So we are now in Autumn and September has been a bit of a mixed bag. Work has been super busy and I’ve been pulling super long hours; yet when I read back on my gratitude journal it doesn’t seem to be a major issue – the main thing is that I’ve been able to get in the flow state of mind.

I’ve also been on holiday – cruising the beautiful Norwegian fjords and eating lots of foods and watching lots of things, living a wifi free week. Man, it was utter bliss – minus the occasional rocking of the boat, of course.

When on holiday, the stresses of life and reading emails and keeping up with work float away and I’m so much better at staying present and mindful. The digital detox has been so good for me. So, here is my gratitude journal for September:

1 Grateful for the hubby today for being such a saint. The hubby cooked dinners at the weekend so it was a quick and tasty reheated meal this evening, and deadlines are looming so he has been very understanding with my lack of free time. Super grateful for the hubby today.

2 Grateful for sushi and sashimi, as I haven’t had it in such a long long time and it was super tasty. Grateful for Derry Girls, which we’ve finished watching and it was hilarious yet touched on some heavy topics too. Grateful for sunshine and it was adorable seeing Artemis lounge in the sunshine – summer is pretty much over so I’m grateful for what little sun there is left.

3 Grateful for sleep as I had a nice little lie in this morning. Grateful for the podcast Asian Boss Girl, it was a very therapeutic and eye-opening episode. Grateful for carving out time to batch cook some tasty meals for the week. Grateful for the sun and warmth drying our laundry. Grateful for Artemis, it was funny seeing her find the sun spots in the house and lounging in those areas.

4 Grateful for sunshine and warmth, it’s been pretty warm today; surprised, actually, as I thought British summer was over! Grateful for green fields, as I walked Artemis along a stretch of beautiful nature this morning and it was so picturesque.

5 Grateful for tea, being a nice warm cup of hugs. Grateful for shiitake mushrooms, which we had for dinner tonight as I feel I haven’t eaten them in ages. Grateful for the wealth of knowledge available out there, allowing me to do some interesting research.

6 Grateful for a really insightful and eye-opening episode of Asian Boss Girl, I’ve been listening on my commute and almost don’t want the commute to end so that I can continue listening to it! Grateful for work holding a sale and managed to get some cool things, even managed to get Artemis a frisbee.

7 Grateful for podcasts, I’ve been listening to a lot of Asian Boss Girl and just absolutely loving the energy of these women. Grateful for AC because apparently it’s been super warm but I haven’t really been feeling it in the AC’ed office. Grateful for the hubby, who timed my commute home so dinner would be ready, so sweet.

8 Grateful for sunshine drying out laundry. Grateful for pringles, which we snacked on today and haven’t had in a while. Grateful for Artemis who has been rather independent lately and actually waits in the study when I open the front door for guests/ post.

9 Grateful for the hubby today, it was his birthday and we visited the Harry Potter Studios which was great. Grateful for wonderful storytelling, film makers, animatronics etc who all contributed to making the films really special. It was a fun day.

10 Grateful for sleep today, had a little lie in and an unplanned afternoon nap – evidently I was super tired! Grateful for baking, as I baked carrot cake for the hubby’s birthday and I’m reminded how much I loved baking and how often I used to bake. There’s something about baking that gets me in the flow state of mind, and I suppose I’m used to having an end product to admire – and eat.

11 Grateful for cake and strawberries today, still eating birthday carrot cake. Grateful for Artemis as she helps me stay present and she has such funny sleeping positions I can’t help but laugh when I turn to look at her. Grateful for an ex colleague who is now halfway across the world, you really don’t know what you’re missing till it’s gone.

12 Grateful for being present, as there could have been an incident on our dog walk this morning, but I was fully aware and fully present so whatever could have happened was avoided. Grateful for carrot cake again today, we don’t often eat sweet things like this so it’s a lovely treat and home baked means less sugar so I feel it won’t damage my teeth so much. Grateful for coming across a video about authenticity and attachment, the main highlight being that sometimes you can only have one but I’m aiming for both – where I can be my true authentic self with people I care about who accept and celebrate me.

13 Grateful for the podcast Asian Boss Girl, I’ve been listening to this a lot recently and find the topics interesting and eye-opening – grateful to listen in and set realistic expectations. Grateful for my line manager, listening to me moan today; I’ve been pulling 12 hour days for the past two weeks which is not sustainable and I’m grateful to have a safe space to voice that.

14 Grateful for being in the flow state, work has been very full on lately (12+ hour days), yet somehow I don’t feel burnt out – yet. And I feel it’s because what I’m doing at the moment gets me in the flow state of mind. Grateful for tech support being absolute legends, showing me techy things I didn’t even know was possible on this marvelous piece of software. Grateful for cake, as we had the last remnants of the birthday carrot cake. Grateful for this gratitude journal, no matter how tough or long a day I’ve had, writing in this gratitude journal in bed before I doze off helps remind me how wonderful life can be.

15 Grateful for tea and caffeine helping me get through the day. Grateful for tech support who are absolutely amazing and super helpful. Grateful for our new doggy day care person who reminds me of our old one almost 10 years ago – crazy to think that we got our first dog just over ten years ago.

16 Grateful for the hubby today, we were driving and the tyre pressure light came on, so he googled a nearby petrol station that had an air tower and helped me refill the tyres. I was so tired or stressed that I accidentally dropped a dust cap, which the hubby managed to find with a torch. So I’m super grateful for the hubby helping me with my impromptu car woes.

17 Grateful for reading today, finally finished reading James Clear’s Atomic Habits and it has been super insightful.

18 Grateful for rest as I’ve been sleeping more and relaxing. Grateful for apple crumble, as I had a couple of different versions of this amazing pudding today. Grateful for shuffleboard because it is actually quite a lot of fun. Grateful for the hubby for going with the flow today.

19 Grateful for rain coats, keeping me somewhat dry and a little warmer than I would be. Grateful for heating, definitely keeping me warm. Grateful for dramatic landscapes and nature, Norway is breath-taking, and it’s been helping me stay present and mindful. Grateful for being in a somewhat cashless society, it sure makes life easier sometimes.

20 Grateful for day trips, grateful for dramatic and sweeping landscapes, grateful for glaciers, grateful for cake. Grateful for nature and greenscapes and bluescapes. Grateful for memories and experiences.

21 Grateful for rest and recuperation. Grateful for comedy and action – saw Bullet Train and it was hilarious! Grateful for XO Kitty, finally finished watching it and it was actually really entertaining.

22 Grateful for gelato and sunshine. Grateful for couple arts and crafts time today, we made a collage of our trip together which was lovely. Grateful for watching The Flash, which I wasn’t expecting to be so emotional – “not every problem needs a solution; sometimes you have to let it go”.

23 Grateful for WiFi and mobile data, the holiday is over so the digital detox has ended. Grateful for satnav and navigation getting me home. Grateful for information on the internet and grateful for learning lots about new things – potentially life changing things.

24 Grateful for our new dog walker/ doggy day care person who has been looking after Artemis while we have been away – it’s wonderful to see Artemis traipse about off lead. Grateful for fish fingers, which I haven’t had in absolutely ages. Grateful for Artemis, as she is back home and absolutely adorable.

25 Grateful for helpful people on the phone today: the receptionist at my surgery, the car people booking my service, another car person clarifying whether I need to book a service. Grateful to actually speak with real people on the phone too, which doesn’t always happen.

26 Grateful for Artemis who was wildly wagging her tail on our walk this morning – she has such a wiggle butt! Grateful for my friend who shared that she is expecting – exciting times. Grateful for a good support network who are really rooting for me and my life.

27 Grateful for better understanding Artemis’s cues for when she needs to go outside and grateful that if we don’t see those cues in time she just goes on the tiled floor of the kitchen – an easy clean up! Grateful for medicine, been taking Beecham’s to alleviate cold symptoms. Grateful for post, because Artemis’s new blue training lead has arrived and I’m looking forward to using it on our next walk. Grateful for Onenote, which I use for work and I’ve been using in such a way to help track work and workload.

28 Grateful for having a job, there have been news at my company and lay offs in my industry so the economic climate isn’t looking too great right now. Grateful to have supportive colleagues, as quite a few have asked how I’m feeling as I have a cold and haven’t been in the office. Grateful for vitamin c, which I have been taking lots of. Grateful for porridge, which I made for breakfast this morning – very tasty.

29 Grateful for porridge and seeds and honey today, which was my lovely breakfast. Grateful for a little tidying up, kind of makes me feel like my environment is calm and serene – and also helps to know where to find things. Grateful to do a little organising as it helps me feel like I have a little control in one area of my life. Grateful for Artemis who was cuddling up with me this evening, maybe she sensed I was under the weather and was supporting me. Grateful for food prep for tomorrow’s breakfast porridge, this is self care to me and looking after myself.

30 Grateful for exercise today, working up a sweat this morning, releasing endorphins. Grateful for cooking this evening, I just cooked and didn’t even put on a podcast, I guess I was in the flow state and just cooking. Grateful for some more tidying up and reorganisation, makes me feel accomplished and like I will be able to find things next time – also makes the place appear less cluttered. Grateful for Artemis this evening, she was wanting to snooze pressed up against my leg which she’s done two evenings in a row and is a bit unlike her, but I still appreciate it.