Tag: self care

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Fabulous living

Slowing Down and Self Care

Happy Tuesday. How was your weekend? Restful and relaxing, I hope.

We are down to the final countdown for summer and I can’t wait. Between classes and work, I am ready for a break. That brings me to today’s topic. Taking care of yourself, even if it means saying no. Kinda ironic, last week, I shared the importance of saying yes and stepping out of your comfort zone, but today, it’s the opposite. I often find myself  getting run down and tired this time of year, that’s why self-care is important now more than ever. Between finals, projects, and summer activities upon us, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out. The same goes for parents, school is winding down, which means trying to figure out summer plans for children along with summer schedules.

This past year, I got very busy, between classes, work, and maintaining friendships, I was running myself into the ground. I realized I had to take care of myself so I could be the best version of myself.  I have carved times in my schedule to set aside for myself. For example, every Sunday, I try to take a break from homework and spend time either reading or watching a movie or whatever I wanted, unscheduled. I always like to leave from 2:00-4:00 open for myself, it doesn’t always happen but I try my best to make it work. These two hours gives me time to recharge myself for the week ahead. If you don’t have two hours to block out for yourself, don’t worry. Maybe block out 15 minutes of your day everyday. Or give yourself a half hour in the morning or before bed to unwind without distractions. However long, be sure you are taking care of yourself.  Also, you can’t be helpful to others if you aren’t taking care of yourself.

I found myself committing to many things during the week and weekend that I was left no time for myself. I will admit, I am a Yes women. I am also the queen of over committing. Don’t believe me? Last week I booked myself from 10:00 am  to 8:00 pm solid. It wasn’t the best idea, but I made it through the day successfully. It’s all about having balance in your lives. I had made plans to hang out with friends around 9:30, but by the time it rolled around, I was exhausted. I wanted to spend time with friends, but I knew I had to recharge. I am so glad I did, I slept like a log that night. Our bodies know us better than we think. Sometimes, even if we don’t like it, it benefits us to say no.

A few ways I unwind are:

  • Watching movies or catching up on my favorite series
  • Reading
  • Facetiming my bestie from back home
  • Taking a walk
  • Doing my nails

We all need to take care of ourselves even if it means saying no. We may not like to say no, but it will benefit us in the long run. With the changing of seasons, make sure you put yourself first sometimes. It may help you more than you realize.

Have a great week.

Categories
Fabulous living

To All the Single Ladies

To All the Single Ladies out there
this one is for YOU!

Happy Galentines Day! Whether you watched Parks and Rec or not, I’m sure you have heard about Galentines Day. The day before Valentines Day where women every where celebrate each other. We celebrate friendship, accomplishments and even for a few of us being single! Whether you are in a relationship or not, here are a few ideas to do with the girls in your life.

Currently rewatching Parks and Rec…so be prepared for lots of references!
  • A dinner out. No better way to celebrate your friends then getting dressed up for a night on the town. Moms, leave the kids, homework, and calendars at home and have a fun night out with your girlfriends.

    Who doesn’t like a night out with the girls!?
  • Girls Night In. We all remember the sleepovers we shared with out BFF’s in elementary school. Why not do it again? Order in your favorite take out, pop some popcorn, and put in a chick flick and hang out for the night. A few of my favorite movies to watch with the girls are: Legally Blonde, 13 Going on 30, Mamma Mia, The Proposal, P.S. I Love You, The Lake House, Sex and the City, and Pride and Prejudice. There is something for everyone when it comes to chick flicks.

    We all need a night in to relax and having friends makes it all the better!
  • Shopping and Sweets. With Spring right around the corner, stores are already stocking their shelves with new pieces for Spring. Get a jump on your spring wardrobe and then pick up a coffee with your favorite person. It always helps when you are shopping to have a second opinion
  • .

    Anyone’s dream not look like this!?

Those are just a few ideas of how to spend Galentines Day or Valentines Day with girlfriends. And for all you single ladies out there, I’m with you. Our time will come, but for now enjoy keeping all the chocolate for yourself. Now, what are my plans for the big V-Day?! Classes, homework, Mass, and no chocolate since it is the beginning of Lent. Oh well, I’ll be celebrating the day before.

As Carrie Bradshaw once said…

Happy Galentines Day and (almost) Valentines Day.

Categories
Travel

Saturdays are for the Souls

Happy Tuesday!

Today I’m sharing something that I’m trying to incorporate more in my life: self-care. Whether it’s a quiet night in with a good book or a girl’s night out with friends, we all need to take care of ourselves.  This past weekend, my best friend, Shay and I took a day trip to the city. We both have a heavy course schedule this semester and we decided to take some time before the semester got crazy to adventure and relax.

Walking through the streets of Pittsburgh on a rainy Saturday!

We left mid morning and got to Pittsburgh around 12:00, our first stop was the National Aviary. I had never been there before, but Shay had and assured me it would be an enjoyable time. It was a smaller, interactive place. We spent an hour there but, there were a lot of activities geared towards children that would be great for families.  There were lots of exhibits and it was very colorful, most importantly, there was a wide variety of birds.

Flamingo’s hanging out at the Aviary.
Can you spot the bird in this picture?

After we finished at the Aviary, we headed to Burgatory for lunch on the North Shore. It was a 10-minute walk, so we opted for the exercise rather than an Uber.

Although, I have eaten the delicious make your own burgers at Burgatory, I opted for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich was their fresh cut fries. I love their burgers but, they are huge and since we had more things planned I decided to go with something more manageable. I couldn’t leave without getting one of their famous milkshakes. I got the cookie monster and Shay got the S’mores milkshake.

I love grilled cheese, but grilled ham and cheese is even better!
Treating ourselves and our sweet teeth to a milkshake!
Checking out some artwork in the Warhol exhibit.

After a delicious and filling lunch, we walked to the Andy Warhol museum. It was a first for both of us. It was a 10 minute walk from lunch to the museum.  The Seven floor museum took us an hour and a half to get through. Tickets for students were only $10, which was a great deal for a few hours of entertainment. There were great displays of Warhol’s pieces as well as a great history of Warhol’s life. I personally loved his bright pieces of portraits of different well-known figures.

A few of my favorite pieces from the Andy Warhol exhibit. All photographs of Jackie Kennedy.
I love the bright colors in these flower paintings
We have to talk about the elephant in the room…
Warhol’s famous Campbells Soup artwork

Before, we headed back to school, we grabbed smoothies at Crazy Mocha. A cute café in the North Shore.

Smoothies at Crazy Mocha!
Definitely a must stop if you are in the North Shore area

Many memories were made during our fun Saturday excursion. We get wrapped up in our busy lives that we often forget to take care of ourselves. My challenge for you this week is to take some time out of your busy day/week for yourself. Have a great week!

Categories
Fabulous living

Fall Semester Recap

Another semester has come and gone. Last week I wrapped on my third semester, by far it has been the busiest and most challenging one. In the past few short months, I took 19 credits worth of courses, started a new job, joined a Honor’s Society, and made many new friends. I grew as a person, and a changed in more ways than I thought. Back in August, someone told me, by the time Christmas rolled around I would be a different person than I was back in August, and boy they weren’t wrong.  The top five things that had the biggest impact or that I learned this semester are:

– Heavy course load- I took more credits and classes this semester. It was a challenge to accomplish everything, but I did it. I found new places to study and made new friends in my classes. I learned so much and the courses I took helped point me in the right direction for what I want to do as a career. I also made the decision based on credits I brought in from high school to graduate early. I will be graduating college in December 2019, a semester early. Two years from Saturday I will be a college graduate, which is both exciting and nerve racking.

This is just a small peek into how I stay organized and on top of everything related to school.
I wouldn’t have survived my classes if it weren’t for these girls. Love them to pieces.– 

– My new job. I took on a new job this semester and it has most definitely impacted me. I have more responsibilities and I had to step out of my comfort zone several times this semester. To be honest, this job has caused me stress, like any job does, but I have grown a lot this semester. I am more assertive and confident (well, that’s something I’m still working on). But, a lot of good has come from this job. I have met a lot of good people that I work with on a daily basis. People that started out as strangers are now some of my closest friends. Although, I am using this Christmas Break to catch up on some much need rest and relaxation, I’ll be excited to start back again in January.

 

My new job has brought me both smiles and stress, like any job.
So blessed I met mt friend Liv through my job. She has been the best mentor and friend. I was told I would meet some of my best friends through this job and I’m so glad i met Liv.

– Try new things. I applied and got accepted into my college’s Honor’s Program. After a lot of persuading from both friends and professors, I decided to apply, and I got in. As a member of the Honor’s Program, I will be taking more rigorous courses, and I will be attending activities as a group. One activity I went to was an Opera performance of “The Marriage of Figaro”, it was very well done and I was happy I made the decision to attend. I am excited to see what other things we do as a group.

A night out for the Opera.

– Letting Loose. Between school and my job, I worked a lot this semester, so when I had a weekend free, I took advantage of it with friends and family. I had movie nights with friends, went on trips to the city, danced the night away at semi formals, and headed home for a few weekends to spend time with family. I learned this semester there always must be a balance between work and fun. Thankfully, I had great friends who made sure I had fun even when I wasn’t always up for it. Even my friends from high school were always there if I needed a laugh or a pick me up.  Whether it was a night out or a chick flick night in, my friends and I knew how to have a good time.

My bestie Danielle and I before a Halloween Dance
A night out with Shay at semi formal. I have no idea where I would be without this girl. She truly is a forever friend.
A night out in the city to celebrate Christmas!!

– Self Care. With a busy semester, I learned how to take care of myself. Whether it was calling it an early night, working out at the gym,  reading a new book, rewatching my favorite guilty pleasure on Netflix (hello, did someone say, Gossip Girl?!?!) , or even doing my nails. I learned that I am not helpful to anyone if I don’t take care of myself first. I am still learning to take care of myself. I will always try to say yes, but I need to learn to say no more. I over commit, and I try to please everyone. Towards the end of this semester, I learned to slow down more. That is something I plan to work on more for the spring semester.

Smiling is the easiest way to spread happiness. At the end of the day, all we can do is keep smiling.

Some days it felt like this semester dragged on, and other days, I can hardly believe it is already December! Overall, I had a successful semester. I learned a lot and I gained a lot. I can’t wait to see what next semester has in store for me. Until then
.xoxo