💪💪💪⁣ ⁣ “I’ve got an ego, but I’m never flexing it⁣ ⁣ when you’re the truth, you ain’t worried ‘bout replicas” ⁣ ⁣ Singer: Jessie Reyez⁣ Song: Dear Yessie ⁣ Album: Being Human In Public⁣ ⁣ This song is a mood.⁣ ⁣ Sometimes you gotta hype yourself up. ⁣ ⁣ I have been thinking a lot about the difference between being fiercely independent and being selfish — if there’s a true dichotomy and what that means. I think it’s the intention around what you do and how you show up for yourself and others that makes you self reliant vs selfish. If you have thoughts lmk⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the quote in blue bubble letters with starburst, sparkles, and circles on yellow colored paper]
following the status quo is so boring⁣ ⁣ maybe I’m too committed to doing my own thing. ⁣ ⁣ maybe I’m truly realizing that what were taught to strive for is tremendously lackluster or just straight up baloney. ⁣ ⁣ maybe the idea of being acceptable, palatable, and understandable by neglecting all the parts of you that really make you shine just seems so unbelievable insufferable. ⁣ ⁣ we don’t have to strive to be interesting, can we at least strive to doing what makes us feel interested? ⁣ ⁣ trudging through life for some arbitrary goals that we were taught were important is so futile. ⁣ ⁣ do all the things. do none of the things. do the things you choose to do. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars, sparkles, and circles with emphasis on the “so” on pink colored paper]
no one will ever understand me 100% and I am learning to be okay with that ⁣ ⁣ Some people understand me. Some people don’t understand me. Sometimes I understand me, and other times I’m like ??? who is me??? ⁣ ⁣ I think there’s this illusion that one day when you figure it all out, there will be hoard of people around you that understand you completely. ⁣ ⁣ In part, I hope that is true. ⁣ ⁣ In reality, I realize that no matter how honest or transparent you are, you will always have a level of illusiveness where people can’t truly classify you one as thing or another. We are not robots or machines (though we may have biocomputers). ⁣ ⁣ We can get into our own heads with a nagging that proclaims “nobody understands me,” a statement that can trap us in our own despair. ⁣ ⁣ Perhaps no one can understand your exact situation, yet if you give them the opportunity, they can learn about you, your perspective, and your experiences. ⁣ ⁣ How often do we want people to understand us when we really want them to recognize how we are different, cherishing the multitude of ways that make us unique? If we focus on sharing those gifts we may learn more about each other than trying to define ourselves so narrowly for other people.⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with starburst, stars, and circles on yellow colored paper]
✨⁣ ⁣ “sit back and enjoy your problems⁣ ⁣ you don’t always have to solve them” ⁣ ⁣ Song: Enjoy Your Life⁣ Artist: MARINA⁣ Album: LOVE ⁣ (of LOVE + FEAR)⁣ ⁣ @marinadiamandis released the first side of her album last week and it’s all I’ve been listening to.⁣ ⁣ This line really stood out to me. How often do we get swept up with the self improvement that we forget to live our life, free of our own judgement around our upcoming actions, fears, or circumstances? In trying to be more present I’ve been considering how I think about problems and how sometimes, you have to learn to go with it instead of dwelling in it. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the song lyrics in black bubble letters with starburst, stars, and circles on persimmon colored paper] ⁣
“all the things I’ve done and seen ⁣ ⁣ still I don’t know what life means” ⁣ ⁣ Song: To Be Human⁣ Artist: MARINA⁣ Album: LOVE ⁣ (of LOVE + FEAR)⁣ ⁣ @marinadiamandis released the first side of her album last week and it’s all I’ve been listening to.⁣ ⁣ ‘To Be Human’ is one of my favorite songs and according to her, is the most political song on the album (though I think a lot of them reflect on our own existence and the impact of our actions). ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the song lyrics in black bubble letters with starburst, stars, and circles on yellow colored paper]
take a vacation out of your head⁣ ⁣ GO OUT INTO NATURE ⁣ HANG OUT WITH A FRIEND⁣ MAKE A VISION BOARD⁣ PAINT OR CRAFT ⁣ GET YOUR BLOOD MOVING⁣ ⁣ Learning how to spiral up instead of feeling defeatist. At times I get too deep in my own head and I’ve found I need to say “hey, shut the fuck up.” Doesn’t always give me true peace of mind... works better than letting myself spiral into a cycle of self doubt. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first line in black bubble letters with sparkles, stars, and circles on persimmon colored paper]
I owe it to myself to be myself⁣ ⁣ Sometimes I am myself and then it feels like a performance, makes me wonder who my “true self” is and if that really exists. When other people react in different ways, I think about toning it down or doing something else. ⁣ ⁣ Every now and then I have to remind myself that I don’t owe myself to anyone else, yet I do owe it to myself.⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first line in black bubble letters with stars, sparkles, and circles on light blue/green paper]
do one thing at a time⁣ ⁣ that’s what I’ve been trying to do. take one step at a time. one task at a time. one moment at a time. to not spend every waking moment wondering what is coming next. to try and be present in what I am doing right now.⁣ ⁣ The twenty tabs open on the computer.⁣ The stack of papers to sort through. ⁣ The list of people you need to call.⁣ The emails left on unread.⁣ The playlist of new music waiting for you. ⁣ The home you need to clean. ⁣ The recently uploaded episodes of all your favorite tv shows. ⁣ The plans you didn’t make that you could make.⁣ ⁣ Overflow of activities. It’s hard to be present. To not wonder, what is coming next... where will I be? ⁣ ⁣ I think somewhere along the way, I learned that a busy life was the life I need to live, if you have to time to breathe, must be good, right? ⁣ ⁣ I’m constantly learning more about being mindful. These days, I’m working on cherishing doing one thing at a time. To enjoy the moments that come in between, the stillness of being here, now. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first line in black bubble letters with starburst, sparkles, and circles on pink paper]
you are never alone⁣ ⁣ Sometimes you feel lonely and misunderstood and perhaps that you don’t fit in... that is a product of life. Acknowledge that your emotions and reactions are real while also understanding that at times, our brains can hijack our experiences by bringing us into the negative, a desolate corner of self despair.⁣ ⁣ I think we’re taught to tell ourselves that we are alone, that nobody understands us, that nobody exists as we do. And while no one is you, there are so many people that feel the feelings you do — joy, sadness, anger, apathy, etc. — and are accessible when you open yourself up to the idea that you are not in a silo. ⁣ ⁣ If you’re feeling sad, recognize that feeling. If you’re feeling joyful, recognize that feeling. If you’re feeling any and all emotions, recognize them and realize what is and isn’t in your control. ⁣ ⁣ If you’re feeling alone, know that there are other people that want to help. If you’re feeling alone, know that there are other people that relate. You have to let yourself know to let people in. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of th first sentence in black bubble letters with stars and circles on orange colored paper]
stop chasing after things you don’t want⁣ ⁣ BLOOOOOOOP⁣ ⁣ We learn over time that things — whether that this is a product, a cool apartment, a job, a specific relationship — can “complete” our life. Turn what feels dull into something that is sparkly, full of life, forever effervescent. ⁣ ⁣ Then, you start to get some of the things you were told you should want, things you NEED to be whole. And life still feels dull. ⁣ ⁣ You tell yourself “there must be something wrong with me,” convinced that something in your programming is wrong. Unlikely. You’re probably just chasing something you never wanted. ⁣ ⁣ So what do you want to chase? ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars, starburst, sparkles, and circles on persimmon colored paper]⁣
happy frideyyyyyyyyyyy bbs ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of a circle face with closed eyes on a yellow colored paper]
pretending racism doesn’t exist won’t make it magically disappear Whenever I speak about systemic racism in this country — and call out the white supremacy that exists as part of the foundation of our world — I will still have people react to me as if I just made it up. I’m not shocked. It’s mostly wild to me that people can truly train themselves to discount the evidence of racism, refusing to recognize the reality of how pervasive racism is. Perhaps what is scary is that people “didn’t notice” before or the fact they aren’t versed in this topic or the concept of obsoletion or the fact that they’ve spent much of their life complicit in a knowingly flawed system... maybe it is a mix of all of those things. I’m not going to explain to people that it exists, it’s about time that people take note. [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with sparkles, stars, and circles on persimmon colored paper]
learn how to be kind to yourself in your darkest moments⁣ ⁣ what if we learned how to be compassionate to ourselves? I think that understanding would allow us to be more compassionate to everything around us. everyone has their own battles it’s on us to learn how to have empathy for our own lives. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars, starburst, and circles on pink colored paper]
I don’t want what you’re selling⁣ ⁣ me @ any influencer ever ⁣ ⁣ I don’t want your fittea that’s actually a laxative, I don’t want you to tell me that chip skylark white teeth are possible with a whitening tool when you have veneers, I don’t want your brains washing that the only way to be “happy” is to be white, skinny, rich, and surrounded by more products than I could ever want or need. ⁣ ⁣ I’m good!!⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars, sparkles, and circles on orange colored paper]
social media does not define who you are⁣ ⁣ you are not beholden to the person people think you are via social media. you don’t need to minimize yourself to be more palatable online, you are cool and unique and multi-faceted without being “validated” by an algorithm that is actively working against you. ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first sentence in black bubble letters with stars, sparkles, and circles on pink colored paper]
SUNDAE GLAM⁣ ⁣ [illustration of a face with sparkly wavy hair, blue cat eye makeup, and radiating heart earrings on yellow colored paper]
find your place in the sun ⁣ ⁣ HAPPY SPRING!!!⁣ ⁣ [photo of a paper on a orange faux fur / yellow colored paper has an illustration of the first sentence in red bubble letters with sparkles, stars, and circles]
“Flowers in my hair, I belong by the sea⁣ Where we used to be, sitting by the orange trees”⁣ ⁣ Artist: MARINA⁣ Song: Orange Trees⁣ Album: LOVE + FEAR⁣ ⁣ welcoming spring, ready for SUMMER!!!!!!!!! ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the song lyrics in black bubble letters with oranges, stars, and circles on orange colored paper]
it’s not too late to go do what you want and need to do⁣ ⁣ you’re alive! ⁣ ⁣ go do what ur gonna do! ⁣ ⁣ [illustration of the first line in black bubble letters with stars, sparkles, and circles on persimmon colored paper]
SPARKLE SPARKLE⁣ ⁣ [illustration of a face with blue hair that is has sparkles and is curly on one side and straight on the other plus blue eyebrows with red makeup on a pink colored paper]