BZEN

Do you remember this blog post where I said I was going to say good-bye to new years resolutions, and instead was replacing them with 12 challenges for the new year instead? Well this month was the first month of the year, and the first challenge of the year: 31 Days of Self Care. Let me start by saying that this challenge did not go to plan. Not even a little bit. In fact, it kind of derailed. What I had planned to do each day was to take a little time out for myself and mindfully practise some good old TLC whether it was by going for a walk by myself, doing some yoga, reading a book, or doing a facemask, that was the plan. Instead, the days have somehow flown by, I have somehow wasted most of my month watching YouTube and feeling down (more on this in my next post) and many of the little ideas I jotted down in my journal for this challenge were left undone. That being said there is always a silver lining to every dark rain cloud, and I do feel like this month still h...

Hygge hype. Have you seen the word Hygge floating around the internet lately? I saw it again just the other day and thought 'enough is enough', and was determined to find out what all the hype was around hygge. Hygge (pronounced “heu-gah”) is a Danish word and according to hygge.co is "the art of building sanctuary and community, of inviting closeness and paying attention to what makes us feel open hearted and alive. To create well-being, connection and warmth. A feeling of belonging to the moment and to each other. Celebrating the everyday" and it can be found "around a table for a shared meal, beside a fire on a wet night, making coffee together at work, in the bath with a single candle, wrapped in blankets at the end of a day on the beach, sheltering from the rain at a bus stop, lying spoons, baking in a warm kitchen, alone in bed with a hot water bottle and a good book". Essentially hygge is taking pleasure in the simple things, being pres...

I've been a long time believer in less is more, and the new year is no different. I keep seeing article after article about new years goals and resolutions that entice us to do more: more work, make more money, buy more stuff, and be more productive. As if we aren't all busy enough already these articles whisper to us that we could be doing better, we could be doing more. But what would happen if we simply said no and chose to do less? What if instead of thinking about all of the things we want to start doing in the new year, we thought about the things we wanted to stop doing? Besides, endings are often times new beginnings in disguise anyway ;) Here are 10 things I want to stop doing in 2017... 1. Stop worrying I am seriously such a worrier, to the point that I actually think it is unhealthy. I feel anxious and nervous a lot of the time, and begin to obsess about all the things that could go wrong and I feel defeated and heartbroken in the end even though noth...

I still have some books on my bookshelf that I didn't get around to reading this year, and after Christmas I now have several more books to add to my list. I am so excited to read all of these books in 2017! Here's what is on my 2017 reading list... The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan The Taming of The Queen by Phillipa Gregory The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo The Ice Twins by S. K. Tremayne The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms by George R. R. Martin The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben The World of Ice & Fire by Elio M. Garcia Jr. and Linda Antonsson Complete Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson What's on your 2017 reading list? M&M

Late last year I decided to delete my Facebook and Pinterest accounts. I had already deleted my Snapchat, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts but these two were the toughies. I thought about it a lot, and couldn't believe what a seemingly difficult decision this was turning into. I'd often say to myself 'It's only Facebook!' as if to egg myself on to actually take the leap and delete it. Then I watched this video and made this post, and decided enough was enough. I deleted both accounts and you know what? I haven't missed them at all, not even a little bit. Now all I have left is this blog and Instagram. Instagram has to be by far my favorite social media platform; I've found some truly inspirational people through Instagram and get to follow along on their journeys, and their posts inspire me to make changes, challenge myself, appreciate the little things, and grow. With that said there is a darker side to Instagram for me and that is the side where secon...