Just Some Holiday Reminders!!

just some holiday reminders!!

It’s okay to have complicated feelings about the holidays (even if you used to really love them).

it’s okay to hide in the bathroom/take a step outside for some deep breaths.

it’s okay if events or activities meant to be ‘fun/recreational’ (like shopping, cookie decorating, etc) are stressful or tiring for you.

remember that it’s okay to rest 💜

it’s okay to set boundaries even around family (‘I don’t feel like talking about that right now, etc’)

you deserve to be hydrated, rested, and well fed 💜

There is no wrong way to feel about something! There can be so much shame around struggling in a season famous for being filled with ‘love and joy.’ You aren’t alone and you are loved 💜💜

I have a pretty productive time, since I've seen the difference between "I CAN'T" and "I DON'T WANT TO". Every time I have to do some difficult stuff and my brain tells me that I have no abillities to accomplish those tasks, I ask myself - Do I want to do it? Do I want to see the result? Like from the bottom of my heart - do I want it?! Or can I do it just because it's obligation? I used to be scared of things, that I'm not perfect in the first attempt. I'm afraid of failure. And now, when I ask myself DO YOU REALLY WANT IT? WE CAN DO IT IF YOU JUST WANT IT, NO MATTER OF THE RESULT. JUST START AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. And oh my God, this may sound stupid, but I've been trying a lot of things with this mindset over the last two days. New software, new application, new art media, new routines.

NEW YEAR, NEW ME

this is a collab w the it girl @prettieinpink !!

HABITS TO IMPLEMENT 

Movement (yoga, running, Pilates, walking, gym, etc. Anything that allows you to move your body 

Reflection- make a note of things you would like to improve on. This could be self-love, relationships, 

STAY CONSISTENT

Consistency is key. Make sure to stick to your plan and keep working towards your goals every day. Even small steps are progress. Try to make your goal part of your daily routine. 

HOW TO STAY CONSISTENT 

SCHEDULE- Setting schedules helps really well with consistency. Make a schedule for the tasks you need to do daily or weekly to achieve your goals. This can help you make your goals a part of your routine, making it easier to stay consistent.

STAY ORGANIZED- Keep track of your tasks and goals. Use tools like calendars, to-do lists, or apps to help you stay organized and remember what you need to do.

DISCIPLINE YOURSELF- Sometimes, you won't feel like working towards your goals, and that's okay. The key is to maintain discipline and do the task anyway. Remember, consistency is about doing the task regularly, not just when you feel like it.

START SMALL- Don't overwhelm yourself with huge tasks. Start small and gradually increase your workload as you build consistency.

DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF- If you miss a day, don't beat yourself up. Instead, acknowledge that it happened, understand why, and move on. Consistency is about long-term progress, not perfection.

CREATE A PLAN

Once you know what your goals are, create a step-by-step plan on how to achieve them. Break down each goal into smaller, manageable tasks. This might involve creating a timeline, setting deadlines, or identifying resources or tools you might need.

LEAVE THINGS IN THE PAST 

In 2023, I’m sure everyone has had ups and downs, but not letting them define you as a person is something that has to be done in order for you to become a new person.

HOW TO LEAVE THINGS IN THE PAST

ACCEPTANCE-  Acknowledge the past and accept it as part of your life story. Understand that it's something that has shaped you but doesn't define you.

FORGIVENESS- Forgive yourself and others. Holding onto resentment only harms you. Letting go of grudges can bring a sense of peace and open up space for healthier relationships.

LEARN FROM IT- Every experience, good or bad, is an opportunity to learn. Reflect on these experiences and use them as stepping stones to better decisions in the future.

FOCUS ON THE PRESENT- The past is unchangeable, but the present is in your control. Concentrate on what you can do now to create a positive future.

SET NEW GOALS- Create new objectives for yourself. This gives you something to work towards and helps shift your focus from the past to the future.

PRACTISE MINDFULNESS- Mindfulness is about staying focused on the present moment. Practices like meditation can help you stay grounded and prevent you from dwelling on the past.

ADJUST YOUR PLAN AS NEEDED

It's okay if your initial plan doesn't work out exactly as you thought. Life happens, and it's important to be flexible and adapt your plan as needed. If you find that a certain approach isn't working, don't be afraid to try something different.

PRACTICE SELF CARE

Remember to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally. This can include things like getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising regularly, and taking time to relax and do things you enjoy. Don't forget that self-care is an important part of reaching your goals.

WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF CARE-

BALANCED DIET-  There is no need to restrict yourself from foods but eating a healthy, balanced diet is crucial for maintaining physical health. Try to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains in your diet.

EXERCISE REGULARLY- Regular physical activity can help reduce stress, improve mood, and boost overall health. This doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym - it could be anything from a brisk walk to a yoga class

GET ENOUGH SLEEP-  Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Establish a regular sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine to improve sleep quality.

STAY HYDRATED-  Drinking enough water each day is important for overall health. Try to aim for at least 8 glasses per day.

TAKE BREAKS- Make sure to take regular breaks throughout the day, especially if you're working or studying. This can help prevent burnout and improve productivity.

DO THINGS YOU ENJOY- Make time for hobbies or activities you enjoy. This could be anything from reading a book to playing a sport to painting. 

  CELEBRATE SMALL THINGS

Don't wait until you've reached your big goal to celebrate. Celebrate small wins along the way to keep your motivation high. This could be treating yourself to something you enjoy, or simply taking a moment to acknowledge your achievement.

REFLECTING ON THE PAST YEAR

Think about how the past year went. Did you learn anything? Did you reach new goals? If you don't the answers to these questions, I recommend further examining your year!!

how to live life like a ghibli film

1. go out in nature more. every studio ghibli film has some aspect of nature intertwined with the storyline. sometimes its hard to get the energy to go outside, but just going out on your deck or opening the window in your room or taking a walk around the block is enough. if you feel like it, go for a hike! go into the woods and look at every flower, and every tree. look at the mushrooms and streams and notice the beauty of them. look at nature like you’ve never seen it before. wake up at 4 and watch the sunset. put plants around your room. realize how beautiful the world is around you. appreciate it. 

2. get a hobby! this step is certainly easier said than done, but its so worth it. struggling with mental illness makes it especially hard to get a hobby, but its very important that you don’t spend the majority of your time on social media. Start small. If you want to start drawing get a coloring book and fill in a picture with beautiful markers! If you want to write find a random prompt online, give yourself 30 minutes and see what you can come up with. Want to try baking? Start with an easy recipe, like chocolate chip cookies, and share them with your family or friends, or just yourself! Try out a bunch of hobbies, and see what you like best. Maybe you like making jewelry or writing poems or creating digital collages or making video edits or decorating your room or riding a bike or sewing or reading. The possibilities are endless, and getting a hobby you enjoy is very important, and fun.

3. start appreciating small things and noticing details. I don’t know how to explain this step, but in studio Ghibli films, small things always stick out. There are beautiful tiny details that make the story so much more magnificent. small details make the studio Ghibli films what they are. maybe on your way to school/work the sky was a really pretty color. Or the tea you made in the morning was perfectly steeped. appreciate small details of life that you don’t normally notice.

4. appreciate food. Pay attention to your food. If you can, try and make/bake your own food! But if you can’t, just be mindful of your food. Try not to eat while you’re on your phone. Dedicate times to just eating. Appreciating the food in front of you. Make yourself the ponyo drink with milk and honey, or ponyo ramen! Make yourself your own blend of tea like the Baron!

5. be kind and help others. Being kind doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it can be smiling and waving at a baby in a café, or helping your mom finish the dishes, or paying for a friend’s coffee. Small gestures not only put good out into the world, but they also make you feel better. When you can, help others. Try volunteering at an animal shelter, or babysit for your aunt without charging her, or just listen to your friend when they’re going through something and be there for them. In every Ghibli film, the main character is always helping others, and being kind. Try to be like kiki, when she returned the pacifier to the mother who forgot it, or like chizuru from the cat returns, who risks her life to save a cat. Kindness comes in all shapes and forms, so just try your best to do what you can!

6. be your most authentic self. Stay true to who you are. dress how you’d like. Cut your hair like you’ve always wanted to. Stay confident and true to yourself. We all feel insecure sometimes, but we need to remind ourselves that we are great. Don’t try and force yourself to be someone you aren’t. Kiki felt insecure in her abilities as a witch, but she stayed true to herself, and believed in herself, and it paid off. Love and appreciate yourself, just the way you are.

7. (not really a tip but a fun suggestion) start collecting something! This is just an extra step that I wanted to include because I think its nice. But start a collection of things that interest you. It could be anything! Candles, stamps, teacups, antique figurines, 19th century photos, lip balms, books, key chains, flowers, hats. The choices are endless.

On being disciplined

Discipline can be really, really hard.

At some point of time, we all know that it’s not motivation that helps us achieve goals, but discipline.

Being disciplined can be exhausting. It can feel like everyday is the same day, and it can be scary for some people.

Self help books can often be annoying because they all repeat the same content more or less, just packaged differently.

So here are some easy steps to actually being disciplined.

1. Understand that discipline comes from accomplishing small tasks.

Here’s a simple formula:

Doing a task consistently = executing that task properly = experience in that task grows = results in confidence in doing that particular task

What’s something that you can do in practically your sleep? It could be something as small as making your bed (because you have practice!), baking a certain dessert that all your friends love (practice!), being able to understand how mitosis works (biology homework- practice!).

Everything comes from practice.

You can read as many books as you like, attend as many self-help conferences, but if you don’t put in the work, it’s money wasted.

2. So what kind of small tasks am I talking about to increase your discipline?

Here are some examples:

You really want to nap for 20 minutes. So you set your alarm, and you sleep. 20 minutes later, the alarm goes off.

Do you wake up? Or do you snooze for another 20?

Waking up after the first alarm goes off requires discipline. Sheer willpower.

Nail this step first.

By nailing just the art of waking of waking up at the time you were supposed to, you may be grumpy for a minute but you’ve done it! You battled the feelings of being lazy and sleeping in - and now you’re going to probably have a better day.

3. Outline 3-5 tasks that you think you need to do every single day in order to achieve what you want.

Here’s an example of mine:

My Goals:

To have the mornings to do my tasks, as opposed to sleeping in

To be able to learn something new everyday

To keep my brain and body active

To be aware of what’s going on in the world

This translates to my 5 tasks:

Waking up at 7 am

Working out

Reading the news

Playing brain games on my phone that help increase your thinking, creativity and intelligence (I use Elevate)

Reading 3 pages of a book

For me, I’m someone who loves seeing progress being measured. So I maintain a habit tracker.

This method may not work for everyone, but I get happy when I can tick those 5 boxes of my list every night.

4. Here’s how you set the correct goals:

How exactly do you come with those 3-5 tasks?

Make sure they’re relatively easy.

Reading 3 pages of a book, for example, is quite easy. It takes me around 5 minutes to do that.

Surely I can spend 5 minutes of my day to read just 3 pages?

Make sure that they’re attainable and you have a choice in that task.

If you don’t exercise, but you want to start, don’t start heavy. Especially if you’re working out by yourself.

“I’ll do a 90 minute workout today!” Turns to “God, I hate this, I hate working out, I’m never doing it again.”

So keep it attainable, even if you feel like you can do more.

Aim for working out 30 minutes a day for 2 weeks.

30 minutes a day, your choice of work out. Human beings love choice. We love choosing what to do. So give yourself the freedom to choose what you want to do.

Then increase that to 45 minutes for 3 weeks.

Then increase that again, if you want to, and if you feel comfortable.

Make sure it’s something you can do everyday for some time.

For example, reading the news is a daily ritual. I need to know what’s happening in the world. My work requires me to.

I can’t read the news weekly or monthly - it’s something that has to be done everyday.

So regardless of the type of day I’m having, this is something I need to do and is doable.

I can read the news on the train. On the bus. On the toilet. While I eat something.

It’s doable everywhere.

Obviously, it doesn’t apply to all your goals - you can’t workout on a train or in the classroom - but try to keep majority of your goals somewhat portable.