I’ve always loved reading non-fiction, but to be honest I’ve always felt more comfortable reading about the scientific aspect or mental health. Living with depression and anxiety made me interested in finding ways to heal, but since having a bit of a spiritual awakening as a result of coming out as a lesbian and ending my marriage, I’ve realised that I’ve always been seeking spiritual texts.

There are alot of books that have aided in my spiritual awakening, but these are the three that had a huge impact on me in the first year of my journey. Some of the links are affiliate.

The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self by Martha Beck

This is the book I recommend to everyone I meet, no matter whether they feel like they are on a spiritual path or not. Martha Beck is so great at writing about spirituality in an accessible way, and having grown up in the Mormon church she is the master at pointing out how cultural conditioning is often at odds with who we are destined to become.

The book follows the hero’s journey, so writers will enjoy that, but you certainly don’t need to be a writer or even have any awareness of the framework to understand the concept.

What it does offer though, is a spine that runs through the book, carrying you through the consequences of rejecting your true nature and the rewards that come from embracing her.

I listened to this on audiobook and carried a notebook with me at all times so that I could work through the exercises and journal prompts as they came up. This was by far the most powerful aspect of the book for me, and I worked through a lot of shit over the space of a few weeks.

The biggest outcome for me was releasing the constant need to tell little lies about my desires in order to please other people. I began to notice that I had been holding back in my life in order to fit the mould of what others expect. How many of us are doing this? I bet pretty much EVERYONE and this book can help you see that you have the power to change it.

 

Loving What Is: Four Questions that can Change Your Life by Byron Katie

Let me start by saying, with kindness, that Byron Katie will not stand for your bullshit. I listened to the audiobook which features a lot of recordings where she is talking people through her 4 question method, and it is fascinating to hear her shatter their perception of reality live on air.

She is what I like to call an empathetic realist. Kind in her words and delivery, she is absolutely here to tell you how it is. And the hard – but potentially freeing – truth is that how you perceive things is merely a construct of your own false storytelling.

I was finding myself consumed by thoughts about what other people thought of me, how my behaviours were affecting them, essentially spending a lot of my time telling myself stories about how my actions were impacting other people and making up these false narratives that in turn, controlled how I lived my life.

Loving What Is made me see that most of the judgements I make about other people is something I need to see in myself. I’m projecting my own story onto others. For example, I would judge people for posting fake happy pictures on Instagram, when I was doing the same. I would be annoyed at a family member for not ‘seeing’ the real me. But was I even truly looking at myself? I worried and worried about my friends adjusting to the new queer me, when really it was me who was struggling the most.

Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck

This year I started doing yoga three times a week and during the end meditations I began to see visions. Crazy right? It made me super curious about the world of meditating, and when I mentioned this to a friend she recommended this book.

There is no sugar-coating or step-by-step instructions on how to get into meditation in this book so it might be worth downloading a free app like Insight Timer to have a go at some guided meditations before you get started. Otherwise the tone might feel a bit overwhelming.

The biggest lesson I learned from this book was around living in the present. It sounds obvious and easy to do, but once you realise that your brain wants to keep you ruminating in the past or worrying about the future, it becomes clear that we spend very little time truly being present in our own lives.

It’s impossible to be present 24/7. But reading this book taught me how to make the switch into mindfulness more easily, and it’s helped me find joy in the hardest of moments, calmed me during intense train journeys, and allowed me weather out storms knowing that everything in life is trundling along as it should.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any other books that you would recommend to someone interested in spirituality?

The post 3 Spiritual Books That Totally Transformed My Mindset appeared first on Fiona Fletcher Reid.

The separation was relatively amicable (I came out as a lesbian which meant there was no chance of reconciliation) but it was a separation nonetheless, which meant a swell of emotions as well as practical life changes which included moving from England to Scotland, moving in with my parents, and navigating the worlds of queerness and divorce simultaneously.

Forms of modern witchcraft have always fascinated me. I’d been tempted to seek advice from a psychic or tarot reader in the past but I was afraid of being laughed at, so I buried my curiosity with spirituality and sought help elsewhere.

But in the separation process, I reclaimed a huge part of myself that had been swallowed up in the identity of a relationship. I was free to explore all my eccentricities without needing to justify them to anyone. So I asked a trusted client and friend to give me a reading.

I had zero expectations going into that tarot reading. I had zero knowledge of what tarot was or how it worked. My friend commented that she had never given a reading to someone who didn’t know the four suits or the basics of the major and minor arcana meanings. Truly, I knew nothing.

We spoke on Zoom for several hours about my past, my present circumstances, my general outlook and options for the future. To say that the conversation we had was life-changing would be an understatement. I actually believe that reading was a life-defining moment for me. It split me off from the path I was on and re-routed me on a far more fulfilling one.

Almost a year later, I can say that I am fully obsessed with the power of tarot. I pull cards every day, I have a tarot mentor, spent months learning meanings and building my own intuitive process, giving tarot readings for friends and now, offering them as part of my business.

Here is how tarot helped me find myself:

1. Tarot gave me a reality check

People want tarot to predict the future, but sometimes the most helpful approach is to look at what is going on in your life now, in the present moment. At the time of my first tarot reading, I was bogged down in the difficult early days of divorce. It seemed like my days were an endless stream of solicitor meetings, emails and uncomfortable negotiations.

The cards pulled that day had a clear message: look at the bigger picture.

I wasn’t being invited to think “oh this will all be OK eventually”…. I was being invited to think….. “this is all OK right now because look at all the freedom, opportunities and abundance that already exists in my life.”

The reading took place on Zoom but I was staying at my friend’s house at the time, looking after her cat, in her beautiful flat in the heart of Glasgow’s West End. I had friends who offered me endless love and support. I had parents who took me in and accepted everything I told them. I had an ex who let me leave. I had the capacity for change.

I had already changed my life for the better.

The hard parts of my experience (the cost and stress of divorce, and living with my parents) were still there, but during that reading they began to fade into the background, allowing the positive parts to step forward and take centre stage.

My perception of reality flipped. Now I could see I had the freedom to travel, the support networks to boost my mood, the blank space to create a new life on my own terms.

Interested in doing tarot at home? Get my free tarot moon spreads here.

2. Tarot invited me to take control of my narrative

Being in a relationship was easy in the same way that it wasn’t. Because it involved another person making choices which, as someone suffering from deep-rooted sexual repression, it felt so safe and warm. Having someone else to make decisions about life lifted the mental load I had to carry.

So when I became single and the future we had planned together was no longer an option, I was scared of the empty canvas I was supposed to paint on. Terrified of making the wrong choices, yes, but also struggling to remember my own likes and dislikes.

What had I wanted to do with my life before I got into a relationship?

Who had I wanted to become when I was unattached?

That version of me had been long forgotten, but tarot reminded me that I have the power to rewrite myself every single day, whether that was booking a train to visit my queer friends up north, taking myself on a writer’s retreat, trying reiki for the first time or allowing myself to spend money on gig tickets to experience live music.

Before I used tarot I was following a script of what I thought my life should look like, but now I get to write a new one and change it whenever I like.

3. Tarot revealed my potential

I started to realise that the world was wide open to me when my first tarot reading showed me a picture of a cat in the Queen of Wands card. Catsitting was just something I did, one time, to help a friend and get a break from living with my parents. But with the self-reflection tarot offered, I connected the dots between wanting to travel and looking after pets as a way to get free accommodation.

In the months that followed, I looked after pets in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, the Midlands and Paris. I can say for certain none of that would have been possible if I hadn’t taken the time to look at the cards and be honest with myself about what I want from life.

4. Tarot allowed me to make braver choices

It might not seem like it, but travelling and petsitting felt like a scary decision to make. Mostly because I’ve spent my entire life seeking validation from friends and family, by following the template of what life should look like.

So announcing that I would be breaking away from the traditional life plan and becoming a digital nomad for the year was, in my mind, a risk that could render me an outsider to the people I love. The people who made me feel like I was doing things the right way.

But tarot always reminds me that it’s my life.

Only I can know what’s right for me, and those external voices shouldn’t be louder than my internal voice. So I took the road less travelled, and I decided to take a chance on living a life that I knew other people would not understand.

5. Tarot encouraged me to face my shadow parts

Oooft yeah, she did! I’m quite a spontaneous person but often those hasty actions are based on fear, because often I fear abandonment or being emotionally pushed away. So as a newly single person, you can probably imagine that dating for the first time in 18 years has been quite the journey.

Through interactions with women, I’ve been confronted with my need to feel ‘safe’ in a relationship and the ways in which this need manifests in my actions. You know the drill, obsessively checking my phone, wondering what they’re up to, what they’re thinking, why they haven’t texted me back and if they’re constantly on the verge of rejecting me.

There was no magical card that allowed me to see all this. It was the daily repetition of pulling tarot cards and journaling that gave me the chance to think about my state of mind and analyse my corresponding behaviours. I haven’t banished this shadow part from my identity, but I’ve begun to look at it in detail and consider whether my actions are in alignment with the energy I want to bring to relationships.

6. Tarot gave me increased self-awareness

To sum it up, tarot has made me see who I was, who I am, and who I have the potential to become. I can step outside of the perception I have of myself and acknowledge that I have choices, I have power, and I can change the course of my life by replacing old patterns with bolder, authentic ones that allow me to thrive.

Instead of sleepwalking through life, blinded by false limitations, I am free.

Free to want, desire, play, dive deep and breathe calmly in the knowledge that everything is available to me when I’m ready to receive.

Join my tarot reading waitlist.

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But you know what? I’ve done all of those things, and while I can’t guarantee my cappuccinos were ever frothy enough to win any prizes, I was never truly an impostor.

It was all in my head.

Here’s what I wish I’d know…..

1. It’s real and totally normal

It’s a psychological pattern in which you doubt your accomplishments and have a persistent, internalised fear of being exposed.

2. It gets worse the higher up the ladder you climb

It always amazes me to think that even billionaires feel like impostors sometimes. Every Oscar-winner has probably felt like a fraudster as they make their acceptance speech, having the most exciting moment of their career live on stage in front of the world.

Part of impostor syndrome is that it’s actually rife amongst seasoned experts. Scientists and writers at the top of their game are all likely to experience it even though the world sees them as extremely knowledgable in their field.

3. It’s not just women who get it

While early research assumed impostor syndrome was most common amongst high-achieving women, it’s now widely acknowledged as an issue experienced by both sexes. Tom Hanks gets it!

4. It can contribute to low self-esteem

I didn’t realise that every small piece of criticism I got was feeding into my impostor syndrome. I could get hundreds of positive comments from my boss and then one small negative thing would stick with me for weeks or even months, grinding down my self esteem. This made me feel like a failure and like I was a really bad employee and just a rubbish person in general.

5. It makes you work hard

The more I succumbed to impostor syndrome the more intent I became on proving myself wrong. I was so scared that I was going to be disciplined or fired that I worked really hard to prove to the world that I was a good manager.

6. Sometimes a little too hard

Yes, impostor syndrome definitely contributed to me busting a gut and saying yes to way more things than I could actually handle. I thought that saying ‘no’ was proof that I was unqualified so I bit off more than I could chew which led to burnout and ultimately a mental breakdown.

7. Sometimes it’s a sign you need to move on

I’ve learned recently is that it’s OK to quit. If you constantly feel like a failure and you think that it’s related to your job then maybe it’s not right for you. There is a time in life for getting out of your comfort zone but there’s also a time when you need to be right there in it, just coasting along and enjoying other things.

8. But most of the time it’s a sign that you’re embarking on something exciting

Feeling a mix of fear and excitement at work is quite special. It can propel you forwards. I’ve recently started doing a lot of speaking engagements and I’m choosing to look at it as a learning opportunity. I may not be qualified but the more I do it the better I’ll get at it!

9. There are simple ways to counteract it

I’ve learned two really simple and effective ways to cope with impostor syndrome, so much so that I managed to make a huge career change from working in catering to becoming a freelance writer and published author in just a few years without any relevant qualifications. I talk about it in my book Out of Office; Ditch the 9-5 and Be Your Own Boss.

10. Sometimes it’s helpful

Don’t believe me? Cosmopolitan editor Farrah Storr puts is like this:

“Those that ask questions are those that get ahead,” says Farrah. Impostor syndrome is nothing but a “control valve that alerts us when we are in our discomfort zone”. And what happens in that dreaded zone? Personal growth. Accelerated growth to be exact.

Have you experienced impostor syndrome? How did you deal with it?

The post 10 things I wish I’d known about imposter syndrome appeared first on Fiona Fletcher Reid.

I like to think that I’m a pretty good friend. I’m loyal, thoughtful and I’m a good listener but when it comes to my mental illness – sometimes it can feel like I’m not the most considerate. The truth is that when you have a mental illness sometimes you have to be a bit selfish.

I cancel plans at the last minute, ignore text messages for days and I control where we go if I’m feeling particularly anxious. I know, not cool. But it’s essential to my happiness, in the long run, I asked on Twitter what other people thought how their mental illness an impact on their relationships. Here’s what I found out:

It feels like no one else understands.

It’s true. No one else can fully understand exactly what you’re going through. Even when I talk to other people my age with depression and anxiety, they don’t have an experience which is identical to me. I speak to a lot of people who fear abandonment, but that’s never been an issue for me. I actually crave alone time and probably appear quite rude as a result.

Being misunderstood. Friends losing patience with me. Happens rarely now. But had big trauma at work, had to leave and i’m in touch with one friend from my last department. I was seen as a troublemaker as I stood up for my rights.

— LovingMentalHealth (@Luvmentalhealth) June 26, 2018

Some people can’t face leaving the house, but that’s never really been a consistent problem for me. Like I say, not everyone will understand your irrational fears and the root of your sadness and this can be a source of conflict. Try to explain your feelings no matter how strange they may seem. Even if your friends can understand them, they can be aware and begin to accommodate them. This is also true at work. It can be really hard to open up to your employers but ultimately it’s the best way forward.

Having to cancel on friends due to social anxiety

— Eleanor Segall (@EleanorSegall) June 26, 2018

Like I said earlier, sometimes people do think I’m being rude. Even if they don’t (a few friends know my history and they can tell I’m just going through something) I start to tell myself I’m rude. Then is escalates into negative thoughts like I’m a bad friend, I’m useless, no one likes me… You get the idea.

One of the things I’ve had to deal with recently is having to be aware of my emotions now that I’m in recovery. When I was in the middle of a mental breakdown it was pretty easy to attribute all of my negative emotions to depression.

for me it’s trusting my own emotions – I have bipolar (II) and it’s sometimes hard to tell when I’m actually irritated or upset or whether it’s just mania, meaning I second-guess myself and my feelings toward others

— Jo – Time to Change (@JoTTCLondon) June 26, 2018

Now that I’m functioning ‘normally’ most of the time it can be tricky to spot when a relapse is coming. This means that my friends and family might think I’m just sad when really I’m struggling to cope. Then I worry that I’m just being dramatic.

I like to think I’m quite sociable, but if I’m struggling mentally more or less just shut down.

The real desire to escape, to exclude yourself and shut off from the world. Also, I am so chatty but I literally lose the ability to make small talk

— Jess Corcoran (@JessCCorcoran) June 26, 2018

Similar to Jess, I lose the ability to speak! It can be really hard especially if my husband is asking me what he can do to help. Often I don’t know the answer and I can’t form a sentence to communicate. I feel incredibly lucky that my partner is so understanding, and he is so patient when I have a down day.

You should be aware though, that there are services available like marriage counselling, CBT and talking therapy. I personally found that counselling really helped me have healthier relationships. I never really discussed my relationships directly with my counsellor, but having someone impartial to talk to undoubtedly took a lot of pressure off my friends and family. As much as the people close to you will want to help, the fact is that they don’t always know how to. They’re not trained professionals. It really is an amazing opportunity to be able to speak to someone who actually knows how mental illness works. They can spot patterns and offer practical advice in a way that friends and family aren’t qualified to do.

But I’m not perfect. Sometimes I fly off the handle and it’s nothing to do with my mental illness, but I’m working on it. How to you maintain healthy relationships with your mental illness?

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If you’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness then you’ve probably been told a million times that it’s good to talk.

Being open and honest with your partner, family and friends is definitely a step in the right direction as keeping your feeling bottled up is a recipe for disaster.

But the truth is sometimes your nearest and dearest – no matter how hard the try – don’t always say the right thing, because they’re not trained in how to deal with your illness.

That’s when talking to a professional counsellor can really help, because you can get more than just comfort and reassurance – you can actually learn the skills to get better.

Here’s a few things I learned from counselling:

1. Consistency is key

You can’t rush recovery, and consistency is really important to make sure everything is roughly going to plan.

I became so reliant on alcohol to cope that I had to give it up entirely, and if I had fallen off the wagon after a few weeks and claimed it wasn’t working that wouldn’t have been a consistent approach.

I actually gave it up for a whole year, and that commitment gave me the energy to be on time for all of my appointments and also helped me recognise what my emotions were really doing without the impact of booze on my system.

2. You’ve got to do the work

There are a lot people who think you can just ‘choose’ to get better from a mental illness, but it’s a lot more complicated than that. When I was in the worst phase of my depression I didn’t even think getting better was an option, I thought I’d be unhappy forever.

But after the little boost from medication I eventually got to a point where I could make more conscious choices, and that’s where counselling came into play.

I had to make the choice to turn up for my appointment every week, tell the truth, and decide to do the difficult things like avoid alcohol and put myself in awkward social situations. At the time it all felt like such a slog, but you really have to do the work to get better. It won’t just happen on it’s own.

3. I’m my own worst enemy

One of the turning points in my recovery was during a counselling session where I was asked about why I felt under so much pressure to be a high achiever.

I was listing off all the things that I had to deal with at work, as well as chores at home like having a perfect garden and a clean and tidy house.

I said something along the line of ‘every other person can manage to do all these things at once and I can’t do it’. My counsellor asked me ‘who are all these other people?’ and I kind of shrugged and said, ‘everyone!’.

She explained that this was just an assumption I had made about everyone else in the world, when actually it was ME who had set the unrealistic standards for myself, and no one else. I was assuming that everyone else had it all figured out when that’s simply not true.

4. Rest is part of the process

I’ve always been an impatient person.

I would much rather rush a task and get onto the next one instead of taking the time to make the first one perfect, but I learned through counselling that actually going slow and having lots of rest is beneficial.

I personally got into a state of depression over a space of several years, and it takes a lot of rest and taking care of yourself to undo all of that damage that has been done.

More about counselling here.

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I recently quit my job, again.

This is a cycle which has played out repeatedly over the last six years, often as a result of feeling completely overwhelmed at work to the point where my only way out is to start afresh.

I’m the queen of taking on too much. I always start a new job with the best of intentions, knowing full well that my history with depression and anxiety leaves me susceptible to stress a lot more than the average person.

The unfortunate thing is that I’m a total people-pleaser as well as a bit of a swot, so if I can take on extra responsibility at work as well as help my employer out then I’m all in. I’ll happily push myself right to the edge mental health wise in order to appear like the best worker.

It’s silly, but it’s who I am and I’m trying hard to change. I’ve been juggling my day job in a local sandwich shop alongside this blog, freelance writing and some social media management for about six months but in December 2017 it all got to be a bit much. I certainly wasn’t planning on relying solely on my freelance income this year but hey, life doesn’t go to plan sometimes.

 

After I quit I kept it on the down low. Looking back now, its a shame because going solo in the world of freelance is actually a big, exciting step in my career. I didn’t want to shout it from the rooftops until I’d fully digested what had actually taken place, as it all happened in a bit of a blur. After being freelance now for a whole two weeks (am I an expert yet? Hell no) I can say in all certainty that I know why I’ve been keeping it quiet. I feel like a big, stinking imposter.

It wasn’t until I was watching one of my favourite You Tubers Aine talk about living authentically in her last (very candid) video that I realised this. I’ve known about ‘imposter syndrome’ for years, and I’ve felt it at various times throughout my life. I felt it when I got invited to my first big blogging event (a Superdrug press day folks, where I got a free flu jab and a goodie bag!) and I felt it when I got my first article published on the Metro.

It’s that gut feeling you get when you think that you have absolutely no right to be doing your job, and that any minute now someone’s going to come banging on your door and asking you to hand in your name badge, screaming “who the hell do you think you are?”

 

The past few weeks have been a but of a roller-coaster. I’ve had to try and manage my own workload, something which can be easy when you really love what you do, but still quite difficult when there’s no one there to force you to crawl out of bed in the morning. The result is often a compromise; working in my pyjamas from under the duvet until I’ve woken up enough to hop in the shower before midday.

Does this make me an imposter? I don’t think so. I know plenty of writers and social media managers who openly talk about working from home or ‘bediting’ as I heard one You Tuber call it, so I think in that respect I’m surrounded by lots of people with a similar frame of mind. Should I be up at the crack of dawn knocking back espressos and typing up thousands of words before the sun rises? Definitely not. It I did that I’d be an imposter in my own life, and totally wired from too much coffee and not enough sleep. Not my style.

So as the first few weeks of being freelance draw to a close, do I still feel like an imposter? Hell yes! I don’t think I’ll ever fully accept that people actually want to pay me money to write, because I love it so much. I’ll probably always live with the fear of being rumbled, exposed as a fraud for all to see.

But until that moment comes, I’m getting stuff done. I’ve got my gang who support me without question. I’m hustling away quietly (yes, sometimes from my own bed) and I’ve got some really exciting projects to share with you this year. I can’t wait to get started!

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I’m trying to be more active at the weekends, as well as during the week. It’s too easy to let time run away from us after the working day is done and I don’t want to waste time slumped in front of the telly any longer than necessary. Because let’s be honest, sometimes it’s necessary.

Here are few subscription services that I think help make life better, more spontaneous, less stressful and more fulfilled without having to fork out too much money.

1. Cinema

I’ve always loved going to the cinema but as prices have steadily increased since I was a teenager I was often put off paying nearly £10 to see a movie, especially when I was unemployed. Even once I was well enough to work again my minimum wage salary didn’t really accommodate weekly visits to the local cinema.

Once I moved to Glasgow city centre and heard about the Cineworld Unlimited card I knew that I had to sign up. I currently pay £17.40 a month and can see as many movies as I like, although some movies like 3D or IMAX cost a little extra.

Working to a tight budget means that even if I’m skint one week, I know I can still go and see a film. With it being my favourite thing to do anyway, I think that’s awesome! It means that all those movies I probably wouldn’t have paid full price to go see (you know, all that Adam Sandler trash) are now available to me within my monthly payment should I wish to waste away a few hours of the day.

My husband isn’t a fan of horror, but now I can go on my own in the afternoon after work and use my Cineworld card. In fact, you might notice that cinemas are now over-run with people going to see movies on their own which I think is a great thing for us little old introverts.

2. Cooking boxes

I’ve never thought of ordering a cooking box. My talents as a chef way exceed anything that I could be sent in the post – joke – so how on earth could it benefit me? I pride myself in cooking most of my meals from scratch so I’ve never thought I needed the guidance of a ‘how to’ style delivery service with pre-portioned ingredients and accompanying recipe card.

However, after a long weekend I was surprised at how helpful a Gousto box was when I returned from holiday, stamping my feet and moaning I DON’T WANNA COOK. I made a tasty Aubergine Katsu Curry (which you can see in the video below) and some Sweet Potato Taquitos.

Although the recipes weren’t difficult, they’re still ones that I wouldn’t have picked out myself because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. The best thing about Gousto is that they give you the exact amount of each item, meaning you don’t have to fork out for some random spice or condiment that you’re never going to use again.

This means you can expand your cooking repertoire without wasting food or money in the process. Bonus!

Discount code: To receive a generous £40 discount on your Gousto order (£20 off your first and second box) use the code TORNADO

3. Snack boxes

I’m still getting to grips with intuitive eating after years of restrictive eating, so having snacks on hand can be a tricky balancing act for me. Subscribing to Graze or The Vegan Kind is something that I’ve been looking into trying after my success with Gousto.

I personally tend to get stuck in a rut with what foods I eat, and snacking on the go is something I struggle with. I always eat Nakd Bars and if I can’t find them I often end up eating flapjacks and cereal bars which are full of sugar. Not the best thing if you’re trying to train your brain to escape the binge-eating/diet cycle.

Having tasty, healthy morsels in my bag for when I’m at work or at the gym is something that I know would make my life easier, and take away some of the guilt associated with eating the wrong foods when I haven’t planned ahead. I’m definitely going to be giving these a go.

4. Prescription

It might sound simple but setting up a repeat prescription has changed my life. My anxiety makes GP appointments a stressful affair, but because I take anti-depressants I can only receive one months supply of my medication at a time.

Although I do kind of understand the reason behind this, my mental illness means that I constantly dread making an appointment (using the phone is a fear of mine) and talking to a doctor about my health over and over again.

Now, the doctor is happy because I only get 28 tablets at a time and I’m less worried because I don’t have to go through the torture of making an appointment every month.

5. Audio books/podcasts

Instead of mindlessly watching TV or scrolling on my phone, I find it helpful to listen to podcasts and audio books. Although most podcasts are free many of them offer a payment scheme where you can get access to exclusive episodes before anyone else. I love listening to Emma Gannon as well as My Favourite Murder and Generation Why.

Audible is a really affordable app which gives you enough credit to buy one audio book per month and there are thousands to choose from. Once you’ve downloaded it you actually own it and can listen to it a many times as you like. You can also return books that you didn’t enjoy and get a full refund! Also, you can get a 30 day free trial, cancel at any time and you’ll still get to keep the book you downloaded on your free trial. They’re LITERALLY giving books away for free!!!

I find Audible great for when I want to read up on a subject like healthy eating or time management. It’s also great for catching up on those classic books that you never got round to reading. Either way, it stops me from passing out on the couch and is a great incentive to get outside walking too.

Have you used any subscription services to make life a little easier?

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