How I Unwind Every Evening

Hello friends!
This week, I gave myself a well-deserved mental cleanse. By that, I just mean I cleaned my apartment. Same thing, right?

   Something I've been wanting to do lately on my social media is to connect with you guys more. So I posed the question on both Instagram and Facebook: How do you ease your mind? And I got amazing input from you guys! Some people said they're active, others mentioned meditation. And some mentioned just enjoying the little things, like company with a pet, or music and video games. I think it's fun to be open about things that help us unwind, because some people--like myself--struggle to unwind sometimes.

   Being relatively new to working full-time (now that I'm done with college), I've been definitely embracing the little things I can do to unwind when I get home. And during the time I spent switching apartments, I struggled to find that special me-time kind of activity to feel revitalized. I mean, when I stayed with my grandma for a month, I'd come home, watch Everybody Loves Raymond (best show ever, by the way), then shower and sleep. But now that I've got a solid schedule, I found a "new" special thing--routinely cleaning up my living space.

  I mean, I've never been a super messy person. Okay, fine. Sometimes I'm a smidge messy. But deeply cleaning every night before bed is absolutely life-changing, people. Even just re-organizing can do wonders for my headspace.

   Yeah, I know. We don't have a couch yet.

   Anyways, there's something so refreshing about cleaning up your space. I can't focus on writing a blog post or working on personal design projects when my apartment looks a mess. So sometimes I just have to put on some bops and start cleaning. It takes a weight off my shoulders and allows me to process what happened throughout the day. I can just breath and  be productive.

   Sometimes it's even nice to play a video from Estee Lalonde or Arden Rose about them cleaning out their closets or rearranging their living spaces. Listening to podcasts or productive videos also tend to help me if I'm indecisive about what kind of music to play. And Estee is such a mellow YouTuber to watch, so she calms me down anyway if I've had a long or stressful day.

   I also found a side-hobby in selling old articles of clothing (and even some artwork) on my Depop account (@GrinsAndNeedles). It helps drive me to keep things organized in my closet.

   A bonus is caring for plants around my apartment. Watering and nurturing them adds a feeling of purpose to taking care of my environment. Plus, surrounding yourself with greens and other associations of nature spikes that biophilia effect and boosts more positive moods!

   So pop on that music or podcast, light a candle, and cross some things off your to-do list! It makes me feel giddy finishing tasks, how about you?

   Alright, it's time for me to finish cleaning and catch up on some Love Island UK (Shoutout to Cody Ko and Noel Miller for getting me hooked on it).

Thank you guys for tuning in today. Have an amazing weekend, and keep on grinning!

​Lydia