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Simple Ways to Focus on Your Mental Health in 2018

posted on : January 17, 2018 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

While I was sitting down staring at my 2018 goals in my bullet journal, I noticed so many of my hopes for the year are related to mental health. I thought I would do a blog post about why it’s important to focus on your mental health in the new year, and why I’m glad I started focussing on it in the last couple years. Make sure to read my last post, Simple Ways to Stay Grateful in 2018, because staying grateful and thinking of everything that makes you happy helps with mental health, too!

Start the day doing something you love instead of reading or listening to the news

While it’s great to stay updated on what’s going on in the world, it can also be extremely stressful. Instead, listen to your favorite music or podcast, read a book for ten minutes, do yoga, meditate, go for a run, or anything else that you enjoy. I look at the news after I’ve done something that makes me happy, and it definitely helps me from feeling immediately down!

Go to sleep early(er)

It’s not always possible to start going to sleep super early, but try and go to sleep a little bit earlier than usual so you can get a full nights rest. I’m sure you’ve heard this tip time and time again, but it’s because it’s the easiest way to feel better. As a college student, I definitely struggle with this, but on the days where I do get seven or eight hours of sleep, I feel so much better and can function throughout the whole day.

Follow Twitter or Instagram accounts that make you happy

This seems so simple, but I can’t stress enough how happy it can make you. I personally follow Thoughts of Dog on Twitter because I love dogs and it never fails to make me laugh. There are countless cute animal accounts, and following them and filling your timeline with cute puppies and kittens can go a long way with helping your mental health.

Talk it out

If you aren’t ready to talk to a counselor, reach out to a friend or family member and talk to them whenever you feel stressed. It’s scary making that first step to talk to a professional, but it’s a lot easier to talk to someone you already know really well. What’s really important is that you’re just getting any feelings of stress or anxiety out, or at least sharing with someone that you’re not feeling you.

Go outside more

If you’re outdoorsy or not, going outside and getting some fresh air to clear your head every once in a while is great for everyone. Going on a walk, or if you like to, going on a hike can help so much and get endorphins running

Don’t be afraid to be selfish

At the end of the day, the person that matters the most to your mental health is you. This is something that should be obvious, but oftentimes we spend our lives trying to please others, but it’s perfectly okay to be selfish and have a day entirely for yourself and doing something that makes you happy. I’m super guilty of this because I like to make sure everyone around me is happy, so a lot of the times I put my own feelings to the side. So many people do this, especially if you have anxiety, but it’s important to take a step back and re-center your focus to how you’re feeling and how to feel better.
…
These are all super simple ways to start focussing on your mental health, which is so important. Since it’s still January and the start of a new year, it’s the perfect time to think about caring for your mental health. It’s never too late, though, and these tips can be applied to any time of the year! At the start of college, I was going through a lot with my family, so I started to focus on my mental health like never before and it helped me push through a really tough time. I still have so far to go, but by being mindful of how I’m feeling – physically and mentally – I’ve started to feel better.

Staying on top of your mental health means something different for every single person, and it’s something that’s always a work in progress, so don’t get discouraged if you’re going through a rough patch. It’s just important to do what’s best for you, and there’s absolutely no shame in reaching out if you need help. In fact, it takes a lot of courage to do so.

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Simple Ways to Stay Grateful in 2018

posted on : January 11, 2018 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

When I was reflecting back on 2017, I wished I had somehow kept track of everything I was grateful of throughout the year, and everything that made me happy. Looking on Pinterest, I saw so many different people who had done this and all the posts they did when looking back at those memories, so I decided to do just that in 2018.

Over the summer, I did a small version of this, and it was great to think about all the positive things that happened, but I didn’t set one up for the fall because I was so busy, and I stopped intentionally thinking about the positive everyday. Since one of my goals for 2018 is to stay more positive, I am making it a point to reflect on things that make me happy, and all that I am grateful for. These past few months have been filled with too much negative both in my personal life and in the world around me, so I’m going to take my attitude into my own hands, and focus on the good. I realize this won’t ‘fix’ my bad days, but hopefully it’ll make them easier to handle.

Make a special page for it in your journal or planner

As I’m sure all of you know, I have a bullet journal, and I made a point to include a page where I can write down these moments that make me happy and grateful. At first, I just had a simple page with ‘2018’ written on it to indicate a year change, but then I thought it would be cool to slowly fill that page with happy things. So, I started on just that page with a couple moments, and it’s my goal to completely fill the page up by the end of the year, and maybe need an extra page or two. I find this way to be very easy to keep track of moments because I usually always have my journal with me, and even if I don’t, I know I’ll be using it soon and can look at that page and hopefully jog my memory of good moments. I’ve also been reflecting back on the positive when I set up my weekly spread so I can have all my bases covered.

Fill a jar with little notes

Before going to college, my best friends and I filled up a jar with words of encouragements, funny memories, and our favorite things about each other, and it’s one of my most precious items to this day. Anytime I’m feeling down I pull out a note and I always feel better. I’ve seen people do this for happy memories, and I think it’s such a cute idea! Little jars always look so cute and decorative, and oftentimes you set them on your desk and see them a lot. I also just like the idea of being able to randomly pull out a note and instantly be able to remember one of the happiest moments of the year, especially since it can be easy to forget them as your schedule gets busy.

Make notes in your phone

Since you probably always have your phone with you, this is a surefire way of being able to jot down something that makes you happy. I sometimes do this if I’m walking and get an idea or have something I want to remember for later, and then transfer it into my bullet journal. This is also a good way to write something down if you don’t have your journal with you. I’m honestly a pretty forgetful person, too, so this helps me remember things a little bit easier.

Take photos of happy memories

If you’re a visual person, this is a great way to literally capture a memory. I associate objects with memories, so taking a photo of what I’m looking at helps me remember things pretty well. I think that’s one of the reasons why I love my YouTube channel and recording vlogs so much, because I can more easily place myself back in those situations and remember how happy I was in that moment. It’s also cool how you can insert photos into iPhone notes, so you can combine these last two tips and really capture the moment. Alternatively, if you have a Polaroid camera, this is a great way to take a photo and have it instantly printed out and you can hang it up on your wall. 
…
Focussing on the positive for 2018 is probably something we all need to do, especially in today’s world. That’s not to say we should ignore all of the bad stuff and not do anything about it; making a point to think about the good helps us have the courage to fight back against the bad. I like to think that change starts with the individual, and if we’re all trying to make the world a little bit better, hopefully that creates a bigger wave of change in 2018 ♥ 
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Using my Bullet Journal for the Last Six Months | Review

posted on : January 7, 2018 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Happy 2018! I cannot believe 2017 is over – I think it’s the fastest year that’s gone by for me. It’s crazy that this is the year that I’m graduating from college.

Along with a new year came getting organized for it, which included cleaning my room (a work in progress) and setting up my bullet journal. I’ll have a video and post up about that setup soon, but first I wanted to have a reflection/review post of using the bullet journal system fro six months. First off, it’s crazy to think I’ve been using it for six months!

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been heavily relying on my bullet journal to stay organized and it’s definitely been a life saver for school. Finals week for fall quarter of 2017 was probably the most organized one I’ve had because I had my bullet journal to stay on track with studying and due dates.

I’ve decided to break up the review into different categories so it’s easier to understand what it’s all about, and see all my thoughts about it!

Functionality

This is definitely the most important part – to me – of a bullet journal, or any planner for that matter. Before I started bullet journaling I was using regular planners that I bought from Target or Nordstrom to stay organized, and they worked just fine. I wanted the ability to personalize it more, though, and be creative while staying organized.

I have found the bullet journal system to be very efficient. The “guidelines” are just that: advice on how to stay organized instead of strict rules that make you adhere to the system fully. You can change up the symbols, not use all of them, or stick to the pre-made ones. I more or less stuck to the set symbols of the bullet journal system (read more about those here) and I found them to fit into my planner pretty seamlessly, and they were easy to get used to.

As for the monthly and weekly spreads, you have a lot of freedom to be as detailed as you want. If you want extensive layouts for the week, or different trackers and various pages for the month, you can definitely do that, but if you want to stay more simple that’s perfectly fine. I found myself switching between detailed and simple a lot depending on how much time I had to make the spread, and how much space I thought I would need for busier or calmer weeks. During school I have more detailed spreads, but over the summer when it was just work I could do some more simple spreads. Over winter break I didn’t bother to have weekly spreads because I was pretty much just working out, sleeping, or watching Harry Potter.

I love the freedom the BuJo’s give you for organizing your life, and it makes them very functional. The fact that it also serves as a journal, cost/health/habit tracker, random idea journal, and whatever else you want it to be, really makes it special and convenient.

Personalization

One of the reasons I initially started bullet journaling was so I could have more creative freedom with my planner. I was tired of buying a planner with one “theme” and would get bored of it throughout the year. With my bullet journal, I’m excited to come up with new themes for the month, and I can make them as detailed with doodles as I want. I stayed pretty simple in the beginning and didn’t go overboard with themes, and I think this was a good way to go about starting a bullet journal because it wasn’t too overwhelming.

One of my favorite monthly themes and cover page!
As with functionality, you have a lot of choice on how your bullet journal turns out and how it’s decorated – or not. You can do simple spreads with clean lines, or you can add some doodles and art to it and give it some personality. I really love doing this because I don’t have a whole lot of time in college to draw or paint like I used to, so this gives me a creative outlet and a chance to sit down and relax. It’s therapeutic sitting down on Sunday afternoon and setting up the week ahead and just letting myself be creative for a bit without the pressure of wanting to create art when I’m not necessarily feeling inspired.

There’s a lot of structure to pre-made planners, but with bullet journals you can organize your weeks however you want, and like I said earlier, use it for things like journal entries or lists. I’ve done this with packing lists before and it’s nice to have it cataloged for future use, and it’s also nice to have a quick written reflection on months.

Quality

These last two sections are particularly for the bullet journal I have, which is the Leuchtturm1917 bullet journal. I know a lot of people who use this journal, but there’s a lot of options out there, especially as bullet journaling becomes more popular! I chose this journal because I like the classic look of it, and it’s nice that there’s the stretchy cord thing (does anyone know what this is called…?) to keep it closed since I keep it in my backpack most of the time. I’m super impressed with how the cover has held up in my backpack as well, there’s not a lot of wear on it at all.

This was all watercolor, and the pages held up really well!

The pages are also thick enough that I haven’t had any pens bleed through, only a couple of my water-based lettering pens when I go over a spot too many times with the color. They also work nicely with watercolor, which I use occasionally for monthly cover pages. The dots on the pages are pretty standard, and I don’t know if there’s much variation between journals that different companies make.

There’s also nice folders in the back to put loose paper in the journal, and a couple bookmarks attached so you can keep your place, or mark an important page.

Overall, I’m really satisfied with how this journal has lasted for the last six months!

Another watercolor heavy page that held up just fine!

Cost

Again, this section mostly pertains to the particular journal I have, which I feel is reasonably priced at around $24. I got it on Amazon so shipping was free and it arrived quickly!
For all the other pens I use, I tend to buy them on Amazon as well or at Michael’s, which always has coupons to use. I just want to specify that you do not need to buy fancy pens to use a bullet journal; all you need is a pen and journal! You can make it as cheap or inexpensive as you want. I happen to love art anyway so I don’t mind investing in supplies for it because I also use them for other projects.

If you do want to buy a lot of cool supplies, I suggest watching for deals at craft stores, and like I mentioned before, if you just search “Michael’s coupons” there’s always some pretty great ones available to use. Target is also a great option to get markers, and I personally love using the Crayola Supertips markers because they’re pretty nice and inexpensive!
I’m really glad I decided to start my bullet journal six months ago, and I’m excited to continue using it in 2018! It’s been so helpful to keep my senior year organized, and it’s quickly become my best friend and something I use everyday. If you’re wanting to get organized for 2018, then I definitely recommend starting a bullet journal! 

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Taking a Breath and Reflecting on Autumn Quarter of my Senior Year

posted on : December 14, 2017 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

When I started this school year, I had high ambitions of surviving my busy schedule. I’ve been working two part time jobs, averaging about 35 hours per week, plus a full class schedule of 15 hours, and have been trying to keep up with all my homework. I thought this schedule would be fine, and I have survived it, but I didn’t thrive as much as I could’ve.

Mad props to all the hustlers out there, because that shit is exhausting.

I haven’t gotten nearly enough sleep this quarter, I haven’t been able to workout everyday like I have for the last two years, and I’m lucky if I remember to eat lunch. Having this crazy busy schedule has taught me a lot of discipline, and although I tried to make time to stay creative and have an outlet, it was hard to justify sitting around reading for pleasure when I had probably one hundred pages of reading due for a class the next day.

That guilt pushed me to try and finish all that I could and sacrifice a lot of sleep to do so. Sure, I left papers to finish right before the deadline, but in total I feel pretty proud that I kept on top of my school work even better than quarters where I had a lot more free time. My bullet journal saved me, as well as leaving sticky notes  e v e r y w h e r e  to make sure I didn’t forget anything.

Along with my busy quarter came more stress than I’ve dealt with probably ever. I had crap with my family, dealt with the craziest situation of someone copying my apartment key, and much, much more. I didn’t give myself a chance to sit down and think through all of that stress and just feel because if I did, I’m afraid I never would’ve gotten up.

I struggled through this quarter, and I’m not ashamed to say it, because I came out in the end. I just turned in my final paper for the quarter, and have finished all my tests, but I still have a couple days of work left. The light at the end of the tunnel is brighter, though.

I don’t want this to sound like I’m complaining about how hard my life is because there are people out there with much, much harder lives. The point of this post is to reflect on this time in my life, and to somehow start to work through the emotion that I’ve put in a neat little box in the back of my head. My mental health has struggled this quarter, and I feel like a slightly faded version of who I was six months ago, but that’s okay.

We all struggle at some point in our lives, and I don’t want to hide from that. I know I should go and talk to someone about my mental health, and I’m hoping that’s something I have the courage to do next quarter.

I’ve retreated into myself to get through autumn quarter, but I’m also grateful for the people in my life who have stuck with me through this time. My boyfriend was my lifeline and the person who talked me through various panic attacks and times of just absolute blinding stress.

I let myself fall behind on my blog and my YouTube channel, something I absolutely hated doing, because it’s such a huge source of creativity and happiness in my life. With that I took more of a break from social media, which in retrospect has probably been good for me.

I’m not sure how exactly I got through this quarter, but the truth is my blood is probably 75% coffee right now, and I think the desire to just cuddle with my dogs over winter break is one of the main things keeping me going at this point.

Next quarter I’m cutting down on my commitments and will hopefully have more time to do the things I love, like post on my blog and make videos.

For now, here’s a photo of my little Christmas tree 🙂

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5 Ways to Start the School Year in a Great Mental State

posted on : September 15, 2017 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Mental health is a hot topic among college students – mainly because so many struggle with keeping up with it. College is a super exciting time, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed when it starts to get busy. In order to avoid all of that, here are…

….five tips to get the year started right and stay on top of your mental health!

1. Make sure you have a planner or organizational system that works for you

Oftentimes, a huge part of stress is feeling underprepared and unorganized. Avoid this by getting a planner (or starting a bullet journal!), or putting together an organized system in place so you can stay on top of everything you have going on, and all of your school work! This is also a great idea if you have a job and are going to school full time – it’s super easy to get overwhelmed, and consequently your mental health will suffer, which is what we don’t want to happen!
5 Ways to Start the School Year in a Great Mental State

2. Get enough sleep!

If you’ve followed my blog for a while now, you know that I throw this tip in whenever I can. I truly believe you feel so much better when you get plenty of rest. Your brain is more awake, your body feels better, and your overall health is better both short and longterm. Anyone who knows me can attest to how much I love my sleep – whenever I can, I get in a quick nap and I’m seriously transformed into a new person. I really cannot function on less than seven hours, which is bad since I sometimes don’t get a lot of sleep during the night, but I remedy this by taking naps! If you can’t get a full eight hours of sleep, try your hardest to take naps throughout the day!
5 Ways to Start the School Year in a Great Mental State

3. Have a relaxing outlet

We all have interests and things we love doing, so make sure to actually make time to do them! If you have a favorite tv show, carve out an hour to watch it during the day, or read a book while you eat breakfast. I help keep my mind at ease by working out everyday, and reading during meals when I can. Of course I love to slip in episodes of New Girl, Criminal Minds, or Game of Thrones of course when it’s finally on. Keep up with this, though, to give your brain a break! Having fun is also important, so break up those study sessions with something you love doing.
5 Ways to Start the School Year in a Great Mental State

4. Spend time with people who make you happy

Keeping up with friends can be hard in college, especially if you’re living off campus after freshman year, because you all aren’t next door neighbors anymore. Try and hang out with people who make you laugh so you can just relax and not worry about anything but taking the newest Harry Pottter/GOT/Disney quiz from Buzzfeed. Alternatively, you can also study with them or do homework, so you’re getting work done and having fun.
5 Ways to Start the School Year in a Great Mental State

5. Get outside

REI is really moving in the right direction with their “Opt Outside” movement on Black Friday: it’s important to get outside and get some fresh air every once in a while. Go on a hike with friends, go for a walk, or just sit outside and do homework. I find I feel a lot better after being outside for a little bit, and my head feels a lot clearer. Hiking is also one of my favorite things to do, so I always feel better after I’ve spent a couple of hours getting out of the city.
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How to be Successful in College: 5 Tips on Being Creative

posted on : September 7, 2017 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Succeeding in college isn’t only about getting good grades, studying for tests, and doing homework; it’s also important to make sure you’re staying creative and living holistically. It’s easy to get stuck in the rut of studying for classes and getting stressed out, and not having a creative outlet to destress. Personally, I think it’s really important to remain creative throughout college to give yourself a break from all of the busyness, but when you make it a priority it gets easier.

How to be Successful in College: 5 Tips on Being Creative
Growing up, my mom and I would do a lot of DIY projects together, so throughout high school I had a creative outlet, even though I was busy. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do the same thing in college since I’d have even more going on, but I’ve found that it can be done.

Here are 5 tips on how to be creative in college:

How to be Successful in College: 5 Tips on Being Creative

1. Prioritize your time so you have plenty of it to be creative

It can be hard to take time off of studying or doing homework, but it can actually be good for you to do so; it can feel like you’re going crazy when you’re sitting down for hours and staring at a book or your computer screen. To remedy this, pencil in some time to take a break and do something creative. After a long day at school or work I like to sit down and do some watercolor, even if only for half an hour, just to destress and allow myself to make a quick bit of art. I also like to just practice hand lettering throughout the day in the back of one of my notebooks so I get in a little bit of relaxation between classes, or while I’m eating lunch, having coffee, etc.

How to be Successful in College: 5 Tips on Being Creative

2. Have a couple of art supplies with you at all times

Okay, I’m not saying to have a full art studio’s worth of supplies on you 24/7, but maybe just a couple of pens, a little paint set and two brushes, or some colored pencils and an art notebook. I like to keep one of my favorite hand lettering pens with me all of the time so I can get a quick practice in whenever the opportunity presents itself, especially if you can’t plan ahead a lot for the first tip to work. This is fun to do during class breaks too, when you have a couple of minutes and a blank space in your notes that’s driving you crazy!

How to be Successful in College: 5 Tips on Being Creative

3. Give an artistic flare to your notes

While some classes may require you to constantly be scribbling down notes, others might be a bit more relaxed and give you some time to add in a little creativity. If you find your notes to be dull and white, spice them up with a little color, or some doodles! You don’t have to sit there and create a masterpiece – just add in some cute headings, and color code certain topics or sections of your notes. I was super bored with how my notes looked while I was studying freshman year (yes, I know, the style and “look” of your notes are not the most important thing – the content is!), so I started adding in colors and pretty headings so I was more engaged later on. This allows you to still be creative while taking good notes, and a great student!

How to be Successful in College: 5 Tips on Being Creative

4. Make art with friends

It can be so fun to just sit down with your gal pals and do a DIY, paint some watercolor, or anything else creative that interests you. Not only do you get to hang out with your friends, but you get to relax and unwind and get your creative juices flowing! If you’re not into the party scene, or maybe you just want a chill night, invite your friends over to do that Pinterest DIY you’ve been dying to try. And of course, eat some yummy food while you’re at it and watch your favorite movie or TV show, and if you’re 21 and over enjoy some of your fave rosé too 😉

How to be Successful in College: 5 Tips on Being Creative

5. Keep an eye out on Groupon for art classes

Groupon should be your best friend in college if you like to do a lot of things but don’t want to spend a lot of money, and oftentimes art classes pop up! Again, if you’re 21 and older, watch for wine + paint nights so you don’t have to pay the full price. There are plenty of other options, of course, if you’re underage, so it’s definitely worth a look. If you don’t find art classes right away, don’t fret! They are constantly updating the classes that are offered, and in the meantime, I’m sure you’ll find something else that interests you, like a killer kickboxing class or a relaxing yoga one.
Alright, well there are five tips on how to be creative and successful in college! If you balance your time out, make it a priority, and apply at least a couple of these tips, I’m sure you’ll find the time to be creative in college. I hope these inspired you to do so!

What are your favorite ways of being creative in college?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂

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5 Goals for my Senior Year of College!

posted on : August 18, 2017 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

I honestly feel like college has been the fastest part of my life; it truly feels like I was just getting ready for my freshman year. Time really does fly by when you’re busy and having fun! There’s been so much that I’ve learned throughout my time in college, and it’s crazy that I only have one year left. I really want to make it a great year, since it’s probably going to be my last year in school for a little while (WHAT?!). I’ve been thinking about going to law school for the last year or so, but I want to take at least year off in order to work and save up. It’ll also be nice to take a break!

To make sure I have a good year, though, I’ve set some goals for myself so I can stay on track and (hopefully) remain motivated for the year. I want to finish college on a strong note and, of course, get good grades to get into law school! Here they are:

I’m going to be very busy this year because I’ll have two part time jobs, a full schedule of classes, and my blog and YouTube channel to keep up on. Keeping on top of my school work is going to be key for my success, and to help with that, I plan on utilizing my bullet journal a lot. I’ll be sharing my school spreads with you guys so you can see how I stay organized and motivated with it! I’m a little worried about how busy I’ll be, and I hope I’ll be able to balance all of it. Last year was crazy enough with one part time job, and this year I have my senior project, so we’ll see how it goes!

This is obvious, because of course everyone wants to get good grades, but I want it to be one of my main focuses for this year. Like I said, I want to end college on a strong note, so my grades are a huge part of that. My senior project will take place during winter quarter, and I want to make sure I get a good grade in the class that it takes place in, because it’ll be something that I can put on my resume!

Because I’m not busy enough (ha ha), I want to get even more involved in the clubs I’m in. I joined a pre-law professional frat last year, so I really want meet people in there and take on some leadership roles! I also really want to have a leadership role in my senior project (it’s a group project), so I can put that on my resume! I had never really had a leadership role until last year, when I was on the leadership team for a volunteer club, and I actually really liked having the responsibility! I’m also just super excited for the project, so I want to be as involved as possible.

I quickly learned in college how important self-care is that. I’m an anxious person, and when I don’t get enough sleep, ignore my body when it’s telling myself to slow down, and not give myself a mental break every now and then, it doesn’t bode well. I end up getting a lot of panic attacks, and feeling super overwhelmed, so I want to focus on not doing that this year, especially since I’ll be so busy. It’ll be easy to fall into the trap of not taking care of myself, so I’m going to make it a priority early on. A huge part of that is getting enough sleep, working out, and eating right, so those are all things I’ll be focusing on!

I’ve really been trying to do that this summer, and my passion for both of them have been renewed. It wasn’t that I was getting bored with them or anything, I just got so busy and both definitely got put on the back burner. I want to continue to make them a priority, too, because I want them to be a big part of my future. I love being creative and my blog and YouTube channel are both huge outlets for that. They allow me to de-stress from school and work, so I want to make sure I give my time to focus on them!

Alright, well those are five goals I have for my senior year of college! I have more, but these are the five greatest things I want to focus on this year. I’m really hoping I’ll be able to, and I’ll keep you updated on how I’m doing, and how I’m achieving my goals!

What are your goals for the school year?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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How to Succeed in College: The Ultimate Packing List + Move-in Tips!

posted on : August 8, 2017 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

I remember one of the scariest parts before leaving for college freshman year was making sure I had everything I needed. I made multiple lists, pinned a ton, and still ended up forgetting things. My mom is the ultimate packer, though, and got the things I forgot (thanks mom!) luckily. My dad, of course, gave me such a hard time about having a lot of stuff, but hey I was prepared for anything. The feeling of forgetting something doesn’t ever go away from me, but once I made a master list of all that I would need for my dorm, I felt a lot better.

Since I found the list so helpful, I decided to make a digital copy for you guys, so you can use it yourselves! I found packing lists on Pinterest to be really useful, but I wanted to make one with all the things I know that I ended up using after Freshman year. Now a senior, I feel like I have the packing thing down pretty well and know what I’ll end up needing!

Below is both a photo and PDF version of the list I made – print it out and use it how you’d like!

I didn’t want to stop there, though, and wanted to give you some tips on moving in, since a lot of people will be doing that soon and are feeling the stress that moving brings! College honestly just feels like a constant state of moving, and I actually just moved myself into my friend’s apartment for the summer, and I’ll be moving into my new apartment in September. Yay moving!!! (I’ve come to hate it so much). Since I’ve been moving so much these past couple of years – in and out of dorms, and my family moved about a year and a half ago – I want to share what really helps me.


1. This may sound obvious, but make sure you stay well hydrated and fed.
Moving is already terrible enough – add in thirst and hunger and you have a recipe for disaster. I will be the first to admit that I get hangry, so for the sake of my family I try and have snacks available so no one (me) starts getting unnecessarily angry. It’s also the worst when you’re super thirsty and having to do a bunch of manual labor (moving is hard!), so make sure you have plenty of water. If anyone is helping you move, it’s also nice to make sure they have food and water!

2. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
While moving, you are going to get hot and sweaty. There’s really no getting around that, unfortunately. To help with this, make sure you wear clothes that will let your skin breath, and won’t be super uncomfortable when you’re having to bend down a lot and pick up boxes and move random things. I also can’t stress how important it is to wear comfy shoes! I made the mistake of wearing a newer pair of sandals that I thought were really comfortable but ended up being a little bit too big, so once my feet started getting a little sweaty (hey, it happens), I got a blister on my heal from the friction. By the end of the day, my feet were absolutely killing me, and all I wanted to do was soak them in hot water.

3. Enlist help
Beg, plead, and bribe your friends and family to help you move. It’s hard work, and you’ll be glad you have the help. Like I said earlier, offer to buy them pizza, coffee, or their favorite food to get them to help you. My parents and boyfriend are the sweetest and graciously helped me move, and I know a lot of my friends ask their family to help, too.

4. Start packing well before the move.
I try and not procrastinate on things, but since I hate packing and moving so much I always wait too long to do so. I packed up my apartment a couple of days before I moved, and ended up staying up till, like, three in the morning and moved the next day. Don’t do this! Learn from my mistakes! Start packing a week or two in advance, depending on how much stuff you want to bring to your dorm. Try and make it as easy as possible on yourself, even if you hate packing like I do. I’ve definitely learned my lesson, and since I know I’ll be moving again soon, I haven’t unpacked a ton of my boxes because I know I’ll just have to pack up all of the stuff again.

5. To help with packing, go through your stuff and get rid of anything you don’t use.
I still need to do this, because as I was packing I realized I have a lot of junk that I really don’t need. I especially need to go through my closet, but being at college is weird because you have some stuff at home, and some stuff at your closet at school, and it’s all kind of a jumbled mess. To lessen the load, though, it really helps to go through your stuff and get rid of unnecessary items that you know you won’t be using at your dorm. You can donate the stuff to places like Goodwill, and someone down the road will use it!

6. Label what’s in your boxes, with a lot of detail.
I like to label my boxes with as much detail as possible, and list a lot of what’s in the box. Oftentimes I’ll label bigger items that are in there so I’ll hopefully remember what all I ended up putting in the box. This really helps for the unpacking process so you know where to put which boxes, and so you don’t end up losing anything. Also, it’s really helpful to know if you won’t need to open a box as soon as you get to your dorm, so you can save some time unpacking and spend it getting to know people on your floor, instead.

7. If you can, use a cart or dolly of some sort to move boxes.
Again, this is fairly obvious, but sometimes you have to reserve a moving cart or dolly in advance, so it’s important to keep in mind! Having one of these is really useful and makes the unloading part of moving go a lot smoother and quicker. Alternatively, if you or someone you know has a dolly, definitely ask if you can use it because it makes it easier to move boxes around quickly, and they’re of course a lot lighter to move.

8. Keep your clothes on the hanger and just bag them up.
This is super nice because you can quickly hang them back up in your dorm closet, and you don’t have to waste time folding and unfolding clothes. I did this my freshman year, and I’ve been doing it ever since!

9. Coordinate with your roommate(s) about move-in dates.
If you aren’t already assigned a move-in date and time, make sure you talk to your future roommate and ask them when they’ll be moving in. This is just nice so you know if you should go earlier or later to avoid two people trying to move in at once, each with a ton of boxes. My roommate was assigned an earlier move-in time, so it was really nice to not have to worry about running into someone else moving boxes at the same time.

10. Keep any decorations you’ll want to use soon handy.
I didn’t do this my freshman year, and I really wish I had at least kept my photos handy. I ended up feeling really homesick the first couple of days so it would’ve been really nice to have photos of my friends and family handy. If you know what sort of decorations you want to put in your dorm, make sure to keep them on the top of a box, or somewhere that’s really easy to get to so you can start making the place feel like home! It’s important to do this soon, especially if you’re a person who gets homesick really easily.

Alright, those are my tips on moving into your college dorm, and a packing list! I hope this post was helpful, and that it eases your nerves just a little bit. I remember how I felt freshman year, and it really helped to know I was prepared to move in. It’s crazy that it’s already August, and that people are going to start moving into their dorms soon!

Also, check out the video I did of this below!

Do you have any moving tips?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Plan With Me | August 2017 Bullet Journal Spread!

posted on : August 4, 2017 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
As promised with my last post, here is my first bullet journal “plan with me” post! I’m so excited to be doing these every month, and it’s been really fun to spend time on my bullet journal everyday. The creative side of my bullet journal has also started to come out more now that I’m (a little) more experienced.

For the month of August I did a cacti/succulent theme, and was oddly inspired by my sheets! I got them from Target and they’re covered in really cute cacti. Having a desert theme also seemed perfect because we are having such hot weather in Seattle right now. It definitely feels like a desert here!

You can watch the video version of my plan with me below! It was oddly satisfying watching it come together, and seeing how my monthly spread looked like in a time lapse. I’m a sucker for a good time lapse!

Here’s how the cover photo turned out!

I’m really happy with how the cover photo came out! I used a new watercolor set and I really love how vibrant the greens are. Instead of using a black marker again, I decided to use one of my Tombow Dual Brush Pens in purple to write “August.” I love how it turned out with the greens and I used my Signo pen to add some highlights so it didn’t look flat!
The next page is a calendar of the whole month, and I accidentally messed it up so many times! I added an extra “Sunday” on the far right side because I wasn’t paying attention, but it doesn’t look too terrible! I was going to cover it up with some paper, but I unfortunately lost my glue sticks while moving. I need to make a trip to Michael’s soon anyway, so I’ll pick up something to fix it there, along with some new pens 😉 You can never have enough stationary! 
I decided to do this sort of calendar in the beginning of the spread because I found myself needing to look at my phone calendar a lot when doing weekly spreads. I also just like to have a monthly view like this in the beginning so I can see what I need to do and when! Underneath this calendar I put my monthly goals in a smaller section than last month because I didn’t feel like it needed an entire page, and a to-do section for tasks that aren’t really tied to specific dates.

I also decided to do a vertical calendar next to the horizontal one, because I really like how I can put my YouTube and blog to-do’s there, and my personal events on the other column. We’ll see which one I like having better, or if I end up liking both!

The next page is for my habit tracker and mood tracker, and I loved having this in July! Filling in the squares for my habits really helped to keep myself accountable, because I wanted it to be as colorful as possible! It was also cool to see how my mood was throughout the month.

I’m still playing around with the format of the trackers, but I think this is definitely working for now.

Instead of “ideas” I called this page “brain dump,” which I’ve seen a lot of people do! I liked having a page solely dedicated to my ideas last month, but I felt kind of limited in not being able to put quotes, thoughts, or anything other than “ideas” so I’m excited to see how this turns out. 

In the corner of this page I put my social media trackers, and I think it turned out cute with the succulents on top! I kind of like the format of it last month, but we’ll see how this one ends up working. Either way, I really loved this so I could see how I’m progressing throughout the month!
Here’s my first weekly spread! I decided to use potted succulents for the numbers, and I love how they turned out. These were a reoccurring theme throughout the month, so it was fun to bring them into the first week. 
I like adding a “don’t forget” section as well as another small calendar in the corner so I can see where the week is within the month, and so I don’t forget about any tasks that aren’t supposed to be done on a certain day, or something I have to do throughout the month! 
I am absolutely loving the colors this month, and how this green pops throughout the spread. I’m excited to see how my other weekly spreads turn out for the rest of the month! 
I’m glad I decided to go with a succulent/cacti/desert theme for my second month in my bullet journal, because it’s been really simple so far, but also has been allowing me to have a little more creativity. I didn’t want to go too overboard with decoration, so I feel like this is a really great theme to have for that.
What’s your theme for the month of August?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Why I Started a Bullet Journal + How to Start Your Own!

posted on : July 27, 2017 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of organization, and that I have a mild obsession with my planner. I’ve been seeing bullet journals around Pinterest and Instagram for a couple of years now, and I really don’t know why it took me so long to start one. I decided to finally check into them more, and hours on Pinterest and YouTube later, I had ordered a journal and some notebooks.

I hadn’t known that bullet journals were not only planners, but actual journals as well – silly, I know. I personally have (or had, now) a planner, a separate journal for my thoughts, and another journal for goals/ideas. Obviously I couldn’t carry around all three, so I’d usually just carry my planner around with me. My phone is full of notes and ideas since I didn’t always have my “ideas” journal with me, so it would result in a lot of lists later that I couldn’t really make sense of.

With my bullet journal, I can have designated pages that are solely for lists and ideas, or anything else I’d like to put in there. I really like the creative freedom you can have with bullet journals, and that you can follow the system loosely and make up your own rules. I’ve found it’s been great to sit down on Sunday afternoon and figure out the week ahead, and see what all I have to do. It’s quickly become a part of my weekly and daily routine to set up the week on Sunday and get ready, and then come back after work and update my journal.

Another part I love about bullet journaling are the different “trackers.” Currently I have a habit tracker and mood tracker, and I think next month I’ll add in an expense tracker, too. Visually checking in with my goals for the month and year has been helping so much in keeping myself accountable, and it’s cool to see them fill in. I love filling in those little boxes, so it keeps me motivated, too! This has also been great in setting realistic goals, and also seeing where I can push a little more to set a higher goal.

So far I’ve been keeping my journal relatively simple, but I’m excited to become more creative in the future. I love drawing and painting, so my bullet journal will be a great place to be able to do that in, since I don’t have a whole lot of time to dedicate to that. I really love how you can get super creative and elaborate with bullet journals or keep it simple if you like!

How to start your own bullet journal

I just want to first say that I’m still a beginner at this – so take what I say with a grain of salt! These are just the tips I’ve picked up from all the reading and watching I’ve done about bullet journals. It’s really daunting to set up your bullet journal at first because there’s so many photos out there of really elaborate journals, but it isn’t as difficult as it looks! 
Start with a key


I saw a couple of people do this, and it’s been really helpful! Putting the key on some thicker paper and then taping it into the inside of the cover has been really useful to have it on whatever page I’m on. The actual bullet journal system is easy once you get the hang of it, but it can be a tad confusing at the beginning. I mixed up the “event” and “task” bullet a lot in the beginning – I still do – so this has been really helpful in remedying that.
Move onto the future log


The future log is really important for your bullet journal, because it allows you to see the year at a glance and write in important events. So far I’ve mainly written down birthday’s and holiday’s, but as time goes on there’s more and more to put in the log. I added little doodles for each month to give it some personality, too!

Then, of course, you’ll need an index


This is really self-explanatory, but the index just helps you keep your journal organized. It’s important to keep track of all of the pages so you can come back to important ones, or yearly logs. With the journal I got, the index is already in there, which is super convenient. I left a couple of pages after the pre-made ones just in case I need more, since I’ve heard people run out of space.

Put in any yearly logs you want, or anything else you’ll want to come back to a lot


For these I put in my half-yearly goals and the books that I want to read this year (I still have to integrate these from my good reads account), since I know I’ll be referencing these a lot. It was really nice that I started my bullet journal in July since it means I have an even six months left in the year, and I was able to check in on the goals I set for this year. A lot of people put in pages like “movies to watch” or “things to keep track of,” but you can really put whatever you want. It’s your journal!
With that, here’s my first monthly spread!

I decided to go with a vertical calendar for the month, which was really nice to keep track of my personal life and blog/YouTube stuff, but I did find myself wanting a larger calendar so I had a more wholistic view of everything. Honestly, I’m a calendar junkie so I should’ve known better that I’d be missing it.

Next are my monthly goals and stats. I really like this page since both sections are based around goals, but I feel like I can fit in a third section to fill up more space, whatever that might be. I’ll play around with it next month and see what I’m feeling!

Then we have the trackers, habits and mood. I saw so many people do this, and I love the idea! I’ve been keeping myself so much more accountable because I actually have to track these things on the daily, so I’m much more motivated to follow through with them. The mood tracker is also really cool so I can see how my emotions fluctuate throughout the month depending on what happens in a day.


Finally, in the initial July pages, is the idea page. I intended for this page to be for whatever I was feeling or thinking about, but it actually really is just an idea page, which I both like and dislike. I think for August I’ll turn it into a “brain dump” page, so I feel like I can write more than ideas for blog posts and videos. We’ll see how it goes!
Now time for some of my weekly spreads!

This was my first weekly spread with some little daisy detailing at the bottom. I really loved how the bottom turned out, I thought it added something really cute to the page since it was so blank at first! Like I said earlier, I was trying to keep this month pretty simple, so I didn’t want to go to crazy on the daisy theme. I think less ended up being more this month!

This was my second weekly spread, and I decided to put a little calendar in the corner this time, and I really ended up loving that. I didn’t have to keep looking at the calendar in the future log or on my phone to see a whole view of the month, so it was really nice. It was really quick and simple to do, and added something to the blank corner under Sunday.
Here are some extra pages I added in for the summer!

I wanted to put in a summer bucket list so I could try and actually do some fun things this summer other than work. the title is simple but super cute, and I’m really happy with how it came out! The banner reminds me of the lanes in Brighton when I was studying abroad last summer, and I love the baby blue.

Here’s a closer look! I plan on continuing to add things to the list and (hopefully) checking them off, so we’ll see how it goes!

Just as I want to make sure I do things this summer, I also want to track what makes me happy! I actually ended up added some yellow to the “happy” to make it a little brighter, but overall I’m happy with how simple it is. I want to make sure I’m really present this summer in everything I do, as well as grateful for all of the great things that happen.


These are some of the supplies I’ve been using

I really love this Signo Uni-ball pen! It comes in a pack of three which is really great, and is only $6 so it’s a great deal. This is useful for covering up any little mistakes I make, and it’s also fun to make a little black box and put white text over it to change it up!

I’ve had this Tombow brush pen for a while now, and I love it so much. This one came in a pack of two: one “hard” tip and a “soft” tip pen. It’s really nice that there’s two different pens for some variety, and to use them for different things! 

Sharpie pens have been my go-to pen for years now. I love how fine the tip is and how dark the black is – it’s great for writing small block letters, or adding fine details to drawings or paintings.

I got these washi tapes at Target for around $3 each, and I really love them! They’re different from the regular floral ones (which, don’t get me wrong, I love), so I thought it would be cool to switch things up!

I got these Tombow dual brush pens for my birthday back in April, and they have quickly become some of my favorite art supplies. I’ve been using them like crazy to make cards, and they’ve come in handy just for coloring, writing, and everything in between!

I’ve seen so many people use these Crayola Supertips for their bullet journals, and now I understand why! The 50 pack was only around $10, and all of the colors are so pretty. I love the variation in them, and they’re really great for adding some color here and there throughout your journal. The lighter colors are also great for more subtle colors, too!

And of course, here’s the actual journal that I’m using! I’m so happy with this journal, the pages are thick, and it’s great that there’s already an index in the beginning. The pages are also already numbered, which is really convenient. I haven’t added anything to the cover yet, and I honestly I might just leave it black. I haven’t decided yet!
Alright, that’s that for all of my tips, how to start a journal, and all the supplies I’ve been using! You can watch the video I did on this topic right here! I go more in depth through my spreads, and talk about them a little bit more. Plus, it’s just nice to see a flip through.

I’m so glad I finally decided to start a bullet journal, and that I get to share what I’ve done in mine so far! I’m super excited to share monthly “plan with me” posts and videos, so be on the lookout for that. I actually am in the process of filming my August Plan with Me, which will hopefully be up in a couple of days.
I also decided to finally start a monthly newsletter, so if you want more updates from me, go ahead and put in your email at the top of my blog! I’m not sure when exactly I’m going to be sending those out, but I think it’ll be early in the month, or a couple of weeks in. This is all still new, so it’s a work in progress. Thanks for coming along with me, and thanks for reading a watching! 🙂
Do you have a bullet journal?

Have a great day! 🙂

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