Operation Self Care

Some days it can be hard to feel our best. I know that I certainly have been there, and the times where my confidence is the lowest it can be the most difficult to stay strong. In a day and age where we are told that if we do not look like the models in advertisements, it is easy to think we are not as beautiful or worth attention. However, today I want to urge you to begin to live a life full of confidence. There are many benefits that come along with choosing confidence, and hopefully within this post you can begin to learn how to be confident and see these positives. Society tells us lies about how we should perceive ourselves. The truth is that we are enough exactly the way that we are, and we should firmly believe this. Why should we allow the world to steal our joy and peace? In my opinion a lot of the anxieties and fears that we have stem from not feeling like we measure up to unrealistic expectations. We must fight these expectations, and be ourselves. We were creat...

Recently, I came to realize the importance of managing my mood. How I am choosing to perceive things has a direct effect on the way that I go about my day. If I wake up allowing myself to let the negative have an influence on how I feel, I will respond in a negative way. As I have discussed in previous blogs, we all have a choice in how we respond to things. I believe that by realizing the magnitude of our moods, we can more effectively make these choices. We must understand why we feel these ways in order to move forward and make good decisions that are beneficial to our wellbeing. Today I am challenging you to take a look at the past week of your life. I know for me I had many times where I struggled to believe that I was capable of completing a project or task. I did not want to become a person who gave up, but there were definitely times that I did not do my best. I suppose this is why I feel so strongly about helping others who do not know where to turn; I have been there a...

Sometimes I like to think of the mind being almost like a garden. The flowers and other plants that exist in your mental garden are a reflection of how closely you care for them. Let's say that these flowers represent the thoughts that you have. If you take care of your thoughts and "water" them with goodness and happiness, your flowers will thrive. If you ignore what your flowers need, they will wilt and ultimately you will not function properly. I have decided to challenge all of you to find a new focus, and in doing so really try watering the flowers that you have ignored for so long. I am on the same journey, so you are definitely not alone in this. My focus recently has been on homework, exams and my job. While this is all good and well, I will admit I have made certain mistakes that have prevented me from living my life to the fullest. Even though I know I cannot ignore these things in my life, I have decided to make my personal health my first priorit...

In my life I have definitely experienced many times where I simply wanted to give up. I am sure that this is a common feeling amongst many people, and it is certainly tempting to give in to those feelings. Constant stressors can take control of how we are living our lives, and can grip us into feeling as though we have no hope or direction. I know this may seem discouraging sometimes, but when we are the weakest and most exposed we truly learn who we are and what we are capable of withstanding. Here are three of my tips for realizing your inner strength, even when everything is fighting against you. 1. Realize you can take control of your actions. This is one of the most empowering moments of our lives. The reality is that we can choose to let the bad affect us, or allow it to steamroll over our hope and dreams. The power of perception is real, and if you perceive everything as something that will help you grow, you will grow. Choose today to begin controlling your actio...

In my own life I have recently experienced a lot of difficult situations. There were countless times where I wanted to give up and let my anxiety, worries and frustrations take control of who I was. In my opinion, this is not an uncommon scenario. I think that these are feelings that many of us have; we want to give up at the first sign of a daunting task or beginning of a conflict. As hard as they may seem, the worst days do not have to be impossible to get through. After all, we have survived 100% of the bad days that we have experienced before! It is crucial to remind ourselves that the bad we experience is meant to help us grow and learn. If there is one good thing I can say about the bad days, it is that I learned more about myself from them. Maybe you are at a point in your life where you feel lost, or that you are in the same rut you simply can't seem to get out of. It is easy to want to give up, but I urge you not to. Not matter what you are going through, there ...

Imagine that you have bought tickets to your favorite band's concert. You are beyond excited about seeing them perform, and you know all the words to every song by heart . As you are walking into the concert arena, you see the lead singer walking past signing autographs. Your heart skips and beat, and you think: "This is my chance!" The singer comes closer and you move to where you can see them better. They make eye contact with you, walk over, and sign your notepad: "You are incredible, keep on rocking!" I am lucky enough to have had the chance to meet my idol, Iskra Lawrence. For those of you who do not know, she is a British model who is known for her work with American Eagle Outfitter's Aerie lingerie line. Iskra refuses to have her photos retouched, and is an ambassador for the  National Eating Disorder Association  (NEDA). You can learn more about her background  here . When I met her a year and a half ago, I realized what my ultimate goals ...

Too often, people are only focused on the end result when working for something. Money, flashy cars and expensive objects are usually the status symbols that we try to obtain. Even though there is nothing wrong with desiring these things, they can get in the way of creating the healthy mindset you need to actually obtain them.   The reality is that the journey is not about the material things or satisfaction that we gain from being successful.  Train yourself to acknowledge that this is the first step towards forming a mature outlook that will project you on towards bigger and better things. Many times, we can become frustrated with how long it can take for things to start happening in our lives. Our patience runs thin, and we feel as though nothing is really moving forward for us. It is easy to feel discouraged. However, you have the choice of whether you are going to sit back and let those feelings control you, or if you are actually going to do something ab...

It is no secret that some days are better than others. It can seem as though some days, or even weeks, are just not on our side. Feeling alone and down about the situation can cause us to stay in a rut where it seems like we cannot get out. I can attest to this due to personal experience, and I know how it can take over how we function. However, there are a few steps that you can take that will help you conquer anything that is trying to bring you down. 1. Choose to see the good in every situation. Recently, I was in a hit and run accident, where my bumper was completely ripped off. Instead of focusing on the bad in the situation, I chose to focus on that fact that I was safe, no one was injured, and that I was in a location where I had friends and family close by to help me. If you can transform the way that you think about the low points you can begin to control how you feel towards whatever the situation is. Life is all about growing and becoming who you are. Un...