I’m sorry to be the one to tell you.
There are no quick fixes for mental health or physical wellbeing. No one wants to hear this because we’re used to coming across the top 3 tips, the listicles, the “hacks” to be more productive or efficient, healthier, happier, etc. But there are no viable shortcuts in the realm of health and wellness that lead to lasting change and personal growth.
My personal growth journey has been a long, nonlinear one — not that most of the people who ask me about it want to believe it, or even understand what goes on beneath the surface.
People in my life…
There’s light at the end of this tunnel but how we feel on the way there matters too
The first snowstorm has hit the northeast, forcing me to make peace with the fact that winter is here (does someone want to let Jon snow know?).
My friends and I have been talking about this winter for a few weeks now, given that we already know how it feels to be in isolation, but we haven’t experienced it during the already somewhat isolating winter season.
As COVID-19 cases rise, and the vaccine has yet to hit the mainstream, staying at home is back in season. Although if you’re like me and this isn’t your first New England winter, part…
Because even our favorite hobbies can turn into chores in winter
When I participated in NaNoWriMo, I found I lost the feeling of joy writing usually brings me. Fifty thousand words was a great goal and I intend to take part again next year, but I know I’ll need to do things differently. The experience illuminated some ways writing brings me joy and some ways it doesn’t.
At the beginning of November, I had a sense of structure. Towards the end of the month, I found myself frantically writing at odd hours when I had a free moment, desperately trying to reach my word count goal. Sometimes I’d write in the…
And what I’ll be doing differently next year
1. Carve out a daily writing window
NaNoWriMo started out fairly smoothly, but towards the end of the month, when I was desperately trying to maintain my daily word, I found myself begrudgingly writing at any spare moment. Sometimes this was helpful, but most of the time it just made the process of writing very stressful.
I enjoyed working on my NaNoWriMo project much more on the days I stuck to my writing window. I knew from previous experience that the morning was my favorite time to write.
Furthermore, NaNoWriMo took me away from my morning journaling, because I used that time to try to reach my…
Navigating what this season may have in store for us
This piece may contain spoilers about the upcoming season of life.
For better or for worse, the pandemic has slowed us down. No more rushing around to several places in one day, coming home exhausted and ready to crash into the couch. An outing to the drug store has become a daily highlight. No euphoric rushes from canceling plans to stay in and watch Netflix. For months most of our plans have been canceled before they even had a chance to be made.
Like the Gilmore Girls sequel, each season of the pandemic has had its own vibe. Consequently like…
And how this will inform my 2021
Finding success towards the beginning of 2020 was basically just trying to survive — emotionally and physically. There are very few years in the past I could call ‘survival’ a marker of success (maybe the years I was hit with a really bad flu or seasonal depression), but alas, here we are.
As fun as it is to joke about how terrible 2020 was, it was still a year of growth. Growth happened in different ways than we imagined when the clock struck midnight and brought in the new year. This year I’ll land a new job/get that raise I…
Because the smallest fixes can create the biggest improvements
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’m not interested in reading a long article to improve my writing (although I have, many, many times). I thought about everything I’ve learned as a writer thus far and pulled three easy to implement tips that will improve your writing.
- Use Active Voice
It is easy to get stuck in passive voice. Instead of boring you with definitions of active vs. passive voice (since that’s easy to google but doesn’t help too much in practice) here are examples of switching into active voice.
Passive:
Masks should be worn by everyone.
Bananas are…
Because even the guy who invented the infinite scroll wants you to stop
Like many people, I recently watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix. Regardless of what you feel the film got right or wrong about the perils of social media, the truth is the infinite scroll can be problematic, even for those of us who don’t struggle with tech addiction and feel okay about our screen time.
So what’s the problem then?
Scrolling endlessly during our free time takes away the little, seemingly insignificant moments in the day that aren’t really insignificant at all.
The moments that allow us to have random thoughts that turn into incredible ideas. The moments that allow…
How to write when you feel uninspired or unmotivated.
I found a love for writing in my early twenties (it freaks me out that I can now differentiate between periods within my 20s, but that’s a freak out for another day). My writing started with journal writing, then professional social media writing, closely followed by copywriting. From there I started editing fiction and nonfiction pieces in a writing group. Now I’m dabbling in memoir writing and writing about topics in psychology (with a promise to myself to take part in NaNoWriMo 2020!).
As my love for writing grew, and I discovered Medium I thought this is great — the…
Beautiful, but disgusting.
A caterpillar emerges from its chrysalis as a butterfly. It is the beauty of nature in action. Growth entails letting go of what was ‘before’ and embracing the new. But here’s what no one wants to talk about with personal growth. It can be disgusting.
Many of us are familiar with the notion that personal growth is uncomfortable. Change is rarely easy. Butterflies don’t have the smoothest (albeit slimiest) time emerging from and shedding their former home, wings all crammed together, trudging through such a delicate process.
We talk about how personal growth is often worth the…
Louise Lumia
Writer, Counselor-in-Training, Professional Binge Watcher of The Office, Coffee Enthusiast
