Just like my monthly favorites videos on YouTube, my Looking Back series has become a mainstay at the end of every month. It’s nice to have a record of the highlights of every single month before moving onto the next. But the main reason I started this series was to have a space, one a month on this blog to just chat with you all.
I mean, I love that blog posts have become more editorial over the years. I really like creating posts that focus on specific topics. Informative, concise & accompanied by pretty pictures. But I miss the spontaneity that this blog had when I first started it eight and a half years ago. Back then, I could just come back from a day in college & write about my experience – I never thought too much about it. It made me felt connected to my readers & I loved receiving & responding to feedback in the comments. But I digress. Let’s talk about what’s on my mind right now-
How Do You Write When You Don’t Feel Like Writing? It’s been a rough couple of days here in Mumbai. Monsoon is not my favorite time of the year & we’re already at the end of our third monsoon month. Yesterday was a tough day for the city with heavy rains & resultant floods, suspension of public transportation etc. I was very lucky that me & mine were safe at home but it didn’t make me feel that much better either.
And I guess it’s easier to reconcile being a bundle of anxiety & negative thoughts when you have some specific bad incident to blame it on. It’s more difficult when you’ve been feeling less than great for a week & you have no idea why that is.
In the meantime I’ve been really enjoying reading Little Black Book – A Toolkit For Working Women (I’ve already raved about it in a vlog & my August Favorites, but it’s so good that it’s worth talking about again!) & watching lotsss of Netflix, especially romcoms. Though I usually hate them, they’re a nice way to just pass the time & the happy endings are corny as hell but help when you’re feeling down.
Why am I writing about being sad? I’ve always tried to keep this space positive, light & uplifting (but still real). I’ve always been of the opinion that there’s nothing to gain by spreading negativity or being pessimistic, as it just brings people down.
But on my vlog channel I’ve been trying to talk more openly about topics society tends to consider taboo, like undergarments, periods & whatnot. Life isn’t always happy & positive; & I never want to fool people into thinking mine is always great. Sometimes, it’s healthy to acknowledge negative feelings or bouts of depression. Everyone goes through it & being honest is usually the first step to actually feeling & getting better.
If you’re reading this, I’d love for to leave a comment with your own experiences. What helps pull you out of a funk? I’m trying to sleep better, wake up earlier in the day rather than lie in (sleep is important but oversleeping just makes me feel more fatigued) & set small goals that I can accomplish. And on days that I really don’t feel productive, I’ve been doing an hour of solid work followed by chai + Netflix breaks. One episode, then back to work. I’ve found that it’s helping me stay refreshed & focussed.
In case you’re going through a tough time for whatever reason, I just want to remind you that you’re wonderful. You’re strong, capable of a lot & worth much more than your marks or productivity. If you’re feeling burnt out or uninspired, don’t feel guilty about taking some time for yourself! That’s all I have to say about this, so I’m going to leave you with a picture of one of the more fun cocktails I had at a recent dinner (waffles + bacon + bailey’s, basically my dream cocktail!)
August Favorites
Like every month, I have an extra chatty monthly favorites video discussing some new beauty, tech, book & chocolate discoveries. You can watch it below or on YouTube!
Etc.
Watching… I’ve watched a lot this month so there’s no point even trying to list it all, but in movies, finally seeing Goodfellas was a highlight & among the chick flicks No Reservations was a treat to see.
Eating… It’s been a good month for food! For Eating Out, I dined at now great new places in the city – Café Bandra in Bandra (excellent salmon & risotto!) & Henpecked in Kala Ghoda. I also revisited one of my favorites, BAD Cafe in Bandra.
I’ve also been cooking a lot more this month & it’s felt so nice. I’m throughly obsessed with sweet potato, especially baking it. I’ll show you guys in a vlog really soon.
Looking Forward
Just like a new year, new months can like someone hit the reset switch. I’m hoping to see sunnier weather in September, & hopefully do more blog posts too. Let me know what you guys would like me to write about, I’m always open to suggestions. I’m learning to love being home but I’m also hoping I get the chance to get out of the city, at least for a weekend *fingers crossed*. x
