Taking Time for Yourself (with a long walk down Columbia's Riverwalk Canal!)

Sep 9, 2018
3 min read

Todays blog kinda has three purposes.

1) to showcase Seth Young of Greenwood's amazing photography skills.

2) as a second installment to the "All the Good Things Cola Town has to offer" series

3) talking about taking time for yourself and staying mentally healthy!

-i know this seems like a weird mash up of topics, but stay with me. it all comes together. I promise!-

with all of that said, I was thrilled when Seth Young of @young_photography asked to do a shoot with me because I immediately knew of the perfect spot to showcase all of columbia's beauty: the riverwalk park and canal. right of the interstate this park is my backyard and i feel so lucky to be able to wake up every morning and enjoy its relaxing and beautiful environment.

Today on the blog i wanted to talk a bit about taking time for yourself and keeping mentally healthy in the midst of a hectic schedule!

People ask me alot how i balance three jobs, school, and all of the extracurricular things i do. My answer is always the i try my best to keep everything balanced, get my 8 hours of sleep every night, and take time for myself when i need to! (Often this means taking time to walk and think) it also helps that i have a sorority of amazing women behind me, always helping and encouraging me! (shout to kappa)

at the end of the day, i dont have alot of time for me, but i always take 30 minutes to an hour to squeeze in some exercise, which focuses me! even if its a short walk on the riverwalk in the evenings after class, taking that bit of me time helps me stay calm and motivated in the midst of a busy life!

also, This blog is such a great outlet for me! If you dont want the responsibility of a blog though, i highly recommend getting into bullet journaling! its so fun and super personalized. if you follow me on Pinterest, im always posting great bullet journal ideas!

another thing i will mention, is that i always make sure to get 8+ hours sunday-thursday nights to make sure im on my A game! even if that means missing the latest episode of my favorite show, i tape it and save it for the weekend!

that leads me to another point: i save my friday and saturdays for F U N.

i love having a night out on the town with my girlfriends, or staying in and doing face masks and at home mani's. its the little breaks that keep you sane when things get really hectic!

The most important part of all of this is:

stay organized and stay healthy! i always try to incorporate healthy foods into my diet, and avoid taking in too much caffeine (despite working at a coffee shop lol) or other bad toxins! and dont just keep your diet organized, if you have a hectic schedule its so helpful to keep your surroundings and schedule organized too! I like to declutter and am a big believer in the konMari method for decluttering it (google it, it will change your life) i also keep an agenda, but the bullet journal i described above is a great and fun alternative!

so: to consolidate:

#1 take time to exercise a little each day

#2 keep yourself focused on your goals by keeping a journal!

#3make sure to get enough sleep

#4 dont forget to have fun every now and then!

#5 stay clean: clean diet, clean room, clean life

#6 stay focused on your goals (you've got this!)

disclaimer: im not perfect at this, but over the last 3 years of college, ive learned that this is what helps me stay happy and mentally healthy! i hope this helps yall.

whew! that was a long list.

below are some of my favorite photos from the shoot! i hope you love them as much as i do!