1.15.15

So here I was thinking that I was going to be graduating this coming fall, and then I go and do something stupid like pick a new major which will push it until Spring 2016. Obviously I am completely going crazy over here! I just knowingly signed up for more school. Lets hope I don't regret this in like a day. I am not going to crazy though. I still have the same base major (Human Development and Family Studies), but I am changing my emphasis from Child Life to Early Childhood Education. This is in hopes of one day being able to teach preschool. One of my classes this semester is helping out in the universities preschool, and I am already obsessed. It is such a fun age, and their creativity is through the roof. It just makes me HAPPY!

Other than that, life at the moment has been a nonstop roller coaster of BUSY! I am currently working three jobs, and going to school full-time, so life at times gets a little overwhelming. I thought I was fine, but I watched a lecture by Tal Ben-Shahar on happiness for one of my classes, and it has completely changed my outlook on overbooking ourselves. You know those moments where you have heard something a million times, but all the sudden it just clicks in your brain, and the wheels start turning? That is what this video did for me. It made me realize that I was putting my relationships with others lower on my list of needs, and replacing it with busy schedules and social media.

So here I am trying out something new. That video has all sorts of wonderful advice to give, but my favorite was about taking time to take a break. Basically what Tal suggests is that anytime you do an hour of work you should be taking a 50 minute break to focus on yourself. This could be anything from taking a yoga class, meditating, taking a bath, or reading your favorite book. What it shouldn't be is checking every social media site that exists or staring at a screen (I personally am not counting tv towards this, because for me being able to watch an episode of my favorite tv show is a great stress reliever. Checking how many likes you have on Instagram isn't).

I decided to give it a try today after doing some homework for an hour. I decided to make myself lunch, take my dog for a walk, and write thank you notes. I can't even describe how great I felt after spending 50 minutes doing things that I WANTED to do instead of doing things I thought I needed to do. It made a significant difference in my overall happiness and attitude about the day.. and this was only the first time!

Now I know that this isn't something that I can do after every hour of work. Some days are just busier than others, and it just isn't possible to fit in 50 minutes of free-time after each one. However, I think it is definitely possible to fit it in at least once a day, so that is going to be my goal. I am going to find a time to fit 50 minutes of "me" time in my day every day this year (and hopefully forever more). If I have the time to do it more than once I am obviously going to take that opportunity up, but my minimum goal is once a day. I really feel like this will help in my goal to achieve an overall greater sense of happiness and satisfaction in my life.

What do you guys think? Is this something you could add into your own daily lives? Is it worth it? What are some things you would do if you had a little "me" time?

*if you are interested in watching Tal Ben-Shahar's lecture you can find it here
*image via pinterest

1.5.15

Friendships have been on my mind a lot lately. It is so strange to me that even after 22 years of living I still have a hard time realizing that friendships come and go. I mean, this is something I have dealt with my whole life, and something I always was able to remember when things just weren't right anymore. I think this time it is different, because I see friendships fading that I never thought would. I feel hurt, but I know it isn't their fault. Friendships come and go, and you can't always be in charge of the going.

Ever since Zac and I got engaged I have seen a shift in my friendships. There are those friendships that have become closer and more intimate, and then there are friendships that have slowly started to disintegrate. For a while I was so angry about this. I didn't understand what had changed, and why things had changed so quickly. I started noticing that all effort of rekindling these somehow broken relationships was on my shoulders, and I was caring all the weight.

I guess the new year came with a new perspective in realizing that even though I thought nothing had changed, things indeed had. I am getting married this year. I am moving on in my life. I am opening a new chapter, and things are going to be different. Being married is different than being someones boyfriend or girlfriend. It is a solid relationship. Although Zac and I had always talked about getting married with our friends it is a whole different scenario now that it is a reality.

So I guess I would just like to say thank you to those friends that have stuck by. I am so excited to share the next year with you! I know this is going to be a year to remember. I feel like I have always valued my friendships, but going through this experience has shed a new light on how truly important my friendships are to me. This year I am going to strive to be a better friend, and to make more time for them in my life.

For those friendships that have faded, all I can say is every single person in my life has impacted me in such incredible ways. I have been so blessed to know such amazing humans, and I understand that sometimes lifestyles change, and with that friendships change as well. I am so grateful for the friends that were such a big part of my life in 2014, and I hope that I will always remember that.

So here is to a new year. A year of continuing friendships growing stronger, and hopefully some new ones along the way.