S.R. Crawford's Blog, page 87

“YOU’RE AS MAD AS I AM” Self-Help Book, COMING SOON!

“You’re As Mad As I Am” is the revamped version of my self-help book from 2016, originally called “From My Suffering: 25 Ways to Break the Chains of Anxiety, Depression & Stress.”

This year, almost exactly 2 years on, I am republishing it under a new title, with 5 extra chapters for more advice! The book encompasses my experiences with anxiety, depression, and stress, whilst I share how I have been able to find relief from all three. Mental health is important, so better yours with me…

The book includes techniques like:

Yoga & Meditation

Relationships

Fun

Art

Find Your Purpose

Balance

Acceptance

Travel

And more!

Get your copy of the new edition in no time. Stay tuned! The cover reveal will be coming soon, too!

Happy Valentine’s Day to Me

Before you give yourself to another,

You first must love,

Yourself.

But we don’t, do we?

Not really. Not enough.

Maybe we like ourselves,

Sometimes. Maybe.

But not as much as we

Hate ourselves.

We hate ourselves by,

Comparing our lives to others,

Hiding our true identity,

Telling ourselves we aren’t good enough,

Not giving our best every time,

Going out in our frumpy clothes everyday,

Eating bad foods,

Working crap jobs,

Letting people walk all over us,

And never standing up for ourselves.

Well, no.

This Valentine’s Day –

I want you to love you.

To really love you.

Because you’re amazing.

It doesn’t matter what happened,

In the past; you’re a different person now.

Give yourself a break.

Breathe.

You got this!

This Valentine’s, do something special for yourself.

Take yourself on a date.

Wine and dine yourself.

Because you are you for the rest of your life.

So, enjoy yourself.

—-

Before committing yourself to someone else and giving yourself entirely to another person – think about the person that you are. Do you love yourself first? Are you loveable? The answer is yes, if only you see yourself as best.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Free proofreading services!

Hey, you beautiful lot! I’m offering free proofreading services to people who have written text that’s under 1,000 words! This is to promote my freelancing business and get the ball rolling.

Spread the word! Tell your friends, your family, your neighbours, your neighbour’s dog! Anyone who may have some written text that needs a check-over – I’m your woman.

All I ask in return is a review of my work after it’s done, either on my website or Facebook business page. That’s all!

Get in touch via email to enquire about my services… speak to you soon!

My “Second January”

I’ve always loved January. Most people hate it. The pressure it too much; they’ve spent too much in December, and the month just keeps on going. But I love it.

Until this year.

Every other January, in my adult life, I’ve been super productive. I’m one of those people who thrives on the “blank slate” idea. However, this January, I did nearly nothing of importance. The years previously, I had written a new book by now or at least wrote a significant amount of one – but not this year. This year, instead I was working. Full time. Immersed in the 9-5 grind that leaves me lifeless and exhausted afterward.

Ah, well. There’s nothing to be done about it now. Except I did do something – I took my life back into my own hands. With the disappointment of what my life has become since taking the 9-5 job, I had a few options. Either accept it for what it is. Quit the job entirely. Apply like crazy for other jobs. Or work myself into a coma in order to live the life I want (ish) around the 9-5.

I chose to quit. (I’m good at quitting, you see).

However, the universe had my back – thanks, Universe.

When I gave in my resignation, the universe gave me another choice that I didn’t know I had – to work at my current job part-time instead. It seems my boss rather likes me, and so he has helped me to stay with the company but also take a part of my life and my time back.

Wahoo!

And so, from February, I am a part-time worker again; but this time, not in retail which made me feel like a failure (retail isn’t for failures, by the way, it’s just my circumstance that made me feel this way after dropping out of university blah blah blah).

This means I will hopefully be able to change my lifestyle and grow in the way I want to. This means I can write my own things. This means I can breathe again. This means I can be who I want to be, not who I was being forced to be…

I don’t know if this was the right choice, but it is the option that presented itself when I decided to take my life back. We’ll see what happens, but I am excited to see what this year will bring me now.

My motto for this year is: “It’s Time…” So, let’s see what it’s time for.

2018, I’m finally ready. And here’s to February, my second January. May it be filled with productive moves.

New Year, Same Me

“New Year, New Me” doesn’t really work because as the clock strikes 12, we don’t actually change. We may have been given a new calendar year, but we are the same people with the same problems and the same bad habits.

I don’t mean to put a damper on the new year. I for one love the blank slate, fresh start idea. However, I also believe in realism. Don’t expect a new year to bring all the good into your life – you still have to work for it.

2017 was a beefy weird year for me. I can’t decide whether it was “good” or not. Helpful or not. I mean, yes of course it was helpful, if anything, it showed me what I don’t want and what I shouldn’t do.

Despite the confusion, there are a few things that 2017 did bring me that are note worthy, important, fantastic, or grown-inspiring that I’m sharing here to show myself (if nobody else) that even though life may seem dull or unproductive, when you look back, a lot of worthy sh*t actually happened…

I became a lover of Chinese food
I republished and revamped the Eternity series
I wrote a book that I didn’t publish
I spoke at a motivational seminar
I freelanced
I went to South Africa
I went on a quad bike safari
I went on a normal African safari
I went to France
I left Argos
I got a full time writing job
I became a more confident driver
I had a fun summer
I moved into a new room
I quit jobs
I started plotting and writing the new book series I hope to pursue next year and the years to come
I started the process of moving in with my partner
I rode a horse
I learnt some Shona
I ate octopus
I developed my YouTube channel
I was interviewed
I hosted a Goodreads giveaway
I went for Japanese afternoon tea
I made new friends
I had good nights out
I sold things online
I read nearly 30 books
I went in the sea (in Durban in South Africa)
I went rage kart driving
I went air rifle shooting
I started to love curry
I withdrew my self-help book with the intention to republish it better next year
I went to watch Jeremy Kyle live (and potentially will be on tv)
I lived like a local in South Africa
I started The Write Way
I had my 2nd anniversary
I explored France
I did Halloweeny stuff
I did Christmassy stuff
I met baby cousin for the first time (first baby in the family)
I went to my baby cousin’s christening
I have blood
I had hair changes
I went to the sea life centre
I met my brother’s girlfriend
I wrote about a third of the third book in the Eternity series
I saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
I decided to bet on myself.

There’s a lot that I’ve done this year. Though some things may be small and potentially meaningless to other people, they were significant to me and my development. I’m living, I can see that now, and that’s what counts most of all.

Last year my motto was “More”. I think that put a lot of pressure on me but yes, I guess, I did do “more”.

This year, my motto is simple – “It’s time…”

Different Ways to Live

There is a multitude of lifestyle options out there in the world. I’ve had so many conflicting feelings in my life since leaving college, and this is because I’ve been torn between what my heart says and what is presented to me in society.

You see, in our western world, we can often get caught up in one lifestyle – the 9 to 5 grind. And for a long time, I too thought this was the only way to live your life. But you know what, it’s not. It doesn’t work for everyone. It doesn’t make everyone happy.

This got me thinking about all the different ways people choose to live their lives that make them happy, but may not necessarily work for someone else. There really are so many ways to live and yet we seem to feel limited to just one…why?

Here are some ways to live…

The 9-5 (full-time work)
Part-time work
Remote work (work from home or wherever)
Office work
Outside work
Labouring
Creative work
Managerial work
A focus on religion
Parenthood
Stay at home parent
Child-less
Traveller
Online worker
Living with parents
Living on parents’ money
Driving everywhere
Walking everywhere
Cycling everywhere
Public transport
Not leaving the house
Always leaving the house
Suburban life
Always changing your life
Living in a flat
Living in a house
Living in a shed
Living in a car
Dream chasing
Doing what your parents did
Doing what your parents wanted
Doing what your friends did
Spiritual devotion
Never leaving your hometown
Never staying in one town for long
Technology-oriented
Never use technology
Clean and neat
Messy and untidy
Education to the furthest extent
Not following the education path
Self education
Self exploration
Following your heart
Following your head
Doing what others say
Helping others before yourself
Working for free
Minimalism
Materialism
Living for things
Living for experiences
Saving up for the future
Spending for the now
Career-focused
Family-focused
Friend-focused
Relationship-focused
Health-focused
Plotter and planner
Go with the flow type
25 careers in a lifetime
1 career in a lifetime
Eating the same things every week
Always trying new things
Risk-taker
Staying in the comfort zone
Party hard
Introverted
Extroverted
Always fearful
Fearless
Independent
Co-dependent
Serious
Fun
Strive for challenges
Looks for trouble
Reckless and carefree
Self conscious
Ignorant
In the know
Living while you’re young
Life after 50
Big family
No family
Lone wolf
Pack traveller
For the aesthetics
For the inner-self
Kind to others
Indifferent to others
Giver
Taker
Small amount of money
More money than you can spend

Just because someone makes different lifestyle choices to you, doesn’t mean they are in the wrong or missing out. As long as everyone is happy and not impacting negatively on others with their life, isn’t it OK that we all just get along and focus on ourselves?

It’s OK to consider another lifestyle choice if you feel like something is wrong or missing in your life. There are many ways to live, not just one.

7 Scary Things in the Eternity Series

Due to it being Halloween and all that, let’s list 7 scary things that are featured in my dark fantasy series…

Demons of the Underworld, appearing in three forms: The Winged, The Imprinted, and The Colossal. Their skeletal and shredded wings, leaking irises, greying skin and dual voices.
Vampires who become skeletal under the curse of the sun.
Gothic Vampire weddings with sacrifices and Demons.
Demon curses and deadly consequences to superhuman abilities.
Beastial, possessive, united Vampires.
Bellemere Kane with the ability to stop someone’s heart. Sphinx with the ability to infect someone. And Immortals with a deadly obsession.
War, death, and bloodshed in abundance…

 

Add Ash Born to your bookshelf

 

What We Did in Paris, France

I know I still owe you a post or two about South Africa – they’re coming, I swear – but here is a post about my beautiful weekend trip to France…

Walked to the top of the Eiffel Tower, much to my legs’ agony.
Found the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum – amongst many other artistic masterpieces.
Watched residents play Ultimate Frisbee in the park.
Sat awestricken by the glittering Eiffel Tower at night.
Ate croissants, baguettes, and other French pastries.
Stayed in a hotel right by the Eiffel Tower; in fact, we could see it light up the night from our hotel room.
Stood in the shadow of the monumental Arc De Triomphe.
Rode the underground train with residents.
Sat and ate whilst admiring the Notre Dame cathedral (also doing a spot of people watching).
And loved one another, whole and true.

Au revoir!

What We Did in France, Paris

I know I still owe you a post or two about South Africa – they’re coming, I swear – but here is a post about my beautiful weekend trip to France…

Walked to the top of the Eiffel Tower, much to my legs’ agony.
Found the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum – amongst many other artistic masterpieces.
Watched residents play Ultimate Frisbee in the park.
Sat awestricken by the glittering Eiffel Tower at night.
Ate croissants, baguettes, and other French pastries.
Stayed in a hotel right by the Eiffel Tower; in fact, we could see it light up the night from our hotel room.
Stood in the shadow of the monumental Arc De Triomphe.
Rode the underground train with residents.
Sat and ate whilst admiring the Notre Dame cathedral (also doing a spot of people watching).
And loved one another, whole and true.

 

Au revoir!

How to Enjoy The Season

As someone who has had issues with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I felt I needed to compose a list about how to best enjoy the Autumn/Winter season. If you, too, were looking for some fun ideas, here’s a list to get you started.

Collect fallen leaves of varying colours
Find conkers
Buy some new clothes: scarves, hats, coats, jackets, boots, jumpers, and autumn colours
Dress up for Halloween
Eat Halloween candy
Halloween decorations
Decorate your room with Autumn/Winter decor
Declutter
Carve pumpkins
Try out some pumpkin recipes
Cook a big roast dinner
Try a variety of hot drinks
Buy beautiful smelling candles
Gaze at the stars
Have a bonfire/campfire with marshmallows and good conversation
Go to Winter specific events i.e. I plan to go to Harry Potter Studios to see it coated in snow and the German Christmas Market
Make paper snowflakes
Blanket days
Film marathons
Write poems
Go on a night walk
Sit by a fire
Watch “Home Movies”
Binge watch Netflix