Self Improvement

This post is about my journey to self-improvement. I am all about loving yourself where you're at, and encourage everyone to love themselves despite "flaws" or insecurities. I used to think that if I had flaws that I couldn't love myself. I was obsessed with becoming better so that I could finally be happy and love myself. I have slowly and painfully learned that I will never be perfect. There will always be someone skinnier, or better looking, or healthier than me. But that doesn't mean I can't love myself! In fact, I'm figuring out that I don't even have to accept loving myself despite my flaws, I can love myself with my flaws.

That being said, I am still absolutely on a journey of self-improvement. This year I've set some goals. Goals like take better care of my teeth and try to whiten them if I can. I also want to get better control of my physical health and my hormones. I have battled depression and anxiety for the majority of my life, and I know that diet and exercise can drastically lower the level to which these things affect me. So far, I've done pretty well on the tooth front. They are well on their way to being the pearly whites I've always dreamed of, and my gums are...I don't know...gummy?? However gums are supposed to be, they're totally doing that.

I know it's been over a year since I wrote about, or even genuinely tried to eat healthy. However, I have recently been having some pretty major health issues. My back and shoulder have been causing me pain, and I have a referral for a physical therapist that I'll be setting an appointment with as soon as I can. Since I work full time on my feet and can't exactly take time off until it gets better. But it's not all bad! It has inspired me to get healthy and start taking better care of myself. I may even start working out (try to contain your gasps of surprise).

I'll take pride in the things that I improve in and accomplish, and forgive myself when I fall short. That's my most important goal for this year, and I hope you do the same!

Blessed Extrovert with Depression

Depression is a funny thing. It affects rich people, poor people, extroverts, and introverts. Whether its a chemical thing, or sparked by traumatic events, it can (sometimes literally) take the life out of you. I'm pretty open about my own struggle with depression because I think it's important to the healing process. I know that I've been extremely lucky because I have people in my life that love in my struggle, and I know for many people who struggle with this have to deal with it alone and silently. My love and prayers go out to you.

I think that I first started struggling with depression about 3 or 4 years ago, and while I have gotten significantly better, there are still days when I struggle with it. Normally I am an extremely outgoing, happy person, but when I was in the worst of it I basically shut down. I wasn't getting help, and I didn't think I would or even could get better.

While some would say that my depression was justified (some major family crises happened), the truth is that I've been pretty blessed. To be honest this sometimes made it worse. I felt guilty about every moment I was sad because I felt I didn't deserve to be. I was only listening to sad music, reading depressing things, and focusing on the darkness instead to trying to let the light in.

Then one day I had a personal crises. I won't go into detail on here, but I will say that it scared me into realizing I needed help. This was a huge turning point for me because up until then I didn't even really want help. I am so lucky that I have the mom that I have, because as soon as I shared with her that I needed help she was in go mode. I started going to therapy, I saw a doctor, and was diagnosed with PTSD and depression. Shortly after that I was put on medication to help balance out my emotions, and it really did help (though not at first, and I was both reluctant and doubtful about it).

While this didn't "cure" me, it did set me down the path of recovery. I've realized some things along the way as well. I realized it's okay to take time to be sad and heal, and that I didn't need to feel guilty or ashamed. Everyone has problems and heartbreak. Some people do have it worse than me, and some have it better, but that doesn't invalidate my own pain. I also realized the importance of what you put into your mind and heart. I used to think I could listen to, watch, and read whatever I wanted and I could be objective and not let it affect me. This just isn't true, and once I realized that I had to stop listening to depressing music, watching depressing shows, reading harmful things, and hanging out with people who encouraged these things. It was extremely difficult to give up these things, but once I did I felt an immediate improvement.

Maybe you or someone you know is battling with depression, and you don't know how to help or get help for yourself. My advice to you is the same whether you're dealing with yourself or someone you care about. Be patient and kind, encourage being surrounded by positive things rather than negative things, and find someone safe and trustworthy to talk to. I also definitely encourage going to a doctor because how frustrating would it be if you just had a chemical imbalance and this whole time you've been suffering could have been avoided with one small pill??

Wherever you are in life, I wish you all the luck in the world and hope this post helps in some small way.

Soothing Aloe Vera Deodorant Stick

 Once again this post is all about sensitive skin, and body odor. That’s right people! We are talking about arm pits. God bless those poor people who think they don’t need it. Or maybe God bless those people’s friends for sticking around so long? Anyway, I am not one of those people and I am VERY aware that I need it. Since my mom is extremely into health and organic products, I occasionally try to take a page from her book and try it out. So this month I am trying Soothing Aloe Vera Deodorant Stick. This particular one can be found on http://www.jason-personalcare.com/ but you can also find it in your local store. It costs about $6.39, which is a little more than I’d like to spend on deodorant but I guess it’s worth it for the health benefits. They also have many other safe, natural products that I'm sure are amazing but that I have not tried. This particular deodorant has been pretty good. Since I do have sensitive skin, it’s especially important for me to be careful what I put on my skin in places where I shave. True to its name, it has been soothing! Normally from deodorants I get raw irritated skin, but this has been amazing. However, I will say that it doesn’t seem to last as long as other deodorants I’ve tried and so I do not like that. I think when I run out of this I will try another scent of the same brand so stay tuned!

I rate this product: Love It!

Boots Extracts Mango Sugar Scrub

Hello everyone! Let’s talk about sugar scrubs. I’ve heard praise and complaints, and so I’ve been really slow to try them. However, in my quest for better skin (and my love of things that smell good) I decided to try one! I’m going through a mango phase, basically in any form I can get it. So I figured why not combine them and try it out? I'm currently using Boots Extracts Mango Sugar Scrub which you can get for $9.99 at Target. Now, while I am going to rate it with a “Love It!”, there are some things I don’t like about it. It does leave my skin feeling silky smooth and smelling like fresh mangoes (good) it also leaves somewhat of a waxy residue on the surface of the skin (not good). So if you want a clean feeling after using a sugar scrub, I would suggest finding another product. But, if you don’t mind feeling more like you’ve tried some weird sugar scrub/lotion hybrid than just plain old sugar scrub than this is for you! There are other scents of course this one is just my personal favorite.

I rate this product: Love It

Expert Anti-Blemish 2 in 1 Scrub and Mask

Hello everybody! For my first post, I'll write about something I love! I have such a hard time finding good skin care products because I have had sensitive skin from the time I was born. Everything I’ve tried has either been too harsh, too oily, or just plain useless. A few weeks ago I went to Target in search of the perfect face wash and finally found it!! Since I’m no expert in face washes and not really in the position to just buy tons of different ones and try them all, I had to take the word of the nicest make up salesman I have ever met! If you’re ever at the Target in federal way, ask for Robert. He’ll help you find the perfect product. He suggested this product to me and I couldn’t be happier! It’s called Expert Anti-Blemish 2 in 1 Scrub and Mask. When I bought it, it was $5.99 and worth every penny! I use it every time I shower, since I’m way too messy to try and was my face over the sink. My skin feels amazing and has cleared up almost completely!

I rate this product: Love It!