goodbye 2013

I'm not quite sure I'm ready to say farewell to 2013 just yet, although I'm not sure why that's the case either. 2013 was an odd year for me to say the least; I felt like there weren't any "milestones" for me this year and it leaves me with this weird feeling in my stomach. I read somewhere that after your high school or college years, everything kind of blurs itself out and the years just go passing by and it felt like this year was the beginning of that where my years just kind of "fly by." Hopefully 2014 will be the year I have a blog, the year I become good at cooking and hooping among other things, and the year I run my first marathon (or better yet the year I get back into running on a daily basis). It would be spectacular if 2014 were the year I move out and learn to live on my own, although I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet. Or maybe 2013 was an odd year because I didn't set any goals and I didn't properly say my farewells to 2012 so it eventually started feeling like a dragged out 2012. Maybe it was just because 2013 is an odd number. Who knows?

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned I wasn't going to make plans. I know, I lied. Sorry. It wasn't until very recently where I realized that that's exactly what I did back in December in 2012. I didn't make any plans for 2013, and it turned out horribly for me. So I will be making plans for 2014; I'm a planner, that's just what I do and what I like to do. I like to make plans and make things and have an idea of where I want to be or I just stop doing things one day at a time until I forget what it was I wanted to do in the first place which normally just leaves me feeling empty and lost.

Starting on a new chapter in your life is exciting and having a blog to document it just makes it even better. I'm excited to see where 2014 takes me. I suppose I am ready to say goodbye to 2013 after all; thanks for all that you've taught me 2013, but I think I'm ready to move on to 2014.

I actually got up early this morning and made this list and it's realistic and completely doable.  Yay for realistic goals! I have plans to celebrate new year's eve tonight and to ring in the new year, which I'm excited about because before last year, the extent of my celebrating nye was watching fireworks on television and now I'm out and about doing things! I'll blog all about it later (that's so fun to say).

• What about you? Are you ready to leave 2013 behind? Will you be making any new year resolutions?
• Are you celebrating new years eve tonight?

so many blogs so little time

 

When I dive into something, I really dive in. So when I decided I was making a blog a week ago, I told myself that this time I had to stick to it or I wasn't going to write my first post. Which meant I dived right in. I read lots of blogging advice posts; what one should do, what one shouldn't do, how to get involved in the blogging community, how to schedule your posts, how important it is reading other peoples' blogs, etc. There's so much information out there, even information on blogging itself.

It's exciting to say the least, starting a new blog, but it's also overwhelming at the same time. I already have a bookmark folder over fifty blogs, and I want to read them all. How does one go about blogging and having a life responsibilities? I can just spend all day alone on trying to find new blogs! (Oh wait, that's what I'm already doing.. do you see my problem here?) And some people are just so beautiful and neatly organized, and just wow. But I don't want to be so overwhelmed to the point where I just stop blogging altogether due to me neglecting my responsibilities. So any tips or advice would be helpful and appreciated!

• When did you start blogging? And if you've been blogging for a long time, how did you do it?
• How did you start about blogging and what's your favorite part about it?
• What's the most valuable thing you've learned while blogging and what's the best advice you could give?

reflecting back on the year / 2013

It's almost time for the new year again. My friend and I were up late talking last night about how life seems to become more and more stressful as we get older; a lot of people may say that we're still young and maybe we are, but time is flying by either way. And it's a little scary. Well actually it's really scary with college debts, loans, trying to pay rent, trying to learn to live without your parents, having responsibilities (especially financial responsibilities), finding a job, starting on your career, etc. And it got me thinking, about a lot of things actually, like where I want to be one or two years from now, and whether I'm where I thought I would be when I thought about my life a year or two ago, about how my life is progressing (or well, not progressing), what I actually want to do with my life, etc.

Reflecting back on this year, it wasn't a good year for me. I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I still don't. And that freaked me out, a lot. A lot more than it should have. But I'm finally starting accept that maybe it's okay. Why do I need to have my life all figured out now? Well, maybe I don't. I don't have to figure out my whole life now. I mean I do have my whole life ahead of me after all, right? And isn't life about living anyway? I want to live my life, not plan a life to live.

So what exactly are my plans for 2014? I'm not entirely sure, but instead of freaking out about how I don't have a successful job yet, how I'm not in a traditional four year college like everyone else, or how I'm not at a party every weekend like most people my age, I'm going to do things I want to do and I'm going to accomplish things that are meaningful to me. Life isn't about doing the same things as everyone else, it's about doing what you want to do. And that's what 2014 is all about - doing things that I want to do, living the life I want to live, and being proud of it.

I'm going to work on loving my body instead of wanting to lose weight as an outlet of anger, I'm going to work on being kind to myself every time I want to hate myself over something small, I'm going to work harder on my studies and learn more things on my free time, I'm going to work on getting better and doing more of things like running, hooping, cooking, studying and learning, etc. My plan is focus on the positive for 2014 and build on things that I can actually change and improve on, rather than feeling hopeless about things I don't really have any control over (like not knowing what I want to do with the rest of my life. Eventually, I will figure it out, right? And if I don't, what's the big deal anyway as long as I'm enjoying my life?)

Here's to hope, change, and self acceptance! Cheers!

• What about you? How was your year this year? Did you accomplish the things you wanted to do?
• And what are your plans for the new year? Will you be making new years resolutions for 2014?
• Do you have any tips for a 20 year old who has no clue what's she's doing with her life?

Talk to you soon! Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!

sick day with lots of fruits

Woke up feeling kind of lightheaded yesterday like my body was telling me I was sick and that I should rest, but I went to work instead. I should've have taken a nap or something when I got home, but I didn't and as a result I got a high fever last night while I was out at dinner. I guess this is a reminder to always listen to your body and do what it tells to you or else things like this happen.

 

 

So I slept in until noon today and decided to make a fruit bowl with greek yogurt and granola, but it turns out I don't have an appetite but the pictures turned out really good and the bowl looks delicious! I also made fresh orange juice yayyy (it has a lot of pulp, oops).

the purpose of berry merry endorphins

I've always wanted to have a blog where I would share my story with others and hopefully inspire others, as well as having others inspire me to be a better person. This isn't the first blog I've made, but hopefully it'll be the first blog that I actually keep. (I'm determined.) I changed my url and blog name several times yesterday until I realized what I wanted to do with my blog. At first, I wanted to have a food blog but I also wanted to blog about other things.

Berry Merry Endorphins is about health, and not just about physical health which is what most people think about when they think about health. But mental health as well. I read a quote a while ago that stuck with me.

“Mind-body issue: people are so proud to go to the gym; so ashamed to go to a therapist.”

It took me a long time to realize that it was okay to ask for help - that people weren't going to think you're weak or crazy for it. Yes, they are going to be some people that are. (And you don't need those people in your life.) But most people aren't going to be like that - they're going to be understanding, caring, and supportive. And you have to be brave enough to reach out and ask for help.

That's what I want this blog to be about. Self discovery, self acceptance, and self love. Because I think a lot of people need that in their life, I know I do and I'm still working on it every day. Life is a journey and it should be a good one. Your mind and your body will stay with you for as long as you live - take care of it so it can take care of you.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if there's anything you're curious about or have comments on. I would love to hear your thoughts. Also feel free to introduce yourself! I would love to get to know other bloggers.

some acai berry love

After seeing so many acai bowls on my Instagram feed, I was feeling inpsired to make my own. I fell in love with acai bowls the moment I took my first bite out of my acai bowl, which was a few weeks ago. It tasted heavenly; it was also my first time having hemp seeds which are now my new first staple foods. The goji berries (not included in this acai bowl) were also an excellent mix to the combination.

Recipe:

To create the acai base

• 1 frozen acai berry pack (Sambazon)
• 1 frozen banana and 1/2 frozen mango
• 1/4 cup coconut water
• Blend until you have that thick and creamy texture

Toppings

• Fruits: sliced kiwi, blackberries, dried banana pieces, blackcurrants
• Granola (alt. muesli, oatmeal)
• Hemp and chia seeds
• Raw cacao nibs

You could also add in other foods for that extra boost! Wheat grass, nutritional yeast, maca powder, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.), flaxseed, yogurt, and the list goes on. 

Here are some benefits to eating acai bowls: Acai berries contain powerful antioxidants such as anthocyanins and flavonoids which help define the body by neutralizing free radicals. Coconut water is a wonderful source for high potassium and mineral content; coconut water is a great source for electrolytes which is good for proper hydration. Nuts are wonderful foods and heart healthy; almonds, in particular, are high in monounsaturated fats, calcium, potassium, iron, and manganese; they also provide dietary protein in the diet.