wellbeing – Page 2 – Keeping it creative

compassion, mental health, physical health, wellbeing, wellness

Monday Matters: The benefits of engaging in small acts of kindness, plus some RAK ideas for you to try this week

Posted on Sep 23, 2024Sep 20, 2024 by Laura

Most of us are familiar with the abbreviation RAK i.e. Random Acts of Kindness and are likely to have given or received one or more of these over the course of the year. Kindness from another, whether they’re a complete stranger, an acquaintance or someone much closer has the potential to brighten our day, make us feel good inside, change our mindset, and even restore our faith in humanity. But, as well as this, research shows that helping others is wonderful for our mental health and wellbeing, so it has huge benefits for the giver too. Today, I thought I’d discuss some of the benefits of doing things for others and also list a few easy and low cost RAK ideas that you might like to give a try.

Releases positive ‘feel good’ chemicals

Acts of kindness towards others has been scientifically studied and the research shows that not only do they have the potential to make the recipient feel warm and fuzzy inside, they also release dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin (feel good hormones) in the giver, creating feelings of euphoria which have been described as a ‘helpers high’.

Reduces stress levels

On the subject of feel good chemicals, the release of oxytocin (sometimes referred to as the love hormone) has also been shown to counteract the production of stress hormones like cortisol. As well as creating calm, lower stress levels can also help with physical ailments that are often precipitated or aggravated by stress such as headaches, back pain, neckache, stomach complaints, poor immunity, low energy levels and fatigue, sleeplessness or insomnia.

Increases positive emotions and mood

On a similar theme, small acts of kindness towards others can brighten our mood and make us feel much more positive in general. When we regularly engage in good deeds, it increases positive emotions in us such as contentment, happiness and joy. It can also boost our self-esteem and generally make us feel more optimistic.

Reduces negative emotions

In addition, with being filled with positivity will naturally reduce negative emotions and feelings such as anger, sadness, anxiety, depression, discontent and loneliness. Obviously, it’s normal to feel some of the above at times, but kindness towards others can help to put you in a positive frame of mind and stop negativity from taking over.

Creates a chain reaction

When the recipient of your RAK experiences the feelings of happiness it creates, it’s likely to inspire them to do something kind for someone else and this kindness can then be paid forward, creating a chain reaction. Here’s a video you might like to watch which shows a kindness being paid forward – yes, it’s not necessarily a true to real life situation, but I think it provides a heartwarming illustration.

Creates a real sense of belonging and reduces feelings of isolation

Finally, being kind towards our partner, children, other family members, work colleagues, neighbours and even strangers helps us to feel a deep social connection and trust in others. This can lead to better relationships and the belief that we are a key part of the workplace and local community. It can also reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness in ourselves and the individuals who receive our kind acts.

Some RAK to try today

Some of the RAKs involve a small financial outlay, but there are also many free ideas too. I’ve tried to include a wide mix of suggestions, so hopefully there’s something there for all of my readers.

feed the birds in your garden or local park (please avoid giving bread to ducks though as it isn’t healthy for them)
buy a treat for your pet and watch them enjoy it
hold the door open for someone
help a person who is carrying a heavy load
buy a bunch of flowers for someone who’s having a hard time
thank your server for being attentive when out for a meal
go for a nature walk and say ‘good morning’ or offer a friendly ‘hello’ and a smile to everyone you meet
donate some unused items to charity
compliment someone on their choice of outfit or accessories for the day
leave a surprise somewhere for a friend, family member or complete stranger to find e.g. put a post it note in your child’s school lunchbox saying ‘I love you’ or ‘I hope you’re having a nice day’, paint a pebble with a bright rainbow and leave it at the base of a tree in the woods, hide your partner’s favourite chocolate bar in their bag etc.
if someone is popping out for lunch and it’s raining, lend them your umbrella
put an item or two in a food bank
let someone who has a small number of items go before you in the supermarket
show your appreciation for a fitness instructor whose classes you particularly enjoy
offer to get groceries for an elderly neighbour or someone who is sick
donate old magazines to be put in a waiting room e.g. at a doctor’s or dental surgery
bake cookies for your work colleagues
if someone is new to your gym class, your place of work or somewhere else you go regularly, find opportunities to get to know them and ask them how they’re finding things
when out and about for the day somewhere, offer to take a photograph for an individual, couple or family so that they can all be in the shot
create a wildlife friendly area in your garden, for example, by scattering wildflower seeds, putting up a bug hotel or allowing leaves to pile up in a corner
write a list of things you love about your partner, child, friend or work colleague and share it with them
leave a nice comment on a blog post, YouTube video or picture shared on Instagram
leave a positive review for a small business who have given particularly good service
give a book to a friend you think might enjoy it
send a surprise gift in the post to a loved one
donate to your favourite charity
offer some helpful advice to a member of an online group you belong to
let someone out in front of you when driving in heavy traffic
call or text a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while
send an interesting online article to a friend or family member you think might benefit from or enjoy it
offer a lift to someone
write a summary about a place you’ve visited on TripAdvisor so that other potential similar visitors know what to expect if they go
message an author to say how much you enjoyed their first / latest book
post a good news story on social media
make a self care package to give to someone you think would benefit from it
take part in a community litter pick
stop and take time to talk to a neighbour – even if you’re super busy!
give up your seat on public transport to someone who needs it more than you
volunteer your time for example, to walk a neighbour’s dog, to do some babysitting for a friend of family member, to go to the shops for someone, to help teach someone a skill such as reading, knitting, sewing, crochet or computing

Final words…

As you go about your day today, try to think of at least one way you can make a difference to someone. It doesn’t matter how small your gesture of kindness is or whether it is costly (financially or time wise) or not. One you get started with offering random acts of kindness, you’ll find that more and more opportunities and ideas will present themselves, making it easier and easier by the day.

After giving or receiving a RAK, why not do a short amount of journalling about it in a notebook to explore the positive effects it has had. Alternatively, you could create a short post about it on Facebook, explaining how you felt afterwards and celebrating kindness towards others. You might even prompt someone else to think about what they could do to help another person in their life.

amateur photography, Anxiety management, bird spotting, lifestyle, wellbeing, wellness, wildlife

Monday Matters: Wildlife Watching for Wellbeing

Posted on Jul 29, 2024Jul 28, 2024 by Laura

Over the past month or so, I’ve taken a real interest in watching wildlife and found it to be amazing for my general wellbeing. It’s such a calm and relaxing activity and the perfect way to engage in some mindfulness as it encourages you to be in the moment and really study the action with your five senses whether that’s watching a blackbird taking a bath, listening to the screeching sound of swifts zipping around the sky or quietly observing butterflies sunning themselves in a wildflower meadow whilst feeling the warmth of the day on your skin.

Today, I thought I’d share some of the benefits of wildlife watching that I’ve particularly enjoyed and also include some of my photographs which I’m pretty proud of as I took them in manual mode on my DSLR. I hope you enjoy the post and that, ultimately, it whets your appetite for wildlife viewing this summer season and beyond.

Learning about what’s out there in my locality

Quietly observing in our garden and other local settings such as parks, forest, woodland, heathland, meadow or the coast, I’ve been able to see and enjoy all of the different wildlife and begin to learn more about them. I now know that greenfinch have started visiting our feeders and that, despite us having an overhanging conifer trimmed significantly by a tree surgeon, there are still plenty of birds nesting in what remains, albeit in slightly closer proximity to each other! In my quest to photograph butterflies this summer, I’ve learnt why we have much fewer individuals this season (poor weather at the start of summer) and where I’m most likely to spot different species. I’ve also observed the six spotted burnett moth in tall grasses at the cost, and discovered where their favourite places to land are.

Learning something new each day not only helps with personal growth but it also develops a sense of accomplishment which I believe is essential for wellbeing. There’s nothing better than sitting down at the end of the day, (whether busy or more relaxed) and recalling something new that you didn’t know yesterday.

Female sparrow and her young on our garden fence

Expressing gratitude

I find there’s something to be grateful for every day of the week (in fact I write 3 things in my The Five Minute journal each morning), but I’m always especially excited when I witness something new or go somewhere a bit different in my quest to explore wildlife in the North East of England and beyond. I’ve just started reading Hannah Stitfall’s recently published book, Wild Treasures, where she documents a year of watching wildlife in her home county of Cornwall – a place I have visited and loved many times as a child and throughout my adult years. However fruitful (or not) her trips to wild places have been, you get a really sense of how lucky she feels to have these opportunities on her doorstep, and I must agree – we have so many amazing natural spaces throughout the UK that are just waiting to be explored.

I often find my wildlife spots end up being recorded in my highlights of the day or as part of my morning gratitude writing, whether that’s mentioning our plans for an exciting day out exploring nature and the wildlife it has to offer, or recalling the feeling of a good spot.

Opportunities to practise using my zoom lens

I’ve had my zoom lens for a long time now and I’ve often been frustrated by its limitations in terms of getting close up shots of birds (it’s really not powerful enough and I would need to invest in one of the huge ££££ lenses which I’ve seen used in hides). However, I’ve now discovered that it works really well for insect, plant and flower photography when placed at a distance of 0.85m from the subject. I’ve built a collection of macro shots which are pretty good for an amateur and I’m enjoying adding these to my journals and sharing them on Instagram.

Again, this chance to explore and develop my skills (with both the photography and the use of Photoshop to edit my images) has been a real boost to my wellbeing, including when I add my photographs to social media and use them in my creative journals and show them off.

Enjoying the beauty of all that nature has to offer

As I mentioned earlier, we have some wonderful natural spaces across the UK and I thoroughly enjoy exploring the flora and fauna of different places. Sometimes, I’ll visit familiar places such as the coast, where at this time of year, I can see razorbills, kittywakes (and their young) reed buntings and meadow pipits and mammals such as grey seals and even dolphins! On other occasions, we’ll go further afield to favourite locations and places on my must visit list. Wherever I go, alone or with my husband, I tried to stay in the moment and really appreciate the beauty on offer as I look out for the wildlife to be spotted.

Mindfulness and its many benefits

I’ve talked about mindfulness and the many benefits in various previous blog posts. For some people, mindful activity is all about meditation, but it’s much more than this, practising mindfulness involves being in the present moment and developing a quiet awareness of your immediate environment, and I’m sure you can see how wildlife watching fits in with this. There are too many benefits to list here but a few include reducing anxiety and depression, lowering blood pressure, improving sleep, lowering stress levels and better ability to manage long term illness and chronic pain.

Improved physical health

Although I love watching wildlife from my own back garden (or via the kitchen window as I wash up!), there are so many more opportunities in the North East of England and further afield. As well as the chance to breathe in fresh, clean air, as I explore the natural environments, for me, my travels often include a brisk walk too. Adding in an uphill trek, a saunter across various fields, beaches or heathland on our way to more remote locations, offers a wonderful and more relaxing way to exercise which is completely different in experience to my gym sessions and various classes. Also, whilst your focus is on looking at the stunning views and watching out for various fauna, you’re often barely aware of what a good workout you’re having at the same time!

A sense of community

One of my absolute favourite ways to watch wildlife is to go to a nature reserve (especially one which has some bird hides) and take my binoculars for close up viewing and my DSLR camera for recording my spots. We’re lucky to have a number of locations within an hour and a half’s drive including Rainton Meadows (managed by Durham Wildlife Trust), Hauxley Nature Reserve (Northumberland Wildlife Trust) and RSPB Saltholme. When we visit, there are always plenty of others walking around the reserves or observing birds from the various hides and sharing these spaces develops a really sense of belonging, especially as you know that we’re collectively there for similar purposes – exploring the beauty that nature has to offer, enjoying the peace and quiet, looking out for different species and ultimately hoping to spot something new.

Wherever you live in the UK, I guarantee there are wild spaces on your doorstep to be explored and shared with other locals. Even in London, there are vast parks across the city offering peace, quiet, wildlife and the chance to get away from the busyness of the place and most people there have the same objective.

Final words…

Although I haven’t covered them here, there are various scientific studies done which offer proof of the mental health benefits of wildlife watching, especially bird spotting. It’s no surprise, then, that many of us turned to walking in the great outdoors during the pandemic to reduce our stress levels and find pleasure in nature. I wonder how many of you still make the time to visit natural spaces as part of your routine each week now there are no restrictions on your activity choices? I would love to hear if wildlife spotting is as valuable to you as it is to me to maintain good wellbeing and general happiness. I’d also be over the moon if you’ve found benefit from reading today’s post and it has encouraged you to find time in your busy weekly calendar for this perfect mindful self-care activity.

bullet journal, Bullet journaling, exercise, fitness, goal setting, Health and Nutrition, lifestyle, wellbeing

Setting up my Bullet Journal for July 2024: Health and fitness theme

Posted on Jun 30, 2024Jun 30, 2024 by Laura

This time, I’m coming to you with what might be considered a bit of a random BuJo theme for summer. My original idea was to do wildflowers and grasses, but, as my current personal goals are mainly focused on weight loss and body toning, I thought why not choose a theme related to these, so I opted for health and fitness. I wrote lots of ideas on mini post-it notes and then decided which ones I’d actually go ahead and do (with the limited time I had left to be ready for July). Here’s what I have to show you so far:

Quote page

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

This was created using Canva (none pro version), an A5 size portrait size design and a lovely peachy pink colour font. I then added a couple of bits of washi and a little sticker from a page of health and fitness related phrases from my Carpe Diem booklet.

July Cover Page

I had so much fun setting this up and it was nice to make use of some Carpe Diem stickers I already had in my stash. The solid black images of women exercising were made in Cricut Design Space.

July Calendar

I shifted the boxes on my usual calendar one place to the right so I could add my goals for the month on the left hand side. I’ve now decided that a better target than 10K steps most days would have been 2400+ calories burnt but I can always create a habit tracker for the above instead.

My reasons why…

I got the idea for this page and a few others from Planning Annie on YouTube. She has lots of ideas for health related spreads and I really recommend watching her ‘health and fitness planner spreads’ video if you need some further inspiration. The ‘reasons why’ I’ve chosen are very personal to me, so, for example, my GP has advised that my blood pressure is at the high end of normal and that my cholesterol levels are slightly elevated from the normal range so related reasons why have, as you can see, been added to the spread.

July Finances

I almost forgot to do my financial tracker as it isn’t something related to the aspects of health I’m focusing on (financial health aside). I’ve been really good at spending no more than I have coming in each month for quite a while now but it’s still interesting to see where my money is going.

Another motivational quote page

With 9lbs lost so far in a relative short frame of time, I’m feeling really motivated to lose more weight. The second part of this popular quote, from Jim Rohn, will hopefully be related to my new and improved eating habits which will join with my regular fitness class habit that I’ve had for a fair few years now.

My weight loss journey so far…

I thought this spread might help keep my motivation high until eating healthily becomes a habit. I also think it will become useful for making dietary tweaks. Basically, I’m going to record observations (e.g. a particular piece of clothing fits better), thoughts (e.g. this is just the beginning, am I drinking too much water? etc) and feelings (I always feel super hungry before Clubbercise so I need to plan is a filling snack two hours before, I feel much more confident in my new top etc) throughout the coming months to monitor my progress to good health.

Final words…

That’s all of my spreads so far, although, as I said, I might create a habit tracker page ready for the new month. I’ve also decided to go back to a rapid logging style of creating daily pages as I’m finding that my week on two pages layout just doesn’t give me enough room. I will, however, need to record events taking place that week at the top of the page so I know what’s happening and when but this can be done on a Sunday night ready for the week ahead.

However you plan to spend the month of July, I wish you a good one,

mental health, Mindfulness, mindset, psychology, self care, wellbeing, wellness

Monday Matters: 8 ways to instantly boost your mood

Posted on Jun 24, 2024Jun 22, 2024 by Laura

Sometimes, no matter how positive you feel when you wake up, particular events, issues, frustrations and even certain people’s attitudes can put a dampener on things and leave you feeling deflated. You probably wish you hadn’t let these parts of your day affect you as much as they have but it’s a natural part of life to experience ups and downs. When low mood strikes, there are a number of ways in which you can help yourself to feel better. Today, I’m sharing 8 tried and tested ideas which I’ve found helpful and I promise none of them include eating a gigantic bar of chocolate or any other highly calorific item!

Get out in nature

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of getting out in nature, whether that’s spending some time in my garden, heading to my local woodland park or even going to the beach to walk on the sand or paddle in the sea. It doesn’t have to be for long – just a few minutes of fresh air can make the world of difference to how you feel.

Listen to some upbeat tunes (even better, dance and sing too)

I first wrote about the benefits of listening to music back in 2021 and, as part of the post, I shared a page I’d created in my bullet journal with a mood boosting playlist. Musical taste is incredibly personal but choosing some upbeat songs to boogie, sing and listen along to can put you in a much better frame of mind. Here’s some ideas for uplifting tracks to find on YouTube, Apple Music or whatever happens to be your favourite resource to listen to through headphones or to blast out through your speakers (if it won’t disturb anyone):

Can’t Stop The Feeling By Justin Timberlake
I Got a Feeling By The Black Eyed Peas
Happy By Pharrell Williams
22 By Taylor Swift
Walking On Sunshine By Katrina & The Waves
Song 2 By Blur
Love Shack By B-52s
Roar By Katy Perry
Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses
Good Feelin’ By Flo Rida
Watermelon Sugar By Harry Styles
Dance Monkey By Tones And I
Groove Is In The Heart By Deee-lite
Blinding Lights By The Weeknd
Havana By Camila Cabello Feat. Young Thug

Whatever your favourite style of music, jot down an uplifting songs list or create a track list on your device and keep it in a memorable location (either on paper or digitally) to refer to when you need it.

Get moving

On the subject of moving our body, as an alternative to dancing along to your favourite tracks, you could also explore other forms of exercise in a bid to boost your mood. Any type of physical activity that raises your heart rate has been shown to release endorphins in the body. These hormones and neurotransmitters, which have been described as ‘a natural high’, will have you feeling better in minutes. Here’s some fun / invigorating summer time activities to try:

Spend some time in your garden pulling weeds, breaking up compacted soil in your borders, cutting your lawn, deadheading faded blooms, pruning bushes and shrubs, checking for hidden pests and watering thirst plants with a heavy watering can.
Get your bike out of the garage, dust it off and head to a trail of your choice. I like to go to the coast as it’s a straight stretch of cycle path which is wide enough for if I get the wobbles but if you search ‘easy bike rides near me’ you can explore different options available to you in your locality.
Play a game or do a physical activity that you used to enjoy as a kid – frisbee, bouncing a ball off a wall / bat / the ground,
Clean and or tidy your desk / room / house, then sit back and enjoy the feeling that comes with a neat and dust free space.
Take a brisk walk around the block and see if you can notice anything new or different – maybe someone in your immediate area has painted their fence, changed their car, got a new pet, weeded their driveway etc. Maybe the council has added a new sign, planted some young trees or mown the grass in another street. If you can’t see anything that’s changed, maybe you could think of some changes you would like to make if you were in charge!

Soak up some sunshine

Sunlight is a natural source of Vitamin D which has been scientifically proven to regulate your mood. If it’s a nice day, get your sunglasses and some sun protection on and feel the warmth on your skin. I like to sit on our bench or one of our patio chairs in the garden and close my eyes for some mindful listening to accompany the experience. This is a great way to get into a meditative state as it gives you something to focus on and minimises the change of your mind wandering towards the major or minor irritations I mentioned previously. In the summer, there’s generally lots of daytime sounds whether it’s someone mowing the lawn, children laughing, birds tweeting or even distant traffic noises.

What a video of something cute or funny

Open up YouTube on your phone or computer and search for cute or funny videos of, plus the name of your favourite pet or animal. Anyone who’s been following my blog for a while is likely to know my animal of choice is a Syrian hamster, but I can guarantee that there are videos out there to suit all whether that’s woodland birds, different pets or even more unusual choices like sealions, squirrels, polar bears or hedgehogs.

Dig out your photograph albums

Looking back at old photographs (and/or journals if you do memory keeping like I do) is a great way to bring to mind happy memories of exciting life events, people in your life (past and present) and places you’ve been. And if you’re one of those people who rarely print your images off, why not flick through those on your phone and select some to add to an album later. Taking time on your own to quietly sit and view several years worth of photographs can be very therapeutic, as can sharing them with loved ones either in person or by contacting them via phone, WhatsApp, email or even letter (pretty paper optional!).

Practise gratitude

Grab a piece of paper or your journal and make a list of five small things you’re grateful for in your life right now. Research shows that a consistent gratitude practice has so many health and wellbeing benefits so give it a try starting today and see how it makes you feel. Check out this blog post to learn more.

Make a list of things you love about yourself

Whilst you’ve got a pen and paper to hand, here’s another positive exercise to try. Write a title ‘Things I love about myself’ at the top of the page and then make a list of your best qualities. This could include physical aspects such as your smile, your lovely, long locks, your clear skin and healthy looking nails, your character traits, e.g. kindness, good analytical skills, reliability, optimism and so on, and things you’re really good at like cooking, motivating yourself, helping others, solving problems etc. Once you written as much as you can right now, try displaying your list somewhere so you can refer to it when you need a mood boost, or add to it when something comes to mind.

Inhale an uplifting scent

If you know anything about aromatherapy, you’ll probably be aware that some scents are thought to be uplifting and mood boosting. I have a few little essential oil bottles which I got from the Body Shop in strawberry, raspberry and exotic which I love to inhale at any given opportunity. My scents of choice are fruity smells but below are a list of classic options which I collected from various websites via Google.

vanilla
peppermint
jasmine
citrus scents including orange, lemon and grapefruit
juicy fruits like peaches, pear and pineapple
relaxing scents like lavender, ylang, ylang and chamomile
spicy scents such as ginger, cinnamon and clove
fresh forest options such as pine and eucalyptus

Of course, it’s important to experiment and see which you prefer (and think about the mood you want to create such as uplifting or relaxing) but these should get you started with that. As you learn more about aromatherapy, you might like to try combining scents to create your perfect mood booster!

Final words…

I hope you’ve found today’s post beneficial and the ideas will motivate you to be pro-active next time you find yourself in a funk or stressed by particular events in your day. If I haven’t shared your favourite way to uplift your mood, or relax when tensions are high, feel free to add it in the comments as it may help someone else to manage their mood in the future along with my ideas.

Thanks for reading and I’ll be back with another wellbeing post very soon,

Anxiety management, bullet journal, life hacks, lifestyle, mental health, planner lifestyle, wellbeing

Monday Matters: 5 reasons why you should make a packing list for your holiday (AKA vacation)

Posted on Jun 10, 2024Jun 8, 2024 by Laura

As my regular readers will know, my husband and I are off on a week’s holiday later in the month. Before we go on any trip, whether it’s a weekend away, a mid week trip or a longer holiday, without fail, I create a packing list in my bullet journal which includes absolutely everything that I plan to take no matter how obvious the items are – I’ll even list the contents of my handbag even though the stuff is already inside. Today, I’m going to share with you my three reasons for making the aforementioned list and why I believe is an essential part of holiday preparation.

It helps you avoid under or over-packing

Before starting my packing list, I spend time thinking carefully about the length of our holiday and how many days worth of clothing I will need. I’ll also think about whether I will need more than one outfit for any of the days or if it’s likely we will be going out for the day and then coming back in the evening and staying in. Finally, I’ll consider whether any items will be re-worn or if, for example, they might have become sweaty if it’s really hot weather. The same process will be applied to my underwear items so I know I have just the right amount of stuff. This helps me avoid over or under packing and usually means that I have the perfect amount of clothing. After careful consideration I will work on my clothing list, writing down exactly how many of items were I need multiples e.g. 15 pairs of socks, 5 bras etc.

It ensures you don’t forget any essentials

There are always a number of items which you absolutely must take on your holiday. For me, this is things like my medication, mobile phone, debit cards and cash, hairbrush and for somewhere hot, sunscreen, a cap and my sunglasses. These would go on my essentials list and are written down first when I create by bullet journal spread. Doing this ensures you don’t forget any essentials – or at least it does if you run through your list before you set off and tick off all of the items!

You can pack methodically in a (relatively) stress free way

In the past, I’ve found packing my bags for departure extremely stressful, even to the point of inducing tears. Creating a packing list makes things much easier and a hell of a lot calmer. By going down your list for each category, you can get each item folded (or rolled) and ready in a collection so all that remains is to decide where it will go in your suitcase or bag.

As part of my list, I also add a ‘last minute’ list which includes things which will be in use at home before travel e.g. my toothbrush, hairbrush and make up, and tasks which need completing before setting off e.g. emptying the kitchen bin, watering our pots in the front and back garden etc.

You can keep your lists to help you next time

As all of my packing lists are written in my bullet journals, I can flick back and find a similar holiday list to help me get started. So, for example, if we’re going down to visit my parents in the summer time, I can look back at last years list and re-write it with some tweaks such as adding new items of clothing, removing bits and pieces that I no longer own etc. This makes things super quick and easy and again contributes to packing being a less stressful event!

It stops you stressing over forgotten items

My husband always says to me in the car to the airport or on our way to our destination “have you remembered anything that you’ve forgotten yet?”. Invariably, my answer is no, unless I forgot to do my last minute check through like I did when we went to my mum and dad’s house last and I forgot my hairdryer as it was in use prior to setting off. In the past, for my husband, the answer was quite regularly “yes” when I replied “have you?” until he realised a list on his phone might be of great help!

As well as preventing you forgetting things (at least minimising the potential), it also means that you don’t have to then go searching for replacements at your destination. This is particularly helpful if you’re going somewhere remote with limited access to shops, if you prefer particular products (e.g. I only use vegan cosmetics and toiletries) or if you’re going abroad somewhere (especially if you don’t speak the language). It might not be the end of the world if you forget non-essential items but it often causes some form of inconvenience at least.

My packing list for this month’s holiday

There are lots of packing lists examples available online and you can even purchase PDF versions, but personally, I prefer writing my own from scratch for each holiday. This means it’s completely personal to me and relevant to the particular destination, season and length of time I’m away for. I also take my list with me in my bullet journal when I go so that I can do a quick whizz through before we go home so I can check I’ve repacked everything. Below is my packing list for our holiday to Wales. It’s still a work in progress as we’re not heading off yet and I like to take my time with it.

Final words…

I hope you’ve found today’s blog post useful and can see how creating a packing list, for me, is an essential before travel task which is great for making me much more relaxed and better organised. Drawing up your own personalised list can lead to you feel less stressed and better prepared and I promise you will realise what a worthwhile activity it is. I’d love to know where you think would be the best place to write your list (analogue or digital?) and if you can see the benefits of keeping them in a safe place until your next holiday.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Some of my readers have messaged me via email and have expressed an interest in dropping a comment or asking a question after reading a particular blog post. Unfortunately, this involves setting up a WordPress account but, luckily, it doesn’t take long and, once created, you can leave comments on any blog posts (from bloggers who use WordPress) which spark your interest. Also, you don’t need to be a blogger to set up account either. I hope this helps! I plan to paste this into each of my posts in future but have put it in post script so my regular readers and fellow bloggers can ignore!