30 Day Challenge: TOP FIVE WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR LIFE BETTER

19. 5 Recommendations: Recommend 5 things (place, activity, book, movie, etc.) that you feel are hidden gems. Source:From: http://epitomeabsolute.com/home/?p=1094

Okay, that’s an intentionally pretentious title but I was reading an article on cosmo about ‘how to make your life better’ and it was complete BULLSHIT. So here’s five things that I’ve learned in my short 23 years of life that will definitely make your existence, if not better, at least more enjoyable.

1. Spend more time at the beach during the darker hours. Watch the sunsets, wake up for the sunrises, get drunk under the pier with friends while waiting for midnight the day before your birthday. The thing about the beach and especially the ocean is that it has this uncanny ability to make you feel enormous at the same time it’s making you feel small. Stand on the end of the pier as the sunrises and embrace your Leo DiCaprio, “I’m king of the world” moment. Walk along the edge of the water at 2 in the morning, watching the ebb and flow of the tide and question if this is the best it’s going to get, if this is all you’re worth. I know it’s so cliched and I know it’s kind of ridiculous. But there’s something beautiful about one place being both the beginning and the end of things, of one place being a reassurance and a destruction, and your ability to straddle those two feelings at once.

2. Befriend your siblings. Trust me, this is one of the hardest things I had to learn because my sister and I have always been oil and water, but there’s no one who knows you better and no one who will relate to you more than your siblings. “No way, my best friends know me best. My siblings don’t even understand me.” No. Sit down, shut up. Barring significant age gaps, no one else as been there since literally day one, no one else knows what you’ve been through better. Your sibling is literally your oldest friend. And trust me on this, they know more than you think they do, they see and hear more than you’re aware. It may take years. You both may have to move out and be out of each other’s space for a while to get to that point but 100% zero bullshit, your sibling is the one person who knows you inside and out better than anyone else in the world… except maybe your mom because moms know everything.

3. Read more. First of all, almost every movie in theaters these days are based off of books. Read the damn book first. I mean it. And on that note, stop making yourself feel like shit for liking a book made for teenagers/young adults. If it’s a good book, just read it. I mean hell, an entire legion of people read the 50 shades series and that’s written so horribly that it’s not even worthy to be toilet paper. So read the damn Hunger Games and enjoy them! Second of all, and I’m about to go all ‘middle school English teacher’ on you, reading makes you smarter. It makes you a better conversationalist. It allows you to experience things you otherwise couldn’t experience. It makes you feel and love and hate and cry. Reading is something every human should do more of, I honestly believe.

4. Don’t let social media rule your life. Okay, okay, this is kind of ironic since I currently have twitter, facebook, wordpress, and youtube open in different tabs. But trust me. Facebook drama or subtweeting or whatever is just not worth your time. The people in front of you right now, having a conversation with you, are more important than some girl you went to high school with who’s on her second baby with a second baby daddy but who’re marrying neither child’s father. It’s ridiculous to care about someone you don’t even speak to anymore. Maybe I should change that you use social media to help, not gloat. I studied media in college, especially the burgeoning role of social media. Use for good things, promoting positivity or humor or a good life, rather than stalking your ex or making others or even yourself feel bad. I’m still working on doing that better but hey, one step at a time.

 As seen on Shep689, created by the channel owner.

5. Branch out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s wearing a daring lipstick or talking to someone you’re crushing on from afar, just do it. I’m not saying go parasailing or drop out of school to join the circus, just do something fun and scary once in a while. It can completely change your outlook on the world. Just a note of warning though, avoid sitting down to talk to homeless people with weird signs. Trust me, it’s better to just not.

So there are five activities you should do to enjoy your life more. They’re not foolproof and hell, they may just have worked for me, but I’m embracing the positive side of things and living my life day to day. I hope y’all are doing the same!

30 Day Challenge: What’s the story, morning glory?

5. List 5 things you wish people knew about you without having to explain the, oftentimes lengthy, story behind them.
From: http://www.thesitsgirls.com/blogging/january-writing-prompts/

The worst thing about this prompt is that I came up with the damn thing and now I can’t remember what the five things were that inspired me to suggest it.

(I don’t have a source for the GIF because I saved it FOREVER ago but know that it’s NOT MINE)

Thankfully, I can remember a few so I’m going to try my best to flesh out five of them

1) I dropped out of high school. A lot of people think that’s not a big deal because it’s pretty common, especially for the area in which I grew up, but they don’t know me. Up until my junior year, I was an A/B student, I was in clubs and organizations, I was not the type of student you expect to drop out of high school. But that leads me to number 2.

2) I suffer(ed) from severe depression as a teenager. You’ll find out more details about this on day 12, when I discuss my insecurities, but it’s really only mentioned in passing. I was diagnosed at 14 but by 16, my depression was so debilitating that I rarely got out of bed in the morning, which lead to missing a lot of school and my grades dropping. I was on meds for a while and in therapy for a long time but now, I manage any mood swings without either. I’m actually considered ‘cured’ if there is such a thing as a cure for depression.

3) I only have one biological sibling but, when asked, I say I am 1 of 6 kids. My parents divorced when I was young and both have since remarried. I have an older stepsister, two older stepbrothers, one younger biological sister, and one brother who we call ‘adopted’ but is by no legal means actually related to me but who I have known most of my life and will always refer to as my brother. I may not actually be related to any of those individuals, excluding my sister, but they are my siblings and I will always refer to them as such.

4) I have enough daddy issues to make the Winchesters look normal. These will be elaborated on some more in Day 12 also. The gist of it, though, is I tolerate my dad because of entirely materialistic reasons that include but are not limited to his bank account and the fact that he has much more expendable income that my mother. I don’t live off of his money by any means but when it comes down to needing rent money or textbooks, I have to call him because I have no other choice. Again, more explanation of these daddy issues will come about in Day 12 and possibly others (day 12 is the only other one I’ve already written by this point) so look forward to that drama.

5) I have to have music playing at all times. This is my ‘grasping for air’ choice but it actually does explain a bit about my personality. I’m not sure if it’s a residual thing from therapy and learning to deal with my emotions and just myself over the years but I have to have music at all times. I can’t sleep if there’s not music playing. I can’t drive if I don’t have music playing. I don’t do well with silence. I only mention the sleeping and the driving examples because that’s when it’s most notable but it’s the same walking across campus or riding the bus or even if I’m in the car with other people. When it comes to sleeping/driving, my brain tends to work in overdrive to the point where I won’t sleep at all if I don’t have something else to focus on. I spent most of middle school and high school drugging myself to sleep (with nyquil or tylenol PM) just to shut my brain up. When I drive, music forces me to pay attention. If it’s not playing, I tend to get lost in my own mind and not focus on the road and trust me, I’ve been in enough accidents without needing another hazardous condition. I guess it’s all the same, really. I need the music to get me out of my own head, so I’ll stop nitpicking everything about myself or thinking others are judging me or, even worse, falling back into a depressive state. Sometimes, I honestly think I can better communicate how I’m feeling or how my day has been with a  song rather than stumbling through words. It’s not nearly as traumatic as it sounds but over the years, I’ve learned that some people simply can’t sleep or do homework or whatever if there’s noise so I’ve had to get used to explaining my reasons for needing it.

So there’s some information about me. Have I scared you guys off yet? I hope not.

I’d love to hear some things about y’all that you find yourself having to explain pretty often.