Letting Go of 2021

It's almost the end of 2021, so time for my yearly letting go post! I started writing this a couple of days ago and it's now New Year's Eve. You can see my previous posts at the links below:

Letting Go of 2017: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/12/letting-go-of-2017.html

Letting Go of 2018: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2018/12/letting-go-of-2018.html

Letting Go of 2019 + Starting a New Decade:  https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/12/letting-go-of-2019-starting-new-decade.html

Letting Go of 2020: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/12/letting-go-of-2020.html

 

2020 was a difficult year worldwide, with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. 2021 has been a bit better (although not for everyone, since we all have different experiences), but still quite hard. Back in June I wrote my mid-year reflections post, which you can read here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/06/mid-2021-reflections.html

I've written about numerology in past posts. If that's something you follow, you'll be interested to know that The Universal Year number for 2021 was 5, so 2022's will be 6. This year was about freedom and change (maybe in relation to lockdowns easing and the world "opening up" again!). Next year will be about accepting and assuming responsibility. You can read more about it here: https://www.numerology.com/articles/numerology-news/2022-numerology-predictions/

My Personal Year number for 2021 is 9, so next year's will be 1. As I mentioned in last year's post, 9 is about completion and closure, and 1 is about starting at the beginning again, a new cycle. (2017 was actually a 1 universal year.) I use the book 21st Century Goddess for my year number information, but I also used this online resource for a change (it calculates your Personal Year number if you don't already know it):  https://feliciabender.com/monthly-numerology-forecast/#calculate 

The Numerology article linked to above also tells how to work out your personal number.

 

Gratitude List

 Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Chocolate advent calendars!
• Yule/the Winter Solstice 
• Hot chocolate
• Getting a gingerbread latte from Costa 
  
• Christmas decorations
• Christmas presents and wishes. :)
• New books to read
• Watching Law of Attraction and Law of Assumption videos on YouTube- I linked to some channels in this post
  

 

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Doing a metal belly dance workshop with Lianna Greene
• Going to Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre
• Going to Starbucks and having a pumpkin spice Frappuccino
  
• Finch, a self-care app for mobile! 💗
  
• Cosy blankets- it's got really cold lately!
  
• Walking in the park
• Reading good books
• Last of the autumn beauty. :)

 

I also thought I'd share another picture this month, from my walk in the park:

 

Buckingham Park, Shoreham-by-sea.

How to REALLY Believe (LOA)

I haven't felt inspired to post much this year. 2020 was a difficult year for basically everyone and 2021 hasn't been easy either. I've had several ideas for posts but they didn't feel right to write at the moment. It's been a while since I've done a Law of Attraction post, in fact not since last year when I wrote Law of Attraction 2.0 (a follow-up to my basic LOA post). You can read that here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/08/law-of-attraction-loa-20.html

 

However, after not having much inspiration for a while, I felt like writing something LOA themed again. :) This post is about looking at how you can have more belief in manifesting your desires.

Note: For a basic introduction to the Law of Attraction (LOA for short) visit this post: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2013/08/law-of-attraction.html

When it comes to manifesting, believing that your dreams will come true/your desires will manifest can be very hard. Especially if you feel that you keep hitting a wall and don't see much of a result. I've been working on my mindset for quite a few years now and while I do feel better, I also have periods where I feel down again. Earlier this year I wrote a couple of posts called Starting From the Bottom, which are about moving upwards when you've been feeling low and improving your life. If you don't feel in that much of a positive mindset right now, you may want to read those first:

Starting From the Bottom- Part 1: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/04/starting-from-bottom-part-1.html

Starting From the Bottom- Part 2: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/08/starting-from-bottom-part-2.html 

And now let's move onto the main part of the post. :)

I've come to understand that your beliefs can be a big part of manifesting. I've previously written about them and expanding your idea of what's possible. You can find those posts below:

What Is Possible? (LOA)  https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-is-possible-loa.html

Beliefs and Believing (LOA): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2015/11/beliefs-and-believing-loa.html

 

Gratitude List

 Things I'm grateful for this month:

• First full month of autumn
• Leaves turning on the trees- they can be slow to turn and then all of a sudden they're gone!
• Hot chocolate- I've started drinking it again as it the weather gets colder!
  
• Going to Worthing Library 
• The weather at this time of year- although I prefer warmer weather, it's quite pleasant during October. :)
• Getting some new slippers
  
• Going to Lancing Beach 
• Hallowe'en/Samhain coming up!

 

Here is a photo from the beach:

 

Sunset on Lancing Beach.

 

Gratitude List

 I forgot to do this month's Gratitude List on my usual posting days last week, so since it's the last day of September I'm posting today. :)

Things I'm grateful for:

• Autumn colours and leaves starting to turn
• Going to Goring (Worthing) beach 
• Getting a mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks
  
• Golden September days and early evenings
  
• Madron/the Autumn Equinox
• The official start of autumn
• Trying out new recipes
  
• Going to my belly dance group's hafla (dance party)- first dance event I'd been to in about 18 months!

 

I also thought I'd share a picture from the beach: 

Goring Beach.

 

 

Gratitude List

 Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Lammas
• Baking (for Lammas and in general)
  
• Sunny days- the weather hasn't been that hot but we have had some nice sun
• Relaxing YouTube videos- check out Hamimmommy and Nami's life. 
• Walking in the park
• Quantum Leap being back on (repeats!)
  
• Summer drinks
• This post from The Chic Life about always having a choice (I just referenced it in my Starting From the Bottom- Part 2 post): https://thechiclife.com/2021/07/you-always-have-a-choice-surprisingly-more-than-you-may-think.html

 

Hope you enjoyed the post and thanks for reading. :) Sometimes it feels really hard to think of things to write but it does help me writing a monthly list. It's my most regular form of gratitude practice, since I don't tend to keep it up daily! What are you grateful for?

Starting From the Bottom- Part 2

                              

Back in April I wrote a post called Starting from the Bottom- Part 1. You can view it here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/04/starting-from-bottom-part-1.html

It's about moving up from a low place to feeling better, and also improving your life. I was originally going to write just one post, but I decided to split it into two parts. The first one focused on feeling better and this one is about more actively working towards improving your life.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

 

So, if you're feeling really down, please refer to Part 1. (And also get professional help if you can.) :) I also wrote a post on feeling more positive which you can read here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/11/feeling-more-positive.html

 

So now onto the main part of the post!

Changing your mindset  

Once you're feeling better, then you'll be in more of a mindset to start actively working on changing your life. One of the methods I like to use for improving my life is the Law of Attraction (LOA). I've also used more traditional self-help methods, like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and spiritual healing.

If the Law of Attraction (LOA) is something you're interested in, check out these posts:

Law of Attraction (basic/intro post): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2013/08/law-of-attraction.html

LOA Round-up: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/04/loa-round-up.html  

Law of Attraction (LOA) 2.0 (more in-depth): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/08/law-of-attraction-loa-20.html

 

Gratitude List

 Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Summer sunshine
• Hot weather (although it's been cooler in Sussex than other places)
• Going to the Black Rabbit pub in Arundel
• Opening up after lockdown
  
• Getting a moccha frappe from the Cup Cakes cafe in Buckingham Park
• Iced coffees/frappes in general! 
• Connecting with others through blogging. :)
  
• Summer fields in the countryside 

 

Here is a picture I took in the country the other day:

 

Mill Hill, Shoreham-by-sea.

 

Gratitude List

 Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Going to Five Guys again- I last went in August (and that was the first time I'd tried it!)
• Roses in my garden :)
  
• Litha/the Summer Solstice
• Summer officially starting! 
• Getting an iced coffee from Caffe Nero
• Sunsets 
• Going to the shops again
  
• Getting out in the countryside

 

Mid-2021 Reflections

                               
 

We're in June already, so it's time for the mid-year reflections post!  For the past few years, I've written posts reflecting on the first half of the year. You can read the previous ones at the links below:

Reflections (2017): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/05/reflections.html

Mid-2018 Reflections: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2018/06/mid-2018-reflections.html

Mid-2019 Reflections: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/06/mid-2019-reflections.html

 

Mid-2020 Reflections: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/06/mid-2020-reflections.html

 

I also write an end of year post. Here is 2020's: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/12/letting-go-of-2020.html

The first half of 2021 seems to have gone quickly. This time last year we were a few months into the coronavirus pandemic and pretty much worldwide lockdowns/quarantines. Restrictions had relaxed slightly in June but we were still in quite strict lockdown. We were in and out of them for the remainder of 2020 (with a tier system in between), but I have found the last couple of lockdowns easier because they haven't been as severe. 

Gratitude List

 Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Beltane
• Eurovision coming back! 
• Browsing in the library again 
• Being out in nature
• Re-reading and re-playing old favourites!
• The days getting longer as we move towards summer
  
• The weather finally getting warmer!
• Spring sunsets
  

Gratitude List

 Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Easter
• Blossom trees
  
• Sunny days 
  
• More lockdown restrictions lifting
• Buying new books! 
• Golden spring evenings 
• Sunsets
  
• Coffee
  

Starting From the Bottom- Part 1

2020 was a difficult year for most of us, due to the coronavirus and worldwide lockdowns, and racial unrest (which highlighted how far we have to go to achieve equality. Many people have understandably been feeling low and/or anxious, and mental health conditions have been on the rise.

I wanted to write a post about the subject of moving up from a low place to feeling better, and also improving your life. I've been really struggling with both these things lately, and I expect quite a few others have too.

It's taken me a while to write this post, I haven't felt much like writing "in-depth" posts lately. I've decided to split this up into two parts, so Part 1 will cover feeling better and Part 2 will focus more on changing your mindset and actively working on changing your life. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

 

There have been more people diagnosed with depression, anxiety, OCD and other disorders. For those of us with pre-existing mental health issues, it has been tough too. I went through a bad depressed period in autumn 2019 (before the virus/lockdowns). It did improve but I found myself feeling more depressed during the first lockdown in the spring and summer of 2020. When we came out of (the first) lockdown the anxiety seemed to get worse. Throughout the rest of last year, I was feeling very anxious and the health anxiety in particular worsened. 

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Birthday presents and birthday wishes. :)
• Having takeaway from Nando's- this was my first "lockdown birthday"!
• Oestara/the Spring Equinox
  
• Longer days 
• Buying a new Motorola phone!
• Going to the beach today
• Trying out new recipes
  
• Lockdown easing a bit

Gratitude List

I realised that I forgot to do last month's Gratitude List. Well, I was planning to write it, but then it had gone over to 1st Feb! lol. So anyway, here is the first list of the year! :)

Things I'm grateful for this month:

• Imbolg
• Sunny winter days
• Going to the beach (hadn't been there for ages) 
• The prospect of life becoming a bit more "normal" with coronavirus vaccines and a roadmap out of lockdown 
• Beautiful sunsets 
• Being able to reserve library books and pick them up 
• My computer and internet access
  
• Re-reading and re-playing favourite books and PS2 games- currently playing Haunting Ground and reading Liza Dalby's The Tale of Murasaki ,the book that inspired the name of this blog!  

 

I occasionally post photos with these lists, so here's a pic from the beach:

Shoreham Beach.

 

P.S. On the 25th it was Falling Petals' 8th birthday! Thank you to everyone who has read my posts. :) I have more planned this year, although inspiration has been a bit lacking at the moment, due to the past difficult year. Hope everyone is doing ok. :) 

You can read the first ever post on the blog here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2013/02/welcome-to-falling-petals.html