10 things that have made me happy this week...

This week has been stressful. Actually, let's stress stressful. It's been stresssssfullll. I'm fairly certain my body is now falling apart because of the pressure I've put myself under over the last week. But it's done, over, fini. So I thought that there would be no better way to end this pretty hard week with a positive post on why it's actually been pretty great after all:

1. I submitted my dissertation. I cannot explain the huge weight that has been lifted from my shoulders. This project probably totalled around a year's worth of work. To have finally finished it is both magical and strange. If I'm completely honest, I'm now feeling a bit lost... What did I do before dissertation took over my life? On the plus side, I now have more time to blog which I've missed a lot.

© Rachel Thomason. Yeeeeaahh, that feels good.

2. This smoothie from Harris + Hoole that I treated myself to post-workout during the week. Berries, apples, froth... Need I say more?

3. My breakfast on Saturday morning after a hardcore treadmill workout. It was exactly what I needed to start my morning before having a final read of my dissertation and submitting it. Apple and cinnamon overnight oats, topped with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and peanut butter plus an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.

4. This post by Hannah Gale. If you're not familiar with her blog, go and take a look. An incredibly honest young woman whose posts never fail to strike a chord with me, or simply just make me howl with laughter.

5. The count-down to Amsterdam. It's a post-dissertation-submission treat and I am so so excited.

6. The Game of Thrones Season 5 trailer. O.M.G. Excitement does not cover it. Find it here. Go. 

7. This poem by Swinburne. Find full version here. Literature geek alert: we studied this in our seminar this week, and I actually quite enjoyed it. He's definitely got a different style to his Victorian contemporaries, and the themes are sometimes particularly disturbing/intriguing but I weirdly quite enjoyed studying it.

8. Running. Less enjoyable than normal this week which kind of contradicts the title of this post BUT the fact that I can and do run is a source of constant happiness. This week I needed the endorphins more than ever, and dragging myself out was hard but so worth it. Plus, I got to see this sunrise. Nothing beats this for me. Motivation for an early workout comes so naturally when it's this beautiful outside. It was the perfect start to my day.



9. The most amazing caramel latte which revived my love for coffee. It's the small things.

10. The daffodils that are coming out on campus. Springgggg. Winter is not coming... Spring is coming!! This fills me with so much happiness and positivity that it's clear I am just a true outdoors girl at heart. It was the perfect backdrop to give my dissertation one last read through before submission.


So yeah, stressful week balanced out by some small pleasures, and some bigger sources of excitement. Putting in all the work I did was tough, but as a bit of a over-conscientious stress-head, I probably didn't help myself. I do, however, know that as a result of said effort I honestly tried my absolute best. Better than best. So at least now, with my degree in someone else's hands, I can 100% say that I gave it my best shot. 

Also, exciting news! I'm now on bloglovin', yay! I'm still trying to get to grips with it all but I'm fairly sure it's going to be my new best friend. Follow me here!

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