Avoiding Burnout, Life Update & What I’m Currently Reading

November has been a crazy month! The strict lockdown in Melbourne ended and we celebrating almost a month of no new COVID cases which is amazing. With lockdown easing, I’ve been able to go out and do things with my SO and we haven’t been at home as often (naturally). Unfortunately, because of being able to go out – y’know, have a somewhat sort of social life, and my favourite; being able to go shopping for things and just browsing (a small hobby of mine), I have been exhausted. My body and my mind are still getting used to not being cooped up in an apartment for months on end and I have been so tired.

With that and a busy full-time job, it has meant that I haven’t read a lot. I’m usually so tired after work and after other activities, I just watch YouTube. While writing this, I’ve read 4 books out of the 10-12 I had planned, which is tiny and representative of how much time I’ve been able to sit down and read. Especially when 2 of the books were audiobooks!

It doesn’t feel like I have blogged much either even though I have been posting 1-2 times a week so my expectations from previous months while in lockdown need to be re-evaluated. I don’t feel guilty about not reading as much (even if my TBR is constantly staring me down) but it’s plain disappointing because I WANT to read.

My Next Steps: Avoiding Burnout & Self-Care

Self-care is what basically everyone was preaching this year when the pandemic began, but I think it’s more important than ever to revisit it as cities like Melbourne are opening up after a lockdown.

It is important to tell myself that it’s OKAY to not read or blog every day because I’m tired, and to take it easy because the last thing I want is to burn out from trying to blog and read when I’m not up to it and get into a slump. My psychologist has always said that when you’re feeling tired, run-down or just not at your best is when you need to put more effort and more time in relaxing and self-care.

What have been doing for self-care?

I watch YouTube (guilt-free) and enjoy myself by watching different content I haven’t really watched before, I paint my nails (nail therapy has been amazing!), I use a colouring book every now and then and go for a walk with my SO to get some air. I’m also just enjoying being outside and doing things with friends and family, because after so long in lockdown – we all deserve it.

Life has been completely different from March onwards and this is the closest to ‘normal’ we have had, so even if it makes me more tired; it’s something to enjoy and take advantage of especially when you don’t know when it could potentially last.

What I’m Currently Reading

I have been reading The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon for what seems like 2 weeks cause I’ve only so far gotten to about 50 pages out of 500! I’m determined to finish it and The Song Rising by the end of the month (reviews will be in a specific blog post – in anticipation for the 3rd book ‘The Mask Falling’ coming out early next year). I loved The Bone Season and it’s been great to finally get to this sequel and continue Paige’s journey in the world of Scion and Sheol I.

I’m already loving seeing the series’ characters again and finding out how they are going to solve the immediate and life-threatening problems from the ending of the first book. I’ve been told that the Mime Order ends on a particularly bad cliffhanger so it’s safe to anticipate that I’ll want to pick up The Song Rising straight after!

I wasn’t 100% sure where this post was going to go but I thought I’d give you guys an update, chat about self-care and show you what I’m currently reading.

What do you guys do for self-care? And, what are you currently reading?

Until next time,