From Setbacks to Success – April and May Recap

Hi lovelies,

I’ve been so busy working that I completely missed my April check-in! 😅 To make up for it, this week, you’re getting a two-for-one blog post where I combine updates from both April and May.

What’s New?

The biggest highlight is undoubtedly my business website. I am so proud of what I’ve achieved.

Challenges Overcome

Didn’t rush just to tick things off my list.
I resisted throwing my laptop out the window when I had spent hours creating my form, only to realise it wouldn’t work.
I didn’t give up, even when I thought I had finished everything. Then, the design and the colours looked completely different in the preview, so I had to start all over again.

This whole experience has helped me to realise that some things are worth taking time over, and also, I have stuck two fingers up at that inner critic who tells me I’m a quitter and will never achieve anything, and it feels pretty damn good.

Work aside, I’ve made more positive progress in my therapy sessions. After a particularly bad week, I went into a session tearful and angry, and then the following session was high as a kite. We established that I still found it hard to like myself.

Since then, I have been working hard on this and my self-esteem. I have made some commitments to myself, which I won’t share for now because I have only shared them with my therapist, and I think I want to keep it that way for now.

In this short time, the result has been amazing. I’ve felt happier than I have in a long time, and things continue to feel like they are finally falling into place. I’m aware that this is also probably the HRT beginning to settle, and now I realise the importance of waiting for those 12 weeks.

My parents moved house, and I said a sad goodbye to the home where I spent my teenage years and many of my adult years. But I was surprised to find how much I loved their new home and the new area. It already feels like home, and I’m excited about all the new memories that will be made there.

The husband and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary at the end of May, and after a visit to my parent’s new house and staying in a hotel on the Essex coast, we stayed in one of our favourite UK places, Broadstairs.

The sun came out for us, and we had dinner and drinks in The Jetty before stopping for a drink at The Chapel, a bar filled with books (I love the smell of books!

I lost my glasses for the second time in May, both on bank holiday Mondays. The first time was on my walk, when I put them in my pocket because they were covered in rain.

I got home with no glasses and was already drenched; I went back out in the rain to retrace my steps, but having no glasses and the pouring rain made it difficult to see. My one-hour walk turned into two, 3.5 miles turned into 7!

I found an old pair that was a slightly different prescription and vowed to book myself in for an overdue eye test. When I went for my walk the next day, some kind person had found them and put them on the wall. I was happy!

Then, the second time, the husband and I were out celebrating our anniversary. I woke up in Broadstairs with a banging headache, reached over for my glasses and after turning the room upside down (not recommended when hungover), I realised I had lost them again!

I did walk the streets of Broadstairs looking, but the universe was clearly telling me to book in for an eye test, so I went home empty-handed and booked myself at the opticians.

In the last couple of months, I have felt so grateful for the support I’ve had from my family and friends. They’ve encouraged my hard work, taken the time to look at what I’ve done, and gave me some great feedback. A couple also wrote testimonials for me, which are now on my website.

It really does mean a lot; I know how busy everyone is with their own lives, so for them to take the time out to help me makes me truly grateful. 🥰

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing—I’ve had some minor mishaps, like losing my glasses twice, but each incident has led to unexpected acts of kindness and a reminder to take care of my health.

In the last couple of months, I have felt so grateful for the support I’ve had from my family and friends. Their encouragement and feedback, along with some lovely testimonials for my website, mean a lot to me. 🥰

Looking Ahead

Business Goals

I still have a lot I want to do for my business and this blog, but I’ve seen the value in taking my time, so I’m going to continue to do that.

Health and Wellness

I also want to continue focusing on my health. Feeding my body the things it needs and looking after it. There are so many bad habits that I’ve picked up over the years that are hard to break, but I can and will do it. It’s just not going to be an overnight job.

I want to go back to the accountability group I set up now that the madness of my website has calmed down. A few people have joined now, so I need to make more effort to encourage people to get involved.

So, my main focus for June is better nutrition, more movement and making myself more accountable.

Seen & Heard

This month has been filled with TV!

Comfort Watch – Rewatching Gilmore Girls on Netflix.

Channel 4 Favorites – Loved Love Triangle (including the Australian version) and The Gathering.

New Finds – I enjoyed the first episode of Dark Matter on Apple TV, based on Blake Crouch’s book (which I read in a day!)

Upcoming Shows – Looking forward to Love Island and Celebs Go Dating.

So, that’s April and May 2024! I’m hopeful June will bring us more sunshine (ignoring predictions of a wet summer!). I’d love to hear how your May has been! Share your stories in the comments below.