Category: Mental Health

Why mental and spiritual health are just as important as physical health

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I’ve become an absolute podcast fiend. I love having background noise in my life when doing mundane tasks like the dishes, cleaning, walking my dog, etc. and normally I would just play the TV. However, before I went to Spain, I started listening to podcasts regularly. I’ve learned so much from every episode and they’re so fun to listen to because it literally feels like you’re having a chat with the people on the podcast.

I’m a huge fan of The Health Code [Sarah’s Day and Kurt Tilse], A Whole Lotta BS [Brittney Saunders] and Let’s Do Life [Autumn Calabrese]. I also listened to part of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone [read aloud by some of the cast including Tom Felton and Daniel Radcliffe!] but that’s not what this post is about.

In one of the podcast episodes [I can’t remember which because this was a BS-before Spain- podcast I listened to] they discussed that people often focus too much on physical health, or too much on spiritual health or emotional health and neglect the other two. You can’t have one without the others. This is why people who go really hard in the gym but have terrible mental health [me] aren’t quite content with the results they get. However, when you focus equal time and energy to all three, they all work together and you yourself come together in a more wholesome form than when you just focused on one. I have always advocated for all three [to my friends not to myself] and I realized that I mostly only focus on one, which always differs depending on what season of life I’m in.

My goal for the rest of the year is to pour an equal amount of time, effort, and energy into my physical, mental, and emotional health so that I can be more whole.

  • In terms of physical health: filling my body with whole foods that make my body feel good [which unfortunately might mean cutting out soy partially because it doesn’t agree with my stomach], taking vitamins, and moving my body every day.
  • As for mental health: my social media detox, therapy, reading, writing, and getting a job [to have something occupying my time] top this list.
  • Finally, my spiritual health. I will be meditating, doing yoga, and journaling [manifesting]. I will also be more active in learning about my spiritual health. I recently have discovered that I’m more of a spiritual person. I always knew I wasn’t religious, but I think the universe plays a big role in everyone’s lives and I want to learn how to work with the universe not against it [something I’ve been doing for a while I think].

Please send me any and all podcast recommendations! I have a long way to go with the TBB podcast [there are over 200 episodes with each being roughly one hour long] but once I finish, I’m looking for some! I like more health and wellness focused podcasts but would be down for lifestyle, vegan, etc. As long as I learn at least one fun thing per episode that’s all I’m asking for.

Much love,

Alicia ❤

Why I’m taking a social media break

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

I’m officially back in America and readjusting to everything I just left. I’m unpacking, spending much needed time with my dog [I always forget how much of a de-stressor she is until I am so stressed out that I’m in tears] and I’m slowly getting into a routine.

Something that I think is so toxic to me at this point in my life is social media. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again and I’m a very black and white person so I’m either on social media for 1912912 hours a day or none at all. While I do enjoy Instagram for keeping up with my friends’ lives and Twitter is great for the news and a good laugh, I really can’t take it right now. I spend hours upon hours scrolling through social media and I really can’t stand it because it’s the biggest waste of time [I’m looking at you TikTok].

I’ve decided to take a bit of a social media hiatus [I’m keeping Snapchat for the time being because I don’t look at stories, I just send a picture or two to the same seven people every day and get on with my life but that might change… who knows? I’ll also keep TikTok because to me that’s not social media and I just watch Draco Malfoy, Harry Styles, and Robert Pattinson compilations so how bad is that? Both of these apps will be getting a screen time limit and the password will be chosen by my sister because it is far too easy to enter that screen time password and keep watching TikToks for hours upon hours not that I’m speaking from personal knowledge 😉 ]

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will be gone for a while. I did it almost four years ago for a whole summer and I think it was beneficial for my mental health. I also read and wrote a lot more, worked out more, was present, etc. I don’t think social media is the worst thing in the world by any means BUT I do think a hiatus can be an amazing thing every so often.

And of course, I’ll still be blogging as much as I can. I’m hoping therapy can spark a bit more motivation in me than what I’ve had.

Have you ever done a social media detox/hiatus? How’d it go?
❤ Alicia

Things that are keeping me happy during these times

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

2020 has been a crazy time filled with disease, riots, natural disasters, etc. I am fortunate enough that I can take a break from these things [Black people never get a break from fighting for their rights, sick people don’t get a break from being sick, etc.]. When life is too hectic or the news is too upsetting to watch, I need something to keep my spirits high in these times of uncertainty.

I’ve been baking bread, gardening, reading, writing, drawing, whatever I can to take up my time, and not just watch TV and scroll through TikTok. I’ve been trying to find things to keep my spirits up and to keep me busy. Here are some of my favorite things! Let me know yours in the comments below.

  1. Drawing – I’ve recently started drawing and while I’m next to terrible at it right now, it’s something I find to be really fun. I’m working on drawing animals [elephants are easiest for me], RedBubble sticker themed drawings [iykyk], and the human body. Like I said, I’m not great, but it’s something for me to do.
  2. Baking – I’ve been doing an awful lot of baking recently. From bread [oh yes] to dog treats, I’ve made it all. It keeps me busy and it gives me something to look forward to once all the work is done!

  3. Walking – Getting outside other than when walking my dog is HARD. I have a huge backyard which I love to spend time in, however, my neighbor’s house is undergoing construction and there are a plethora of middle-aged men in the yard next to me five days a week making it hard to enjoy being out there. I’ve been trying to go on walks during the week, sometimes bringing my sister with, just to get out of the house!IMG_9052
  4. Gardening – I have my own garden this summer! I built a raised garden bed and I planted everything over the past few weeks. This will give me something to be accountable for [weeding, watering, harvesting, etc.] and I can’t wait to grow my own food!
  5. Writing – I’ve been writing a bit lately. I want to write a book so I’m doing a bit more of fictional work than blogging but it’s still something J

What has been keeping everyone happy recently?

❤ Alicia

Trying one new thing a day

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Throughout the month of May, I had been working on keeping my mental health higher than the bare minimum [aka what happens when I lounge around and do nothing all day]. Nothing gets my serotonin levels as high as when I’m doing something new. I made a pact at the end of April to do one new thing a day for each day in May. I recommend everyone do this as well because you get to try new things and might find a new hobby! Here’s my new thing a day for May, let me know what new things you’ve tried since quarantine!

May 1- Make bread [soda bread]

May 2 – Build my garden [I made a raised bed using cinder blocks]

May 3 – Started a sourdough bread starter [it failed but I started it haha]

May 4 – Make whipped coffee [or the Greek frappe]

May 5 – Accepted a job! [headed to Spain]

May 6 – Made dog biscuits

May 7 – Started drawing

May 8 – Tried graphic art

May 9 – Moved out of my college apartment

May 10 – Took college graduation pictures

May 11 – Applied for my teacher license

May 12 – Became a brand ambassador [Orgain protein… use code LIVINGOFFLEESH30 for 30% off your order hehe]

May 13 – cleaned out my linen closet [I found expired shampoo from 2006…]

May 14 – Started using bar shampoo [I’m trying to lessen my plastic consumption]

May 15 – Wore shorts outside! [I’m v self-conscious of my legs so this was a huge milestone]

May 16 – Added soil to my garden + added plants

May 17 – Got short hair [for the first time since 8th grade]

May 18 – I learned to cut a watermelon [this was actually a big accomplishment]

May 19 – Went through everything I own

May 20 – Planned all my blog content for the whole summer!

May 21 – Made monkey bread

May 22 – Merged my college and home rooms successfully

May 23 – Planted seeds in my garden

May 24 – Had a picnic

May 25 – Started a workout program

May 26 –  Tried the VEGAN Dilly Bar

May 27 – Rebranded my blog

May 28 – Made a tofu scramble [one that actually tasted good]

May 29 – Celebrated my sister’s high school graduation

May 30 – Worked out consistently for one week! [I’ve been all over the place s this was HUGE]

May 31 – Only had 1 hour of screen time

Some of these weren’t super new but were things I hadn’t done in ages so it was nice to revisit some old things I’d done in the past

Let me know if you try some new things in June

❤ Alicia

Cloudy

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As I sit here, perched in an almost empty bus without much leg room, somewhere in Indiana, I gaze longingly out of the beautiful picture window, my eyes focus on one thing. The clouds. I’ve related to clouds quite a bit recently. Or cloudy days I should say. The sun may peek out of the clouds for 10-15 minutes and during that time, all is right in the world. The other 23 hours and 45-50 minutes, gloomy, somber, dreary. That’s been my world recently.

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for the past few days but where do I begin? It’s hard for me to share how unhappy and unfulfilled with my life I’ve been. I like to come off as this happy-go-lucky, positive, individual who always has her shit together, however recently, I’ve been quite the opposite.

In my need to lead post, I mentioned how I applied for OU CHAARG’s ambassador [the equivalent of president]. By the tone of this post, you can all assume that I didn’t get it. You’ve all assumed correctly. I was crushed. I still am if I’m being honest. When you pour your heart and soul into an organization to not be recognized back; it’s heartbreaking. I could sit here and list plenty of reasons I think I didn’t get it, I could let my friends tell you the system is corrupt and that I deserved it more, but honestly… what’s the point? It’s over and done with and there’s no changing the decision that was made.

I told myself that if I didn’t get ambassador I wouldn’t apply to be a regular exec member. Why did I do this? Why do I want one position over the other? It’s because, since last year, I’ve pictured myself as ambassador. I’ve had so many people say “When you’re Ambassador…” so it’s become an obvious next step for me. I was beyond excited. I’d started planning out next year already: from my team, our events, our workouts, our meetings, our bonding, my gifts to everyone, my last events, everything. Yet, when I read the  rather impersonal email I was honestly a little relieved. As gut-wrenching as it was, there was still a bit of relief that coursed through my body and I knew exactly why.

Last semester I PREACHED about how I was pouring from an empty cup how I was done pouring from an empty cup. Yet, here I am, not satisfied with any aspect of my life, STILL pouring from that same empty cup. What am I doing wrong? Am I still putting all of my energy into the wrong things?

I love so many things. I can’t recall the last time I did many of them. I love reading, writing, hiking, creating, baking, seeing my friends. I can’t tell you the last time I did any of things without CHAARG in mind. I don’t really see my non-CHAARG friends anymore, I don’t read, I haven’t written about anything besides CHAARG, I only bake for CHAARG events, etc. I haven’t been myself in far too long + it’s time that changes.

I love CHAARG, which is why it takes up such a substantial part of my life. Despite this, CHAARG is taking the biggest toll on my physical and mental health. If I love something so much, why is it doing me so much harm?

I think about CHAARG 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and I am stressed out of my mind because of it. I am in love with this organization and it’s really changed my life in so many ways, but I need to know my limits. I need to know when to put myself first. It’s time.  I’m still going to be in CHAARG during my final semester on campus. I’m going to be the best damn general member this chapter has ever seen.

Big things are coming from 2 of my best friends and myself very soon. I’m excited for it. I’m studying abroad in Spain this summer. I’m completing my student teaching abroad [not sure where yet] next Spring. I’m excited. I’m going to apply for grad school for something besides Education. I’m beyond excited. I’m going to be the best + most involved regular CHAARG member next fall. I’m so excited. I’m going to relate to sunny days instead of cloudy days. I am SO fucking excited.

So CHAARG exec, thank you. Thank you for teaching me so much, for shaping me into the person I am today, for testing me physically, emotionally, mentally, and most importantly: for giving me my two best friends.

However, it’s time to be Alicia + it’s time to make myself a priority for the first time in quite a while.

So so so much love,

Alicia ❤

10 things I love about being ME

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I figured I’d start June off on a positive note with my self love post of the month AKA sharing 10 things I love about being me! I have a feeling this is going to be a tough one for me to muster up 10 things… but here goes nothing!

1. I love that I love learning- I heard a while ago that no one can take away your right to an education and that really stuck with me, After my gap year, coming back to school reignited my passion for learning and I’ve been striving to better myself ever since.

2. I love that I’m curious- Going off of me loving learning, I’m curious about other things nonschool related and if they really spark my interest I’ll delve deeper into that subject. As the old saying goes, ‘curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.’

3. I love that I am determined- I can be told no 1000 times (as seen this past school year) but I’m still going to keep trying until I succeed

4. I love that I’m *usually* okay with change- I’m very much behind the saying ‘don’t fix it if it isn’t broken,’ however when something does need changing, I’m quick to adapt and move on.

5. I love that I’m not going to settle for less than I deserve- This one is pretty self-explanatory but when I know I deserve something, I’m not going to settle for anything but what I know I should be getting.

6. I love that I’m confident- Over the past few years, my confidence has been gradually increasing and I love the confidence I currently have and can’t wait to see what the future of my confidence holds.

7. I love that I’m unapologetically myself- I’ve spent years trying to be less of this and more of that and I’m proud to say I no longer care what others think of me or what they want me to change. I am who I am and that’s not going to change.

8. I love that I’m vegan!- Saving animals, saving the environment, and doing something great for my health… why would I not love that?

9. I love that I’m always trying to better myself- I’m constantly working on myself in all aspects of my life and doing whatever I cant be a better person inside and out.

10. I love that I’m caring- Whether it’s for my friends, peers, colleagues, kids I’m working with, etc. I do my best to be the most caring and compassionate I can be.

What do you guys love about yourselves?

❤ Alicia ❤

What I LIKE, LOVE, + HATE about social media

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Hi everyone! It’s been a minute since I’ve written about my (and most people’s) relationship with social media. If you’ve been a follower for a while, you may remember that 2 summers ago, I went on a social media hiatus for the summer to recreate my social media usage habits. It was refreshing to take a break from social media and I would love to do it again.

However, all of my student organizations require social media, whether it be posting, replying, or simply keeping in contact with other students, so I really can’t take a break from it. I have been trying to limit my time on social media and especially minimizing my time on social media at night. It’s hard, especially when we are so dependent on it, but I’m doing my best to unplug as much as I can.

Something I wanted to do is share some things that I like, love, and hate about social media because I want to share AND I want to know your feelings about these things as well (and others I don’t mention as well). So, here are some things I like, love, and hate about social media.

Things I Like:

  • Social Media is great for making connections. Whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, making connections is easy. Whether you add someone to your connections, or DM a company or person you want to work with, the sky is the limit for who you can connect with.
  • There is a different social media platform for every person. Sharing photos, witty jokes, DIYs, etc. there are TONS of social media sites to pick from which is great because everyone is different so your social media sites should be too.

Things I Love:

  • Staying in contact with people is so easy. When I’m at school I can keep up with friends back home and when I’m back home, I can keep up with my school friends. It’s also a great way for me to keep up with everyone from San Diego since I haven’t been back to San Diego since I left.
  • MEMES. I am a meme girl like no other and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my memes if it weren’t for social media. I have thousands of pictures on my phone and almost half of them (and almost all of my happiness) are memes and they wouldn’t be possible were it not for social media.

Things I Hate:

  • How likes and followers determine worth. The more likes and followers one has the more idolized they are on social media. People start obsessing on how many likes and comments they have on each post by buying those and followers and it creates this cycle of trying to get a certain number of likes, not reaching those and trying to get more followers and likes and then failing again.
  • People are measured by their looks. Not only are girls criticized for every single they do/say/wear, we are now required to be flawless on social media. Now Instagram celebrities all over are facetuning and photoshopping themselves in photos which are causing their fans to feel far less than adequate because they don’t look like their idols when in reality their idols don’t even look like their idols.

What do you all like, love, and hate about social media?
❤ Alicia ❤

Deja Vu + a reflection

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Happy Wednesday everyone! Spring is here and normally my basic self would be writing a Spring Bucket List, goals, or mixtape post. However, I’ve been really thinking about my self-love journey and after getting really great responses on my post from Monday, I figured I would talk more about it.

Self-love is something I’ve always struggled with… you all know that because I’ve talked about it… multiple times. Nonetheless, it’s important to discuss. I’ve been trying these little self-love tricks in the ‘fake it till you make it’ category by basically looking at myself every day and telling myself things I love about myself. Well, while telling myself I was beautiful and awesome and the coolest person ever on Monday, I had this terrible flashback to my sophomore year of high school.

My sophomore year was probably the peak of my self-confidence. I always say that I look my best is those photos and I think it’s because I was so confident and SO happy with myself and really truly loved myself.

One day, however, I had just said that I looked nice that one day (not sure why but who the hell cares… I probably looked hot as hell) and this girl Jessica literally said, “You really shouldn’t’ say that Alicia.” Ouch. Really ouch. Who was she to tell me that I couldn’t love myself or compliment myself? She probably meant it in a way that was like “it makes you seem cocky if you say you look good,” however, I took it in a way that said, “You look ugly so stop lying to yourself.” If that wasn’t a metaphorical punch in the gut I don’t know what was. But as I already said, ouch.

From that point on, I stopped telling myself that I looked nice and most occasions because obviously. I was ugly because Jessica told me not to compliment myself.

Because I stopped those daily pats on the backs, I began to not feel as good and really thought I was ugly. Was I ugly? Probably not. Did I feel ugly? Absolutely.

I really wanted to talk about my deja vu, however, I also wanted to reflect on what I say to others. Do I say seemingly harmless remarks about someone’s appearance or personality that cause them to do what I did? I sure hope not. However, I’m going to be keeping a close eye on what I say to others especially if it’s regarding them and their minds +bodies.

❤ Alicia ❤

10 things that bring me peace

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Happy Monday everyone, I’m back at school and ready to get back into my old routine. I was sick all of break and still have a bad cough (I only get sick when I come home… could that be a sign??) so pardon my no posting. I had a nice week spent mainly sleeping with my dog and utilizing my kitchen.

For my self-love post this month, I wanted to write about some things that bring me peace, because it’s always nice to think about things that make you peaceful in this crazy and corrupt world we live in. So, here are 10 things that bring me peace…

  1. Getting a room in the gym all to myself (happened this morning)
  2. Crossing something off on my to-do list (I made a list of everything I have to do before the end of the semester and let me tell you… there will be a lot of things that will be crossed off in the next 6 weeks)
  3. Getting into my bed after a long day
  4. Putting my phone on silent and reading before bed (currently reading Binge by Tyler Oakley… super good so far)
  5. Eating breakfast
  6. Making my bed (I used to think it was dumb because I would just mess it up later but it makes your room look cleaner and looks like you have your shit together)
  7. Water (I’m not talking about drinking water. But more like the ocean. The sound, the smell, and the view of the ocean… nothing makes me happier)
  8. Music (whenever I’m anxious (and not near any water), feeling great or feeling bad, or whatever emotion I’m having music always helps me feel calm and peaceful)
  9. Quiet (while much different from music and the sounds of water, sometimes I just need a bit of quiet, especially after being surrounded by people all day)
  10. Cleaning (although this usually happens while procrastinating… it’s one of my favorite things to feel calm and satisfied with my life)

What brings you peace?

❤ Alicia ❤

Why is self-care not a priority?

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am flying home today for Spring break and I can’t wait to be in my own bed with my dog and do things on my own time. I’ve Had a rough semester so far ( which will get more in-depth with my post on either Friday or Saturday) and something I have not been doing very well is taking care of myself.

Something I’ve noticed lately is some people pride themselves on not taking care of themselves. I’ve met people in college, high school, at work, etc. who get excited and competitive over not taking care of themselves. Some things include

“I haven’t gotten more than 6 hours of sleep all week. I’m getting so much done.”

“I’ve gone to the bars every night this week AND still made it to my 8am”

“I’ve had  cups of coffee today and will probably have more later to get me through my project tonight”

“I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a vegetable that wasn’t on top of my pizza.”

Why do people think that deliberately not giving their bodies what it needs, is good? Remarkable even?? I used to be one of those people who would say “I only got 4 hours of sleep and I feel great.” I may have felt great but I was harming my body in many ways.

We need sleep, proper nutrition, and to not fill our bodies with bad things EVERY NIGHT… so that we…. I don’t know… don’t die???

So many people think that self-care is face masks and bubble baths… but it is so much more.

Self-care is going to bed at 8pm if you’re tired. It’s dropping that negative friend no matter what history you have. It’s knowing your limit when it comes to drugs and alcohol. It’s also drinking a shit ton of water when you go past that limit. It’s eating a healthy variety of foods that keep you happy + healthy.

I really don’t understand why taking care of yourself is not a priority for everyone. Why some people purposely do not take care of themselves… why it’s seen as a luxury. To Keep us healthy and sane, we need to take care of ourselves and make doing so a priority or else we’ll burn out.

How do you all take care of yourselves??

❤ Alicia ❤