Monday, Monday

It’s time to get back to work.

The weekend is over and so is your desire to get out there and get going.

Monday’s are hard, but starting the week out right can make all the difference!

Here are some tips and tricks to give yourself the boost of energy you need to get yourself from Monday to the Weekend!

1. SUNLIGHT! Open your blinds just a little bit before bed so that you can be awakened by the sunlight! Get up before the sun or don’t feel comfortable sleeping with the blinds open? Invest in a sunlight imitation lamp! When your alarm goes off slap that baby on and get your natural body clock into “go” mode!
2. Music. Who doesn’t get pumped when you hear your favorite song come on? We all have a “motivational song” or an “I can do this song”, so instead of hearing the annoying “BEEP BEEP BEEP!”, try downloading a song that gets you excited and set that as your alarm ringtone. The way we wake up is a huge part of how well our day will turn out!
3. Breathe. Take time in the morning (and throughout the day if necessary) to just breathe. It’s Monday, you have a whole week of work and things to do ahead of you, so take it one task at a time. You can’t do it all at once anyway, so why worry about it? Take ten seconds, fifteen seconds, two minutes… however long you have/need and breathe in and out, focusing on how it feels and letting your mind and body relax. Then get to work!
4. Prep on Saturday/Sunday. Have a rough week coming up? Do a little preparation by making your favorite snack and breaking it up into portions that you can have for those extra rough moments throughout the week. Or if you’re a planner sit down the night before and make a list of things to do; list them in order of importance.
5. Exercise. A lot of you out there may not “love” working out (I’m one of those people), but I promise you that if you start with even 10 min. of working out in the morning your day will be better! Working out in the morning jumpstarts your metabolism and gets your energy into motion. I’ve experienced how well this works firsthand.

And of course, because life is “what we make it”, more than any of the things listed above, ATTITUDE, is seriously everything. If you tell yourself you’re going to have a good day no matter what, if you tell yourself that you are in control of how you feel and what you do, you will have a good day, week, and life.

*More articles coming on the power of positive thinking.

Remember “It’s a good day to have a good day”, everyday, even Monday’s.

In addition to these things, if you find that you want a little extra help planning and keeping yourself on task, try out these wonderful apps!

iPhone: Todoist

Android: Jorte

Best Beauty Secret Ever!

With so many shapes, sizes, and colors who’s to say what the definition of beauty is? Mainstream media wants us to believe that there is an ideal way to look. You either have to be “thick” and “full” or “thin” and “toned”. You have to have just the right “olive skin tone”. You have to have “almond shaped eyes”, but heaven forbid they be “too small” or “too large”. You have to have a bottom lip that is double the size of your top one and use Kylie Jenner lip products. You have to have those tight leggings with the little zippers on the bottom just because that’s what “is in”…etc.

YOU HAVE TO BE WHAT THE MEDIA WANTS YOU TO BE! Right? You have to match a certain description right? You can’t just be a normal person. You can’t just like to wear plain t-shirts and regular skinny jeans, because that doesn’t make the cut. Right? WRONG. Stop listening to all the negativity, stop paying attention to all of the comparisons, don’t feed into the agendas!

You are unique. You don’t have to change anything about yourself. I’ve asked several people and read a million different posts and research articles, away from the mainstream pig feed, and guess what? The best way to feel beautiful is to learn to love what you’ve got! And what’s the top thing that people find to be most appealing and beautiful? Genuinity! A sincere smile, a confident walk, a sharable laugh, BEING YOURSELF.

I still struggle with my self esteem at times, and let me tell you it’s probably one of the hardest battles I’ve had to face. For years I wished I had the money to change my nose so that it would be little smaller, so it would be “cute”. For years I cried about my broad shoulders, wishing I could be petite like “all the other women around me” or that my hips were at least a little wider so that if I couldn’t be petite, I could at least have the perfect shaped hourglass that so many women desire to have. This way of thinking got me NOWHERE. Sitting in your self pity and victimizing yourself does absolutely nothing. Upon this realization I decided, “I don’t care how long it takes, I am going to love myself”. And as I’ve been working to love myself I’ve noticed that not only am I happier, but those who are coming into my life seem to be more positive people as well.

Best Beauty Secret Ever – LOVE YOURSELF. Take care of yourself and try to be the best you that you can be. But don’t try to be the better version of somebody else because you never will be, you can’t be!

Start with the little steps…

1. Combat Negative Thinking – Give yourself more compliments and less criticisms.
2. Smile More – Even if you have to fake it at first.
3. Look for the Good in Others – The more we look for the good in others, usually the less we look for the bad in ourselves.
4. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF – You are too unique to waste your time wishing to be something/someone else.

Love yourself, love your life, follow your dreams, and let the negativity go.

As Dr. Seuss once wisely said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Top 5 Reasons to Drink More Water this Year

I am a forgetful person, I just am. And one thing that I haven’t been too good about remembering is keeping myself properly hydrated! However, since beginning 2018, I have been trying with everything I have to drink more water! Water is the basis of what we are. We need it! I didn’t realize the need for it until I started researching the difference that water makes. We can get water from other sources of course, like fruits, sports drinks, things like that but nothing compares to just plain, simple water. Below are my personal top five reasons to drink more water! So does water make a difference? It surely does!

1. Surprise, surprise… Water gives you energy! One of the biggest things I set out to work on this year is having more energy. I have a lot going on in my life, like most of you, and energy is a key part in getting things done. Therefore, my first important reason to drink water, is it actually boosts your energy! How amazing is that?
2. Feeling a little groggy? Your body might be foggy, with toxins. Drink that water and clear your system! Water is one of the best antioxidants for your body. Water will help all of your major organs perform their jobs better which includes, flushing out toxins. Which brings us to my next point.
3. Acne is such a pest, drink some water and put it to rest. Now you might need additional help with your acne, depending on the root cause of it. But if it’s not hormones it’s probably a build up of oils and, you guessed it, toxins that push through your skin, or at least try to, and get caught in your pores. This can cause painful and annoying acne! When you first increase your water intake you might notice a flare up, but be patient, over time the water will get it out and keep it away!
4. Is that belly weighing you down? Wash it away with some water! Obviously drinking more water alone won’t give you the bod you’ve always wanted, but it will surely help! Again, it goes back to flushing the yucky stuff out and making more room for the good stuff to come in. It also helps you to not overeat. Just drink a cup or so of water about 30 min. before your meals and it will help you drastically to cut back on your portion sizes, which is a huge part of losing weight.
5. HEADACHES! Oh my goodness, I don’t know anyone who likes headaches, but I know a lot of us get them. With so much stressful things going on they’re sometimes hard to avoid. Luckily, I am here to tell you that drinking more water can help! It may not keep them from coming but it can definitely weaken their effects, making it more easy to manage. And worse than headaches are MIGRAINES, which water has also been proven to help alleviate the intensity of.

I decided to point out these five things in particular because these are all things that I have dealt with. I have seen first hand how the effects of water can and will improve your life. These are also major areas that I’ve noticed other people are desperate to improve in their own lives. But it doesn’t happen overnight, you must be patient. It can take time to start noticing a change, but I promise it will!

How much should you be drinking?

It is suggested that you drink according to your weight and activity level. The more active you are the more likely you are to be sweating and therefore the more water you will need to replenish. Also people who are made up of more, i.e. you weigh more or are taller, will also require a higher water intake. I workout daily, and strive to drink between half to my full body weight in oz. of water. For example, if I weigh 120 lbs, I should be trying to drink from anywhere to between 60 oz. to 120 oz. of water a day. Also, while you can easily be dehydrated there is such a thing as being over hydrated, so be careful when deciding what the right amount of water is for you. To help you out i’ve added a link to a couple cool apps below that will help you to keep better track of your water intake! Try them out! They’re awesome!

Top Rated for iPhone: Daily Water (I have an iPhone and this is the app I use! I love it!)

Top Rated for Android: Water Time Pro

So remember the simple words of Stephen Curry, “Drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle”. You want to be healthier, feel better, and be more likely to get things done? Start with drinking more water!

 

Meditation Miracles

About two years ago I became diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety. No one is really sure what triggered it, or where it came from but when I first started having panic attacks, I was terrified. I thought they were never going to end. I thought I might never be able to have a “normal” life again. Negative thoughts constantly bombarded my mind, breathing became a thing of discomfort, I couldn’t sleep at night, and I didn’t want to do anything! I wanted to hide in a corner, a big comfy corner, weighed down by blankets and pillows, hidden from the world. I hated this feeling of drowning, it didn’t seem as though there were anything I could do to alleviate this horrible dark cloud that had settled upon me. Until… I decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I was tired. After months of mental torture and fatigue, I decided to take action. I made the choice to beat my anxiety. I began breathing exercises, I began senses testing. Senses testing is when anxiety takes you out of reality, so you bring yourself back in by counting five things you can feel/touch/taste/see/smell. This worked wonders for me. But beyond anything that has helped me to keep my anxiety in check has been taking the time to do at least 10 minutes a day of meditation.

Now, I am going to share with you guys an app that I love! It has helped me so much in these past couple months that I have started using it. I have found that I have even better control over my thoughts and ability to move more easily through times of stress and trial than ever before! That app is: Calm.

This is a mediation app that focuses on the healing properties of tuning into yourself, listening to what your body needs. Some of the features on this app are free and others you have to pay for. However, the free demos are definitely enough to get you started on a journey of self-discovery! I love how this app walks you through the basics of meditation in a way that teaches you to be able to do it on your own, anywhere at anytime. It also has a beautiful layout, with calming abilities of its own.

If you’re interested, which you should be, go ahead and click on the link below to get started!

Calm App

Remember you are in control of the way your life turns out.

“Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.”         – Dorothy M. Neddermeyer

It’s the New Year 2018

I went to sleep December 31st, 2017, tired and unable to think… I woke up, 3:30AM on January 1st, 2018 filled with a fire to take on the world. However, before I jump into the purpose of this blog, let me introduce myself.

I am Mimi Llemant.

I am a 23 year old Aspirationist, yes I know that’s not a real word, but I aspire to be the best that I can be, I aspire to inspire, I aspire to lift others up. Therefore, I consider myself to be an Aspirationist. In addition to my love for writing, I also enjoy trying out new makeup looks, researching the latest fashion and trends, and finding simple life hacks to make life easier. I also love to bake and create new recipes of any sort in the kitchen. I am married to a wonderful man and together we have the sweetest little Sheprador (German Shepherd/Lab Mix). I wake up early in the morning between 3 and 3:30AM so that I can teach Chinese students English, and I also play a role as what is called a Peer Support Specialist, helping people with depression and anxiety overcome the challenges that come with these disabilities.

So now that you know me a little, I look forward to getting to know you. Follow my posts, comment, share and I will do my best to respond and keep the content coming. The main purpose of this blog is to uplift and inspire. I will share tips on mental health, physical health, ways to stay motivated, improve self confidence, and ways for your to become your best self yet. I will also include stories from my real, everyday life that show that you are not alone, you can do anything you put your mind and heart into!

2017 was a year of new chapters and trials, but 2018 is going to be a year of fulfillment and success. And as a woman who loves to write and read, you’ll often find quotes slipped into my posts, such as this:

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties”. – Helen Keller

Make 2018 your best year yet!