Q + A // How to Stay Positive in Tough Times

3.29.2014


 
  

Going through hard times is something we all deal with. Whether your having a bad day, horrible week, or losing the lost of a love one, its hard to go through. Feeling down is no fun. I think its important to focus on the positive things in life because its easy to go down the downward spiral and that just makes everything worse (in my opinion). Here are some suggestions to keeping yourself in high spirits:

 Surround yourself with uplifting and encouraging friends. A girls night always helps me get out of a "funk", and I'm able to loosen up, and unwind. Sometimes you just need that one person to vent to, and tell all your troubles to. Being able to talk about your problems out loud helps you see things in a different light. Also listening to your friends advice helps a lot too. Surround yourself who people who will be there for you at all times no matter what the situation.

  Exercise! Get up and moving. I know this is hard to do, when you want to stay in bed all day...but that doesn't solve anything. Let your blood flow, and endorphins flow.  I love taking a jog when I'm upset or irritated it seems to help me get my mind off the subject or helps me focus on the subject and how I can fix it. Being able to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air is always nice when you have a bad day.

 Listen to encouraging music. Yes uplifting happy music. When I'm down I tend to listen to sad depressing music so I can have a good cry, but I find that its harder to get out of my funk. So listening to happy and cherry music makes me feel better.
 

 Get out and go somewhere. Getting out of the home helps you feel awake and alive. Go to the beach, go shopping, grab some dinner at a nice restaurant, or go see a good show at the theatres.

 Keep a journal. This is my number one go-to when feeling upset. Writing down my thoughts helps me release all my problems. It's like I'm able to have that moment of venting and then leave the problem with all the words on the page. Journaling is a wonderful thing even for happy moments too.

 Focus on your blessings. Take a moment and write down everything your thankful for. Take time to notice the little things around you. It can be as small as a butterfly that lands right next to you. Sometimes its the little things that tend to encourage me.



 Help others. By doing something for someone else helps you escape from your problem. Your able to take your mind off of your own pain, and focus on those around you. Open up a door for a stranger, write a note to a friend, put together a care package for someone, or go spend some time with a lonely friend. This way your able to spread happiness and bring cheer into other peoples life's.

 Realize that releasing your pain can be a way of overcoming it. Let it all out. Cry. Scream. Weep. Because the more you hold your emotions in, the harder it will be to forget. I tend to be a stuffer when it comes to emotions and the way I'm feeling, but the more I stuff the more it hurts, and then I explode. But when you stand up to your problems and face your pain the easier it will be to move forward, and live on.

 Do something for yourself. Take a bubble bath, read a good book, or grab some of your favorite coffee. Go sit in coffee shop and let yourself unwind and regroup. Set a side some time for yourself, and give yourself some time to think things through. The more rest you have the better off you'll be.

 Trust in God and his purpose for you. Take this time of hurt and realize that God has a greater plan for you. Talk with God and lean on him. He is the one who will take away your hurt and help you through this time. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

 Go to your sanctuary. Go to your favorite place where you can get away and relax. Sometimes I like to plop on my bed and listening to music. I guess I'm just comforted by the sound of the music. Or find a special quite place outdoors. Let your mind unwind and relax. Go somewhere quite and just ponder for a while.

http://abeautifulheart07.blogspot.com/2013/11/ask-jenna.html

Goodbye Maui

3.26.2014 Maui, Hawaii, USA

For our last day in Maui we decided to explore a little bit more of the island by driving around and checking out the other beaches. We came across this one beach that had the most amazing fallen down palm tree, the one you see below with me sitting on it! Our last day turned out to be a little complicated and uncontrollable. The times of our flight kept changing every three or four hours due to maintenance. The original time to take off was around 3:00, then turned into 5:15, then later they needed to change it to 8:00! So our flight back to California became a hassle and tiring experience. Because Hawaii is three hours behind Cali, we didn't end up landing until 5 in the morning! It was crazy! So by the time I got home I was relieved and happy to finally be in my own bed. I am so grateful and happy I was able to go to Maui, my time was so amazing. Definitely unforgettable. The ocean is so beautiful and crystal clear it makes me want to cry over our California beaches! The wildlife and vegetation is so breathtaking. Life in Hawaii seems to be so more relaxed and easy going. Of course because of their motto "Hang Lose", and hence the fact they are leaving on paradise. But I loved the feel of the Lahaina, which was the town we stayed in, mostly because of easy access to everything. Hawaii was just so amazing and I definitely would love to go back someday!!! Maui I will forever miss you! <3











Don't Look Down

3.21.2014 Maui, Hawaii, USA





 One day as we were hanging out at the beach, Alex and I decided to explore and be adventurous. Sadly for me, I didn't find out how adventurous she was until we ended up at this cliff with lava rock all over it, that only had a tiny pathway you had to climb to reach the top...and she had this great idea to just climb to the top! I'm not one for heights nor rock climbing so to get me to go up was a big deal! All the way up I was really shaky and nervous especially with carrying a bag full of essentials and my camera which made me feel unbalanced, but I'm so glad Alex talked me into climbing up! The view was breath taking, one I know I won't experience at our So-Cal beaches! From the top we were able to see the entire beach, and the color of the water was beautiful. There wasn't a cloud in the sky which made us very happy for taking clear photos! I'm so glad I gave it a try, I certainly don't think I'll ever be as brave and adventurous as I'd like to be, but this tiny experience was definitely a start! And moments like these are what get us to where we want or need to be.





Whale Watching

3.19.2014 Maui, Hawaii, USA

 During my trip to Maui, we decided to go whale watching! It was my very first time and I loved it. It was so amazing to see whales close up. I have been to Sea World many times and seen the Killer Whale show several times, but there's something about seeing a whale in it's own habitat and surroundings. Not just in a big water tank, but the large ocean they were intended to be in. Towards the end of our ride the captain placed a microphone under the water, and we could hear the sounds and songs the whales make during their mating season, which is right now during March and April. It was the neatest thing ever! Their sounds are so distinct and different than I ever imagined. Crazy to think that their noise can travel over three miles away!! At one point we had a baby whale and its mama right under our boat. The feeling that a huge humpback whale was right underneath us was more scary than exciting...but still really neat because of how close they were to the boat!!

Little did I know...I get sea sick! Sadly I had to learn that the hard way. Back in my Sophomore year during the summer I had gone to camp with my church. For a whole week I was on house boats and I don't remember feeling as sick as I felt on the boat there in Maui! The feeling was just awful and it took about two days for me to stop feeling like I was swaying! Thankfully the boat ride was  two hours long, and the sick stomach feeling didn't kick in until we were already one hour into our tour. So basically I had one good solid hour of feeling normal and I was able to enjoy myself! I would definitely go again, but next time I am taking some pills before I step on any boat again!!










Sail Away With Me

3.15.2014 Maui, Hawaii, USA





 One day in Maui I we visited this adorable little quaint town. I think every single shopping center or beachy town in Maui has Hawaiian shaved ice, so therefore I just had to get one. I ordered a cherry and it was so good. The sun was just blazing the day we had one so it felt so refreshing! Another thing I love about Hawaii is everyone says Aloha! Something I'm definitely going to miss when I get back home!!

I absolutely in love with all the flowers here. Hibiscus flowers are everywhere in every color. I've seen pink, red, yellow and even orange. Ah they are my favorite to look at and they smell good.  Almost every corner of this beautiful island, my mind keeps going crazy with all the potential photo shoot locations! If only I could of packed my entire closet ha-ha! Thankfully I brought enough cute clothes I haven't featured on my blog, so stay tuned! :)





Outfit Details:
Shirt / Macy's
Shorts / American Eagle
Sandals / Roxy
Bag / Roxy
Anchor Necklace / Forever 21
Bracelets / Local Shops

barefoot in the sand

3.12.2014


Hawaii has been so enjoyable! My vacation with my grandparents and my friend Alex has been unforgettable. Everything about Hawaii is so different than California. For one, its so green and there are so many old beautiful trees all over the island. Second the people in Hawaii are more relaxed and less tense like us Californians. Hang Loose is definitely the moto they live by. We found this out by stopping at a information center we had seen on the main street for days now, and we thought it would be nice to find out some directions or nice beaches to check out. So once we finally made our way to the information center, the man there told us that it use to be an information center about five years ago!! There were still signs up everywhere, and even road signs, but no that was five years ago! Crazy how chilled back those Hawaiians really are! So believe me, they fully live up to their moto...hang loose.




  
Outfit Details :
Shirt / American Eagle
Board Shorts / Roxy
Peach Shorts / American Eagle
Purse / Roxy
Sunglasses / Forever 21
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