Ever wonder what your life would be like if you lived up to your full potential? Would your body be healthier? Your skin clearer? Bank account bigger? I think about these things all the time, and, judging my a previous post, you guys do to. Below is a chart designed to help all of us live up to our full potential. I’ve broken it down into time frames to help keep you from getting overwhelmed. Write the chart down and hang it someplace where you can see it all the time. I will be starting this challenge tomorrow, 9/8. I’ll check in with you guys every Sunday to track my progress. I have specific goals in mind for myself, and you guys should make some too! I really want to know how you guys are doing. Tag your progress posts with #sbfpc so I can track it and take a look. Let’s get to it!
EVERY MORNING
Stretch. First thing. Really give your body enough time to wake up. Touch your toes. Roll out your shoulders. Do not hit snooze!
Do your full skincare routine. I have mine detailed here, but do whatever works for you and your complexion. Be gentle and consistent.
Brush your teeth and floss. I used to be a big floss-skipper too, but you’d be amazed at how dig of a difference it makes. Rinse with a whitening mouthwash. I use one by Crest, and I notice a major difference in my teeth’s overall whiteness in just a few days.
Give yourself enough time to get ready. Whether you’re a wash-and-go kind of girl, or someone who spends an hour doing a full contouring routine before class (and either one is fine!), make sure you aren’t rushing. If you need to wake up a few minutes earlier than normal, so be it. Rushing sets an awful, stressed-out tone for the rest of the day. Allow yourself to be relaxed before taking on the day.
Eat something. I’m not going to say eat a big breakfast, because some people (myself included) just can’t eat in the morning. But you should eat, or at least bring a little something with you to work or school. If you can’t eat a full breakfast, grab a fruit! You won’t be as hungry come lunch time, making you less likely to gorge yourself.
Shower. You can do this at night, in the morning, whatever. Again, this is something you should allow some time for. I don’t wash my hair every day, but I do condition it every day (from the ears down). Scrub yourself with a delicious-smelling body wash. If you shave, make yourself as smooth as a dolphin, dude. If you don’t, then don’t and don’t ever ever ever let anyone make you feel bad or weird about it. When you get out of the shower, wrap yourself in a fluffy towel and totally slather your sexy self with lotion. Top to bottom. Do it as soon as you can post-shower so it can really sink in.
Put leave-in condition throughout your damp hair and comb it through.
Put on an outfit that makes you feel good! So important!
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Take a look at your daily to-do list. Knock out the most pressing stuff first. Take pride when you cross things off your list.
Make your bed! Oh my god, make your bed. Do it. Do it. Do it.
EVERY AFTERNOON
Follow the “touch it once” approach. This is a truly life-changing thing. When a task is in front of you, no matter how big or small, just do it right then and there. How many times have you gotten a work email or homework assignment and thought, “Eh, I’ll do it later”? And then later never comes? Once something pops up, do it once. Squash it and be done. Cross things off your list and feel like a badass.
Try to go for a walk at lunch. Even one little lap around the block or campus will reenergize you like nobody’s business.
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Be present. This is so hard for me too, but you have to make a major effort to be present in whatever you’re doing. Be engaged and plugged-in and just exist in the moment. Give 100 percent.
Be friendly to friends and strangers. A smile goes a long way.
Eat something. Eat what you packed for lunch (see below) and take a break from working while you do it. You need “you time”!
EVERY EVENING
Take your makeup off as soon as you’re in for the night. Wash your face with your full routine and let your skin have a break.
Workout. You can also do this in the morning. Whatever works for you. Make a great playlist and go hard af. Get your cardio in. Get your strength training in. Earn every freaking sweat bead forming on your forehead. Earn your shower!
Knock out your homework. Life is infinitely better you don’t have anything hanging over your head. Half the time, the energy and emotion you spent dreading/putting off your work is ten times worse than the work itself.
Make a list of what needs to be done tomorrow. It’ll set you up for success the next day, and you won’t forget anything!
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Lay out your clothes for tomorrow. This will save you SO MUCH TIME in the morning omg I can’t even tell you how important this is.
Eat something great. And once you’ve decided to be done eating for the night, be done. Brush your teeth so you can’t eat again.
After brushing, do a whitening treatment. Whether it’s classic baking soda, a Crest white strip, or a laser. Do something. And floss! Retainers in too, ladies 0:)
Relax! Take a few hours to do what YOU want to do. Scroll through Tumblr, binge on some Netflix, FaceTime gossip with your friends, anything. Do whatever makes you happiest.
Shut the electronics off an hour before you want to go to bed. Put your phone on sleep mode. If you stare at the screen, it will keep you awake and alert and you won’t be able to fall asleep. A good night’s sleep is crucial for weightless and general happiness lol
Do a quick sweep of your room and see if there’s anything you can put away real quick. A clean space is a happy space.
Crawl into your bed (aren’t you happy you took the time to make it?!) and read a book by lamplight for a while. When you start to feel sleepy, go to sleep. Don’t push it. You kicked ass today and you deserve rest.
EVERY WEEKEND
Do something with your friends. It just has to be one thing. Even if you’re just hanging out at the coffee shop, spending time with your squad will make you a better, happier person.
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!!
Do something just for you. Set your laptop up in the bathroom and watch a Netflix marathon while you take a bubble bath. Buy an old school bottle of Mr. Bubbles ($3 at Target!) and really just soak. Relax. Light a candle.
Do something creative. You can read a book, write, blog, draw, code, anything. It just has to be something that speaks to your passion.
Track your progress. Just do this once a week so it doesn’t become all-consuming. And remember that non-scale victories are just as important as shedding pounds.
Take the time to be grateful. Tell your friend how much you admire her taste in music. Mention to your mom how much you love her cooking and how happy you are that she takes care of you. Thank your teaching after an especially interesting lecture. When you do something awesome, take a moment to admire yourself. Be grateful for even the little things.
Anything I missed? Reblog + add yours! Don’t forget to tag your progress!
Things to distract you from feeling sad:
make playlists of songs that make you happy
eat some fruits and mix them in yogurt
have a long cry if you’ve been holding everything in
don’t go on your phone, brew some tea, sit in a warm comfortable spot and read a book
don’t stay in bed too long
write a list of things that make you excited or happy
listen to music and go for a walk if it’s sunny
watch a feel-good movie and drink a mug of hot chocolate
reminisce good memories, they’re proof that life can be lovely
spray some perfume
read posts or quotes that inspire you
ingredients:
two black tea bags
cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon)
nutmeg
ginger
four black peppercorns
all spice
cloves
vanilla extract
brown sugar
milk
instructions:
put the tea bags and the spices in a heatproof mug or glass (the bigger the better) (i use a 32 oz. mug soooo)
boil water
pour hot water over the mixture
let sit and steep for 5 minutes or longer
strain the tea into another mug
add brown sugar, vanilla extract, and milk to taste
enjoy!
@cinnamon-studying i finally did it!! next up…cinnamon rolls
New Year
New Year’s Resolutions How to actually achieve those resolutions Highlights of 2016 Things to look forward to in 2017 Reflection of 2016 How you can make 2017 better Things you did in 2016 that you shouldn’t in 2017 Favorite pictures of 2016 Memorable quotes from 2016 Achievements in 2016 Favorites of 2016 (e.g. music, movies, books, art, food, new activities) New things to try in 2017 (e.g. hobbies, food, places to travel) Upcoming releases in 2017 (e.g. music, movies, books) How you want the world to change in 2017 Important dates in 2016 People you met in 2016
Mind/Emotion
Stress-relieving activities Curiosity page (questions you want the answers to) What if? Page Happiness page Things to do when sad (or any negative emotion) Sleep tracker Mood log Dream log Gratitude list Self care activities Un-do list (stop doing) Unexplainable emotions page (e.g. that feeling when…)
Academic
Grade tracker Vocabulary Achievements list Plan for the school year Revision schedule and progress Things to self study
Life/Experiences
Long term goals Short term goals (e.g. this week/month) Travel log Bucket list Reflections (daily/monthly/yearly) Places you wish to visit Friend lists + about them
Money/Finance
Spendings tracker Savings tracker Financial goals Wishlist
Inspirational Stuff
Brain dump Favorite quotes Recipes Pieces of writing (e.g. news articles, poetry, etc.) Favorite words Story ideas OC ideas
Art/Journaling
DIY and project ideas Handwriting experiments Color swatches/palettes Bullet journal page ideas Doodle page Testing stationery/washi tapes Six word stories A sentence a day Blog post ideas
Entertainment
Playlists (e.g. playlist of the week, song of the day) To read To watch Already read Watched Hobbies to try Favorites list (e.g. movies, albums, songs, books)
Senses
General observations (e.g. people, places, things) Overheard conversations Music/melodies you heard Things you see Different textures/things you touched Things you tasted (could be food, drinks, or inedible things) Interesting/foreign smells
[Girls] there is no boy cute enough or interesting enough to stop you from getting your education.
Michelle Obama (via cwote)
1. Don’t take criticism personally. Instead, realize that criticism says more about them than it does about you.
2. Distinguish between facts and subjectivity. Most criticisms are just personal opinions. They are not objective and they don’t reflect the truth.
3. Look at the beliefs you hold about yourself. Do you feel defensive and under attack because you don’t believe in yourself?
4. Learn what you can from any comments that are made – and discard the rest as being useless information.
5. Decide not to ruminate on barbs or criticisms - as that will reinforce the faulty message in your brain.
6. Choose to spend more time with people who’re affirming – and minimise the time you spend with those who put you down.
7. Look for a role model who can handle criticism – and try to copy them, so you become more thick skinned, too.
I decided to create a masterpost that would help you with what you are struggling with. Hopefully any of the links below will help you! Reminder; You’re going to be okay. What you are going through will pass, just remember to breathe.
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Here are some distractions to help keep your mind occupied so you aren’t too focused on your thoughts.
-Draw something
-This website translates the time into colours.
-Create your own galaxy.
-Play flowing.
-Make a 3D line travel where ever you like.
-Listen to music.
-Calm.
-Ocean mood, do nothing for two minutes.
- 8 hour sleep music.
-Rainy mood.
-Meditation.
-Coping with nightmares.
-How to cope with nightmares, 11 steps.
-Calm
-Foods that can affect your sleeping, both positive and negatively.
-Rainy mood.
-10 hours of rain and thunder.
-3 hours of rain and thunder.
-Human heartbeat.
-Rainforest.
-Sound of rain on a tin roof.
-Autumn wind.
-Rain on a tent
-Traffic in the rain.
-Soft traffic.
-Fan.
-Train.
-Simply noise.
-My noise.
-Rainy cafe.
-How to stop worrying.
-Tips to manage anxiety and stress.
-The 10 best ever anxiety management techniques.
-Self-help strategies for anxiety.
-Helping a friend with anxiety.
-All about worrying.
-8 myths about anxiety.
-“I’m always sad”
-Feeling sad.
-Going through trauma.
-“I’m always angry”.
-Anger management.
-All about anger.
-National helplines and websites.
-Self-help strategies for depression.
-Dealing with depression at work.
-Dealing with depression at school.
-Pets and mental health.
-All about loneliness.
-“I feel so alone”
-10 more ideas to help with loneliness.
-How to deal with loneliness.
-Alternatives to self-harm and distraction techniques.
-146 things to do besides self-harm.
-More alternatives to self-harm.
-Self-harm alternatives.
-How to take care of self-harm wounds/injuries.
-Getting rid of scars.
-How to help a friend with a drug addiction.
-What is addiction?
-All about alcohol and addiction.
-The facts about drug addiction.
-Helping a friend with an eating disorder.
-Eating disorder treatments.
-Support services for eating disorders.
-Self-help tips with eating disorders.
-Eating disorder recovery.
-Recovering from an eating disorder.
-100+ reasons to recover.
-Understanding and managing eating disorders.
-3 ways to ease self-loathing.
-How to turn self-hatred into self-compassion.
-Self-hatred resources.
-10 step plan to deal with self-hate.
-International suicide hotlines (1) (2)
-Preventing suicide.
-Reasons to stay alive.
-Dealing with suicidal thoughts and feelings.
-Coping with suicidal ideation.
-All about schizophrenia.
-Helping a person with schizophrenia.
-Understanding and dealing with schizophrenia.
-Delusions and hallucinations.
-Managing your OCD at home.
-Overcoming OCD.
-How to cope with OCD.
-Strategies for dealing with the anxious moments.
-Helping someone with BPD.
-All about personality disorders.
-Treatment for BPD.
-Healthy relationships VS abusive relationships.
-Emotional abuse
-Overcoming sexual abuse.
-Hotlines services.
-5 ways to escape an abusive relationship.
-Domestic violence support.
-Signs of an abusive relationship.
-What do to if you’re in an abusive relationship.
-Surviving abuse.
-What you can do if you’re sexual harassed.
-Sexual assault support.
-What to do if you’ve been sexually assaulted or abused.
-How to stand up against bullying.
-How to protect yourself when it comes to cyber bullying.
-How to help stop people bullying you.
-How to cope with a suicide of a loved one.
-Grieving for a stranger.
-Common reactions to death.
-Working through grief.
(Other loss and grief)
-Moving away from friends and family.
-Coping with a breakup.
-Seeking help early.
-All about psychological treatments.
-Types of help.
-All about age and confidentiality.
- Don’t stress about being fixed because you’re not broken.
-Remember to remind yourself of your accomplishments. Tell yourself that you’re proud of yourself, even if you’re not.
- This is temporary. You won’t always feel like this.
-You are not alone.
-You are enough.
-You are important.
-You are worth it.
-You are strong.
-You are not a failure,
-Good people exist.
-Reaching out shows strength.
-Breathe.
-Don’t listen to the thoughts that are not helping you.
-Give yourself credit.
-Don’t be ashamed of your emotions, for the good or bad ones.
-Treat yourself the same way as you would treat a good friend.
-Focus on the things you can change.
-Let go of toxic people.
-You don’t need to hide, you’re allowed to feel the way you do.
-Try not to beat yourself up.
-Something is always happening, you don’t want to miss out on what’s going to happen next.
-You are not a bother.
-Your existence is more than your appearance.
-You are smart.
-You are loved.
-You are wanted.
-You are needed.
-Better days are coming.
-Just because your past is dark, doesn’t mean your future isn’t bright.
-You have more potential than you think.
- Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.
Please remember to look after yourself and know that you are more than worth it and you deserve to be happy. Keep smiling butterflies x
How do you find the motivation to study?
Hi there lovely! Oh, goodness, motivation can be such a tricky thing, can’t it? I’ll be honest with you: it took me the longest time to realise that I wasn’t always going to be motivated to study. I mean, sure, there’s the days where things go exactly as you planned and you cross a million things off your to-do list - which, in turn, makes you super motivated - but it’s mostly about the days where you just can’t seem to find any motivation to get anything done.
So here are some tips to get you through days like that:
Write it off as a “Dark Day”. When things get super overwhelming and you can’t find any motivation to get anything done and it’s possible, it might be time to have a break. Don’t do anything, and just enjoy time with a good book or your favourite TV show and your favourite snacks - have a dark day! Sometimes, it’s just what you need and I’m a really big advocate for taking days off!!
Try the Pomodoro method. Okay, so you might not always be in the position to take a day off but you still need to get stuff done and you’re super unmotivated. One of the things that’s always helped me on days like that is the Pomodoro method. Basically, you set a timer for 25 minutes and commit to studying for just 25 minutes. Don’t do anything else. Just sit down and study. I’ve found that getting started usually helps me get into the groove and say, okay, I’ve already started, let’s continue. You can also start with 10 to 15 minutes, if you feel more comfortable with that.
If neither works, promise yourself a reward. Sometimes, it’s as simple as saying, okay, self, so that thing you’ve been coveting forever? You get it if you study all week. All week, no excuses, just sit down and get your work done.
I’ve also got a whole tag dedicated to motivation - I hope this helps a little! xx
I hope you find comfort in these c: