Hey everyone! How’s it going? Hope you’re all hail and hearty. I’ve been taking a bit of a break from socials recently – just needed the break, was a bit burnout. 😀  Was doing too much as per usual and not giving myself enough down time. So I stepped back, took a few days off and re-evaluated what I was doing.

So, here’s what I came up with: I  prioritised my health for a change. I got back into meditation (I used to do it, but fell away from it, now I  make sure I do a minimum of ten minutes every day, 20-40 if I can). I can’t tell you what  a difference getting back into meditation has made. It just makes me feel so much better and much less stressed.

I also now end my showers with a quick blast of cold. I know, I know, it sounds horrendous, but bear with me. I recently read I Took A Cold Shower Every Day for 1000+ Days — Here’s What Happened | by Vinay Mehta | Better Humans (medium.com) on Medium. I’d known about the power of cold showers for years, but living in a cold country it’s not something you aim for. So, anyway, I read the article and was inspired to give it a go. I cheated a bit. I had my hot shower first, washing my body and hair, rinsing off. Then I turned the dial down to cold and made myself stand under it for a few moments. The effect was that I felt much more awake and alive. I felt ready to start my day. I do this every day now (except on swimming days where I shower at the pool under really hot showers, I’m going to seek out the cold one that is probably at the steam room) and it does make a difference.

I go swimming a minimum of three times a week as early in the day as I can (usually after 8am when the kids have left for work and school). I love swimming. It makes me feel great.

I’ve cut down drinking. I don’t drink a lot, but had gotten into the habit of drinking a bottle of wine every Wednesday and Friday.  I’ve cut it down to a Friday and am actually thinking of cutting it out altogether. We’ll see. I’m not definitely doing that. However, by drinking less, I’m less tired and more up for working on my writing. So, it’s better not to drink.

I make sure I go to bed at 8pm and read for 10pm. Yes, it’s so ‘rock n roll’!! But, it allows me to read the three books I’m reading.  I finish the two hours off with a meditation and I sleep so much better. I was an insomniac for years before I learned meditation around ten years ago. I could never calm my mind enough to fall asleep and was often still awake at two or three in morning. Now, I drop off before midnight and waken more refreshed and ready to take the day on.

I stopped looking at my phone the minute my eyes were open. Well, that was the intention. I managed it a few times before having one bad day when I was lost to Facebook for two whole hours. What a waste! I’ve gone back to ignoring my phone except to check for messages. I love social media, but I need to limit it. It’s such a time waster.

Anyway, that’s my routine at the moment. I am determined to stick to it. It really helps. I’m very ambitious where my writing is concerned. I want to sell loads of books and make loads of money. I can only do that if I have the energy and time to do it.

So, what have I been doing recently? Well, I’ve been taken on as a freelance journalist for a local magazine, The Community Magazine, and I’m loving it. They only print positive stories about what’s happening in the local area and it’s been great. I’ve been able to write up some great news stories for the magazine. I forgot how much fun this is!

I’m also still writing Dance of Death. I’ve done a complete plan for it and hope to have the entire book finished by the end of next week (around July 16). If I write 4,000 words  a day I can achieve this. I can easily do 3,000 words a day, so adding another 1,000 should hopefully not be too difficult. My ambition is to write 10,000 words in a day, but I’m working up to that. I’ve been clearing my diary to achieve this. It’s due out on August 4, so I need to get on!

As I said previously I’ve been reading three books. That’s actually not strictly true. I’ve also been listening to a fourth. Those books are:

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling – I’m re-reading the Harry Potter series purely for pleasure and am loving the series all over again.
• Persuasion by Jane Austen – it’s part of my final year doing my OU degree. I love Jane Austen, so it’s not a torture reading this. I hadn’t read it before, but I am loving it. It’s so beautifully written.
• Everything is Firgureoutable by Marie Forleo – it’s a book about how you can figure out your life. That’s it at it’s basic, but it’s so much more than that. I’d really recommend this if you’re at a point in your life where you are feeling overwhelmed or scared to take the next step.

The book I’ve been listening to on Audible was one that was recommended by my lovely friend, Terry Wells Brown (author and all round fabulous person). It’s called Lucky Bitch: A Guide for Exceptional Women to Create Outrageous Success by Australian author, Denise Duffield-Thomas . It’s a really inspirational book and fantastic if you want to make your own luck in life.  I really enjoyed listening to it. Denise is joyous and full of personality and this comes across in the audiobook. I loved hearing about how she made a success of her life. She’s inspired me to do better in my writing career.

So, what else have I been up to? I was round at the neighbours’ the other weekend for a barbeque. It was a lovely evening (still warm and sunny) so we sat out on their decking talking, laughing, eating and (me) drinking ice-cold Chardonnay. It was 2am before I went home. But I was having a fab time. They had Glastonbury on a tv in their kitchen so we could hear the live music out on the deck. When Guns and Roses came on I also went in to watch a little bit. It was a fab night. Fab food, fab chat, fab friends.

Right, so that’s me for now. Till next time,

Dawn xx