Stuck In a Rut

To say I have been stuck in a rut recently would be an understatement.

My fall semester is officially over but the last weeks of the semester were a very trying time for me mentally. I went from having no time to breathe one week to having absolutely nothing to do the last week of classes. Oddly enough, the week I had nothing to do was the harder week for me. Sure, I spent time prepping for my semester abroad and studying, and I did - honest, but that still left loads of free time. Thus my boredom drove me into a rut. And when I get stuck in a rut, it's normally a deep one.

As someone who as suffered from deep clinical depression, the thought of being in a rut scares me. I'm always terrified that I could easily fall back into my depression. I tend to over-think even the most minute aspects of my life so having endless amounts of free time that leads to crazy amounts of boredom, can be a bit dangerous especially when I'm alone. Having down time is normally nice, but too much of it lets my mind wander into scary territories that I would rather never revisit ever again. Some people may say it is the stereotypical "seasonal depression" that many people seem to suffer from, but that doesn't make it any less important since it can easily carry over for a longer period of time.

Even as I write this I'm still stuck a bit, partly due to confusion on the potential future direction of this blog; I will likely start doing more beauty related posts because I enjoy them. And primarily due to a massive writers block that has been driving me bonkers. Normally when I'm stuck, I write. I'm no Jane Austen by any means and most of the time this writing never sees the light of day, but it's therapeutic and helps clear my mind. Not being able to figure out things to write about is frustrating to no end.

In order to help get my out of my rut and out of my writers block, I thought I'd share of few of the things that have helped me out. Maybe if you are stuck you can try one of these things out as a small step in the right direction. One of the things I did/do to relax a bit is some extra pampering and me time. My handy dandy Origins Drink-Up mask and my recently purchased Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque seemed to do the trick. Nicely scented masks are always a go-to for me whenever I am stressed. I've found that taking care of yourself in even the smallest of ways, such as skincare, can really be beneficial in the long-run to you taking care of your mind. It may seem superficial to some, but for me it works since it is a baby step in feeling good about yourself and can make you happy if even for only a moment.

But probably the most helpful of all of the things I did came in the form of aromatherapy. I'd always wanted to try the this works deep sleep pillow spray; I've heard many great things about it and how helpful it can but was always put off from buying indue to the price. However, as I was online shopping on black friday on ASOS, I saw they had a little "dream team" bundle with mini versions of the spray and the deep sleep stress less rollerball, so I decided to give it a go. In short, they combine Lavender, Chamomile, and Vetivert for a soothing aroma. It is so relaxing and has helped me sleep and clear my mind of all of the stress caused from being stuck in such a rut.

There are also a multitude of other things you can do to clear your mind when you're stressed and get you out of a rut. These are simply two of the main things I tend to fall back on when I get stuck.

What do you do when you're in a similar situation?

Talk to y'all soon!

Xx

Just Doing Me

When I first started going to therapy two summers ago, one of the big things I learned was that in order to be happy I needed to start taking care of myself and focusing on me. I've always liked my alone time but I never really did things during that time to take care of myself until the past few months or so when I began to set aside time for pamper days/evenings. I normally try to do them once or twice a week depending on how stressed I am, and being back at school generally means I need it at least twice a week. I honestly wish I had started doing these sooner because they are so relaxing and I've found they are very helpful in setting the mind right, and after all of the problems I've had over the past few years these days can be a God-send stress-reliever at times.

A full-out pampering for me consists of some sort of hair treatment, a few skin products, and doing my nails. Sometimes I will only do one or two of these things if I'm short on time, but at least once a week I like to go full-out.

I also like to experiment with new products just like I do with my makeup. And as I have really struggled with my skin all of my life I've found that most of the more common drugstore products just don't work for me. I can't explain why but I've tried almost every Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, etc. product under the sun and while some may work for a little bit, most of them never fully work for and so I have had to branch out into slightly more higher end products such as Origins, Clinique, etc.

And since I love pampering I thought I'd share with you a few of the things that I love to use.

Redken Extreme Deep Fuel: While I'm a natural blonde, it is a dirty blonde and I like it much lighter so I get it highlighted, so there's a lot of damage that's been done with the bleach over the years. And the shampoo I currently use to get the purple in my hair can be drying at times. I also have pretty weak hair from years of being an untreated anemic, I even lost half of my hair and the stuff goring back is way stronger than the other stuff, so most of my ends are horrendous. All of this means I need a strong hair mask and this one is amazing. My hair stylist is a Redken stylist so I have always used Redken products and this is one of the best. I put it on damp hair, wrap it in a twisty towel and then wash it out 10-15 minutes later and it makes my hair softer. After some searching to find it online and why it was so ridiculously expensive on Amazon, I found that this product has unfortunately been discontinued. Bummer.

Organix Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme: I picked this up on a whim because I've heard great things about argan oil. I was recently given MoroccanOil Intense Curl Cream by a friend's mom and I actually like that better (and it is so worth the hype) but as it's much more expensive, I still use this one once a week to make my hair feel extra soft and healthy at the ends. It also smells fantastic so that's an added plus.

Bath&Body Works Stress Relief Body Cream: I'm a sucker for things that are spearmint scented and this body cream is no different. The eucalyptus and spearmint are meant to not only nourish the body, but the mind as well with aromatherapy. When you take the time to breathe in deeply I have found that it does work, at least for me. I even purchased it in hand sanitizer form so I can take it with me if it's needed. As a body cream, I like to also slap it on my feet and put socks on to nourish my feet and moisturize them so it works as a multipurpose product.

Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask: With my 100 point perk at Sephora I once nabbed the amazing GlamGlow YouthMud mask and fell in love with it. Unfortunately it's super duper expensive so I have been on the hunt for a good replacement. I stumbled upon this particular mask after reading a post by Lily Melrose over on her second blog, etcllymlrs, and decided to give it a shot. It works very well and I've seen a noticeable change in my skin. It has worked well to help clear my pores and leave my skin looking fresh. While not as instantaneously effective as the GlamGlow mask, it is still something that I will forever repurchase because of the results I've seen, especially when paired with my Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Gel.

Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Mask: Since I have dry skin hydration is a must. This mask smells like apricots and does wonders. I'm itching to try the overnight version of this mask but for now this does wonders. I will end up using it twice a week as winter comes along but this mask makes my skin feel refreshed and hydrated.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Lava Red: I've never had a real manicure or pedicure in my life; I've always loved doing my nails myself as I find it relaxing (and my nails used to peel terribly bad from my anemia). Fall is a great time for dark nail colors and this is a gorgeous deep red. It's even darker on than in the bottle and I love it. This particular brand is particularly long-lasting as well!

Seche Vite Top Coat: Everyone should definitely believe the hype on this one. It's fast drying and leaves a glossy finish that almost makes it seem like you got a gel manicure. For someone who loves doing their nails as much as me, this is just a must have.

LUSH Mint Julips Lip Scrub: I honestly can't get enough of this stuff; it tastes like a York Peppermint Patty! It's a simple exfoliator for your lips but it works wonders. And since it's made of pure sugar its 100% edible and tastes amazing. I probably use this more than I should but I can't help it. It will be a stable come winter and the ever so prevalent dry lips.

Bath&Body Works Candle: Sweater Weather: No pampering is complete without a candle. I was drawn into this candle by the name and then loved it by the smell. It says it's a combination of eucalyptus, fresh sage, and juniper berry, all I know is it smells like heaven.

What do you like to use on pamper days? I love getting recommendations!

Talk to y'all soon!

Xx