This is a sponsored post Created in collaboration with DesignBundles
So it’s fair to say that 2020 has been the most stressful year I can remember. From dealing with lockdown to trying to figure out what we’re up to now, it’s been hard not to get wrapped up in my own head. As a way of coping, not to mention as a way to use up some of the (many) hours I had to fill, during lockdown I managed to incorporate a few creative habits into my daily routines, and it was amazing how much of a stress reliever they became. In fact, I enjoyed some of them so much, that I’ve decided I’m going to make time for them to be enjoyed, even when life gets back to normal – and hopefully that’s a whole lot sooner than later!
One of the easiest, and most satisfying habits I got into during the very long weeks of lockdown was to spend an hour or so colouring-in each evening. As a result of some serious cupboard clean outs, I stumbled across a few colouring books from my childhood, and it felt like such a treat to be able to make a delicious hot drink, and switch off for an hour or two and truly relax. Some of my absolute favourites we’re colouring books I’d picked up during museum trips – colouring in Monet and Manet pictures almost felt like we were taking a trip back to the Louvre, without leaving the sitting room! It’s been scientifically proven that colouring an really help with mindfulness, and as someone who can get a bit stressed, it’s definitely an area I need to work on!
Another area which I worked on during the (very) long weeks of lockdown was my website – I have to admit, that sometimes, when work is busy, it can take a bit of a back seat. If I’ve been spending hours and hours working on a business’ social media, website, or even writing press releases, the last thing I want to do is turn around and do even more of it on my own behalf! But, when faced with what felt like endless afternoons, it was actually a bit of a treat to charge up the laptop and spend hours outside in the sunshine, fiddling around with all the admin I had been putting off dealing with. As well as updating media packs, taking a bank of images to use, and editing the photographs which I’d already taken, I discovered the rather incredible world of Design Bundles.
DesignBundles.net is a one-stop-shop for all things personalisation on the web. If you’ve got a site of your own, you have to check them out. Offering everything from fonts to templates, it’s a fabulous option for making your website feel like a really true reflection of yourself. Whether you want to add a paw print svg To your header, or perhaps you’d rather go for a horse svg, the options are limitless. I have spent hours scrolling through all the options and colours, debating which font looks best with which images. It’s so much fun to have a real think about what I want my blog to look like, and see which imagery best suits. It’s also let me have a bit of a play about when it comes to designing print-outs which help me stay organised. If you’re looking for a bit of a space for a brain dump each morning, why not try out the below:
All the gorgeous imagery from DesignBundles also inspired me to get my sewing box out. Since I was about seven or eight, I’ve loved cross-stitching as a way to switch off. There’s something so calming about concentrating on getting the number of stitches right, not to mention that creating samplers and little stitched bits makes to feel like you’ve really accomplished something – with all the lovely svg imagery which is available on DesignBundles, I was really inspired to copy a few in stitches. It’s probably the first time in three of four years that I’ve had enough time to sit down and complete projects from start to finish. There is just something so lovely about picking out all my threads and canvas, and watching it transform into something completely new which is so satisfying. In the past, when I’ve started projects, I’ve had to leave them half finished, as work has taken up so much time, but over the summer I finally got the chance to finish them off too, which felt lovely.
Getting creative is such an important and effective way to de-stress, I’m definitely going to make sure to take time to incorporate it into my routine as we edge back to normal. Whether it’s updating the look of my website, having fun with my camera for Instagram, or even just taking an hour out of my day to colour or cross-stitch, I’m going to make sure I do!
