For as far back as I can remember, I have always been a bit of a night owl. Even when I was very young, the 9:00 PM bedtime that my parents had set for me didn't work very well, as I would only end up lying in bed awake for hours, unable to sleep. Mind you, this was without having a smartphone, tablet, or laptop within my reach to keep me up all night; all I really had was maybe a flashlight so I could try to read a book under the covers. I had a TV in my room, but my parents would have known if I had turned the TV on, so that wasn't an option. Most nights, I would just lay in bed bored, until I was finally able to fall asleep around midnight or so. Needless to say that by 8th grade, when my bedtime was no longer enforced, and I was allowed to set my own as long as I didn't make a habit of being late for school, I did not stick to that 9:00 PM bedtime. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sleep if I went to bed that early anyway, and it didn't take very long for my personal "lights-out" time for a school night to get moved to midnight. I am sure that there are people out there who are screaming at the very thought of that, which is actually fair given the fact that I still had a hard time falling asleep at that time. There were times that I was lying in bed, still trying to fall asleep when my alarm went off. I can't even begin to explain how good it felt to take a long nap the second I got home from school; although let's be real, that nap is probably what made it impossible to sleep at night. 

I could actually go on and on about the horrendous sleeping habits that I've had throughout my life. For the longest time, you could have sworn that I was legitimately nocturnal, and I would often half-joke that I was nocturnal. I was often going to bed when most people would be waking up on the days they chose to sleep in and waking up in the evening. With that said, I'd like to say that if you're on a similar nocturnal sleep schedule, and it works for you, I'm not about to judge you for it. Seriously, you do what works for you. However, while I am most certainly a night owl by nature, I also like mornings, believe it or not, and all my life, I've wanted to be a morning person. And, with that said, I've actually successfully found a way to be a night owl and a morning person simultaneously by going to bed at midnight and waking up at 7:00 AM. However, if I want that 7:00 AM wake-up time to work for me, and not leave me feeling tired, crabby, and unproductive all-day, I have to find a way to actually fall asleep soon after hopping into bed. And when you have a brain that seems to not be able to shut off at night, and all your thoughts start racing the second you dive under the covers, falling asleep isn't always an easy task. Especially when you get bit by the creative bug within an hour of your bedtime. There's actually a wide variety of thoughts that tend to keep me up that I can go on and on about, as you can probably tell. But, that's enough of my sleepy-time woes.

Embarking upon a new fitness journey can undoubtedly be exciting, but at the same time, if it can also be a bit daunting, especially if your fitness journey is a rather drastic lifestyle change from what you're used to. I can also tell you from my own personal experiences that when you start a fitness journey, it can be rather frustrating at times; and sometimes a bit confusing. Although I knew going into my fitness journey that it wasn't aways going to be easy, especially not in the beginning, there were quite a few things that I didn't really anticipate as I progressed in my fitness journey. There were also quite a few things that, although I had heard them before, I didn't really grasp them until after I had progressed into my fitness journey, or until after I had temporarily fallen off the workout wagon. Let me be honest for a second, I've actually learned quite a lot about embarking on a fitness journey through the many times that I've "rage quit" on my own fitness journey out of frustration or when my motivation was lacking. Although for me, frustration and a lack of motivation tend to go hand in hand. I tend to lose my enthusiasm for my fitness journey when I get frustrated with myself or with the journey itself. Then I get frustrated when my motivation is lacking. Then I would end up skipping my workout because I'm frustrated and unmotivated, and I just don't want to keep going, even though I feel guilty about stopping.

All of that being said, I am not telling you this to discourage you from embarking upon or continuing your own fitness journey; as a matter of fact, it's quite the opposite. My whole reason for telling you these things is so that you know that it's normal to get frustrated and lose some of your motivation when you're on your fitness journey. It's not only normal if you end up falling off the wagon, but it's okay; it actually happens to everyone. I am telling you these things because I don't see a lot of fitness or motivational blogs talking about these things enough. I'm telling you these things so that you'll be ready for them when they arise, and they won't discourage you or catch you by complete surprise. I am also telling you some of these things so you don't end up standing in your own way and hindering your own progress on your fitness journey due to any misconceptions or beliefs you may have about living an active lifestyle. Because let me tell you, I have quite a few misconceptions about this lifestyle when I first started. There were also a few things that I had just wished someone told me when I was getting started on my journey.

New Year's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. Some years, I think that I look forward to New Year's Day more then I look forward to Christmas. 2020 is already proving to be one of those years, but let's be real, I think a lot of us are ready for 2020 to end. I suppose that is something that many of us say almost every year, but 2020 has been, erm, interesting, to say the least. But the fact that 2020 has been quite a dumpster fire of a year, at least thus far, isn't the only reason that I'm looking forward to 2021. Honestly, the thing that excites me the most about New Year's Day is the motivating energy that comes along with the beginning of January, and the fact that a new year makes for the perfect opportunity to refocus and begin again. So needless to say, for as far back as I can remember, I have always been the type to set New Year's resolutions virtually every single year, and 2021 will be no exception. As a matter of fact, I've already thought of some of my New Year's resolutions for 2021. Actually, to tell you the truth, I've already begun working on a few of my New Year's resolutions for next year.

Now, you may be wondering why I have decided to start my New Year's resolutions for the upcoming year when the current year still has a few months left in it. You may also be wondering why I am even calling them New Year's resolutions when I already started them months before New Year's Day. Well, aside from the fact that I am done allowing 2020s negative and bizarre vibes to bring me down, I have found that there are actually quite a lot of benefits of setting and starting your New Year's resolutions early. As for why I'm still calling them New Year's resolutions, even though I instituted some of them as early as August of this year, well, to put it simply, these are my New Year's resolutions going into 2021. Meaning that just because we are months out from the new year, it doesn't mean that I can't start getting ready for the new year. This was actually something I started doing last year, and I found that starting my 2020 New Year's resolutions in the final two months of 2019 helped me to adhere to my 2020 New Year's resolutions for a lot longer. At least, until the pandemic threw me for a loop. I think that's excusable though, none of us were expecting any shit quite like that.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and it is undeniably one of my favorite things about Autumn. I honestly can't even imagine someone not liking Halloween, as it's a holiday that can be fun for people of all ages, and for both introverts and extraverts. Seriously, it's not just a children's holiday, nor is it just a partiers holiday. Halloween is a fun holiday for anyone who likes to have a little bit of fun, get creative, and who appreciate a good scare every now and then. Although, as someone who has a slightly "emo" or "gothic" side, and who happens to have an October birthday, I may be a little bit biased. I suppose there are some people out there who wouldn't take any pleasure in the festivities of Halloween and don't find it fun, but I am most certainly not one of those people. I absolutely love Halloween, and I always like to do at least a little something to celebrate it every year, even if I'll be celebrating it entirely on my own. That being said, as an introverted homebody, I often do end up celebrating it on my own at home, so I know quite a few ways to enjoy Halloween to it's fullest potential right from home.

Although I may have some mixed feelings about Autumn, it is a beautiful and wonderful season, and I certainly look forward to it. But honestly, who doesn't (at least somewhat) look forward to the Fall time? Even as a Summertime girl, I look forward to all of the marvelous things that Autumn has to offer; the aesthetic, the sweaters, the food, the hot drinks, the festivities, just to name a few things. Summer might be my favorite season, but I love Autumn too, especially as an introvert who (mostly) prefers to stay home, even under normal, non-2020, types of circumstances. It seems to be a lot more socially acceptable to stay in during the Fall than it is during the Summer. Or at least, it seems that way to me. I don't even know how many times I've heard some version of "get outside and enjoy the lovely weather" during the Summertime in pre-2020 years. Plus, many people tend to associate Summer with going to theme parks, beaches, festivals, parties, or purely getting out of the house more, in general. Autumn, however, typically offers a lot for both introverts and extroverts alike.

I'm not going to lie to you; I was looking forward to stepping outside of my comfort zone partaking in some Autumnal activities outside the house this year. I sincerely wanted to visit my local apple orchard and check out their Autumnal festival, as I have never really checked it out, even though it's within easy walking distance of where I live, but 2020 is proving to not be the year for that. Even if the government does give the thumbs up for Autumnal festivals to go on, I wouldn't feel great about going this year, even though Fall festivals are primarily outdoor events. It just doesn't seem necessary (or responsible) to go to any type of event this year, indoor or outdoor, even if I wore a mask. So needless to say, I'll once again be enjoying the Fall time from home this year.

Please don't come for me for saying this, but Autumn is not actually my favorite season, Summer is. Now, before anyone gets their favorite sweater in a bunch, let me just say that I don't hate Autumn at all. I actually really love and adore Autumn. After all, I was born in the Fall; it's just not my favorite season. Then given the fact that it comes after Summer, and right before Winter (which I kind of despise), I have some pretty mixed feelings about it. I'm not going to say that I at don't look forward to Fall every year, because I most certainly do, but I'm also not super eager for it to arrive either. Am I the only one who feels this way? I can't be the only one who feels this way. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who feels this way. Because I'll be honest with you, there are quite a few things about Autumn that I'm not too fond of. But before you accidentally spill your pumpkin spice latte in the horror of what I just said, there are marvelous and not-so-marvelous things about every season. There are even some things I dislike about Summer!

Seriously though, don't get it twisted; I do like Fall, even if I do have very mixed feelings about it. I enjoy the Autumnal weather and scenery when Autumn makes its brief appearance in Ohio. There are many things that I love about Fall, but that doesn't mean that I am going to pretend that there aren't a few things I dislike about Autumn either, just like I can't pretend that there aren't a few things I like about Winter. I also must say that there are a few things about the Fall time that I have mixed emotions on and that I like, but also sort of dislike, simultaneously. I really hope that there is someone out there who can relate, given the fact that I often see people posting on social media about how excited they are for Autumn in early-August. If not earlier, I've seen people getting excited for Autumn as early as July, maybe even June. But I suppose people who love Winter must feel the same way when I started getting excited about Spring and Summer in late-November; before Winter even officially starts. So fair enough.

I'm just going to come right out and say it, I was not popular when I was in school, at all. I'm sure many people can relate to that, but I wasn't just unpopular, I was an outcast. I was never invited to anything outside of school, or even in school for the matter. Honestly, I could go on and on about the things I dealt with as an outcast, especially in late elementary and middle school, when I was dealing with the worst of what I went through. I'm not going to lie to you and say that it wasn't a lonely and isolating feeling to be sitting alone at lunch almost every day and to feel like I had no friends. Like most young teens, I just wanted to fit in somewhere. All through middle school, I tried and tried to fit in, but none of my efforts worked. As a matter of fact, it seemed that the harder I tried to fit in, the worse the bullying and teasing got. I knew that I wasn't going to fit in, and I had to accept that fact.

So at some point, I decided to say "fuck this shit" and stop trying to be cool, because clearly, it wasn't working. Besides, I was beginning to realize that being "popular" really wasn't what it was hyped up to be, so I decided to just embrace being an outcast. And let me tell you, embracing being an outcast may be one of the best decisions I made in my young life. Not only did I no longer feel that I had to pretend to be something that I wasn't, which was a truly liberating feeling, but once I decided to embrace being an outcast, it no longer felt like a curse. I also have to say that, the more I embraced being an outcast, and the less I gave a shit what other people thought about me, the more the bullies backed away. Honestly, there are so many positive ways that embracing the fact that I didn't fit in, rather than beating myself up over it, impacted my life. So with that said, I am actually grateful that I decided to embrace being an outcast, rather than view not fitting in as a bad thing.

I was not exactly what you would have called "popular" or "cool" when I was in school, not by any stretch of the imagination. I was never invited to anything outside of school, I never had a date to a school dance, I was seldom not picked last in gym class, the teacher often had to assign me a partner for school projects; I could go on and on. I'll be honest, I really didn't even have a close group of friends back when I was in school. I was more than just unpopular, I was an outcast, and I was often a target for bullying and teasing; or at least, I sure felt like a target sometimes. No matter what I did to try to fit in, I never did. As a matter of fact, it seemed that the harder I tried to fit it, the worse the bullying and teasing got. Late elementary and middle school, when the bullying was at its peak, was not a fun time for me. I sincerely hated going to school, for the obvious reasons; aside from having to wake up early and sit in boring classes. It was honestly such a horrible and lonely time in my life. I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't a shitty time for me, even though I did find some gratitude for it later on in life.

With all of that said, I would like to make it clear that I am not telling you this because I want pity or anything like that; I am telling you this because my story is quite common. Even in 2020, bullying is still very prevalent, and it doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon. Let's be real, there are always going to be people who choose to be assholes, it's just a fact of life. But my point with all of this is that if you feel like you're an outcast, I want you to know that, by no means, are you alone. I know what you're going through, and I know how lonely and misunderstood you may feel. I know that it feels like no one cares about you and that you just want to fit in somewhere. Maybe not with the "popular" kids, but somewhere. Seriously, I know, because I've been there, and I get it. I also know that you've heard the phrase "it gets better" so many freaking times that you'd be a millionaire if you had a penny for every time you've had someone tell you that. I can personally tell you that it does get better, but I know that really doesn't mean that much when you're still going through it.

So today, I'm not just going to give you that generic "it'll be okay" statement and tell you what your future could look like. Trust me, I know that it can be hard to look to the future sometimes, especially when you're in middle school or high school. Heck, even if you're an adult going through it, I know it can be hard to look to the future at times. Seriously, I get it. That's why today, I'm going to tell you something that I wish I knew when I was dealing with all the crap I deal with back then; something that I hope can be eye-opening to at least one person out there. Because there was a lot that I did not realize at that time, not just because I was young, but because the situation was just so overwhelming at the time.

Throughout my teen years, and through much of my early 20s, I struggled with extremely low self-esteem, and I basically had zero confidence in myself. I'll be honest, to this day, I still struggle with negative self-talk, and I often second guess myself. I could go on and on about why I believe that my self-esteem and my self-confidence have suffered, but let's be real, I'm not the only one who struggles with either of these things. Almost everyone, if not everyone, has moments in their life where they aren't feeling great about themselves, and where they just don't feel confident. Life has a way of doing that to us, whether it's through the not-so-great events that may happen in our lives, what other people say to us, or even just through the comparison game. Let's be honest, in the modern world, we're almost expected to not feel great about ourselves and second-guess almost everything we do and/or say. It's practically the norm to have low self-confidence. 

But just because something is the norm, it doesn't mean that you need to fall into it. Especially when it's something that can potentially hold you back from achieving your goals and being your best self, and can be damaging to your mental health. Seriously, there is no legitimate reason why you should allow negative thoughts consume you and keep you from living your best life because you deserve to live your best life. You deserve to be confident in yourself and the things you want to accomplish. Without a doubt, building and maintaining self-confidence is something that requires constant work, but it's certainly not impossible, even if you have zero confidence; I know this from experience. You just have to want to boost your confidence and understand that although it may require some effort, you can become more confident. Honestly, the first step is knowing that you deserve to have more self-confidence and believing that you can become more confident. Then from there, it's time to put in the work to start changing your mindset about yourself for the better.

For as far back as I can remember, I have always been highly critical of myself, and I would often find myself speaking negatively of myself, sometimes to the point that I was straight up bullying myself. I'll be honest too, I didn't even see a problem with being so hard on myself and saying nasty things to myself until about a year ago. I legitimately didn't believe that it was an issue if I said unkind things about myself, and I especially didn't think it was a problem to be hyper-critical of myself. As long as I wasn't tearing somebody else down, why did it matter if I tore myself down and gave myself (non-constructive) criticism? But the thing is when you speak so negatively about yourself, you often end up holding yourself back, and not only that, but it's just not good for your mental health. Just because negative self-talk is such a common habit that a lot of people have, it doesn't mean that it's okay, which is why I've been trying to correct these negative thoughts I have about myself.

All of that being said, I must say that while it's proven to be a challenge to change my mindset about myself, it has definitely been beneficial to my mental health to try to divert these negative thoughts in a more positive direction. Seriously, it feels so much better to focus on the things I love about myself, instead of dwelling on the things I don't like about myself and unfairly criticizing myself for everything. I was actually doing pretty good about changing my mindset about myself for the first few months of 2020, and I must say that I'm proud of myself for that, as I used to think I couldn't change my mindset. Especially not my mindset about myself, but I did it, or at least I made a start at changing my mindset. But then things started going south in my relationship, and the negative thoughts began to creep back in, and I allowed them to go unchecked. Then the breakup happened, and they all came rushing back in, along with negative thoughts related directly to the breakup.

I really beat myself up over this breakup, as I always do when a relationship that I deeply treasured ends, and fell back into self-loathing. I placed the blame on myself for the relationship going south and eventually ending. I felt like I was unlovable, and not good enough, and I kept telling myself negative things that weren't true, but I still believed them. I feel as if many of us do this after a breakup. Especially those of us who were either on the receiving end of it or had to leave someone that we were still in love with, and didn't want to leave. But it's not healthy to allow these thoughts to go unchecked. Seriously, you can't let one person destroy your self-worth, and tear you down to nothing. A lot of the things you're telling yourself about yourself after this breakup are most likely untrue, and you have to keep them in check.

I don't fall in love often, despite being a hopeless romantic, but when I do fall for somebody, I fall hard for that person. For me, it's such a blissful feeling to fall in love with somebody who genuinely seems to feel the same way about you. I honestly can't even begin to describe how blissful that feeling is, I really can't; it's like being on top of the universe, not just the world, but the whole freaking universe. Seriously, to me, it's that good of a feeling to fall in love. But there's a flip side to that, as I feel heartbreak just as intensely if the person that I fell in love with decides to rip my heart out. Holy fuck is the heartbreak from a breakup intense for me; it's actually quite debilitating. Sometimes I question if that blissful feeling of falling in love is worth the risk of heartbreak. No, really, I genuinely ask myself this sometimes. Is it really worth it? 

You can probably guess that my brain and my heart tell me two completely different things. Maybe this whole love thing is worth the risk? I honestly don't know sometimes. But one thing I know for sure is that I've learned quite a lot from both falling in love and having my heartbroken. Some of them were very rough lessons to learn, but they were still lessons that I needed to learn, even if I'd preferred not to have hard to learn them the hard way. I mean, does anyone want to learn a lesson the hard way? Fuck no, but sometimes it's the only way we learn.

It sure seems that life loves to throw stuff at us that can completely ruin our mood, no matter how strong, resilient, or positive we usually are. People do things that piss us off and annoy the shit out of us, the people closest to us may do things that hurt or upset us, or we can end up in some unpleasant and emotionally taxing situations. Sometimes, we may end up in a sour mood, and not even know why exactly we're in a bad mood. Perhaps we may be feeling physically crappy, and how we're feeling physically impacts how we're feeling mentally. Whatever the case may be, it's not fun to be in a bad mood, whether it's over something major or minor, or if we don't even know what it actually is. So it's certainly not a bad idea to try to find some little pick-me-ups to help potentially improve our mood, even if just by a little bit.

I know that sometimes, little pick-me-ups aren't going to help you feel 100% better, nor are they actually going to solve the problem, but they can potentially help you to feel slightly better. And personally, I have found time and time again, that practicing self-care (even when I don't want to) is the best way to lift myself back up out of a rut. It may be little by little, but sometimes that's how it is. Regardless, if you're in a less-than-great mood, you deserve to feel better, whether all you really need is a little pick-me-up, or you need to heal little by little.

The heartache that a breakup leaves can often feel like too much to bear. When the person that you trusted with your heart decides to rip it out, it can feel like the whole world is crashing down around you. If you're anything like me, your world practically revolved around this person, and you would have done anything for them. You saw a future with this person, or at the very least, you were fond of their company, so watching them go, and not being able to do anything about it, can feel unbearable. I'll be honest with you, I am not good at handling the pain of heartbreak. I will feel the pain not only feel it mentally and emotionally but physically too, it's horrible, and I will often feel it to some degree for months, or even over a year.

But I don't want to be feeling horrible for months, and I certainly don't want to feel this way for a year or more. So as hard as it may be, I have to find a way to pick myself back up and try to get through this. I'm not saying that I'm not going to allow myself to feel the sadness when I'm feeling sad, but I'm also not going to lay in bed all day and dwell in negativity, self-pity, and self-loathing either. There is no reason why I shouldn't allow myself to feel anything but negativity. There is absolutely no reason why I should let one person tear me down and cause me to throw away all the progress I've made in all aspects of my life, no matter how much I may care for that person. I have to find a way to get through this and pick myself back up. And I need to do it sooner rather than later.

Having your heart ripped out by someone that you love and trust fucking sucks, it really fucking sucks. I personally can not think of anything that affects me worse than heartbreak; and the mental, emotional, and physical toll it has on me. I'm not even trying to be dramatic when I say that heartbreak is practically debilitating for me. No, really, I think I actually function better when I'm sick than when I'm heartbroken. Actually, wait a minute, heartbreak does make me feel sick. I'm not even exaggerating, heartbreak will cause me to feel physically ill. So when you throw in the mental and emotional turmoil, yeah, it's fucking hell. Needless to say, I do not handle heartbreak very well. Does anyone handle it very well? I think we can all agree that heartbreak fucking sucks. It really fucking sucks.

But seriously, having my heart broken takes such an intense toll on me that I often wonder why I even put myself in the position where I can potentially have my heart ripped out. Seriously, why do I do this to myself? Just because I've dreamed of true love since I was 5 years old, and it feels incredible to be in love with someone special? Honestly, the best feeling in the world to me is the feeling of being in love. I totally realize how cheesy that sounds, and I sometimes wish it wasn't the truth for me, but it is. For me, and probably everyone else, there's a day and night difference between the feelings of being in love and being heartbroken. When I'm in love, I feel like I'm on top of the world. But when I have my heart ripped out? Bloody fucking hell, it's quite a shitty feeling.

While I don't believe that venting on social media is the best way to go about releasing your emotions, I'm guilty of it. I'll be honest too, I'd be lying if I said that I was 100% ashamed of it. Unquestionably, some Tweets should have stayed in my drafts, and there are things that I probably should not have publicly aired for the world to see. But let me be real, sometimes, putting it out there feels so damn good. So much so, that I sometimes have no restraint when it comes to making it known to the world that something (or someone) is bugging me. Whether it's something relatively minor or something major, I find that it's a bit too easy to go on a Twitter rant over 10 Tweets long about it. Or, at the very least, retweet or share posts that explain what I'm feeling. I know it's not the best or most mature thing in the world, not to mention the fact that it's not very professional, but I can not even begin to explain how freaking good it feels at the moment. Seriously, I can not.

But on that note, what if venting to social media isn't necessarily a bad thing? Perhaps I am just trying to justify the fact that I still find myself turning to Twitter when there's something on my mind that I need to let out, and I'm still not about to say that it's the best way to release your emotions, but hear me out. While it may not be the best solution to spill your thoughts to the internet, and it probably won't actually solve anything, it doesn't necessarily have to be destructive either. As a matter of fact, what if it can be productive in a way? What if, not only am I getting something that's weighing on me off my chest, but I'm possibly putting into words what someone else who comes across my rant might be feeling? I know for a fact that, personally, when I read someone else's words, I feel less alone. But seriously, what if there is a positive side to venting on social media when you go about it in the right way? 

I have a confession to make, as much as I love Summer, and I do occasionally enjoy getting some fresh air, I'm not an outdoorsy person. Like, at all. More often than not, I won't spend any more than 15 minutes outside at a time, and an hour is often my maximum. Sure, there are a lot of things that I enjoy about the outdoors, but many of my hobbies are indoor hobbies. I also have to say that it's nice not being attacked by bugs when I'm indoors, versus having them buzzing around my head as I'm sitting on my back porch. There are also some days where it's just too hot to do anything outside. Ohio's summers can be just as intense as it's winters sometimes. So it's necessary to have some activities to have some summer fun indoors, whether you're just not an outdoorsy person, or for the days when the heat is a bit too much.

Without any hesitation, when asked what my favorite season was, I would always say Summer, as I'm sure many people would say. Summertime is often an exciting time of the year for a lot of people, especially those who frequently visit theme parks, festivals, beaches, pools, or other places that are often associated with summer. When you're a child or teen, Summer means school is out, and you're free to do what you want without worrying about homework. For many people, Summer means spending extra time and making memories with friends and family. Although for me, as an introverted homebody, my enjoyment of Summer has always come more from the season itself, and the fact that the weather is usually pleasant, it's the exact opposite of Winter. 

That being said, more often than not, I'd find myself spending almost the entirety of the summertime at home. And while there are a few summer activities I'm more than happy to venture away from home for, I can't say that I haven't found ways to make the most of my summers right from home. And it looks like this year, we're all going to have to try to find ways to make the most of this summer at home. Sure, things are starting to open up again, but I don't particularly feel great about going into potentially crowded places in the name of Summer fun. Even though 2020 was supposed to be the year I got out more, I'm okay with having my Summer fun at home for another year if it means staying safe and keeping others safe. I certainly know how to enjoy the lovely weather from home, so this year I'll do just that once again.

It's okay to have a bad day. As a matter of fact, it's okay to have a bad day, even if it's over something petty. I get it, life can be a huge asshole sometimes. Some days, the little things just get to you, especially if you're already dealing with a lot. Sometimes things pop up and ruin your day, and regardless of whether it's something big or small, what you're feeling is valid. But on that note, you don't have to keep feeling this way. If you can help it, you shouldn't let a bad day ruin your entire week. Honestly, you shouldn't even let small things ruin your whole day if you can help it. I know that not everything can be solved instantly, or even within 24 hours, sometimes not even a week or month. But if you're simply having a shitty day, there are a few ways you can turn it around, or at least prevent tomorrow and the rest of your week from sucking.

Through a little bit of trial and error, I have created a daily routine that works well for me and helps me to feel great, thus making me more productive while working from home. For me, it has always been crucial to have some sort of a daily routine in place to keep me motivated and to help me productively go about my day, starting first thing in the morning. As a matter of fact, my morning routine is actually the most crucial part of my entire daily routine, as the choices I make in the morning often dictate what the rest of my day is going to look like. While the majority of my morning routine is focused on self-care and making the most of the early hours of the day, and can sometimes be omitted if I'm in a rush, some parts of my morning routine are absolutely vital to getting on the right path for the day.

Seriously though, not only do the choices I make in the early hours of my day affect my productivity, but how I end up feeling mentally and physically throughout the day. The path I choose to take in the morning influences the choices I make throughout the rest of my day and into the evening. As a matter of fact, I was quite surprised at just how much some of my choices influence my entire day once I started to notice a pattern with them. There's actually one habit in particular that I didn't realize was essential for me at all until I started noticing how it influenced my day!

Even before I started my blog, I was spending the vast majority of my time on social media. Admittedly, it would probably be beneficial for me to cut back on the amount of time I spend looking at a screen, as I'm often spending at least 12 hours a day on my computer; and that's a low estimate. Is that terrible? Probably. But personally, I don't view social media or technology in general as being a bad thing. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of negativity on social media, but there's also a lot of positivity. I'd be lying if I said that technology hasn't had both a positive and a negative impact on my life, but personally, I like to focus on the positive. I honestly believe that social media is what you make of it, and it mainly depends on how you choose to use it.

Personally, I often find myself using modern technology for self-care, and I find that it can actually be uplifting when you look in the right places. Especially right now, as it's making it easy for us to stay connected during these uncertain times where we can't be together physically. All of that being said, while there's still undeniably a lot of negativity and darkness on the internet, I would personally prefer to use social media in an uplifting way. If I'm going to be spending most of my time at my desk, I might as well do something positive with my time online. So with that in mind, I have decided to create a 30-day challenge to use social media in a way that makes a positive impact on my own life and helps to uplift others as well. I want social media to be a fun and uplifting way to stay connected, even when we're apart. So I'd like to challenge myself, and whoever is interested, to do something positive on social media every day for 30 days.

So, it's safe to say that 2020 has been the strangest year of my life, and this year isn't going to go quite how I planned it. I was planning to make this the year that I started to come out of my shell a little bit. 2020 was going to be the year that I started to leave the house a little more often, and see what life outside my bedroom had to offer. I wasn't going to let anything stop me from making a serious effort to be less of a hermit this year, nothing at all. When 2020 started, I sincerely believed that nothing was going to stop me from living my best life. What could stop possibly stop me from achieving all of my goals this year? I even came into 2020 with the mentality that there would be ups and downs, but I wouldn't let the downs stop me making this year the best year ever. Nothing can go that wrong, right? Nothing can actually put a stop to my plans! Oof--

Welp, it's looking like 2020 isn't going to be the best year ever, at least not in terms of going out more. I can honestly say that I never thought I'd have such a legitimate excuse for being a homebody, not until I had to be one. I suppose I can't complain too much, as my lifestyle actually hasn't changed that much under quarantine, and I like being home, but it would be nice to have the option to safely go out. I'd love to be able to go to the mall, go to a coffee shop, spend time at the park, and see my boyfriend. I long for the day that I can do all of those things safely. But, for now, I have to try to make the most of quarantine. I mean, what other option do I really have? No, but really, I want to make the most of this time. I also want to use this as a time of reflection, because damn, let me tell you, I've come to quite a few realizations since shit started to hit the fan.

It's no secret that life can get hella hard and stressful sometimes. Stressful, challenging, and hard times are simply a part of life, and they're basically unavoidable; and we all face them to some degree or another. Whether it's something in our personal, family, or professional lives, or perhaps a large scale crisis (like a global pandemic), we all deal with challenging or stressful things at some point in our lives. That being said, I'd like to clarify that it's normal to feel stressed from time to time. It's normal to be anxious or worried during uncertain times. It's completely normal to be sad during times of grief, such as after the loss of a loved one or after a breakup. It's normal to feel stressed when something in your life changes or you're not sure what the future holds, or what the present holds for the matter. It's okay to feel stressed, anxious, sad, or whatever else you may be feeling.

But the thing is if you keep allowing yourself to become more and more distressed, and you don't handle these emotions properly, it can really take a toll on your mental health. Sometimes it can even take a toll on how you're feeling physically. Honestly, I've been finding myself feeling a bit under the weather lately due to stress, both mentally and physically, and it's been affecting my energy and productivity for the worst. Not to mention my mood. I've been quick to get irritated or upset over the last month or so; way too quick. That being said, it's time to take charge of my mental health, as I can't just stay down forever. Nor can I wait for everything to blow over, as this isn't going to just blow over by next week, or even next month for the matter. It's time to pick myself back up, and if you're also feeling emotionally down in the dumps, I hope you'll do the same and do what you need to take care of your mental health.

Photo courtesy of Jelena Mirkovic on Unsplash

Honestly, I have always been a bit of an introverted homebody. I actually prefer to stay home most of the time. Even when given the option, I'll typically choose to do most things from home. Sure, I do enjoy going shopping at the mall every now and then, and I do enjoy going for walks to get some fresh air, but for the most part, if it can be done at home, I will almost always opt to do it at home. I workout at home, I do my work at home, I entertain myself at home, I do pretty much everything at home. I like home. Home is my happy place, my safe place. I think you get the idea by now, I enjoy spending time at home. At least most of the time.

I can't say that I haven't been missing the option to go to the shop, see the people that I care about, visit the park, or anything else I may feel like doing during the quarantine. I have a newfound appreciation for having the option to do what used to seem like the most simple of things. I have a newfound appreciation for ordinary life in general. But I also have a heightened appreciation for the comforts of home, even the things that may seem silly or trivial. Why shouldn't I take a moment to truly appreciate all of these things, and have a little bit of gratitude for them? Even if quarantine has been my lifestyle all along, now is the time to truly embrace being a homebody.

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One of my favorite things about working from home, and basically being my own boss, is being able to work at my own pace and choose my own hours. Not only that, but I also love having control over what I work on, how I work, and when I work on specific projects. I could go on and on about everything that I love about doing my work from home, and even more so being my own boss. However, some of my favorite things about working from home can also become its downfall if I'm not careful, as it can be easy to lose the balance between work and play, which is actually a mood-killing habit for me. So that being said, it's easy for me to either find myself working way too much, with almost no breaks, or not doing any work at all and not getting anything done. And both ends of the spectrum are equally stressful.

Overworking myself, to the point I'm not taking breaks and working late into the night, is stressful for reasons that I am sure I don't need to elaborate on. Procrastinating and blowing off my to-do list is also stressful because of that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I should be working on something. Hence why not having a balance between work and play tends to kill my mood and why it's crucial to have a balance between work and play, no matter how much you might enjoy your work. Or no matter how much you might not feel like working, let's be honest. It's also necessary to find a way to create a clear separation between work and play when you work from home. Even (and especially) if your work is also your also hobby, and usually feels more like play than work.

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For as long as I could remember, I have always been an introverted homebody, and usually, I am more than happy to stay home. I prefer to do most things from home. Sure, there are a few exceptions to the rule, and I do enjoy getting out of the house from time to time, but for the most part, I spend the vast majority of my time at home. Honestly, I spend so much time at home that the "stay at home" order that was put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 has hardly disrupted my daily routine at all. Not only did I already know how to easily stay entertained at home, but I was also already doing my work from home, so for the most part, my daily routine is almost exactly as it was before. I just have to practice a little extra mindfulness now, which isn't entirely a bad thing, and now I have no one telling me that I need to get out more and be more sociable. As a matter of fact, despite the seriousness of the situation, it's almost been nice not hearing that.

But anyway, I digress, because I know that this is not the case for the vast majority of people. Most people are having to either adapt their routines to work from home, or they're unable to work at all because their job can't be done from home if their job isn't considered essential. Not only that, but many people are finding their other daily activities, such as going to the gym, disrupted as well. Even as a homebody, it feels like my world has been turned upside down a little bit, as I was planning on 2020 being the year I started to get out a little more, but now that's been put on hold. I'm going to have to wait for a lot of the things that I want, just the same as everybody else. I can't allow myself to feel too sad or distressed about something that I can't control, especially when I know that I'm not alone in this.

All of that being said, I have found over the years that it's still necessary to maintain a relatively consistent daily routine, even when you're spending nearly all of your time at home. Not only does it keep you productive, but I have also found that it actually helps with stress to have some sort of daily routine in place, as you're not stressing over what to do next. Plus, it gives you a sense of normality, even if things are far from ordinary. So with that said, if it could help anyone build a new daily routine for being at home, whether they're stuck at home during the quarantine or choosing to work from home in the future, I am happy to share my daily routine.

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Even if you can't get to the gym or to a workout class, there is no reason that you can't still get a great workout in. Although the gym environment can be super motivating, especially if you take a workout class, you don't need the gym to find the motivation to workout. You don't need to attend a pricey workout class to get your sweat on, nor do you need a lot of equipment to get a good workout in. As a matter of fact, you really don't need any special equipment at all; you don't necessarily even need a yoga mat. For some home workouts, you don't really need a ton of space either. All you need is the desire and the motivation to get moving.

As an introvert, I have always preferred working out on my own from home anyway. That way, nobody can bother me while I'm getting my sweat on. Plus, there are so many at-home workouts available online that if I get bored with my workout, I can easily switch up. For me, working out from home is basically second nature. It's just a matter of finding the motivation to do it and building a routine that's easy to stick to.

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It has come to my attention that, suddenly, in the year 2020, people are genuinely curious as to what introverts do for fun. It seems that they sincerely want to know what we do with all of the time we spend at home, and how we don't get bored on the weekends when we opt to stay home instead of going out. It is no longer a rhetorical question when we get asked what we do for fun, everyone actually wants to listen. Interesting. But you know what? As someone who has been an introvert for as long as I could remember, I'm happy to share some insider information with those who are genuinely curious.

Listen, despite my sass, I'm nervous about the current situation going on around the world too, so I know you need a distraction. I know you need something to keep your mind occupied. So if you can find even a little bit of joy in any of my favorite at-home activities, then it's worth it to share them. And if you're reading this in the future when the craziness has all blown over, and you just happen to be stuck at home for some reason, or you're just curious, then I still hope you find something that you might enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

It happens to all of us at some point in our lives; we get sick. We've all had those days where we have felt like total crap, and we didn't want to do very much. Let's be real, with some ailments, we can't do much of anything. It's hard to even sit on the couch and watch Netflix when you're running to the bathroom every 30 minutes with a stomach bug, just saying. If you're feeling particularly icky, it's better to just rest. But what if you're just feeling a little under the weather? I'll be real with you, I'm not going to just stay in bed over seasonal allergies. I usually don't even stay home over a cold, I'll just cough into my elbow or sneeze into a tissue to avoid spreading it. Even when I'm feeling crappy enough to stay home, as long as I'm feeling functional, I still want to do something with my day, even if that something is playing The Sims all day.

All of that being said, because I'm writing this as the COVID-19 outbreak is escalating in North America (and most of the world), we're being advised to stay home if we're unwell. Even if we're just feeling a little under the weather. I'm not going to go on and on about the coronavirus, as I am not an expert on it, but even if you know you just have a cold, it's not a bad idea to avoid putting any further stress on your immune system. You don't want to risk catching anything else at the same time. Besides, it's actually better to let your body rest so that it can focus on getting better, and you can start feeling better sooner. I mean, who wouldn't want to feel better quicker? Even if you're not feeling horrible, it's still not fun to have a cold, or any ailment, regardless of how minor.

But once again, I know that you probably don't want to just stay in bed all day with the sniffles or a slight cough.  If you're anything like me, you want to feel productive or have a little bit of fun, not be bored out of your mind watching daytime television on the couch and aimlessly scrolling social media. While it is necessary to be gentle with yourself when you're not feeling your best, there are still some things you can do so that you don't feel like you're just wasting your day away.

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I would like to dedicate this post to all of my online friends. Thank you all for being so amazing! As someone who wasn't exactly popular in school, and has always had a hard time making friends in real life, social media has actually been quite a blessing for me. Not only has it made it easier for me to make friends, in general, but it has made it possible for me to connect with people that I have a lot in common with from all over the world. As a matter of fact, I actually have a deeper connection with some of my online friends than I do with anybody that I know in real life. I am sure that many people who have close friends that they've met through the internet can relate to this to some degree. Online friends are sincerely a blessing.

Although maybe we should call them long-distance friends, as I honestly consider a lot of my online friends to be my real-life friends. Even though they might live father away, and we might not have met in person, it doesn't make the friendship any less real. I honestly wish that older people would understand this! But whatever you choose to call them, we should all take a moment to appreciate the beauty of online friendships, because they are absolutely something special.

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I like to consider myself to be an optimist, as I am sure that most dreamers do. I always believe that things will work out as they should, and even if they don't pan out exactly as I'd like them to, I still try to look for the positive in the situation. I can't always say that this is easy, and sometimes the good can still be a hard pill to swallow. Admittedly, I'm also a little bit of an idealist, so it can be hard to accept when not everyone is happy, and things didn't pan out the way that they would in a movie. I also have to admit that when bad things happen, whether to me or in the world, it can also get me down quite a bit. I am quick to become emotionally invested in something, whether it directly involved me or not. Heck, it doesn't even have to affect me, or anyone I know personally, at all, and I can still be emotionally invested in it. It's actually a bit of a mood-killing habit for me because if you haven't noticed, things in the world aren't exactly great right now, and the realist in me knows that, unfortunately, it isn't going to all change by tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. But the thing is, being an optimist doesn't necessarily mean always being happy. Nor does it mean that you never have negative thoughts.

Being an optimist doesn't mean being oblivious to the negative. Nor does it mean ignorantly believing that everything in the world is just peachy and that tomorrow everyone will wake up wanting to be the best versions of themselves, and everyone in the world will all join hands singing Kumbaya, figuratively speaking. It doesn't mean believing that everything will have a fairy tale ending or that there won't be any hardships along the way. Optimism isn't the belief that life is perfect, or even can be perfect. Optimism is recognizing the negative and acknowledging it but choosing to look at the positives. It is choosing to continuously work towards living your goals and not throwing in the towel at the first sign of trouble. Optimism is making an effort to create a positive life for yourself and those around you.

Unfortunately, but understandably, not everyone is an optimist. For the longest time, I was more of a pessimist myself. I'll be honest, I still have pessimistic thoughts from time to time. It's only human. Especially when you're constantly being bombarded with negativity. But it is possible to be an optimist, no matter what your situation may be. And it is possible to change your mindset if you sincerely want to.

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As a girl who loves her tech, the Wi-Fi going down can throw me for a bit of a loop, and cause me to panic for a moment. But after saying a few choice words, I am generally able to entertain myself without using the internet. However, when the power goes out, it's an entirely different story. Not only is there no Wi-Fi, but there is pretty much no anything, and you're quite literally in the dark. Granted, during the daytime you can use natural daylight, and at night you can use candles and battery-operated lights. But still. Every time the power goes out, it's a potent reminder of how much I appreciate something as simple as being able to turn on the lights. Let alone watch TV, browse the internet, or charge my phone.

That being said, our power has gone out twice in the last month. Well, actually, I should say it's gone out one and a half times; we'll discuss that in a minute. Anyway, even though neither outage lasted for more than a couple of hours, it still got me thinking, what can I do when the power goes out? What should I do when the power goes out?