Creating a Sanctuary

Whether you're just surviving midterms or about to come back from Spring Break, you're no stranger to the concept of stress. I'm still dealing with stress on a daily basis and I'm not currently in school. Stress is known to have all sorts of negative impacts on the body, from chronic illness to anxiety and more!

But it's not as easy as saying "Don't be stressed out". Uh, thanks. I'll work on that between all the other stuff I have going on.  

Lately I've been working really hard on wellness as a whole concept. Medicine is not enough to cure my Crohn's, and I'm turning to alternative medicine, diet, meditation, and more. One thing that has been particularly effective for me lately is having a safe space in my home that relaxes me. I like to think of my room as my sanctuary.

Making your living space comfortable, safe, and relaxing is so important. Knowing you have a place that is a go-to for relaxation can help you relax when you're sick, stressed, or just need sleep! Here are my ideas to transform your room from stressful to sanctuary.

• Make sure spaces are functional: If you have a lot of bookshelf space being used for books you haven't read anymore, clear them out and donate, then buy boxes to store things you'll actually use and enjoy. The less there is on your floor and cluttered on shelves, the more comfortable you'll feel! 
• Cultivate collections of things you enjoy: For example, if you love nail polish like I do, bring that into your room and make that a focal point in the room. Put it on display instead of hiding it in bins.

My nail polish collection is a point of pride for me, so having it on display is a great reminder of something I really love! 

• Bring in things that help you relax: For me, it's scented candles. I have a whole table of scented candles I light while I'm in bed and not feeling so great. If that's not a possibility for you, try music, or whatever works best for you!
• Keep it clean: I know it's a pain, but a clean space is comforting AND relaxing.
• Hang things that inspire you: I made these canvases for my dorm this spring and I really love having them in my view every day. 

• Surround yourself with positivity: That means pictures, good memories, cards whatever helps. 
• Bring in material that is both stimulating and entertaining: I've really enjoyed my Kindle lately, and keeping that by my bedside has been great. On the other hand, it's just as important to me to read my favorite fun, lighthearted blogs. Just being in touch with others is important! 

What do you do to make your space a sanctuary? Do you have any other tips?

Hope you're all happy and healthy!

Love,

Hannah

Saturday Instagram Roundup 2

Hosted by Sara at Pearls & Curls

I'm just going to go ahead and jump in to this week! It was a good week- I moved back to college!

Sayin goodbye to my puppies was so hard!

New year, new dorm! Happy to be back! 

I obviously had to do my nails for my first day of classes!
This is OPI If You Moust You Moust, my favorite pink! 

My Lilly sale order came in! 

A pretty day on campus is always nice.

I came home Friday to take care of my puppy, but it was just Juno and I when I got home. 

Wild Gracie finally resting after her surgery.

A little craft project I did for my dorm! I'll have instructions on the blog this week! 

Hope you had a great week!
Stay beautiful,
Hannah

Taking Notes and Staying Organized for the Lazy Girl

I love organization, but tend to struggle with keeping organized. I start with good intentions and desperately want to be neat and organized, but tend to  struggle carrying out my plans. The systems forced on me in middle and high school never worked because they didn't fit my personality or study style. At one point I even hired a friend to help me in the middle of the semester because I felt so disorganized and out of control. Obviously, I needed to take more time to really think about what would work for me. 
When I started college, I came up with a system that used my organizational shortcomings to my advantage. Ever since I started using this system, I've been able to keep track of all of my notes, study more efficiently, and even carry less in my tote for class!  I understand that this system won't work for everyone, but I thought I'd share in case it might help you!

The Supplies: 

• Legal Pad (with holes, in case a teacher/professor wants to put work in a binder)
• Folders for each class
• Highlighters and pens that suit you. I prefer a large variety of colorful pens because I'm very visual, but if you're a black and blue only girl, that works too! 

The KEY to my Lazy Girl note system!
Hole punch legal pads which should be available at most office supply stores

Seriously, that's it!  I'm telling you, this is easy peasy.

5 Step Plan: 

1. Carry one legal pad in your bag at all times. Instead of having a bunch of notebooks or loose leaf paper, carry just one legal pad. This way, you can take all of your notes for all of your classes in one place. It seems like it would get hectic, but it actually works really well.
2. In your workspace, keep folders for each class.  When you prepare for the day, put the appropriate folders in your tote or bookbag. These folders will hold handouts, tests and quizzes, and later- your notes. 
3. Review at any point, leaving your notes on the legal pad.  Try to keep notes on the legal pad for big chunks of time so that the folders aren't cluttered. You can still add to your notes or go back and review them, but you're keeping everything for school in one small place.
4. When it comes tame to study for a bigger test or exam,  go through the notepad and pull out all the notes for that class related to your exam.  Now you've got a set of notes ready for studying, and you can go back through and highlight your notes and make study guides from your notes. This way there's no time wasted searching for notes all over the place. 
5. After your exam, paperclip that group of notes together and put it in the folder with a sticky note to label the section. This keeps your notes organized in your folder! If you feel like your folder is getting too cluttered because the class is heavy on handouts and/or notes, you can make a current folder and an archive folder for that class. Obviously, use the archive folder for past notes and the current folder for current hand-outs, quizzes, or other paper before that section's exam.

A little peek into my note taking system! It's early in the semester so my folders are a little empty right now but they fill up quickly! 

Let me know if you have any questions about my note taking system! I'd love to hear what you use too! I'm always looking for new ways to stay organized, especially because I want to give my future students some options.

Hope you're all enjoying your new semesters!
Stay beautiful,
Hannah