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Showing posts from 2016

A Message From Me: Finals Week

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Hello, my friends. Guess what week it is? That's right. If you're in high school/college, you're fully aware that we are smack dab in the middle of finals week, and life is getting a little hard. Flipping through notes and that textbook you haven't used until this week. Camping out in the library desperately trying to memorize that one definition or formula you just know you're going to forget. Consuming cup after cup of coffee hoping it'll give you enough energy to get you through the day, or at least your first class. I've been there. In fact, as I type, I'm sipping on my third cup of coffee and running on absolutely zero hours of sleep. So yeah. I gotcha.  I know that you've probably been constantly refreshing your grades page online, freaking out about the possibility of failure. But I'm here today with some positive thoughts and reminders to get you through the rest of this week. Here we go. Take a break in between study sessi

#MondayMotivation

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Hello, friends. It's Monday again, and I know that most of you out there dread this day more than most things. But when you think about it, there are a lot of positive aspects of the first day of the week. It's the first day of the week, a fresh start, an excuse to leave last week behind and start new.  It is literally the first day of the rest of your life, and that's exciting. So why lay in bed all sad and mopey when you can get out into the world and start making your dreams come true, even on a Monday? If you're one of those people who dread Mondays (so basically all people), here's a few tips for making the most out of the most difficult day of the week. 1. Start with something you enjoy Whether it's coffee, meditation, yoga, listening to music, or just sitting outside and enjoying the fresh air, starting off the day with something you enjoy doing can really set a good tone for the day. Eat a nice full breakfast, too. Why? Because bre

How to Attract Positive Energy

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The world is filled with negative energy and negative people all around us. They exist at work, at school, and especially on social media. Sometimes, it feels impossible to escape that hole of negativity because it is so prevalent in today's world. However, you can make the choice to push away that negative energy and live in your own little bubble of positive energy. And here's how. How to Attract Positive Energy 1. Try Meditation This is one of my favorite ways to keep my positive energy. Meditation at the beginning and the end of every day has been so helpful for anxiety and just negative energy I feel during the day. When that negative energy comes along and tries to burst my bubble, I channel that same energy I had during my meditation time. Here's some meditation tools I recommend: meditation apps (Smiling Mind and Stop Breathe and Think are my favorites) a quiet or private place that's comfortable for you headphones (noise cancelling on

High Functioning Anxiety and Depression

Hello, friends! After a long and difficult month, I am back and ready to put my thoughts out into the world. Today we're focusing on a topic that is not talked about enough and something that I've had to deal with for the past few months.  You all know what depression and anxiety are. I've done posts on them and talked about them on my social media for as long as this blog has been in existence. However, there is a side to these disorders that is overlooked and not talk about nearly as much as it should be.  Depression and anxiety do not look them same for everyone. It manifests differently in everyone, and for me, it's high functioning. This is a term I was not aware of until very recently, and it made everything that I was experiencing make so much more sense. So, what does high functioning mean? High functioning anxiety/depression means that someone goes about their day to day lives appearing perfectly okay and healthy, but below the surface, they are experie

Seasonal Depression

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Hello, friends. Today' I'm tackling a topic that's not talked about a whole lot, but that I believe is important to acknowledge. Today, we discuss seasonal depression. WHAT IS SEASONAL DEPRESSION? Seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder, is a mood disorder involving depression that occurs at the same time every year. It is usually self-diagnosable, can be treated within months, and must be treated by a medical professional. SYMPTOMS OF SEASONAL DEPRESSION The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include: apathy anxiety general discontent loss of interest in certain activities mood swings excessive sleepiness insomnia fatigue  appetite change irritability social isolation depression lack of concentration TREATMENT Seasonal affective disorder can be treated a number of ways and within months. These ways include: talk therapy self care (physical exercise) medication (anti-depressants and Selective Se

Feminism 101

Hello, everyone. Last week, I wrote my Women's Studies Midterm paper, and it got me thinking about feminism and how the definition and purpose is misunderstood by a large group of people. So today, friends, we talk Feminism. What is Feminism? The definition of feminism is  the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes .   So basically, equal rights of the genders in all aspects of life. But it's not only gender-focused. Feminism also involves the advocacy for equality of all races, genders, and sexual identities in  every  aspect of life.  When people think of feminism, the first thing that comes to mind is usually angry women who hate men. But l et me be the one to tell you that this is completely, 100% false. Here are some other misconceptions about feminism you may have heard or that you believe yourself. 1. "Feminism is only for women. Men cannot be feminists." This one is very, very wrong. Notice that the definition

New Beginnings

Hello, lovely people. It's Monday morning, and yesterday, I decided that it was time for a change. If you are currently reading this, you're probably looking at the blog and saying to yourself, "Why does this look different?" Well, it looks different, because it is. SURPRISE! I am changing the name of my blog to Hello, It's Hannah, how to survive in a world full of chaos, as told by me. This past week, I was feeling down and unmotivated to write, because I was having trouble finding what to write about. I thought that I was running out of post ideas because the title and focus of the blog was preventing me from writing about other things I was passionate about. So even though I will be sticking to the self-care theme for the most part, I am also going to include other subjects that I think need to be talked about. Those subjects include the environment and how to help it, social and political events and information, and just things I feel that every hu

Night Routine for Less Stress

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Hey guys! Sorry for the long break between posts last week. I've been a busy bee. But I'm here today addressing a common problem we students have: stress. It's basically ingrained in us. We've been experiencing stress for as long as we've been in school, and finding a way around it can be very difficult. But there's an easy way to eliminate at least a small part of this stress, and that's by creating a morning and night routine. This way, your day has a little bit of structure and you're making time for taking care of yourself. Today, we're focusing on the night routine. How to Create A Night Routine 1. Find out what you need most. This routine's purpose is to eliminate YOUR stress and make YOUR life easier. So decide what specific things you need to include in your routine to make sure you feel good. Here's my list: Wash my face and moisturize Do some nighttime yoga Read Pick out my outfit for the next day Put K Cup

How to Calm Yourself Down Before A Test

If you are anything like me, tests are the ultimate source of anxiety. You study for hours on end, memorizing the information,  running through note-cards, just hoping that your brain can somehow retain this ridiculous amount of information. And even when you're positive you know the material, you go into the test, write your name on the paper, and boom. All information is gone. You blank. You freak out. You guess B for every question and hope you're at least 25% right. Tests have been my main source of anxiety for years. That's why I have come up with a "pre-test routine" to keep myself calm and positive throughout the entire experience. And today, I'm here to share that routine with you. How to Calm Yourself Down Before a Test 1. DO NOT CRAM If you retain anything at all from this post, let it be this. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT wait until the night before to start studying. This is, scientifically, a horrible way to study, and will result in the

Something I Need to Say. Like, Right Now.

Hello, friends. For those of you who have been following my blog since it came into existence, you know what it's all about. It's about positivity, self-care, and your overall mental health and well being. My posts are generally happy and sunshine-y, and I always tell you to have a lovely day. This is not one of those posts. This morning, I walked into my Women's Studies class, not expecting to walk out crying and shaking with rage. But I did. Why? Because we had a discussion about Terence Crutcher. Why? Because "we can't not talk about it", as my professor stated. After the class, I completely, 100% agree with her. After hearing the details about not just this incident, but so many others that have gone unnoticed, I am in a position where I've decided that racial justice, and injustice, needs to be a part of this blog. And not just the blog, or any of my social media outlets, but my life outside of the Internet. I have always been afraid o

Comparison: How to Cut It Out

Ah, comparison. That lovely instinct that pops up as soon as we see someone "prettier" or "smarter" or "happier" than we are. The instinct that tells us we aren't good enough as we are and that we need to be or achieve what someone else is or has achieved in order to be full and happy. It seems like it's impossible to go a day without comparing yourself to someone else. Well guess what? It isn't. Today, I'm here to share with you what comparison is, why it's toxic, and how to knock it off.  WHAT IS COMPARISON? Like I said in the intro, comparison is seeing someone else and automatically comparing what you have and who you are to them. If it's "better" than what they have, you feel better about yourself. If it's "worse", you go the whole day, or perhaps your whole life feeling like you aren't good enough. This instinct is natural. We've been taught comparison and have been compar

Mental Health Monday: PTSD

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Hello everyone, and Happy Monday! I'm back today with my very last Mental Health Monday. I have covered all of the major mental illnesses and disorders and  I would like to move on to another weekly topic. If you have any suggestions or anything you would like to see me post, email me, leave a comment, or tweet me. The last Mental Health Monday will be focused on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. WHAT IS PTSD? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as a mental health condition triggered by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. PTSD cannot be cured and it can last for one's entire life, but certain treatments can help. SYMPTOMS OF PTSD The symptoms of PTSD include: agitation irritability hostility flashbacks fear nightmares anxiety loss of interest or pleasure in certain activities self destructive behavior isolation Emotional detachment and unwanted thoughts are also fairly common symptoms of PTSD. TREATMENT FOR PTSD Th

Playlist for Self Care

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Now I don't know about you guys, but my idea of relaxing and enjoying myself usually entails listening to music. I always choose songs that make me happy and relaxed, and it instantly puts me in a calm state of mind. I don't think about anything but the music. So today, I'm going to share my Self-Care Playlist with you! Feel free to use mine when you have your "me time" or you can make your own. So here we go. My Playlist for Self Care 1. Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae 2. The Wolves and the Ravens by Rogue Valley 3. Hazy by Rosi Golan (ft. William Fitzsimmons) 4. In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning by Frank Sinatra 5. Sparks by Coldplay 6. Yellow Light by Of Monsters and Men 7. Sweeter Place by Svrcina 8. Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow 9. Coffee by Grace 10. Don't Know Why by Norah Jones 11. Stars by Alessia Cara 12. Pioneer by The Band Perry 13. Strange Birds by Birdy 14. Home by Blue October 15. Tailo

Mental Health Monday: ADHD

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Hello everyone, and happy Monday! Today I’ve got another Mental Health Monday for you. Today, we’re focused on ADHD. WHAT IS ADHD? ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and is associated with trouble paying attention and focusing, excessive activity, sitting still, and acting without thinking. ADHD can start in early childhood and can go into adulthood. The exact cause of ADHD is unknown, but it is usually hereditary. SYMPTOMS OF ADHD Symptoms for ADHD include: Hyperactivity Short attention span Fidgeting Impulsivity Forgetfulness Trouble focusing Mood swings Easily bored ADHD can also be asscociated with certain learning disabilities and depression. TREATMENT ADHD is not curable as of right now, but there are certain medications and therapies used to ease the symptoms, such as: Talk therapy Stimulants Cognition-enhancing medication Support groups A NOTE FROM ME I have struggled with ADHD my e