The start to the year has definitely given us all more promise. January was spent reorganizing, reorienting, and coming to terms with the struggle of a year we had before. It always takes me a while to get back into the swing of things after the holidays, but this time around I was more eager to get my life back in order after a much needed break.
One of the hardest things to do was to focus on the good that I had surrounding me, even when times were so bleak and uncertain. I'm still staying at home, working at home, and finishing my senior year online at home. There's a lot of work I need to do—within myself and for others. My goal for this month is to focus on the good and to continue to choose optimism, as all people should.
This eagerness to start the new year on a good foot brings high expectations, so much, that I think we dwell on making the new year as perfect as we imagined it to be. However, I think the imperfectly wholesome moments are what I need to focus on. Not holding myself accountable for taking the time to take care of myself when I need it the most. Perhaps it means letting go and being able to fully feel and be emotional at times, but to also cut myself some slack. A slower pace is something I chose to manifest.
01. Investing More Time in Myself
Last year was a year to worry about others. When everything went wrong, I was always looking for ways to find compassion and be there for others. Suffice to say, I have always been one for self-care, but didn't realize how much I needed a pause. I needed to not feel the urgency to attend to people's needs before myself every single minute. While this is one of my greatest personality traits, it has its downfall of making me invest everything into the people I care about, even if they don't reciprocate the care back. No more of that this month or this year. ¡Adios!
02. Dedication to Meditation
The calm, cool, and collected side of me would digress into a lonely, anxiety induced shell and I couldn't figure out why. I had terrible sleeping habits, and that's when I realized just how much my body and my mind depended on yoga and mediation. Taking an hour out of my day to focus on myself, my growth, and clearing my head of all the negative thoughts that accumulated in 2020. This year, I have even signed up for a two credit yoga class as one of my last classes to take my senior year. I'm excited to start this journey again after not having been to a yoga studio in a year.
03. Listening to My Creative Passions
This blog has saved me in more ways than one. I really want to invest my time into the creativity that I had when I first started. Whether it be coming up with more unique blog ideas, showing different parts of my life that I haven't before on this blog, or just continuing to be constantly inspired and let the creative juices flow. Whatever it may be, I want this month to be filled with having a new outlook and discovering unique perspectives. Possibly even challenging me to get out of my creative square a bit!
As the months go by and I come to finishing my senior year of college and begin a new chapter of my career, I want to remember what I've accomplished and also hone the skills and strengths I've fostered over the years. February is the month of love and changes, but I realize the importance of finding and cultivating a love for myself above all else. I feel 110% when I am confident, grounded, and motivated in my own creative momentum, so this month will be about just that.
It's that time of year when the Chicago winter chill is excruciatingly unforgivable and all you want to do is snuggle up with your pup. I am prone to dry skin during the cold months, as you might know, but I've also had to manage my acne prone skin without using products that are going to overly scale and dry out my skin as most acne products do. It's the constant struggle, but I am loyal to the brands that I've been using and have mastered using small amounts here and there. I used to be the type of person to glop everything on and hope for the best, but piling on product can do much more harm than we think.
Using a light, foaming cleanser has helped keep my skin hydrated and also helps gradually treat my acne. I have always heard praise about the Kate Somerville EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser which has three percent sulfur to help with blemishes and doesn't overly dry out the skin either. When I'm looking for an even deeper clean, which I would say is once a week or so, I will use the First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Purifying Red Clay Mask around my T-zone and the more oily-prone areas of my face. I love it because it is a gentle peel off mask to help get rid of pesky black heads!
After my face is all cleansed, I have been using very light moisturizers so that I can regulate my skin's oiliness. I have always been a huge fan of Clinique because of my sensitive skin. The Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion is my go-to during the winter months. If you are trying to minimize pores, reduce acne, and also tackle dry skin, this is a great lightweight moisturizer for it!
I can never leave out my dry eyes. I always have extremely dry eyelids in the winter because there's no humidity and there's nothing worse than not being able to open your eyes in the morning. It's the worst, itchy feeling, so I always make sure to have an eye cream on hand. I've used the Cera Ve Eye Cream, but at the moment I am using the First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream that helps moisturize, firm, and get rid of dark under eyes. The perfect Zoom meeting savior.
When I am really feeling like a self-care night, I will bust out the Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub to refresh and exfoliate my dry skin. It smells like a tropical vacation in a pot! With grapefruit oil, coconut oil, and avocado butter, it's the perfect, mineral rich product. It is coarse, hence the sea salt, so personally I would not recommend using it on your face (as it might scratch delicate and sensitive skin), I like to use it on my arms and legs the most!
I love sharing the evolution of my skincare routine. Honestly, because I can recall what I liked and didn't like as my skin ages and also when the weather changes. I have had to become more mindful about how much I put on my skin, but also what I don't put on my skin. For someone who has combination skin that is sensitive and at times, uncontrollable, I have also been talking to a dermatologist since middle school and that has definitely helped with my hormonal acne. What are some ways you take care of your skin this time of year?
The possibility of home school never dawned on me until my college started offering online classes to freshmen who were looking for ways to manage their workload and also not have to commit to time management when they could do their work whenever they wanted. I refused to take online classes because I thrive in learning environments where I can see and talk to people. All of that has changed and I wouldn't have thought that finishing my last year of college fully remote was the reality I am now living.
I have always been one to have a well-managed routine and a pretty good way with a planner or two. So, as surprised as I am to say this, online learning is probably one of the best things that has happened to me. As a daughter of two teachers, I understand the value of the classroom (as I loved being in one years before), but there is just something so empowering about being able to tackle the work I want to do at my own pace. Nevertheless, I miss seeing my friends and collaborating with classmates the most, but since we all have to be somewhat active online, I can become more active in reading about people's lives, the work they're doing, and be more mindful about the way I respond to others.
It took a while for me to find a place where I could separate work and school from everything else. Our house is already extremely cozy and humble as it is, so when my sisters are home it is really hard to separate and find a place to focus. My bedroom, of all places, was the only option. Thankfully, I have this really nice desk that I've only ever used as a vanity and now converted to my classroom, event "space," and tutoring desk. Every now and then I would leave my room and tutor at the dining room table, but I found the most effective area I could do work at was in my room.
When I was at school, I would spend hours at our college library and just cram or hash out a paper. It was a place where I could focus and detach from feeling like I could do work on my bed and not be as productive as I would at a sturdy table. The atmosphere makes all the difference. Keeping your workspace clean is also another motivator, so be sure to have some sort of organizer system to keep your notebooks and things!
Becoming a Mindful Responder...
There were a lot of times during my in-person college days when I just could not function. Usually Mondays, but depending on the time of day, I would just melt into my desk and fear I'd have to participate. It's not something I do on the regular, but we all have those days. Now that I'm learning online, I can make time for myself to actively and mindfully respond to classmates over discussion boards or giving accurate and effective tutoring feedback on papers. I've noticed that I am more willing to respond and also I can choose what I want to respond to. Not only that, but within emails too. I am not just responding to respond, like I would on a day in class where participation felt forced at times.
Keeping in Contact...
I'm extremely grateful to have had the opportunities to connect with so many amazingly talented and dedicated people during college. But the social life of being a senior this year is non-existent. When a lot of people might have been tailgating, not cramming for finals, or having the common case of senioritis set in, it's been hard to find that sense of community online. Keeping in contact with my past roommates, friends, and even professors has been the most helpful in relieving that sense of isolation.
You have to put in the effort, but I've definitely had a few wine nights and happy hours with friends, coordinated time to decompress with past professors, or made more time to meet up with my co-workers or meet some new members of organizations I'm in through our mentorship programs. The social dynamic has changed, but I feel more supported than ever.
Those were just a few tid-bits of how I've been able to remain grounded and active with my last year of college. I am remaining grateful for those developing three years and am lucky enough to have been able to establish myself and make the most of the opportunities at DePaul. While I begin to focus on the next steps of my career during my time at home (and having the perks of saving on rent), I am looking forward to celebrating this chapter and am optimistic for what's to come.
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