2021 – New Year New Blog Name! How I grew in 2020.

Hi everyone!

Michelle ‘Elle’ here. If you’re following my blog, you may wonder why the name has suddenly changed from Garnets and Glitter to Adventures of Elle. I love writing on and off on this blog, but the name just didn’t seem right anymore. I started this current blog in 2017 and I initially wrote about beauty, travel and life in general. I still really enjoy those things, but throughout the learning curve that was 2020 I’ve grown in a different way. My main interests have become focused on saving the planet and living a much more environmentally-friendly lifestyle (hence my last few blog posts), reading more often, being more spiritually aware and to be perfectly honest, a little bit hippie because peace love and rock n roll is a whole vibe that makes me feel comforted and free. I’ve found myself really caring for the world, by making eco swaps and reducing, reusing and recycling as much as possible. I’m certainly not perfect, but I’m gradually making plastic free swaps throughout the house as I run out of things. I’ve started to enjoy yoga, meditation, journaling, spiritual healing, relaxing with incense and loving crystals whilst blasting 60s and 70s rock music. I’ve become obsessed with house plants, taken care of my garden, and spent so much more time outside. I’ve fallen back in love with reading and escaping between the pages (of secondhand or library books, of course). I’ve found solace by learning about the phases of the moon and just generally following a more holistic approach for life. I really don’t think my anxiety would have coped without it all – mindfulness is seriously so important especially during these troubling times. I thought that renaming my blog may symbolise how I’ve, as cliché as it sounds, found myself despite the darkness of the past year. I really struggled to think of a name that summed up all of my interests, but of course that was never going to happen! So I’ve settled for Adventures of Elle, and I really like it. I’ve also renamed my social media, so please feel free to follow via these links:

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok (I’m attempting to get the hang of it!)

I’d also really like to share some of my goals in life this year. I’m trying to keep positive and hope that at least the second half of 2021 will be a little closer to normality, whatever normality is of course!

• Get hiking. When it’s safe and legal to travel around the country, I really want to do some hiking! I fell in love with the Peak District when I was a child, and I would love to explore it again. I’d also like to visit closer to home – I live very close to the border of the Cotswolds and I’ve never explored it on foot. I’d love to try and get to the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, Dartmoor, maybe even the Lake District. I mean, I’d love to hike in any of the UK’s national parks or AONB’s, but seeing as we are currently in a national lockdown I will try and keep realistic! One day I’ll come for you too Scotland, you absolute beauty. If any hikers have any tips or good routes, please let me know below!
• Keep to a good morning routine as much as possible. Get up at least an hour before starting work (at home at the moment and for the foreseeable). Get showered and dressed straight after getting up (with NO snooze button), have a cup of coffee outside in the fresh air, watch the sunrise, journal, meditate, just be in the moment by myself for a while. I’ve found that these activities in the morning really help with setting myself up for the day and for keeping a strong sense of mindfulness, although let’s face it, there will still be days where I roll out of bed late and am not productive at all, I’m only human! But if I can keep to this routine most morning’s I will be happy.
• Keep active. Obviously fitness will be a factor in the above hiking goal, but I want to really improve my fitness anyway. I’ve found a love for yoga and I will certainly be keeping that up. I’ve also started the NHS Couch 2 5k programme which is brilliant for getting you quite literally up and running!
• As The Beatles once wonderfully sang, Let It Be. I’ve got to stop letting the actions of others affect my mental health. I’m going to try and ensure that my inner consciousness vibrates on a much higher level than those who seem to relish in spreading negativity. I’ll keep those people at bay, and have no time for anyone who doesn’t contribute to my happiness. In return, I want to make sure I make a positive contribution to the mental wellbeing of others, and I hope I can make many people smile this year.
• Keep helping to save the planet! I’ll aim to post a more in-depth description of my eco plans for 2021 later in the week, so keep an eye out if you’re interested! I’m going to focus so much energy into making sustainable and green choices to hopefully help to make a positive change. We are so blessed to live in such a naturally beautiful world and it is up to us to keep it beautiful for our future generations.
• Keep smiling, even when some days it’s the last thing I want to do. You’ve got to keep smiling.

Thanks for reading this far! Please do leave some love in the comments, I’d appreciate it so much!

Elle XxX