#and also just sooooo much work on my mental health has kept me busy but like mentally not physically i am. tired. drained etc

[thekidsarentalright]

need to stop having such busy days and weeks bc like although keeping busy keeps me Distracted from the Horrors i also. love rest . horrible and evil and sick

[wishful-seeker]

I think people should give kids more credit for knowing what they need.

When i was missing so much high-school i had to do summer school because i was not only physically ill but also very mentally unwell, sooooo many adults kept telling me to go to school, even though doing so made me have severe, debilitating panic attacks, and i was dealing with a lot of physical pain aswell. So many people said "you'll never amount to anything, man up and go to school." And i kept telling them "im sick and i know what my body needs." But nobody likes it when a 14-15 year old says that. God forbid a CHILD knows exactly what her body and mind needs, shes just a stupid kid how could she possibly know?

I promise your child actually knows what they're doing and what they need. Please listen to them. If you kid says they need to stay home from school there is a reason. Maybe its mental health, or physical health, but kids aren't stupid. I would like to see less of this ablism where a child that doesn't go to school is considered a bad child.

Do you know how many teachers hated me specifically for not being able to go to school? It didn't matter that i had a note saying every absence is excused by a doctor, they still assumed i was fooling my parents into letting their bratty child do whatever they wanted. They would ridicule me TO MY FACE and say I'd never pass. I did pass btw. I finished most of my school work on one single day of summer class because i missed a lot of that too. But i learned nothing, because i was BUSY BEING FUCKING SICK i had BETTER things to worry about. Idc what the excuse is, absence should never mean you fail a class or don't pass a grade. It is so ablist to assume that every student can follow THE VERY UNREASONABLE SCHEDULE of waking up at 4 to 5 am and being at school for 8 hours (WHEN YOU ONLY DO ACTUAL WORK FOR 4!!) and kids only getting 6 hours of sleep (WHEN A LOT NEED 9 TO 12!!!) for 5 fucking days (EVEN 4 WOULD BE BETTER!!) Its absolutely ridiculous and the only kids can do it are either able bodied, able minded, and even then they are more stressed than a child should ever be. And if they cant follow this schedule they are a Bad Person. I had teachers that literally treated me like a dog. I'd ask them for make up work and they would give me the most shitty and rude attitude i have ever seen. NO ONE has treated me worse about my health than teachers. It was because i was a kid. When i had to drop out of college for my disability, the teachers were incredibly respectful and wished me a speedy recovery and hoped id be back in their class next year.

Being sick as a child is one of the most isolating and angering experiences you will go through. Adults take every shitty thing they feel and throw it at you because you are a vulnerable child. They would never speak the way they speak to you to adults because then they'd get their ass beat or fucking killed. But because you are 15 years old, they will use you as a punching bag.

If your kid is sick, FUCKING LISTEN TO THEM!! i hate to burst your bubble but when i say "people know whats best for them more than anyone else" I MEAN KIDS TOO.

[neo-shitty]

toffee!

yeah same, i follow some fic accs that occaisionally post smut and its like mmmmm is the fluff writing enough to balance the posts that gives me finger burn trying to scroll past it? but yeah thats probably the way to go

ah i wasnt there for the teaser but i can imagine that was tantalising. lmaoo yes but to be fair i do have a writing acc called channiesbigheart so... balancing it out? but i absolutely am whipped beyond belief. it was a TRAVESTY how COULD they have. yeah the b sides gave him more lines but they werent the ones that were performed over and over at stages. yessss the line distribution in this album is impeccable, im pretty sure the thunderous stuff was some of their best distribution

hehe i can understand that, sometimes putting someone in a situation so horrible it would be considered a violation of human rights is theraputic, ya know? mmmm the differences are a bit nuts, it was 14 degrees today and in less than a week its going to be 32 or smth. BROOO that would be legendary, i bet theyd treat their artists rlly well and have great music as well ahhh but its a lot of work adn commitment. yES that is a mood if ever i heard one.

its the same in australia as well, sadly, you have people who hold up harry styles and lil nas x for breaking gender roles and wearing make up adn steryotypical womens clothing (and keep in mind i have infinite respect for both of them theyre honestly doing so much for the de-dehumanising of gay people and those who wear whatever they want), and calling the kpop boys gay and other things for doing the same thing, when theyve been doing it for years and gotten no recognition smh its so tragic. yes, anyway YES ONLY 6 MONTHS I AM FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES A BBY STAN altho i considered myself a fully fledged stay like 2 days after i got into them cos i just spent all day researching and fixating. YES someone said it. it feels like theyre losing a huge chunk of why a lot of people liked their music in teh first place, which was that whole dna, dope, fire mood. and even doing bright songs is fine, liek they should do what they want but i feel liek the western music industry is so fucking toxic that they feel pressured into making these decisions. dont get me wrong, theyre good decisions from a business perspective, theyre getting record breaking sales but still. mmm yeah honestly yg just needs to get its shit together or get out

oooh! not into nct but i see a lot of him, he seems rlly talented. ahh yes another channie ult lmaoo i feel that, my list is growing in leaps and bounds as well. mmm yeah i think i will, im just going to try to save enough money :) mingi appealed to me mostly for the voice (like felix smh what is it with me and deep voiced bois) but also his soft visuals and the whole cutesy thing he has going on i rlly liked. yes i did get into them while he was on hiatus, but im still mostly a casual stan, ill listen to the album when it comes out but i dont think ill obsessively look over everything to do with it, like skz. HAH WE'RE MORE SIMILAR THAN I THOUGHT. lmaooo the thot line describes them perfectly, why are they all so damn attractive. especially seonghwa, like that man looks like a character from a book, cardan greenbriar vibes anyone? mmhmm! his vocals are absolutely insane. ty! yeah im excited altho idk how theyre every going to beat border:carnival, that shit was impeccable. ahh no stress, enjoy teh groups you stan atm!

ahh thank you so much, ill keep that in mind. hehe thats good! hopefully its soon :( ah ty, it means a lot. ill think abt that and hopefully talk abt it a little more :)

ah, no it was inside our gymnasium but to get to the other side of the stage you had to exit the building, go around the back and then enter through the other stage door. ah tysm! im glad too. mmm same, they baffle me. ;n; noo so sad :( ahh, thats um not smth i put on here, but im in high school so make of that what you will :)

thank you! ive done a majority of them, i just have maths, an english presentation and an economic assignment due now so im pretty much home free. yeah i feel like hes the epitome of here for you while being inescapably far away. haha she sounds like one of my friends. lmaooo why is that me. hmmm i feel like youve answered a lot of them in that answer so maybe just ateez, enha, txt and bp? if you stan them? :)

ahhh no problem at all, proud of you for managing to overcome the procrastination! progress! mmm thats good! ahh pls do let me know if you ever decide that, i cant promise i wont cry but do what you gotta do :)

<3 w.a. 🐺

hi! sorry for the late reply, i didn't know how to construct sentences yesterday e.e

yeah sometimes it's the perfect balance! i personally don't like fics that focus mainly on the filth? the plot has to carry the whole fic somehow and the smut is just something to add to the mix. also, i'll follow you on your writing blog! i keep forgetting to do so, damn it.

"sometimes putting someone in a situation so horrible it would be considered a violation of human rights is theraputic, ya know?" putting it this way just silenced me but yes. angst just feels more realistic. it isn't always happy endings irl so i tend to do it a lot.

falling into skz is so easy! it felt like that for me too. stanning them felt like getting sucked into a blackhole. also yes i agree. kpop is nothing but an industry after all and it runs on money so i get why they do what they do as well.

i suggest we not talk about haechan because i will literally not shut up but yes my boy is an ace :( chan is also sooooo easy to love. and the chan's rooms just solidified his place as ult. having something to look forward to every week at a time when my mental health was just plummeting into the depths of tartarus just helped me be stable. oh yeah, mingi's deep voice is indeed sexc. and he has some wack ass duality as well! and i think seonghwa was one of the people i nearly considered as bias just because of his visuals because wow that's one beautiful face. and true, idk how enha's going to beat border:carnival. i don't like all the tracks simply bc of taste preferenceds but i like more than one so i consider that a lot already.

bro that gym should've had some sort of a covered walk :// also i miss being in high school sO DAMN MUCH. but i still feel like i am because time stopped when quarantine started and i was still in senior year at the time.

my ateez bias is wooyoung! it wasn't that much of a shocker to my kpop stan irls because i was a jimin stan for the longest time. enhypen is jake and they kept pointing out that he looked like seungmin sometimes so it's like chan's aussie-ness with a tinge of seungmin (the other guy in my skz bias line, in case i haven't mentioned it). txt is huening kai! i find it hard to believe that he's my age because he looks a lot younger? o.O and he always looks good damn :(( sigh for blackpink it's lisa! i tend to bias the maknaes of yg groups, it's a pattern i've noticed but don't intentionally do!

DON'T WASTE YOUR TEARS OMFG. you can always reach me elsewhere if i like disappear off this blog.

[belliesandburps]

So, part of why I was so fast to get all my new commissions colored on the same night was that I was trying to stay awake because I’d drop my mom off at the emergency wing after I visited, saw she looked like shit, and was advised by the consultation nurses to take her to the emergency room.  She could barely talk, she couldn’t walk without losing her balance, and she was incredibly dizzy for reasons unknown.  That was at 8pm, and having dropped her off at the hospital multiple times, I expected to get a call to pick her up around 12am to maybe 2am.  And I was coloring my posers to keep busy until then.  Welp, I never got a call, so I figured she was staying overnight and went to be a little uneasy, but figured if it was an emergency, they’d call me right away which, fortunately, didn’t happen.

I eventually get a call before work around 11am from my mom to come get her.  I ask what the doctors said, lo and behold, doctors found a mild brain aneurysm.  So, in a year, she’ll have a CT scan to check and see how it’s doing.  The kicker to all of this?  The fucking aneurysm WASN’T the reason for her getting dizzy and feeling like shit.  THAT was caused by freakin’ vertigo, likely a byproduct of her long diagnosed sciatica.

Let me remind y’all that earlier this year, my mom broke her arm when she tripped going for a walk at night, and it was when they did her x-rays that they determined she ALSO had a clogged artery that could’ve caused heart problems.

This year has been the ultimate “trial by fire” year for my mom, where horrible shit happens to her and somehow reveals even more horrible shit than she even realized, but was lucky to catch before it fucking KILLED her.  I’m equal parts grateful we caught these things and infuriated at the same damn time.  Sooooo, now, I took her back to her place, laid her down on her reclining couch but kept it elevated, and got her prescriptions from Kaiser to hopefully clear up the dizziness and get her feeling normal again within a few days. 

To prevent the aneurysm from bursting, she needs to calm the fuck down, because trust me, folks, this old gal gets worked up over the littlest things, and I’ve been telling her for almost fifteen years, “Dude, Madre, CHILL the fucking eff out, because this much stress is NOT good for you.”  And go figure, the only time I get to say “Told you so” is the worst time imaginable. 

Soooooo, guess we’ll see.  I Dash near her house anyway, so I’ll be checking up on her daily to see how she’s doing and if she’s improving.  Hopefully, the medication works and she’s back to normal again, but once she is, she needs to be taking way more of her weed chocolate and learning to calm down. 

For the record, I’m fine.  It’s stressful, but I’m confident that she’ll be okay.  My mom just has a very shitty body where there’s always something wrong with it every other month.  I’m not posting this for pity or those “I’m sorry to hear that” posts, I never do.  I’m posting this for one simple reason, for as shit as this year is, never forget to take care of yourselves.  My mom didn’t even want to go to the hospital last night when she could barely see straight.  I had to be the one to drag her ass there.  Don’t stick your heads in the sand.  Ignoring your health or mental problems won’t make them go away, trust me on that.

...But man, this goddamn year, you guys.  It truly has been the hammer of perpetual fuckery...

I swear, as Pesci is my witness, if I had a gun with three bullets, and I was trapped in a room with Putin, Trump and the personification of 2020?  I would shoot 2020 in the balls three times, then I would beat it to death with the gun.  Trump, I’d just leave in the room to rot because after January 20th, that orange pile of liquid shit will be an afterthought.  And Putin?  I mean, you can’t really kill a soulless vampire, can you. 

Not unless you’re Van Helsing, Alucard or Chuck from The Veil of Darkness, and folks, I am no Chuck.

[justzara]

is that [zendaya]? no, that’s just [zaranyika “zara” gunda]. [she/they] is/are [twenty two] years old and is/are a [part time student, odd job-er, & aspiring podcaster]. rumor has it they’ve been in town for [14 years]. on a good day, they’re [introspective & inquisitive]. but watch out! they can also be [detached & controlling]. [summer depression by girl in red] plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around springhill! 

[rae, 22, est, she/they]

tw: drugs, emotional abuse, lgbtq issues, homophobia

about zara

As much as Zara likes to put on a brave face, inside, she’s hurting. Her mom is a junkie and left her and her dad when she was 8, and her dad hasn’t been the same since. He’s super controlling and can be emotionally abusive towards her.

Zara has a pretty logical mind, despite her emotions having such a tight grip on her, and she likes to know how things will end before she puts her all into it. She’s scared of the unknown. After her mom left, her dad sorta gave up on all the childhood memories and duties, other than being strict with her and forcing her to only focus on school. The only extracurriculars he allowed her to do were student government and debate club. And funnily enough, she ended up really loving them in the end, which is why she is studying Business Management in college - at Springhill’s community college. 

Due to her missing out on the childhood aspects of her past, Zara taught herself how to ride a bike. She learned to forge her father’s name for detention slips and tardy notes. She accepted to not expect her father to show up to any of her basketball games. Zara had learned, at a young age, to not get her hopes up because that only led to disappointment. The only person she could truly trust was herself.

When she was 15 years old, Zara had first learned the word “non-binary” and took comfort in the idea of not having to choose between identifying herself as solely male or female. Zara uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, and she appreciates when her friends ask her which pronouns she’d like to use that day. Lately and in general, she tends to use she/her, as she’s comfortable with presenting her feminine side in that way and masculine & non-binary sides via the clothes she wears. As for her sexuality, she’s always known, subconsciously, that she has drifted more towards liking girls than boys, but she’s open to all kinds of love, as well.

As far as her working life goes, she likes to be self-sufficient and does odd jobs around town (she’s taught herself a lot of tricks n hobbies n stuff in general lol bc she’d often have to spend a lot of time at home, following her dad’s orders). She’s good with cars (she’s hoping to buy and refurbish an RV so she can travel more - inspo), tutoring, babysitting (she prefers ages 5 and up), pet sitting, cleaning/organizing (when it’s not her own room lol), some technological stuff, etc etc. And she’s still learning more so she can work more!

TW: drugs!!!! (Xanax, Adderall, brief mention of heroin, marijuana)

Zara, unfortunately, has always second-guessed herself. Being a product of a dead-beat mother and insanely strict father may have something to do with that. She had always toyed with the idea of trying drugs, as she wanted to feel closer to her mother and figure out why she chose them over her family. Zara’s first experimentation with any kind of drug was Xanx, which she bought from the weird drug dealer in her freshman orientation class in college. Her second drug of choice was Adderall, to help her get through her first finals week. Things kept escalating from there. Her cut-off point, however, was heroin. She promised herself that she’d never shoot up; she liked being high and dulling her feelings...but she didn’t want to die, persay, and heroin seemed like a death sentence to her. Also, the few times that she’s smoked pot, she’s gotten paranoid, so she tends to stay away from that as well.

wanted connections

i think imma make a separate page on her blog specifically for wc’s - sooooo stay tuned!!

ooc / final notes

omg if you’ve read this far, THANK U SM!!! we’re basically friends bc ur the real MVP :’) pls pls plsssss message me if you’d like to plot w my bb!! 

fun fact: zara is the love child of MJ (spiderman), Rue (euphoria), and myself (esp LGBTQIA+ related, as I’m figuring that out, too, like her!!) if you ever would like to talk to someone (a new friend :D aka me lol) about LGBTQIA+ stuff, mental health stuff & staying positive during these #rough times, or gush about our love of zendaya, sabrina carpenter, harry potter series, etc etc -- then pls message me!!! we don’t have to talk solely about the rp/our charries (although i’d be 100000% okay w that uwu) bc i LOVE making new friends :D and some of my bffs are writing buddies i’ve met online! yayyayayyy

okayyyy rambling done !! ttyl hopefully :D

love always, rae xx

UPDATE 7/13/20 

xyz

[katzirra]

I think you are great and ypu are doing a good job! No matter what the other people said you are awesome! Keep doing hard work! Slow progress is still progress! 🙌

[yves-saintlaurwang]

Sicaaaa!!!! I’m transferring to university in the fall, It’s my first time being away from home/family and I’m sooooo nervous😭😭 Got any tips on how to make friends, do’s and don’ts??

hello!!! first of all, wow, CONGRATULATIONS!! I’m so proud of you, this is going to be such a new experience. My answer turned out a lot longer than I expected, so I’m going to leave the rest under the cut. I hope it helps!

I can completely understand being nervous and while I’ve never been away from home for school, I know that transitioning is one of the harder parts that we tend to forget. Everyone copes differently, but if you find yourself feeling stressed or tired despite getting enough rest, don’t worry; that’s just your brain letting you know that you’re still getting used to your new surroundings and it’s perfectly okay to not fully adjust right away.

When I was still an undergrad, one of the hardest things about uni for me was time management so I cannot stress enough how important it is to make time for the different things you’ll be balancing while in school. If you’re working and going to school at the same time, make sure you’re not working so much that you have just barely enough time to focus on school. I’d say save one day for yourself and/or to see your friends. Definitely try to let your family know how you’re doing and stay in contact when you’ve got the time, even if just for five, fifteen minutes? It’s going to be hard at first, so I’d recommend laying out your weekly schedule ahead of time and try to stick with it. It’s fine if you don’t because life happens, but I found being able to physically look at how my week will pan out helpful/reassuring and I still do. If you get hired for a part-time job, ask them to work around your school schedule and try not to have fully packed days where you’re working and going to class on the same days. That will be draining and it takes away from both your focus on schoolwork and when you’re on the clock.

As far as making friends, I encourage you to make friends through study groups with classmates, your roommates, and people that live in the same hall/building as you. Don’t be afraid to approach others because chances are, I’m sure they’re in a similar situation of feeling new and wanting to make friends. I’ve never really been hesitant to approach new people, but if you find yourself holding back, just remind yourself that it’s going to be fine; the worst that can happen is they ignore you or they’re not very nice to you, but that’s okay. You will make friends and find people who want to get to know you and think you’re great, I promise. 

On the academic side of things, don’t hesitate to contact your professors/advisors/faculty at your school for anything you need. I made the mistake of not reaching out or asking for help from anyone during the first two years of uni, which set my plans back a bit. I knew I wanted to go to grad school, but because I was so worried of seeming like a burden or feeling like I needed to do everything on my own (I kept telling myself it’s because I’m an adult so I should figure it out by myself), I ended up not really knowing how to go about it at all until the end of my third year. I was super fortunate to have very supportive professors that were invested in my ambitions and wholeheartedly wanted me to succeed, so I hope that you’ll also be able to have that same support system or meet professors/faculty at your school who want to help you succeed and will teach you how to get to where you want to go.

And definitely, please do remember to be mindful of your health. Both your physical and your mental health. It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to hang out with friends, being on top of your studies, and trying to find time for yourself if you’re not working. That’s what it was like for me and as much as I’m glad I worked so much while I was an undergrad because having a job really teaches you things that you can’t learn in school, I personally now know that I’d rather work less and focus on school. But I’m an academic person, that’s where my career goals are. Don’t forget to take care of yourself and know your limits because it’s hard to go from one environment that you’ve known your whole life into a completely new one. 

Try to eat healthily and not skip meals, let yourself have a treat or have one meal where you eat the guilty pleasure food you normally don’t. I was really bad my first year and gained my freshman 15 lbs, so if I could give you any valuable advice, I’d say to cook your meals as much as you can and rather than going out to eat a lot (especially if you’re really busy or don’t have time to eat), I can recommend a meal replacement drink called Soylent. It’s 400 calories, but 20 grams of protein and comes in 4 different flavors. I don’t drink this every day, only when I know that work is busy so I won’t get a lunch break and I’m positive that I’ll bring this with me when I start grad studies in the fall when I have late night classes or forget to make lunch beforehand. It’s a quick and easy alternative for me that keeps me from overeating or binge eating. (This is not sponsored btw, I’m just suggesting it because this works for me. It may not work for you, but I can suggest trying a bottle or two to see how you like it. This along with regularly exercising has helped me be much healthier.)

Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. And try not to take yourself so seriously. When I was in school, I forgot how easy it is to slip into that feeling of like, “I have to have this done, I have to do this perfectly, I have to succeed” and I think that’s especially prevalent now more than ever in more and more students. It feels like there’s a time limit for students to have adulthood figured out and to be successful by a certain age, but that’s just not true. Go at your own pace because you can’t control how time passes, but you can try to make the most of your time however you feel is best. You’re going to have days where you feel overwhelmed and when you want to just do nothing for hours, which is okay too because it just happens. Sometimes we burn out, so take a little bit of time to burn out and then get back to it. 

My last bit of advice is to just think of the journey, not so much the destination. Look forward to it, but definitely try to be present and stay on your path. You're already at the starting point, so remind yourself that every moment of happiness or otherwise, everything you do is a step forward, not back. Like I said, it’s so easy to feel pressured and stressed, but try not to let those moments discourage you because they’re normal reactions. Just remember that everything will work out in the end and if they’re not working out, then it’s not the end.

[amybethmusic-blog]

It was hard for me to decide to actually sit down and write this article, I could see it on my list of things to write about “Staying Motivated”, but I kept sitting at the computer and then saying, “I am the least motivated person I know, why would I write something like that?”

I realized just this morning that I am actually highly motivated. I’m just depressed and lacking a little confidence right now, because not too many things have been going as planned recently.

Staying Motivated is a funny thing, so often we mistake it for a feeling that we get, or something that some people have and others just don’t. Well that’s not exactly true. If it were, the question “what motivates you?” wouldn’t mean anything. Different people are motivated by different things, and even one person will find different aspects of their lives are motivated by different things. For example; I work by day at Smokemart selling cigarettes and tobacco. I hate my job. But I am motivated to go because we have bills to pay.

I have dreams of writing and singing professionally; part of staying motivated at this stage is because I want to get out of smokemart and have a real life with financial freedom. I am also motivated by the fact that these are things my heart has longed for my entire life, somehow they are a part of me, and as a result I will keep on trying for as long as it takes. The feelings don’t stay. Right at this very moment I feel like my dreams are crashing down around me, my attempts to achieve even little goals are failing over and over again and I feel like an absolute looser. This is why it was so hard to sit down and write, I don’t FEEL motivated. I feel like crap.

As  I was thinking about it this morning, I started to go over my beliefs about staying motivated, and so I figured I better put what I believe into practice. I believe staying motivated is a choice. Yes it is impacted by our feelings and circumstances, but if something is important to you, you will find a motivation to get it done. Hence I’m writing this article even though I feel like an absolute failure, because currently this blog has two followers, and one of them is me…

I also have plans to release an EP. It was originally going to happen in January this year, then I extended it to March, now I’m just hanging in there to see if it happens this year!

I have a song recorded that needs a music video made in Autumn for all the colours and the beautiful weather, but so many things have come into play to make it nigh on impossible, and I’ve started to wonder if my dreams are too big, or if I really should be dreaming at all. If I can’t record this music video, I have to wait another 12 months to try again.

I recently started busking at a local shopping centre, I borrowed a friends guitar because mine has a damaged pickup which needs repairs. I imagined earning the $75 I needed to repair it on my first night. In actual fact I made $48, of which only $20 was profit as I had bought a music stand that morning for the job. A couple of days later, with no money in our bank account I spent the whole $20 on fuel to get me to the job I hate in the hopes of paying our rent.

If staying motivated was a feeling, I think you get the idea that I ran out a couple of weeks ago.

 “Motivation is all about our internal desire to accomplish something that is important to us. This motivation (desire) makes us take action. Motivation is about an unmet need that we want to satisfy; it’s about a goal that we want to fulfill.” May 12, 2018 by ROBERT TANNER, MBA

I’m not going to dive too much into the science of how motivation works, but I do know that regardless of how I’m feeling, I can still choose to stay motivated most of the time. I don’t, but I can 😛

Here are some of the ways I try to stay motivated

Morning Routines;

I’m not very good at mornings. I wish I was and I’m trying to be better, and I guess that’s the main thing. I’ve been trying and failing for months now to establish a morning routine, but when I do achieve certain things in the morning I feel a thousand times better about my day and I usually achieve more. If I can plan out 3 to 4 things I want to achieve in a day, my motivation to achieve them is so much better. I find it challenging to limit myself on my to-do lists as I always have so much to get through! But when I give myself an enormous list and don’t leave any time for the things that are most important to me in the day, I will achieve a lot of little things and still feel crap about what I haven’t achieved. I try to give myself 1-2 important household chores, and 1-2 more meaningful jobs, like writing music, visiting someone important, or writing a blog post. Sometimes this isn’t enough to fill a day, in which case when I find I have some spare time I can think about some of the other jobs I need to do, or consider rewarding myself with some leisure time. This morning I planned out a few things to get done this week on my weekly planner, which helps me see further ahead, so I know what I can reasonably expect to achieve today.

Staying Focused;

I’m also not very good at this one. It’s important to remember why you do what you do, and why your dreams are important, and focusing on what you’re really trying to achieve. Sometimes this gets muddied in our brains by too much stress and too much activity in everyday life. Right now I’m a little confused about what I’m doing, I know what my dreams and goals are, but it’s hard not to get sidetracked by seemingly easier and shorter methods to variations of success. For example I really need to find a way to get some income flowing in, and I want to do it in a way that I enjoy. This is making me question what I should be doing and if I even studied the right degree at uni. It’s a complicated world inside a woman’s mind!

Thinking about these things can be important for staying motivated, however too much deviation from our long-term goals can cause us to lose traction and lose time, when we come back to them we find that we haven’t gotten any further, and possibly even went backwards in pursuit of something else.

Simplify Social Media;

Let’s face it, we all want a “Pinterest Worthy” life, an “#instaperfect” version of everything we do, so in order to stay motivated we spend hours scrolling through Pinterest and collecting little images of what we think we want to be, and spend precious moments trying to get the perfect photograph for Instagram to make sure that people know how excellent our lives are. One little picture with a few likes we think will keep us motivated, knowing that our image is right and people think well of us, but it’s never enough…

I’m not saying we should ditch these altogether; we live in a digital and online world it’s hard to let some of that stuff go, and Pinterest is sooooo useful! Not to mention fun and inspiring, it can also make me cry when I look at too many dog pictures… It can also make me really depressed because one picture can portray a lifestyle that is in reality so far out of reach. And since when did a photograph that makes it look like you’re living a life you’re really not, actually ever help you in staying motivated? The truth is we’re wasting time and emotional energy on a facade, and filling our heads with fantasies of a life that does not exist. Remember to keep things simple. Use Pinterest when you need to find a recipe or a hairstyle. Photograph your reality on Instagram, not specially staged photos. Let’s stay focused on our goals, and keep it simple by clearing away the clutter of creating an image, and instead let’s live the life we are living, and share it as it is, one day we’ll be living the dream and I want to be there to see it!

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Take Some “Me” Time;

This is so important! I’m an extrovert and I need people to stay motivated and energized so it can be really hard for me to find ways to appreciate my alone time, or even to schedule it in. I’m not talking about the times when you’re home alone doing the chores and getting the house in shape before your next trip or social event or work day, I’m talking about time spent with yourself alone, doing something that you appreciate.

This can be taking a walk, reading a book, journaling, taking yourself out for a coffee (an excellent motivational tool) gardening, or simply enjoying some sunshine while you sit and breathe. These moments, away from the hustle and bustle of life, can sometimes seem like a waste of time in pursuit of your goals, but it’s here that you collect your thoughts, understand your emotions, re-evaluate your direction, and gather some mental peace that will help you for the rest of the week and help you stay focused. Without it, the busy that is your life, clutter that is your home, and stress that is your work, will all become a busy cluttered and stressed out mess of a heart and mind…not ideal for staying motivated! In fact in my experience, it’s a recipe for depression, anxiety, and becoming overly dependent on others for emotional stability and peace of mind. No one should be responsible for all of that for another person!

One of my favorite things to do is to take a bike ride, when the weather is nice, sometimes I’ll bring along a good book and ind a peaceful spot to sit and read, and soak up the sunshine.

  Give Yourself a Break;

This one can be hard, and it may sound similar to taking some ME time, but I’m actually talking about listening to your feelings. Sometimes you just aren’t feeling it and that’s ok, most of the time we need to push through and get stuff done anyway, other times it can be really important to listen to your own feelings and give yourself a break. Staying Motivated is hard work and it can be a strain on your mental health and on your emotions especially when we’re talking about staying motivated to chase your dreams. This doesn’t mean you have to go sit in a spa until you feel motivate again, or put your feet up and sip a glass of wine until the urge hits you to try again…

Truth is it’s taken me a week to write this, because I had to stop and take some breathing space for my head and heart, and I can assure you I wasn’t soaking in a spa waiting to feel motivated again! I was just busy with other things that take up less head space, like organizing my linen cupboard, and trying to find a new job, and general jobs that don’t always get done when they should.

It’s about learning your limits, knowing when to push yourself and when to give it a rest for a while. We all know the old saying “come back to it later”, well it’s true, come back later and you’ll be ready to try again!

There is so much more that could be said for staying motivated, so maybe I’ll have to do a part 2 down the track! A common theme in these tips for staying motivated, is that your mental health is of the greatest importance. Take care of it and staying motivated will come naturally. Hope this week is looking up for you!

Staying Motivated – Chasing Dreams… It was hard for me to decide to actually sit down and write this article, I could see it on my list of things to write about "Staying Motivated", but I kept sitting at the computer and then saying, "I am the least motivated person I know, why would I write something like that?"