This year I am learning a lot about myself and my relationship with anxiety. I didn’t call it by its name until this year, mostly because it was a new feeling for me and I never thought of myself as an “anxious” person.

It started with big things, like being anxious for a presentation, and then moved to simple things like going to the store, or even going to class. Once I started to let it affect my daily actions, I realized just how out of control it was.

I vividly remember sitting in my parked car outside of the mall (which is a 45 minute drive for me) and being so concerned with my appearance, the fact that I was alone, and knowing that I would have to interact with people once I entered the mall, that I turned around and drove all the way home.

Even typing that makes me feel ridiculous, but at the time those feelings were so real to me that I convinced myself to do the OPPOSITE of what I actually wanted to do, which was shop! … and I LOVE shopping.

This really became an issue when I stopped going to some of my classes. As much as it PAINS me to admit, I let my anxiety affect my attendance and my grades. The worry of walking in late and having everyone look at me, or being called on when I wasn’t prepared, or the possibility of a group discussion, or absurd thoughts like getting the hiccups in class (which has never even happened before) were all worse than not going at all, even if my grade would suffer.

I am proud to say I have overcame my anxiety in that regard. I still struggle with it time and again but I no longer let it affect my actions.

I HIGHLY recommend following  Mel Robbins on instagram, and anywhere else you can find her. She gave me the tools to take a step back and realize what was actually happening inside my head.

She explains it like this, or at least this is what I took away- You’re brain is designed to protect you. Irrational fear in the form of anxiety is a way for your brain to say “STOP, don’t go to class- stay home and be safe- don’t put yourself in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation”. But the reality is, I have to go to class, and I have to put myself in situations I am not always completely comfortable with in order to grow, and just get through life.

Once I started looking at it this way, I was able to change my thinking, and therefore, my actions while experiencing anxiety. Now that I understand what’s happening and that there’s a valid reason for my anxiety,  I am able to move past it.

If you have anxiety, my advice to you would be to take a step back, and then look inward for the reasons behind your anxiety. Define it, make it real, understand it, feel it -and then conquer it.

This summer I have made my health a priority. Getting into a routine is important for me to  stay consistent so every morning I try to follow the same morning routine. The first thing I do to start my day is drink a glass of water to hydrate and fill me up a little before I have my coffee. After my quick glass of water I put on a pot of coffee and usually drink about one or 2 cups depending on the day while I check my social media accounts, email, school portals, etc.

After coffee I move to vitamins. I take a Vitamin B Complex and my Women’s Multivitamin. VITAMIN B IS LIFE! I notice a huge difference in my mood when I take either B12 or my B complex. I will only take one spoon full of liquid B complex OR a single capsule of B12 which is a generic brand from Walgreens.

I notice a huge difference in my mood and attitude when I take my B Vitamins. MAYBE it’s psychological, but it makes me feel more energetic and overall happier!!

I don’t notice a huge difference with my Women’ s MultiVit. I usually take that with other supplements so it’s hard to tell what the effects are, but I noticed my hair and nails have been growing crazy fast lately!

Sometimes I will take a few oil drops of Vitamin D, but since it’s summer I get a lot of those vitamins from the sun and my diet.

After my vitamin concoctions, I get out the NurtiBullet. I’ve been on a huge smoothie kick lately! I love adding all my morning favs into a quick drinkable on-the-go tasty drink. I use whatever I have in my fridge. I throw a few ice cubes in, some unsweetened Almond Milk, add some banana, strawberry *blend* and sprinkle some chia seeds on top.

Chia seeds are my new obsession when it comes to food. I put that sh*t on everything. Literally EVERYTHING. In my water, smoothies, salads, on my chicken, in my soups, in my cereal… oatmeal.. the list goes on.

Reading about alllll the benefits to chia seeds lead me to buying a bag, and they’re so tiny you don’t even know you’re eating them, which is great because I’m pretty picky.

I like to switch up my smoothie recipes so I don’t get bored, and I use whatever fruits and veggies I have in the kitchen.

Some of my fav recipes are :

• almond milk strawberry & banana
• coconut water avocado mango & banana
• greek yogurt spinach pineapple mango & kiwi
• kale blueberry almond milk & vanilla protein
• kiwi lime pear almond milk & honey

There are about a thousand different smoothie options but these are ones I have made and enjoyed. Of course all containing chia seeds, sometimes substituting almond milk for water or coconut water, and adding liquid vitamins or powder proteins when I feel its’s necessary.

I haven’t been doing this consistently for long, only about 3 weeks, but I have lost 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks & feel so amazing. When I take my vitamins and have a smoothie, I’m not super hungry come lunch time, and knowing I started the day off decent makes me what to continue to make healthier choices throughout my day.

I HATE working out, so changing my diet and lifestyle has really helped me feel and look healthier.

Recently I have been feeling unhappy with how my academic career is going. I was feeling uninspired and unmotivated! I wanted to do more things that made me happy because school was NOT one of them. I had been thinking of switching majors for some time, and was on the fence for too long. Yesterday I finally went to meet with a new advisor and officially switched my major. After leaving her office I felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted from my shoulders!

My new advisor gave me such good advise (which my old advisor had given me none besides to stay where I was at) and she told me “if something isn’t working change it!” She was right. I was worried about graduation time, finances, my parents opinions, and at the end of the day I could not continue with the way things had been going. I decided my happiness and success was more important than all of those things. If I really want to make a change, all of those things could be worked out.

If you have a gut feeling about ANYTHING odds are, it’s the right thing to do!! I learned an important lesson in life yesterday. No one knows whats best for you better than you! For the first time on months I feel excited to sign up for classes! Listen to your inner self, because she’s always right !