These are a few of my favourite things....

I've started to attend a 'Stress Control Workshop' as part of my recovery from anxiety and depression. It's a 6 week course and is designed to help people help themselves by getting them to be their own therapist as well as making positive practical changes to their lives (more exercise, less alcohol/caffeine etc).

As part of our first week's homework we had to fill in a kind of questionnaire in order to identify what our problem issues were, and what things we do that make them worse. Whilst doing this I began to think about what things in life I really, genuinely enjoy. Things that I like purely because I like them - not because someone else likes them, or because they're popular, or because I think people will think better of me for liking them. And so here is the list I came up with, a few of my favourite things (in no particular order).

Reading crafty blogs
Fabric by Amy Butler, Michael Miller & Alexander Henry
Looking at beautiful shoes I would never wear in real life
Having a coffee and a natter with a good friend
Music by Calvin Harris, Linkin Park, Korn and the Black Eyed Peas (not all songs admittedly)
The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series of books by Alexander McCall Smith
Trashy paranormal comedy romance books
Singing
Trawling through charity shops and 2nd hand bookshops
Window shopping on Etsy.com
Jelly sweets (particularly Haribo)
Citrus colours
Painting my nails
Moleskine notebooks
Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children
Coffee flavour Walnut Whips (does anywhere sell them anymore??)
Options Turkish Delight flavour hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows
1950/60's Ceramica Di Milano pottery painted with big headed ladies
Monkey - Journey To The West (an opera by Damon Albarn)