Essential Spring Wardrobe Items

FINALLY SPRING IS HERE! Warm weather, sunshine, blue skies, and green grass. Not only does spring mean that we are one step closer to summer, but also helps lift up our moods! Bust most importantly spring fashion. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year because of all the unique fashion aspects. We can finally put those bulky turtleneck sweaters and ugg boots away.  It now time for ankle jeans, skirts, floral prints, denim, light colors, flats, and much more! Spring time allows for so much versatility in your wardrobe and I am going to talk about some of the ESSENTIAL items you need in your closet this spring.

Lets start from top to bottom. One of my favorites, and probably most worn, is my denim button down shirt. This shirt can be worn with every type of outfit. I wear it to school, work, and on date-nights. It can be dressed up with a dress or a skirt and dressed down with a pair of leggings or colored pant. The denim shirt allows for a little personality to go a long way and a great way to add some layering to your outfit. Not only is it one of the hottest items this spring, but also the most comfortable!

Next, floral print tops. Personally I am in love with floral. Florals are a perfect transition top into spring. The vibrant colors are eased into your wardrobe little by little without being overwhelmed. Floral tops can either be added into your everyday outfit with a dressy blouse, flowly short sleeve or even a simple tank! The floral tops also make me happy because I think of the beauty of nature and all the flowers blooming right outside my door. (Perfectly paired with the denim top underneath)

Ankle jeans and colored pants. I am in love with ankle jeans. They are a timeless choice and super flattering on any body type. Dress them up with open toed booties or dress down with an pair of Addidas sneakers. Colored Jeans are a perfect way to ease away from the greys and blacks and into the blushes and blues. I have a personal favorite of a pair of ankle blush jeans that I wear all the time! (Perfectly paired with the denim shirt and floral tank underneath)

Last but not least SHOES! Out of every time of spring essential you could have, shoes are definitely the most important. The shoes you wear are who you are;  they are what is bringing your graceful self from place to place as you move throughout your busy days. This spring is all about flats. That may bet be loafers, sneakers, ballet flats, the choice is yours! The pair that I find most essential and versatile to my wardrobe are the quilted slip on sneakers. They are the perfect in-between for a flat and a sneaker. Comfortable enough to wear all day and up-scale enough to wear to work or school. (Perfectly paired with the denim shirt, floral tank, and a colored pant underneath)

You guys now have all of my essential spring wardrobe items. All of these can be found at any local boutique or any retail department store. Dress them up or dress them down. Wear to school, wear to work, or even to brunch with the girls! The choice if yours but make sure to wear what makes YOU feel pretty and feel good about YOURSELF.

P.S. Check the parenthesis to find out my favorite spring outfit from top to bottom for you guys to try out!

Communicating Organically

Face to face communication, the thing most of us hate and dread. Because today’s world has become engrossed in technology, the societal norm of communicating has been over the internet or through social media. This has led to people developing serve anxiety due to the fact that they actually have to talk to people in person, face to face, organically. But the thing is, the ability to communicate with one another is the thing that sets us apart. Its the attribute that makes human kind unique and we should not throw that away because of the advancement of technology.

People have gotten used to having the time to craft the perfect text message, email, and even Facebook post through the use of smart phones. All this time spent on premeditating and  “crafting” the content of your message, has taken away form the organic natural of a communication interaction. .  This leads to a communication interaction that no longer has any value. The message is not sincere, but rather a formation of words and emojis that is no longer meaningful. Have you ever typed a message and then completely deleted the whole thing because you didn’t think the person was going to respond to what you said? I know we all have. This type of communication does not allow us to form long-lasting relationships with other people. Instead, it leads to friendships and relationship where the people are sitting on their phones playing games or on social media when they are “hanging out”.

Let’s take a few steps back in time for a moment. Remember back in the olden days when social media didn’t exist and technology wasn’t so advanced. That’s when communication and relationships where at an all time high. There was no playing games with your partner when it came to communicating. Leaving a person “on-read” was not a signal or message that someone wasn’t in to you. There was no emoji. There was no “crafting” the perfect text message to tell a person how you feel.  There was no sitting on your phone when you were “hanging out” with your friends. There was adventure. There was true love. There was organic communication. There were marriages that didn’t end up divorce 50% of the time. Everything was natural and organic back then; the relationships, the friendships, the communication interactions, the people themselves.

It’s like when we log on social media or use our smart phones we put on this mask. A mask that hides who we truly are and what we truly want to say. Its a mask that takes away our ability to communicate organically and express the way we feel. Because of this mask, we have entered a time period where the communication  interactions between people are no longer dynamic, no longer fluid, and most importantly no longer organic. It’s when you start altering the things you say because you are afraid of the response that the communication interaction is no longer organic.

There is no need to have anxiety or be scared to talk to people face to face. Because this type of communication is natural. When you are in person communicating, you do not have the time to “craft” the content of your message. It comes naturally, your thoughts, your words, your communication interaction. Face to face organic communication allows for relationships and friendships to be made based on value and meaningful conversation. You are discovering real reasons why you want this person in your life. Here, there are no games, no mixed signals, and no getting left “on read”.

I don’t know about you guys but I’d much rather go back to the days where everything wasn’t premeditated. So, take a minute. Think about the way you communicate with the people who are important to you. Is it organic? Or is everything you say perfectly “crafted” because you want them to like you. The fix for this is simple. Stop overthinking every single thing. Don’t worry about what people are going to think or say. Say what you feel, say what comes to mind right then and there. Be who you are and stop shifting your viewpoints and communication interactions because of societal norms. Be organic.

P.S. All it takes is a recognition of the communication issue to fix  it. Communication is key.

 

Spring Break and Social Media

This post is going to be targeted at my college student audience out there. So, last week was spring break for most of us. Now I don’t know about you guys but I was not on some tropical island drinking with all my friends. Instead I was catching up on some much needed sleep, homework, and oh did I forget WORKING. But most importantly, sitting on social media looking at everyone’s snapchats and instagrams of them in bikinis on the beach.

What is even worse is that not only was I glued to my phone all week, but the feelings of jealously, envy, and depression even emerged from seeing all of the people have so much fun while I sat home. I was jealous I was not spending my week relaxing in the sun. I was envious of them partying all day and night with their best friends. The feelings of depression started to kick in when I saw just how skinny and perfect the girls looked in their bikinis.

I began comparing myself to them. I looked at them and saw everything I wasn’t. I began to nitpick every insecurity and everything that I saw wrong with my body. I felt so sad that I did not have all the cute clothes they had, I did not have their tans, and most of all I did not have a big ass and a tiny toned waist that they did. I saw the hundreds and hundreds of likes all these girls were getting on their spring break photos and thought to myself, wow look at all these likes, people must really think they are pretty. I compared their pictures to mine and thought I guess people do not think I am as pretty as them since they arn’t liking my picture.

But here’s the thing, why even bother comparing yourself to anyone? Why even bother trying so hard to be someone you aren’t? Why even bother letting someone else decide your opinion of yourself? You are not them and there are probably about 100 people who like you for everything you are. People like you because are different and that is okay. The opinion you have of yourself is the only one that matters, no one else’s. It is so important to remember who you are and not let what other people do affect your life or they way you see yourself.

Now we all know for next spring break or next time we see everyone on vacation while we are home. First, get off social media and focus on what is happening around you. Second, stop comparing yourself to the people you see in the pictures on social media (it probably took them 3 hours to take one photo). Lastly, remember who you are. Do not change your opinion of yourself or who you are to fit the like or wants of others.

P.S.  If I knew who all my reader were I’d definitely like you for you and no one else 🙂

To The Girl Who Thinks She Isn’t Good Enough

An open letter to the girl who thinks she isn’t good enough:

To the girl who wakes up every morning thinking she is not enough. To the girl who buries her  face in her pillow so no one will hear her crying. To the girl who is always blaming herself when something goes wrong. To the girl who’s anxiety takes over at night where she lays awake creating scenarios in her head that will never happen. To the girl with countless insecurities. But mostly, to the girl who thinks that her life is not valued by others.

You are enough. The tears you cry do not define you. Some of the strongest people on this Earth cry. Your emotions are not your weakness but instead your strength.  You are not always the one to blame, but rather someone who is willing to do whatever to takes to make others happy. Your anxiety is only has prevalent as you let it be. Do not let the opinions of others affect the way you live your life. Most of all, you are by all means valued. You are someone who is loved. Whether you are a daughter, a sister, a friend, a loved one, you are wanted.

But I get it. We are all living in the same fucked up society struggling to be enough. You may not be the smart one. You may not be the prettiest one in your friend group. You arn’t the fittest or skinniest one. You arn’t the funny one. You aren’t the one they think of first to call when someone wants to hangout. You do not have some fancy degree thats going to tell you where you are going in life. You do not have an exciting job lined up after graduation. You do not have your life planned out from start to finish. But thats the thing…

THAT IS OKAY. Stop letting the pressure of having everything planned out take over your life. Stop competing with unacceptable expectations of society. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else you see on social media. Stop allowing yourself to base your life value on the opinions of other people. Stop allowing yourself to feel shitty and feel worthless. Stop focusing on what your are bad at and focus on the positive. Because that is that. One day you are going to find what you are good at and you are going to excel more and more at just that. You are going to find your purpose.

You are in control. You are the one who has the power. This is your life and no one else’s. Your purpose is not to make other people happy and fulfill the expectations of society, but do what makes you happy. Let go of the negativity. Let go of the people who bring you down. Let go of the those unrealistic scenarios in your head. Let go of the insecurities. Let go of it all, because you are and always be enough.

P.S. Everyone is fighting their own battle and is on their own journey. Be mindful, be positive, be caring.

 

 

Decluttering- What do Actually you Need to be Happy in Life?

It is that time of the year again. SPRING CLEANING. Everyone’s favorite time of the year to  declutter and get rid of all the materialistic things you no longer need in your life. Most people have the mindset that the more they have, the more they will be happy. That my friends is not true. Increasing the amount of material things you have will not increase your happiness. In my opinion, it will do the opposite by increasing your anxiety and stress levels.

So, what is decluttering? Decluttering is not throwing out everything that makes you happy to make room in you life and home. It is just a simplified way of living. A life lived simply with things that only serve a purpose. When you declutter your life, you own less materialistic things. This means fewer items to organize and less stress have to worry about these things. It also allows you to reallocate the money to things you are more passionate about such as traveling or making more memories with your family/loved ones.

My point here is not for you go home after reading this and throw out everything you own. Instead, it is about taking the time to evaluate the things you do own. Its to think about the items you own and ask yourself if this piece is item still brings a value to your life. Something else to think about while you are doing this, the things that once added value to your life in the past are not gong to remain the same. It is not about owning less things and depriving yourself from certain things, but rather finding what’s more important and add value to your life and brings your happiness.

A minimalism and decluttering podcast I listened too suggested some really cool ideas on how to try and  limit the clutter in your life. I like the 99 idea where you ask yourself, “have I used this in the last 99 days and will I use it in the next”. I think this can help at a lot of people re-evaluate what is truly important in their lives. Another idea is that instead of having people get gifts for you for the holidays, share an experience together or a meal with them. We all have so much stuff in our life and truly spending quality time with our loved ones bring more joy to your life then a gift will.

P.S. Don’t forget to live they lifestyle that you want to live. Do not let anyone or anything keep you from what you are passionate about.

Organizing your Busy Life

Organization is key. When it comes down to figuring out and planning your life on a daily basis, you need to have some sort of a plan. However, there are some few people out there that can just wing it and hope for the best. I am not one of those few people.  Because I was not blessed with being a “just go with the flow” kind of girl, I have come up with a few ways to help be more organized and  productive day to day.

1. Get a planner

Man, I cannot tell you how much of a life saver this thing can be. Our lives are filled with so many different activities ranging from social events to work and even to fitness schedules, it can lead to so much clutter. It can sometimes feel over whelming to have to keep track of everything in your head. A planner will allow you to write down all of your activities that are scheduled. It will help to de-stress your mind, along with helping to not over-schedule your days.  I even have my planner color-coded where I use a different color pen for homework, work, fitness, appointments, and social events. Not only does this look pretty, but it helps to keep the different aspects of your life organized.

2. Stop procrastinating 

Stop waiting till the last minute to get something done. Procrastinating takes all of the organization out of your life. I know all of us are busy and do not have the time to waste by sitting around and putting off important things that need to get done. Put down your phone and turn the notifications off on your laptop to help eliminate some of those distractions. Set a specific time for everyday that you will dedicate to whatever needs to get done, whether that be paperwork, school work, cleaning, or even running errands. A set time will help you from putting things off till the last minute and keep you and your busy lives organized.

3. Keep your living space clean

It is so hard to get things done when the place you are working is a mess. There is a place for everything in your home. Make an effort to keep your living space clean by setting 5 or even 10 minutes a day to tidy up your room or wherever to keep things from getting messy and cluttered. I know it can seem like a pain to have to keep everything clean all of the time but believe me it makes a huge different. You will get so much more done in an organized environment than you would in a cluttered one.  Living in a place that is neat, clean and organized helps you to also keep your life organized.

P.S. My favorite planner is Lily Pulitzer that I use daily!

Balancing friends, family, & a love life

In a world where our lives are determined by the people we surround ourselves with, the people you spend your time with are very important. The majority of us are trying to balance the time we split between the people in our lives. For most of us, theses people include friends, family, and your significant other. With work and school taking up the most of the time in our daily lives, it’s hard to figure out who you are going to spend your leftover time with.

This is a struggle that I too often deal with in my life. I am always questioning if should have a girl’s night with my friends, go to a movie with my family, or have a date night with my boyfriend. This decision may seem like a no brainer to some of you, but for me, I am always trying to be a people pleaser. I want everyone to be happy and I want everyone to get the time and attention they deserve. I want to spend time with everyone because all three of these types are people mean everything to me.

Instead of thinking to yourself, “what can I can do to make other people happy?”, think “what can I do to make myself happy?” This may seem selfish but in all reality you are living your life for yourself, not for anyone else. You are given one life, and the goal of that life is happiness, not pleasing everyone else but yourself.

My advice to all of you is that if you feel like ditching that girl’s night to hangout with your mom/dad do it. If you don’t feel like spending time your significant other than tell them you need a day for yourself. If you don’t wanna do a family night this week than go do something that makes you happy. Life is all about balance. Balancing your time between the people you care about. Not everyday or every week is going to be the same and that’s the whole point. One day your gonna want to spend the whole day with your significant other and some days you just wanna lay in bed and watch movies with your mom. Either choice is fine and either choice is yours.

The take away today is to not let people dictate your happiness. You life is dynamic and unique and that is what makes it fun. If you are ever struggling with balancing your time between loved ones just ask yourself, “who is going to make me happiest today, who is going to bring out the best in me today?  Everyday is different and everyday you are given the opportunity to go out and decide who is going to make you laugh and make you smile.

P.S. Switch it up every now and then, if you hung out with your friends last weekend, plan a date night with your significant other this weekend. It’s all about balance and all about your happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

Taking the Stress out of Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

I broke this post up into two parts depending on the characteristics of the reader!

Advice for those who are sad/depressed they do not have a significant other on Valentine’s Day and think they are going to cry all day watching rom-coms:

Valentine’s Day is a very favorite holiday of mine because it is all centered around the one thing we need most in our busy and hectic lives – love. Valentine’s day is not all about the chocolates, the flowers ( flowers are always nice though), and sappy love letters, but more along the lines of taking a few extra steps to show that special person in you life how much you appreciate them. That special person does not have to be a romantic partner, but maybe just your mom/dad, brother/sister, grandma/grandpa/, or even a friend.

No matter who the person is, my advice to you all is to do something nice for that person (whoever it may be) that you do not normally do. Put down the Ben and Jerry’s, turn off the Nicholas Spark’s movie and do something for someone you love. Whether it is brining home their favorite dinner, offering to get their coffee in the morning, or even something as simple as helping out around the house. All it takes is a tiny bit of effort to make it known to the person you love that they are appreciated and valued.

Even if you do decide that you don’t want to do anything nice for someone else, do it for you! Go out and get your hair done, get a mani/pedi, or buy a new outfit. Do something that emphasizes the love you have for yourself. Nothing is better than being able to reflect on how beautiful and how much your presence on this Earth is appreciated. Remember to always love yourself and treat yourself every once in a while.

Advice for all my millennial girls who are stressing about wanting to make it that “perfect night”:

My special someone for the past two years Valentine’s Day years has been my loving, handsome, amazing boyfriend. Since I fit into the category of a female millennial, the past two years my Valentine’s Day has been very stressful for myself as many of yours has probably been too. Like myself, know most of you girls are stressing out about trying to find that perfect red dress and hoping that your boyfriend takes you to the most expensive or fanciest restaurant in the area. But lets take a minute to think… Do we honestly think our boyfriends are even going to notice the time and effort we put into picking out our outfit, probably not. They think we look beautiful in jeans and a white tee-shirt. Is how much your boyfriend loves you based on the restaurant he picks to take you out to dinner, definitely not. His love is based on the way he treats and appreciates you.

I know society these days puts a lot of emphasis of having everything to be perfect, planned, and orchestrated. But instead, put the expectations and pressures of society to the side for a day. Instead, try and focus on feeling good and feeling pretty in whatever you decide to wear. Be thankful that you have someone special that you love to go out to dinner to celebrate with. Don’t waste the day being stressed out about an outfit or the restaurant or how the night is going to end. Think about the ways you are going to communicate and demonstrate  the reasons why you love your special person and why they are important in your life. This day is suppose to be filled with love and happiness, not stress and anxiety.

P.S. I hope you all get flowers and do something nice for someone else 🙂

 

 

Relaxing ways to End the Day

We all have those days that we feel are never ending. Whether it was a hard day at work, you bombed a test, or just finished a super hard workout; at some point in the day we are all looking forward to laying down in our beds. Sometimes, we need some relaxing ways to destress, clear our minds, and get ready for the glorious sleep that is about to come. Instead of just having a quick shower and jumping right into bed, I have come up with a few different relaxing ways to end the day.

The one thing I would NOT suggest doing is playing on your phone while you are trying to get ready for bed. I know this can be hard for a lot of people but no good will come out of it. Instead of getting into a relaxing mood, you will feel anxious, worried, and maybe even develop FOMO (fear of missing out). The whole point in trying to relax your mind and body before bed is to focus on yourself and your needs, not what everyone else in the world is doing. If you must keep your mind busy before bed, pick up a book, magazine, or even a cross word puzzle to help tire out the mind and eyes.

The idea that I think is a super relaxing way to end the day is a bubble bath. Yes, I mean the full blown bubbles, candles (surf wax flavored), glass of an alcoholic beverage or whatever you enjoy, and some Lana Del Ray playing in the background. Now of course you can alter any of these components to fit your own needs, but those are my favorite things regarding a bubble bath that help me mellow down and destress. Lay there in the warm bubbly water, put you head back, close your eyes, and just listen to the music playing in the background. Don’t think about anything that is due tomorrow or next week, think about yourself. Think about washing away all of the tensions and anxieties that day brought. Relax your soul. P.S. lock the door to make sure there are no interruptions!

My next suggestion and probably one of my favorite things to do at night,is snuggling up with my dogs (depending if all three will stay put in my tiny twin size bed). This is so relaxing and allows you and your furry friends to get all warm and cozy in bed. Especially during the winter months, your pets are basically a super warm blanket that keeps you warm but also loves you. As you pet them and as they give you some goodnight licks (kisses), all the stress from that day will slowly melt away. Not only is it a relaxing tactic for you but it is also good for your pet. It is nice to show them just how much they mean to you and how much you love them! Unfortunately, one of my pups is an extremely loud snorer, so once she is asleep I have to relocate her to another room so I can sleep.

I hope that these ideas can help all of you to end your stressful and busy lives in a relaxing way.

 

 

Morning Routine for a Productive Day

No matter what your age, occupation, or lifestyle is, we all have to wake up at some point to start our day. Whether you know it or not, each one of us has a certain routine they follow when waking up. But, does our regular morning routine help us to be productive throughout the day? My guess would be no. It wasn’t until after I tried a few different ways that I found a morning routine that not only helped clear my mind, but also helped make my day more productive.

Not one person is going to have the same routine or steps they take when waking up in the morning and that is perfectly okay. We are all unique individuals who have different needs. My advice for you guys is to take bits and pieces from the tips I am going to give you,  in order to morph it into your ideal morning routine that works for you.

When I first started thinking about the different ways you can start the day to be productive, I was basing it on whether I had school or work or a day off from both. But then I thought to myself, should it really matter what type of day you have planned if the main objective for all of them is productivity? The answer I came up with is no, It should not matter.

Before I actually put some thought into considering the different ways I could make my day more productive, I alway grabbed my phone and looked through my social media accounts. Looking back, this was probably one of the worst things I could do. The bright screen made my eyes more tired and itchy and I felt inclined to keep checking my phone throughout the day.  Definitely not a good way to start the day.

Some better tactics that I found were while you are just waking up and laying in bed, plan out your day. Now, I don’t mean lay there for an extra thirty minutes and fall back asleep, but actually take the time to think about all the things that are important in your life and that you wish to accomplish. This sets your day up for success. By planning your day out, your brain knows the things it now needs to get done and you are more inclined to be productive.

My favorite way to start the day is with a workout. Working out in the morning keeps me feeling energized and  good throughout the entire day. When I am energized and feeling good, I get more things done. Whether its a quick walk around the block with your dog(s), a long morning run, or even a group fitness class, all that matters is getting out of bed and moving those muscles!  I know this is not possible for everyone because many of us are on a tight time constraint, but try to add it in at least once a week! Trust me on this one

Another way that I find helps make my day productive is getting fully dressed. I know this can be hard for us college students who are just used to throwing on a pair of sweats and running to class. But, when you pick out a super cute outfit that you feel good in, you will want to be productive throughout the day. When you have actual clothes on and your hair is brushed, you are more inclined to not sit on your laptop watching Netlfix, but get some homework done or run errands or maybe actually go to class and pay attention. Its as simples as when you look good you feel good. Look good, feel good, do good.

P.S. Don’t forget that morning cup of coffee to help get you ready for the day!