When It Comes To Being Gentle, Start With Yourself. Don’t Get Upset With Your Imperfections. Being

An Intro

Hello, friends!

I initially planned for my first post to be an introduction to my life. However, something has changed the course of my fitness journey, a major part of my life, for the time being and, as such, has altered my mental health journey, too. 

Here’s what’s up: I have mono. No biggie, really, except that means I can’t exercise like at all for at least one month. Also no biggie, right?

Well, it wouldn’t be except for the fact that I genuinely struggle when it comes to physical fitness. I’m a Type A and an ENTJ, which means I don’t know how to rest. Period. I go hard. I get results. I push myself to be the best. Consequentially, I’ve hit rock bottom several times, both mentally and physically. I’ve had eating disorders in the past and am currently getting over a binge eating disorder/unhealthy relationship with exercise. I also have issues with depression and anxiety, to put it lightly. Since I started college, I used exercise as a way to increase my self-worth---terrible, terrible idea. I tried to convince myself I was doing it to better myself, and to some extent, I was. Mostly, though, I started lifting because I wanted to show my dedication to the gym, to not be ashamed when parts of me jiggled a little when I walked, to not want to avoid social interaction for the fear of being called the “fat friend.” (Sidenote: I realize I’m not fat. I’m proud of my big thighs and big booty because I worked my ass on.)

But I digress.

The comparison game has been torturing me---stress weight, stomach ulcers, major depression, horrible anxiety... the list goes on. This mono hit at the right time, honestly. I seriously broke down when I realized I couldn’t work as hard in the gym as I’d like. See that? That self-worth-depends-only-on-gym-results BS? Yeah. That’s been killing me for years. And I’m sick of it.

Since I can’t lift weights, I’m completely adapting my fitness regimen and learning to love myself right now. In the grand scheme of things, no one gives a flying frick that I don’t look like a Gymshark model. So what if my exercise is walking thirty to forty-five minutes around downtown every other day? I might throw in a light bodyweight workout if I have the energy. 

I’m learning to eat intuitively, despite the fact so many girls who lift swear by tracking macros. My history of eating disorders makes this so much harder than it should be (heck, I eat 85% paleo, even when it comes to desserts). But, you know what? I’m a quarter of the way through my life right now. I’m tired of being afraid of eating certain foods. I’m tired of not being able to go out with friends to eat because I don’t know the macros for the items on the menu. 

I’m learning to eliminate everything that increases my tendencies to become depressed or anxious---that means following things on Instagram that motivate me to be healthy, not to look healthy. I’m going to start training for a half-marathon when I get better and use weight training to supplement that for strength. 

In short, I’m learning to live. To not set such rigid standards for myself (as freaking difficult as it is). To not give a flying frick about what other people think of me. To not let food or the gym interrupt making memories with my friends. To realize my self worth lies in my talent, ambition, kindness, and humor. 

Who would’ve thought a virus saved my life?

my dad just exploded into laughter out of nowhere and told me ‘imagine the lion king but with sea lions’ he has been chuckling about it for 5 straight minutes now

https://www.instagram.com/countrylivingmag

girls only want one thing and it’s a scrying falcon that they can send out to survey the land for their enemies and they can see what it sees through a crystal ball

Tea in a NASA mug... 100% agree.

The Types as GIFs in Black and White

For @in-a-mellow-tone :) Tell me if that’s what you were expecting or if I’m beside the point!

ENTP:

INTP:

INTJ:

ENTJ:

INFP:

ENFP:

ENFJ:

INFJ:

ISTJ:

ISFP:

ESTJ:

ISFJ:

ESFJ:

ISTP:

ESTP:

ESFP:

Guide to Zero Waste as a college student.

I know. Just the thought of it made me scared. When I first started a year ago, I dived head first and told myself if I didn’t start now, I would never start. It didn’t matter if I would make a mistake, I had to start and then learn from my mistakes.

Boi did I make a lot of mistakes. But I learned. Here are some steps you can take to become zero waste.

1. Look at your trash. 

What is in there? Plastic bottles? Straws? Jars? Wrappers? Foam containers of that one take away? Take a look at your trash and determine why you are producing that amount of trash.

2. Plan. 

After figuring out what’s in your trash think about what you can do to stop making it. I like to guide myself with these three questions:

Do I really need this in my life? If not, then it is a good time to stop buying/ using said thing.

If I do need it, is there an eco-friendly alternative? Do they sell it or should I look for a DIY-option? The important thing is not to get stuck just because you can’t get it!

What habits can I adapt to make transitioning easier for me?

3. Set goals. 

At first, I dived right into it. Which was probably not the best option. After some months I realized it would be better if I took one step at a time. Goals are a good way to get you there but the only way goals can actually work is of they are smart. These are some of the goals I had when I started.

Every day I must fill my reusable water bottle and take it everywhere with me. I am not allowed to drink from any plastic cups, straws any other form of packaging that is recyclable but not necessarily reusable.

Every day I must go out with my reusable straw and my utensils. In order not to forget them, I have to always keep a pair on each of my bags.

4. Keep track. 

I will admit: I am not perfect. But keeping tracks of what I do with zero waste helps me see what I can do better. And that’s what this movement is. What can we do to get a bit closer to producing no waste? Some people get discouraged but this personally encourages me to work harder.

So are you planning on becoming zero waste? Are you already part of the movement? Let me know!

-Shirou

House Aesthetics that aren’t super stereotypy (Is that even a word?)

Slytherin:

Peppermint ice-cream, chipped black nail-polish, formal wear, books, debating, interior-design, secret tattoos, sliver jewelry, diamond earings, staying up till 5 AM and waking up at 6, and pricking your finger on a rose thorn.

Hufflepuff:

Foodfights in the cafeteria, painting your nails with pastel colors, comfy sweatpants, painting, 1 AM calls to friends, lots and lots of rings, loving make-up even though you don’t wear it often, dancing to a record player, and picking up drunk friends to make sure they get home safe.

Ravenclaw:

Lots and lots of books, vanilla lip gloss, fairy lights, reading nooks, sea shells, the smell of the ocean, binge watching Netflix, writing, sonder (the realization that everyone has a story), chill on the outside and insane on the inside, and swimming at 3 AM.

Gryffindor:

Killer cat-eye liner, dancing to The Beetles, messy buns, foreign languages, Nike hats, wire rimmed glasses, watching a sunset, looks confident but is actually insecure, putting your needs below your friends because they are more important at the moment, and lip biting.

Today a student emailed over a draft of his essay on 1984 and had clearly used a thesaurus on every single word, and how I know this is because the the party slogan ‘Big Brother is watching you’ had become ‘Enormous Sibling is viewing you’ and I lauged so hard I cried

To all the little girls

#chris evans #in where he is actually steve rogers