Hello-- It's Been a Long Time

Hello loves!

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for being absent from this blog for a while. As most know, I've been busy with grad school (finally done now woo-hoo) and just some personal life chaos.

Next week, I'll get back to the Unlocking Your Full Potential series, and restart Fiction Fridays. But for right now, I wanted to talk about why I had to take a step back from the blog and just writing in general.

So the whole point of SoupScribbles is to promote positivity, self-love, and mental health awareness, which have always been important to me (and always will be, let's be real). I want to be able to write encouraging posts that help people feel less alone, let them know they are loved always, and maybe even inspire people to go after their own dreams.

But the thing with going after dreams is that it's hard, and sometimes we need to take a break. Especially when we aren't feeling 100%. Or even 72%.

Completely honesty time: this past year was rough, for a few reasons. And I noticed that writing this blog was beginning to feel like something I had to do, not something I wanted to do. After trying (and deleting) a few drafts of posts, I decided to take a break. I didn't want this to be a chore, because I feel like it would defeat the whole purpose of having this blog.

(Truthfully it was supposed to be a short break, but life happens and all that.)

I'm not saying this to be a downer, but because I think it's important for people to remember that they deserve breaks. From work, from the passion-projects, and even from dreams.

It's easy to get into this mindset of putting your whole worth into your productivity, and feeling like you can't ever relax until you've achieved the thing you want or met that deadline or whatever it is. But the problem is that your brain and body will get tired and one way or another you'll find yourself at a stopping point.

However as I, and I'm sure others, have experienced, instead of viewing these breaks as a sign that we need to rest, we end up kicking ourselves and try to push even harder. And that works for a time until we crash and burn again and have to stop. Which makes us try even harder and on and on the endless cycle goes.

It's great to have dreams and goals. And it's great to work for them. But don't do it at the expense of your own happiness and health.

One thing I have learned from this rocky road-flavored year of grad school is that there is so much more to life than work or a career or accolades. So much more than being productive or clearing the checklist.

Life is about living, not just existing.

I think we forget that a lot.

So, for whatever you have planned for the week, or whatever tasks you have left to do, make the time for a break. Look at the actual real life you have before you and actually live in it.

Be easy on yourself. View your mistakes with grace. Pour kindness into your mind.

And remember you are so so loved just as you are.

<3

Soup