Finding My Authentic Blog Voice & Why It's Changed

There's no doubt that blogging is a competitive industry - we are constantly watching it evolve along with the community expanding every day. Yet amongst the 100s of topics that get written about there's one thing that make each of us unique: our voice.

For me personally, I want my posts to show more than just words and pictures on a screen. I don't need my writing to be the best, I just want anyone who reads my blog to see my personality shine through from the very start and for me to be happy with what I've published.

Trust me when I say it wasn't easy to get here.

5 Reasons Why Spring is the Best Season

If you would have told me a few years ago that I would be picking Spring over Summer I know for a fact I wouldn't have believed you. I used to constantly rave about Summer and couldn't wait for it to arrive but now I have officially converted to the season of hope and new beginnings!

Of course every season has its own perks and each bring something unique when they're around - there's no doubt about that. However I think we all have a preference and for me Spring is the best out of them all.

Speaking of the best, here are my top 5 reasons for loving Spring and why I'm going to be making the most of it while it lasts.

Goodbye 2016 & Hello 2017

I didn't find it very difficult to say goodbye to 2016 and I know I wouldn't have been the only one feeling this way because let's be honest, it was a pretty rough year! I won't dwell on the negatives as I would much rather look back on the things that made me happy, what I've achieved and be grateful about the fact that 2016 wasn't all bad.. So let's get started!

It's Time For A Catch Up

Have you missed me? And yes it really has been a long time since I posted on here or done anything blogging related. Honestly we would be here all day if I went into every little detail about why this has come to happen so I've decided not to do that this time.

• I'm not going to apologise.
• I'm not going to call myself a terrible blogger.
• I'm not going to wallow in self-pity and quit blogging for good.

So instead of doing any of that nonsense, I'll finish my cup of tea before it gets cold *tick* and let you in on what I've been up to while I've been away. Thank god October was an interesting month for me otherwise I would have nothing to write about for this post haha!

Thoughts I Have While Tidying Up

Afters weeks of trying to avoid the massive pit I call my bedroom I finally decided it was time to do a massive clean out and although I'm glad it's over and done with, it was not an easy task. It takes me about an hour just to get myself motivated to tidy and even then I end up getting distract in some way i.e. lay in bed and scroll through social media. A lot of thoughts were going through my mind while I was slowly making progress round my room and I've listed a few of them below for your amusement!

Uninspired

The one funny thing to come out of me having no inspiration over the past few months is that I came to realise I used to have ideas. Not just ideas, good ideas. I was actually creative - and that's one thing I never thought I would say! Whenever I spoke to someone about creativity my normal response was either "I wish I was more creative" or "My imagination is close to non-existent" and by thinking like this I was restricting myself without even realising. I had already told myself I couldn't do it so of course I wasn't going to bother trying as I had written myself off from doing anything remotely original. But hey we all make mistakes right?

Things That Annoy Me

Let's be realistic - there are some things in life whether they're big or small that just get on our nerves. You know, those pet peeves that drive you up the wall? We've all got them and I've listed eight of my own below that will never stop being annoying! Maybe you'll be able to relate to a few of them.

Harry Potter, Food and Snapchat Filters | #AskAliCaitrin

Today is the day I do my first ever Q&A and the excitement is building over here! I decided a few weeks ago to bite the bullet and asked the great people of Twitter if they fancied giving me some questions to answer for a post; I even done a hashtag because I take myself way too seriously sometimes. ANYWAY you guys did not disappoint as I've answered a whopping 18 questions so you can all get to know me that little bit better and maybe get a giggle out of it. Let's get started!

Life Update

Remember me? Well it's been over three weeks since I last posted something here on my blog and to be honest I still don't have that many ideas on what to write at the moment. My creativity (the little bit that I did have) has decided to go on holiday apparently so I thought I would just write what my hands want to type. Don't expect a masterpiece - I'm saving that for another time!

CBT Diary | Session Two

It's been a over week now since I had my second CBT session and I was a little disappointed with it to be honest. Nothing against my therapist personally because she seems lovely I just felt like the phone call was unproductive compared to our last one. Also the session should normally last for 40 minutes and we were only on the phone for about 20 minutes. Maybe I'm over-thinking it? I don't really know but I guess it wasn't all bad as it's that one step closer to helping myself to get through this. Two down, two more to go!

A quick warning that this post talks about depression and anxiety so it could contain some triggering elements.

London Haunted Pub Tour

When I was invited to go on a haunted pub tour in London by LDN Meet Up and Best London Walks back in October along with other bloggers I leaped at the chance as I had been desperate to do something a little different in London! I've always been intrigued by spooky things and with it being close to Halloween it was perfect timing really. I know Halloween is long gone now but the great thing about this tour is that you can go anytime on the year. It's definitely something I think is better to experience yourself so I don't want to give too much away. Still there's no harm in giving you a sneak peek into what we got up to during the tour right?

CBT Diary | Session One

When it was first suggested to me by my doctor back in November that I should try some cognitive behavioural therapy for my anxiety and depression I didn't have a clue what to expect. Although I said yes I wasn't exactly looking forward to it if anything I was really scared. I was told straight away that I would need to have my sessions over the phone as my work schedule meant seeing them face-to-face at the centre wasn't an option. I accepted it regardless as I was willing to take whatever was offered to me - I was and still am desperate to get help. Anyway fast forward to two weeks ago and my first session had arrived! Before it ended she said that I should keep a diary of all of our sessions to keep an eye on my progress which was what gave me the idea to do them as posts! I hope this will interest you in some way whether you want to gain an insight into what therapy is like or you're just curious about what's going on in my life.

Another quick warning that this post talks about depression and anxiety so it could contain some triggering elements.

Nine Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2016

It's New Years Eve which we can only mean there's one day left of 2015! Weird? I'm not sure whether this year has gone by really quick or just dragged itself along. All I can say for sure is that it was definitely eventful and I want 2016 to be more positive not just because it's new year but because it's how it should be. I've also decided not to have any New Year's resolutions because every time I set myself one I end up slacking after a few weeks. Instead I want to talk about the great things I know that's going to happen! Let's start the New Year with a positive mindset!

What I Got for Christmas 2015

Helloo Everyone,

I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas holidays wherever you are and whatever you're doing! As you can tell from the title, this post is me showing you what I got from family and loved ones this Christmas and it's a post I've been umming and ahhing about doing as I know some people think these posts are kind of boasty. I love reading them on other people's blogs as I'm just as nosy as the next person so I decided to do one myself! If this isn't your cup of tea then that's absolutely fine and I'll see you back for my next post but if you want to have a read of what I got then of course feel free to scroll down and have a look!

Boxing Day Sales Haul

Helloo Everyone,

How I spent my Boxing Day this year was very different to how I normally have in the past; I usually stay in bed till after 12pm then I watch telly and spend time with family while we eat some leftover Christmas food, sounds good right? Well this was the first year that I had to work so that didn't exactly go to plan, but hey it wasn't all bad! While I was on my lunch break I decided pop to the shops to make the most of me actually being awake and I ended up getting a few bargains from the Boxing Day sale. Want to see what I got? Well I'm going to show you anyway!

Graphic Art of Harry Potter Exhibition

Helloo Everyone,

I love finding new and exciting things to do in London and for someone who's been living here for over a year now I haven't explored it as much as I would have liked. You could imagine how excited I was when I found out that there was going to be an exhibition on the graphic designs from the Harry Potter films, well I was very excited indeed! What topped it all off was that I finally got to meet the lovely Dee from Prompts by Dee for the first time as she came down to see me for the day! Aren't I a lucky girl? I had such a fantastic fandom day with her and as I took plenty of photos throughout, it seems silly not to show you all!

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Early warning that this post talks about depression so it could contain some triggering elements.

I haven't been myself for a while. Well I'm still Ali but something has changed. I feel lost and completely alone. I can't sleep properly even when I'm tired. I eat too much. My motivation has hit an all time low. I'm stuck in this mindset thinking that I'm worthless. Crying has become a regular thing. I feel like I've gone mad.

I'm depressed.

Typing that just made my heart sink. I haven't even said it out loud much, not that I'm in denial about it (well not anymore) because deep down I've known for a while but at the moment saying it doesn't make me feel any better. I was always naive and assumed it could never affect someone like me. Sadly that's not how depression works because it doesn't care who you are, it's completely heartless!

Christmas Comes Early at #IWOOTXMAS

Helloo Everyone,

I didn't think I would be putting up a Christmas post this early but I had to tell you all about the great event I went to a few weeks ago! I was invited to the #IWOOTXMAS event at Ziferblat in Manchester and let's just say it didn't take me long to say yes and buy my train tickets. The funny thing was I had never even been to Manchester before never mind a blogger event up there so I was a little nervous, luckily the excitement took over because it was the perfect excuse to get all Christmassy in November! I couldn't imagine what we'd get up to so now I know, let me tell you how it went!

Ali Caitrin Turns One

Helloo Everyone,

It's official, I've been blogging on Ali Caitrin for over a year now! How crazy is that? Weirdly enough I thought I would be very much like "Oh it seems like it was only yesterday that I started my blog" yet it honestly doesn't because if anything it feels like I've been doing it for years! I know I've got a lot more to learn don't get me wrong, what I mean is now blogging has become such a big part of my life it comes more naturally to me which of course is a relief haha! Anyway I thought in celebration of my blog turning 1 yesterday I would do a quick post letting you all in on how it all began and maybe learn a little bit more about me so I should probably get started before I go waffling on!

What I Learned From Travelling Solo

Helloo Everyone,

I'm backkkkkk! Sorry for going a bit AWOL, life has been hectic lately but I'm glad I can finally sit down and write some posts for this little blog of mine. Well if you guys didn't know already, August was the month that I took one of the biggest steps in my life so far which was me going on a mini trip on my own to Brussels. This might sound like I'm being a little dramatic as I only went away for a couple of days but for me that was huge! It was quite a spontaneous trip too as I only booked it 10 days before I was actually going which isn't like me at all and because I loved it so much, I thought I would let you in on what I learned from this amazing adventure!