Aichan Tewahade
Do you recall that feeling when you feel better than ever, or maybe the best version of yourself? I get this euphoric feeling after a hard workout, and a long day full of walking and hiking.
Today, I walked a five mile hike and then worked out on the eliptical for 25 minutes. This may just be some mindless information that no one way even pay attention to. But, trust me on this information, working out and exercising brings out the best in me. Any form of exercise that allows you to break a sweat soon becomes a huge smile, and a sense of relief, and a good way to kill anxiety.
Man, is there any form of therapy that works better than exercise? It almost solves all my problems and allows me to finally let go of all the stress from the day.
Some days I enjoy beginning my day with a hike, or maybe a long walk. Walks and hikes are great places to clear your mind and cluttered thoughts. I would recommend finding the nearest trailhead and taking it straight up the mountain. I, personally, prefer getting a workout in outside and in nature. Nature serves as a therpeautic place for me to lower my anxiety, and I feel as though it does the same for most individuals.
The hardest part, even for me, is taking that first step out of the door. I have been waiting to get a good workout in, such as the one I did today, for about a week. Yes, seven whole days.
I finally did it! I may have gone a little overboard, and do expect to be formally sore to the bone tomorrow, but I know that I will sleep wonderfully and feel better than I normally do.
Incorporating physical activitiy in your day is something that our society does not prioritize. In fact, society promotes the opposite, so I challenge you to try to take the first step out of the door and kickstart your day with a wonderful workout. The positive effects that come out of it are endless.
Not only do you physically feel better, but I also find that my sense of wellbeing and overall self-love levels have risen higher than usual. Working out and exercising have more positive benefits that go beyond being physically healthier. Exercise allows you to finally start to love yourself and feel good about yourself, inside and out.
I am writing this tribute, after the longest workout of my life, and my words of advice are, "YOU CAN DO IT!"
I've learned a lot about toxic relationships, and the baggage that comes with these toxic relationships. The longer you are in a toxic relationship, the more baggage you will end up with. This baggage is not something you should ignore, or hang onto for very long, as they will result in a toxic environment.
The baggage that comes out of the toxic relationships, specifically the people that you surrounded yourself with during this toxic relationship, is something that is envitable, but should be acted upon.
Mitch Vlasak has been a kind individual to me, when I felt I needed a friend, instead of solitude. Mitch Vlasak is the convienient, comfortable friend that you hang onto, post-toxic relationship.
Just because an individual is kind to you, it does not, by any means, mean they are your friend. I've recognized that convenience, comfortability, and a little too much kindness is not exactly the kind of friend I want to keep around.
This may come off as confusing, so let me explain this for you. Friends, as much as they are your friends, should push you, make you hate them from time to time, and engage in healthy arguing patterns and behaviors. This simply means that a person cares enough about you to want to help you become a better person, and these are, most importantly, the people you should keep around.
For a very long time, I have settled for friends that offered me unlimited hours of companionship, overt amounts of kindness, however, no drive or will to want to be better. I have noticed that these, amongst other kinds of toxic relationships, are the ones that most people hang onto.
Not all friendships are meant to last forever, but sometimes, the wrong kind of friends are actually the ones that result in a realizing how little they bring to your life.
Your friends are a reflection of yourself, and this is something that I often forget. These are the friends, who will not go out of their way to fight for you, want you to continue growing, and who do not bring any passion or any purpose to you. You will encounter a few of these friends, while it does not mean that you should hate them, these friends are the friends that teach you how to let go of mediocre friendships.
In all aspects of life, you should continue to want to keep growing, and celebrating your successes, and as you get older, sometimes, not everyone will stick around, as a positive influence in your life. It may mean that you've fallen out of touch, you may have nothing in common, or maybe you have outgrown them.
These mediocre friends allow you to practice the act of letting go of friendships, and learning not to settle for less.
Write Your Tribute!
Sometimes, you meet people who provide you a safe, compassionate space to communicate your thoughts and feelings, which results in an incredibly healthy relationship. Other times, you might accidentally come across those, who do everything in their own power to bring you down, celebrate your failures, and exude negativity. You can not always get your way, or else, life would just be too easy, and moderately boring.
Take time today to reflect on the individuals, who continue to spend mindless hours tearing you down, even after years of being apart of your life. These are the people who you should thank today for reminding what you do not want in relationships, how toxic their existence in your life is, and the fact that these people are the people who continue to motivate you everyday to live a little larger.
Today, I would like to tribute, Samuel Otto Silkworth, an individual who has placed unlimited amounts of fear into my life, for the last four years. To this day, he continues to make exceptional efforts to go out of his way to make my days subpar. From time-to-time, he is successful in his feats. Today, however, he will not be.
After about four years, I am beginning to realize how much Samuel Otto Silkworth has heped shaped me into the sexy, strong and controversial woman that I am. In fact, my personal growth, that occurred over the last year, was as a result of his toxic existence in my life.
These toxic individuals do teach you something, as they are the continual reminders that life is a constant battlefield, and in order to make it in this world, you need to be able to overcome your fears, and continue to keep fighting the good battle.
Continue to teach yourself self-love and challenge yourself to go out of your comfort zone, despite the fear. I've learned to conquer my anxiety, by in turn, and simulatenously, appreciating the good people that I have around me, who do everything that Samuel Otto Silkworth has never done.
Remember that these people are the people who ultimately shape your own character, self-worth, and do not continue to let them dictate your life and your self-worth.
When I wake up every morning, one of the first things I do is listen to some good music. And, when I say good music...I mean, good music. The kind of music that makes you want to get out of bed and jump start your day, even if it's -2 degrees outside.
Music has become a positive outlet for me to engage in some positive thinking. I spend most of my days listening to music, finding new music, creating the ultimate playlists, etc.
As much as we all do not realize, music plays an important role in our lives. It can be considered a form of expression for both the creator and the one listening to the song.
Every genre has a song or two that you can at least appreciate, or enjoy during a night out with friends. Whether your favorite genre of music is country, classical, electronic dance music, hip-hop, rap, we all have something that is universal, which is the fact that every human being listens to music every day.
When I enter a store, the first thing I notice is the music being played in the background. Music can be an indicator of mood, personality, etc. And, music can be seen as therapeutic for some.
My music selection and playlists are no longer limited to a few genres, but all genres. The development of music over the course of history has allowed our society to create and recreate genres of music. Often, a genre is created from another genre, and the creation and development of new genres often incorporate a handful of other genres, which will influence whether or not you enjoy the song or not.
Music has the profound effect of universally uniting individuals, cultures, and socieities, as it is incorporated in all societies and cultures, as either a form of expression used in celebration, rituals, religion, or day-to-day life.
As humans, we are connected by very little, however, music is one form of expression that connects us to people we may not know or who may live in a different country, who practice other cultural beliefs.
Finding someone who is more than good company, and that you can spend all of your time with, is something that is truly rare, as we all possess uniquely different components that make each of us our own individual.
My friend Leslie Fox is one of the only people that I can reflect on that is willing to spend a million hours with me, give me unlimited and honest wisdom, and who can crack jokes with me at any given moment. Every moment spsent with her is always an adventure
We are what people call, "two peas in a pod."
Having someone you can count on at any given moment, who is willing to forgive each and every small, petty fight you ever have had, is someone you should cherish forever. A beautiful aspect of our friendship is our willingness to simply move forward from any situation that resulted in an action where one's feelings was hurt.
In addition to her unconditional forgiveness, Leslie Fox exudes a confidence like no other. Leslie Fox has overcome so much and perservered through every obstacle life has given her, and still managed to come out on top.
I truly enjoy our never-ending banter. Sometimes, we even will be talking at the same time, not even listening to each other, and just know that we need someone to talk to.
Leslie also is single-handedly one of the only people that I am close with that I can share anything with, and who I know at the end of the day loves me.
Good friends push each other or place distance between friendships when it becomes more toxic, than helpful. Time, distance, and space is always healthy in every friendship, as we all need time to self-improve and solitude. A friendship that does not ever truly end, and can be picked up at any given moment, is a friendship that is real and one that should be celebrated as a blessing.
A stable, lifelong friend is a comforting feeling that everyone should feel at one point in their life. Leslie Fox came into my life freshman year of college, and to this day, we've had numerous petty arguments. However, the difference between this friendship and others is that I already know that Leslie is not going anywhere, and will have my back until we are both in graves right next to each other.
Just when you're not looking or expecting anything good, try to think about the one person, who you almost hate because you love them so much. Think about the person who not only challenges you, but celebrates your existence.
My person is Leslie Fox, what about you?
There's something about winter that simultaneously goes hand-in-hand with candles. I do not know whether cold weather makes people crave fire, or whether the earliest inhabitants of this Earth decided that winter was the official kick-off of the "candle season."
Let's just say this season is just as lit as the candle.
The winter brings an assortment of new flavors. French Vanilla is my favorite candle to light this winter. The smell of a lit, french vanilla candle, especially a Yankee French Vanilla flavored candle, is my favorite flavor during all seasons, especially during the winter.
It is as if the burning candle is able to warm my soul and fill me with a light of happiness.
The beginning of the holiday season brings a variety of amazing scents, such as apple cider, autumn wreath, and spiced pumpkin.These new scents provide a different compilation than the usual fruity candles and "clean linen-smelling" candles.
These lovely devices also are wonderful decoration, for those who are looking to spruce up their living situation. They also provide additional warmth and favorable smells, which is something we all need in our life. Not to mention, they provide warmth, during the extremely brisk conditions and months of the winter season.
Kindness makes the world round, while compassion keeps Earth orbiting. Essentially, kindness and compassion are fundamental components of one's character, in order to make a true impact in the world we live in today.
This tribute is to the man, the myth, and the legendary Ryder Johnson, who loved rappers Juicy J and Berner more than I love pizza. Ryder Johnson was one of those exceptionally unique, charismatic souls that had inhabited this Earth and impacted a multitude of individuals.
You know when you describe someone as being made up of just "good?" That was Ryder to me - his soul and simple existence made such a monumental impact on my own monumental growth in character.
His existence was simply based on loving everyone and spreading the love that our society lacks today. He was the "good" that we all spend years trying to become, and it came very naturally to him.
Today, marks the year anniversary of Ryder Johnson's disappearance, however his absence and impactful lifestyle does not go unnoticed.
Today, I will practice unconditional love and practice unlimited kindness, in order to celebrate a life that ended too soon.
Ryder J, I'll see you at the next Juicy J concert!
A Tribute By Ai Tewahade
As human beings, we often forget how much influence communication plays in our daily lives. Despite the technological advancements recently, with touch-screen phones, FaceTime, Skype, etc., one would easily assume that our modern-day, technological society was constantly communicating with one another. Well, guess again. In fact, our society is more disconnected than ever.
According Meriam Webster, communication is described as "a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior." Exchanging information is very important, and while it can be done through cellular devices, computers, and in-person, I found that individuals have developed avoidant behaviors from interacting with others in-person.
As a result of the technological advancements, people have lost touch of the simple skill that requires an individual to simply open and close their mouth. In a constantly stimulated environment, it has become nearly impossible to simply go back to speaking to one another.
Communication is one of the most vital life skills that one should possess. In fact, learning to talk was one of the first skills most of us learned. For some of us, it may have been walking. Regardless, learning to communicate is inevitable and our society does not place importance in communicating in person. It is ironic that these technological devices that are presumably making communication accessible to all is actually the driving force behind the lack of communication we are experiencing today.
I have found that communication done in a clear, concise, and orderly manner is the most effective way to communicate others. Similarly, expressing your needs, wants, emotions, feelings and opinions effectively is one of the most challenging, yet most useful skill I've learned since the new year has begun. Being assertive, and most importantly, honest is something that many individuals, including myself, have struggled with, especially when using communication in a conflict resolution situation.
I've noticed when one actively communicates, I can avoid more problems with my social aspect of my life. Often, issues, such as anxiety, social anxiety, etc. may play a role in our inability to actively communicate with those around us in a face-to-face setting.
If you break down communication, there are two forms of communication, which include spoken communication and unspoken communication. Our society is very farmiliar with unspoken communication, which results in unhealthy habits of passive aggresive communication.
Communication is inevitable, so as a result, I turn to customer-based jobs, and talking to strangers, in order to combat any social fears or phobias I have. Communication is something so fundamental, yet so difficult to excel at.
This year try to disconnect from your technological devices and try to practice the art of communication. Talk to a stranger and ask them how their day is going, pick up a customer-service based job, or practice trying to communicate better with your roommate.
However you may go about practicing your communication skills, place more emphasis on the power and beauty that communication can bring into your life. Learn to use the most basic human skill to your advantage!