#31 Six Hour Digital Detox

Hour 1:

ACTIVITIES:

Studied Statistics in the library for 1.5 hours.

EMOTIONS:

I was distracted by my book, so overall the first hour and a half wasn’t horrible. However, when I got bored it took everything in me not to grab my phone and answer my snapchats/scroll through Instagram quickly. 

Hour 2:

ACTIVITIES:

I ate food at Umph

EMOTIONS:

I think I ate slower than I ever had before because I was trying to keep myself occupied. Luckily, a few of my friends were there with me, and talking to them made me forget about my phone.

Hour 3:

ACTIVITIES:

Hung out in a friends room.

EMOTIONS:

This part was a little awkward. When I got in my friends room he had Netflix on, so I asked him to turn it off, and after explaining why I think he thought I was a little crazy. I hung out with him and his friends and just messed around for a few hours. Being around people was helping me keep my mind off of the thousands of things I knew I was missing online. 

Hour 4:

ACTIVITIES:

Worked Out

EMOTIONS:

I went to a cycling class called Zynn22 and worked out. This was the easiest part of the 6 hours because I never want my phone near me during a workout. I was in the zone and didn’t think about my phone at all. 

Hour 5:

ACTIVITIES:

Showered/Cleaned My Room

EMOTIONS:

Not listening to music while I showered made me want to die, but I persevered. Usually, when I get out of the shower I check my social media and lay in my bed for a little bit, but I couldn’t do that so I resorted to doing all of my laundry and cleaning my room. Time has never gone so slowly. 

Hour 6:

ACTIVITIES:

Read

EMOTIONS:

At this point, I was out of ideas to keep my mind off my phone, so I resorted to catching up on some reading for a few of my classes. This passed the time a lot better than I originally expected, but I still found myself thinking about my phone every 5 minutes or so. The last two hours were THE WORST. I am not sure how people ever lived without mobile phones, but I don’t think I could do it.

#28 Digital Age

Looking in the mirror and hating what you see is an every day occurrence for a lot of people, particularly women. Instead of seeing what is beautiful, we tend to pick out the things we hate about ourselves. I have struggled with depression and anxiety for what feels like forever and it took a long time for me to find healthy coping methods. I partially blame this on social media. I would sit in my room for hours scrolling through instagram wondering why I couldn’t look like them and I’m not sure what made me realize that I didn’t need to look like them to be beautiful, but when that finally clicked my life became so much better.

By stepping back and looking at real people and real life we can find our happiness. Constantly comparing ourselves to the photo shopped pictures of celebrities and influencers is detrimental to the youth of America. Our standard of beauty is distorted and almost unachievable for the average girl. So, why are we expecting ourselves and others to look like the Kardashians? It has to stop. We don’t need to be 115 pounds with chiseled cheek bones to be beautiful. Healthy is beautiful. Natural is beautiful. Every impurity on your body is beautiful. If someone can’t see that then put your middle finger right in there face.

We are real girls and we are beautiful, cellulite, acne, fat rolls and all. Those things make us who we are. They make us beautiful and individual, and all of those things make us fucking awesome.

#27 Quotes to Get You Through

“It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but a good amount of it actually is.”

“Be good, do good.”

“Everything will be so good so soon, so just hang in there and don’t worry about it too much.”

“One day we will look back on days like this and realize that the little things mattered a lot more than we ever thought they would.”

“Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.”

“Don’t treat people as bad as they are, treat them as good as you are.”

“Just because not everything is okay it doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to be either.”

“Creat your own sunshine.”

 

no matter how shitty your day is, just remember that today is the perfect day to be happy

🙂

 

 

 

#24 FAV Dallas Brunch Spots

  1. Le Bilboquet
    • My absolute go to! Everything here is to die for. It is one of the more high end brunch places in Dallas and that is reflected in the quality of food and service. If you want something savory, you can’t go wrong with the eggs Benedict, but if you. want something sweet the pancakes or the french toast are sure to blow your mind. This brunch spot is perfect for a Saturday morning with the girls or a Sunday morning with your grandma.
  2. Eureka!
    • Eureka is what you’ll want to scream when you find this place. I had to read the menu ten times because I couldn’t decide what I wanted. There mimosa flight is definitely the only thing that was easy to decide on. It’s four different mimosas with different juices and you cant beat the price or the tastes. My favorite food item is the egg truffle toast. Scrambled eggs with a cheese truffle sauce on top and breakfast potatoes on the side. DROOL!
  3. Pie Tap
    • Pie Tap has a little bit of everything. The inside of the restaurant is super fun and the outside patio is dog friendly and perfect for a warm day. There giant cinnamon rolls are one of their signatures items and are a perfect appetizer for the table. I usually go with the classic farm breakfast which consists of eggs, toast, bacon, and breakfast potatoes, but I always start with the goat cheese fondue. OMG. If you like goat cheese this is the appetizer for you. I can taste it while I am writing this.
  4. Bread Winners
    • The menu goes on for days and everything looks amazing so good luck. Jalapeño is incorporated into a lot of their dishes which sounds odd but is actually a great compliment to the other ingredients. Biscuits and gravy are a big thing were I am from so if I don’t order that as my main meal I at least get a side of it. Their chicken and waffles are also insanely bomb. I am a big savory brunch girl rather than sweet, so I haven’t tried their sweeter menu items yet, but I’ve heard rave reviews.
  5. Origins
    • Origins is my little hidden gem. It is owned by a guy that owns a lot of crossfit gyms in Dallas so he keeps the menu super healthy and clean but still so flavorful and satisfying. Their avocado toast is so. fucking. good. Now a lot of people think that all avocado toast has to taste the same because lets be real, there isn’t much to it. But this one is different. I’m not sure if it is because the ingredients are always fresh or what but it will have you wanting to order another one.
  6. Penne Pomodoro
    • An SMU classic. ALWAYS reliable. ALWAYS amazing. My favorite thing about Penne is that I can order pasta at 10 AM if I feel like it. I usually start my meal with burrata and/or fried avocado, depending on how hungry I am that day I’ll sometimes get a caprese salad as well, and then I either get the classic breakfast (eggs, toast, potatoes, bacon,) the eggs benedict, or the gnocchi. You really can’t go wrong here. I have a bad tendency of pigging out while I’m there but I never regret it because I always leave happy. Especially on Sunday when they have $1 mimosas. 🙂
  7. Toasted
    • I was addicted to Toasted for a few months but have managed to ween myself off. I just really love bread or anything with carbs for that matter, and their whole menu revolves around toast so whats not to love. The ‘Toast-ma-Goats” is my one true love. Goat cheese spread on a thick slice of homemade bread that is toasted to perfection, then drizzled with honey, and finally topped with pear slices and pecan chunks. It is orgasmic.
  8. Common Table
    • Favorite place for an upbeat, high energy brunch with friends. The music is always good, the food is always insta worthy, and the atmosphere is top notch. Their breakfast pizza or their breakfast burrito are my favorite things to indulge on, but they are better known for their fun drinks. Their skittles sangria comes in a pitcher and is big enough for the table to share. I’m not a huge fan but it gets the job done and looks pretty so I usually end up ordering it anyway.
  9. Henry’s Majestic
    • Two words. Mimosa bar. Literally SO cute. You are able to put in whatever juices and fruits you want so that you can create your own fun and perfect mimosa. Their patio is great and dog friendly! They will even bring your pooch treats and water and the staff is so friendly.
  10. The Rustic
    • The Rustic is famous on all SMU girls Snapchat and Instagram stories. Their outdoor seating is fantastic and is usually accompanied by live music which is what wins it over in my mind. You can’t beat a nice Texas day, eating brunch with your friends,  and listening to soothing guitar.
  11. The Porch
    • GRILLED CHEESE. I usually can’t even order brunch here because I am so madly in love with their grilled cheese. I have a thing for all cheeses and tend to eat way too much cheese so this sandwich is perfect for me because it is loaded. But when I do get brunch I love their juevos rancheros. It is the perfect balance of crunchy and savory.
  12. Bar Stellar
    • I definitely go here for the drinks more than the food, because honestly the food is subpar, but the drinks are amazing and so photogenic. Their ‘megamosa’ is a crowd favorite. It is a HUGE mimosa glass with enough straws. for the entire table. They dump an entire bottle of champagne, along with a drop of orange juice and some fruit. What’s not to love.