SUMMER LOVING

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Summer flew right by and it's hard to believe Labor Day has come and gone when I'm still processing what's been happening since April. Normally the summer would be hectic for me. I'd use my weekends to their full advantage to brunch, sleep, repeat and weekday happy hours were a must. Due to COVID-19 and being concerned for both my health and my husband's, most of that went on a halt. I was super selective on where I chose to go and who I chose to see, solely because of my paranoia.

One thing that I did promise I'd allow myself to enjoy, was my besties Bachelorette trip. While I was still very hesitant when it came to being around a group of girls, I made sure I practiced my personal hygiene habits from home, while on vacation. For this trip we went to the Finger Lakes upstate. If you asked me what that was before, I'm sure I'd have no idea. The house they chose was gorgeous, it gave off major "The Notebook" vibes, (which we ended up watching one night) and we even rented a boat and went onto the lake!!

For this blog I wanted to talk about comfort zones. When it comes to trying new things, I often write it off before I even give it a chance. My anxiety and fear gets the best of me and I’m always thinking of the worst possible scenario in all possible aspects (even when it comes to crossing the street). If you don't personally know me, you'd judge my personality based on my pictures, but 99% of the time "anxiety" is written across my face (someone once said they'd never think I was this neurotic and crazy if they didn't actually know me in person lol), and because of this, I make myself miss out on so many exciting things. When it came to the boat this weekend, I was literally freaking out, I can’t swim (even though I'm a Pisces) so I even brought my own life jacket! When we initially went on the boat I was genuinely overthinking everything, my friends said they could see the instant fear in my face, even though we were completely safe. It was reassuring to know that not only have these girls gone on lakes before, but some have their own boats, have driven boats and one was even a life guard (but even this didn't calm my spirit). We eventually docked in a shallow part of the water and the girls hopped out. Turns out the water was only waist deep, but I still refused to step foot into the lake. Eventually I talked myself out of being crazy, the girls were having fun and I knew that I’d be okay, so I went into the water! I was so very proud of myself and they were so immensely proud as well! Had you asked me before if I’d ever do something like this, I’d instantly say “hell no”, it wouldn’t even be a thought that would cross my mind (my worst fear is drowning and open water scares me). But I’m so happy I didn’t talk myself out of this experience like I've done on numerous occasions. I’m still in awe that I was able to create that memory for myself and say that I did something out of my comfort zone.

While this might seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things [a girl stepping into a lake] it was HUGE to me, so that matters! When 2020 first began I remember setting goals for myself and one of them was getting over my fear of flying and trying new things. I often hold myself back from new experiences because I can’t see the bigger picture, I’m too stuck in my ways, and I really want to change that about myself. I’m realizing how many awesome experiences I’m missing out on, all because I get into my head and put myself in the worst mood. While you won’t catch me jumping out of a plane anytime soon, I’m really hoping to become more open-minded when it comes to things I’m unfamiliar with. Things that aren’t 100% in my comfort zone but still give me a sense of security (because I'm not going to go from a super cautious anxiety ridden person to a care-free individual over night).  I’m hoping this little note gives you the push you need to step out of your personal comfort zones, because the end result is SO WORTH IT. You don’t have to change your boundaries, or feel pressured to do things you don't want to do, but don’t hold yourself back from certain experiences and trying new things!