How to Solve Common Apartment Problems

July 27, 2018July 27, 20182 Comments

The amount of real-world, “adult” apartment problems I’ve had in my first grownup apartment is actually comical. To put it lightly, I’ve had more leaks, pests & general repairs in 3 years than I’ve seen in my entire 25 years of life. When the first problem happened (a leaking roof), I called my parents at 5am and bawled my eyes out. But by my most current issue (an overflowing toilet), I merely laughed on the phone with my dad & fixed it.

I’m by no means a handy-(wo)man, but this crash course in “home-rentership” has definitely taught me some valuable lessons on how to fix common problems that can only benefit me when I have a real home someday & can’t call a landlord. For any of you millennials out there renting your first big girl/boy apartment, keep reading. I can guarantee I’ve experienced & solved at least one of your apartment woes.

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How to (Realistically) Become a Morning Person

July 5, 2018July 4, 201813 Comments

I guess this post is a little unfair of me because I’m naturally~ a morning person, but I realize that a lot of people are not. Unfortunately for you night owls, the American working society kind of forces you to become morning people so might as well embrace it for what it’s worth vs. dreading getting out of bed (which morning people sometimes hate too, believe it or not).

There are a lot of articles out there on “how to become a morning person,” and I can guarantee that they probably go a little something like this:

Don’t hit snooze & get out of bed immediately.
Spend 15 minutes stretching/doing yoga/bullet journaling/some other thing you probably don’t have time for.
Eat a hearty, full breakfast that you most likely don’t want to make/will make you late.

Listen. Even as a morning person, I’m calling bullsh*t on all the “morning person” articles. No one in their right might can JUMP out of bed as soon as their alarm goes off (I certainly can’t) nor does the normal human being have the time/energy to do like 15 different activities AND get ready for work AND cook a full breakfast every morning. I’m all for taking back your mornings (once in a while & in an enjoyable way!), but for everyday, routine mornings here are some realistic suggestions on how to become more of a morning person.

when in doubt, just drink coffee

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How to Help a Friend Who’s Struggling with their Mental Health

June 21, 2018June 20, 2018Leave a comment

So something I’ve been trying to do more on Ampersand is talk about mental health. I truly believe the best way to break down stigmas & help those who need love and support is to start talking about these issues openly and honestly. Educating ourselves and others is the only way to make mental health less of a “taboo” topic–because in reality we ALL should be focused on being mentally healthy. It’s just as important as physical health, and honestly, the majority of Americans are pretty bad at prioritizing it.

With the recent deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, I’ve seen a lot more articles and discussions surrounding suicide as well as other mental health issues (although we could be talking about them a lot more). The articles that I’ve been gravitating towards are specifically ones on how to be a better friend & advocate to those struggling with mental health. I am not a mental health professional by ANY means, but the articles below touch on different mental health topics & how to help those who are struggling.

When in doubt, just show people love. Love is the best thing you can give (to anyone). You never know exactly what people are going through but showing and giving love is something that we can all do. Keep on reading to become a better mental health advocate.