first day jitters!

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tomorrow is my first official day of work! i have been waiting for this moment for six long months and if you know me, that is way too long of a time to not be working. it has been an interesting couple of months to say least, not working, not studying, and trying to keep myself occupied in a foreign country with limited resources. however, i did it! and now i will have something to keep me occupied every day and i will FINALLY be getting a pay check. can't beat that!

anyway, it's been a little bit of a stressful process getting my permission to work here in costa rica. scratch that .. it has been and extremely stressful process especially as of late. i recently found this lovely blog called The Freedom Experiment and was especially drawn to this blog post entitled 55 ways to take care of yoruself when you're busy busy busy."

now, i know i'm not busy busy busy yet but i probably will be pretty soon. and moreover, when i read this post i took it as more of a way to relax yourself when you've got a lot going on and feel a little more stressed than usually (yes, that's me!). so i'm not going to post all 55 but i am going to post a few of my favorites. here you go!


Listen to your favorite music
Calm music will help you calm down and upbeat music will help you up your game. Pick music that won’t distract you (like music without lyrics or in a foreign language). Your favourite music will boost your mood and keep you happy, no matter how tired you are.

Break your self-care habits into smaller tasks and do one each day
No need to look like you’re constantly running after your life, even if you are! Just break up your routine into smaller, and more achievable chunks. Shave your legs one day, paint your nails the next day, wash your hair the day after, etc. This approach also works with keeping your house tidy – just do one little chore every day and you’ll stay on top of everything more easily. 

Keep a planner and schedule no-appointments time
To make your life less chaotic, it’s a good practice to keep a planner. Make sure you write down every single appointment, to save yourself from unwanted surprises and missed meetings. Just remember to schedule time for yourself. Honor your appointment with yourself just as much as you would keep an appointment with anyone else. Just make sure you schedule time with yourself first – anyone else needs to come in second in your life.

Make sure you keep in touch with your friends
Just a few text messages, tweets or the occasional coffee will make sure your friendships don’t suffer. You will feel much better when you focus on something else entirely, and it will prevent you form becoming a workaholic hermit. You don’t have to keep in touch with everybody, most people will understand that you’re having a busy period. Just make sure you stay in touch with the people that make you happy and inspired.

Resist the urge to be productive all the time
You can’t be equally productive every single waking moment, so you might as well schedule some off time right away. Be nice to yourself and don’t expect to accomplish as much in the late evening as you do in the morning.

and there you have it :)