Tips on How to Eliminate Stress in High School

Hey everyone! It's been a busy school year for me so far. I'm a junior in high school and I've had to learn how to manage my time and eliminate stress that school, extracurriculars and other activities bring. I'm part of the International Baccalaureate program, and I am currently taking 8 IB classes. I'm also the leader of clubs; I am one of the officers of DECA and I am also the co-president of a human trafficking awareness club at my school. I am also a member of National Honor Society, IB Council, and an IB Leadership Group. I play recreational soccer and basketball with my friends, and I babysit and tutor kids to make money. I also like blogging obviously! My plate has been super full this year. A big change from my Sophomore year has been having 8 classes at a time instead of 4 or 5, that would change after one semester. 

Here are some of my tips for eliminating stress if you are in high school! 

First off, make a list of all the activities you have going on in your life and prioritize them. When prioritizing, think about what activities and aspects of your life are most important to you. If you have a lot of things going on in your life, than most likely cutting down will decrease stress. Figure out which things on your list aren't as important as others or are causing you this stress and cut back! I quit my job in September because I had too many things going on and not enough time for them all. I would leave school at 2:15, go to work at 4 and then come home as late as 10. Then I would start all my homework and studying. I also had certain days that I couldn't work because of clubs or sports. I decided to quit my job because it took up way too much time and wasn't as important to me as school and clubs. Lucky for me, I didn't need the money and I quit early enough that I my job never got too much in the way of my school work. Once I quit my job, a lot of time opened up for other things that I wanted to do.

Another tip I have for decreasing stress is to exercise. It's scientifically proven that your brain releases endorphins (think of it like happy hormones) while you exercise that make you feel calmer and happier. If you aren't a sporty kind of person, than try yoga. There are many different types of yoga, yoga that deals with more breathing exercises and yoga that is more focused on flexibility and strength. You also don't have to go to a studio to do yoga, you can just do it in your house and follow a video on YouTube. My favorite channel to watch for yoga is YogaWithAdrienne. 

This next tip goes along with exercising and it is to eat healthy food, drink plenty of water and spend time outside. Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables can put you in a better mood than eating unhealthy foods like chocolate or fries. Healthy food will give you energy and will overall make you feel more positive. Also, drinking a lot of water can reduce stress. It clears your mind and can have a restorative effect. It helps you to think more clearly and gives you energy. Spending time outside, whether it's reading a book or taking a walk will also clear your mind and is better for your overall well-being. It can definitely help if you are feeling overwhelmed of anxious about school or anything else you have going on.

Something that I struggle with is turning off screens. Everyone can get wrapped up in their technology at times and it's important that we power off. Reading is a great way to get your mind off of things and feel less stressed. If you are feeling overwhelmed, checking out a book at your local library that interests you and reading it.

My last and most important tip is to take time for yourself. Relax and spend time doing things you enjoy. Maybe make your room nice and cozy and listen to music or create a peaceful playlist. I make my room feel cozier by turning on fairy twinkle lights and throwing a bunch of blankets on my bed. You can also get a fireplace app on your laptop that will set the screensaver to a fireplace. You can also change the settings to make it crackle and sound like a really fireplace. I also write in a journal to feel less stressed. I constantly juggle things around in my head so putting my thoughts to paper makes my head feel clearer.

Those are my tips and tricks on how to feel less overwhelmed and stressed about high school and life in general. I hope you found this post useful!

Thanks for reading!
Thea
xx

Cute Back to School Supplies to Keep You Motivated ♡

Back to school supplies

Hey guys! Back to school is just around the corner for me and may have probably already started for you! I go back August 29th, which is later than most people, but still seems too soon. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing all my friends again and being busy all the time. The only problem is that I can't stand waking up at 5:50 every morning! Even waking up this early, I still find myself rushing to eat breakfast and put on makeup. One of the most exciting things about going back to school for me is getting extremely cute school supplies! I don't know if I'm the only one, but shopping for new school supplies and organizing my backpack is like heaven for me. I remember one year for Christmas I got school supplies as one of my presents. 

Getting pretty school supplies always motivates me in the beginning of the school year to be organized and jump right back into the swing of things. I always color code my classes (matching blue folder and binder for math- that sorta thing). Try picking a color scheme for you school supplies or trying new patterns. I love getting pretty planners when I go back to school. It motivates me to write down important dates, homework and things I need to get done. When I have a cute planner, I also check more often to see what I need to do for the day. I'll do a whole other blog post all about my planner and how I stay organized in high school!

Do you have anything in particular that motivates you to go back to school?

Thanks for reading!

Thea♡



Spring Break 2016: Bikini/Swimwear Trends ♡

Spring Break officially starts today for me! I am not going to the beach over Spring Break, because I am going college touring. I know a lot of people go to the beach over break, so I made a list of all the different swimwear trends for Spring and Summer! I love buying swimsuits, because there are so many fun prints, patterns and styles. I really think that there is a swimsuit for everyone and every body shape. I hope you guys have a great Spring Break and that you find some inspiration from this post. Check out my Pinterest bikini board to see more bathing suits that I'm loving for the Spring and Summer! ♡

Light Blue Bikini Top- TopShop
Maroon Wrap Top- Suboo 
Halter Coral Bikini Top- Mikoh
Strappy Black and White Top- Mikoh
Black Crochet Halter- Style Moi
Triangle Bikini- Look Book Store
Blue Tie Die Halter- Beautiful Halo
Bralette Bikini- Rip Curl
Crochet Trimmed Bikini- Kiini
Pink One Piece- Tart
Black and White One Piece- Etro

Strappy Backs-
Lately I have been loving bathing suits with really intricate straps on the back! They look really  cool and fun, and they also form really pretty designs. Fun strappy backs add a nice touch to an otherwise plain bikini top. 

High-Neck Lines-
High neck lines are extremely popular right now, and swimwear companies are finally adopting this trend! It gives good coverage while also looking super cute and stylish.

Crochet-
Crochet has also come into style, and there are some crochet bikini tops that can also be worn as barrettes and crop tops! Crochet bikini tops are perfect for the Spring and Summer and are always made in pretty designs. 

Bralettes-
These are super comfortable and really cute. They give a sporty and athletic look and offer good support.

One Pieces-
One pieces are back in style! There are some really cute one pieces with cute straps and fun prints. One pieces also give you a lot more coverage and won't slip off you if you are doing a lot of swimming and water sports.

Stores-
Here are some of my favorite swimwear stores! Some are more pricier, and some are more cheaper.

L. Space- www.lspace.com
Victoria's Secret- www.victoriassecret.com
Athleta- www.athleta.com
Pac Sun- www.pacsun.com
Lookbook Store- www.lookbookstore.co
Triangl- www.triangl.com
Forever 21- www.forever21.com

Thanks for reading my post! I hope these trends have helped you in picking out your swimsuits for this Spring and Summer ♡

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine :)


Cosmetic Animal Testing Awareness Project ♡

Hey everyone! I am doing a research project on the awareness of animal testing on cosmetics. I am a sophomore in high school, and I'm in the the IB program at my school. Instead of a senior exit project, we have a sophomore personal project, where we research and explore a topic that we are interested in knowing more about. I picked cosmetic animal testing, because I'm really interested in makeup, but I don't really know much about the experimental process of makeup in regards to animals. I would love it if you would answer my survey for the project that I am doing! Thanks ♡ 



Tips for How to Start off the New Year Right for 2016

Here are my tips of things you should do to make this year great! These tips will help you with your New Year's resolution or any of your goals in general. They will also just help you have a happier year in general! 


Tip 1: Resolutions
Everyone always makes unrealistic resolutions for the new year. After about a week or two, those resolutions end up forgotten and in the garbage. In order to successfully carry out your resolution for 2016, you need to make sure it has certain characteristics. It must be specific, measurable, attainable and of course, realistic. If your resolution isn't any of those things, than you may as well not even make one. They need to be specific, because if that will ensure that you know exactly what your goal is, so you can work at getting closer to it. You also need to be able to measure your goal, because that's how you will know if you have reached it or not. Of course, your goal or resolution must be realistic and attainable, because it needs to be something that you can actually accomplish. It must be within your grasp, because if it isn't, you won't work towards achieving it.

Tip 2: Inspirational Board

This is a collage I made a few years ago, with some of my favorite celebrities, makeup and fashion items on it. Making a collage of things that inspire or motivate you can help you to reach your goal or resolution for the new year. You can cut out pictures and words from magazines or from the Internet of things that will convince you to achieve your goal. Make sure to put this board up where you will look at it often, like on your wall or on your desk.

Tip 3: Happiness Jar

Write things that made you happy or memorable things that happened on little slips of paper every day in 2016, and put them all in a jar. Fold up the slip of paper and write the date on the side of paper showing. You should have 365 slips of paper by next year, and you can read them all to remember all the happy things that the previous year brought. You can also read the slips of paper whenever you are feeling sad or need a jolt of joy.

Tip 4: Write in a Journal

Writing in a journal every day is a great creative outlet, and lets you rewind through your day at night. Writing all your thoughts at night before you go to bed can also help you have a better night sleep. It's also fun to look back on your entries in the following year, to see what you were doing or thinking about on that very day the year before. 

Tip 5: Organize Your Room
Organizing your room will give you a fresh start to the new year. This will make you jump into the new year already feeling organized and on top of everything! You can also make a cozy corner in your room, where you can light candles, decorate with pillows and blankets, and put your favorite books or magazines. 

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great 2016!


Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are mine! I take credit for all the photos except for the one of the fireworks, which was from Google images.