Taking Time

In my actual season of life, it's been really easy for me to feel overwhelmed with anxiety. So much to do and so little time.

The solution I found may seem kind of weird, but it works!

I find it necessary to take more breaks and enjoy the moment. It may sound like a contradiction: 'so you're feeling overwhelmed? taking time for yourself doesn't sound like a wise option'.

But taking a break doesn't necessarily mean procrastinating for an hour, sleeping on top of my books, or lying on my bed staring at the ceiling and wondering what to do with my life.

Here are some of the breaks I get to have, and that make me feel better when I'm feeling stressed or depressed:

- Having lunch with my friends from college at the mall.

- Seeing my high school friends, who are 'the family that I chose and that chose me too'. They can always make me feel like myself again.

- Marveling at nature: near my faculty the trees have such beautiful colours and I can't help staring at them, trying to capture the moment. I also get to see beautiful rainbows sometimes, like in the picture below!

- Fridays, after my WORST class of the week (with my terrible Anatomy teacher who terrorizes me and makes me feel completely anxious and stupid) I have the BEST time of the week with my boyfriend. We get to do lots of fun together and it feels like home to be with him! (I won't get extra cheesy, even though I could)

How do you take time for yourself during stressful times?

love,
Mariana

Day Five: Passionate

"I am passionate about (people)."

Today's Blog-tember post prompt asks me to tell you about my passion, and that, dear readers, is people.

from Tumblr

I am fascinated by people. I love how complex and unpredictable people are. 

I know there's so much evil in this world, and it breaks my heart to hear about corruption, murder and wars. I hate to hear that innocent people die everyday because of other people's thirst for money and power. It's disgusting that these two things are so many times put above real values: life, respect, love.

However, when I'm walking on the streets and I see an elderly couple holding hands, or a little boy picking up a flower to give to his mother, I see love. I see that human hearts can hold such beautiful, powerful feelings, and that those feelings should prevail instead of greed, hate and anger.

At the same time, I can't help but to marvel at the wonders of the human brain. How can such a small organ come up with science, music, stories, laws? I find that thought wonderful, even though we so often misuse our skills.

I know that a lot of us are hurting. There are so many circumstances that cause us pain and hopelessness. But no matter how dark things get, there's always a spark, and we've got to pursue it so that things can get better again. To me that spark comes from God's love, and I feel like one of my missions in life is to help people find that spark when all hope seems lost.

I'm currently feeling really tired, so I'm sorry if this post isn't as articulate as it should be!

How about you? What fascinates you in life?

love,

Mariana

Day One: About the Author

'Imagine the front sleeve of a hard cover novel. Give us your "About the Author" so we can get to know one another, and for fun tell us what your imaginary novel would be about.'

This is my first post for the Blog-tember Challenge!

Mariana is a curly-haired music lover with a passion for literature and helping others.

She is (hopefully) studying Medicine in the University of Porto.

Her main interests include: traveling, walking around with her boyfriend, playing music, singing in the church choir, dancing, reading and writing, cats and spreading positivity. 

Her favourite season of the year is fall and she loves Christmas very much as well.

She believes in love above all things.

I would actually love to write and publish a novel, but the inspiration hasn't struck me yet.

I'd like it to be an adaptation of my own high school experience: overcoming fears, finding myself, approaching problems like heartbreak, bullying, self harm, eating disorders etc. I would like that novel to give hope to teenagers like me and to make some people feel understood!

love,
Mariana