slow down

breathe
just breathe
sit down
and maybe close your eyes
or don't that's cool too
but just let your mind be opened
to how amazing
and privileged
you really are

breathe in
and out
let those other worries flow away
they matter
but not right now

we all know you probably need a break
i originally wrote this during thanksgiving season
everyone is talking about thankfulness
i've heard this a lot lately
how for a couple of times a day
we should stop

and say a little thank you

maybe to your mom
or your best friend
for the food
or the weather

i want you to do that right now
i know you didn't click on this post to work
but i promise
it's helpful

think of three things
that just make you happy
they could be super random
it's actually better if they're more specific

maybe you've had a bad day
and you're not exactly in the thankful mood
that happens         
but i promise
you can think of three things you're thankful for
look around the room
at your clothes
at whatever you're reading this on

fun fact
they found a neurological link
between being generous
and being happy

maybe generosity goes along with thankfulness for you 

maybe help your parents with dinner 

or just do a gesture that shows them really how much you care 

once again maybe you've had a bad day
but tomorrow?
that's a new day
with new ideas
and themes
and events

i want you to do two things tomorrow

number one
at least three times throughout the day
take a tiny moment
and say thank you
be truly thankful for something

maybe it's the fork that's helping you put your delicious salad in your mouth
or your coworker that smiled at you when you were tired   

number two
do 3 acts of kindness or generosity
and just make someone smile
tell your friend truly how great you think they are
you think they know
but they don't
or maybe how much you love your classmates hair
or just say yes when someone asks for a hair tie
i promise
that's lifesaving sometimes

those both take maybe 5 minutes out of your day max
and guess what 
i'm almost certain you will have a better day 

That's been sitting in my journal for a while so I really hope y'all like it! It's a bit different then some of my normal content but hey, I like mixing things up every once in a while. 

If you liked this post I would recommend checking out:

-You're Never Truly Alone

-Music

-Things I Need To Learn

-Disconnected 

Comment down below one thing you're thankful for!

14 Things I've Learned In 14 Years

YOU GUYS IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I'M KIND OF FREAKING OUT. LIKE AHHHHHH. As you can tell from my past posts on the subject birthdays make me pretty happy. I'm officially 14 which means I can now technically watch tv-14 shows and it's pretty great. When your reading this me and my family should be going to New Orleans to spend the weekend for one of my dad's conferences. As of when I'm writing this I'm pretty excited. :) Today I thought in honor of this special day I would share 14 things I've learned in my 14 years of life!

1. The world and everyone around you aren't personally out to get you. When I was younger I thought everytime someone did something annoying it was because they wanted to be annoying to me specifically. In some cases that was true (aka my siblings a lot of the time) but most of the time it wasn't. I remember just staring at someone as they were doing something that annoyed me and thinking about how they knew I didn't like it and was doing it anyway so why ask them to stop? That makes zero sense. If someone is being annoying ask them to stop! You either never told them you didn't like it or they just forgot. People have extremely bad memories sometimes (aka me every day haha).

2. Community and having friends that make you happy is everything. I just love being around people, and having a community I can go to and that actually love me is so important to me. When I'm in a new situation I can get super nervous but if I have a friend? It's a million times better. 

3. Time management and being organized is so important!! If you actually manage your time efficiently you can get soooo much more stuff done then you ever thought possible. For example, with school, I have an agenda where I write down all my homework and stuff. If I didn't have that I might actually go crazy. I am alllllways forgetting what needs to be done so writing it down is kind of a lifesaver. 

4. You can't do everything. You just can't. And yes it's ok to say no to things sometimes. I realized this school year that I really really want to do everything. I want to be the president of the student council and of NJHS and I want the lead in the play while taking two high school credit courses. Is that at all possible though? No. No, it's not. You have to choose the things you genuinely like doing over the other stuff or you won't have time for anything at all. 

5. Even if you're not the best at something if you participate and try to learn it will be ok. Aka theatre for me. Some people have this natural skill for things like school and theatre. That's pretty helpful. But if they don't apply themselves and actually try they will get absolutely nowhere in life. Ever. They will always pick the nice person over the talent. 

6. Don't be afraid to let people know you. And your opinions. And the things you liked. I sometimes have a hard time telling people things I enjoy doing or watching or reading because I'm afraid they will judge me especially if the thing isn't that popular. I have been opening up more though and seriously the friendships that can be made over liking the same musician (aka Dodie in my case) is kind of mind-blowing. If you don't let yourself express yourself you're just going to be another mindless drone.

7. You have to let yourself get into things. I am extremely good at getting totally into things and enjoying things and honestly, it's a skill. I think some people hold back their excitement or maybe just tell themselves it's not that cool. WELL GUESS WHAT IT IS COOL AND YOU'RE HAVING AN AMAZING TIME. Just tell yourself that. It works a lot more then you would think. This goes along with the whole positive thing. 

8. When I stress over things I mess up. I've noticed in the past that if I'm supposed to say something maybe on the announcements (which is something I do at school I know I'm cool) and I go over it over and over again it is actually more likely for me to mess up. I noticed this recently and I'm not sure why it is but I thought it was interesting. 

9. Sometimes people are meant to leave your life. I've been super lucky so far and I haven't lost/lost touch with that many people. I have lost a couple friends and other people in my life if it's we just don't talk anymore or they moved. It's hard. There are some people and friends that might be in your life that just aren't supposed to be. 

10. You always have to take a break from social media every once in a while. Especially for me since I'm boring, blogging is basically what I do in my free time. I'm weird but it's ok. That means I'm always thinking about my next insta post and getting back to that person and getting that done on time and it can be a lot. Especially because there is so much stuff that can be done and no ones regulating me so I just want to do absolutely everything. Sometimes a break is needed to just chill.

11. Wear something that makes you feel cute. I also mentioned this in my post on how to have a happier more productive day but it's kind of crazy how much wearing something that makes you feel good can have an effect on your day. 

12. Music can do so so much. The amount of friends I've made over the shared love of an artist is crazy. Music can change someone's day, it can set the mood, it can make people think, and it can literally save them from so many things. Music is fascinating and beautiful and something to be celebrated. 

13. Habits are one of the hardest things to break and that's also why there super important to start. Bad habits can be sooooooo annoying. Maybe it's you bite your nails or always wake up at 5 in the morning. But that also goes for good habits and why you need to start things like exercising and having a good study plan at an early age. 

14. Knowing what's happening in the world is really important. For my broadcast class, you have to know current events and because of that, I've been looking at the news even more than normal. If you don't know what's happening you can't make good decisions and also I believe you can't have opinions if you don't have the whole story. 

That just turned into like an essay sorry y'all haha sorry! If you actually read all of that then props to you!!

What's something you've learned that has really stuck with you? What's your birthday? How old are you? 

Small Things You Can Change To Just Be An Overall Happier And More Productive Human Being

Something I've really worked on this past maybe year and a half is being more positive. One of the things that both kind of amazes me and just makes me so so happy is that I would say I've actually accomplished this! If you've met me recently, especially through social media, you will know I am pretty positive. I absolutely always try to find the bright side of things and I'm just an overall really quite happy human being.

I definitely wasn't always like that, though. I'm honestly not sure exactly what flipped for me. Maybe just all the bad things I heard about middle school and I couldn't deal with having a bad three years so I made up this happiness?? Or maybe I'm just like more mature?? Not sure??

Today, I'm going to be listing a bunch of small and super-easy tips to help you be more positive and happy and productive and just cool. :) I'm honestly really excited for this post as I think people online are always so negative (which I hate) but this is a post literally about how to be positive and happy and stuff SO IT'S GOOD.

1. Don't Hate Mondays

Mondays are one of those things that are just universally hated. And, yeah, I get it. When you've been having a nice weekend, it's hard to go back to school/work. You're tired and don't want to wake up early after sleeping in. Buuuuttttt just like most things on this list it's all about the mindset. Instead, think of it a fresh start. A new challenge to overcome. A new opportunity to succeed. Also, just don't go to bed late on Sunday. That will just make you tired on Monday, which will make it even worse. 

2. Wear What Makes You Feel Good

Lately, I've learned what types of clothes make me happy, which is just awesome! Instead of just wearing something that you don't really like, maybe make a little more effort and wear something you do like. This is one of the easiest ways to lift your mood because it's an all-day thing! Wearing something you like can refer to both dressing up or just feeling lazy and wearing sweatpants. When I'm wearing my boots and one of my cool colored pants I just feel so much better about myself. :)

Me wearing something I like! 

3. Let Yourself Have Lazy Days 

Just being lazy sometimes is so important. When you have an endless checklist of just stuff it's so stressful. I was definitely doing this to myself this summer with the whole posting everyday thing. I was giving myself too much to do and making these lists and getting myself all worked up over stuff that was really no big deal. Feel free--at least sometimes--to be lazy. Wear pajamas and binge watch tv. It's okay. Really. You have my permission.

4. Surround Yourself With People You Love

Whether it's family or friends, try to surround yourself with people who make you happy. If you ever have a friend who may not really be a friend, just...don't. Try not to hang out with that person that much. In addition, try to reach out to people, and try not to be afraid to be vulnerable. When I'm sad, my cure-all is hanging out with my friends. 

5. Be A Part Of Something

For example, don't be afraid to join some clubs at school! Or audition for the school musical! When you're a part of something, at least for me, it feels like I have a purpose, you know? This is also a fabulous way to make friends! And as noted above, friends are very cool. Plus, when you actually get into whatever it is...boom! Instant energy booster! :)

6. Have A Hobby

Have something that just makes you, you. That way, when you introduce yourself in an interview or Instagram bio, you can say "Hi I'm *insert your name* and I love *insert thing.*" For a while, I felt like I just wasn't that great at anything and that I didn't have anything that made me, me. That was not good and I realized that first of all, I'm great at lots of things and that you don't have to be perfect at anything. But also I really embraced blogging and it's made me so much happier!

7. Get The Amount Of Sleep That You Need

One of the worst things ever for mood is when you're tired and just don't want to function. Instead of just slugging around all day, first of all, know your body. Know how much sleep you need to function well. I know lots of people can actually stay up late but quite a lot of people just can't and they need a lot of sleep. So who are you? Know yourself. Know if you need sleep and how much and try to stick to that. NO ALL NIGHTERS.

8. Don't Watch Local News

Local news is seriously depressing. Like seriously. It's just a bunch of random people dying and being murdered and just ugggggg. The other day, one of my classmates who flooded just moved back into her house and then it freaking burns down and it was on the news and someone told me this AND IT'S SAD OK BEING SAD EQUALS NOT HAPPY. I'm not like still really emotional about this can't you notice??? Haha yeah.... And shootings and just ugggggggg. 

9. Eat Fresh And Healthy 

I've been bringing a salad to school lately, and I honestly love it! I used to just take regular sandwiches, and it was always kind of bland and definitely didn't bring up my mood. But with a salad, I, first of all, look forward to my lunch. I just get a super easy salad mix thing and then get a good dressing which I really enjoy. Second, eating healthy things like said salad actually do bring up your mood. It's fresh and can basically be like splashing water on your face EXCEPT WITH FOOD. 

10. Let Yourself Cry 

And have other emotions in general. I am by no means saying in this post that you should always be happy. No one is always happy, well, except for maybe Smiler in the Emoji Movie. And she ends up trying to take over the world. But it's okay to NOT be happy sometimes. I think some people really need to realize that. Let yourself be sad and angry and all of those things. When you bottle up your emotions, you will eventually explode and that's never pretty. But also realize your triggers and try to stay away from them. 

That was getting too long, so I had to end it. BUT if you want a part two, comment down below! I loved this post, and I hope this maybe helps some people or at the very least just lets you see into my mind. :) Also I'm thinking of doing a little update post where I share with y'all what's been happening to me lately (moving and house getting torn down and other things). Would you guys like that?

If you aren't following me on both Instagram and Bloglovin, what are you waiting for?

Shoutout to Isabel for taking these pics of me!

Did you like this post? What kind of posts would you like to see from me in the future? What are some things that make you happy? What would you add to this list? What is your favorite thing to do when you're feeling down?