The Art of Letting Go

June 27, 2017June 27, 20175 Comments

People are funny. It seems impossible, but you can feel two totally different feelings at the exact same time. They contradict each other. They fight for space in your brain and in your heart. You think, “one of these feelings must be false. One is right and one is wrong.” But the reality is, you can hold one thing in each hand. And you may not understand how they flip back and forth with a dizzying speed–but here you are, grappling with all the feelings at the same time, with the same intensity.

It’s pretty annoying. Or maybe it’s just living.

I realized something about people recently. I was talking to a friend who was going through a similar situation I had gone through in the past. It was one of those times where, as a friend, you give your best advice–advice you often can easily give but seldom take yourself. She was struggling with the two contradicting feelings that we’ve all had at one point: the balance of wanting to let go but also to hang on. And I realized that 1. we all want to let something go but 2. we’re all desperate to hang onto it anyways.

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7 Easy Ways to Practice Self-Care

June 13, 2017July 28, 20176 Comments

I first heard the term “self-care” at my old job at a healthcare PR agency. Part of my job (and TBH, my most favorite) was working with bloggers/online health advocates who were living with chronic illnesses. Self-care was always an important topic of conversation–it was imperative for them to listen to what their bodies/minds needed, especially during times when they were in constant physical pain.

Ever since I was exposed to the notion of “self-care,” it seemed to pop up everywhere, for everyone (not just those living with a chronic condition like I originally thought). New articles and studies about how important it is for us to take care of ourselves, because apparently Americans, in general, are pretty terrible at it. I also started to realize that I didn’t really “practice self-care” up until this point. It’s not that I didn’t take care of myself–I’ve always eaten pretty healthy & exercised regularly–but truly practicing self-care takes a little more intention and awareness.

Within the last few months, I started making an effort to practice self-care & I’m baffled why I didn’t do it sooner. First of all, it feels great & makes you really happy, which seems super obvious because that’s the whole point of self-care, but you don’t realize it until you do it consistently. Second, self-care can really be whatever you want; there are no strict rules because it’s about listening to yourself about you want/need. At first, I experienced a weird sense of guilt because it felt like I was treating myself for no real reason, but once I got over that and realized I deserve to be nice to myself (because again, obviously), self-care actually became really fun & something I look forward to.

If you’re new to this whole self-care thing, here’s a simple list to get you started. Everything below takes between 30 seconds and an hour to complete, making it easy to incorporate it into your day. Again, self-care can be anything you want it to be–it’s all about making yourself feel good–physically, mentally & emotionally–because you deserve it. Enjoy!

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The Post College Rough Drafts

June 1, 2017July 28, 20172 Comments

Once I had a professor rip up a paper I had written right in front of my face. The class was called “Writing for Magazines.” I handed him my paper & before he even read it, he tore it in two, letting both halves lifelessly float to the ground. I’m pretty sure I let out a small, audible gasp. Unfazed, he simply looked at me and said, “First drafts are always sh*t. Let them be sh*t.”

He went on to explain that, as writers, our best work is never found in our first drafts. First drafts are meant to get all the sh*tty content out–they’re supposed to be messy & extremely hard to write. The blinking cursor on a blank screen is supposed to intimidate you into writing things you wouldn’t normally say. You’re supposed to word vomit all of your paragraphs until you don’t know what your initial point was. Sure, there are a few sentences here and there that aren’t complete garbage, but overall first drafts aren’t your best…and that’s okay. Because the real fun begins in the re-writing, editing, second (and third and fourth) drafts. That’s where writers actually write their best work.

The first year out of college is kind of like your first draft. Aka, it’s kinda sh*t (for the most part).

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