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My 2021 roundup

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Blog posts

I really enjoy reading other people’s round-ups of the year, as well as writing my 2020 one. This time, I thought it would be fun to share my favourite blog post of my own, from each month. I’m also going to share a few of my favourite blog posts from other bloggers at the end of the post. Without further ado, here is my 2021 roundup!

January

In January I had exams & an assignment due in so I was extremely stressed out. It was my 1 year anniversary of being self-harm free, unfortunately, I broke that a few months later. I think it snowed twice, so that’s pretty cool! My mum and I did a few zoom sessions with my siblings, and I facetimed people a lot.

In terms of blogging, I finally went self-hosted! You can read all about my blogging journey.

My favourite January blog post: 25 simple ways to save energy

February

Semester 2 began, online of course, but I was finding it really interesting still. Near the end of Feb, I got my covid vaccine which I’m still super grateful about! I also really focused on making content for my Instagram account and working out a good system to balance my blog & uni.

My favourite February blog post: How to create a self-harm distractions box

March

March is my birthday month! I didn’t end up doing anything much for my birthday, but I did have a Colin the caterpillar cake. My parents gave me a baby Monstera Deliciousa plant, which has grown so much since then. I named it Milo. This month was quite a productive month with uni, my personal life & my blog. I was on top of my lectures, I was reading lots and I was producing a lot of content for Pinterest. Covid wise, life was looking better – I managed to meet up with a few friends.

My favourite March blog post: 6 things you shouldn’t say to someone with an eating disorder

April

April was a pretty good month for me! I got to go back to Bournemouth – lectures were still online but it was great to be able to live in Bournemouth again. My friend and I had a nice picnic on the beach and we went out a bit too. We did a fun scavenger hunt and won a free pizza order & a movie night hamper. I had 2 assignments due which kept me pretty busy as well.

April was the month that I started to have collaborations with brands. This was so exciting for me and my blog was finally taking off 😊

My favourite April blog post: Simple sustainable swaps for students

May

I had my second covid vaccine! The charity shops were finally open again so I ended up buying 3 books (which I still haven’t read 🙈). I met up with a couple of my friends and we ordered Dominoes which was a big recovery step for me. We had such a lovely day together. I had been putting off calling the doctor (for years) but I finally did it to get to the bottom of my digestive issues. When I was back in Bournemouth, we had a lot of movie nights. We explored Boscombe a little bit and went to the cat cafe which was the cutest thing ever – I need to visit again soon! My friend and I went to a vintage clothing stall – I got a beautiful black and red dress.

One of my favourite days of the year was right at the end of May. I couldn’t sleep so ending up going on an early morning walk to the beach. I took my sketchpad and painted a little picture of the sea. It was so much fun being there so early because it was so quiet and there were so many beautiful shells. Later on, my friends and I walked to Sandbanks which was a bit emotional because I used to go there when we visited my granny. It was really hot so I wore got to wear my favourite green floral dress which was a bonus!

I did have 2 exams in May so it was still stressful, but overall a pretty good month. I also published my first sponsored blog post which was definitely exciting! You can read it here.

My favourite May blog post: 10+ ways to reduce your digital carbon footprint

  • 7am beach picture
  • Selfie in my favourite dress

June

In June, I went on a field trip which meant I could finally meet my coursemates! It was very strange since this was one of our last things before the year ended. I had a really amazing time on the field trip, definitely a highlight of my year. A few of us got together at the end of the week and had a bbq on the beach, and then went back to someone’s house to play poker haha. I was awful but it was nice to get to know them better. I did a lot of charity shopping and got some really nice floral shoes for like £2.50! Also, I visited my Granny for the first time in ages which was really lovely. I reunited with my sister and we stayed with her for a night which I loved. She makes the BEST cheese toasties. I moved out of my flat and went back home for the summer.

My favourite June blog post: How to cut down on plastic beauty products & 14 things no one tells you about depression

  • Father’s Day cake for my dad

July

This month was super busy for me as it was plastic-free July! I worked with lots of amazing brands and wrote lots of blog posts. I reunited with my brother and had a lovely day on his boat. We saw loads of swans, which were so cute and we fed them from the window. My parents and I went on holiday to Swanage for a few days in our caravan. We were super cautious of covid so we didn’t go to the main attractions & kept our masks on a lot. We went to Durlston Country Park to identify some butterflies, which I had been doing the month before on my field trip! I tried a Greggs vegan sausage roll for the first time and it was delicious – highly recommend if you haven’t tried it before. Then it was my cousin’s wedding which was such a lovely ceremony.

My favourite July blog post: Plastic-free July swap: Wild deodorant review

  • Spotted White butterfly
  • The view at Durlston
  • Old Harry from the sea
  • Small Blue butterfly

August

In August, I found my hair was getting too long, so I decided to give myself a haircut. It turned out really well and I saved £30 which is what it would cost to go to a salon! I visited my brother in Leicester for his birthday – we went to an old fashioned sweet shop. I rang the doctor again and started taking some pills to improve my IBS. One of my proudest achievements was when I spoke at an environmental summit which was so amazing! Near the end of the month, we went to stay with my sister and went to the cat cafe. It was so cool, and one of the cats was tiny which was super cute.

My favourite August blog post: How my bullet journal helped my mental health

September

This month I hung out with my friends, went to a new cafe and did some charity shopping. Mid-September, I moved back to Bournemouth and we went to the beach which was fun. This was the first month I had my first monthly advertisers! You can advertise with me for only £2.50 each month, I have a couple of slots left for February. Message me on Twitter or Instagram x

My favourite September blog post: How to have a sustainable wardrobe & The benefits of candles and crystals

October

I got back into playing the piano so brought a keyboard from home. I went to a couple of socials this month, though it was a bit awkward! There are so many cats in my local neighbourhood which I’m loving! My sister visited me for the weekend which I really enjoyed, though I was really ill with horrible period pains & almost fainted. My friends and I went to Boscombe to go to the zero waste shop (Just 1 Swap), we did a bit of other shopping and went to the beach too. I started my first carbon literacy session which was really cool – I’m now a certified carbon literate! However, this month my mental health went really downhill and at the end of the month, I went home.

My favourite October blog post: How being eco-friendly can save you money

  • Beach sunset
  • Just 1 Swap shop
  • the Crooked Book shop

November

My mental health was basically at rock bottom for the whole of November. I lost all my motivation, felt so alone and isolated. I started to skip meals again, which in turn messed up my digestive system. Looking back, I should have got some help at university and definitely an extension for my assignments. Mid-November I visited my friend in Southampton and that really helped with my mood. I hung out a little more with my housemates and started to feel a little better. We went to the beach at night, the arcade on the pier and then to Franca Manco! I also got my covid booster & flu vaccine! One jab in each arm was really quite something, but I’m super grateful to have had it. Unfortunately, my brother got covid and because I was in contact with him, I decided to self-isolate. That took a toll on my mental health again. Later on in the month, we had our house Christmas party. Then a couple of days later, we went ice skating which I enjoyed so much. I managed to skate around the rink without touching the side – very proud of myself. We met up with a couple of other people, walked around Christmas Tree Wonderland and went to Slug & Lettuce for some drinks.

My favourite November blog post: Things that have brought me joy recently

December

December didn’t start off so good. I had potentially the worst period pains I’ve ever had. It forced me to ring the doctor to figure out what was going on. It was really good that I was at home because I definitely wouldn’t have been able to cope without my parents. The doctor thinks I have endometriosis which makes sense. I am always absolutely exhausted…so this is something I am going to try and manage.

Apart from that, I was super stressed out because I had two assignment deadlines. I literally studied 247 for 2 weeks which was definitely not healthy. I let myself get burnt out, which is something else I’m going to be working on.

My sister & brother came back for Christmas and we made our annual gingerbread house! This year we chose an eco theme so we had solar panels, a living roof with flowers, my windmill, a shoal of turtles & a dolphin to show who we are doing it for. Plenty of trees, a skateboard and a train for longer journeys.

My favourite December blog post: 8 reasons why you should choose second-hand & 10 ways to give back this Christmas

  • Front of the house
  • Living roof
  • Back of the house
  • Solar panels
  • Dolphin on a skateboard (with my windmill behind)

My favourite blog posts from other bloggers in 2021

Best wishes, Cx

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Despite some of the down moments (sorry to hear how tough November was!), you collected some great photos and memories over the year! It was nice to scroll through, thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  2. What a lovely roundup! Your summer pictures look so nice and I’m glad you got to spend some time back at uni, even if it was online. I hope your December deadlines went well and that you managed to get some rest as well over the festive period!

    Tash x

    Reply

  3. This was such a great round up to read! I like that you have been really honest with your struggles, and I really hope that in 2022 you have nothing but good days 😊
    P.S. the gingerbread house with the dolphin is so cute!

    Reply

  6. I do like hearing from other bloggers in their annual wrap up! I’m sorry you felt so low in November but I see you made lots of great memories and great strides on your blog. I loved seeing your photos! All the best for a Happy, Health 2022 Caroline!

    Reply

  7. I didnt know you played piano! It sounds like you’ve had a great year but the ending was a bit tough, I hope you are feeling much better now!

    Corinne x

    Reply

  8. Thanks for sharing your round-up of the year, it’s always amazing to read what people have overcome (I understand and sympathize greatly about how your mental health took a hit in the later months of 2021 — mine sucked a lot too). It sounds like you have had some lovely moments too — so awesome that you had a Colin the Caterpillar cake (so jealous) and learned lots of things along the way. Wishing you all the best in 2022!

    Reply

  11. It looks like you had a great year. I can empathize with what happened in November because I was going through a similar thing, but I’m glad to hear that things got better. Also, I love the gingerbread windmill. It’s so cute!

    Hope 2022 is much better!

    Loren | Plaid & Sugar

    Reply

  12. This was really neat to read because while you shared your favorite posts, you also did an amazing job documenting what 2021 was like for you – both the good and the bad. I hope that 2022 brings you LOTS of joy and exciting opportunities. I can’t wait to see what the year holds for you and your blog 🙂

    Reply

  13. Lovely roundup here! I’m so sorry November was such a tough month for you, I hope you managed to get some rest during Christmas. It looks like you had an amazing start of the year, though! Thanks for sharing, wishing you all the best for 2022 x

    Reply

  15. This is such a fun post idea! I love these too, but I always forget to keep track of the things I do – I might have to start so I can have a fun roundup next year

    Reply

  16. November was also a tough month for me. It’s when I struggled to be motivated and inspired. I skipped a lot of admin work and I just couldn’t complete my to-do lists. But hey, it was a good year for me too. Thanks for sharing your whole year reflection

    Reply

  18. Sorry to hear of your endometriosis diagnosis. I hope you’re managing it OK x
    I love that you wrote a bit about each month. It must have been such a strange college year for you and your classmates.
    It looks like you’ve made some lasting memories though, which is fantastic!

    Reply

  19. Sorry to hear about some of the tough moments you had last year (including the horrible period pains in December) but overall it sounds like a great year. I’ve loved reading everyone’s 2021 roundups!

    Reply

  21. Loved reading your roundup! It is so fun seeing how your attitude, goals, and lifestyle changed throughout the year and how you found ways to cope and keep moving on.

    Having just made a gingerbread house, I am in awe of yours! Enough said . . .
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  23. This was so nice to read as it was so honest, I think a lot I’d have been struggling throughout these past years and it’s almost reassuring knowing you’re not alone in it. I was the same as you with having a bad time during November and December with exam stress and general life stress, here’s hoping we both have a better start in 2022!

    Reply

  24. This was a completely different idea from best blog posts and liked. Relevance of post with each month. I loved the plant gift from your parents. You playing poker. Sorry to hear about November and the post you picked for that. Hope you’re better now. Looking forward tj more from you in 2022. Xx
    Isa A. Blogger

    Reply

  25. What a lovely round-up of your 2021 year Caroline. Thank you for sharing your stories of each month and opening up with such honesty as to how you were doing. It sounds like you overcame a lot and build up some resilience in the past year. Be gentle and kind with yourself – and best wishes for 2022. Hope exam preparations are going well.

    Reply

  26. I really enjoy reading these posts from fellow bloggers. It feels like I know you much better now. 2021 was a year you did some impressive things with your blog! I wish 2022 will be an even better one for you!

    Reply

  28. I’m so happy to hear 2021 was a good year for you! LOVE the look of the Father’s Day cake for your dad by the way, yum!

    aglassofice.com x

    Reply

  29. Thank you for sharing your personal experience of 2021 and what you enjoyed. You did great with your blog. Happy New Year, I hope 2022 is a good year for you.

    Lauren

    Reply

  30. I love your eco gingerbread house! Sounds like you had some great moments last year and I hope you’re feeling much better now and hope 2022 goes well for you!
    Amy x
    callmeamy.co.uk

    Reply

  34. Thanks for sharing about your year, life is indeed filled with ups and downs. Hang in there for the bad times they never last and treasure the good times and memories. Love your blog keep it up 🙂

    Reply

  37. Despite the down moments it seems like you had some great highlights last year. Good luck with the potential endo management, I’ve been trying to get a diagnosis for my issues for a really long time now. I wish I’d kept better track of my year like this, things got a little blurry between lockdowns and various different restrictions x

    Reply

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