When I started writing these I found myself really struggling to even get to 10. I found it so difficult that I first wrote this at night and then had to carry on for the next two days chipping away at my list. I couldn't quite believe I was finding it near impossible to think of things that make me happy, despite knowing I generally have a fairly negative outlook on life (before common sense kicks in), but I felt so ungrateful and guilty for this. Then I immediately snapped at myself that "Hey y'know what, you have depression, anxiety and a butt-load of health problems and life is pretty difficult right now. Just because you have a hard time figuring out what you like, doesn't make you a bad person or hard to please, it just means you take a bit longer to figure out what makes you feel things and there's nothing wrong with that". Over my lifetime so far I don't feel I'm used to experiencing happiness, it's quite a foreign concept to me so I guess when I do feel happy it can be overwhelming, I'll still cherish those moments but maybe I'm not all that great at remembering them. 

Whether you're a blogger or not I think spending a little time writing down what makes you happy is endlessly beneficial and I'm thankful to Liv for creating this tag.

Would any of the things that make me happy appear on your list too? Don't forget to check out Liv & Steph's wonderful posts!

Stay curious

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We were lucky enough that in this suite there were rustic details, with wooden beams on the walls and a wooden slatted ceiling in the bedroom area. I adore this sort of décor, it gave the room some real character and it made me feel like I was on holiday somewhere other than just any old hotel; it was unique and really well executed. The rustic and modern mix was perfectly balanced and the room felt high end but not so much so that you're scared to use anything. For me personally I felt instantly at home which if you suffer with anxiety you'll know that it isn't easy to settle into an environment without a hitch!

The bathroom was lovely, with a huge mirror and a spacious, deep bath big enough for two (yes, we tried) which also came with complimentary soap, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel; all of which smelt amazing. Lots of gorgeous fluffy white towels, tissues in the bathroom (SO handy) and an entire shelving ledge in front of the mirror to pop all your toiletries on without worrying about them falling off into the toilet or sink. The only issue I did find is that when I put the sink tap fully onto cold the water would still come through tepid and it was hard to find a place where cold water came through properly.

There's not much to say about the bedroom area other than it was wonderful! The bed was super comfortable and comes with enough pillows to please anyone's preference; next to the bed were two bedside tables with shelving and drawers, the hotel phone and the area had various types of lighting to compliment your mood. As it's higher up you also don't get disturbed by any light in the morning, but if you need the loo in the night then it's a bit of a trek navigating the stairs and lounge, but this wasn't a problem that occurred for either of us personally.

Moving on to downstairs, there's a luggage holder next to the wardrobe which has plenty of hanging space complete with wooden hangers, a hair dryer and a kettle as well as copious amounts of tea, coffee and biscuits for you to enjoy. There's also a full length mirror, and a desk on the other side of the room big enough for you to eat a meal off if you choose to have room service. There's also a handy Manchester Guide on there too if you're not sure where to start exploring. Lastly the lounge area, which had possibly the comfiest couch I've ever had the pleasure of sitting on and a wall mounted TV that's a good size and at an ideal height (so no neck strain). The only issue I found with the downstairs was there were no lights for the lounge area, and I'm personally not a fan of watching TV in the dark as it gives me migraines. I instead brought a lamp down from the bedroom and plugged this in, which worked a treat.

Albeit we didn't experience as much of the food as we would've liked, what we did try was exceptionally good and brilliant value for money. Upon dropping our bags we headed down to sit at the bar and ordered the Ainscow Platter to snack on before heading out later for a meal in Spinningfield. The food came really quickly and was a lot bigger than we expected it to be. There was absolutely plenty of everything including onion rings, breaded mushrooms, nachos, chicken satay, mozzarella bites and dips. Everything was cooked to perfection and went down a treat, amazing value for only £9.95! Needless to say when we got hungry the next day, room service was necessary and we ordered the same platter along with a side of cheesy chips which were an absolute triumph; huge home-style chips that tasted incredible and the cheese had actually been layered all the way down, bonus! The food still came quickly (and piping hot) even after finding out there were 15 other orders on the go.

Reception staff were always welcoming, booked us in really quickly and you get given a wifi code which worked extremely well in the room (we took the Xbox in order to watch Suits and there was no unnecessary buffering, yay!) Another thing which may seem daft to some but not to me was that there were mirrors in the lifts; I just thought this was really handy so you can check yourself over just before you head out!

For a hotel that is only a year and a half old I think it runs like a well oiled machine. It has so much to offer, is excellent value and is full of friendly and helpful staff, all of whom made me feel instantly at ease and totally comfortable. I'd highly recommend staying here if you visit Manchester and even if you're from Greater Manchester and fancy a night away. It's also great if you're in the area and you just wanted to pop in and grab some food or drinks. I feel like The Ainscow is only going to grow and improve on what is already an incredible first year. I hope this post was helpful if you were thinking of staying here or if you wanted to find somewhere to stay near Manchester.

I didn't have any intention of writing up a blog post, hence why there aren't a lot of pictures and they aren't amazing quality, everything was quite a whirlwind. Hopefully next time I go I can do so with the intention of writing a blog post and also to try a lot more of what is on offer like the restaurant's evening meals, afternoon tea and maybe even a Christmas event!

Find The Ainscow here! And let me know your own experiences!