Sthevia - 🧸

my own muse & role model.

don't dream it, be it 🌷

pretty hobbies to try 🤍

cooking and baking

gardening

interior design

reading and writing

antique collecting (or collecting in general)

art (drawing, painting, etc)

photography and videography

sewing

embroidery

tea or wine tasting

calligraphy

learning (new music genre, an instrument, a language, art history, philosophy etc)

focuses for the week: grad school personal statements, studying for micro exam, sticking to exercise & skincare regime

𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜

𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

how to enjoy exercising

1. listen to upbeat music

not too long ago, i did a running workout while listening to a few upbeat songs. it made the workout go by so much quicker!

2. wear cute clothes

buying cute workout gear can motivate you to workout more often! but if you know that you hate working out, don't buy a lot of workout clothes just to not wear them.

3. do multiple workouts

instead doing one lengthy workout that only focuses on glutes, do a few workouts that all focus on different things.

4. do a themed workout

for example, do a workout that uses a specific artist's songs. or do a holiday themed workout.

5. reward yourself

if you say "i will get 2 hours of screen time if i complete this workout," you will be way more motivated to start and finish!

HOW TO GET OUT OF A READING SLUMP

Inspired by how I'm currently trying to read again. 

START SHORTER. Try to read something manageable for you, and it doesn’t have to even be a full novel. It could be an essay on something that interests you or any short stories you find. Get into the habit of reading at your own pace, till you feel ready to take on something bigger. 

SET REALISTIC GOALS. Instead of wanting a goal like completing a book within a week, I would say 20 minutes of reading per day or at least 2 hours per week. You don’t have to track the time when you’re reading, but make mental notes of when you start reading and how long you read. 

EXPLORE. You may even be tired of reading certain genres, and not notice it. While in a slump, I would explore different books and see what interests me the most. For example, if you love reading romance books, try some action ones instead(or vice versa.)

REREAD FAVES. The familiarity of some books can help us get back into the swing of reading. Every time I reread a book, I always pick up on new details that I didn’t notice before. Reread one of your favourite books and try to spot details that you didn’t spot before. 

MAKE A LIST. Create a list of all the books that you want to read or reread. I feel like the process of seeing all the books you could, really encourages you to pick up that book. 

TRY A DIFFERENT FORMAT. For a lot of us, reading paperback or hard copy is the way to go. However, when I’m in a slump, I feel like opting for a different format helps me to get back into reading. For example, a digital book, or an e-book. (or vice versa)

READ IN A DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT. I love LOVE, reading in an actual library. It is not for everyone, but a change of scenery can help. Some ideas can be at a park, a cafe, beaches and or a nature trail. 

PAIR READING WITH ANOTHER ACTIVITY. Some examples are exercising, cooking, travelling/commuting or doing mindfulness activities. This is more for getting back into the habit, once you’ve got it again, I would say to focus only on reading.