In Colorado, it’s finally starting to cool down. September brought with it cooler weather and the start of fall. I’m a few weeks in school, and I’m finally starting to get into a grove. With September came adventures around Denver. My August was more focused on both school and work. Which left me with little time to focus on myself. I’d go from being a student right to be an employee. Balance is key when managing your physical and mental health. If there’s no time for you and the things you enjoy, then you risk feeling burnt out. When you’re burnt out then you’re unable to perform at your best. In September I put focus into utilizing tools such as time blocking to ensure I was making the most of my time. That way I wasn’t feeling overwhelmed with both work and school. As well as, allow time for myself. Which meant I could get out and do have some fun.

Being back in school means I don’t always have time to get fancy in the kitchen. Sometimes I need a quick and easy meal that I can put together in about 30 minutes. As much as I love experimenting in the kitchen with new ingredients. A mountain of assignments that need completing by their due dates takes priority. There’s always grabbing a bite to eat, but that adds up over time. Also, dining out isn’t always the healthiest. On the days when I need to throw something together quickly one of the recipes I turn to is easy curry rice. When I want to make it a meal I make some impossible meatballs to go with it.

We all have goals in life that we’re trying to achieve. It’s not always easy staying focused on our goals. Things don’t always go as planned, we get thrown off track, and lose focus on our goals. One way to help us stay focused is by making a vision board. They help you visualize your goals and remind you to stay on track. When you can visualize then you can achieve it. A vision board serves as a visual representation of your goals and helps to motivate you towards them

Much like self-care, Self-love is something that gets thrown around without people truly knowing the meaning. Self-love isn’t only about feeling good about yourself and being confident. It’s about accepting yourself as you are and having an appreciation for yourself. Throughout my life like many, I’ve struggled with self-love. There was a time where I’d look in the mirror and hated what I saw. I lacked confidence, doubted, and put myself. It held me back from trying new things and putting myself out there.

August marks the end of my summer break and the start of the fall semester. I’m bummed that summer break is over. The weeks leading up to school weren’t as relaxing as I would have liked. Things picked up at work which left me with little free time. Despite all the stress, my first week of school went well. None of my teachers went easy on us and I ended the week with a lot of homework. For the fall semester, I’m taking general. biology and lab, intro to psychology, dynamics of health, and health disparities in the U.S.