What I'm doing from home

Hello my loves!!!

Today is another beautiful day. I'm currently experimenting with putting bleach and toner in my hair to finish off my summer hair look! I went to the hair stylist to get a full balayage, but I'm just correcting a few pieces that I think she missed. If you don't ask for highlights, sometimes it won't look blended into your natural hair color to go gradually lighter. I usually don't get my hair professionally cut or colored because it's expensive and sometimes it's hard to trust another person. However, I'm glad I treated myself because it's almost been seven years--I was in middle school! Lol. I personally love doing little DIY's so I didn't mind taking the time to add a few more highlights. 

After

Before

Today I want to talk about what I'm doing from home. Each and every day, I ask myself, what kinds of things can I do that feel fulfilling and joyful? 

For one, I am the kind of person who needs to stay busy throughout the week. With or without the pandemic, I still planned to take summer school classes so I'm happy I have something to do during the day. It's nice because I was able to have meetings on Zoom so I felt like there was some social interaction amidst all this social distancing and unfortunate separation between my friends and I. When I'm not interacting with my family, I'm interacting with my professors, classmates and film advisor! It's amazing because I feel productive and therefore fulfilled throughout the week. 

Besides taking classes, I'm also really adamant about having a morning routine and not waking up too late. I've been there before--taking it easy all the time, living without structure, doing what I want when I felt like it. It's all fun and games until you've gained a few pounds, get too lazy, and start feeling a little sad or moody more than you'd like to. I think when you've got a solid morning routine and wake up decently early,  you can do anything! BTW, I have a whole other blog post with a video dedicated to morning routines. One crucial part of my morning (besides coffee!) is basically just go outside to get some sunshine and journaling for fun. Then, I hop into my day with my classes.

Once I hop onto my Zoom calls and do any homework or readings for the day, It's already around 4pm. It's nice because I feel like I've burnt some daylight being busy. It's so funny too because I've finally had myself in a position where I enjoyed making breakfast, a Desi omelet with tortillas, but lately I haven't eaten until 4pm (my only bad habit! I don't recommend!) I STILL eat this omelet first thing. Breakfast for an early dinner never felt more rebellious. It's amazing and so dang good that I work harder knowing I have a nutritious meal to look forward to. i

In the evening I typically take a full pause on homework and school for the day. Instead, I might choose to do some research on topics I"m passionate about, like health, wellness, technology and careers in media. Or, I'll watch my favorite Youtubers and browse through their videos. Other times, I feel really inspired and I'll make videos and music of my own, do some photography, or another creative craft! This time of day is truly "me" time. 

Once dinner time rolls around, I may eat earlier or later depending on the last time I ate. Sometimes it's 5:30, other times it's 8:30. As long as I'm conscientious about my physical hunger levels, I simply strive to make a healthy meal from home and don't worry too much about when I eat dinner. 

One thing I always do is make myself a lovely matcha latte. I use whole-milk because that's what my parents have, but use what you have. I simply put about 1-2 tablespoons to mix with a 1/2 teaspoon of matcha powder. Then, I pour hot water over that, give it a stir, and it's ready to go! If I have any nuts or chocolate on hand, it pairs super well. I don't eat too much at a time or else it will bog me down for some late-night yoga :)

Last but not least, I strive to do late-night yoga before bed about 3-5 times per week. Sometimes the yoga takes place before dinner, which is cool too. The weight of the day or the week can really stress you out or make your body feel at extreme unease. Doing yoga really helps you give your body the attention it deserves to work those kinks out, alleviating any stress, tension, or pain you may feel. I truly do my movement to maintain and improve my mental and emotional health more than the physical! As you know though, it is a physical action which helps check off all the boxes! Find activities that address all three components: the physical, the mental and the emotional. That trifecta is the jackpot. 

Last but not least, I hit the hay around 11pm to 12am. It's really nice to think about my morning routine and how much gratitude it brings to me, so it's motivating to go to sleep at this time so I can have a really lovely morning the next day. If you struggle to sleep like I do sometimes, think about the little tiny things that your body or mind might need. Did you stretch? Drink enough water? Take care of yourself and do a little self-care, like putting on lotion and brushing your hair? These things add up and make the evening much more relaxing and gratifying, preparing you for a wonderful night of slumber.

With that, this concludes what I do in a day! Of course there is variation but I would say that on a consistent basis I do all of these things! I hope that you all enjoyed this entry and feel inspired to make your own creative routines or fun things to do each day that make you feel good, too. Let's make it a mission to let this pandemic happen for us and not against us :)

Take care my loves!

Madi <3