Goodbye 2017

12/31/17

Hey guys, welcome back. Today is New Year’s  and boy what a year it’s been. We thought 2016 was bad, oh my gosh we were not ready. At least for me.

I’ll be dead honest, this year sucked. Bad.

But you guys could probably tell from the extreme lack of posts. So I won’t waste my time talking about how awful my year was. Let’s talk about what 2018 is going to be.

I learned that it’s up to us to make our year the best it can be.

Last year, I left all the work to 2017 to be a good year. Just kind of sat back and let it be whatever it was. I never made any effort to make it good. Now, I don’t know, and to be blunt, I highly doubt that if I had tried any harder that it would’ve been any better. The year just sucked. And maybe it had to. I’ve learned a hell of a lot. Grown so much as a person. I am not the same girl I was when I sat down to recap 2016. That’s for sure.

And so, through a lot of hard work, I am going to make my one and only New Year’s Resolution this:

Make 2018 the best year it can possibly be.

And I hope you can do your best to do the same. You owe it to yourself. As this is my last post of the year and I want to end on a high note, I’ll leave you with a quote that I read just yesterday. A quote that is unbelievably true and for some reason it just really stuck with me.

Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one. -Brad Paisley

See ya soon!!!

-Dani

(^^)/

How I Self-Soothe | DBT w/ Dani lesson 1

12/21/17

Hey guys, welcome back. As I’ve mentioned previously, I went to a program specializing in DBT, dialectical behavioral therapy, to help with my mental illnesses.

And one of my favorite skills that was taught to us at that program is the self soothe skill.

Self soothing is exactly what it sounds like. Self care is so important, especially when you’re not in a good headspace. You can’t forget to take care of yourself.

I thought I’d share this one first as it’s a skill I don’t really need to teach and it’s useful for literally any negative emotion. It’s also a skill that’ll work for everyone. Some skills only work for certain people, but this one is just something that you should be doing anyway.

Things I Do To Self-Soothe

1. Listen to music

I actually have a “Self-Soothe” playlist, separate from my “bad day” playlist, it consists only of soft, peaceful music. Songs with lyrics that make me feel safe and warm, or lyrics that are very relatable (a lot of Ed Sheeran. A lot.) I’d suggest making a playlist specifically for self-soothing if you don’t have one already. Make sure it’s one you can listen to without an Internet connection as well, so you’ll always have it.

2. Warm shower or bath

If I have the time, a bath is often just what I need. But I’m a busy bee so a warm shower is nice too. If you’re in a bad mood, for some reason it’s very comforting to cry in a shower or bath. It feels good to get clean when you’re in these bad moods too, you can imagine that you’re washing away all the bad things, leaving the good, or cleansing the old to make way for the new.

3. Pajamas and blankets

I always get into the comfiest clothes possible (fuzzy pajamas) and wrap up in a blanket while hugging a stuffed animal. This is often when I have my music on. I let myself lie in bed, curled up, hiding from the world in a sense. It’s nice to give yourself the space to think things through and calm your mind. Especially in an environment that’s safe and comfortable.

4. Resting/ napping

Okay, most professionals will tell you that you shouldn’t sleep to avoid your problems. But for me, a nap is sometimes necessary to help me process my thoughts, or maybe to make things go away temporarily. Have you ever wished everything would just pause for a bit? Just long enough for you to calm down and process things? A nap or just allowing yourself to rest can be just that.

5. Sorting out my environment

This one may be a bit odd but it always helps me feel better to have a clean room. So if my room’s a bit of a mess, I’ll clean that up. Because I have OCD, this is often crucial for me to be able to think. If there’s a mess, I’ll never be able to calm down.

Things I’d definitely recommend doing while you self-soothe;

• turn on “do not disturb”

• ask to be left alone for a while

• do a calm activity you enjoy (not sprinting down the block, something like drawing)

• make sure you’re as comfortable as you can possibly be

That’s basically self-soothing in a nutshell. You’ll know what helps you calm down or feel relaxed, it’s just a matter of setting aside time to do it when you aren’t in the greatest mindset.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know if you’d like me to go over more DBT related things because I’d be more than happy to do that.

*Also quickly before I go! If you’re in the reader, head on over to our site because we’ve changed things up! Don’t mind our avatar, that’s the TEMPORARY work of Lyss. We have very exciting things in the works so look forward to that*

See ya soon!!!

-Dani

(^^)/

Under Construction

12/4/17

Hey guys, welcome back. So, this blog is currently under construction. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our site has been kinda, well, dead, for the last few months.

But, not to worry because Lyss and I are finally ready to pick ourselves up, get out sh*t together, and return in the best way possible.

Of course, things like this take time and planning, so brace yourselves because by the end of next week, this will be like an entirely new blog. We’re ready, are you? I’m talking some pretty significant things here so strap in. (safety is important)

Now everyone get your hard-hats and hammers because things are about to be renovated!

See ya soon!!!

-Dani

(^^)/