Stressing Over Finals

For some people finals are over or just about over, but for me I start finals next week. I feel pretty good about my finals this semester, but I'm still a little stressed. Since it's my first experience with college finals I want to create a healthy habit when it comes to approaching finals. Here are some tips on how to ease a little bit of the stress of finals. These stress relieving tips can be used for other things than just finals. It can be used to help ease the stress of work, relationships, personal life, and financial stress. You can even modify and personalize these tips to make them fun or more suitable for you. Make your routine unique! I hope you all enjoy. :)

Your Truly,

Carla Renee

xoxo

Stress Relieving Tips:

Listen to Music

Listening to your favorite artists will instantly relax your mind and body. Take a few minutes out of your day to sit back and clear your mind. Don't think of the things you have to do, just enjoy the moment for what it is. Music that is great for relieving stress is nature sounds. As cliche as it may seem, it's really helpful. Stop what you're doing, turn on some tunes, and enjoy the moment.

Talk to a Friend

Human to human communication is important, specially if it's communicating with a good friend of yours. You don't have to spend a whole day with that person. It can be a trip to a coffee shop or a 25 minute phone call. Talking to a friend eases stress because that person will either get your mind off of that stress or will tell you they're going through the same thing. If that's the case you won't feel alone and knowing that you're not alone will help you cope with stress a little bit easier. Laughing and chatting with a friend is always a good time and a fun stress reliever. It's something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Eat Right

When we have so many things to do during the day we tend to grab the quickest and closest thing to us and sometimes the quickest and closest things to us aren't the healthiest. If we're studying for long hours we'll grab chips or a bag of candy. Anything that's easy to take with us and easy to eat. That's not always the best thing to do. Instead, grab some fruit and water. Fruit are known to help reduce stress. Eating right makes you feel more alert and it's healthy for you. It's basically a win win situation.

Be Mindful

Meditating and things like Yoga, Pilates and tai chi are great for long term stress relief. Try taking a class or just sit and meditate in a quiet room for 10 minutes. I personally like meditating. After 10 minutes of clearing my mind and deep breathing I feel a lot better and like my mind had organized itself. Making me feel less stressed out.

Drink Tea

Tea is a really soothing drink whether it is served hot or cold. To relieve stress, hot tea is the way to go. Tea has less than half the amount of caffeine and has healthy antioxidants. There are also different types of teas that are great for healing. Whether it is digestion, immunity, or to aid in alertness and relieving stress. I love tea, it's one of my favorite drinks and whenever I drink it I never feel stressed.

Sleep Tight

It's recommended to get at least 8-9hrs of sleep a night but honestly I haven't gotten that much sleep since I've started college. Turning your room into the perfect sleeping sanctuary will help you feel rejuvenated in the morning. To do this make sure that you try to avoid doing homework in your bed. If you accustom yourself to doing work on your bed whenever you get in bed you're gonna feel as if you need to be doing something and you won't feel as relaxed. Before it's time for you to go to sleep neatly pull back your covers so that your bed looks more appealing and more like it's welcoming you to go to sleep. If your bed is tempting you to go to sleep when you get into bed you'll feel more at ease and fall asleep. And lastly, turn off all of the lights and have the room temperature to your liking. A dark room will help you fall asleep because you can't see in the dark so you can't look around. All of these steps will turn your room into a sleep sanctuary and will help you feel rejuvenated for the next day, no matter how many hours of sleep you may get. 

Staying Cute and Warm in the Crisp Winter Weather

Hey lovelies, even though it is technically still Autumn, December has brought in the Winter chill and it is definitely starting to set in, especially in San Francisco. Here are some ideas of staying warm and cute in the wind chill of the upcoming winter. Below are some of my favorite individual items and outfits.
Hope you enjoy. :)


Yours Truly,
Carla Renee
xoxo

Cardigans: Recently since I've moved to NorCal I have fallen in love with cardigans. They're so cute and warm. You can wear them with jeans or leggings. I personally love wearing cardigans with leggings and knit beanies. 

Infinity Scarves: Before moving up north I didn't really like scarves. In the area that I lived in scarves weren't really necessary because it never got that cold. Since I didn't need them I didn't wear them and I didn't feel like wearing a scarf as a fashion statement. But, now that I need them in San Francisco they've become one of my favorite things to wear! I wear them for warmth and as a fashion statement.

Boots: Boots are now one of my obsessions, point blank. Whether they are heeled boots like these, under the knee high boots or cute flat boots like the ones below. I'll wear them. Especially with a cardigan and a cute pair of leggings.

Here are some outfit ideas for the winter season that I find super cute!

Over the past season or two I have gotten into neutral colors like beige. I've also found a new love for the color maroon. I feel like neutral colors can go with anything. That's probably why they're called neutral colors in the first place, lol.

Purple has always been a favorite color of mine since I could remember. The knit cardigan and grey boots go perfect with the jeans and what's great about the color of the cardigan is that any pattern and color scarf goes well with it. Another pro to neutral colors. :)

Here is a simple outfit with a cardigan and boots. I couldn't turn it away because of the light brown and dark brown combination. The boots are cute and can be worn in any weather because they're made out of leather.

I really like this outfit because it's not dressy, it's simple, and it's still really cute. All that's needed is your favorite pair of skinny jeans, a zip up sweater, warm knit boots, and a purse. I personally don't think the kind of purse matters. It can be a backpack purse or a regular purse. You'll still look cute.

Another outfit that I love now that I have to dress warmer is definitely the combination of long skit sweaters and leggings. I feel like it's a cute and innocent look. There also isn't anything difficult about the outfit and it's still really cute. It can be an easy go to outfit if you don't know what to wear. Another thing I like about this outfit is that you can do so much with it. You can wear boots, add a scarf, and/or a beanie with it. Either way, you'll look and feel warm and comfortable.

 I hope you enjoyed these outfit ideas. Hopefully they inspired you to create your own personal winter wonderland wardrobe. No matter what, the best outfit is the one that is stylish and one that you love. <3

More Than Just Water

I don't know about all of you, but I've always heard that it's important to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. I've gone online to find out how much water we really need to drink a day. From all of my findings it is safe to say that we should all drink at least 8 glasses a day, or a little over a liter of water throughout the day to stay properly hydrated. I don't mind water too much, but after awhile the plainness of water gets tiring and I give in to juice and soda. I've found some ways to make water more enjoyable and naturally tasteful. It's easy to make and you can make an abundant amount of it so that you can take it in a travel cup and store the rest in your refrigerator for later. It's a great way of staying healthy and enjoying great flavors. All of these recipes are natural. The only ingredients you need are water and the fruits and vegetables of your choice. Don't be afraid to experiment and add your own little spins to these recipes. Think of them as a foundation to something healthy and delicious that you can make on your own. Enjoy. :)

Yours Truly,
Carla Renee
xoxo

With making fruit/vegetable water there are only 3 easy steps:

1) Cut up the fruit/vegetable of your choice and place it in a pitcher

2) Fill the pitcher with water. (ice is optional)
   *I like using ice in my individual servings, I feel like the chill of the ice enhances the flavors*

3) Let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to let the flavors infuse
 

Here are some fruit/vegetable water ideas and the benefits of drinking them:

Lemon Water: Lemon water is probably the most common known infusion of fruit and water. In restaurants the waiter/waitress usually asks if you want lemon with your water. Well, there are health benefits to this simple and common known combination. Lemon water helps stimulate and regulate the digestive track. It also helps fight infections and promotes the immune system due to it's Vitamin C content.

Cucumber Water: Cucumber water is rich with vitamins and calcium. Cucumbers are 95% water so you're adding more water to your water, if that makes sense, lol. Cucumbers are great for hydrating your skin and helps filter the liver and kidneys. To add even more flavor to your cucumber water, mint is a good complementary flavor. Mint can help with a more effective digestion and help relax cramped up stomach muscles.

Sweet-Tart: Stir 2 cups pineapple chunks, 1 cup pitted and halved fresh cherries, and 3 cored and thinly sliced granny smith apples.

(This recipe makes 2 quarts. Top ingredients with 6 cups ice, fill jar or pitcher with water, stir, and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavors infuse)










Strawberry Basil Blast: Scrunch 8 fresh mint leaves to release their flavors. Combine 3 cups of halved strawberries and gently muddle with a wooden spoon or spatula.

(This recipe makes 2 quarts. Top ingredients with 6 cups ice, fill jar or pitcher with water, stir, and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavors infuse)

Orangeberry: Gently muddle 5 thinly sliced oranges and 2 cups raspberries.

(This recipe makes 2 quarts. Top ingredients with 6 cups ice, fill jar or pitcher with water, stir, and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavors infuse)











The last 3 recipes I got from Prevention.com. Click on the link and it will take you to the page with these recipes along with 23 other delicious fruit water ideas and recipes. Hopefully these recipes help and hopefully these will help us drink more water and enjoy the natural taste of fruit and water.

Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

So in my last post I talked about going out and living life and today I did just that, but not by my own will necessarily. Today was a beautiful day in San Francisco. I was texting a guy friend of mine and he also agreed that today was a nice day. A little further into our conversation he asked if I wanted to sit in the grass with him on campus. Me being the dorky somewhat smitten girl that I am, I was totally blushing, but I said yes. Thank God we were texting, if we were in person that would have been so embarrassing. When we met up he instantly started conversation. Asking me how my day was and what was new with me. It was nice. After finally finding a nice place in the sun to sit we sat down in the grass and started talking more. He asked me about my love for volleyball and I asked him about his love for his sport. We talked about school, growing up, and how it's okay to be kid sometimes. It was such a refreshing feeling to have someone interested in my interests and listening to what I have to say. I'm not gonna lie, I had a crush on him before this day, but when it was just the two of us sitting in the grass enjoying the sun I started to like him more. He had to leave because there were some things he had to take care of, but he walked me halfway to my dorm and we talked more. We were laughing and chatting and I was holding onto his arm while we were walking. I had never held onto his arm before, but it felt right. After a certain point we hugged and said our goodbyes. I walked the rest of the way to my dorm all smiles. Looking like the dorky somewhat smitten girl that I am. I wonder if this is what it's like to take things slow or maybe I'm just way in over my head. Regardless, I've never had such a simple day with someone before, especially with a guy. He's definitely something different. But, it's a good different. A different I like. I really hope we get more days together like these.

Just Breathe

So far I'm about 3 months into my first semester of college. I only have about a month left before the semester is over and today was like any other day, me trying to survive the day. Walking out of my last class with a friend, we were talking about how much effort should be put into college work. I'm putting all of my effort into my school work while my friend kind of isn't. His response to that was, "I have other important things to do. Like hang out with my roommates, go outside, and just live." I had no idea how to respond to that. He took me by surprise. Before leaving he said, "You'll understand eventually." 
After he left I thought about what he said. I had been so wrapped up and stressed out about school work that I haven't been living. I've just been going through the motions of waking up, going to class, doing homework, studying for long hours, and napping whenever I wasn't in class or had an exam to study for or a paper to write. It kind of makes me laugh now that I've realized this because wasn't living the reason why I moved away from home in the first place? 
I came to San Francisco to explore and experience a new pace of living. To find myself and feed my passion for writing and photography. I came to San Francisco to reinvent myself; to expose myself to something unfamiliar and let myself blossom to my fullest potential. Looking back, I had a plan. I was going to get into photography more and write more and just live more. But I haven't been doing that. I've been so focused on making sure that I get into the nursing program by getting straight A's that I haven't been living. Now that I think about it, once I get into the nursing program and get my degree what kind of stories can I tell about my college life if all I did was go to class and live in the library? None.
From this point on I am making it a goal and a promise to myself to live. To just breathe and take in the sights and appreciate life for what it is. Because after I accomplish my professional goals I have nothing else to show for my life. I don't want my life to be all about my career. I want my life to be about me and the things I love so that I can pass it onto my kids and my kids can pass stories about my life onto their children.
Now, with this proclamation I'm not saying I'm not gonna try and aim for A's anymore, I am. My goal is to get A's in college. A's just aren't gonna be my life anymore. I'm going to wake up early in the mornings and not stay in bed all the time. I'm going to blog more and devote more time to learning more about photography. I'm going to try and rekindle my passion for music and possibly relearn the piano (maybe). I'm going to set time out to write more. I'm going to explore when my schedule allows me to. I'm going to be successful in school and enjoy the finer things in life; my passions.
I'm going to do all of these things because I want to do all of these things. I'm making it a promise to myself to do all of these things because when I look back on my life I want to be able to say I accomplished something more than just a career, I want to be able to say I accomplished happiness and meaning of life.
Sometimes you just have to breathe. 



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