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How I cope with academic pressure

by LindiweMind, Body, and Soul 27/08/202127/08/2021Comments are Disabled

By Lindiwe

We all have started a new semester and we usually go through the motions of increased workload and some sort of pressure going around.
So, I would like to share my tips how I cope with academic pressure, and I hope you can share yours because I love hearing what keeps the community motivated and ready to work.

Planning ahead

Having a year planner is very important but having a semester plan is even more important. You should keep eye out for when the semester starts a semester plan and you can start planning around that, its very important to know when your due dates and tests are beforehand so that you can start preparing 3 weeks or 2 weeks in advance. Your academic preparations should always start three weeks or two before to avoid being overwhelmed and under pressure.

Do not fall behind

It is important not to fall behind, I know some days we deserve time off and that is perfectly okay but relaxing to the point of procrastination can affect your work ethic and momentum, take half day off and then catch up in the evening or alternatively you can start with your work early in the morning and then take the day off.
Always do tasks that you are supposed to do in that day
I recommend doing a to do list for this step, to remind you about lectures, after lecture tests, assignments, and days to start preparing for the tests. It will help with anxiety during the day as you will do what is expected from you.

Always ask for help

Some of us usually hate this step including myself but academically you cannot work in isolation, you need to find academic groups that can help, or you can set up consultations with the lecturers or the tutors, do any that you are comfortable with.

Reward yourself for finishing assignments or lecture notes

I use a reward system that can help me keep things in check and to also help me keep focused. After achieving the days tasks, reward yourself with your favourite movie, a walk, a phone call with friend, your favourite beverage, or your favourite foods.

Unwind whenever you get the chance

This is my most favourite part of the process, relaxing and unwinding! I usually take Saturday off in my schedule where I can catch on my social life and meet my loved ones, I use music to unwind, and I believe in music! I have my favourite celebratory playlists on JOOX that I use to celebrate a good week, I find my best songs on there and I can listen even when I have no data (we all know the data struggle!). Find an activity that helps you calm down and keeps you relaxed, like listening to music, dancing, yoga, anything that makes you happy!

Thank you for making it this far and I hope you can share your tips with me, I am always looking for ways to improve my academic life!

5 Journaling Tips For Beginners

by LindiweMind, Body, and Soul 13/08/2021Comments are Disabled

By Lindiwe

Journaling is used as a meditation method and also as a reflection method for people who want keep track of their emotional journey. I use journaling as a meditation method and I just want to share tips on how to start if you are a beginner or if you are simply struggling.

Be honest and intentional

You need to be honest to yourself about what you are journaling about, it could be for school reasons, your day, your healing journey or just a venting technique. When you start journaling you should be true and honest to yourself and state your intentions. Many of us can be very hesitant about journaling because we are scared of what we’ll realize, but that’s the point, to realise and change. When you are honest with yourself it’s easier to express yourself.

2. Be self aware

You need to know which emotions you want to focus on, or which areas of yourself or your life that you want to focus on so you can track your progress on how you’re feeling or improving in the area you want to focus on.

3. Start small and do what you can

You don’t have to be perfect at this, this is one thing you can do whatever you feel comfortable with as long as you are true and honest with yourself. You don’t have to write pages as well, 3 to 4 sentences can work when you feel overwhelmed, do whatever you are comfortable with. Have fun.

4. Do it at a time you feel comfortable

I know that people recommend journaling in the morning as part of a morning routine, but it really doesn’t have to be that way, you can do it a time you feel comfortable, light and ready to pour your heart out, it can be in the afternoon or night before you sleep. Do whatever works for you at that time.

5. You can write about anything you want

Journaling doesn’t have to be all about your emotions, you can journal about your experiences in the day, it can be a conversation you had with a friend, things you’re grateful for, your goals and ambitions.

Thank you for making it this far with me and I hope the tips are helpful, remember to do what you’re comfortable with and be true to yourself.

Take Care💛🌅

Remember to love, appreciate and laugh

by LindiweMind, Body, and Soul 10/08/202110/08/2021Comments are Disabled

By Lindiwe

Hi guys! I’m back with another blog and I wanted this one to be a bit personal. I hope you guys are doing okay!

So as we know we are in our second year into a pandemic and for me personally it has been the most challenging time for me emotionally, I was tested in the most unimaginable way to a point where I lost sight of myself, who I am and where I wanted to be in life.

It’s so easy to live in your head when life is a bit harder to you, when life hardly makes sense, when you feel helpless and hopeless. It’s very normal to be sad about life being way harder than normal to you. It’s okay to not comprehend how life is treating you.

And that’s how I’ve felt the last few months, in my head, in constant battles between my mind and heart that I had completely forgotten how to live. It’s honestly the most annoying thing ever to live through life by just surviving and getting through everyday, where it feels like it’s you and your thoughts and life just passes you by.

I got to a point where I could no longer take the agony of living in black and white and I just wanted to live again and it dawned on me that the little things are what makes me happy, yes getting my own apartment or car would make me happy but for how long will it make me happy if my soul is not happy?

I chose to find joy in the simple things, like being able to take care of myself, solving a complex problem, chatting with a friend, telling my partner that I love them were the things I realised I cannot take for granted.

If there’s anything I learned about depression is that it consumes your mind so much that the simple joys of life can seem so small, so tedious not realising that those simple joys can make us feel much more alive, I want us to feel more alive.

I want us to appreciate every single thing we have, I want to us to appreciate the people in our lives, I want us to be grateful for the opportunities that we get, life can be so beautiful.

We can get caught in the trap of wanting the big picture without appreciating the process and then we can find it so hard to celebrate the small wins because we are so focused on the big wins.

Be proud of yourself because you are doing amazing, celebrate yourself because you’re doing all you can, love yourself because you’re so precious, hold on to what you have because you’re here to experience them.

let’s live, love and laugh.

stay grateful, you’re precious 💛🌅

Self Care activities for a busy schedule

by Lindiweself improvement, south african blogger, wellness 04/08/202104/08/20212 Comments

Hi guys! I’m back with another blog and I’d like to share self care activities for a busy schedule.

Many of us have very busy schedules and sometimes we have to wait until we have free time in order for us to take care of ourselves but that shouldn’t be the case, we can still take care of ourselves even when we are busy, and here’s how:

Have a morning routine

Morning routines are the first step to our busy days and why not make it the best thing to start your day? You can start the day by stretching, reminding yourself for what you’re grateful for and have your favourite breakfast or have your favourite tea, it’s guaranteed to make you feel lighter.

Do not neglect yourself

You shouldn’t neglect yourself because you are busy, give yourself 5 minutes to take deep breathes, give yourself water breaks and try to take small walks in between your schedule.

Switch off your electronic devices after the day is over

The time you have most to yourself is when you finish with the day, when your day ends; your work also ends. Prioritize your alone time where you can process your thoughts, you can sit by yourself and be still. You should allow yourself rest when you need it.

Reward yourself

You can reward yourself in anyway you see fit after a long day. You can binge watch your favorite show, you can run yourself a bath, you can play video games or treat yourself to a movie night with your favourite dish and wine. Do what feeds your soul.

Get enough rest

Try to get enough rest, it may be difficult because you might have anxiety about the next busy day, but meditate before bed so you can try to fall asleep easier, getting enough rest will grant you enough energy for the day, so you can show up for yourself.

That’s it from me! Let’s take care of ourselves 💛

How social media impacted my mental health

by Lindiweself improvement, south african blogger, wellness 02/08/2021Comments are Disabled

Hi guys! I’m back with another rant, now what will this blog be without a rant here and there? So in this post I just want to touch on how social media has had an impact on my mental health over the years.

So I started using social media in my last two years of high school because I really wasn’t big on the popular messaging apps that people were on. So the first social I was on was Facebook and for the first time in my life I would consume at least 100 thoughts and opinions I saw on the timeline and I thought to myself after a long day on the app “wow that’s pretty exhausting” and it was until I got consumed by it and I started forming my opinions and taking a lot of pictures to get the most perfect looking picture (yes, it worked), my opinions were getting traction and that made me feel so validated, hundreds and hundreds of likes all directed at me? I loved that. Until, I didn’t any longer, I saw increased conflict on social media and I’m not a person who likes conflict in reality and social media so that set me back and I started holding back.

But also I started realizing that my opinions were no longer mine? I was always influenced by the most popular opinion on the timeline so my thoughts no longer felt like mine, like I was a clone of the internet.

The internet has such an interesting way of filtering out what’s wrong and what’s right, you either have to be for or against – no in between. And I won’t lie to you, that put a lot of pressure on me so much so that I would take other people’s opinions and just run with them (I’ll regret this for as long as I live lmao!).

Fortunately I got the courage to leave the app after I was catfished (I’ll explain another day, pls!). And I focused more on your Twitters and Instagrams thinking it will all get better… and was I not in for a surprise?

My first experience with joining these apps was that I loved how I was exposed to worlds I’ve never seen before, occupations I’ve never thought existed and opinions I never knew existed. I got addicted to these apps (we all have, don’t judge me) and I’ll spend hours and hours just scrolling through hundreds and hundreds of opinions and pictures of lifestyles I never knew South Africans could live. Seeing 19 year olds in mansions and driving the best cars and 25 year olds who have their lives figured out.

And it started, the self doubt, the pity that I might never live their lives and the constant thoughts that my opinions are not good though. As time went by social media just started raising my anxiety, especially on Instagram, because I couldn’t separate social media from reality. I always felt inferior and I felt like I haven’t achieved anything in my life.

This is a perspective of a 19 year old, of course I’ve barely achieved anything! And still I was so harsh on myself and very unappreciative of my life and who is around me.

This happened until I just couldn’t allow it to happen any more, so I closed down all my accounts and I came back and started over but this time on my terms, we can control what we see on social media, I started by following simple and caring people who think and look like me – I needed some relatability. I started following content creators because I was so fascinated with that world and I was surrounded by people who reminded me that my life is okay the way it is, I don’t need to live like a luxury influencer to feel a sense of belonging.

I remind myself daily that my life is okay as is and I make the best out of it and I’ll continue to live according to my means and terms. And that has helped me detach from social media, I use social media now to relax and not to catch up on a life I wish I had.

If you have social media anxiety, please log off all your apps and take some time to yourself. You need to listen to your soul and remind yourself you’re okay as you, you genuinely don’t need to prove yourself to strangers.

Let’s be kinder to ourselves.✨🌱

5 Affirmations to start the week

by Lindiweself improvement 02/08/202102/08/2021Comments are Disabled

Hi guys, happy new month.🌱

I hope August treats you well and that you get all that you desire this month.

I’d like to start with month with affirmations to help you start the week.

These help me keep focus and also get through the week on a good note.

I usually sit in a comfortable position, take deep breaths in to get me started and I start saying the affirmations out loud, I usually repeat this process 3 to 4 times.

I hope they help you in anyway!✨ you can let me know in the comments!

Take care 🌱✨

How I keep myself grounded through meditation

by Lindiweself improvement, south african blogger 23/07/202130/07/20212 Comments

By Lindiwe

Meditation plays a huge part in my spiritual path and who I want to be in emotionally and mentally. Meditation has helped me with relaxing and calming myself down when I needed to the most. As somebody who goes through a lot of depressive and anxious episodes, mediation, yoga and music have helped me through the darkest times in my life and I will always be grateful that I can look and applaud myself for overcoming those feelings of self doubt and inadequacy.

These are the methods that I use to stay calm and help process my thoughts and feelings better:

Yoga

I am no yoga professional 🙂 but I love how it makes me feel so much connected to my body than I usually do. I love moving my body (but I hate gym, pls), I love how I can caress my body and give it the most attention and still feel active and sane doing it. It relaxes my thoughts, my body and my muscles. Lovely way to reconnect with your body.

Listening to your surroundings

It’s always amazing to be in touch with what makes you feel alive and whole again, and sometimes, listening to the birds chirp, people laugh or just pay attention to the breeze, or catching the sunset can help feel whole with where you are and feeling more present and being in the moment.

Take a walk

You probably thinking the “take a walk” brigade is up and you probably just want to log off but give me chance? Please? Thank you🙂. This is probably the most used grounding technique and you know what? It works each and every time. Walking and feeling the ground on your feet can help you process your thoughts and your days better. It can help you introspect and feel better.

Use Breathing Techniques

Breathing techniques really help keep me calm, I do deep breaths in and out, focusing on my breathe to release any tension or negativity that I want to get rid of! There are a lot more techniques you can find on the internet or YouTube!

Laughing

Laughter is the best way I relieve stress, we hardly take for granted what little laughs here and there can do for our mood and mental health. You can always get those best chuckles by watching your favourite comedy show, or just having great chat with people that you love. Laughing is really the greatest thing ever.

Imagine myself at a place of peace

I always imagine myself at peace, through meditation, I always want to see myself living a still calm life. I always want tranquility, peace and a lot of love. And I try to surround myself with that and I want that for myself so I’ll keep imagining it and actively act towards the peace and love that I want.

These are just some of the ways I try to improve myself and my mental health. I hope they can help you in anyway!🌱✨

How I step into my favourite self

by Lindiweself improvement, south african blogger 14/07/2021Comments are Disabled

by Lindiwe

It has always been my favourite thing to say “Step into your highest self” but now it is definitely “Step into your favourite self’’ I felt as though this saying gave me space to be whoever I wanted whenever I wanted, and in this season I wanted to be the best version of myself so I started giving myself more time to breathe and feel, I explored new fashion trends like bold knitwear (shopping for fluffy knitwear online is my new obsession right now),meditating more and buying and reading new books (those are two different types of hobbies I would like to clarify!😊), but without further ado let me get into the post!

Giving myself more time to breathe and feel.

Life has been hectic the past few weeks, but for me it has been hectic since this year has started, I have been focusing on the next big thing and not really giving myself time to take in life and just ow much I have achieved as a person and I have been doing more of that celebrating myself, cheering myself on, and being grateful. Clearing your mind and space, while being kind to yourself in the process does wonders to how you look at life further and it can help with new challenges and setting new goals for yourself.

Exploring new Fashion trends

I am not exactly a fashion trendy person, but this winter season has been amazing fashion wise, seeing fluffy knitwear online, chunky boots, fluffy loungewear, pastel colour sweatpants, crewneck sweaters, all new obsessions!

The saying “when you look good, you feel good” is quite true and I have been experiencing that myself, putting effort into your image will do wonders to how you feel about yourself and how you look at yourself, it helps manifest that favourite self you want beyond who you currently are. Investing in yourself is the best thing you can do for yourself, start small and choose yourself every chance that you get.

Meditation

This method of calming myself down has been the best at improving my mental health and clearing myself of negative thoughts and self-doubt. It is so easy to get caught up in everything like being on social media more than you should, taking in too many thoughts and opinions and it gets harder for you to distinguish what is real and what is not.

So, grounding myself through mediation has been my best alternative to better happy thoughts and more intentional days. I always thrive to be a better version of myself emotionally and honestly, it does make me happy that it helps me emotionally and mentally too.

Reading and Buying new books

Oh, my goodness, before we go any further can we just agree that buying books and reading them are two different hobbies? Please, for my sake? Thank you.😊

Now I can continue, I have been the biggest fan of reading but as I got older and life got hectic between university life, work life, social life I have been doing less and less of that and as time went by, I just felt like I am just losing a part of myself and I just knew I had to decide.

So, I just started collecting electronic books (no, I did not read them – they were collected to make me feel better about myself! 😊) and luckily that worked but no – it wasn’t enough I needed more, I needed more responsibility, and I started buying hard copies and daring myself to read them in a certain period of time and that helped me regain my time and also, I felt more in control of what I want to consume and what I do not want to consume, and that helped me reconnect with the “me” that I thought I had abandoned.

And that is how I have been able to reconnect with myself while improving my emotional and mental state and I hope that you do the same, I hope you give yourself a break, celebrate yourself at every season of your life, be kinder to yourself and others, take walks and get in touch with your friends, buy those clothes and sneakers, but most importantly remember that you are human and that you have to chance to reinvent yourself whenever you need to –make that change and be the best person for you.

Til next time, take care!😊

Feeling Comfortable in My Skin… for the first time

by LindiweMind, Body, and Soul 21/06/20216 Comments

Hi guys, welcome to my blog and it’s been a while I know 🙂 but I’m back and I just want to share something that’s been on my mind lately.

Since the new year started I have been feeling very insecure about myself. For context, I’ve hardly ever felt secured about my body. But this year has been significantly worse, everyday I’d examine my body and be filled with so much shock and resent and everyday I’d sing the same song “I need to lose weight”. Standing in the mirror and noticing a new pimple, new blemishes and my other favourite song? “I need to clear this skin”

This went on until I judged and hated my body into a slump of depression, I didn’t even know what my body looked anymore. It felt like my body wasn’t my own. I felt foreign in my body, in my body that hosts me, in my body that keeps me alive.

And it got worse, the harshness on my body got worse, the shaming got worse. Hating myself got even worse.

It got worse until I couldn’t anymore and it was saddening to see me hate the body that keeps me well and alive and right now I’m trying…

I’m trying to be grateful, I’m trying to fill it with love, I’m trying to be grateful that it carries me through the most amazing times of my life and through the hardest.

I’m trying my hardest to stop comparing myself and my appearance to other people in anyway (oh my goodness it’s time to get off social media!!)

But moreover I’m trying to soft with myself. I want to give myself the best love, the softest love, and love that can help me grow in areas of my life.

It’s been the hardest few years and months of my life but nobody can give me the love that I need to give myself. Nobody can shine upon me more than I need to shine on myself. I need to keep light for myself, I need to be the light for myself. I need to try and try, I’ll get there.✨🌱

My Favourite Parts about Winter

by LindiweMind, Body, and Soul 18/05/2021Comments are Disabled

By Lindiwe

Many may not seem too fond of winter because of the low temperatures, colds or just the fact that they do not go out as much, I have a few of my favourite winter moments that get me through the winter and let us get to it!

Fashion!

Winter fashion is my most favourite part of fashion because there is so much to explore, I love wearing layers and layers of clothing I will not lie but I love winter fashion specifically for the warm colours, earth tones, coats, skirts, and boots. I am a big fan of dresses in the summertime but a bigger fan of skirts in the wintertime. I love skirts that you can wear with boots, sneakers, or with coats, currently Superbalist has all my favourite skirts in stock, and I am feasting! You can check them out and you can see all that I am talking about!

Coffee Dates

One thing about me? I love spending intimate, quiet time with my loved ones and coffee dates are the best thing on earth for me – the catching up, the venting, little laughs in between and the warm and love that comes with this moment is beautiful.

The Sunsets

Yes, I know the best sunsets come in the summertime but hear me out in the winter too! I love watching the sunset in winter while I have had a whole day and I just gaze at the sky and I am in awe of how subtle and calm the skies are blending in with the sun, the sunsets are almost unnoticeable, but I love paying attention, those sunsets remind me even in every season you can bloom, even when you are not yet in the spotlight.

Quiet Adventures

I always use winter to focus more on my book adventures, I put myself up to the adventure of finding new books preferably romance, poetry or a little thriller and I put myself up to the test of finishing as many books before the next season starts. I usually call it my cute little adventure because it is the time, I put myself to the test of exploring something that I love dearly.

Self-Reflection

This is my favourite season to self-reflect and to make sure that I am still in touch with who I am and doing a lot of check in with who I am and where I am headed. And I usually do that subtly by journaling more or by going on more solo dates with myself wearing my favourite outfit. All I am saying is treat yourself with love and grace during the wintertime!

I have reached the end of the blog and I do hope you liked my favourite parts of winter and hope they are your favourites too! Let me know in the comments what are your favourite parts about winter!

You can connect with me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindiwe.e/
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/_lindiwee
And please check out one of my absolute favourite online stores: www.superbalist.com

Til next time!