Driving Around France

Last week my parents, sister and I went on a trip to the south of France to do a bit of exploring. We rambled around towns around the Mediterranean coast of France right along the coast of Spain. While we didn't get any rain (thankfully!) it was quite windy and chilly so a heavier coat was definitely needed. 

I thought I'd share a few of the photos I took along the way.

First Stop: Collioure

I really liked Collioure with its old town, colourful buildings and blue beach. 

Following any one of the many side streets and archways leads you to stumble upon pretty colourful houses. 

Next Up: Béziers

Béziers turned out to be a quite a nice city with lots of old churches, museums, French history and a gorgeous view.

Canet-en-Roussillon

I think I liked Canet in particular because it was the first warm, sunny day we had had all week. That being said, it was still a lovely seaside town that I'd say is lively during the summer.

I'll cut this post short here for now because it's getting a little lengthly, but more to come!

Let me know where you've been travelling to recently?

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Stressed Out? Go on a Stress Walk

Hey guys!

I've been noticing that I'm getting stressed out or sort of feeling compressed recently what with college work, the daily commute and trying to stay balanced.

One thing that I've been doing to get out of the house, out of my room and away from zoning out to Netflix or YouTube is going out for a walk, or as I've been saying, a stress walk.

The weather now is not majorly cold or rainy so getting out in the fresh air really is great therapy. I prefer going out during the night after my day is over and the evening joggers, dog walkers and playing kids have retired into their homes for the night. There's something so calming about being the only one walking down a street-lamped path breathing in the cold night's air.

Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I'll take out my earphones and listen to what's happening around me. But more often than not I'll have a podcast on the go to keep me company for an hour or so while I have some me time. As I've said before I'm obsessed with Katie Dalebout and the Wellness Wonderland podcast and I dip into You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes or Food Psych with Christy Harrison. All of these podcasts are so interesting, insightful and entertaining so it's like you're having a nice long conversation with someone while you walk. Or if you want sometimes calling up a friend to go with you can be an awesome way to catch up and put the phones away for a bit.

So yeah going on nice long walks has been my go-to tool for dealing with stress and anxiety at the moment, let me know how some of your own go-to tips and tricks for when you start feeling overwhelmed or like the world is going to come down on you full force!

Becoming A Yoga Warrior

Hey guys,

So as part of my Vision Board goals for March and efforts to make exercise less about punishing my body and more about connecting with my body I've decided to try take up yoga.

I've heard only brilliant things about the benefits of yoga for both body and mind and it seems to help a lot of people I know personally.

I did a quick Google search for a yoga studio in Dublin near enough to where I study at university and came across YogaHub right near Grafton Street. What really drew me to this place was the fact that they described themselves as friendly and welcoming and when I went there today they really were. 

I tried out the beginners 'Flow' class with Katie as the instructor and it was great. Because I come from a history of dancing I really liked the fluidity of the movements however weight training has really tightened up my hips! 

A big thing for me was that I felt comfortable and the class was really non-judgemental and Katie even took note of the newbies and asked us our names. 

They also have a cute cafe called HappyFood which is vegan and filled with delicious meals and treats. I'm definitely going to have to head back and drag my boyfriend to get some yummy brunch.

Over all I had a great experience and I think I'll be trying to get yoga into my week more often. 

Vision Board | March

Hey guys,

As part of my efforts to stay inspired, focused and keep pushing myself to try new things and learn more about myself and what I love I'm trying out vision boards. The basic idea is to create a visual space where you can centre and see your all goals, motivations, inspirations and reminders in the one place.

Personally I feel like there are so many things I need to do and learn to help me along my wellness journey path and by making a board its easier for me to just take a few topics or activities on board month by month.

This month, March, I'm going to try get into learning how to journal and get into yoga. I've heard a lot about journaling and hopefully by trying to do it everyday it will help me express myself and bring everything thats going on in my head to paper in an effort to sort through it all and keep on track with how my soul is feeling. And of course yoga is major in the holistic wellness world and something I've been thinking about doing recently as a form of exercise that will link my body and soul together.

Another big project for me is carrying on my New Years resolution to experience more and push myself to get out of the safety and consistency of my daily routines.

Of course this is all new and a case of trial and error but having something visual like a vision board that I wake up to every morning really helps to reinstall all my good intentions and keep them to the front of my mind.

Yes I have YouTuber and blogger Estée Lalonde on my board because her style is the bomb and she's kick-ass.

Who spots the wonderful and fabulous Katie Dalebout from Wellness Wonderland? 

I found even just putting together the board was so much fun and got all my creative juices flowing. And I'm excited to create different themed boards and new designs as the months go on. The local crafts shop has a new customer!

A Cup of Joe with Bob and Ted

Hey guys :)


I'm coming to you today because I'm still trying to stay on the New Years resolution bandwagon. The main promise I made to myself was to try and experience more this year and push myself not to get complacent in my safe daily routines. So when I came across Eventbrite and their GOMO blog post all about getting people away from Netflix and Chill, and into the habit of GOMO (Going Out More Often) it sounded like a perfect excuse to go do something new. 

Off I took to Google something to do in Dublin that I could pop into and visit on my way back from college and I saw that the Gallery of Photography Ireland were putting on an exhibit of photos taken of Bob Dylan by Ted Russell. I've always loved photography and taking photos myself so I'm really glad I got to see the exhibit and thanks to Eventbrite for giving me the push I needed to get out more often #GOMO 

I wasn't sure if you could take photos so I had to cheekily snap a few quick ones with my phone but check them out below.

For anyone who is into photography and film you should make you way to Meeting House Square in Temple Bar to check out the exhibits going on. The Gallery of Photography has a few classes on during the year that you can go to too. Such a cool area of town that I've actually never been to before. 

Also if you want to check out Eventbrite's blog post on GOMO its over here and if you ever want to start up your own event and need to sell tickets online they have you sorted over here too. I actually used Eventbrite to buy my college ball ticket, it was really easy to use and I was able to download the ticket onto my phone which made everything nice and simple. If you have the app you can even see what events are going on in your local area which is super cool if you're looking to go out more often. 

Let me know what's going to be your first #GOMO moment! 

*This is not a sponsored post, all opinions expressed in this post are my own :)

My New Podcast Must

Hello everyone :)

Today I'm going to introduce you to a life changing podcast. As I've mentioned before on the blog I'm someone who really struggles with body image and disordered eating. My pieces (I'm no longer calling them 'problems' anymore) and my negative thoughts affect me everyday and over all I can get the sense that I'm out of touch with my body and soul.

In my journey to living more consciously I'm not just looking to lead a better lifestyle for the good of the planet but also for the good of my soul and inner peace. Before you start to fix the world you must also fix yourself. And that is why I'm so lucky to have found Katie Dalebout's Wellness Wonderland podcasts.

Now don't panic! I at first was a bit hesitant about listening to the show because I thought it was going to be your typical spiritual show where you're listening and it all sounds well and good but you actually have no idea whats going on and feel like you're in way over your head. With Katie's podcast she talks to all these amazing people in such a way that I can easily understand everything thats being touched on and the content really did touched me.

Katie covers all sorts of topics with her guests for example holistic health, body image, mindful living, disordered eating, and just about anything in-between. The first podcast I listened to was Episode 009 with Isabel Foxen and it spoke to my own history so strongly I was hooked from the beginning.

For anyone who is looking to understand a bit more about their inner pieces or wants to dip their toe into the world of health and wellness this podcast is the one to listen to and I couldn't recommend it enough. You can find them here or on iTunes.