Healthy Chicks

It’s summertime and the sunshine is beaming, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re feeling so sun-shiny inside. Even the cheeriest of us have those days where we could use a little extra boost. Here are 21 little ways to brighten up your mood this summer. Feel free to add your own in the comments section!

1. Squeezing in a little extra time with those friends that make you extra cheery
2. Reading booklets, magazines and articles packed with inspirational quotes like the one above which is from an IIN magazine
3. Escaping to the beach for a sun-kissed afternoon
4. Getting out of the house/apartment & going for a long walk
5. Shutting down all sources of technology (yes, that includes your iPhone!)
6. Avoiding Facebook & twitter stalking for a day, and living your life rather than comparing it to others (think: I’m so jealous all my friends are at this party except me! I can’t believe she’s engaged! Her job is my dream job! Life is so unfair!) Try to remember there’s always another side to every person’s story…
7. Reading a steamy summer romance novel
8. Signing up for a 5K, 10K or half marathon in your area like the UnitedHealthcare Half in the beautiful Newport, RI.
9. Indulging in that late-night cucumber martini + life discussions with a good friend (thanks Meg!)
10. Organizing your closet by colors or seasons & making room for new must-have summer items
11. Checking those “big” projects off your list once & for all. For me, this entailed organizing my group wellness program Mindful Steps, hosting another workshop on Controlling Your Cravings, and setting up a Corporate Wellness program on my website, specializing in company newsletter support. You all know how good it feels to check things off the list, especially those big things.
12. Taking a blissful day 100% to yourself
13. Painting, drawing, sketching or writing a letter to someone special
14. Treating yourself to a kinda expensive dinner from your favorite restaurant
15. Whole Foods salad bar. Enough said.
16. Leaving work early on a Friday to get away for a long weekend of camping
17. Next time you’re worried about something, attempting to envision your life in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and asking, “Will this be an issue in the future?” 9 times out of 10, this helps me snap out of it and realize I’ll be just fine.
18. Doing something completely spontaneous and out of the ordinary for you, even if that just means wearing red to work when usually you’re a black-and-white-kinda-gal.
19. Painting your nails an ultra bright color like this hot orange Capri by Essie.
20. Giving yourself a mini oatmeal facial or trying some of these other at-home beauty remedies to make your skin glow
21. Embracing the now. Life is too short to be bumming, after all.

What would you add to this list? What are your top tricks for snapping out of a bad mood?

XoXo,

summer on a plate – fresh blueberries, sliced banana, & agave syrup topped waffles

Happy June 21st all, you know the first day of summer – the absolute best season in the world! Not only is it the season of loving, but it’s also the season of fireworks, my birthday (24 in two weeks – eek!), BBQs, the ocean, pretty flowers in your hair, clam bakes and lobster fests, blueberry pickin’, frozen yogurt and freshly squeezed margaritas (on the rocks).

With that unfortunately comes the season of mosquito bites, bad hair days, pit stains and even worse – smelling other people’s sweat while squished in between a random dude’s crotch on the train. Not fun.

However, I choose to think of the delightful things summer has to offer! I guess that’s just the kind of person I am. I always try to see the good in things, and tend to push aside the not-so-good. Call me annoying or “too happy,” but that’s how I am and have always been.

On that note, the other day I had a not-so-pleasant experience I thought it was time to share with you all: I had my first ever anxiety attack out of no where, and let me tell you it was extremely difficult to see the good in that. My throat started closing up, my pace was out of control, and I could barely catch my breath. I was scared. I was confused. And I felt extremely alone. Coming from someone who is happy 90% of the time and didn’t have anything particularly “bad” going on in my life, I didn’t understand where these out-of-the-blue feelings were coming from. And when my roommates tried to help pull me out of it, I felt embarrassed because I didn’t know what exactly was wrong.

Then my best friend pointed out that it’s OK to feel that way, and that it happens to everyone at times. “It’s your subconscious telling you to slow down and focus on one thing at a time.” I can agree with that. Maybe it’s my mind telling me I’ve got too much going on in there. Maybe it’s my body saying it needs a break. Maybe it’s my inner self saying “Hey Rach, you owe yourself some ‘me’ time.” After all, no one can be perfect and happy-go-lucky all of the time.

So yea, I was a little embarrassed, confused and scared to tell you guys what went on in there (my brain) the other day. But now that it’s over, I’m happy to re-center myself and find clarity. Therefore, I’m dedicating this week entirely for me. My boyfriend is gone for the week visiting his grandparents, one of my roommates is in Aruba for the week and I have ZERO plans, so what better week to take a little vacay with myself? So far I’ve organized some paperwork, practiced yoga in my room with the lights off and candles lit with a slight breeze coming through, slept in, took a nap, blogged my butt off, cooked homemade meals for one, researched and applied to some freelance writing gigs, and am thinking of taking myself on a shopping adventure today. I’m doing ME, and I’m perfectly OK with that. So go ahead, celebrate the first day of summer by doing YOU too.

Do you take enough time for yourself? Do you ever feel overwhelmed or develop feelings of anxiety? How do you cope & grow from the not-so-perfect experiences in life?

XoXo,