Sunday, September 17, 2017

Take A Moment Monday: Reading Slumps, Anxiety, & Distractions


Take A Moment Monday is something I stumbled upon while checking out new blogs. One being the ladies at KickAss Chicks who do Take A Moment Mondays. So I definitely recommend their blog. I am not sure if they created this blog trend, but if not and you know who did I'll credit them.

For me, Take A Moment Monday will be something I do when I feel like I need to get something off my chest (bookish or not), if I feel like I need to give live updates for whichever reason, maybe have a section where I am talking wedding planning, and document my life a little more often. I would love to have more updates on my blog of wedding planning so I can look back. Of course, this is a reading blog, so if this life update kind of blog isn't for you I understand. I hope you'll stay though. I don't doubt I'll talk books at least a little in each one. I may go this weekly, I may do it a couple times a month. I don't want to force myself, but I like the idea.

TW: anxiety, depression. 

I have been a bit scarce the last couple weeks. With only a couple book reviews and pretty much popping in for weekly Top Ten Tuesdays, Top Five Wednesdays, and Book Blogger Hops. I don't like being so absent from my blog, something I love writing for and seeing it grow, but the last couple weeks I have been in a heavy reading slump. I considered doing some filler book tags, but I realized I wanted to make sure I was posting stuff I 100% was excited about, and not to post just to post.

Reading slumps suck, but they are sometimes a necessary evil to help you prioritize your life. Unfortunately, in this case for me, it isn't so much prioritizing my life and more my depression and anxiety have been getting in the way of me doing things I love to do. I did recently put up a book review for the anthology Because You Love To Hate Me edited by Ameriie, so if you missed that I'll link it. Other than that I have been having issues being excited about reading. However, the light at the end of this two week slump is that I am starting to get back into a reading routine. So hopefully I can keep on that path. I am currently re-reading Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas because I wanted to re-read the series before reading Tower of Dawn. I also preordered a book I had such book envy over. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and that book is Wild Beauty by Anna Marie McLemore, I'll put the cover and synopsis below. It's stunning and the flowers are embossed. I am in love.


Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.



I touched on my anxiety in the previous paragraph and I brought it up once before (I believe in my August wrap-up). I have been going to a therapy the last handful of weeks which has been helping but my anxiety and depression waves have been hitting me harder and more frequently. Which motivates me not to pick up a book and instead has me detached and spaced throughout the day.

On a brighter note, wedding planning has kind of started. My fiancé, mom, and dad are going to see venues in a few weeks and we are starting to get our wedding parties situated. This is definitely another light for me, something that has my heart and head happier and clearer. I have a post of some of our Engagement Photos if you missed it and you're interested. We got engaged back in late May. Having something to plan and focus my attention on that I am excited about has been great, and I am hoping I can use that same excited energy and put it back into my blog. I am excited to document my wedding planning adventures with you.

These "Take A Moment Monday"s won't be as heavy all the time, I know this isn't the best way to start it off, but I want these to be real. I don't want to look back on these blog posts and not see myself. I am hoping there will be an obvious improvement in my mental health as I keep documenting how I am feeling. And if it reaches someone also going through a bad mental health time and makes them feel less alone, even better.

I hope you are doing well. I will see you guys in my next posts throughout the week and definitely when I do another Take A Moment Monday.

Thank you for reading!

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