Find Your Balance

 As the weather starts to change into the warmer season my mood tends to take more of a positive outlook. The warmer weather helps my motivation and, in this case, has allowed me to motivate myself to add some more into my schedule. School exercises our minds all day constantly whether we are in class or doing assignments outside of class. These past few weeks I have been focusing more on exercising my body.  With a busy schedule I am not able to go to the gym as much as I would like, and sometimes getting the motivation to go somehow disappears. With my friends also getting excited about the warm weather in between classes we are outside either with a volleyball or a basketball making up games like we are kids again or just goofing around blowing off steam before our next class.  I've found going outside for just an hour on the nice days shifts my mood and motivates me to do it again or even sometimes motivates me to keep going on my day and do the homework I didn't want...

 In this post I will be talking about and sharing my experience with meditation!  Meditation has recently entered my life because I have enrolled in a yoga class offered at school. Now going into this class, I was a little excited to actually be able to do yoga once a week and also have a lecture about yoga. I know that yoga is very relaxing as it is but then we started learning about meditation and also practicing it.  The first time we meditated I will admit I kept going in and out of sleep, its 9am, I'm in a dark lecture hall with my eyes closed listening to soothing music. Can you blame me? We continue to practice this in class and also got assigned to meditate outside of class on our own. The more practice I do the better my experience is getting.  While in class meditating one thing that helps me focus is when our professor says "What is your body saying to you? Listen to what it is saying to you", because you are so relaxed it seems as if you are telling yours...

 In previous posts on this blog, I have emphasized giving yourself time. Well, here are some ideas on how to be your own date, and by this, I mean spending some extra quality time with yourself. College can be some troubling times to say the least and to help myself stay in contact with my mind and body, I enjoy doing activities on my own.  This is not always the case everyday but allowing yourself to take the time to be on your own and really take in those moments is something that has really helped me stay on track.  Point Gratiot Park As we all attend SUNY Fredonia driving down to the beach for a sunset or just at any time of day by yourself sitting by the water is very relaxing and almost feels as if I am refreshing myself. I like to bring a book or my journal and just sit and enjoy the nature.  Food Date Take yourself to get food on your own, even if it is just a drive through sit in the car type of mood. After class treating myself to a Tim Hortons breakfast sa...

 As a second-year college student there are a few things I wish my first-year self knew about when it came to a busy school week. One thing I personally notice in myself is stressing and overthinking my schoolwork load leading to procrastination and even more stress. This also leads to a lack of motivation in my day-to-day life causing simple tasks to be difficult to accomplish throughout the week.  To help myself avoid procrastination and extra stress I started planning my week out. Using a planner, my notes app in my phone or even just the back pages of a notebook I plan out every day of the week including schoolwork, errands, and my job and other activities you may include in your week.  This allows me to schedule my homework/study time for each class so by the end of the week I know I have covered all of my classes without putting work off or accidentally forgetting an assignment.  Including, errands you may have to run and the certain days and time you may have ...

  Getting yourself prepared for another day can be just as hard as getting up in the morning, let's talk about winding down after a day of existing. As a college student it can be hard to call it quits on day when it feels like you still have so much to do, but there is not always enough time in a day. Give yourself a " day is over time ", what I mean by this, is set a time at night that no matter what, your day is done.  Every day at ten o'clock I'm done for the day, no more homework or any other stressors.  Give your mind and body time to wind down before bed. No one can sleep when their mind is going one hundred miles an hour.  Give yourself time to do the things you want to do. Ending your day at whatever time you prefer gives you the time to focus on anything other than your responsibilities.  The gap between ten o'clock and when I go to sleep gives me the time to get ready for bed, journal or read, catch up with my roommates, watch my show, and I will a...

 Waking up and getting yourself out of bed for the day can sometimes feel like a chore. To make sure I'm ready and up to take on whatever the day throws at me, I give myself time. Giving yourself time in the morning will help you not feel rushed out the door for classes, work or any other plans you have. Taking care of yourself in the morning has the possibility to give you a "look good feel good" day. Knowing you got up and got yourself ready to the best of your ability can change the way the rest of your day feels and plays out.  I thought I would share some things I do in the morning to help me feel good and to make sure I have enough time before I need to get out the door.  Don't sit on your phone right as you wake up. Obviously, you may need to turn off an alarm but after that don't let yourself start scrolling through social media apps. It's very easy to get sucked in and before you know it twenty minutes has passed.  Turn on some music. I enjoy playing ...

Balancing your social life, school, a job, and your mental health can feel like the universe is plotting against you at times. The start of your day is a big contributing factor to how the rest of your day will play out. Every day starts and ends with your attitude and your view of the day and the days to come. This blog is going to consist of what I do in my day-to-day life to help myself balance all my responsibilities.  The most important person looking out for you is yourself.