As promised, I’m sitting in my happy little coffee spot. I decided to try something new to drink today. It’s called the Pale Moon and it’s a green tea with coconut. Can you say refreshing and uplifting? Okay, I can’t really say that because it would be weird if I just randomly said “refreshing and uplifting” to myself… but. The perfect drink for a warm but cloudy Spring day in Olympia. Instead of the usual ambient, dark music played here, Beach House is playing. (A band I’ve been introduced to here and one that SydCoraCoco enjoy a lot so it’s soft melodies remind me of rainy car drives away from campus.) I’ve been working on my project for a while now. Tomorrow I plan to go in and meet with my faculty (professors) to discuss plans for the final presentation and product, plus the evaluations and final personal essay. (It’s already week five but I feel like I’ve maintained a good handle on what needs to be done so I’ not stressing out too much. Of course, we’ll see how I feel in a week or two. All-cap typing may commence and there might be a lot of “WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!?” but if I’m being realistic I will probably end up doing that until I die so…
This post, as promised, is finally going to touch base on all of the things that have been going on in my life during my posting-absence. But, instead of doing that in a way that usually ends up with bulk pictures and chronological writing, I’m going to do it as a writing exercise. Allow me to explain while simultaneously jumping into it…
A List of Things E. Horton Recommends to Do to Stay Happy, Productive, and Healthy!
1. Write Lists! Earlier today I was feeling like, “ughhh life is so expensive
and fast and difficult” (see this post, which explained a lot of these recent feelings) which is a shitty feeling but it’s also a part of life, so I am okay accepting it and learning to deal with it. Anyway, I decided to practice a little mental health exercise in which I titled, “Things That Make Me Feel Happy & Productive!”. I am a big fan of lists, and I have my own self-created list book in which I write lists about all sorts of things, from long-term future goals to celebrities I’d like to look at for a prolonged period of time. (Uh, James Franco, anyone?) So now I’m going to create a list of things that I personally recommend doing to relieve stress and I’m going to show you what’s been happening in my life lately! The first one is write lists, and not just necessary lists. That’s no fun. Write lists of goals for the month of May (it starts tomorrow!), places you want to spend some time in by this time next year, tattoos you would get if they only lasted for two months, or favorite foods and draw little pictures with it. Necessary lists are good too to organize your thoughts and chores, but make sure you add a mix of both, or else lists will become dreaded.
2. Change up your personal scenery. I like to change up my room or the way things are set up in my room every so often, so that nothing gets too boring. It’s also a good way for me to find little trinkets that I misplaced or forgot were hiding in the place they were hiding. But, I don’t always feel like changing things or moving things, so sometimes I just do alternative lighting (only candles!) or I sit somewhere I wouldn’t usually sit (like on the floor instead of at my desk). I’ve also heard that doing activities in bed, such as reading or watching television, can make it difficult to fall asleep or sleep restfully so if that’s a common habit maybe change that up! Create a new, comfy spot to sit and lounge. In doing this I’ve found that there are so many places I wouldn’t “hang out” on/at/whatever because it wasn’t my “comfort zone”; it wasn’t my desk or it didn’t have all of my stuff. But, then I began to branch out (like now, in the coffee shop) and I began to get creative. For instance, I didn’t have enough candles (hypothetically? because I don’t light them in my room…) to use as appropriate lighting, so I went to the dollar store, got a bag of little tea lights for one dollar (score!) and then got some shells from the beach and used those as candle holders! But, mostly, just allow yourself to break from your every-day routine, because you may discover something new to bring to your every-day life.3. Do an activity with people that make you laugh and that you love. Before Spring Break ended the crew got together and we all went over to Coco’s house to make, eat, and party after dinner. Some of the guys barbequed and we all put in our share of food for a pot-luck. It was fun making the dinner, absolutely delicious to eat the dinner, and afterwards we danced and hung out. I mean, I see most of these people every day (although currently Sean is in France and Harrison is in Arizona! So hello from Olympia to France and of course, to my home state!) but it’s different when we’re all cooking together and spending real quality time together. Hell, I even EAT DINNER most nights with them, so it’s more than just the gathering, you know? It’s hectic in a good way and no single person is in charge of making the food or clean-up. Everyone had a job and everyone helped. So, I very very highly recommend having not just a pot-luck, but a cooking pot-luck, where there are vegetables to be cut, fruit-salad to be made, sauces to be stirred, tables to be set, bread to be garlic-ed, pasta to be placed in boiling water, and meats- or fake meats!- to be grilled. And then, all of that stuff to be happily and hungrily consumed (except the plates. Unless you have a goat…? or a robot.)
(And that wasn’t even all of the food. Yummo.)
4. Do some physical activity that’s suitable for your limits and makes you feel good. Lately, I’ve been very serious about working out and pushing myself. Not with any weight or inch-modifications in mind, but with the goal to feel, be, and stay healthy. I found myself in too much of a routine and I was bored of my work out habits. So, I began to try different things, increase certain areas of my workouts, and really push myself to work out every weekday. (This was not my genius, though. I owe it all to my fitness-guru dad, who helped me with a game-plan and good workout ideas!) Last Thursday, I ran four miles in thirty minutes! It was most definitely my best time yet, and while it was really difficult, I found that I now feel more controlled and comfortable in my running. Of course, not everyone can do that and there are many out there that can do much more than that! So, I recommend doing some physical activity that allows for you to release the negative toxins and get your blood flowing in a progressive, controlled, and comfortable way. It’s getting hot there in the desert so I say take advantage of that pool while you can! Another positive thing I like to do is exercise with friends, and last week Sydney and I went swimming! Three great things about that? Got me moving, got me laughing, and got me to kick superficial body issues out the door!
5. Take a moment to enjoy the life around you.
Take advantage to enjoy the days that have nice weather. Go for a drive with good music or open the window. Eat the fruits and veggies that are in season. Notice the plants in bloom. Spring here is by far the most beautiful exhibit of nature I have seen so far. When the sun comes out it’s like Olympia gets two times bigger, because everyone is out and playing. In the last week or so the sun has disappeared a bit and it’s been rainy, but I know there will be more days for picnics, field-music sessions, sitting out by the river, and making blog posts in the sun. I haven’t forgotten about how hot it gets there, AZ. Trust me, I feel like I’ve already lost some of my tough skin to deal with that kin of heat and come June (when I visit!) I’ll be hot, sweaty, and dying. But, maybe this is a good time to take a day-trip up north. (Mom, Dad, I’m talking to you…) Or, hey, this was the time Sarah and I developed our true mall-rat selves, and we didn’t turn out so bad? (Although, I actually recommend staying away from the mall and instead doing something that eliminates the social construction of gender roles, body image, and other societal pressures from your life.)6. Create Create Create! Art is one of the biggest healers in my life, and lately I have made sure to do a lot of it! From writing overly-dramatic, teenage journal entries to writing songs to painting conceptual, naked ladies to drawing little doodles in my mini-books or to melting wax in a bottle to put flowers in. I’m kind of obsessed with it all. And it’s an obsession I’m totally okay with because I am being creative, I am practicing, and I am releasing tons of negative energy when doing it. Physically, working out is my go-to happy activity. Emotionally, art is.
7. Go to an event! This last weekend Downtown Oly had some exciting
and big things happen. On Friday there was the Luminary Procession and all sorts of other street-side attractions, such as music played out of a truck bed and an all-night dance party. On Saturday afternoon the Procession of the Species marched down some of the major Downtown streets and the people of Olympia and some sister cities gathers on the sidewalks and streets (and building rooftops) to watch. It was so energetic and upbeat, and I remember when the nights of our musical shows at school finally arrived, I was so excited to show everyone what we had worked on—this definitely seemed like the case for most of the people in the procession. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died in the beginning of it, but I got a few pictures. Anyway, the point of this is that it’s fun an exciting to watch something you’ve never seen before, and most likely, the people putting it on worked hard so you could enjoy it. So find some events to attend! (Luckily, this one was free. Unfortunately, not everything is. So, this could be a good way to look for local bands or events. My personal favorite: house shows!)8. And finally, indulge in a coffee! Or tea.
Whether by yourself or with on of your favorite people (on the phone with her mom… hahaha) take some time to relax and let taste-buds swim in the awesomeness of liquid bliss.
And there you have it. Just a few of my totally-not-professional-in-any-way recommendations on ways to be happy, healthy, and stay productive! Miss you, kittenkatz. I send my love.
xoxox. E.
