Don't Be So Hard On Yourself

In the words of Jess Glynne, don't be so hard on yourself, no.

I mean, I really don't like that song as it has been waaaay too overplayed, but I feel like it's pretty relevant. I often sit and think oh crap, I have literally done nothing with my life, and I have no experience, and I'm never going to get a job, and I am going to have to live in a box in the street labelled Grace's Box and children will call me crazy box lady. Yes, I got all of that from I have done nothing with my life.

But then I stop for a second and think, actually, I have done something with my life. I mean, I may not have 5 years worth of experience in the field I want to go into, which many job applications ask for (lol, why is this a thing??), but I have done some stuff. I have travelled to some pretty cool places, I have gotten into university, and I have moved abroad. BY MYSELF. Take that, anxiety.

I guess I just see all of these people all over social media doing amazing things, and these people are my age, or only a couple of years older, and I am sat in on a Friday night watching reruns of Friends and eating chocolate muffins (I have no regrets), but I often think, why aren't I doing that? But then I think, Jesus Christ Grace, give yourself a break. I mean, I'm only 21 (which I hate admitting, I was asked for my age the other day and I said 20 by accident, and when I realised I was in fact not 20 anymore, I genuinely died a little inside. Well, not really, but it's a scary thought). Hey, I haven't travelled the world (I can hear my bank account crying at the prospect of this #studentproblems) and I don't have an amazing job, but I'm doing okay. I am quite content with where I am.

I think I just need to get into the mentality of the fact that things don't just happen. You have to work for them, and if they don't happen, then just try again. Resilience is the key.

See, I'm a grown up. I use words like resilience and talk about a positive mentality.

On a serious note though, I'm in Italy, eating pizza every day, and loving life. I mean, my social anxiety is currently horrendous, and I sometimes struggle to leave the apartment, but I am getting there. Not every day will be the same, and I will get through this. When my mental health is bad, it's incredibly hard to think that it won't always be like this, but I'm getting there.

I think the whole prospect of finishing university next year kinda terrifies me, and I just have no clue as to where I'm going to be next summer. Will I get a job, will I not, will I end up getting Grace's Box and having children shout at me in the street? Who knows? But I guess that's all part of the fun.

Thanks for reading my rambly post, I feel like I just needed to sit at my laptop and write, as I have been feeling a bit crappy recently. I love that I can just sit and write exactly what I've been thinking and the fact that it automatically makes me feel better. It's as if I can finally rationalise what I've been thinking, and be like, hold on a minute, to tackle this, I need to do this. I bloody love my blog, you know?

Much love amigos,

Grace x

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman | Book Review

Hey guys,

My first book review is finally here! As you can probably tell, I am very excited, as I have wanted to start reviewing books over here on Love, Ellena Grace for a while now, but just didn't know where to start! f you follow me on Instagram, then you will know that I have been reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and I thought it the perfect book to kick off my book reviews with! I will try not to give too much away (as this book has a lot of unexpected twists!), but will give a general overview of what happens.

When I first started this book, I genuinely had no clue as to what it was about. I had heard many a great thing, but had never explicitly heard anything about the plot. The blurb doesn't really give much away, which I quite liked, as it gave the book a bit more mystery. Due to this, it could be perceived as being a bit slow to begin with, as you are thrown in with not much of an idea about the characters or the plotline. However, this book really was not what I was expecting.

Eleanor Oliphant, the protagonist, is a woman who has a lack of social skills, and speaks as she thinks, which results in a lot of hilarious parts of the novel. It begins with her daily routine of work and going home, and how her life has never really changed in the past ten years. However, one day she meets Raymond, someone who she openly does not warm to immediately, but as the book goes on, we see an unexpected friendship develop. It's incredibly heartwarming to see Eleanor and Raymond's friendship develop as it does, especially when you find out more about Eleanor's past. It shows how even small things can affect someone, whether it be good or bad, and how we should not take those small gestures of kindness for granted.

The novel includes topics that are quite harrowing to read about, and shows how much childhood can affect you in later life. I think it is written very well though, considering how the issues raised have to be written in a very sensitive way. Also, I like that fact that it is from Eleanor's point of view, as it adds a more innocent style to the narrative, and doesn't give too much away too early in the book.

It made me laugh, it made me cry (I never cry at films, but have been known to cry at books, which is odd, does anyone else do this?), and was incredibly moving. The book is written in a somewhat light-hearted manner for the topics that are mentioned, which I also assume is so that not much is given away. The book often has twists that you would not have expected, and is most definitely a page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and definitely would recommend giving it a read. I can also confirm that Eleanor Oliphant is NOT completely fine.

I would rate this book a 4.5*.

I hope you enjoyed reading my very first book review, and I will definitely be writing more of these! Let me know what books you have been loving recently down in the comments, I'd love some recommendations!

Much love amigos,

Grace