First up, before I properly start this post, can I just say a huge THANK YOU to the lovely people who commented, tweeted, and messaged me privately in response to my last post (which you can read here). I talked a little bit about my recent struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and I was completely taken aback by the response I got... every little message really touched my heart, and it means the world to me that you guys care. 

Back in the day, my '5 Happy Things' posts were a regular feature on the blog. At least once a month, I would sit down and make a list of all the things that had filled me with that lovely, warm, fuzzy feeling of joy... and then from that I hand picked the 5 that I could talk about. They were my favourite posts to write, my favourite to read back over, and some of my biggest hits on the blog. 

It's been a while since I last reflected on the things that have made me smile, and I feel like after last Wednesday's post it's even more fitting that I do just that. 

I'm (not) Doing Well, Thanks!

You know that feeling when you don't know how to write the first sentence/paragraph for an essay/email, but you know exactly what you want to say with the rest of it? That's how I've felt about my blog posts lately... I know exactly what I want to write, I just don't know how to start.

To be completely honest, life has been a little bit like that too.

I know exactly what I want to do with my day, but lately I've found getting up in the morning has become a struggle.

20 Blog Posts To Read This Month

You know that thing that some/all bloggers do towards the end of the year, where they look through all the posts they've published, and list their favourite/top posts? 

Well I decided to do that midway through October, because I just can't wait until the end of December. 

Year on year, I've seen Sara Louisa grow, grow, and grow. I feel like now, I'm at a place where I can look back on the posts I've published in the last 12 months and actually be proud of the content that I have created. So I'm really excited to be sharing my top posts.

I've managed to split the posts into little sub-sections, so that you can delve right into your favourite topic! 

Am I Good Enough To Be A Blogger

I've not done a photoshoot in a good few weeks (yeaaah, about that... you might have noticed I've been using more stock photos than usual. I really wish I had taken more photos during the 'good lighting' summer months, but I didn't, and it sucks), so I'm sorry but you're going to have to deal with a crappy Summer-y photo that I took in July and never used. Soz.

If you've been following my posts lately, or read pretty much any of my tweets in the past month or so, you may have noticed that I'm not really feeling super-confident in my identity as a 'blogger'. 

In fact, I've felt a bit like a failure.

People Don't Read Anymore

My favourite day of this week consisted of me being super productive and getting shit done, going out for a coffee and a walk with a really nice guy, and celebrating my friends birthday at THE loveliest Japanese restaurant in town.

My least favourite day of this week consisted of me finding out that Glamour Mag discontinued, running out of coffee in the flat, and going to one lecture where the lecturer droned on and on and on about how 'nobody really reads anymore', and another where I was told that the future of written content is roboticized.

My 8 Blogging Commandments

Happy Wednesday, friends! Today's post is yet another last-minute post that I conjured up the day before publishing. Damn do I miss the days that I had posts scheduled months ahead at a time... turns out having a busy lifestyle means it's harder to be on top of everything. And yes, that includes my inability to properly promote Sara Louisa on social media. Does that make me a failure as a blogger?

I'm sorry, I'll try harder next time.

And while I might be 'failing' to do everything that I should be doing to ensure Sara Louisa prospers, I promise to stick by these commandments. I couldn't think of 10, so you'll have to do with 8 for now... maybe I'll think of more another time. 

Why I'm Not Doing Blogtober

Yup, I know, I'm a crap blogger. You know what, this isn't even my photo. Shock horror, it's a stock photo. Omg I'm such a failure, right? Wrong.

Blogtober -similar to blogmas- is one big month of seasonal blogging. Only, where blogmas is obviously centred all around Christmas, blogtober is all about Autumn. You know, the whole 'hygge' thing, etc.

Pretty much everyone who's anyone in the blogging community gets behind it. It's a big deal... and I'm not doing it.

Don't get me wrong, I love blogging and I adore autumn; particularly October, which just so happens to be my birthday Month (go me!), but Blogtober just won't be happening on Sara Louisa this year. Tbh, it probably won't be happening next year either.

How Rearranging My Furniture Made Me Feel Happier

Last month I finally moved out of my parents house and into my flat in the big bad city of Glasgow. 

In the last few weeks, my flatmates and I have had plenty of ups and downs, and we've overcome hurdle after hurdle. Moving out has been a huge learning curve for me, and I feel like it's really opened up my eyes to the world around me. 

My Mental Health... Several Years On

Hey there you lovely person. Are you taking care of yourself? Autumn can be a difficult time for some of us mental-health wise, so it's important that you take the time to look after yourself this season.

Last year I published a post (see: here) that was extremely difficult for me to put out there, especially in the knowledge that I would be broadcasting it to a completely new world of people- many of whom know me personally. Hitting the 'publish' button was terrifying, but at the same time I was so proud of myself for doing it.