I recently learned of the term "quarantine fatigue" and it helped me understand more about what I've been experiencing. Quarantine fatigue can be different for everyone but the effects are real. Read on to learn about my quartine fatigue experience and what I am doing to combat the symptoms.

Having gratitude in quarantine is important because, if you're anything like me, the last few weeks have been a rollercoaster. Ever since COVID-19 took over the media, politics, and our minds, it can seem difficult to think of anything else. While the fears (and realities) of coronavirus are less than ideal, forced quarantine provides an opportunity for growth. It's not every day that must stay inside for the good of humanity. Here, I'll discuss a few ways you can use the quarantine to your advantage.

Minimalism seemed too difficult because, for as long as I can remember, I've been bombarded with a series of commercials telling me to buy more. If only I could have a new car, the latest phone, or a wardrobe makeover, then I'd be happy. However, possessions aren't everything. In many cases, less is more. Minimalism is much more than I thought it would be.

You can increase your level of being present by making yours a feng shui home. Feng shui (pronounced ‘fuhng SHWAY’), a Chinese tradition that involves arranging a physical environment for the best energy, seems mystical and even scary to those who haven’t learned about its principles, but feng shui boils down to essentially a healthy dose of common sense as well as a set of mindfulness practices to choose from. 

Do you experience seasonal depression (also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD)? If so, you may have extra trouble getting out of bed during periods of SAD. 

Remember using a sticker reward chart or star chart for life as a child? Perhaps your family used one to measure chores or good behavior. Maybe your school utilized a sticker reward chart to keep track of assignments done or kindness to other students. A sticker reward chart, however infantile it may seem now, can actually bring more satisfaction to your life. 

Drawing boundaries for friends' partners really means drawing boundaries for friends. One of my best friends maintains a somewhat troubling, even emotionally abusive, relationship. She’s beautiful, talented, insightful, and joyful, but she constantly receives scathing feedback that she’s not good enough. He tells her that if she would just fix her problems, the relationship would be happy. That constant, biting criticism is not good for her. That any and all work on the relationship should be entirely hers because she is broken is not good.

Thanking your friends for mental health support is a great way to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, so I wanted to share something powerful about my own health and the tremendous effect creating a tribe and surrounding yourself with great friends has on your mental health.

There is one step positive people take to feel happier. I've always admired positive people, and now I am one. I found that I can be a positive person in only one step. That one step positive people take is to surround themselves with positivity. Really, that's all it takes to be a positive person and join the ranks of positive people living fulfilling lives.

Creating bliss in your kitchen is simple with these five easy steps. Before I discovered blissful living in my life, I would sometimes find myself standing in the middle of my kitchen overwhelmed by it's disorganization. The cupboards were filled with outdated food packages, drawers were piled high with random items, and cabinets that were too high to reach were filled with dishes from years gone by. But with these 5 steps, I created bliss in the kitchen.