The Importance of Self Care

Photo From Pinteres

Sundays are our busiest days! We often spend them getting ready to go back to work on Monday, grocery shopping and, or meal prepping for the week. In the midst of doing work 24/7 in this pandemic, and sometimes forgetting to shower or remember what day it even is, it is important to take care of ourselves. We like to put ourselves on the back burner because we think we have so much to do. Self-care is very important especially in this time of covid. 

Why?

During covid, we are most likely cooped up in our house and it can take a toll on our mental health. Not taking care of our mental health can cause us to fall into depression, which is why the concept of self-care is helpful. You don’t have to dedicate a whole day to it, you can just dedicate 1 hour or even 30 minutes to yourself to just get your bearings so that you’re not feeling stressed all the time.

Is self-care considered selfish?

Photo From Pinterest

It is not selfish because we need to make sure we are where we want to be. It’s easy to check in on other people’s mental health and make sure they’re good, but we have to make sure we have to have ourselves in check first. Studies show that it’s incredibly important to maintain a healthy lifestyle because it reduces stress, increases confidence, and gives you a more positive outlook on life. Self-care can really help you in more ways than one. Tell me how do you self-care?

Some ideas

  1. Drink Water
  2. Meditate for 5 or 10 minutes every morning
  3. Go out for a walk 
  4. Cleanse and moisturize your face 
  5. Use a sugar scrub in the shower
  6. Put on calming music and just listen

For more ideas on how you can improve your self-care click here

https://www.rebekah-joan.com/blog/self-care-activities-instead-social-media

How To Change Your Mindset

Photo from Pinterest

We all have that background noise playing in the back of our minds and it’s almost always saying something negative. It shows up when you’re working on homework or work and says “I can’t do this” or “This is too hard”. I was guilty of this myself, I always had negative things that I would tell myself. 

What Changed?

I realized that those negative statements were doing nothing for me. I changed “I can’t do this” to “I can do this”, I changed “This is too hard” to, well I actually kept saying “This is hard” I just added, “I will try” at the end. I had to change the narrative that I was telling myself. Here are some ways that can help you change your mindset

  1. Change your language

Change the way you talk about yourself to other people, avoid statements like “I am always this or that”.  

  1. Retrain your brain by noticing 3 positive changes a day

Start making an effort to notice positive changes about yourself throughout the day

  1. Making personal development a priority for yourself 

Take time for yourself, do the things that you love. It could be a favorite activity, it doesn’t matter what you do, just take care of yourself.

  1. Making long-term goals for yourself

Such as starting a business this year, finishing a book, or going on a spiritual journey

  1. Practicing meditation
  2. Going for a run
  3. Surrounding yourself with people that match your mindset
  4. The eighth and most important way to change your mindset and I cannot stress this enough is to “Eliminate your “sunk cost” mindset

Just eliminate you negative thinking, change your self talk

Photo from Pinterest

For more information on ways to change your mindset click link below

https://www.inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/12-ways-to-shift-your-mindset-and-embrace-change.html

Replace that mindset with any kind of positive affirmations that you like to tell yourself every day, things that make you feel good. I know this can be hard at times trust me because you just have those days where you feel like you really can’t do this. I’m here to tell you you got this! I believe in you. Now tell me are you ready to change your mindset?

Why You Should Try and Have a Green Smoothie at Least Once a Day

Smoothies are known for being quite delicious and they are convenient too! You can get them from various places when you are on the go. There are different flavors of smoothies like strawberry, banana, blueberry, and many more. The best kind of smoothie, in my opinion, is a green smoothie because it’s good for you.

Why?

You can tailor your smoothie to your taste, however the smoothie must include vegetables to get that vibrant green color! You can also toss in fruits, ground flax seeds, oats, tumeric, ginger, avocado and cinnamon, which is what I do but not required. How ever you like yours is fine. Not only are green smoothies healthier for you they possess a lot of great health benefits, while helping to increase your daily fruit and vegetable intake. I get it, I know we are all busy and maybe sometimes we don’t have time to get our fruits and vegetables in, no problem because with this smoothie it alleviates work! Not only are there nutritional benefits but the health benefits related to managing your weight is an added bonus because green smoothies are rich in vitamins such as vitamin A, B, and C, Calcium, Potassium and many more. They also have different minerals that are great for overall body health. There are also other benefits like 

  • Improving your digestion 
  • Immunity support
  • Improving your hydration
  • Clearing your skin
  • Not to mention that this drink is an overall mood booster

For more information on these health benefits go to https://www.huffpost.com/entry/8-ways-green-smoothies-fo_b_12892426

Green smoothies are very heart-healthy and the main reason why you should incorporate them into your daily meal. Start your day off with a green smoothie, you will be happy you did!

Why Waking Up at 5:00 am Every Morning is a Game Changer

Photo from Google images

To be honest I started waking up early because I saw on Youtube that many millionaires and billionaires like Oprah Winfrey, Roger Federer, Elon Musk, and many more are early risers and this is the year of manifesting our destiny right? So naturally, I wanted to wake up at that time too. I started this at the beginning of January, now I know we are only 10 days in but I can already tell it has made a difference in my outlook and perspective.

How might you ask?

I can already see a big difference in my mood. I feel more positive when I wake up early. To be an early riser you must be willing to retire early. Now please understand that I myself was not always an advocate for going to bed early, a couple of months ago I would have happily gone to bed at 11:30 close to 12 and wake up at 8 sometimes 9 but I soon found out that maybe I was not being as productive as I could be. 

Waking up early leads to success

I know it’s tempting to hit the snooze button and catch a few more z’s but evidence shows that waking up early leads to success. Think about it when do you have the most productivity and creativity, in the morning so you will be motivated to get more done. You can get some homework done for your class, get something done for your job or plan what you have to do for the day. I also saw on Youtube that between 4 and 6 are the most peaceful hours of the day because everybody else is asleep. You can get a lot done in those 2 hours that you have such as getting your exercise done, practicing yoga, which is what I have been doing or even wake up to catch the sunrise.  If you wake up earlier you won’t be late for work because you will have that extra time to take your shower, make your breakfast, so you can get to work and start your day. “If you’ve won the morning then you’ve won the day!”

 Photo from Pinterest

The most important reason though is that you will be a lot happier and more positive because, studies show that earlier risers will have overall satisfaction with their lives. I bet this will have a positive effect on your body because of the mind-body connection. Let’s get up and win this!

For more Information here’s a video on why you should join the 5 am club

Getting Organized for a Fresh Start to 2021

We made it, 2021 it’s a new year, and I have been wanting to organize my life so that I can be the best self that I can be. 2020 has been a whirlwind of a year and I don’t know about you but I could use a fresh start. Now I haven’t been the best at following through with my organization, normally I just go with this for 1 month, and then I just fall back into my unorganized ways. That’s not going to happen this year. I am going to force myself to follow through with my organization. Some things that I am doing to keep myself organized is

  • Keeping a calendar/planner
  • Color coding my classes
  • Decluttering my computer
  • Write out my daily tasks 
  • Getting rid of old papers
  • Clearing off my workspace 
  • Cleaning my room 

How I think getting organized can reduce your stress

When you are organized it makes it easier to find any important papers, notes, or phone numbers. When you have to dig through lots and lots of piles to find that stuff you can start to get stressed out and your mind will start to get cluttered which is the last thing that you want. Having a clear workspace will lead to a clear mind and will result in lower stress levels. I know that I don’t stay with my organization tactics too well but I really want to try this year. Let’s make 2021 our year!

I Reset My Life for a more Positive Mind and Body

Hello fellow bloggers and Happy New Year, this has been quite a year am I right? I thought I would switch up my content for right now since I can’t travel anywhere. Aren’t we all pretty bummed when we hear that we have to postpone doing the one thing that we love for a year. Not traveling has given me a chance to do something that I have been lacking, which is just relaxing and enjoying the holiday season, taking pictures.

While in relaxation mode during the holidays I have been thinking about resetting my life. This year is coming to an end and I wanted to bring more positive rituals into the New Year like doing yoga, start waking up at 4:00 am every morning, writing down my daily tasks for what I need to accomplish that day and the most important one is that I started manifesting what I wanted out of 2021. These tasks along with some other helped me have a more positive outlook on life. Even though this has been a difficult year and it has taken a toll on people mental health wise. May 2021 bring you all nothing but positivity and blessings!

Tennis Anyone?

Tennis Anyone? Hello, my fellow inspiration seekers. My family and I went to California for the first-time last March. We I had a great time at the BNP Paribas open in Palm Springs. BNP was the best open that I have ever been to, well the only one that I have ever been to as of last March. We saw your favorite tennis celebrities like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic.

The next day we decided to have lunch at the Polo Lounge and while we were driving there, I saw the iconic Sunset Boulevard sign.

 The famous rapper/singer drake wrote about the Lounge in on of his songs. The line was “Spaghetti Bolognese at the Polo Lounge”, which ironically my dad and brother actually got. Aside from Drake’s line that made us come here the food was pretty amazing. The most exciting part of the whole think was that we saw Future, yep in his all white outfit and his sunglasses trying to look all inconspicuous, but he knew what he was doing.

After we finished our lunch, we started to make our way to Palm Springs to see Serena’s match, but we were only able to catch the tail end of it. After the match we drove back to our hotel, which was an Airbnb situation and the hotel was nice.

The morning after my sister unfortunately had to depart so we had to take her to LAX. The four of us stayed and continued to have our fun! We switched to a different hotel because my mom wanted to stay on Rodeo Drive, and it was her birthday, so we had to comply. It was not a problem though, we stayed at the Four Seasons which was is terrific hotel franchise. They never disappoint their designs were just immaculate!

 After we checked in it was lunch time, so we went to this Italian restaurant, Ill Pasteo which was just okay.

 That same night we went to Malibu and we dined at an American restaurant called Moon shadows. My dad told the waiter that it was my mom and I’s birthday, so our dessert was complimentary.

After our dinner we drove back to the hotel that we were staying at for a few days and went to bed. The next day we didn’t really do much, we just went to the grove for the first time, they don’t really have a lot of shops but it is still a good shopping center. After that we met my mom’s cousins and her friends at Roscoe’s chicken and waffles, now you can’t go to Roscoe’s and not try their chicken and waffles so that is what I had. What a trip. Even though our time in California!

Toes in the Sand!

Come away with me and imagine you are on the beach, no one in sight, just you and your thoughts and suddenly the waves of the ocean beckons you…as soon as you get a taste of the water on your skin it washes away all of your stress.

Seaside, Florida, is a very calm and serene place. My family and I decided to take a vacation to Seaside last year over the 4th of July holiday. We decided to rent a house, because we had a large group. We were on a private beach called Water Sound with this place called 30A which is the best location to rent in, in my opinion. We had 4 bikes that came along with the house and our backyard had a deck that led straight out to the beach, which was very convenient.

 You could literally go to the beach whenever you want to, sit and read for hours and no one will bother now when does that ever happen on a family vacation? It was heaven on earth, from long bike rides to having a quit night at home.

From going down to the beach, soaking in the sunrise in the morning to watching the vibrant sunsets at night.

 Aside from the beach there are also some quaint little shops in town that we stumbled upon which were really cute. It just seems like everything moves at a slower pace down there which I liked because people were just taking their time. These people were not worried about getting from one place to the next they had a sot of “I’ll get there when I get there mentality” which is a nice change from the usual hustle and bustle that you see from people. They were just taking their time enjoying the scenery, enjoying the world around them. We had a little disconnect ourselves for a couple days because we did not have wi-fi in our house which in the beginning the kids saw as a bad thing but in the end, we found it to be a blessing in disguise. We did not have any distractions were able to just be present, talk and thoroughly enjoy the each other’s company which is something that you do not get a lot of these days. Normally it is all about the phones and what is happening on them, but not here you can have a conversation and take in one another’s emotion…what. We just had a great time we cooked, we laughed, we played games. It was great to disconnect from the world even if it was just for a little while.

My family and I have this tradition where we take picture on the beach in all white outfits which is always a really fun time, we just get to get dressed up and have our own little photoshoot.

I was really sad when I had to leave Seaside and return to normal life. This is a great destination to vacation too! My family and I loved it and I hope you will too!

 Follow me to see where I go next!

California Dreaming

Have you ever wanted to go to the wondrous state of California? Have you ever dreamed of

being in the same place as your favorite celebrities and YouTube stars? California is an amazing destination! People always say it is a fabulous place and that they just love it. I understand, I love California too! There is so much to do and so many places to go. I went to Cali in August with my mom and my sister to visit my brother and it was one of the best vacations ever! We got in late on August 8th, so we really did not do much. The next morning before we set out to meet my brother in Santa Barbara, we went to my favorite place to look around, the famous Grove. I was kind of mad that I didn’t see any celebrities because youtubers say that it is one of the prime locations to spot celebrities and /or YouTube stars. We grabbed some breakfast at Dominique’s Bakery which was quite delicious as always.

 After that, we set off on our 2-hour trek to Santa Barbara. By the time we all got there it was lunch time and we were hungry, so we went to this place called Mizza which is an Italian pizza place.

After that we walked around a little bit, we went into this store I forget what is was called but they had home décor and antiques, as soon as I stepped inside it gave me a really magical vibe and it even had a secret garden out back that you would only see in a kids movie, now if that doesn’t scream magic to you then I don’t know what does.

 After our Santa Barbara excursion, we made our way to Lompoc, California. When we got there it was nighttime, so we just went to bed.

In The morning we went to Solvang, which is a Dutch inspired city in California, it was so beautiful!

As soon as we drove into town, we were completely surrounded by this magnificent architecture that just captivated your attention. We stopped had breakfast at this place called the Landsby, their food was just delicious.

 We loved the Landsby so much that we went back later that same evening to experience the live music. If you thought Solvang was beautiful in the daytime it was even more alluring at night. Just picture yourself sitting with your family or friends under the California stars, lights hanging from above, the firepits blazing, the sound of good music, people dancing and having a good time. It’s like scene from your favorite movie, right?

While out sightseeing the next day, I spotted, wait for it…an Ostrich and Emu Farm! Yep you heard me correctly an Ostrich and Emu Farm, in California. Generally, my first thought was that it would be cool to ride an Ostrich but then I retracted when I thought about animal cruelty, so I thought hmmmmm…better not. Then I was so excited when I found out that you could feed the Ostrich and the Emu but then my anxiety took over and was like “uh uh honey” my mom did not of course partake in feeding the animals, but my sister and brother did though. I just stood there and took the pretty pictures that you see here.

Our visit to California was so much fun! Thanks for reading my blog. Stay tuned for my next adventure!

And So It Begins…

Toni Morrison once said “There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. This is how civilizations heal. My name is Hannah and I am studying creative writing. I have not always been interested in creative writing I just got into it recently, but somehow my 7th grade English teacher said that I had a very distinct voice when it comes to storytelling and he knew that this is where I should be even before I did. I was like “creative writing, really?” Grant it, it took a minute but when I finally got there I was like “huh, creative writing okay I can work with this!”. Here I am 2 ½ books later (waiting to be published) and I am finally starting to get what he was saying. I am truly grateful that this amazing teacher believed in me and saw something that I didn’t see in myself.

A few years later in 2019, that was the year that I started branching out and getting more into various artforms such as: dancing, photography, filmmaking, writing or poetry. This blog is going to serve as an outlet for me to express myself through writing, photographs and short films to hopefully evoke some emotion from people that take the time to read my work. This is my chance to just put my artwork out there and not hold back. My blog will mostly consist of sharing my photos and describing what they mean, how they make me feel but you will also get some travel photos and you might even get some poetry in there. Self-expression is what this blog is all about!

People should read my blog because it will be full of amazing photos, writings, short films and poetry that everyone can probably relate to. It will be nice to finally share my work with the world and just seeing what happens. Come and like my post and join me in this wonderful journey through the next chapter in my life. This is me!