Hello, dear reader (ooh, someone’s been watching too much Bridgerton!)

It’s been such a long time since I sat down in front of my laptop and typed the thoughts that run through my mind onto an internet-based document. 

Get yourself comfy like I have whilst I’m currently typing this (head against a pillow, big cosy throw on me with a cup of tea on the side) because we’re about to dive into a big update since my last blog post (minus theatre reviews, I haven’t blogged since November 2021).

Plus, they say when you’ve got a lot on your mind, you should write, right?

Let’s catch up…

So what’s been going on…

The closing of a chapter…

Well, I guess I have to start with the biggest life change that’s happened recently and probably the reason why I’ve been pretty absent from the blog.

My 4 year relationship ended. 

It feels weird writing this out because I never thought I’d have to. But sadly, for a number of reasons that I don’t wish to air out on the internet, the relationship ended a few months ago and I’m currently navigating single life, grieving the life I thought I would have, grieving the loss of a relationship and currently going through the house selling process. 

It’s been a lot emotionally and mentally even though (sadly) there were good reasons behind the decision. 

I’m thankful that we’re in a good place as we’re amicable and there’s no hard feelings, but of course, I don’t want to go into too much detail as there’s more than just myself involved and I’m sure the other person wouldn’t want me to talk about them. 

The main thing I guess to say is… I’m doing okay. I’m still riding the waves of a post-breakup: one minute I’m up, loving life and feeling good… the next, I’m wallowing in self-pity, crying my eyes out and thinking too deeply about things and not reaching out for help. 

Thankfully, I’m back home for a bit with my parents and lots of people (including some of you lovely lot on Instagram) have reached out and kept my spirits high. 

It’s all part of the healing process I guess… which I thought by now I’d be over, but I’ve come to the realisation that you can’t put a timeline on healing and grief. 

So I guess I’ve just got to ride the wave a bit longer.

New beginnings and keeping busy 

With all this said, post-breakup I’ve been keeping myself busy and this has opened a few new chapters, new friendships and opportunities in my life. 

One of the main things that have happened for me post-breakup is that I’m actually working on MYSELF.

I’ve been getting involved with my passions again, doing some more exercise for mental and physical reasons and it’s actually bringing my confidence back especially since I’ve recently lost some weight.

I won’t lie, I feel good. It’s easy to lack in confidence post-breakup, so it’s nice that I’m taking care of myself and seeing the results. 

One of my favourite things I’ve been doing as a form of self-care is walking. 

I’m walking EVERYWHERE! 

I love nothing more than sticking a podcast or a good upbeat music playlist on, grabbing a coffee and just letting myself walk anywhere and see where it takes me. 

One of my most-walked routes has been around Towcester Watermeadows where I’m usually found grabbing a coffee from Claire’s Cottage Kitchen and listening to the “Single Life Be Like” podcast which I thoroughly recommend if you’re in your late twenties/early thirties and need someone to hype you up! 

I’ve also been taking a lot of solo theatre trips, which again, has been a great form of therapy and something I can enjoy just to myself as a treat (even though I’m constantly finding myself on TodayTix hunting down £20 tickets on a monthly basis!)

I’ve seen & Juliet, We Will Rock You, Singin’ in the Rain and plenty of other theatre shows, with more coming up on my agenda. 

I’m also keeping super busy at work which I’m really throwing myself into right now. 

My colleagues have been keeping my spirits high every day in and out of the office, we’ve had some new people start whom I’ve become close to quickly and the work we’re doing is really exciting. 

And because there’s so much going on at work, including diving into a development plan for myself to hopefully progress in my career, it’s not left me with much time to write and be active on this blog. 

Speaking of which…

What’s going on with the blog? 

I admit it’s been quiet around here apart from the occasional theatre review (of which more will be coming!)

But because I’ve put so much focus on work, my blog hasn’t been a priority. 

And I’m perfectly okay with saying this. 

Because if you were to ask me this time 3 years ago, or even this time last year, the thought of not posting on my Instagram every day or not writing a blog post on a weekly basis used to terrify me. 

The amount of pressure I’d put on myself was ridiculous because it felt like I had to keep up with a certain standard to keep things going.

But the truth is: there is life outside the internet and things have been tough! 

I mean, I know we’ve had a global pandemic that halted things for me a bit too but I was getting to the point where I was resenting my blog and considered packing it in a number of times because I didn’t see the point. 

So it’s actually really refreshing that I’m sitting down now, writing this out and I’m actually in the mood to do so. 

Because life is too short to force shit, right? 

So there’s no promise of “what” is coming to the blog, but I have recently had a bit of a creative lightbulb moment on the sort of content I’d like to share on this blog in the near future… 

Things like solo trip ideas, things to do recommendations and I may tinker with content that’s more than navigating Northamptonshire… but life, work, who knows… maybe beyond Northants. 

Who knows. I’m quite excited. I’m grateful that I named my blog “Nicole Navigates” because it literally is all about me navigating everything that life throws at me. 

And you get the pleasure of joining me for the ride. 

I know it’s been a while, but I hope you’re still here and still wanting to read my recommendations and content. I’ve missed it and I miss talking to those who have supported me through my blog journey in the last 7 years (eeesh, that’s flown by!) 

If there’s anything you particularly want to see me talk about/write about/share, then feel free to leave me a comment below or find me on Instagram or Facebook (sorry, I’ve completely removed Twitter from my socials… I ain’t got time for it anymore!)

Keep navigating and thanks for being here during this time xxx