My Current Quarantine Favorites

I am switching up my content a little bit (trying to get creative with being home). also i’ve been testing out my new Iphone tripod to delve into the whole flatlay world!! first try not terrible?

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1.  my next 90 days planner: @savorlifeplanner acts not only as a planner but a place organize my goals, self reflect and have fun with washi tape. the “90 days” is a less intimidating length of time to achieve goals ⁣
2. a journal: i’m still trying my best to get into the habit of journaling!! it’s taking a while but progress is being made⁣ (this one is from urban outfitters, not sure if it is still available cause I got it as a gift)
3. airpods duhhh: my method of choice to keep up with my fave podcasts and multitask⁣. Some of my favorite podcasts have been Gals on the Go, Happy Hour with Gretchen and Pretty Basic.
4. nintendo ds: everyone talking about all the animal crossing they’ve been doing has gotten me to miss the simpler times of just chilling home on my ds. as much as i adore all my pokémon games, recently nintendogs has been my shit⁣
5. pinch me: i got this for christmas and with my spiked anxiety at the moment this “therapy dough” is a great tool for me. i’m a big nail biter when it comes to being anxious and nerves and also i can never just do one thing at once. so this has been perfect to keep one of my hands busy (while driving, watching youtube, etc.) and feel 7 again playing with dough⁣
6. COFFEE: genuinely the real star of my entire life but this coffee SLAPS ok. My current favorite is this “Toro” roast by Devocion in Brooklyn.

—–—> (for all the coffee content check out my instagram) <———

i hope you enjoyed this mini favorites. i’d love to hear some of yours below or dm me!! we’re all in this together ☽⁣

Lots of love,

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finding a new normal & learning to forgive yourself

I’m sure we are all in a similar boat; we’re still trying to find a new normal, a new routine, a new purpose, a new channel of motivation.

The hardest part for me has been to accept that my productivity is going to look different right now. I’m not going to be able to go go go and knock everything off my to-do list (if i even have one). It’s been hard to forgive myself and let myself sleep a bit more, or mindlessly scroll on my phone more. I’ve never been the best at going easy on myself so this period has helped me self-reflect and really hone in to what that could mean for me.

I have been living home with my parents since I graduated last May from my undergrad, so thankfully being home isn’t completely new to me. But of course now with quarantine my brother is home from university and all being stuck inside together has its challenges.

Anyway onto some positivity!!

A couple weeks ago a professor I’m working on a research publication with sent me a link to an article on forgiving yourself during this mess of a time. It really resonated with me so I thought I’d share it here.

Some of my highlights:

“Your first few days and weeks in a crisis are crucial, and you should make ample room to allow for a mental adjustment. It is perfectly normal and appropriate to feel bad and lost during this initial transition.”

“Next, ignore everyone who is posting productivity porn on social media right now. It is OK that you keep waking up at 3 a.m. It is OK that you forgot to eat lunch and cannot do a Zoom yoga class. It is OK that you have not touched that revise-and-resubmit in three weeks.”

“Ignore the people who are posting that they are writing papers and the people who are complaining that they cannot write papers. They are on their own journey. Cut out the noise.”

The biggest stand out to me was how we are all on our own journey. Simple, but true. My ways of coping and finding this new normal is going to be completely different from yours. It’s been hard to forgive myself and accept that I’m making the most with what I’ve got.

“Know that you are not failing. Let go of all of the profoundly daft ideas you have about what you should be doing right now. Instead, focus intensely on your physical and psychological security.”

But most importantly, I want to end with this.

“Understand that this is a marathon. If you sprint at the beginning, you will vomit on your shoes by the end of the month. Emotionally prepare for this crisis to continue for 12 to 18 months, followed by a slow recovery. If it ends sooner, be pleasantly surprised. Right now, work toward establishing your serenity, productivity, and wellness under sustained disaster conditions”

We’re all on our own journey and I hope that you guys are all safe. Enjoy your weekend 🙂

Lots of love,

a long hiatus: yes I am still alive

Hello!

I feel so fancy using a word like “hiatus“; it makes me sound important! Clearly I have gotten off the blogging game (on here) BUT i taken my outlet elsewhere. I have an instagram where I’ve been posting about my continuous love for coffee and mini life updates over the last year and a half.

It’s going to take time to get back into this and find a balance with everything but with this extra time stuck inside I guess this is a productive thing to do?

Just a short mini intro from me for now but I would love for you to stick around and follow me for some more in-depth updates to come. I would love to talk more about mental health and anxiety during this crisis.

A little bit about me: 

• My name is Ashleigh (or Ash for short)
• Im from the Northeast USA (New Jersey to get specific)
• I’m 23 years old
• I graduated with a marine science degree last May from the University of Maine
• This coming July I will hopefully be continuing on with my education to get my masters in Marine & Antarctic research in Tasmania, Australia
• If you go back into some of my older posts (pretty much all of them), you will see that I studied abroad in New Zealand. I met my current boyfriend of over two years while I was over there 🙂 We’ve been doing long distance ever since!

I’d love to get to know you more, whether it’s from this blog or from my instagram, so leave a comment below.

okay that wasn’t so hard I guess?

Lots of love,