Be Kind to Yourself

WARNING: This is going to be a post where I regurgitate all the recent flow of ideas in my head regarding my perception of life 🙂 Sit back and enjoy.

Don’t wait for good things to happen. There can be other good things right in front of your eyes. Live in the present and take a moment to appreciate, understand, contemplate, and enjoy all that is occurring around you. Take a small sip of that drink and really savor the sweetness, sourness, or bitterness of the taste. Look into the sky and appreciate the clouds, the wind blowing into your face, and the hue of the summer. Do everything with a little more mindfulness. You’ll realize how much more in depth with life you can achieve. Life is not linear. We will walk through many varying paths as we live through each age of our life. There will be easy, challenging, unknown, and possibly invisible paths. Sometimes we need to get lost a few times before we find our reality. Take your time to figure out what path or decision feels doable to you. People can be kind. You can always learn new knowledge from anyone you meet. The few good connections you have with people may take you further than you thought. Taking a step out of your comfort zone can take you a far ways. Reach for the stars if you can! When you tell yourself “but I can’t…”, then you are your greatest obstacle. Figure out how you can take that first small step. It may not take you where you want initially. You can gain something else from the experience that you didn’t expect.

 

My Journey to Self-Discovery

The best degree you can work on and attain is YOU because you are not defined by the amount of education you can have.

Sometimes you get so caught up in life you forget about yourself. I wonder how people find a good balance between finding time for themselves, their social lives, and important obligations. I’ve concluded that life is too short. Just take chances and follow what feels right to you. All will fall into place when it’s meant to happen.

I’ve been feeling a mixture of thrill and anxiety by the idea of becoming an adult. Luckily, my current circumstances have given me somewhat of a financial cushion and some room to delay adulthood. Before I commit myself to a 9-5 job as a full-time therapist, I definitely want to take a little more time to take some risks and chances that may allow me to venture into different realms of opportunities for me to pursue self-enlightenment and growth. I’ve been low-key obsessed with the idea of searching for quality in my life. What I’ve found in my search so far includes: deep conversations with people, getting out of my comfort zone, and taking in different perspectives.

Lately, I find that I have more room to stretch my mind figuratively, so I’ve been reflecting tremendously  daily on ideas, people, and experiences that I don’t want to miss out on. I’ve always been someone who was afraid to regret my choices, but now I want to become someone who isn’t afraid of taking chances.

I have two flights planned for next month. I’m going to San Francisco and Miami! And I am absolutely not sure what I am doing, which is more impulsive of me than usual. No matter how both trip goes, I am sure THIS is what I want.

“The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

In retrospect…

So so much has changed since the past year. For those of you who haven’t heard or seen me in a while…I completed my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy back in August 2016. On a side note, I don’t really tell people that I’m a therapist because I don’t feel qualified yet (I’m still working towards my licensure); and I prefer to help people and families without the feeling of entitlement because I truly am passionate about helping those rekindle their relationships with each other. I want to continue becoming a strong advocate for people to create happier and healthier family bonds, relationships, and friendships. Anyways, I didn’t think graduate school would fly by as quickly as I got admitted back in March 2014. It has definitely been what seemed like a super painfully long and gratifying journey. My journey through grad school, as a MFT trainee, and living solo in San Diego has taught me many valuable life lessons. I encourage anyone who is feeling stuck in life (and has the financial means) to either pursue higher education, try living on your own in a city you’re not familiar with, or just putting yourself in any new and uncomfortable situations (even if briefly) because this has been one of my most satisfying yet challenging experiences of my life. I have definitely grown in so many ways that I thought I would never have. I feel and think more independently. According to one of my friends, I still look like I haven’t aged one bit, but I feel like I’ve gained and lost (this includes more than just weight lol) more than I have in the past year. 2016 was a year of many life crises, broken and gained friendships, heartbreak, and new beginnings. I recognize that this is all a part of life, maybe even the beginning of adulthood–people come and go and things happen out of your control. I think with all the life transitions I’ve experienced in these past two years whilst in grad school really has changed me. I’ve made countless mistakes in the past and I don’t regret it because that is how I came to grasp a better understanding of the world and became who I am today. The risk-taking me that applied to grad school on a whim is still here today and I’m extremely thankful because a risk not taken could have meant a path I didn’t give a chance. However, the thoughts in my mind and the way that I perceive people and the world is not what it used to be. My perspective on everything has changed greatly from the time I graduated, moved back home in Los Angeles, reconnected with some old and new friends, and went on my trip to Asia. With that being said, I want to continue to grow and forever be a student of life and strive to find my authentic self.

Will start this by:

• eating healthier, getting fit and working out
• getting employed
• reading (never stop learning)
• traveling/spending more time in nature
• self-care

Authentically and sincerely,

-Deanna