Sometimes, you just need to run away for a little while.

Sometimes you just need to run away.

It's Saturday afternoon as I'm writing this - I'm sat in my favourite coffee shop in Liverpool having already been for breakfast and completed a spot of retail therapy with one of my friends, and I guess I just felt the need to write. I've had the last week off work, spending time with my family and friends and all round favourite people, and pretty much getting as far away from London as I possibly could. And it's been bliss.

It was my birthday last week, and to celebrate, Mum and I headed up to the Lake District for a few days. We spent our time wandering around the quaint little villages, climbing up hills, hopping on a boat trip and spending our evenings after dinner tucked up in bed with a cup of tea and Who Wants to be a Millionaire - because I'm wild like that and it was quite the perfect few days.

It was SO lovely to breathe in fresh air again instead of the polluted kind that comes with London. It was the loveliest walking around in the morning and having strangers greet you with a smile and a 'Good morning!' instead of a grunt and a shoulder shove. And it was the best sitting by the lake, with the only sounds coming from the birds and the water and the boats. For the first time in a long time, I finally felt calm, and the peaceful atmosphere was just what I needed and had been longing for.

Running away to the Lakes for a few days this week for a little adventure with my Mum could not have come at a better time. After the loveliest of Bank Holiday weekends, something happened on Tuesday afternoon which I still don't think has quite sunk in yet. Something that I know, deep down was the right thing to do, but something that has absolutely floored me, that is going to hurt for a long time, but that I'm most definitely not ready to talk about yet, and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get through the next few months.

Right now, I'm simply focusing on getting to the end of each day. I'm focusing on my friends and nurturing those friendships that mean the most to me. I'm going to throw myself even more into Girls in Work and I'm determined more than ever to make it a success. I'm going back to focusing on me; treating myself to a very long overdue haircut, getting back into some kind of exercise and eating healthier again. And maybe taking myself off to a spa for a facial and a massage because boy, do I need it.

The last 10 days have made me appreciate the little things more than ever. Whether it's long, really tight hugs, soaking up the sunshine and going for long walks with someone who means a lot to you, or simply ordering pizza and watching Netflix with your best friend. It's all of those little moments that make you feel all happy and warm and that you wish you could capture and keep forever.

I have to head back to London on Monday evening and I'm already dreading it. I find the city so very draining, and I always feel like there's nowhere to escape to or to gather your thoughts quietly, by yourself.

I'm hoping that things can only start getting better from here, that I'll start to feel like myself again, and that soon, I'll start to feel as happy and confident as I did 18 months ago. Either that, or I'll have to run away again... maybe somewhere hot by the sea, with lots of sunshine and for a little longer than 3 days this time!

Soph

♥

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