The past month has been insanely busy and full of changes!

I had my first feature published!

I went to my first photo shoot (a staggering three days) for an upcoming fashion feature for Yoga Journal‘s September issue. I can’t wait to share the stunning results when the issue is published.

I turned another year older and ate my weight in whipped cream and breakfast foods to celebrate.

I sadly said goodbye to all of the wonderful editors and amazing people at Yoga Journal. (They took some pictures of me in my piles of boxes still left to return from the fashion shoot to remember me by. I sent more than 100 boxes full of samples back and it became quite the joke that I lived in boxes. I fancied myself a new version of Out of the Box.)

 I graduated from college and exceeded all of my goals along the way, especially by finishing in the top two percent of my class.

I moved out of my home for the past nine months

and said goodbye to the best roommates a girl could ask for.

But the future looks bright. Especially after accepting a job at Sunset Magazine!

Image from Sunset Magazine

Welcome to my beautiful new home. It’s been months in the making and I am excited to share it with you all. I will continue writing about sustainability, fitness, food, and much more. On the new site you can easily search through the archives, explore your favorite topics, keep up with my latest work, and join in on the conversation.

I have many exciting things on the horizon that I can’t wait to share with you all, so check back soon!

In the meantime, feel free to explore the archives, dive into a category, and learn more about me.

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The past two weeks have been insanely busy. They were the kind of weeks where as soon as you walk out of the bathroom you can’t remember if you brushed your teeth or not.

I had my final test of my college career. And although everyone is posting pictures of graduation on the Internet, I have four more weeks until I turn in my final projects and graduate. For once I’m not jealous of the semester schools getting out so early. I’m thankful to have the extra month with my friends before we are all split up and shoved into the working world.

(Check out my Beach-Inspired Skincare Story!)

I’ve also been busy at work. As Yoga Journal’s editorial assistant, I have the pleasure of working on many different projects, and they certainly keep me busy. They gave me the amazing opportunity to write a feature (unheard of for someone who still hasn’t even graduated). It hits the shelves next week, but it’s out online now if you are interested. I also get to go to my first photoshoots for my next project, and I can’t wait to share a few behind the scenes moments. Starting with what has been taking over my life: preparation for a huge photo shoot!

From calm to freaking out in 0.6 seconds. 

Earlier in the week I was happier than I had been in weeks and more relaxed than I was even over spring break. And yet in a matter of minutes I went from being incredibly content and at peace to completely panicing and swimming in stress. Who knew a couple of emails with quick deadlines could be so upsetting?

For the next 24 hours I lost myself in the throws of stress and anxiety. I couldn’t sleep and when I finally did fall asleep I would dream about my stress and wake up feeling worse than before.

It’s a bad habit that I’ve gotten into to completely surrender into stress at the first sign of it. But this time I decided to step back and not let it run all over me anymore. Here’s how.

1. Perspective. I can make the littlest things into the most important project I will ever work on in my entire life. In reality it is still just a small project with a deadline. Remembering that this one deadline, paper, project, whatever it may be, does not define the rest of my future goes a long way. 

2. Breathe. When I’m stressed I take shallow breaths or hold them in without being conscious of it. Just taking a few minutes to close my eyes and focus on my breathing helps me to let go. 

3. Laugh. When I feel like I’m really losing my sanity I find my roommates for a good laugh. While I may be distracting myself for a few minutes, I always go back to what I was doing feeling more relaxed and ready to get my work finished.

4. Awareness. Some days I find my stomach knotting and my heart beat quickening and I don’t know what started it. I can be sitting on the couch watching TV and out of nowhere I am stressed. When I am more aware of my thoughts and what triggers these random bouts of stress I prevent them or get them under control faster.

5. Exercise. Instead of sitting around and wallowing in my stress I go for a run or go to the gym. When I get back I can think more clearly and often if I am stuck on something I figure it out while I’m working out.

This month is all about stepping outside my comfort zone and embracing a little adventure. With only 10 weeks left of college, my roommates and I are setting out to explore the area around school and enjoy our time together before we all move out. But this month won’t just be about big adventures, but about capturing the spirit of adventure as much as I can.

So far this week I’ve had small adventures like eating avocado. It sounds stupid that that’s an adventure for a California girl, but I’m trying to get over my distaste and general uneasiness for it.

In the past 48 hours I’ve certainly been living up to the goal. We went out to dinner and explored downtown San Jose for my roommate’s birthday on Friday. We ended the night in Single Barrel, a mysterious speakeasy. It was perfect. They kick you out for being too loud, there is no awkward dancing or terrible music, and they keep the bar dark. They only let in a certain number of people at a time, but our 20 minute wait was well worth it (although I can’t say anything about how the drinks were since I was driving, but my roommates enjoyed them). My kind of bar.

3.

Last night we went to a bar a lot less my style. I’m not a big drinker so I am always the driver, and it often means finding these trips significantly more awkward than the rest of my friends. I don’t particularly enjoy dancing and being up close and personal with that many strangers is super low on the list of things I think are fun. But even though it’s not really my scene, we had fun dancing like idiots and meeting a lot of weird people.

In the last month I have averaged 30-40 hours a week between my three jobs plus my full load at school, finished my second (and final) senior thesis, and kept my training schedule with CrossFit, running, and yoga. Inevitably while juggling all of those things, others fell through a bit.

After weeks of being behind in just about everything, I finally found the top of my desk again and caught up on some serious chores (like making some much needed body butter and face oil). I dug out my blog notebook and it’s time to get back on track. While my Facebook and Twitter feeds are overflowing of pictures of beautiful beaches, Cabo, and general laziness, my spring break has turned into a mad dash to catch up. I guess that’s what it’s like when you are living young, wild, and free committed, and happy.But the good news, my redesign process for my blog is on its way and I have some exciting things planned. I am in the home stretch of school, and my beautiful new space will launch just in time for graduation. I am 11/12 done with college, which is crazy to think about. Hopefully I will have more good news to announce soon about my life after college.

I am worrier who is quick to fear. In the past I stayed well inside my comfort zone because everything else was just too plain scary. There have been a lot of things I almost didn’t try that I am thankful I did, most notably rock climbing, yoga, running, and CrossFit.

I started yoga in high school as part of an elective class. It took me a while to go to an actual studio, but once I got over not knowing anyone, and the teacher, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Now four years later I work at a yoga magazine and I do yoga on my own and in a class multiple times a week.

I used to stand on an eight food ladder and feel like I was way too far off the ground. After watching hundreds of other people climb at my gym, I decided it was time to stop being afraid and do something fun. For the first few weeks I would make it about 3/4 of the way up the wall before I wouldn’t be able to go any higher. Now I climb the highest walls at the gym, and I don’t let climbing next to a ledge or on overhangs stop me. I even look down every now and then. Next up, climbing outside.

But more than anything else, CrossFit has pushed every one of my limits. I nearly didn’t take the fundamentals class because I was afraid of not knowing how to do anything (isn’t that the point of a beginner’s class?) and not knowing anyone who would be there. I had lifted weights a bit as training for sports, but even the lingo used in CrossFit seemed confusing and impossible to me. It actually took me three months to finally sign up. I am so happy I did I cannot put it into words. I’ve never had so much confidence in myself or felt as great as I do now. I have met so many amazing people at the two gyms I train at, CrossFit Sunnyvale and CrossFit San Mateo.

Every day at CrossFit I have to get over a fear. I’ve learned to not count how much weight is on my bar and instead just try it (besides, I’m terrible at math, so it’s best if I count it all at once). The first time I ever did a lift at body weight I could not believe it. Never did I think I could move so much weight. I’m learning to not let a number scare me or stop me from trying. Even if I can’t move the bar, at least I tried and it becomes my project until I can. But there is nothing like the feeling of lifting a heavy weight or making it through a brutal workout. It makes me feel like I can do anything.

Things still scare me. Putting that extra five pounds on the bar, trying a new arm balance where the chance of failure or face-plant is high, just about every new climbing route, and running further, longer, or faster. But every time I let myself be afraid and then push past it I end up with a new experience and an irreplaceable feeling of satisfaction.

Lose weight. Remember to floss every night. Give up an hour of TV a week. Stop swearing. Eat more vegetables.