Hi friends,
I’m going to be 27 years old tomorrow! Yay Cheers to Being 27 Years Young! Last year I wrote 9 Life Lessons From a 26 Year Old Millennial for my birthday and I still stand by those 100% but as they say, another year older and wiser! I can’t believe it’s been a year since that post though. My life has changed SO MUCH…I left a toxic job & got a new corporate job that I LOVE, finished my Holistic Nutrition training at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and I’m now a Registered Holistic Nutritionist™ , my sister got a Golden/German Shepherd/Bernese puppy – he’s not much of a puppy now though and weighs over 50 lbs but if you follow me on Instagram or know me in real life, you’ll know I am obsessed with my baby, Casper! How could you not be with that face?
I also spent most of the last year being a hermit. Early in 2018, I switched to the full time nutrition program and although I loved it, it made having a social life very difficult while working full time. On top of that, I also had to give up going to the gym as often because frankly I just didn’t have the time or energy to go 5 days a week anymore – it was becoming a chore and all I ever needed was extra sleep. Most of my nights were spent studying and cramming for my next test or doing assignments. This last year was probably the most mentally exhausting for me if I’m being honest. I’ve always been a busy bee but the lack of free time I had really took a toll on me. There were many nights I had breakdowns with lots of tears from being overwhelmed by my job and by school. I even tried my first few sessions of therapy because there were times I was in a dark place. I felt like I had no options and just walls of obligations around me. Talking to someone outside the situation helped …a lot. I highly suggest it for anyone that needs a listening ear without judgement. This past year challenged me to really manage my time well and somehow I miraculously pulled through because nutrition is my passion and I knew I wanted to help people. Although switching to full time school was difficult, it allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel so even if I was going to crawl to the finish line, I could see it in the far distance! [p.s. I will be taking clients starting late October/early November so if you’re looking for a Registered Holistic Nutritionist locally in Vancouver or virtually over Skype to give you some guidance, hit me up!]
I’m so thankful for all the family & friends that supported me. The ones that I saw months apart and the ones that said they were so proud of me. It’s not easy to keep friendships going when your brain is made of schmuck I tell ya! Okay so some thoughts on the past year…
- You have to be your own biggest cheerleader. Different people will support you in different ways but ultimately you have to believe in you because no one else can hold your hand to success. Whatever success may mean to you!
- Stand up for what you believe in. The world needs more people speaking their mind and when we share, we connect with others who may be feeling the same way as us. For example…I’ve posted about my journey of why I got off the birth control pill, which you can read here. I also posted about why I switched from tampons to a menstrual cup, which you can read here. It’s DEFINITELY not easy to post publicly about these topics but when you guys message me saying that I helped you or you learned something. It’s so worth it to me! It’s even opened up the conversation with a few friends of mine in real life. Talking about female health shouldn’t be a taboo topic! We all go through these things and I just want to empower others to take charge of their health, in whichever way is right for them.
- It’s okay to temporarily adjust your priorities. Sometimes in your life you will go to the gym 5 days a week and others 1 day a week. This doesn’t mean you’re being lazy but just that life’s responsibilities go up and down and we need to be okay with this.
- Know when to walk away. If you’re being being treated poorly, no matter the relationship – your boss, family member or friend. Do yourself a favour and walk away. It doesn’t matter if they have power over you or what. If you’re a terrible human – I just don’t want to be around that anymore. Those situations will sink into your soul and turn you into something you’re not so now when values don’t align with mine. I know I need to stand my ground and walk away.
- Say no. Sometimes you need to say no. May it be an event like a birthday or just a casual hang out session. Just be honest and say you need some time for yourself. The good souls in your life will understand.
- Be careful what you manifest…let’s just say I wrote about something I wanted but didn’t think about the how behind how it would happen. Then, the way it happened wasn’t ideal at all but it all worked out and I’m stronger for it today so I can’t complain! I hope that made sense but it’s a personal thing I just can’t share this on the internet :p . Maybe one day…
- Learn to spend some time alone. I started going for walks alone and it just felt good to spend time with me!
- Accept that your partner can’t always give you 100% of what you need. It’s a ridiculous concept to expect anyone to be everything we need. It puts so much pressure on your relationship when you’re wanting them to be your workout buddy, your cooking buddy, your dancing buddy. Do what you both want to do then go find someone else or do what other things you want to do alone!
- Journal your thoughts. I find it so cathartic to just let the pen go and get out my emotions and feelings. A lot of people don’t know where to start because they over think the process but all I do is grab the pen and go. I almost tune out my brain and don’t second guess what I write at all. It feels amazing!
- De-clutter your space and you’ll de-clutter your mind! I’ve been going through my closet and either selling or donating my clothes that either don’t fit or I just don’t like anymore. I would hold on to expensive pieces but when I gained some weight this year…I knew it was time to let it go. It was just not bringing me joy anymore.
- Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Can I emphasize sleep anymore? It’s so important for our immune system and our bodies to repair while we sleep so I definitely made sleep a priority this year. That meant blogging less, being on my phone less, seeing friends less but I knew I needed it. My mind was active for so many hours a day that I just couldn’t function without it.
- Give up control. I can’t speak for everyone but for me, I can do things fast and the way I like them. #controlfreakmuch? So I have the tendency to just take it all on but as my responsibilities piled on, I realized I just a) needed to let things go and b) delegate to other people. It’s not weakness to ask for help. I ended up asking my mom and boyfriend to do a lot for me vs. the whole I can do it myself attitude I have and really it made a huge difference in my sanity.
- Don’t take yourself so seriously. Perfectionist syndrome is real and I suffer from it. I’ll get upset if things don’t come together the way they are in my head. May that be a recipe or whatever. But going off no. 12 above. Let it go. Learn to laugh at yourself. There are so many bigger problems in this world so next time you’re upset about something, think about how much you have to be grateful for instead. This is still a work in progress for me but I’m working on it 🙂 .
If you thought I was going to write 27 things …I was but then I realized how long this post was already so I stopped at 13. It’s actually one of my favourite numbers :). Those who made it this long, I love you! Thank you for taking the time to read a piece from my heart and soul.
As always, I love hearing from you! Please feel free to reach out to me @balancingandie on all socials.
