Beat The Blues: Five Tips to Turn Your Day Around

Being a blogger and documenting my daily life/fashion/travels on the world of social media, sometimes it can be hard when your Instagram feed doesn't necessarily align with your personal life. Let me elaborate.

Sure, my Instagram feed consists of pictures of me in my favorite outfits, fancy cocktails, fun vacations, and random little things I find pretty like flowers and decor, but these are the best parts of my life that I want to share and document with my followers and readers. I will be the first to admit that there are plenty of days I'm just in a sh*t mood and want to shut off my phone and not deal with anything. Whether it's stress at work (rushing to meet deadlines is an everyday occurrence), trying to navigate relationships (online dating apps are the wooorst - insert eye rolling emoji here LOL), making time for family and friends (when you just wanna Netflix and pass out on the couch), and just about any of the other things life can hurl your way, it can definitely be hard for me to keep it together sometimes.

Getting super personal here -- but I'm not afraid to admit I've struggled with anxiety, and while it's not something that affects me all the time, it's something than can definitely bring me down. Luckily, I've discovered a few ways to turn my mood around on these days and put together my five favorite tips to beat the blues. Scroll down to read!

1) Move: This may sound like a cliche, but I've noticed nothing clears my mind quite like a good workout does. I love to go to Orangetheory Fitness classes, go for a run by the beach, or even just walk around my neighborhood when I feel like my anxiety is building up. Moving around not only clears my mind, but gives you a natural mood booster - endorphins! (I tried hard to not quote Legally Blonde here LOL)

2) Play Some Good Tunes: I'm a huge believer in the power of music and its ability to instantly change your mood! I have a million different playlists on Spotify I use for everything from getting ready to driving to working out, and even one for when I'm feeling a little down. My go to artist is anything Stevie Nicks or Fleetwood Mac.

3) Talk It Out: This is so important. Sometimes when you're not having the best day or something is going on, it's so important to talk it out and just hear your thoughts out loud. This can help me reassess a situation or just vent out whatever is irritating me. I'll always FaceTime my best friends, or I even think talking to a professional could be beneficial if you need a third party perspective.

4) Treat Yo' Self: As Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle would say, treat yo' self! (any Parks and Rec fans out there?) Something as simple as getting a manicure, buying something for yourself you don't necessarily need, or just indulging in a treat can be a mood booster on those less than great days.

5) Pursue Your Passions: So this isn't necessarily a quick fix tip, but I've noticed having a passion you can work on and pursue is a good big picture goal to focus on when you lose sight of things. For me, it's this blog! I really look forward to creating content and writing, so publishing a blog post for me makes me feel good. Whether your passion is cooking, photography, or a particular sport, whatever it is, I think having these hobbies is a very important outlet to boost happiness. 

It's a little hard for me to sometimes be super vulnerable and put it all out there that life isn't perfect like my Instagram feed may be, but I just want to be real on my blog and talk about everyday things with you guys, including things like this.

XO,

Jasmin

SAYING GOODBYE TO TWENTY-FIVE: WHAT I'VE LEARNED

Today marks my last week of being twenty-five. While I'm always excited for my birthday to come up as it marks a fresh start, a time to celebrate with family and friends, and an excuse to drink and eat ALL the bad things, I feel a little bittersweet about turning twenty-six on Sunday.

I think the main reason for this is that I'm a little scared that this means I'm getting closer and closer to thirty. Thirty just sounds like an age where you have your s**t together -- sometimes I feel like I'm still a child and can't "adult" most days. I think back to when I was in high school and when I pictured myself at twenty-six, I thought I'd have it ALL figured out by now. Made it in my career, a husband and maybe a baby by now (LOL...the thought of kids is straight up frightening to me to be honest). 

Despite however delusional my high school fantasies of my current adult self were, I am definitely happy with where I am today. This year was huge for me as I transformed a lot (and not just in the cliche way people say, a lot of stuff happened this year!) I learned a lot about myself, how to handle difficult situations, and grew some confidence to not only become more comfortable in my own skin but to stand up for myself and not feel guilt about it.

(con't. below)

A year ago today I can truly say I felt like a different person. I was in a relationship I was unhappy in, I wasn't satisfied in my day-to-day as I knew I wanted to pursue this blog but didn't have the guts to get the wheels turning on it yet, and I was just really shy to do anything about it!

I think things hit a wall for me when I came to terms with all of these things and stopped being in denial. As corny as it sounds, if you're not pleased with your life you and only you have the power to change it. You can't depend on anyone to fix it or for things to magically come your way. 

Final thoughts on twenty-five: cutting toxic people out of your life is crucial for mental health and happiness, putting yourself as a priority isn't a bad thing, hard work doesn't seem like work when you love what you're doing, and confidence develops once you stop caring so much what everyone is going to think or if you're going to upset someone.

I may not have my whole life together by twenty-six, but I'm definitely happy I've picked up some knowledge about myself and life in general I didn't have a year ago. Going into twenty-six, I'm definitely looking forward to continue building my blog, spending quality time with my family, making great new memories with my best friends, and taking in any new experiences that come my way.

Cheers to 26!

XO,

Jasmin

IS BLOGGING VAIN?

Recently, I was out one night enjoying a yummy spicy marg with friends, when the topic of social media and everyone's favorite platform; Instagram came up. I forget how this subject even got brought up, but then the attention got turned towards me and I was asked the question "seriously how many selfies do you have on your Instagram?"

I was a little taken aback when I was asked this. Partially because I honestly don't know the answer -- when I post something on Instagram, I just post it because I like it. There's no in-depth analysis going on of my selfie to non-selfie ratios. The other reason I was a little uncomfortable with this question was because I couldn't help but notice this person was implying I was narcissistic or vain in some sense, which made me further think...is blogging just a narcissistic outlet?

(con't below)

And the answer to that in my honest opinion is: HELL no. And before you think well of course I'm going to say no; I'm biased, hear me out. 

Yes, I post a lot of selfies. Yes, my whole Instagram/blog is mainly just photos of myself. But, as a blogger I am documenting my daily outfits, make-up, hair, jewelry, whatever that I want to post about that I think my readers and followers would enjoy. Sure, when I post a photo of myself I want to make sure I am represented in the best way possible as I take my blog seriously like any brand would. But it's not something done in vanity. I love fashion, beauty and styling and I get to best implement my favorite fashions and styles by showing examples of it on myself. If I was a home decor blogger, I would probably post photos of my home; if I was a food blogger, I would probably post photos of food I order or I make myself. 

Blogging is taking something personal and making creative content out of it. When I go to a shoot, I take a lot of time putting together outfits, coordinating accessories, and making sure I convey the look/mood I have envisioned. I have always been a creative person and grew up ogling over fashion magazine editorials so in my mind, blogging is like creating a fashion editorial with a personal twist. And that personal twist is going to involve photos of yours truly. So sorry to whoever looks at my Instagram or blog and sees it done in vanity, as that is simply not the intent behind it.

I always preach to not care what people think and do what you want, but I also wanted to defend my blog -- as it is my passion project and not just something done to rack up likes on social media. What do you guys think? Any fellow style bloggers that have also wrestled with this?

XO,

Jasmin

P.S. This dress is sold out in the pink -- but the exact same one is available in black! Which I probably will end up ordering myself. The shoes and bags are also unfortunately sold out but I've linked my fav similar styles.

SUMMER BEACH READS: 10 BOOKS YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT DOWN

Ever since I was a little kid, I was obsessed with reading books. I remember I used to make my parents take me to the book store so I could get a new book instead of something normal kids got like toys. Call me what you want, but there's definitely a joy I get from reading that has carried over into adulthood for me. 

One of my favorite parts about summer is the endless lounging at the beach/by the pool to not only work on my tan, but to get into a good book (perhaps with a cocktail on the side). When it comes to reading, I definitely like something either suspenseful (think Gone Girl/The Girl on the Train), something relatable (I don't like reading time pieces -- I just can't get into something that happened during the civil war era), or something funny if I'm going the non-fiction route (I like to laugh, ok?). 

Scroll down to see my top ten page-turners you need to bring with you down to the beach/out to the pool this summer. Perfect for this long 4th of July holiday weekend we have coming up!

1. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: I'm sure many of you have already seen the HBO show with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman that was based off of this book, but I highly recommend reading this anyways! First off I love this author and every book I have read of hers has been hilarious, suspenseful and I tell myself ok, just one more chapter when I read her. Big Little Lies is probably my favorite though. It's told from the point of view of three different characters and switches off every chapter so it keeps things very interesting. It's about the lives of very different women who are friends and are bound together by having their children attend the same school in a nice, beach front town in Australia. Little do they know dark secrets about each other's past which ultimately culminates in revealing a murder that is foreshadowed at the beginning of the book. 

2. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware: Ok, so this isn't necessarily a murder mystery like Big Little Lies that's also peppered with some humor so you can get some laughs in while trying to figure out who's been killed. This book is straight up suspenseful and had me a little scared at some parts! I really like this author's style of writing because it's very detailed, almost to the point where I felt like I was there in the story and could picture everything to a T. It's about a bachelorette party at a cozy cabin in the woods gone terribly wrong. (Side note to myself: do NOT have my bachelorette party out in the middle of nowhere LOL).

3. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena: Another suspense novel, but this one is about a couple that goes to a dinner party at their neighbors next door, and with their babysitter canceling on them last minute, decides to just pop over every 30 min to make sure their baby is OK with the baby monitor on them as well. Of course said baby goes missing, and the entire book you're trying to figure out who did this and what the motive was. This was definitely a page turner for me (I even took this book with me on the treadmill), and had tons of plot twists to keep me going WTF to myself.

4. The Girls by Emma Cline: I know I said I don't like time pieces, but this one is an exception for me. It takes place in 1960's California and is about a teenage girl that becomes mesmerized with a group of girls she sees in the park one day. As the main character befriends these girls, she also becomes drawn into a cult these girls are part of and the charming yet manipulative man that's leading them. Kind of creepy but also really interesting as you wonder what some teen girl would be thinking to join a cult and commit violent crimes. 

5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover: This is definitely a more emotionally-charged book about love and relationships so it's a nice break from all the murder and suspense novels I've been reading. I really like Hoover's style of writing -- it's easy to read and well-written so you feel like you're right there in the storyline. Without giving too much away, it's about a woman who's caught between two relationships in her life; one with the guy she's currently dating, and one with her first love that makes a reappearance in her life. You're not going to laugh through this one but it's definitely a page turner.

6. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: This one is your classic chick-lit, rom-com type of novel but it's a really fun and light read. It's about two coworkers who work in a corporate office together and act like they hate each other but deep down it's obvious there's sexual tension and feelings there. It had me actually LOL-ing and parts where the inner romantic in me was gushing. 

7. Unravel by Calia Read: Omg you guys, this book is SO good...I literally couldn't put it down. It's about a girl that gets admitted to a psych ward and you're trying to figure out why she's there. It shifts between past and present and touches a lot on the relationship the main character had. It's part romance, part thriller, and definitely kept me on my toes. Also warning: it has a lot of sex scenes. Not tacky 50 shades style, but still. You've been warned. 

8. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica: This is another suspense novel but it's so creepy because it's about a one night stand where the guy ends up kidnapping the main character! it's narrated from the perspective of said girl that gets kidnapped, the girl's mother, the detective assigned to the case, and the kidnapper himself. The different perspectives definitely helped build the suspense of the storyline and the author's way of unfolding the story kept me wondering what happens next! I definitely am happy to see she has other books out that I can add to my reading list.

9. The Regulars by Georgia Clark: I've never read anything else by this author but I really liked this book so I hope to read more by her. This one is about three best friends in their mid-twenties who are trying to make it at their corporate jobs, make it work at online dating, and trying to over come their quarter-life crises (OK, relatable much?). BUT then they come across this potion that makes them magically super-model gorgeous and how their lives change is definitely interesting and hilarious to see play out.

10. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty: I started this list with this author and I'm ending it with this author cause she's seriously one of my favorites to read! This book is about a 39 year old mom who falls during a spin class and wakes up thinking she's ten years younger than she actually is! Her whole life is completely different and it's funny to see how people react to her and all the changes her life has gone through in the past 10 years that she's completely oblivious to. It's a funny and sweet story about family, relationships and love.

What did you guys think? Any good reads I need to add to my to-read list? Let me know!

XO,

Jasmin