My health journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster (and just so you know, I freaking HATE rollercoasters). The best way I can describe it is to tell you to think of the scariest rollercoaster at six flags… the one that you knew, going into the park, that you most definitely, without a doubt, would NOT ride but then somehow get thrown into doing it by your friends. It’s that roller coaster that you get onto nervous, scared, and not knowing what to expect. The one where you go up the incline thinking, “ok this isn’t so bad, I think I can do this” and then you reach the top and have a fleeting thought of “omg ok this is really scary, I never wanted to do this, please get me off” and then you drop 100 feet and do a million flips and the whole time you’re thinking “HOLY SHIT IM GONNA DIE OR VOMIT OR BOTH”. That my friends, has been my life for the past 4 years, except I don’t get to go home after the ride is over… I’ve been on that ride for what feels like 13,947,309,472 times… and counting.
Read moreSpring Cleaning: Declutter Your Friend Group, Not Just Your Closet!
SPRING IS HERE!!!
(Even though it’s still literally FREEZING outside)
Which means for us, that it’s time to declutter…AKA my favorite thing to do. There is NOTHING better than decluttering and organizing, or shall we say out with the old, in with the new!!! A few days ago, I decided to go through my closet, like I do every year, and analyze each piece of clothing I have and contemplate if it’s worth keeping or should go in the sell or donation pile. Honestly, as much as I love the end feeling of it all, the process of it takes me F.O.R.E.V.E.R. because I go through every POSSIBLE scenario about when I maybe, could possibly, but know I won’t ever, wear this again. As I look at each item, I think to myself “ya know Elise, you haven’t worn this in two years and it doesn’t fit right anymore, but maybe one day you’ll have to go to a gardening class with a friend and it’ll be perfect” and that’s all the validation I need to justify putting that black velvet hanger back on the rack.
I KNOW… I’m sure you’re wondering why decluttering is my favorite thing to do if it sounds like I absolutely suck at it but I promise I do get rid of things, even if it takes me 3 weeks to do so. Sometimes, all I need is just a little encouragement from my fiancé, Carl. Whenever I’m having a really hard time deciding on whether to keep or toss something, I’ll ask him and within .0001 seconds, he will decide and then of course I’ll give him all of my excuses as to why I should keep it BUT the point is… it’s definitely helpful to have a friend, significant other, or even your mom give their opinion on it because it’s not so personal for them.
So with this being my 5th year that I’ve started decluttering my closet, I wondered to myself, “why is it so HARD for me to give up things if they are just THINGS???” To that point, I think the personal aspect of it is the answer to my grand question. When you buy something, you invest in it, you wear it, you spend time with it, and you create memories in it. So no wonder it can be hard to give those things up sometimes!!!!! This whole idea got me thinking on a much deeper level about FRIENDSHIPS (because you can’t get a Master’s Degree in Counseling without thinking on the deepest level with everything… sometimes to a fault)
How To Love Yourself 101
Valentine’s Day is a day that really emphasizes
L O V E.
This year on Valentine’s Day I found myself feeling so grateful for all the people I love so much! My fiancé, my friends, my family… my heart was filled to the brim with love for other people. But then I stopped to check in with myself about self-love. For me, an empath, it is so easy to pour myself into other people and just hand out love like it’s a tequila shot on a bachelorette party! Don’t get me wrong, loving other people is AMAZING and is crucial for maintaining healthy relationships and a solid support system. BUT don’t get so caught up in loving and supporting other people that you forget about yourself. A lot goes into loving yourself and just like you have to put in effort with your other relationships, you GOTTA do the same with yourself, sister!
Self-love is a practice that you MUST be committed to. It’s something you should look forward to, like the free bean dip at Gloria’s!!! Just like all of your other relationships and friendships, your relationship with yourself must be tended to, nurtured, and prioritized.
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