The Curse of Abandoned Blog Syndrome

It's often inevitable -- life catapults us into chaos and busyness, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Unfortunately, might also result in the abandonment of the smaller things that occupy our time. In my case, my wonderful blog has been one of the unfortunate fallen victim to the dreadful curse.

With summer approaching August already, look out for my "Summer Set" post within the next day or two! I'll have my personal selection of books, music, movies and more for you to incorporate into your last few weeks of relaxation. Who knows? Maybe you'll find that perfect read or Netflix binge that you've been looking for!

Besides that, be on the lookout for some of my ramblings. Things are crazy in the world right now (thus the necessity to bold, underline, and italicize that word), and I think that's time for me to vice my opinion on this platform. Until next time!

Let It Be

Sometimes, the inevitable comes knocking at our door when we least expect it. We are catapulted into the unknown before we have even a moment's notice to brace ourselves for the impending impact. Life happens, and there isn't always something that we can do about it.

Whether we choose to accept it or not, the path to happiness and success isn't always straight and narrow road. As people, we are guaranteed to experience failure, heartbreak, and uncertainty at some point in time. It's the way that we choose to deal with it that determines the strength of our true character.

As hard as we try to understand why some things happen or how they could possibly alter our lives for the better, we can't. We don't always have the answers and might not be able to find them, no matter how many years we spend studying for every possible class in our undergrad careers. Things might fall apart so that you can put yourself back together in the most important part of your life.

Life is a painful, mad, curious, beautiful thing to experience. Opportunities are everywhere -- it's just up to you to throw yourself out there, into the dark of the unknown and discover what lies ahead. 

Breathing When You're Busy

My schedule while I'm in school makes each day a whirlwind of responsibilities. In between classes, work, extracurricular activities and general housekeeping duties, finding a break in the day for myself is a nearly impossible task.

Instead of sleeping in for an extra hour or two each day (as tempting as it sounds some mornings), I have been finding that early mornings are the only times that I am genuinely able to find time for myself right now.

The first vibrant rays of sunlight that break through my tiny dorm room window clash with the steam rising from my bold mug(s) of coffee. I soak up and breathe in every second of these sweet few hours, because I am aware of the chaos that will ensue in my life in the rest of the day to come.

If any of you have followed along with my rambling and can relate to any tidbit of this, keep reading.

I'm notorious for stressing out about most things, as much as I deny it. I tend to worry, plain and simple. So, what do I do to detox my frustrations and anxiety before my busy days?

One word: meditation.

I learned more about meditation a few months ago, but had never really applied it to my routine until lately. Structured breathing can work wonders for the mind and for the soul. I was once a skeptic at how helpful it would actually be for me, but now I swear by it . . . funny how life works that way.

As soon as I get out of bed in the morning, I draw in deep breaths and smoothly exhale them for a few minutes. If I have time, I throw in some yoga as well.

Before I lose myself in raving about my newfound routine any longer, let me just leave you all with one thing. If you found nothing useful from my thoughts in this post, just remember these two words if you find yourself panicking or stressed . . .

Just breathe.

Living for Yourself in the 21st Century

People often ask me what I want to do with my career in just a few years. I usually respond with a generic answer, based on what I am studying: "An art director for a magazine or a website." However, at other times, I find myself responding with three words instead of nine: "I don't know."

Truth be told, I can't say that I do know. I have a general idea in mind, but nothing is set in stone. I might only be four months shy of twenty-years old, but I have had big plans for my life for quite some time.

On a day-to-day basis, I have billions of little thoughts swarming within the four walls of my mind. I'd say that about a quarter of them consist of where I want to travel, what I want to do, goals that I want to achieve one day, and ways in which I want to live for myself.

Not that I stay cemented in the future by any means. I live for spontaneous decisions and jumping into any new opportunities that I come across, no matter how extreme (clever interlude into diverting your attention to my "Yes Man" post here after you finish feasting your eyes on this one). But when it comes to the rest of my life, I find it important to think about just where I see myself.

As a college student, I've talked to many of my friends and acquaintances about where they see themselves ending up. While many of them are in the same type of boat as myself, I've come across a few who say that it will be wherever their boyfriend or girlfriend decides, and that they will go from there. It doesn't matter if they have plans or goals of their own, because they have fallen too deep beyond the realms of infatuation.

What is there in life if you cannot live for yourself?

Keynote speaker Steve Maraboli once said, "When you are living the best version of yourself, you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves."

Throughout my life thus far, I've found that people come and go. People change, plans fall through and not everything is permanent. We can't always count on people, but we can sure as hell speak for ourselves.

Society today is pushing more than ever to stand apart from everyone else. No matter how close we might be to someone or how in love we are, let them do what they want while you pursue your own dreams. If things don't work out because you chose to live your own life, don't chase them. Let them go, because they obviously weren't worth your time anyways.

Think back to when you were significantly younger. What did you want to be as the years went by? (I apparently told my family that I "wanted to be a teenager" so I guess that I'm living the dream, but back on a serious note now.) No matter what your aspirations were, you knew that you weren't going to let anything or anyone stop you from getting to where you wanted to be.

The world can be such a vast and wonderful place. Take advantage of every chance you get, because the time doesn't stop ticking by.

For the Dazed and Confused

Lazy Sundays filled with listening to Vampire Weekend whilst drinking hot coffee and diving into books about modern art have instilled me with the inspiration to type out just what I have been feeling lately. Without further ado, here we go.

Lately, I've been stuck in my own thoughts more than I normally am. Bouncing back and forth within the four walls of my own mind, I've been trying to crack the code of what I truly want out of life. The only answer that I have come up with so far?

I don't know.

But do you know what else?

That's okay.

I'm the type of girl who enjoys the thrill of spontaneous adventures at two o'clock in the morning, but who also can't wait to be enveloped in the comfort of her own bed. I love to binge watch TV shows, but I also want to read for days at a time. I have aspirations to travel the entire world, but I can also be a bit of a homebody.

I have so many dreams that I want to pursue that I'm still unsure of what to place my finger on at the moment. Taking life on day at a time is one of the greatest challenges that I find myself continuously facing.

As much as I would love to have my life figured out by now, I'm also aware that that's not exactly going to happen. At nineteen-years old, I'm infatuated with the concept of having my future mapped out so that I have an idea of what is going to happen down the line. In order for that to happen, however, I need to have a solid grasp on what I want.

And right now, I'm not certain in what I want exactly because I want to experience everything.

I want to be able to live for myself. Do what I want, go where I want to go, and be who I want to without having to schedule my life around anyone else. I'm content with where I am right now, but there's also so much more that I want to get out of this short lifetime.

Dazed and confused is perhaps the best way to sum up my current predicament. I have a long journey ahead of me at such a young age, but I'm ready for it. I can't control everything and I will get to where I want to be in due time.

And if I do end up figuring everything out by some circumstantial one in a million chance, I'll be sure to let you know.

8 Current Buzzfeed Posts You Need to See Right Now

I'm a Buzzfeed addict. It's my guilty pleasure, and I can't help but find myself on the site constantly (especially when I'm procrastinating and have mounds of homework in front of me). They're funny, relatable, delicious, and inspiring.

 So, for a change of pace, I want to share some of my current favorite posts from the site with all of you. Enjoy!

1. 17 Subtle Ways To Wear Your Love Of Disney
Because who in their right mind doesn't love anything and everything Disney?

2. I Survived A Suicide Attempt
One of the most inspiring videos that I have watched recently, no matter who you are.

3. 27 Gifts Every Book Lover Should Ask For This Year
For all of my fellow bookworms out there who aren't quite sure of what they want for Christmas yet.

4. Spray Paint Nail Polish Exists And Your Life Will Never Be The Same Again
Quite possibly the most ingenious thing to come out since sliced bread.

5. The Ultimate Guide To Getting Published In A Literary Magazine
A little bit of help for any of you who have a passion for writing as great as I do.

6. 22 Things All Messy Couples Know
If your relationship is anything like the one that my boyfriend and I have, then you can relate 101%.

7. 26 Pictures That Show Just How Hardcore '70s Punk Really Was

To me, punk is about being an individual and going against the grain and standing up and saying, 'This is who I am.'" - Joey Ramone

8. This Is For Everyone From Upstate New York
This one is for all of my Rochester family. Representing Flour City and our undying love for garbage plates.

5 Things That Happen When You Stop Stressing So Much

It can be a difficult task to stay on track with things, especially when you have a crazy schedule. The pressure adds up, and the overwhelming stress might begin to feel constant.

 Eventually, all of those hectic days and hurried deadlines will get you to where you need to be. From what I've learned through my own experiences, here are five great things that happen when they start to pay off.

1.) You start to become more and more productive.
I have definitely had the tendency to procrastinate when it comes to important tasks and due dates for my responsibilities. Lately, I've (thankfully) been a lot better about staying on top of everything that I have to do, and it feels nice to be so productive without feeling like I'm procrastinating my life away. This is definitely one way to lessen stressful thinking.

2.) Stress doesn't last forever.
Even when it seems like it won't ever go away, the stress will end eventually. Once everything evens out and the mounds of work and deadlines decrease a bit, things start to get a bit better and you get used to the work. If you're in a position where you really don't think that you can handle everything, it might be time to let go of some commitments.

 3.) The path for your future becomes clearer.
Everything that you've been working so hard for will come together when it's meant to. If it doesn't seem like it they will right now, give it time. The future becomes a much brighter place when you achieve enough goals to shed some light on it.

4.) You start to feel a lot more comfortable with everything.
If you had asked me a few months ago how everything was going in life, I probably would have referred to the picture that I added as the image for this post. However, somewhere along the way, everything began to fall into place and became a lot easier.

5.) It pays off.
Getting everything on the same track and getting used to overcoming stressful situations can be a rocky road, but ultimately, it's rewarding. When all is said and done, you can look back and remember how hard you worked to get where you are.