Category: thoughts

how to get out of a funk

Last week I was in a major funk. I didn’t really even feel like myself until Wednesday afternoon. I had no motivation to work on my massive to-do list and I could not focus at all. If you’ve ever experienced anxiety and/or depression, you know this is an inexplicable feeling which can leave you desperate to find a way out of it.

While this doesn’t happen to me very often anymore, it is a little unsettling when it does. Luckily, I’ve discovered some things that help me get out of that funk. Or at least make me feel a little better.

#1 Breathe & Meditate – Taking a minute to sit, close your eyes and breathe deeply can really help calm your body down. If the thought of meditation is intimidating to you, look for a guided, audio meditation. There are a ton of apps out there, but I really like listening to Gabby Bernstein’s meditations which can be found on her website.

#2 Stretch / Yoga – Sometimes my funk makes me too tired to go out and do a more intense exercise. In cases such as these, I like to stretch and do some relaxing, Yin yoga in the comfort of my own home. I like to use Yoga With Adriene’s videos on Youtube. Her voice is so soothing and her “gentle yoga” really is gentle. Here are just a few of my recs:

Yoga for Depression, Yoga for Migraines, Meditation for Anxiety

#3 Drink Some Tea While Yoga-ing – Get some caffeine-free tea to soothe and detox your body. I like the Yogi brand teas as well as Traditional Medicinals (specifically Peppermint).

#4 Eat Something – It can be really tempting to give into eating junk when in that funk, but I’ve learned that kind of food can make me feel even worse. Something light like a salad will nourish my body and not contribute to the junky feeling.

#5 Get Reallll Dorky AKA Find a Feel Good – One Spring Semester in college, I watched “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” at least once per day during Dead and Finals Week. Why? Because it’s what I needed at the time. Then during the Fall Semester, I watched the One Direction movie at least once per day during Dead and Finals Week. Why? Same reason.

and, i mean, COME ON. it’s harry styles for goodness sake.

It doesn’t matter what brings you joy, as long as it does. Who cares if you like to watch Christmas movies during the summer or have seen every episode of Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 if it makes you feel good? Sometimes we just need a temporary escape. And if we are all responsible for our emotions and happiness anyway, then this is one form of taking control.

#6 Find A Way To Laugh At Yourself – I am a huge fan of a solo-dance party and a good “talking to myself” session. When I do absolutely ridiculous things like this in the privacy of my own home, I usually end up laughing at myself. Why take ourselves so seriously all the time?

 

I hope some of my personal remedies helped y’all. I think it’s important to remember that we all have our days, or weeks or months or even years, but we’re not alone. Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.

❤

for today…this is enough | augblog

Today did not go as I had planned.

I planned on getting up nice and early and going for a run. Didn’t happen.

I planned on having some down time this afternoon to work on a different post I had in mind for today. Didn’t happen.

We’re learning new things at work that involve data and numbers. Yeah, I know, COMPLETELY opposite of what I am as a human. I fucked up part of the project I’m working on, not once, but twice AND the entire office got to hear about it on an email chain. Good Hell.

You could say that today I felt pretty out of control which, as a self-admitted control freak, is not an easy thing to confess on a blog.

The one thing I knew I had to do was go to my Wednesday night Hot Power Vinyasa yoga class (that I hadn’t been to for a few weeks) because it was my teacher’s last night teaching.

It kicked my ass. I knew it was going to be hard due to my break from it, but good Lord it was a struggle.

After shaking, silently cursing and creating a small lake of sweat on the floor next to me, my teacher ended the class by saying “just by getting on the mat you are doing enough.” Immediately, my entire day and the leftover stress fell out of my brain.

On days like today, just showing up can be enough.

Which can be hard if you have a million tasks to get done in several different areas of your life AND you’re on a timeline. It’s easy for me to look at my day and say “I should have done this and this and this.” However, it’s much more comforting to say “you made it through today and that is enough.”

You must know, I really hate everything I’m saying if I’m being honest. As much as I want to be ok with my not-so productive day, there is a small part of my brain that is not happy with me aka Mr. Anxiety. I think if my anxiety was in human form, he would be sassy and fierce.

Let’s be real…it would be RuPaul. Telling me to lip sync for my life. Or at least to keep packing boxes.

This is an important point to mention (not about RuPaul lol). We see people online, telling us how to feel and what to think and we’re on the other side thinking they must have it all together and know exactly what they are talking about. So naturally, we should listen to them. Naturally.

I am not one of these people and I am happy to admit when I don’t know something. Or, if I’m struggling with something.

So maybe we all need to give ourselves a break? Maybe we need to take some of that compassion from yesterday and use it on ourselves?

And maybe we need a Leslie Knope GIF to carry us out. Yes, still loving Parks and Rec by the way!

easier said than done – lessons from gandhi

Hey Team…Happy August!

“How is it already August?” – said every girl on Instagram ever.

Sorry, had to. Hahaha.

But in all seriousness, it came pretty damn fast.

For today’s post, I had something completely different in mind. Then I came across something I wrote down and saved for later a little while back. Disclaimer: “a little while back” means “I really don’t know when I wrote that down.”

This also marks the start of what I’m calling #AugBlog, where I will attempt to blog everyday this month. Stay tuned because I’ve got some…interesting Vegas vibes coming!

Side Note: I finally started watching Parks and Rec today and I am already done with Season 1. I have no idea why it took me so long, especially since The Office is one of my faves. But now I’m fully onboard.

And I love this man already.

Now that I got that confession out of the way…onto what I really want to share with y’all.

Gandhi’s Top 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World (with my commentary):

1. Change Yourself – this is huge. It can be hard to look at ourselves and our actions and acknowledge that we need a change.

2. You Are In Control – just like I talked about on Monday.

3. Forgive & Let Go – easier said than done, trust me I know. I also know from experience that it is really nice when you do.

4. Without Action You Aren’t Going Anywhere – I talked about this back on the first episode of the podcast.

5. Take Care of This Moment – living in the present is, again, easier said than done. The biggest tip I can offer with this, put the damn phone AWAY! When appropriate, because, I still have to document the #VegasLyfe ; ).

6. Everyone is Human – from world leaders to the neighbors upstairs…yup, all still human. Here is where compassion comes into play.

7. PERSIST – when you can’t hold on…hold on. And throw on “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers.

8. See The Good in People and Help Them – Clearly, “easier said than done” was the theme Gandhi had in mind with this list.

9. Be Congruent, Be Authentic, Be Your True Self – look at yourself in the mirror and stop telling yourself what you want to hear. Tell yourself what you need to hear, with love.

10. Continue to Grow & Evolve – it’s a process. It will ebb and it will flow, so have patience with yourself.

❤

let’s have a toast to the….rumpelstiltskins?

Hey y’all, a little insight/personal therapy for you today!

If you know me, you know I pride myself on being pretty tough. It’s the whole “sticks and stones” mentality – what I’ve been taught from the beginning. My whole existence is based on the fact that I am unique and I am WEIRD. I have my likes, dislikes and I am NOT afraid to be real with my people if they want my honest advice!

Due to this, I’ve received a lot of hate throughout life for expressing these (sometimes) unpopular opinions on a plethora of topics. So this is definitely NOT a new concept for me and to that point, I have NO problem with people taking issue with who I am as an individual.

Like I always say, you do you and I’ll do me and if we’re not supposed to be friends, then, COOL! You can go stew in your own bullshit and move along with the beautiful day at hand. We don’t have to see or interact with each other, in person or on the social medias. It’s really the best, most care-free way to live your life! : )

So, what happens when you can’t banish the Rumpelstiltskins back to the forrest in which they live? What happens if that troll is in one of your social circles? These are the questions I’ve attempted to dissect for the last couple weeks.

Here’s the scenario:

There is a certain human who happens to dwell in one of my social circles (there are many: work, gym, apartment community/neighbors – this is vague on purpose) and has become the Rumpelstiltskin (hereby known as “Rumpel”) of my life recently.

I’m forced to interact with Rumpel almost everyday. And, almost everyday, Rumpel has something to say about my life. Whether I’m answering the question of what I gave up for Lent or my recent venture to California during the actual apocalypse (as seen on SNAP: @jessicalynnn12), Rumpel HAS to have an opinion. About something that doesn’t even affect their life. Did I mention that Rumpel also happens to be about twice my age? Hmm.

So yeah, this is annoying, but my life has prepared me to deal with it. However, when it happens nearly EVERYDAY, whenever I open my mouth, it begins to get old.

But, wait…what does Rumpelstiltskin have to do with any of this? A little history lesson…

Rumpelstiltskin is actually a German fairy tale, so basically I feel like Dwight Schrute sharing this story with y’all. You’re welcome.

{Side Note: I tend to think that Dwight makes up part of my spirit animal, which has a lot of components. Wow, this sounds crazy.}

giphy

Anyway…

If you don’t remember the fairy tale, Rumpel comes to save the day when the daughter of the miller is not able to complete her task of spinning straw into gold. Rumpel makes it happen and each time he does, the daughter has to give him something of hers. Near the end of the story, Rumpel makes her promise her first born child unless she can guess his name. At this point, she goes into the forrest where Rumpel lives and hears him chanting his own name. *Idiot – Dwight voice* In the end, she correctly guesses his name and he runs away and never comes back. THE END!

I’ll admit, I have no idea what I was thinking when I named this troll Rumpel. As I refreshed myself on this fairy tale, I quickly realized that Rumpel was not a troll that lived under a bridge, but a sneaky little goblin that lived in a forrest and got pissed when called out on his own bullshit.

Back to it..

It would be easy to say:

giphy-1

*Rumpel* and just declare them a terrible person who dances around in the forrest and cares far too much about other people’s lives. But that would be putting a bandaid over a bullet wound and that just makes absolutely no sense.

Since I do have to interact with Rumpel on an ongoing basis, I have to carefully pick my battles and only call out the bullshit when necessary. When my opinions are challenged, my first reaction is SCREAM! FIGHT! GO CRAZY! F*** YOU AND YOUR STUPID LIFE!

{Aggressive, much?}

However, I have to take a step back and remember that I am an adult (kind of) and not a child. I’m not in Kindergarten and that bitch isn’t stealing my carpet square or best friend from me (actually happened). It’s not St. Paddy’s (yet) and it’s not appropriate for the Irish in me to get into a drunken pub brawl (again I say – yet).

I have to practice self-control and remember how bitchy I can get myself when I’m unsatisfied with the state of things in my life. Which might just be the case with Rumpel.

Maybe Rumpel really is upset with their own life? Maybe they’re intimated by the fact that someone half their age is driving to California for fun on the weekends. Or that I’m challenging myself by giving up something for Lent. Maybe Rumpel wants to be living life on their own terms, but hasn’t found the courage to do so yet?

It’s easy to pick on people who are so open with their lives because they put it all out there. It’s so satisfying to tear people down who have what we want when we haven’t found the courage to go out and get it for ourselves.

Even as recently as about a year and a half ago, I possessed this mentality. I spent countless hours wasting energy on someone who was living a life I wanted, but hadn’t found the courage to reach out and take for myself. COUNTLESS. HOURS. Wishing this person all the negative mental energy my tiny frame could muster. Talk about exhausting!

Think of all the time I could have spent being productive for myself and not trying to wish someone else harm. Think of all the words I could have written, kettlebells I could have lifted, miles I could have run and calories I could have melted while dancing and drinking Patron. (Damn, perspective.)

So, I get it. I’ve been there. But thank Jesus I learned to cut that shit. (Can you say “Jesus” and “shit” in the same sentence? YOLO.)

Compassion is the emotion that comes up when looking at all of the above. Simply, because, I’ve been there. I understand that pain. I’m certainly not perfect and I’m not completely beyond the point of pettiness, but I have learned enough to recognize that this nonsense isn’t about me. It’s about the fact that, this individual is unhappy.

People who are generally satisfied with their own lives don’t take every opportunity to criticize others for living their lives the way they want. People who are generally satisfied with their lives honestly don’t give a fuck about what other people are doing (usually – again, no one is perfect!)

I’m truly beginning to believe this case is no different. And as hard as it may be, I’m going to have to remember to have self-control and only call the bullshit out occasionally. I’m going have to embody an otter and let that shit slide off my back like water (I wanted to be a marine biologist – lol).

giphy-2

So the next time I get shit for living MY life on MY terms, I’m going to take a step back and remember to have some compassion for those who can’t. I’m going to carefully and strategically choose when to call out good ol’ Rumpel on their bullshit and maybe send some healing energy and little prayer their way, because, why not? What can it hurt to have another person in this world satisfied with their life?

Hopefully you can relate and possibly even apply this to your own life! Grandmother Willow and her advice signing off for now!

 

chaotic christmas travel & the word of 2017

As I reflected on 2016, I noticed a theme throughout my year:

Lots of action, not much actual progress.

I felt like I was on one of those child’s spinner toys where you sit down and spin yourself around while only staying in the same place. That’s how I describe my 2016 experience, spinning around in circles, moving a lot and never really going anywhere. Action without progress.

This year – 2017 – the plan is to take action and make it progressive action. Because, what’s the point of moving if you’re never really going anywhere??

And I’m taking my chaotic travel day as a good inauguration to this year and theme I’m going for.

If you follow me on Twitter or Snap (@jessicalynnn12), you’ll know about my holiday travel luck and how I have none. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, visiting #Idahome has been quite the ridiculous process the last couple of months.

Delayed flights, sketchy airport hotel rooms, more delayed flights – and that’s just from the Thanksgiving fiasco. Traveling home for Christmas was just as crazy. High winds and mechanical problems caused me to miss my connecting flight to my small, hometown airport. So my fantastic father, Patricio, volunteered to drive the 2 1/2 hours to Salt Lake City at 1am to retrieve me.

Today, I traveled back to Las Vegas and, as is my pattern, there were delays. To begin with, my flight out of Pocatello was delayed 4 1/2 hours because of mechanical problems yet again. This meant I was going to miss my connection to Vegas. I was booked on a later flight and then was faced with a decision: wait and take my chances with this Pocatello plane or drive down to Salt Lake and ensure that I would make the later flight.

The breakdown…

Option 1 – waiting and taking my chances sure seemed very similar to the theme of 2016. It meant sitting on that toy, spinning in circles and letting life happen to me. Not very proactive or progressive.

Option 2 – not just action, but progressive action. Take matters into our own hands and make sure I was on that flight.

Patricio didn’t even hesitate when we decided to choose Option 2 and I’m so glad we were on the same page.

By choosing progressive action, we made it to Salt Lake with plenty of time to spare. The roads were clear and my trek through security was a breeze – even though they decided my hair need a full-on pat down, which is actually hilarious. I made it back to Vegas without needing to stay the night in a sketchy-ass airport hotel.

I’m choosing to look at the whole experience as a good sign of things to come this year. I’m excited for a year of not just action, but progressive action. No more nauseating spinning toys for me!

Bring it on 2017! Let’s make shit happen!

2016 – lessons from the highlights and the low lights

 

If you have been at least 5% aware of the Internet over the last month, then you’ve seen the “2016 is the worst/weirdest year ever” memes. Maybe you’ve even been guilty of proclaiming the same sentiment yourself. I know I have and at the same time, I’m quickly getting annoyed at myself for thinking this way.

 

So I’m going back to the lesson from the whole Starbucks Hacking fiasco…

 

“It’s not what happens…it’s how you handle it.”

 

2016 has been interesting both personally and in a greater sense. We’ve seen unexpected celebrity deaths, weird political drama and many other things that might have generally sucked.

 

Personally, it was a pretty decent year. I started tanning in February and, thanks to the Vegas weather, I avoided the usual seasonal depression. Which was both surprising and refreshing.

 

  • I found my stride at work.
  • I got more settled into Vegas life and met some pretty cool people. I also met some pretty terrible people, but, whatever.

    sheri is one of those cool people ❤
  • I traveled to LA for the best two Kaskade shows of my life and met some amazing friends in the process.
  • I danced in clubs until they kicked us out and ate breakfast with random dudes from Texas.
  • I went to both a beach club and a nightclub in one day two times this year. The first time was fine. The second time I was drunk for 12 hours and had to go to work the next day.

    the best memorial day we’ve ever had
  • I attended my very first EDC after dreaming about it for the last 6 years. It was chaotic and amazing.
  • I experienced my first Vegas summer which included multiple 115 degree days.
  • I listened to “Closer” by The Chainsmokers enough times that it made it to the top of my most listened to list on Spotify.
  • I snapchatted “Closer” by The Chainsmokers enough times that people still snap me when they hear it out and about.
  • I ventured out to Minnesota to watch my oldest friend get married. It got wild in the best way.
    photo by: KELLY JO PHOTO
  • I celebrated my first year living in Vegas.
  • I attended my first Life is Beautiful festival in downtown Las Vegas and learned the beauty of serendipity.
  • I saw two movies by myself and enjoyed every minute.
  • I saw The 1975 for the second time and they absolutely killed it.
  • I ran my third half marathon and it was mentally my toughest race yet.

Throughout everything that I experienced this year, I learned some important things. Most importantly, I truly stopped letting whatever other people thought get in the way of me doing absolutely everything I wanted.

 

While these are just a few of the highlights, there were plenty of lows as well. I could have let the lows overshadow all the good things in my year, but I chose to handle them differently. I didn’t want what happened to control my outlook – I wanted how I handle the bad things to shape they way things turned out. And overall, I think I succeeded and found ways to improve along the way.

 

So here’s to the chaotic year that was. I’m looking forward to the fresh start on the calendar. I’m excited to see what the next 365 will bring.

 

2017 let’s goooo!!
 

 

9 november 2016 | prose

I wrote this on November 9th and I felt called to share it with the world. Not a statement at all, just something to remember. After all the chaos of this year and the current crisis in Aleppo, I feel now more than ever that we need some hope. Love your neighbor as yourself, we are all human. ❤

Choose love

Always choose love

Do not succumb to fear

For fear is the absence of love

Choose positivity

Always strive for positivity

Stand up to negativity

For negativity can suck the soul from your drive

Choose open-mindedness

Always choose an open mind

Do not allow your mind to shut down

For a closed mind and a closed heart block progress and divide us from each other

Blocks us from love

Blocks us from positivity

But the greatest one to strive for

Of all of these

is love

forever & always

xxx