Long time no talk! If you follow my Instagram (@somethingcassandra), you know that in the
spring I moved halfway across the country by myself to Colorado. I put my blog on the back
burner for a while so I could adjust to everything and fully explore my new home! After living
here for almost 9 months now (CRAZY how fast time went), I have learned some valuable
lessons I would like to share!
spring I moved halfway across the country by myself to Colorado. I put my blog on the back
burner for a while so I could adjust to everything and fully explore my new home! After living
here for almost 9 months now (CRAZY how fast time went), I have learned some valuable
lessons I would like to share!
1. I learned to like being uncomfortable
Moving to a new place, rather it be a new state or even a few towns over, you are going
to be in a whole new environment. It would be easy to just stay home every weekend
and feel totally comfortable- but what’s the fun in that!? Since I moved alone, I was
forced to go to many places by myself. I did this a lot before my move, however I still
feel uncomfortable going new places sometimes. It is always SO worth it though. You
never know what you are going to find! By doing this I found this beautiful spot that I
like to go to a lot to think and recharge.
Moving to a new place, rather it be a new state or even a few towns over, you are going
to be in a whole new environment. It would be easy to just stay home every weekend
and feel totally comfortable- but what’s the fun in that!? Since I moved alone, I was
forced to go to many places by myself. I did this a lot before my move, however I still
feel uncomfortable going new places sometimes. It is always SO worth it though. You
never know what you are going to find! By doing this I found this beautiful spot that I
like to go to a lot to think and recharge.
2. I learned to not be lazy
I quickly learned it’s VERY easy for dishes and bills to pile up, and when things pile
up I get anxious. So now, once I finish a meal, I’ll do all the dishes rather than leaving
them for the next day. And when I see a bill is due, I’ll pay it rather than wait until the
due date. (I’m still working on taking my recycling to the trash room each night). It
may sound simple but I’ve noticed a big change in my stress levels when I put in the
extra effort up front.
up I get anxious. So now, once I finish a meal, I’ll do all the dishes rather than leaving
them for the next day. And when I see a bill is due, I’ll pay it rather than wait until the
due date. (I’m still working on taking my recycling to the trash room each night). It
may sound simple but I’ve noticed a big change in my stress levels when I put in the
extra effort up front.
3. I learned to say yes more
If someone asks me to go somewhere or do something, my initial thought used to be
that it’s taking time out that I could be at home relaxing. However, when I do go I
always end up having a great time! Even if it's something I normally wouldn't do. I
ended up meeting some great people this way and exploring places I might not have
seen otherwise.
that it’s taking time out that I could be at home relaxing. However, when I do go I
always end up having a great time! Even if it's something I normally wouldn't do. I
ended up meeting some great people this way and exploring places I might not have
seen otherwise.
4. I learned more about myself
Being out here on my own I learned to be self-sufficient. I learned confidence and how
to rely on myself. I had to work through uncomfortable situations in order to keep
moving forward and although it wasn’t great at the time, it helped me grow. I spend a
lot of time alone and have been able to build a relationship with myself, which I
believe is the most important.
to rely on myself. I had to work through uncomfortable situations in order to keep
moving forward and although it wasn’t great at the time, it helped me grow. I spend a
lot of time alone and have been able to build a relationship with myself, which I
believe is the most important.
5. I learned that I'm capable of anything if I try
Moving is stressful enough. Let alone moving to an unfamiliar place by yourself can be
a lot more than you are ready to handle. Especially since this was my first time living
on my own in general. I made a decision one day that I wanted to follow what my heart
was telling me to do. It was very unfamiliar and not always the easiest, however I kept
going and I am happier than ever. I realized that if there is something I really want, if
you push forward through all of the downs, the ups are going to be fantastic.
a lot more than you are ready to handle. Especially since this was my first time living
on my own in general. I made a decision one day that I wanted to follow what my heart
was telling me to do. It was very unfamiliar and not always the easiest, however I kept
going and I am happier than ever. I realized that if there is something I really want, if
you push forward through all of the downs, the ups are going to be fantastic.
As I have been practicing more self-care, I have noticed
myself to be more relaxed than ever. I have always considered myself to be a
fairly relaxed person, not getting too stressed out about things, but now that
I have shifted my mindset a little, I realize that I was stressed and
didn’t even realize it. Here are some ways I have change my lifestyle to become
less stressed and I hope they can help you too!
1.
Decluttering – Once I started packing for my
move, I realized that I have way too much stuff that I don’t even use. I
started to thoroughly go through my things and get rid of anything that I don’t
use, and stuff that I have just been holding on to for the hopes of future
uses. Just seeing less in my closet and on top of my dressers and nightstand feels
like my mind has less clutter too. I feel more relaxed in my room and I didn’t
even know that having more things can cause more stress.
2.
Hygge – Hygge is something that I have been
incorporating into my lifestyle for years, but didn’t realize there was an
actual term for it. Hygge is a Danish term for having a simpler life. It is all
about comfort and feeling cozy and there is no American term for this word.
It’s pretty much that feeling you get in the fall when you can snuggle up by a
fire with tea (or any hot drink) in a big sweater and just relax. I have been
incorporating this into my nightly routine and it’s something I look forward to
each day. I I light candles and my
Himalayan salt lamp, make some tea (my favorite for relaxation is chamomile
tea), and read a book under lots and lots of blankets.
3.
Disconnecting – I just made a post on the
different benefits I have gotten from disconnecting. You can read about that
here. However, even just turning my phone off the hour before I go to bed helps
me relax so much more before I go to sleep.
4.
Journaling – I am going to be making a full post
just about this alone, but journaling has been great for helping me relax.
There are several different ways you can journal, but the one that has helped
me the most with relaxing is doing stream of consciousness writing. This is
where you don’t focus on making the writing look pretty, and you don’t focus on
the spelling or grammar, you just write about whatever is on your mind. I like
to do this because it helps me get all of my thoughts out of my head. This is
great if you have trouble falling asleep because your mind is constantly
running. You can try journaling before bed about everything you are thinking
of, and everything that is stressing you out at the time, so you can let it go.
5.
Yoga – Yoga has so many benefits, and one of
them is to help you de-stress. During yoga, you don’t focus on anything the
whole time except your breathing and what you are doing in that moment. There
are many different types of yoga, but if I am feeling particularly stressed I’ll
do more Restorative yoga, or Yin yoga. Both of these styles are slow-paced and
you hold the poses for longer than normal. They are designed to help you relax
and to focus on your breathing.
I hope these tips can help you feel more relaxed and help
you focus more on your self-care! Let me know what you do to relax down below.
When you read a post about getting a better night’s sleep,
nine times out of ten the author will write one of the ways to achieve that is
by turning off your phone or putting it on Do Not Disturb mode. When you think
about it, you think “Okay that makes sense. I often lose track of time when I’m
on my phone and end up staying up past my bedtime.” A better night’s sleep is just one of the reasons why we should
disconnect from the world. In this post, I’m going to tell you some of the
other benefits I have noticed since I started disconnecting.
When I say disconnecting from the world, I mean not looking
at your phone, your laptop, or anything with a screen pretty much. It may be
for an hour before bed, or even for a full day. It’s all up to what makes you
feel the best. I started doing this when I would get stressed out. I would
leave my phone upstairs in my room and go do random tasks around the house to
clear my mind. Ever since then, I started turning my phone off more and more.
1.
The first benefit is that it helps with
productivity. Without your phone, you can focus on what you need to get done
without being distracted by texting or getting lost on Instagram.
2.
The second benefit is that you are more
stress-free. At first, you may be curious as to who might have texted you, or
that you may be missing out on something that is going on and your mind is
constantly running. With social media so prominent now it’s “normal” to be
checking in on everyone else’s lives constantly. Once you take a step back and
stop caring as much as to what other people are doing, you will start feeling
less stressed. You won’t have that urge to constantly know what’s going on, and
you’ll start focusing on your own life a little more, and that'll help you mind
relax a little bit.
3.
The final benefit, which I think is the most
beneficial, is you reconnect with yourself. As silly as it may seem that you
will reconnect with yourself once you put your phone down, it’s true. Like I
mentioned in the second benefit- you’ll start focusing on your own life a
little more. You’ll stop worrying about the outside world and you’ll start focusing
on your own happiness. You’ll be able to enjoy the things you like doing a
little more because you won’t be distracted from them, and you’ll start finding
what else you like to do in your free time rather than wasting your time on
social media. You’ll also start to enjoy your own company even more.
Although disconnecting may not seem like a big thing, try it
out for a week. Take small steps and gradually increase the time you disconnect
each day and you’ll start to see the benefits. Let me know if you try it out,
and how it works for you!