Self-Care

I haven't posted in a while. I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues, stresses, confusions and tried to focus on taking good care of myself. Therefore, I didn't find any time to post.

Before I make any more posts, here's some advice from me to you:
Take care of yourself.

Binge on Netflix
Eat peanut butter straight from the jar
Take a bath
Cry if you want to
Read something that makes you smile
Don't be afraid to reach out to your friends
Cuddle with a pet
Take a walk
Bake
Sing loudly in the car
Go shopping
Write in a journal (or even a private blog)
Order a pizza
Skip a workout
Call your mom
Drink hot tea
Light a candle
Reconnect with old friends
Sleep late
Stay in

Take a deep breath. Everything will be okay.

Do what makes you feel happy in this very moment, because you and your mental health are what's important when life starts to feel overwhelming. Don't forget to write down what you're thankful for, what makes you happy, even if it's something small, and say them out loud. Only you know what you need.

I know this is really personal and out of the ordinary for my blog, but I know that I'm not alone in these lost and hopeless feelings, and everyone could stand to use a pick-me-up. Don't be afraid to take time and focus on yourself. In the long run, you'll benefit the most from it.


Thank you guys so much for reading. My blog seriously makes me so happy sometimes.

Five Favorites For Friday YEAH

1. It's no coincidence that three of my five faves are food.  In my attempts to cut calories wherever possible, I've discovered Monk Fruit In The Raw.  

Let me just preface with this: I am totally against artificial sweeteners.  I think they're disgusting and carcinogenic, but this stuff is actually really dang great.  

No calories, and I put a packet into my tea or coffee daily and can't tell much of a difference in taste apart from real sugar.  Plus, it's natural.

I'm not a huge fan of sweets, so I don't use a lot, but it does the job nonetheless.

2. Macaroni + cheese grilled cheese plus a raspberry weiss brew from Trim Tab Brewing Co at Melt with my bff, Rachel

3. Black bean hummus and farmers market broccoli, plus not-farmer's market baby carrots for lunch at work 

4. My sweet boyfriend ordered some stuff from my Free People wishlist to be sent to my apartment! <3

5. AKA the best news of all, Hunter and I got our tickets to go to San Francisco next month.  As a person that rarely ever takes a vacation, I'm so excited.

#mcm - Everyday It's A-Gettin' Closer

It's gettin pretty close now!  Twenty days!

I can't wait to see my Hunter after seven long months.

                                               At Das Haus

           In Austria

still obsessed with selfies...

Volunteerin'

If you know me at all, you know that I have a huge passion for social activism, feminism, and most importantly, volunteering.  I volunteer once a week at the Crisis Center of Birmingham.  I am a Volunteer Advocate for their Rape Response program, where a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (S.A.N.E.) and I provide immediate support to victims of sexual assault in Birmingham and nearby areas.  (There's also rape response centers in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa!)

Between college and finding a full-time job in my career field, I was also a part-time shift manager for the Crisis Center's Crisis & Suicide Hotline, where I talked to people on the phone who are in a crisis or are simply feeling down.  Both positions were extremely gratifying and allowed me to find my passion in helping other s.  The Crisis Center has truly changed my life.

I feel like this would be a good opportunity to let my readers know about some volunteer training opportunities coming up this month!  There are lots of options.  You can volunteer with Rape Response like me, or volunteer on one of our crisis lines: Crisis & Suicide Hotline, TeenLink, Kids Helpline, and Senior Talk Line.

Crisis Center
VOLUNTEER TRAINING SCHEDULE
Summer 2014

Saturday, July 19th	9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
All Programs: Crisis Theory and Core Conditions of Counseling
Monday, July 21th	6:00 a.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Rape Response: Overview of Sexual Assault and Legal Issues
Tuesday, July 22th	6:00 a.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Crisis and Suicide Line: Stages in the Helping Process Kids’ Help Line/Teen Link
Monday, July 28th	6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Rape Response: Medical Issues – SANE Tour
Teusday, July 29th	6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Crisis and Suicide Line: Directive vs. Non-Directive Intervention Kids’ Help Line/Teen Link
Saturday, August 2nd	9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Crisis and Suicide Line: Suicide Prevention and Intervention Kids’ Help Line/Teen Link
Monday, August 4th	6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Rape Response: Overview of Sexual Assault and Legal Issues
Tuesday, August 5th	6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Crisis and Suicide Line/ Kids’ Help Line/Teen Link: Program Issues

If you would like to volunteer, fill out an application on CrisisCenterBham.com here:http://crisiscenterbham.com/application.php
On the website, you can find more information on their programs as well as training materials, etc.

I believe that everyone should volunteer at some point in their lives; giving back  to your community and connecting with people really shapes you as a person, I think.  You can make a lasting impact on someone's life in their time of need.

What I'm Listening To

Although life can be busy, I still try to make time to breathe and take a load off.  Relaxing, to me, is reading a compelling article or captivating novel, listening to good music, and watching bad television.  I'll file it under "What I'm Reading/Watching/Listening To.  Hopefully I’ll be more apt to take these little breaks now that I’m committed to making an entry once a week.

I guess I’ll start off with my favorite bands on this post.

Shovels + Rope

- The first time I saw this band was when I was a freshman in college, opening up for Deer Tick, (who you’ll read about further down this list) at Zydeco of all (trashy) places, and I was instantly hooked.  Since then, I’ve seen them so many times, from The Nick, to Bottletree (for my 20^th birthday!!), to Workplay, and various festivals in between.

Deer Tick

- I’ve loved Deer Tick since I was sixteen years old, I believe War Elephant had just been released, and I heard Dirty Dishes for the first time (it still holds a tearful, special place in my heart).  I’ve travelled a few different places to see them, as well as their various side projects (all on Partisan Records <3), Middle Brother (Dawes + Deer Tick + Jonny [Corndawg] Fritz [who also played for my 20^th birthday]) and The Diamond Rugs (Dead Confederate + Deer Tick + Los Lobos + The Black Lips + Six Finger Satellite), where I met John McCauley on Halloween two years ago at Workplay, one of the greatest moments of my life.

The Pine Hill Haints

- As far as local bands go, the Haints are a cut above the rest.  I hate using cliché phrases in writing, but it’s just too true.  Even in comparison to my favorite bands of all time, they’re still pretty high on the totem pole.  They’re smart enough to play Birmingham sparingly, so every time I get to see them, it’s really special.  Unique and home-grown, the Haints are in a genre all their own, with components that can appeal to any music-lover.

Quilt

- I’m a sucker for neo-psych. Especially the stuff coming out of Austin for the past few years.  However, Quilt, brings a different kind of psychedelic revival from Massachusetts, less heavy, heady art rock and more tranquil, harmonic tunes, a la The Mamas & The Papas.  They’ve only played Bottletree twice, once opening for the Fresh & Onlys probably two years ago, and once opening for Olivia Tremor Control a year before that.  I thought their debut album was literally perfect, but they just released a stellar sophomore album that I’ve fallen in love with.  They’re definitely my favorite new band right now. I will hopefully be seeing them in Nashville on August 29.

I actually interviewed them for a newspaper I interned with when I was in college, and it was so refreshing to meet extremely talented, down-to-earth musicians that were actually my age.  Not to bring down my blog with heavy emotion, but I summed up their style by looking back on the anti-war protests coupled with the music from the sixties and comparing it to the war in the Middle East that we are living with today, since we were little kids, except we’re expressing ourselves digitally, and in social media, but we’re still harboring the same confused and heart-wrenched feelings that our grandparents had.

The Black Angels

Same new-sych, but a lot darker, less thoughtful, more acid-trippy. However, I promise you don’t have to do drugs to enjoy this band.  They’re one of my absolute favorites, probably because they remind me so much of The Doors, which are in their own category of life-changing influences that have shaped my entire being, but that’s a different story.  The Black Angels always have the BEST unkown-ish openers, like Hanni El Khatib, Spindrift, and the Night Beats, and they always the best live shows: heady, loud, raw.  One time a guy in a group of swingers doing ecstasy punched me at the Masquerade (home of all scene band shows) in Atlanta, but it was worth it.