Make people glad that you passed through their life

This is a quote that I took directly from a member at my gym named Joe, who is the most happy, positive, and upbeat person I think I've ever encountered in my life. It really resonated with me and I just want to share a couple of thoughts centered around this idea.

Life can be long or it can be short. What you do with it, and the impact you have in life is completely up to you. I believe so strongly that sometime's someone's purpose in life is to make it a little bit easier for other human beings. These people are empathetic, they feel strongly the emotions of others, they want to help.

They understand the power of a kind smile.
The warmth of a gentle hug.
The importance of making other people laugh, and laughing right along.

Joe is a heavyset black man in his fifties. He's from Hawaii and he has the craziest laugh I've ever heard. He talks shit all the time about people who walk around looking like they're miserable, but he does this with a smile on his face. It's impossible to hate Joe. I'm glad that he passed through my life.

Make it your mission to be as light as a feather, to only bring happiness and joy and kindness to those whose lives you touch. At the same time, being this empathetic is so hard sometimes. You can't save everyone and you can't be weighed down by other people's heaviness. Your number one investment is yourself. But smile wider, linger longer, listen better, and make people happy to have interacted with you in some large, small, microscopic, or fleeting way. Make people glad that you passed through their life.

THE FRIDAY FIVE

THINKING ABOUT: how strange and unlucky this week was! On Monday night I fell off a chair during one of my dance classes and the corner of the chair went straight into the side of my stomach, leaving me with a gigantic deep bruise. On Tuesday there was a "snow storm" that turned out to be just rain and my Tuesday night dance classes were cancelled for the third week in a row. On Wednesday there was a crazy thunder/lightning storm that cracked a tree in half in our backyard and it landed on our shed. Also on Wednesday someone bought the car at a dealership that I was hoping to buy. And yesterday I had an allergic reaction to new laundry detergent and was itching my legs so hard they almost started bleeding and L had to bring new pants to my work for me to change into. Should I start carrying around a four leaf clover/lucky rabbit's foot, orrrrr.....

LISTENING TO: two songs, one which I Shazammed in a Spin class, the other which I found on one of my favorite music apps, Soundcloud. Something About You by Majiid Jordan and the Roses & Money Mash-Up by 3LAU. UGH, so good. Electric hip-hop, EDM, whatever you wanna call, this is my favorite genre of music right now.

FEELING LIKE: it's time to make a change. I've been really unhappy with my eating and work out habits for awhile now. I'm not planning anything out in advance and because of that, I have nothing to stick to and hold myself accountable for. It's time to start color coding my life and getting my act back together.

PROUD OF: how productive I was last night. Some nights I have a hard time finding any motivation to get things done because I'm SO TIRED from my 5am-1pm work shift during the day. Yesterday I just didn't press pause and kept on going and going. I threw in a load of laundry, plucked my eyebrows, did a skin treatment, painted my nails, changed the batteries in my vanity mirror (I know this is a small thing but it's legit something I would put off from being too tired), packed my breakfast and lunch, set my clothes AND makeup for the next morning, folded laundry & put it away, and tidied my room. Normally I'd lay in bed for four hours watching Youtube videos. Made a to-do list and crossed all that shit off and I was feeling goooood.

EXCITED FOR: Nice weather this weekend. Possibly hiking??? Making some Spin profiles and playlists. Going to Sephora and getting some new skincare, although I can't decide between this, this, or my tried and trusted (but so expensive) Nude milk serum. I have a $50 gift card but with great Sephora gift cards comes great responsibility. Getting a new car. Planning out a month's worth of meals for March. How great that illiteration sounds?! March's Monthly Meals. If that doesn't have a ring to it, I don't know what does!

How to appear as though you have your shit together in 5 easy steps

Life is hard and sometimes you can't even.

I've been actually having a really hard time this month sticking to my goals and staying motivated. I don't know if I necessarily have Seasonal Affective Disorder, but sometimes I think I do, and during this time of the year, every year, I suffer a ton of lethargy and find it hard to be engaged with things I used to once love doing. So while I'm dealing with all of that, I still want to APPEAR like I have my act together.

^ I don't wear lipstick too often, but I do love that quote.

So here is a list of the things I attempt to do when trying to make other people think I didn't just spend the six hours after my work shift laying in bed, eating slices of cheese, and binge-watching The People vs. OJ Simpson.

1. Paint your nails. Nothing says "I don't give a fuck about myself" like chipped nail polish, especially if you're like me and somehow manage to get all sorts of strange brown gunk under your finger nails. I personally think it's a pain in the ass to make sure my nails are always looking good. As I type this, I have chipped pink and glitter polish from the week before Valentine's Day on there. But I feel like it makes a huge difference in the way I feel about myself and, let's face it, there ARE people out there who will judge you by your nails.

2. Braid your hair. I've been able to braid my hair since I was a little girl, I don't even remember learning how. But it will never cease to shock me how amazed some people are by a simple French braid, or even just a regular braid! When I haven't washed or brushed my hair in three days, I pull it all to the side, do a little twisty-doo-dad with the front "bangs" section of my hair, then do a nice loose side braid with the whole thing. Or French braid the front sections to your head, that one will really impress everyone.

3. Get your glow on. I can't pretend that I'm healthy when it comes to everything and tanning is one of them. Do I know that tanning beds increase the risk of skin cancer? Yes. Do I tan? Yes. I'll be honest, it's hard to work in a gym environment and not take advantage of the extra amenities. It's like peer pressure. So a few seven minute long sessions in a tanning booth can give me a big boost of confidence and make me feel like I have my act together a little bit more. If this isn't your thing then just buy some Jergens. I do hate the way it smells though.

4. De-clutter your baggage. Purse, wallet, gym bag, duffel bag, backpack. There are receipts, food wrappers, crumbs, used up gift cards, etc just taking up space and mental energy in these places. And nothing says "my life is falling apart" to me like when I open my wallet in line at Target and my cards fall all over the floor followed by 8 receipts, 3 appointment reminder cards, 2 pairs of earrings, a pair of headphones, cracker crumbs, and a waterfall of loose change. It takes three minutes to clean up your act and feel a lot better about yourself.

5. SMILE. A change of attitude can make all the difference. It's easier said than done. People know and recognize when you're frantic and all over the place. At least I do, and I know when people recognize it in me. Take several deep breaths, repeat a mantra, do a little bit of meditation wherever you are and whatever you're doing. Do you ever just see those people who look like they have it all together because they're so calm, deliberate, and slow-paced? Strive to be this way. I know I definitely do.

Now put a smile on and go out there and look like a succeeding young adult with me!

Questions: 

• Is there anything you do to feel calmer and more put together? 
• How much weight do you think appearance has in feeling put together? 

A letter to my pre-college self

Dear Danielle,

Oh poor, sweet Danielle. You are so innocent and young and naive. You have such a strong desire to fit in and be accepted that you are denying so many parts of yourself, and yet at the same time, you are being loud and trying to get so many people's attention.

Let's start with the light stuff.

You are convinced that you can pull off a bob. You're cute but you can't. And you shouldn't cut your own bangs either, it looks totally crazy. You're hair is too curly for this hairstyle. Embrace your natural hair texture! It will take you years to figure out how to make it work, but it will save your hair so much damage and you will get so much more sleep in the morning.

It will be awhile before you figure out how to actually take care of yourself in terms of your acne, your dry skin, and your immune system. You don't know how to eat healthy yet either, and you actually won't figure that out for many years. The good news is, your skin will clear up and look better than ever. You just have to give it time. I know how self conscious it makes you, trust me I understand. Just put on a brave face and use the BareMinerals your mom got you. Even though I wouldn't recommend a powder foundation to someone with skin as dry as the Sahara like yours is right now. 

Your friends now will not be your friends forever and that's okay. You will find better friends. You will never be quite sure why your friends grew apart so quickly once you guys left for college. Deep down, you were just very different people. You always felt stifled and somewhat judged by them. They were great people at the time and you shared some incredible laughs together but you were just kids and when you went away to college, they may have grown up a little bit faster than you did. Like I said at the beginning, you were very naive. From whatever way your parents raised you, you had absolutely no relationship with drugs or alcohol. Going to college will be an eye opener.

You will actually be so scared and nervous, and for probably the first few months of college, you won't have a sip of alcohol. I have advice for Freshman Year of College Danielle too, but let's save that for a separate letter. 

Pre-College Danielle, you are still very much in denial about your sexuality. You tried dating a couple of boys but there honestly weren't many quality ones to choose from at your high school. And you had crushes but they weren't very serious. The truth is, you will have two secret relationships with girls from your high school and those are the ones that will make you feel that rush. This is going to stress you out a LOT, and for a long time you're going to suppress it. But once you finally come clean, years later, you will be proud and confident and happy, trust me. But again, there's another blog post for this topic. 

Basically, Pre-College Danielle, what I'm telling you is that you are living in a very small box right now. I'm not sure if it feels like a small box to you in the moment. Maybe sometimes. But that box will explode when you go off to Rhode Island. Convince your parents that being a Dance major is something that you need to do. You will grow SO MUCH. You'll dance in ways you never even thought imaginable and you will find your place in the Roger Williams University dance program. Pinky swear. Don't let anyone convince you that dance is a stupid thing to major in. 

Open a savings account now, not later.
Get your damn freakin' license, don't be afraid to drive.
Keep in touch with the two friends from high school that will be there for you years and years later.
Don't paint your room lime green, what were you thinking.

I don't recognize you from where I'm standing now, but I know you'll always be a part of who I am today.
I love you sis. 

xoxo,
23 Year Old Semi-Adult Danielle 

The Happiness List

What to expect at your Spinning certification!

Yesterday I went to Spinning certification class with two of my fellow coworkers!
Brief background on my Spinning experience:
I started Spinning in April 2016, so not long at all now, and before that, I was TERRIFIED to start. But the gym I work at started offering it, so I technically had to take it in order to know what I was talking about when I was recommending it to gym members.
And it was so much fun!
I mean, after getting over the initial feelings of probably-going-to-die, might-throw-up, and why-did-i-do-this-to-myself.
But honestly, it's one of the most gratifying feelings to finish an especially challenging Spin class, like a runner's high (which I've never actually experienced since I hate running).
So to expand our own knowledge, and start teaching these awesome classes ourselves, we decided to get Spinning certified!

We drove an hour and a half for our class in Newburgh, NY which was the furthest of anyone in the class! We are crazy! 

It was a long, exhausting rewarding day. Here is what to expect if you go to class to get Spinning certified: 

1. Bring like seven water bottles. No joke, I'm a fish so I probably needed more. It's such a long day and you'll be so dehydrated if you aren't constantly drinking water.
2. The first part of the day will be a lot of demonstrating bike set up and safety. A lot of people were pedaling on their bikes through this whole thing. OMG your butt will start hurting so badly. It doesn't make you look cooler to keep pedaling through this. Just sit on the damn ground.
3. Bring like a hundred snacks. Unless your MI (Master Instructor) is super strict, there will be plentyyyy of opportunities to eat snacks. Fuel that body, it needs those calories so much today.
4. Your first ride is demonstrating all the different movements in a Spin class and it's probably not going to be to music and it's probably not going to be fun. It's purely informational. But you will sweat soooo much during it.
5. BRING EXTRA CHANGES OF CLOTHES. After your first ride, you'll have a lunch break, a LONG lecture, and then another ride. You'll want an outfit for your first ride, one to change into after that, and then one to change into on your ride home from the class itself. I cannot stress this enough unless you love sitting in a puddle of your own sweat.
6. Try not to fall asleep during the lecture portion. Your body is going to start going into sleep mode after that effort during the first ride and after your lunch break. SIESTA MODE. I could barely keep my eyes open. I don't have any advice to help with this besides just to be aware this is when you gotta try to keep your eyes pried open.
7. During the lecture portion, you will learn SO MUCH. Don't try to take notes on everything, just things your instructor says that resonate with you about making a profile or music choices or transitions. There's time to read the whole manual cover to cover when you get home (or before the class if you're that extra).
8. You will think with every fiber of your being that there's no way you can do a second ride at the end of the day, but you somehow will anyways. It will be painful, euphoric, and exhilarating when it's finally over. You'll be so damn proud of yourself! I had the WORST stomach cramps during my last ride, and had to keep repeating this mantra to myself, "Pain is temporary, greatness is forever". Dramatic, I know, but it worked. 

Before: 

 After: 

After an eight hour day, we still had a two hour drive home, during which I quickly popped two Advil. I was so exhausted I honestly felt like my body was shutting down. It was one of the most tiring experiences OF MY LIFE. It'll hopefully be so worth it though, to share Spinning and the rewarding experience it carries with all my future Spin students! 

THE FRIDAY FIVE

WATCHING: Every episode of Worst Chef's in America I can find either on Netflix or On Demand, and this season of the The Biggest Loser, which I didn't realize ALREADY STARTED. My boyfriend has never even heard of this show so I'm trying to make him as obsessed with it as I am.

READING: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. This is such a good book, oh my god. It's the kind of book you want to read on your beach vacation by the pool with a little beach umbrella in your alcoholic beverage. It's a fast-paced mystery that feels light and fluffy. I love it.

EATING: like shit. This has been a terrible eating week for me. I'll eat healthy and then decide to gorge myself with leftover Valentine's Day candy and cupcakes. I think it's been especially hard this week since we're dog sitting for L's parents while they're in FL and his mom is like America's next great baker so there's so many delicious sugary things in their house. My house has a shit ton of packaged food but none of it tastes especially great so it's easy to say no to.

ANTICIPATING: Spinning certification is on Sunday! It's in Newburgh, NY (wherever that is) and I'm carpooling with two of my coworkers even though we haven't pulled straws to see who yet. I mean, obviously not me since my car would probably get us broken down in the middle of the highway. But, I'm so excited although worried that I'm going to be so tired on Sunday to begin my busy week the next day! Ah!

LOVING: when L cooks for me (pictured above). My Sugar Rose Fresh lip treatment. My new hair. How early the sun rises now compared to last month. Minimal makeup and long eyelashes. A weekend ready to be filled with fun plans.

Why am I still lonely?

I don't know why but I've struggled with loneliness my whole life. I was a VERY angsty child and teenager. I would sulk in my room and write poetry. I felt like no one really ever understood me and I would write about this. Since that time, I've become a much happier, positive person. But there's still a pervasive part of me that continues to believe that on some level, there is no one who will really understand me fully.

I feel like of all people, I give myself over 100% to whoever I'm in a relationship with. So my boyfriend is that person right now. I am a stripped down version of myself. I'm messy and flawed and uncensored. Sometimes that causes us to get in fights because he's just as (if not more) messy, raw, and uncensored. But he gets me, at least I'd like to think he gets me.

Somehow I still get lonely.

I think it's because when I'm single, I force myself to be content with just myself. I convince myself, very firmly, that my company is plenty enough and fill my free time and blank spaces with bright and vivid content. This was what colored my spring and summer. Holding my own hand, buying concert tickets, taking shots, traveling to Costa Rica, singing karaoke with my friends on a stage, making myself healthy smoothies. All of this was great and I'm so glad that I pushed myself to do these things. But a part of me always felt like I just did them to have something to do. To fill the spaces.

Now that I have my wonderful boyfriend, I don't have as many spaces to fill. But when I do, I don't know what to do with myself anymore. When he's in class at night, when he's hanging out with his own friends, I just lay around, unsure of what to do next. It's like he's the catalyst for everything I do, both with him and without him. It's great that I love him, but it's not great that I don't know what to do when we're not together. I never thought I'd be a codependent member of our relationship.

So how do I fix this?

I need to learn to love my time alone again or I'll continue to feel this loneliness whenever we're not together. It's silly because I know he loves me when we're apart. I need to reconnect with my friends outside of our relationship, and reconnect with things I've loved to do by myself like go to yoga class, Spinning class, and dance again. I haven't danced for myself in so long I can't even remember. Lucas, if you're reading this, know that I love you more than anything. But part of loving you is loving myself when I'm not with you. And I think I have to get that back.

Becoming blonde(r)

For the past three days I haven't washed my hair and it hasn't seen a style other than a bun with a THICK headband to cover my over an inch long roots.

Above is me rocking that thick ass headband in the bathroom at work. 

Yesterday was the day to fix that hot mess.

A mess. A big hot mess. So I went in there having searched on Pinterest for a few hours the night before. And when I usually get my hair highlighted I want to be a golden goddess. Like goldilocks fo days. But I read somewhere that cooler skin tones (like me with my constantly pink face) look better with more of an ashy blonde tone. Ashy sounds scary and weird to me but I asked for it anyways. I showed the girl this picture that I found on Pinterest and some other random ones as I mumbled about what I thought I wanted. Ultimately I always tell my hair girl that I don't know what I'm talking about and just to make me pretty. 

I'm not sure how I feel about the on purpose darker roots, I may do that next time. Anyways, hair girl warned me that although ashy hair is really pretty, if she just plopped a bunch of ash on my head it may look like my hair is gray and I might freak out. NO THANKS. She's a genius, so I think she did a mix of ash, beige, and golden or something like that to ease me into it. 

The process begins. Look at those nasty roots and that somehow satisfyingly straight hair part.

The whole thing altogether took about two hours which isn't bad at all considering she also gave me a trim and a blow out. I love my hair girl, she asked me for relationship advice and she's like six years older than me. Lolz to the idea that I might have any expertise about that.

Time went by, I scrolled through my phone, and then....

MAGIC.

Transformed into the blonde goddess I'm meant to be. I think this is the most blonde I've ever been. I'm not mad about it, I just hope I can condition it enough so that it doesn't fall out in chunks. 

It's worth the money, to me, to have a professional do something for me where I can relax and know that it's going to make me feel so good about myself and reinvigorated. :) 

Kind of like a vacation

This week my boyfriends parents are on vacation in Disney World (and they didn't invite us, I know, how rude!) Just kidding, they're actually paying me to walk their dog.

It's only been two days but it's actually been quite nice to have a house to ourselves and see what that might be like one day. We're constantly suffocated by the presence of our families, who we totally love! But it never really feels like just the two of us.

Starting with Valentine's Day, it was too cold to really do anything or go anywhere, so we mostly stayed indoors and watched movies. Hardcore Netflix and chilling. I made him this card discovered via Pinterest and thought it was super cute! Only burnt my fingers on the hot glue gun like three times, score! Then it was L's birthday celebration since his real birthday is Wednesday but his family was going on vacation. Questionable family he's got, huh?? 

Yesterday I took their precious princess dog for a walk. Her name is Lilly and she's actually super high maintenance. She gets a bowl of ice cream during other people's birthday parties. It's a little unreal. My dog Sherman, is much more rugged and fun. Super low maintenance and super cute. Also kind of smelly. Lilly goes to a dog spa, so she's definitely got that going for her. 

Cooking together has been fun too. It kind of feels like we're on vacation, or like we're actually adults living in our own house. Hah! Maybe one day. Adulting doesn't come easily to me, For example, L has class today until 9 at night and instead of making myself chicken and a salad like I intended to, I've eaten a cupcake and three mini chocolate bars so far. #failing

I'm doing the best I can but I sure can't wait for my honey to get home. 

Lonely little succulent gazing out at the snowfall.

THINGS EVERY DANCE TEACHER KNOWS

1. It is winter time and you will get sick.

2. There is a sweet satisfaction in disciplining “the bad kids”

3. The parents are your worst enemy and will insist that their perfect child can DO NO WRONG.

4. You’d rather have someone slice razor blades underneath your fingernails than try to edit that music together one more time without it sounding like shit.

5. The younger the kids are, the cuter they are, but the more exhausting they are.

6. What are real clothes? Are real clothes a thing that real people buy?

7. Christmas break is the most blissful time of the year. But then as soon as you’re back for January it’s… RECITAL TIME (dun dun dunnnn).

8. Kids say the DARNDEST things.

9. You’ve got that quieting clap technique (clap clap-clap clap clap… CLAP CLAP) down pat.

10. You repeat at least once per class “if your question doesn’t have to do with this dance it can wait until after class”.

11. You wear many hats. You are all at once a dance teacher, a parent, a sister, a guidance counselor, a friend, and a babysitter.

12. One perk though are the little gifts you get for holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day!

13. Come recital time in June you are creatively, mentally, and physically spent.

14. Summer classes are your creative peak because there are lower expectations, higher temperatures, and no school so the kids are at their clearest and most focused.

15. You can flip through five 600-page costume books and still not find EXACTLY what you’re looking for.

16. The half hour following the end of each dance night is devoted to venting to the other teachers and studio owners about how frustrating/disrespectful/lazy your classes were that day and you do not hold back.

17. When one child has to go potty, they all have to go potty.

18. Your vocabulary consists of phrases like “the dance year”, your “dance week”, and finding the best “dance outfit”.

19. You could potentially make this your full time job if you want to commit to being exhausted and broke every day of your life.

20. And you keep coming back because even after the most horrible day, a kid will do something adorable like shyly handing you a hand-made paper card with pink crayon writing claiming “ur the best teachr evr”.
*silent tears*

THE FRIDAY FIVE

WATCHING: A winter wonderland outside. Here I was, thinking we were all done with snow for the winter, having only gotten a measly 5 inches that melted in about 5 days. This compared to last winter where I was regularly shoveling 2 feet of snow off my car before heading to work. BUT NOPE. We’re set to get 5-8 inches here in grimy Connecticut and all my teacher friends have the day off from school. How about coming to the gym to keep me company?….

THINKING ABOUT: The food industry. I’m currently being inundated with all of this new-to-me info about the food industry and all the fucked up shit that goes down in it. It’s literally like a conspiracy theory. I’m in the process of reading The Body Book by Cameron Diaz, earlier this week I watched part of the Netflix doc “Fed Up“, & yesterday my mom brought home a book from THE DOLLAR STORE (I must visit this Dollar Store ASAP) called Sugar, Salt, Fat all about how what you’re eating is basically killing you. Go read or watch these things and inform yourself!

LISTENING TO: Cannot stop playing Sugar by Robin Shulz and Roses by the Chainsmokers over and over and over again. I don’t really know what genre this music is but I’ve been really diggin it lately.

EXCITED FOR: Catching up on The Bachelor tomorrow, and SUPER BOWL SUNDAY. I may not have any plans yet, but this is probably gonna be my biggest cheat day of the year and I plan on eating my greasy, cheesy, fried heart out. Not sure who I want to win yet.. Peyton Manning because it may be his last game? Or the Panthers because I have family in the Carolinas and their colors are prettier?

FEELING LIKE: kinda crappy tbh. I made the mistake on Monday of making the bold claim, “I haven’t been sick once yet this whole year!” *knock on wood* Apparently the wood I knocked on was wood textured plastic because I woke up this morning with a killer sore throat. Between the nasty kids I teach dance to and my gross coworkers spreading their germs everywhere it was only a matter of time. At least I have the weekend to wrap myself in a blanket with hot tea, Apple TV, and a hundred bowls of chicken noodle soup…

Who’s kidding who, I’ll probably go to the gym tomorrow for three hours.
HAPPY FRIDAY to any of you beautiful people reading this.

The multiple personalities of Sick Danielle

(Above: wearing one of my many tiny college skirts in the dead of winter and almost definitely pretending I’m not sick.)

I honestly don’t know how anyone deals with me when I’m sick. Pour some out for my awesome mom who would pick me up from school ON THE REG (I was a very sick kid) and be the most patient, gentle parent ever while I screamed and whined. She still does that sometimes now but it includes a lot more eye rolls and sighs when I yell for chicken soup from across the house.

Being sick is a funny thing. I don’t get sick too often anymore but when I do, no one really knows what they’re going to get. For example, a couple of months ago I told my boyfriend that I’m an absolute bitch when I’m sick. Which can be true. But this morning when I woke up with a horrible head cold, surrounded by snotty balled-up Kleenex tissues, I was a blubbery baby mess. So here I’ve tried to compile by multiple personalities of when I’m sick. Maybe this field guide will help my poor loved ones tiptoe around my sleeping mass with some idea of what they’ll be getting when I roar back to life.

The Angry Bitchy Sick. Usually reserved for when I have terrible cramps during that time of the month. If you’re healthy and active when I am this way, I likely hate you. I also hate being talked to, being looked at the wrong way, and anyone telling me that I’m gross when I describe the actions happening in my uterus as “a red tidal wave of suffering and destruction” or “a waterfall of blood”. I’m sick and I can say whatevever I DAMN WELL PLEASE.

The Sad Pathetic Baby Sick. I honestly don’t know which is worse, the first one or this one. I suppose it can be endearing when I whine like a toddler, pout, throw tissues and empty Kleenex boxes on the ground, and refuse to eat or shower if no one is telling me to. For about 5 minutes. This kind of sick is when I have a cold or stomach ache. Essentially I can revert back to infant-hood in mere hours and I will refuse to speak except for in short bursts of syllables like “MEHK!” Sexy, I know.

The I’m-Not-Sick Sick. This happens occasionally when I have a lot going on in my life, like when I actually don’t have time to be sick and a lot of people are relying on me or I have a lot of events going. It was also a side effect of being a senior in college having just turned 21 that December. Ahhhhh, good times. While I am an old and washed up grandmother right now, senior year of college Danielle would never hesitate to leave the house on the Thursday night wearing only a black bodycon skirt and a tank top, in the dead of winter, with a terrible sinus infection. So wait, we have to wait outside the bar for an hour before getting let in because it’s over capacity? No problem. My nose is running like a faucet and I’m shivering uncontrollably but I shoved some tissues in my push-up bra and I’ll huddle with #mysquad for warmth. 23 year old Danielle looks back on these times and is absolutely horrified.

The Bipolar Manic Depressive Sick. Being sick can sometimes be a catalyst for an existential meltdown. How am I alive? Why aren’t I just dead? I’m dying, really, I am. Then suddenly a burst of energy will overcome me. Well I’m not at school/work today because I’m sick! ….I can clean out the closet like I’ve been meaning to for months! I can watch all those TV shows I’ve never had time for! I can sort all those clothes and donate them to Goodwill! I can meal prep for the next week! And this usually results in an energetic spree lasting about 45 minutes, after which you will find me passed out in my wrecked room laying on the ground in pile of dirty clothes.

The Healthy and Productive Sick. Being sick makes me want to no longer be a contributing member of society. But every once in awhile I will suck it up and actually try making myself FEEL BETTER instead of wallowing in misery and pain. Because let’s be real for a second, everyone loves to wallow at some point. Sometimes it is to make other people feel bad for us! And sometimes it’s because we are just too lazy or tired to take care of ourselves. But the secret here is that when you force yourself to get up and take care of yourself, you actually end up FEELING BETTER. At least that’s what I’ve found on these rare occasions.

So I will get up out of bed and the most important first step is to SHOWER. It’s unreal how that hot water will ease pain, headaches, and stuffy noses. If you’re gonna get real fancy, use some eucalyptus body wash because the scent is shown to promote relaxation and clear sinuses. Then I’ll make myself a cup of tea with honey to soothe my sore throat. When you’re sick your body uses up calories to fight off your illness which is why people loose weight being sick. I’ll try to fuel my body with some complex carbs like whole wheat toast and avocado for some healthy fat. Grapefruit has a ton of vitamin C and it’s so refreshing that it makes me feel more awake. I won’t do my makeup like crazy but I’ll put on a TON of face moisturizer to combat rubbing all those tissues against my nose, some tinted moisturizer on top of that, and fill in my eyebrows with some tinted eyebrow gel. I will feel so much more refreshed and actually somewhat presentable! It’s hard not to lay in bed all day, but try doing something low key productive like reading a magazine on the couch or catching up on your fav blogs. Some people like remaining miserable but we are not those people, am I right??

So now, it’s time for me to roll out of bed and do all of those good things for myself. Because as I type this, I am laying in bed, surrounded by a village of dirty tissues, with my glasses on and my hair a dirty frizzy mess.

Questions:
+ Do you have any multiple sick day personalities?
+ Do you pamper yourself in any way when you’re feeling under the weather?
+ Do your parents/significant other put up with your sick day shit like mine (sometimes) do?

If you aren't eating breakfast you are sabotaging yourself!

Since switching my hours drastically from second shift to the morning shift (5AM – 1PM) I’ve learned that breakfast is literally maybe (ok not literally but close) the most important thing you will do all day.

If I don’t pack breakfast I feel helpless, frantic, and exhausted by 10AM. This is why breakfast is literally your most important meal of the day and why, if you aren’t eating it, you’re sabotaging your metabolism, health, energy levels, and OVERALL HAPPINESS FOR THE WHOLE DAY.

 Yesterday morning I woke up at 4:00AM and didn’t drink water or eat anything until 9:00AM. SABOTAGE. I have literally not felt more sluggish or terrible in months. That is 5 hours of being awake without nourishment or hydration. Actually…

 When you don’t eat or drink anything upon waking up in the morning, you have to consider that your body is also going the whole time you’re sleeping without food or water. Soooo to do a bit of quick math, I get a little less than 6 hours of sleep a night (I know, it’s terrible). But my body went 11 hours without food or water yesterday. ELEVEN HOURS. I can’t stress to you how miserable I felt. The easiest thing to do, for me, is keep a bottle of water on your nightstand and take nice long, slow sips right the second you wake up. Your metabolism doesn’t start working until there’s food in your body to burn. Again, depending on how long after eating you go to sleep, and how long you sleep, your body is going a long time without you putting food into it. Put food in your body within the first hour of you being awake to wake up your metabolism! I highly recommend something with protein in it, like a protein shake or peanut butter and banana smoothie, or even a packet of instant oatmeal with added fiber or protein.

Your breakfast is a set up for the rest of the day. Usually how I start my day eating-wise is how I end my day… unless I start my day with a yogurt parfait and end it with 5 homemade chocolate chip cookies. It happens! But most times, if I start out eating healthy and giving myself energy, that carries through to the rest of the day and influences the rest of my choices.

I am 100% a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast.
I’ll be eating either:

• yogurt with granola/fruit 
• scrambled eggs with feta cheese and spinach 
• instant oatmeal packet with added fiber/protein 
• banana with peanut butter 

These things are so easy to throw together and you can even make eggs in the microwave. Just eat breakfast, you will literally thank yourself so much for it!!!!