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SUNDAY RESET: journaling, prepping and relaxing

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why is Sunday the best day to reset?” There are a few reasons, but the primary one is that it begins a new week. This means it doesn’t matter if the week prior was good or bad; it’s a chance to start over completely.

Of course, if it was a good week, that will motivate you to keep the streak going. However, if it was terrible, you could move on and let go.

That’s the mindset I had to get myself into this year, specifically. A lot can impede growth, and being unable to let things go is one of them. Sundays are the PERFECT time (at least for me) to prepare for the new week ahead.

So, how do I reset on Sundays? Easy. I journal, prep and relax.

Journaling (Oh, how I love to write.)

It’s something about hearing ink glide across a nice crisp sheet of paper in a journal. I usually write the date at the top of the page, so when I re-read my journal, seeing how far I’ve come will be more satisfying.

I write about how I feel, my weekly goals and more. Reminder: Refrain from cramming a lot into your journal. Take it week by week, you’ll accomplish goals faster, and life will be less stressful.

Prepping (Let’s put the action to the word.)

Prepping can be a lot of different things. You can prepare your food for the week, outfits, social content, etc… For me, it’s getting organized. I prep specific content ideas (personal and work-related) and more.

Relaxing (The most vital of the three.)

Weekends are for fun and relaxation. You work the entire week and only have two days to get your energy back. I like to watch a movie, binge my favorite comfort shows, cook, bake, etc… Relaxing is excellent for your mind and body.

What do you do to reset on Sundays?

5 Reasons Why You Should Rest EVERY Weekend

What are you doing this weekend? Resting? If not, we need to talk. Because now I have to rant to you about five reasons why you should rest EVERY weekend.

It doesn’t take a lot for our bodies to shut down completely. You may think you have a high tolerance for overworking, but your body says otherwise. How does your body feel when you just finished working a 12 hour day, five days a week, while standing the entire shift? I felt like my legs were about to fall off from someone who had done this in the past.

No, you know what? My legs were in pain so bad that I could not walk anywhere but from my bathroom back to my room. My mom and sister had to cook my food and bring it to me (forever grateful for them, by the way.) I never wanted to feel that type of pain again.

After experiencing that, I vowed never to overwork my body, especially on the weekends.

Still, feel the urge to overwork? I have five reasons you shouldn’t, especially on the weekends. You might ask, why the weekends? It’s usually the time people have off from work. You should never strain your body anytime, but at least allow yourself two days or more to unwind.

5 reasons why you should rest every weekend
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5 Reasons Why You Should Rest Every Weekend

  1. Your body is not a robot. We can’t easily replace parts of our body when worn out. There are no stores to go to if you broke your back consistently lifting heavy boxes. If you overwork yourself consistently, you’ll end up sick.
  2. Your mind deserves a break. Have you ever thought so hard that your head started to hurt? Sometimes our minds want to relax and not deal with complex thoughts every day.
  3. It’s time to start living. Are you alive? Yes. But, are you living? No. We only get one chance to live. Why spend 90 percent of your life wearing and tearing your body down 24/7?
  4. Self-care is vital. Self-care might be the word of the decade, but it’s imperative to make time to cater to your mind and body.
  5. JUST DO IT. If the first four reasons weren’t good enough for you to rest, be like Nike and just do it. Do something for yourself for once.

We all need to take better care of our bodies, it might not be the easiest thing to do, but we can start by resting when we can, especially on the weekends.

For more in-depth reasons why you should relax, check out this article.

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5 Things To Do Before You Go To Bed | Clear Your Mind

Did you know that your pre-sleep routine can affect your night’s rest? Here are five things to do before you go to bed to help clear your mind.

If you’re like me, you often find yourself waking up out of your sleep often– even when you’re sleepy. It wasn’t until recently that I thought of asking google, “why can’t I have a good night’s sleep?” because, you know, we ask google everything.

And, google being google showed me the scariest symptoms to my issue. Ignoring google’s suggestions of chopping off my hair, I thought of something else. I knew I wanted to have a clear mind before I slept, but it was just a matter of how I could do that. Then, the imaginary light bulb over my head lit up, and I decided to change my pre-sleep routine.

This routine is not the nightly face wash, and it’s what you do while you’re lying in bed. So, here are five things to do before you go to bed– I’m sharing what helps me in hopes of it helping at least one person.

5 things to do before you go to bed
Just spreading some positivity 🙂

5 things to do before you go to bed

1. Sit your phone on a desk.

Once I sit my phone on a desk or chair by my bed, I do NOT pick it back up when I lay down anymore. I used to find myself on my phone all night, and my eyes would be crying, literally. This helps me focus more on trying to go to sleep.

2. Drink some water.

I don’t know why, but most of the time I’m hot before I go to bed. When I drink water, it chills my body temperature, so when I wrap myself in a blanket (because I can’t sleep without one), it feels like heaven on earth.

5 Things To Do Before You Go To Bed

3. Relax your mind.

I try to push away stressful thoughts when I’m lying down. Whatever happened during the day is now in the past, so I remind myself that tomorrow is a new day.

4. Think of something funny.

Okay, I’m weird. However, I always find myself thinking of something I laughed about a long time ago. You know, one of those hilarious moments that crack you up every time you think about it? That’s what I do.

5 Things To Do Before You Go To Bed

5. Find a “Cool” spot on your pillow.

My pillow needs to be excellent for me to lay on it. So I toss it around several times just to get that “perfect ” spot. Once I do, my head feels like it’s on a cloud.

Here’s an in-depth article I found online from experts because, you know, I’m just a twenty-something-year-old woman navigating through life. What are the five things you do before you go to bed?

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Four Affordable Self-Care Ideas For March

Here are four affordable and free self-care ideas for March. We’re pampering ourselves in the best, least expensive way possible.

For a very long time, when I heard the word self-care, I thought it had a lot to do with pampering yourself with whatever expensive item your heart desires. It’s all we see on social media, especially on TikTok, for example. We see young women and men taking a stroll through designer stores, paying thousands on self-maintenance, and more calling it their self-care days.

Honestly, this sounds like a dream, and I believe everyone should experience this kind of self-care, but in reality, if you have little money or are on a budget, it’s hard. So, I curated this list of four ideas for my written self-care series that’ll leave you and your pockets happy.

Four Afforable Self-Care Ideas

Four Affordable and Free Self-Care Ideas

Bubble Baths in the morning and at night.

When was the last time you’ve made yourself a nice, warm bubble bath? We work hard–a little too hard sometimes– and that takes a toll on our bodies. Bubble baths are relaxing, and they’re a great way to start and end your night. You’re probably thinking, ‘Lashaunta, how is this self-care?’. Well, self-care consists of taking care of your mind and body. Imagine a bubble bath surrounded by your favorite scented candles, with optional rose petals, music, and a glass of wine. You can even add bath salt or whatever will make your mind and body feel at ease. And the best thing about this is baths are a free self-care idea!

At-home Spa day full of facials.

We wash our faces every day but turn it into an at-home spa experience as an inexpensive self-care idea. Buy a nice bath towel, your favorite color to make this even more personalized, and a hair towel to match. I’ve seen many at Walmart, Target, and Amazon for under $20. With the facial cleansers you have at home, play your favorite music and massage your face. There are many calming tutorials on youtube to make yourself feel like a spa pro.

Make a five-star, candle-lit dinner for one.

Having dinner alone is not the end of the world. We need to start being comfortable with enjoying our own company, so we won’t have to depend on the energy of others even if we’ve met the love of our lives. Download the tasty app, my favorite food recipe app, or go on youtube and find a nice dinner to make. Since it’s dinner for one, you probably won’t spend much on ingredients, especially if you shop at Aldi, Petes, Kroger, or Trader Joe’s, which have excellent prices. Don’t forget your candles and of course, a lovely dress.

Night drives around the city with a playlist to live for.

Whether you live in a city or not, night drives are a relaxing way to clear your mind. Remember, self-care consists of taking care of your mind and body. We feel happier and accessible when listening to music, especially our favorite tunes. While you’re enjoying the beautiful scenery as your hair blows with the wind, sing your heart out and enjoy the thrill. Put on a mini-concert, if you will.

There you have it, folks, four affordable self-care ideas for March and beyond. What do your self-care days look like? Let me know!

Dwell On The Past? Here’s Why I Choose Not To

We all have times when we sit and overthink things we can no longer change. I’m choosing not to dwell on the past.

It’s a new day, which means another chance to make better decisions. Recently, I decided not to dwell on the past–not just for my mental health–but also for those around me. Maybe it’s just me, but I become overwhelmed with many emotions when I overthink. From angry to sad, these emotions prevent me from being productive, which interferes with improving my life. Of course, sometimes the past motivates us to do better, but it can also break us down mentally.

There are many reasons to let the past stay behind, but here are three reasons why I’m letting go.

3 Reasons Not To Dwell On The Past

Dwell on the Past

I can’t go back in time.

There’s no way I can go back to the past and change the decisions I’ve made. So why am I putting myself in a pit of depression, constantly thinking about it? What happened is done. I can’t go back in time and tell my younger self what I’ve learned today. I can only take this new knowledge and use it to make my life better than before.

It causes a lot of overthinking.

Overthinking does nothing but damage to a mind trying to heal. When I overthink, my brain starts to hurt, and it causes damage to the strength I built to get over all of those past events and situations.

If I want to grow, I have to let go of things.

The best part of growing is that we see a new light. We can laugh at the hurt and weakness we once felt before because we’re so secure and happy that it doesn’t bother us. But, you can’t expect to grow if you continue to hold on to things that once broke you.

Please, let’s all go and be great. Make your past self jealous.

Here’s How I Plan to Improve My life in 2022

It’s the second month of the new year, and I still want nothing more than to improve my life in 2022.

Before the year started, I promised myself that 2022 was going to be MY year. Yes, everyone says this. Yes, I said the same thing about 2021. But, you know that feeling of elevation? I’ve been experiencing this since the year started. It might be my determination to make this year better than the last, or I could be in the process of elevating.

Whatever’s the case, it has me even more pumped to see what I can accomplish. Since I’m excited about the future, I’ve decided to share three ways I plan to improve my life in 2022. I hope this can help my readers or people just visiting prepare themselves to spread their wings and soar.

My 3 Way Journey to Improvement

Ways to improve your life in 2022
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No more sleepless, burnout nights

Nothing prevented me from accomplishing my goals more than sleepless, burnout nights. We’ve all watched success stories of individuals who do nothing but work, work, and work. They preach about how they’ve gone days without sleep to perfect a launch or create content. To improve my life, I choose not to glamourize the ‘all work, no play’ mindset. I’m human, and I need sleep–of course. But, I also need time to relax and have fun. I don’t want to overwork myself and not enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Write/Plan… Organization Matters

This is a very imperative way to improve your life. In 2021, I did not write and plan out my content, organize homework assignments or digital content. This is a significant reason I did not accomplish a lot of my goals last year. Since I started mapping things out–from articles to content– I’ve seen an increase in my consistency. When I write something down, it’s easier for me to complete it and check off my list when I can see it… crazy. Sidenote: I’m currently writing this post at 11 pm. 2021 Lashaunta would’ve never done this!

Morning Affirmations? Yes, please.

Okay, I started getting into affirmations in 2021, but I’ve been deep into it this year. If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you’ll know that I’d talk negatively about myself when I was younger. And, of course, this is far from a confidence booster. However, now that I’m in my 20’s, I want to love myself more than anyone. Because if I love myself, I can love others properly. Writing and saying morning affirmations set the tone for the day. I always feel like I’m important in this world because I am– and you are too.

How are you improving your life in 2022? We have so much time to get things started.

Hey, you made it this far! Check out. So, you failed? Here’s How To Recharge

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3 Breathing Techniques To Help With Stress and Anxiety

Sometimes, life can be overpowering, and we do not always have the answers to keep us calm. We face challenges that cause us to overthink to a point where we can barely breathe. These challenges can be big or small, yet the effects of both can take a toll on our health the same way. If you’ve ever had an intense worry about everyday situations, you’ve had anxiety. Anxiety can be triggered by work stress, relationship problems, the loss of a loved one, a traumatic event, and more. There are four different levels of anxiety: mild, moderate, severe, and panic. Each group can dominate your mind and body if you can’t keep it under control. Here are three breathing techniques to help with stress and anxiety.

3 Breathing Techniques To Help With Stress and Anxiety

3 Breathing Techniques To Help With Stress and Anxiety

The One Minute Breath Concentration

This is a simple breathing exercise that you can perform several times per day to keep your nerves under control. It consists of concentrating precisely on breathing with no other movement. Sit motionless, clear your mind, and try to ease your body for one minute. As you close your eyes, take deep breaths in and out. This usually works best for mild anxiety.

4-7-8 Breathing

This is a mindful pattern of breathing that lowers stress levels and helps with relaxation. Sit up straight as you inhale, counting to four, hold your breath to the count of seven, and exhale at the count of 8. This should be repeated four times. There’s a common side effect of lightheadedness, so make sure to only practice when needed.

2 to 1 Breathing

This is a yogic breathing technique that serves to calm your nervous system. Sit in a comfortable position, inhale at the count of 4 through your nose, exhale at the count of 8. Your body and mind should feel energized. This exercise is excellent for severe and panic levels of anxiety.

It’s easier to say, “don’t allow stress and anxiety to control your life” than to take action. The road to controlling them might be a little challenging, but you got this. Use these three breathing techniques to help with stress and anxiety.

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