It was about a month ago that I came back from Mexico. I am not sure what happened during that week but the only think I know is that I came a totally different person. People might not see it from the outside but I know inside of me something changed.
Integrating and fitting in this new culture (American culture) and specially, adapting to the challenges that I faced at the university was so hard that I almost forgot myself. On my first weeks in Chicago, I would have headaches at least 4 times a week. I stopped exercising because I literally could not find the time and 50% of my time, I found myself eating in classroom or in the bus – and my average sleep hours was definitely less than 6 hours. It was hard but – I found myself surviving instead of living.
My trip to Mexico made me stop, reconnect and understand what really matters in life. And slowly, step by step, I went back to my very basic but also very powerful habits:
- Cooking and eating better – and I also stop my 3 coffees a day haha
- Exercising – I am back to Yoga stretching moves (every single day) and my runs (doing at 40km a week) I am soooo happy my foot finally lets me run as in the past
- Meditating – Just stopping and not thinking about anything is so hard but I am back to this game every morning and I know the more I do, the better I will feel
- Reading – Again something I really loved and I simply stopped doing it last quarter. It feels so good to read something not related to school everyday
I am still busy as in the last quarter, I am still studying full-time and working part-time at the university. I still have 4 classes at the university but I force myself to find the time. Because once you stop checking on yourself, nothing else can work.
Sometimes you do not need much; Sometimes you just need the very basic things that actually brings you joy in life; Sometimes you need to lose those very basic things to really value them; Sometimes you just need to listen to yourself.
Never forget: Life is a beautiful journey and everything is a matter of perspective. Be grateful for what you have today and always seek to help others and become a better person. At the end of the day, that’s what really counts. Be You, Be Unique! And more important: LOVE YOURSELF – life is too short to try to be someone else. 😀
On a very quick note: It is harder for me at the moment to post every week but I try my best to post every month. I used social media much less than in the past simply because I have less time and also I feel less interested on. My blog is my home! Here is where I have been sharing my thoughts, dreams, failures and achievements for the past 3 years. This is one of the things that brings the most joy in life: writing and sharing about stuff. I do hope that I can help others with my stories but the end goal of this platform was always to be an open journal where I could easily just say whatever was in my mind. I really hope everyone of you will find your ways to express your deep feelings as I found writing and running.
Beijinho,
Daniela