I don’t know about you, but I’m happy to be seeing the end of this week as it has not been good for me at all. I’ve been feeling really exhausted and low. My usual coping strategies are not really working and given my history with depression and intermittent anxiety issues, I am only hoping this state of mind is not here to stay.

At times like these, self-motivating is exceptionally hard and I sometimes wish I was still working in an office where I simply clock in and out and I have a bunch of colleagues to talk to. While blogging about your favourite subject for a living feels like an amazing privilege most of the time, there certainly are times when I feel like I have very little to give and it’s the last thing I want to be doing.

While editing photos for this recipe, I’ve been listening to one of my favourite podcasts, the Guilty Feminist (which never fails to make me laugh out loud) and they were discussing the subject of jealousy. One of the guests mentioned how social media gives the impression that everyone is having a much better time than you and how that makes you feel somewhat isolated and inadequate. That has been totally me this week. Not so much being jealous of any one person in particular, but just having a general feeling that everyone has their stuff figured out and I don’t.

They also pointed out that while you may feel like that about other people’s lives, there is always someone who feels that way about you! So to set the record straight, if you ever think that me or any other blogger out there leads this fantasy lifestyle filled with unicorns, cat hugs (okay, I do get a fair share of these as my cat is very affectionate), rainbow-coloured food, latte meet-ups with cool people in trendy locations, don’t be fooled! While blogging certainly can afford you some of that some of the time, it’s also a lonely pursuit involving constant washing up, lots of failures that no one is there to see, lots of procrastination, self-doubt and a sparse amount of human contact. Coupled with being new to a city, it can really make you feel very alone at times.

To lift myself out of this funk, I’ve decided to cook up something bright and full of flavour. As I’ve started the week off with a vegan version of the famous Thai corn fritters, I already had my fridge stocked with Thai red curry paste, fresh lemongrass and fragrant lime leaves, so I’ve decided it would be prudent to put them to another use.

So on the menu today is another Thai restaurant classic – Thai red curry bursting with a variety of vegetables, which you should feel free to swap for anything you have handy. The cool thing is that when combined these two would make a great dinner party menu if you are planning on any entertaining. They are both easy to make and are massive crowd pleasers. I hope you’ll make at least one of these dishes and its vibrant colours and flavours will brighten up your day a little too.