We Were On A Break!

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Maybe not for Ross & Rachel, but we all need breaks.

The last time I sat down and took time to write was realistically in February when I did my Trend Forecasting for 2022., which is quite literally forever ago. When I look back at the person I was the last time I wrote, I was in a completely different place than where I am today. Not that ~I’m different~ now, but I am. I needed a break from doing things that I love to remember why I loved them, and that includes writing.

This time last year I was finishing up my second semester of graduate school. Really, grad school and work took up all of my time. Not complaining at all, but I could not make enough time to squeeze in the activities that I loved. I loved school, so at the time, it filled all of my needs. Being a full time employee and a full time student at the same time became my personality (sorry to everyone that I know). Because of this, I really lost my sense of self. I stopped working out, I stopped exploring places that inspired me, and I stopped writing. My time was precious, and I had to apply myself where it was best fit for me to succeed financially and socially. With the little free time that I had on the weekends, I chose to go out and socialize with my friends and meet new people in the city – something I would not change for the world. But now that the engulfing school aspect of my life is complete, I am picking back up those things that I love.

Losing my sense of self through writing is hard to put into words, and hard to explain to y friends or someone that has not been in my shoes. The best way to explain falling out of love with a hobby is comparing it to reading in middle school. When we were young, there was nothing better than going to the public library with your mom to pick out a new book, or being given cash to purchase easy-read chapter books at the elementary school book fair. As we grew up, reading became less about enjoyment and was made a requirement. Since we were required to read beginning in middle school, the desire to read for leisure diminished. This was the same thing with writing. When I first started writing for fun in 2020, I could not get enough. I began writing for myself, and sometimes for others if it applied. Writing about my personal experiences, my passions, etc. was a great creative outlet for me, and 10/10 times I would have rather written than scrolled on social media. When I began grad school in August of 2021, I began writing WAY more… for school. Since I was required to write, the enjoyment aspect was lost. When school wrapped up in August 2022, I was drained. I had just completed my graduate program that was a year long, with no breaks. Wrapping up the program sucked out every creative and motivational bone out of my body, because I truly left it all on the field. Here I am, there months later, finally getting the drive and the creative itch back to get back into doing the things I love. Will I be extraordinarily consistent? Probably not, but that takes time.

Time heals all, and the break is over. Happy to say I’m back in a relationship with WordPress ❤

New Year, Same Me, More Mindful Habits

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“New year, new me!” is one of the most discouraging sentences, and quite honestly disappoints me for the upcoming year. This one single sentence puts so much pressure on a person to change – maybe I am just feeling this pressure because I am in a life stage where shift is inevitable. Sure there are aspects on my life I know I need to work on, but that doesn’t mean a completely new me. I like who I am, and if I notice aspects of my life where I an improve on, I act on them gradually, with minimal pressure.

BUT with that being said, if you are looking to make changes in your life, do so without such a pressure buildup. Work towards things that you want to do for yourself, not what you think you need to do. Instead of doing something daily, try weekly. Instead of jumping the gun with an “I’m going to workout everyday” mindset, try a goal to work towards a week, specifically dropping these numerical standards. If you are doing something a number to times over and over for yourself, it will become more of a chore, as your goal starts to slide out of reach. Be mindful with your goals, as nothing comes overnight.

Going into the new year, I tend to reflect on things I have done in the past year. And 2021 was extremely impactful on my life and my future. I was fresh out of college, and took a gap semester before starting my job and my graduate program. I traveled, lived at home, started my first corporate job, moved to a new city, and began a whole new part of my life that I would have never pictured for myself if you asked me where I would have been a year ago. Through all of the chaos, I really took away one thing – balance. You know how people say water is the key to life? Well, balance is too. When I was in high school, I thought I knew everything there was to know. When I went to college, I realized how naive I was in high school, and thought about what an adult I had become now that I was in college. When I graduated college and started living on my own, I realized I was back in that same spot. Just when you think you know it all – you don’t. You have learn to balance new things every single day. For me now, that balance is juggling a social life, full time school, and a full time job. I learned the hard way on how to do this, and I have to make sacrifices for myself to better all three aspects of my life. Without finding that balance, I would have failed my first time on my own. And that is what I taking with me from 2021, and moving it into 2022.

With all of that being said, there are small things that I need to work on. And while goal setting needs to be done so tediously, and is hard work, it lies as a motivator and reminder that there is opportunity for growth. In 2022 I want to:

  • Make my bed first thing every morning
  • Get movement in every day, whether that’s a walk to get coffee, or yoga in my apartment
  • Lower my screen time, and learn to remove myself from my phone
  • Write more consistently
  • Allow myself to be more vulnerable with others
  • Eat more whole foods and make time for cooking
  • Say “yes”more – I’ve been wanting to read the book The Year Of Yes by Shonda Rhimes, and now is the perfect time to do so

New year, same me, more mindful habits.

WOTW: December 1

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After a month break, I am back. This month is a new beginning and I am taking December to focus on good intentions with myself, and remember how grateful I am for all of the good people in my life. There is nothing like a step back that brings you two steps forward.

Starting of WOTW with a new month, seems fitting to me.