. So, you might wonder why I’ve made the decision to stop using it? Today, I’m going to be sharing my main reasons and also talking about what I’ve started using instead.

Why I’m no longer using The Five Minute Journal

As you can see in the photo above, I’ve worked my way through four of The Five Minute Journals lasting six months each. I’ve mainly enjoyed using this guided journal with daily prompts, but a few months ago, I started to think about trying something else. This was mainly because I felt like my practise was getting a bit stale and repetitive and wanted something that I would really look forward to filling in twice a day. Here’s some of the things which have made me fall out of love with it:

The Gratitude section – I found this first bit really difficult to fill in when half asleep in the early morning. I would have preferred to list what I was thankful for in the evening so I could draw from things which had happened during my day.

The ‘What would make today great?’ section – I liked coming up with things that would make a difference to my day but I also felt like I wanted to explain why and the journal did not allow enough space for this. I think I would have preferred it if the section was a little more flexible so that you could maybe write one thing and provide an explanation or 2 or 3 things without going into detail.

The Daily Affirmation section – I liked choosing an affirmation for the day but I did sometimes struggle with coming up with one and had to resort to looking on the Internet for ideas which kind of made the process take a lot longer than five minutes.

Highlights Of The Day section – I continued to enjoy writing my highlights and often found myself writing a fourth one. I would have liked a bit more room to write in more detail for this part but, this would have taken longer than five minutes to complete if it was longer.

What did I learn today? section – For this part, the idea was to write something that the day had taught you about yourself or your situation, so, for example you could write ‘scrolling the news on my phone makes me feel sad’ or ‘sometimes when I feel hungry, I’m actually thirsty and should try drinking water before turning to a snack’. Often, I found this difficult and would end up writing something general that I’d learnt that day such as a new piece of knowledge or some advice that I’d come across. However, I felt that these ‘learnings’ were not really what the section was getting at. I felt like this became a drag and something I dreaded trying to fill in which isn’t how I wanted to feel as filling in the journal is meant to be a positive experience.

Weekly Challenges – these were something I looked forward to, but, I didn’t always have time on the particular day it was presented on and I often ended up forgetting about it when really, it would have been better to do it on an alternative date. Also, I think I would have preferred it if there was a menu of options at the back of the book and you could choose one which suited you at that time.

Despite me not wanting to purchase another ‘The Five Minute Journal’, what I didn’t want to do was abandon journalling altogether. And, luckily, I found an alternative journal in a garden centre whilst I was visiting family. My new journal is beautiful to look at, great to write in (much better quality paper) and allows more flexibility with what you can write about. I create a morning and evening entry and I would say it takes me no longer than ten minutes in the morning and no longer than fifteen in the evening. It’s helped me to fall in love with journalling again and I’m really enjoying filling it in. It also has an extra little prompt each day which changes regularly and, every now and then, it has something different on the next page which you can choose to fill in at some point during your day.

My New Journal

Below, is the journal that I’ve just started using partway through this month. I picked it up at Easter time and was really looking forward to getting going with it. I’ve also photographed some pages to give you an idea about the morning and evening prompts and also some of the extra challenges that are dotted throughout the book. You’ll also see that it has some gorgeous illustrations too which definitely adds to the appeal!

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative
Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative
Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative
Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Final words…

Any regular practice in life can sometimes get a little boring and become hard to maintain interest in, so it can really help to shake things up every now and then. I’m interested to know if other journallers have ditched a particular form of journalling and tried something new. Sometimes change can be scary but often, it can also be invigorating too. I would love to hear what you think of my new journal and if it appeals to you too so let me know in the comments.