"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is one of the bravest things we'll ever do."

-Brene Brown 

I recently joined Instagram and created an account solely for fitness, which has become one of my absolute greatest passions. I know it sounds odd to learn valuable information from social media, but the women I follow have been teaching me a lot. I’m learning so much about how to exercise effectively, use nutrition to fuel myself adequately, and lift weights purposefully.

I've also learned that I haven't been alone in my struggles with body image and feelings of inadequacy. I believe a lot of my feelings have stemmed from society's (and my own) expectations to always be MORE-- to be thinner, prettier, smarter, kinder, sexier, stronger, etc. All too often we receive conflicting messages. We're told to love ourselves for who we are, and we're told we're more lovable if we fix everything "wrong" in the mirror.

There will always be conflicting messages, but it’s up to us which messages we choose to listen to and adopt into our self-concepts. I'm glad that self-love seems to be coming into the picture more, but what does "self-love" even mean and how do we do it?

While I'm no expert, I'm learning that self-love means knowing yourself, considering what makes you happy, and creating time to incorporate those tokens of happiness in your life. This might mean taking the time to put lotion on your legs because that makes you feel sexy, or taking a bath with candles at the end of the long day because you deserve to relax. It means exercising because it clears your mind, energizes your spirit, and makes you feel strong enough to conquer anything; not because you're punishing yourself, or just trying to keep up with society's standards. It means being thankful for what you have, who you are, and how far you've come. It amazes me how such small gestures to oneself make a difference, but I think these little expressions accumulate into something more...love.

Self-love is not arrogant, narcissistic, or self-absorbed. It's simply a gentle, daily promise to honor yourself. When you can love yourself, you can love others. When you take of yourself, you have enough of yourself left to share. When you love yourself, you are better able to give without expectation of return. 

Value Each Connection

Hello there, the message I want to share today is simple, but it has the potential to effectuate change in your life.

Value Each Connection 
One of the best principles of living is to treat everyone with respect regardless of who they are, what they look like, or if they are in a position subordinate to you. No one is of lesser or greater value than you.

To illustrate, my boyfriend and I stayed in a hotel recently. The housekeeping staff member came to clean our room, but we were still preparing for the evening, so we asked the young man how he was doing and what his plans were for the weekend while we were getting ready. He seemed grateful for our conversation, but I knew he was touched when he left us this note:

He actually gave us extra coffee, shampoo, conditioner, and towels. Obviously, our reaching out meant something to him. Small gestures can make a difference. 

Similarly, my aunt told me how the free sample stations at Costco are always insanely busy where she lives. One day, my aunt asked the woman working at the stand how she was doing. The woman looked up and said to my aunt, "You are the first person who has talked to me in two days." How sad, right? Use your presence and reach out to people. 

The other night I had a patient who needed assistance throughout the night. I enjoyed caring for her and did my best to give her my full patience and presence as if I had nothing else to do except be there for her (even though I was busy). She ended up thanking me for taking such great care of her. Lo and behold, we discovered that we had several mutual friends. Her reciprocation of kind words meant a lot to me, but I was even happier that I gave her my best when I found out we knew a lot of the same people. You never know who you will meet or who you will cross paths with. 

Give Fully and Freely
Each time you interact with someone today try your best to be truly present--to maintain eye contact, to listen to what the person is truly saying (not what you think you hear), and to give them the gift of your presence through your attention and time. People want to be heard, understood, and valued. By taking a moment to pause your busy life and listen to someone while emitting the mental energy of, "How can I be here for YOU today?" you ignite a positive chain reaction. What goes around comes around, but strive to live this with no expectation of return.

Finally, here is one of my favorite quotes. It fits perfectly and kudos to my boyfriend's dad for it sharing it with me.

Have a beautiful day!
xo, -T

Your mind is profoundly powerful.

I firmly believe that your reality is molded by the interplay of your thoughts and feelings.

Your thoughts and feelings drive your actions and the energy you bring to any given situation, and these factors influence the outcome of the situation.

Challenge yourself to simply STOP for a minute and pause to realize that you are in control of your actions in every moment. This is especially important if you are feeling anxious, irritable, or any other trying emotion. It is your choice to feel this way, or not feel this way. The rest of the day is unwritten. You can turn around and feel differently right now. 

You can create a positive outcome.

I'll confess that last night I was so nervous to return to work. I couldn't pinpoint a specific reason other than it had been a few months since I was last home from college working.
My stomach was twisting in knots when it suddenly occurred to me that I was being silly. My shift had not even started! It was unwritten--a fresh, clear slate!
I had the power to control myself and what I was going to write on that slate.
I pictured myself remaining calm, collected, and confident through anything that came my way. I pictured myself communicating clearly with others and enjoying the camaraderie and teamwork. I pictured myself working skillfully and efficiently.
Lo and behold, I ended having a wonderful first night back.

Remember that you are not your thoughts or emotions, but rather the awareness behind them. Have you ever jumped with the rhythm of the waves in the ocean? Picture yourself doing this when you experience a thought or emotion that you don't want to feel...simply ride the wave and let it pass.

Today, I challenge you to work with your thoughts and feelings rather than against them. Harness your mind and use this beautiful and powerful organ to create the reality you want to be living. Don't judge yourself for whatever runs through your mind. Your thoughts only define you if you let them. 

Let's make today beautiful.

As always, please feel free to share any thoughts, questions, or suggestions in a comment!

Thoughts on Relationships

Wow, I really enjoyed reading this article: 15 Powerful Lessons for a Happy Marriage. I recommend checking it out!

I don't need to say much about this as you can take what you wish from the article. Some of these lessons can be applied to other non-romantic relationships too.

I must say, however, that I love learning all I can about relationships and marriage. I want to learn from what I have seen in my my grandparents and parents and start my future marriage at a place beyond where they began. I believe that it's my duty as the next generation to grow and improve from those before me.

I want to be the best partner I can be, and I know that begins within. When you love yourself, you are better able to love others. I think the concept of self-love can be challenging to grasp at times because there are times when I don't like myself at all...or I fear that my focus and determination come across negatively (hey, we all have insecurities)...but I think that self-love can be described as a gentle acceptance. Accept your imperfections. Honor yourself by making choices that are in align with your morals and values. Forgive yourself. Believe in your strengths. Strive to improve your weaknesses, but also learn to laugh at them. Respect the divine within you, and remember that you were born with a unique purpose.

In turn, relationships are dynamic and it can be beneficial to consider the energy and expectations that you bring into the relationship. After all, our priorities, needs, interests, and goals shift throughout our lives. The people we are with change too. I do not think you can ever be "too good" at being in relationships with other people, or the concomitant adaptation and synchronization of your collective efforts involved. In fact, this dynamism makes me think of flowers blooming. It's a process that depends on many factors, including your sunlight, soil, and water for nourishment. Stasis is not conducive to growth and evolution; you must always nourish the plant in order to sustain it, and relationships are strikingly similar.

So I leave you with this...how can you nourish yourself and your relationships today? Can you challenge yourself to be mindful of the lessons written in the article too?

P.S. Enjoy the time lapse of blooming flowers in the video below. Click to play. :-)

Long Time No See

I think it's safe to say that I've taken quite the hiatus from my blog.

I was finishing what is known as the toughest semester of nursing school. The good news is that I made it through, I learned a lot, I loved most of my classes, and I have only 2 semesters left! The last semester is essentially focused on transitioning to practice. I say bring it on! 

The second dose of good news is that I'm going to make a greater effort to write throughout the summer because boy, I have missed it!

Here are four things I wanted to share from the last few months:

1. Women's Health rotation= Love 

Nothing says girl power like cheering on women during labor, educating them about their bodies and their babies, and empowering them to care for themselves and their families. 

I was blessed to have an amazing day during my Labor & Delivery rotation. 

I was able to see a woman laboring, a Cesarean section (IN THE OPERATING ROOM-- MY FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD--I almost told the staff that even though the surgery was over I did not want to leave! No way did I want to take off my cool mushroom hat, mask, and foot covers. Plus, they gave me a stool, so I could see the surgery and I was really enjoying my new view 12 inches higher in the world), a vaginal birth (God bless, it is an absolute miracle), and I was able to cut the baby's umbilical cord!!!

I'm not sure you can tell how excited I still am, and there's no way for me to fully describe the experience, but I was on such an adrenaline high afterwards that when I went to the grocery store I dropped my keys twice while trying to pay for my groceries. The cashier probably thought I was nuts. 

My takeaway: Life is absolutely a miracle. The process of conception, growth, and birth is truly astounding. A doctor in this TED talk even says that it's "magic", "divine", and "beyond human comprehension." It is the greatest gift in this world, and I felt honored to assist in bringing two new humans into this world, and especially privileged that the physician handed me tools to cut the cord. It's important to pause and remember how incredible it is that you are here on earth living and breathing. It's something we take for granted.

2. You get by with a little help from your friends. 

During my 4 week women's health class at school, I finally felt like I had time to be with friends. I underestimated how much friendships can enrich your life. It's a blessing to find the balance of give and take--between letting yourself lean on someone and then letting them lean on you. It's also special to find someone who accepts who for you who are--all of your quirks, ups, downs, and in-betweens. It often feels like these people are rare, but I find that when I do things that are in alignment with who I am--when I be myself and do what I love--this is usually when I find these people.

3. Church

Why didn't anyone tell me that church could be amazing? I did not have a positive experience with church growing up, but I have always wanted a closer relationship with my Higher Power. I'm thankful that my boyfriend is the person who has lead me closer.  He said, "You know church can be a really great thing. You just have to find the right one. You should try it again." I felt very open to trying to find a place, and I've set off on a tour around town to find where I feel most comfortable. 

I cried the first time I stepped back into church. The first song began, and I started crying silently.

There's nothing quite like the overwhelming feeling that you are home.

I'm still figuring all of this out (and I'm open to people showing me the way), but one thing I know for sure is that we are all infinitely loved. Trust me, you are loved more than you can possibly imagine.

4. My favorite quote of the semester

During a holistic health lecture, one of my favorite professors spoke about being grounded. She spoke about developing the ability to be so grounded that other people do not alter your centeredness. Most of all, be so grounded that you can soothe someone's troubles and feel strong and peaceful within rather than depleted or drained. Be so grounded that you can say to someone (with actions not necessarily words), "Come with me," and you can help guide them. This is undoubtedly something I'd like to live as a future nurse and in my relationships with others...to be so centered and fulfilled within that I can reach out to others and be there for them.

Hope you enjoyed this entry. Please feel free to leave any thoughts, questions, suggestions, or writing requests in a comment.

Much love!

This past weekend I went to the Caring for the Caregiver hackfest. It was AWESOME!

I had the opportunity to stay in a nice hotel, meet five awesome students from my school, and work with them to develop a product for caregivers in just 24 hours. Schools from all over the state were there and we competed to design the best product; one that was usable, original, and profitable. Most schools created applications and websites, and my team created a website, application, and concrete product.

While I only got 4.5 hours of sleep over the weekend, I absolutely loved the experience, and I learned SO much along the way.

Here's a few of the most important things I learned:

1. Be your own advocate. I like to assess a situation and the people involved before I speak and participate. While working with five other ambitious, strong-willed, and intelligent students, however, I learned that if I wanted to truly be a part of this I had to jump in and think quickly. I had to speak up and communicate my thoughts clearly and effectively.

Assessing or jumping in may be more or less appropriate depending on particular situations, but it was great to have practice jumping in and taking action on what I wanted to work on. Be hungry, eager, and composed.

2. Delivery is critical and this includes diction and tone. When I spoke with confidence-with belief in what I was saying- and supported my opinion with evidence, my group listened to me more.

This was a rather significant realization for me. Many people have told me that I have a comforting voice--that it is a soothing sound, which might serve me well when I work with a patient in distress; however, I realized a soothing voice was not going to get me anywhere during this project, and it might not in the workforce either. I turned up the volume knob and pressed the "be assertive" and "command with confidence" buttons.
As a woman, it is interesting to find the balance between the nurturing/caring for others part of me and the I am advocating for what I believe in/I am a strong aspect, but we are blessed to have more than one side and it's important to develop an ability to flip sides and/or combine them. Men too--sometimes showing strength and an ability to feel is advantageous.

3. Know your strengths and weaknesses and develop both. I told my group that I like working with details, so one of the tasks I worked on was refining the wording and formatting of our presentations. I also planned where each of us would stand during the presentation too. I must say that we had the best presentation thanks to our practice, organization, and clean, professional appearance. You would be surprised how silly it looks when people do not know where to stand, or who speaks before or after them. (Shout out to my ballet training for helping me have the sense to "choreograph" and discuss these matters with my team beforehand). Accentuate your strengths and be willing to learn more to develop your weaknesses.

4. Value others. Everyone has something to offer, and we all have our strengths. Each person knows something that you do not. It was amazing to see my engineering teammates design a webpage and models of products. I was also impressed by some detailed information that my social work teammates knew even though our professions encompass similar topics. Everyone works better when they feel appreciated, so it can be worthwhile to recognize people for their work.

5. Master the art of reading others. This is very helpful when working with people. It was particularly helpful when I sensed one of my teammates was unhappy. He did not want to express it in front of everyone, so I found a moment to ask what was bothering him and delineate a course of action to help address his concerns. I think part of being a team member and leader is trying to ensure that everyone is on board during the ride. The team is stronger if we move forward together.

5. Knowledge and LIFE is out there for you to take advantage of and LIVE! It's a few days later and I am still thinking about this event. I learned so much about myself, other people, group dynamics, creating a product, some technology and business aspects of such an operation, and more. Most importantly, I feel a duty to learn and take advantage of what life has to offer.
I feel so empowered by stepping outside of my comfort zone.
It was so enriching to meet people who have different strengths and areas of knowledge.
It was inspiring to be one of the forty-two students in the state helping to architect the future.

Instead of scanning social media when I have a free moment, I am going to read my Flipboard app in an effort to broaden my knowledge (Flipboard encompasses news on a variety of topics from a variety of major published sources). I am planning to attend a free event tomorrow and listen to a speaker talk about humanity, society, and transformation. I am volunteering to participate in a professor's clinical simulation. I am not telling you this, so you will think I am great. I am sharing this because:

If I have the opportunity to learn, grow, and give, then I have the obligation to do so.


Could you be a better advocate for yourself, refine the delivery of your ideas, spend more time focusing on people's positive qualities rather than their negative ones, or take action to broaden your horizons? If you can then you should. 

Take a second to truly experience this...Feel this in your bones. 

Picture where you would like to be...how you look, what you see, what you smell, how you feel...Make your image tangible. 

When challenging moments arise during your day, take a second to come back to this place. Feel the calmness of being safe with yourself and the peace of being free to live as who you are meant to be.

Honor yourself and others by believing that your dreams are possible, that you deserve to live to your fullest potential, and that the world needs you to keep living and uncovering your purpose. 

When you give your unique contribution to the world you naturally invite others to do the same.

Carry this peace and gentle knowing with you today...