I came into the first free weekend of the year feeling really rough with a cold, and honestly I was so disappointed at first because I’d been looking forward to it. But it turned into a really restorative weekend in a mental sense (not so much physically—my eyes just wanted to be shut the whole time). I leaned fully into cosy self-care: lots of baths, candles, eucalyptus in the diffuser, homemade ginger tea (ginger thrown into my lemon green tea), and plenty of quiet time catching up on vlogs and reading. I also pushed myself to get outside, because I know sitting about at home when I’m ill makes me feel worse. I headed to the coast for a wild, windy walk and I’m convinced I caught a sight of a whale (or at least the blow and a flash of black), and then I went out again for a woodland walk that felt wintry and grounding—even if the path was basically an ice rink. That fresh air sparked my creativity, so I spent the afternoon journaling with a green-and-gold woodland theme, layering papers, stamping trees and “forest,” and even using a little handheld sewing machine to stitch into my pages without risking my proper sewing machine. The big takeaway for me is simple: getting out for a walk clears the pathway for motivation, and it makes coming home to get cosy feel even better.