Wow, I blinked at it went from being June to the 2nd weekend of October.. like HOW? October is by far my favorite month. but sadly, I have been too busy just trying to keep my head above water to deep dive into fall. Luckily, I finally have a chill weekend. I, like most of the American population, have been go-go-go since summer. I hit the ground running and kind of burned out (emotionally, physically, and financially - yeah traveling so much really drained my bank account). So I am beyond excited to have a nice, restful, and frugal weekend in the city to grant my mind, body, soul, and bank account the proper TLC it needs. 

But more importantly, I'm excited to have a low-key weekend because I finally have the time and energy (energy being the keyword here) to work on the projects I love and to organize the chaos that has taken over my apartment. Personally, my mental well-being is heavily tied to the tidiness of my surroundings, being organized, and working on the creative projects that feed my soul. Having the energy to do the things I want and need to do is probably the biggest obstacle I consistently face. But a crisp, fall weekend to myself offers the perfect opportunity to recharge and rest. 

My one goal for this month is to break my cycle of not showing up for myself on the weekends. Working a 9 to 5 (let's be honest, it's never just 9-5 for most of us) and heading to the gym/dance after work and then coming home to cook, clean, work on my creative projects, work a second job to generate extra forms of income so I'm not stuck in Corporate America for the next 40 fucking years, and get 7-8 hours of sleep ... that is just something I cannot handle at the moment. 

So instead of biting off more than I can chew and getting upset with myself when I'm too exhausted to do all the things after work, I'm setting manageable expectations. For now, the weekends are my holy grail. The weekends will be dedicated to me going after what I want in my career and getting my mind, soul and physical surroundings in order. Then, once I feel like I can handle incorporating my weekend rituals into my weekday routine, I'll move on to the next level and will be able to dedicate even more time to creating a life I am excited about. 

But for now, I will appreciate the chapter I'm in and be kind to myself. I'm excepting that I only have a limited amount of energy right now and that I cannot accomplish all of my goals as quickly as I would like to. But that's ok. I'm retraining my brain to relish in the here and now. To find the beauty in just accomplishing one of the 5 million things on my to-do list. And to find more fulfillment while I'm on this path to creating the life I want. 

So what activities do I have planned for my wellness weekends? Well let's see: 

• Slow mornings filled with slowly enjoying my coffee and breakfast 
• Cleaning the kitchen, living room, and bathroom 
• Decorate for fall/Halloween
• Cook delicious yet healthy meals at home
• Sitting down to write, filming fashion looks, creating inspiring content 
• Cleaning out my closet and switching over to a fall wardrobe that I'm excited about 
• Putting up laundry 
• Watching all the fun Halloween movies & shows with a bottle of wine nearby 
• Deep conditioning my hair 
• Selling clothes I no longer want or fit into 
• Putting together my digital portfolio 
• Researching and creating strategic business plans and content calendars 
• Journaling and becoming clear on my vision and dreams so I can escape the toxic cycles I'm in that don't serve me.

Photo by Shayna Douglas

Another glorious weekend is here! The closer we get to fall, the more I value having a soothing and restorative weekend. Life seems to be picking up pace quite quickly. Our schedules are filling up again. Our time is in higher demand, but I think we all learned the beauty of slowing down over the past year. Unfortunately, it can be really easy to forget to make time for (or strickly feel like you don't have the energy) the things that bring us peace and replenish our cups.  

Hence this weekend's self-care scavenger hunt. I'm using it as a fun and simple way to romanticize my weekend before heading into another chaotic and busy work week. Whether you're job hunting, grinding away at a corporate job, building a business, or dedicating your days to raising a family, we are all working very hard and giving so much of our time, energy and love to others. We deserve to show up for ourselves in the most loving way possible too. 

 

I'm dying to know what's on your self-care checklist this weekend! Let me know in the comments or over on IG! And thank you so much for taking a moment of your day to read this post. Your support means the world to me. And please share this post with anyone whom you think would enjoy it. The more positive people in our virtual circle, the better. Until next time my friend. 

Photo by Micheile Henderson

With July now being in full swing, I want to make sure I embrace the magic of high summer while social distancing. Just because I'm staying at home a lot, doesn't mean I can't make my weekends feel special. To be honest, my weekdays are still filled with a decent amount of anxiety and long to-do lists. Add in the non-stop news alerts I get from my subscriptions, and it creates the perfect emotionally draining storm. I'm getting better at managing those emotions, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't put more pressure on myself on Mondays-Thursdays. And that's where the cherished weekend comes in.  Because weekends, now those are still precious and as carefree as possible with everything that's going on. The weekends tend to be when I let myself relax and catch up on fun. So here is my frugal, at-home staycation game plan for this weekend!



Friday Evening

1. Pick up a bottle of wine and flowers to go with my healthy and delicious dinner. I'm going to make chicken kabobs with a side of broccoli. And now it's time to set the scene. Put flowers on the table, eat and drink from pretty tableware, play good music, and make sure the area is clean and clutter-free... that's how you take an ordinary dinner to the next level.  
2. Light candles and settle in for a feel-good movie. Disney Plus is WHERE IT'S AT!!!
3. Spa Time!  I'm going to give my hands and feet a coconut oil treatment and then paint my nails while watching the movie and drinking wine. Then I'll do a face mask and hair treatment before curling up into bed with a poetry book.