Discovering Anxiety Management

Hello, seastars and happy International Mermaid day! The trick I'll be talking about in today's entry I picked up on Pinterest and at the end, I'll tell you all about the hair lightening mask. Let's dive in!

I struggle with anxiety, especially when I'm expected to carry a conversation. I've struggled more with trying to find a way to manage that anxiety on bad days. The trick I discovered and tested numerously is to breathe. It sounds too simple, right? There is a little more to it. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold that breath for 7 seconds, then exhale for 8 seconds. Repeat once or twice and tada! An automatic nervous system shift from flight or fight to a neutral response. Pretty neat, huh? And as a bonus, it's so easy to remember! Other methods I've tried using include grounding. Grounding is finding 5 objects you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. For me, that's way too much to keep track of in the middle of a mental battle. If you use grounding techniques, tell me about it in the comments!

Alright! Now for that mask. I had a bit of trouble with this one. The first time I tried this fun lightening trick it didn't work because I skipped a step. Mix together honey and olive oil. I added cinnamon and rose oil. The cinnamon seemed to add some warmth to the lightened effect. I also heated the mixture for 10 seconds, which seemed to help combine the honey to the oil. Start with a damp head and coat your hair evenly from root to tip. I had to break up my hair into several sections to cover everything. Then wrap up your coated hair in a plastic shower cap or saran wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes or longer. I'm super extra so I had this mask in my hair for most of the day. Once your time is up, hop in the shower and follow your usual routine. I had to shampoo my scalp twice to get all of the oil out, so be certain you wash everything out. The results are fairly subtle, but this mask does work. If you use this mask more than once, let me know how it works for you!

Thanks for reading, seastars! If you want to see more of my content, find me on Facebook, Holonis, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Have a merrific day!

-Seaspray

"feel everything 

that is beautiful 

and possible in your soul,

and let yourself

become it" -butterflies rising 

Discovering Me

Hey, seastars. Today is going to be a little different. You see, I've been called horrible things since surfacing as a mermaid. I've been called a manatee, I've been called ugly, I've been compared to a whale. I've been told I shouldn't be a mermaid-but who can deny one's very nature? Something occurred to me recently while chatting with someone I'll probably never meet.

I've been compared to many massive things. Those people thought they could hurt me. Truth be told, I was hurt. Deeply. But now I can see the truth. I am not a manatee or a whale. I'm a ship. I am a graceful ship sailing my way down the stream of life. I am a strong, proud ship and though I may sail slowly at times, though a few lines may break- I cannot, will not be stopped by the waters around me. You see ships float in the water because they push it aside and glide through. If the water gets in, the ship sinks. I've been trying to teach myself the art of bailing. Of ridding myself of the toxic waters I've let in. And I am deeply sorry for the long silence, my personal life has been proving difficult for me to juggle. And I've been so hard on myself lately. I flooded my own mind with thoughts of quitting, deleting this blog. I've nearly drowned in thinking I don't deserve to take up your time when I can't stay consistent. Then I chatted with a stranger online and gave her the same advice I'm writing now, never let yourself sink.

You see, we can all be hard on ourselves. I know I've been my own stumbling block countless times. It's nothing to be ashamed of and it's certainly nothing to fear. I let myself become the water that was slowing down all of my progress. After I let all the water from cruel words get to me. Let me tell you, that was not fun sailing with so much. So, I've been reevaluating what I let in. I've been learning the art of bailing. Of throwing overboard every last drop I don't need in my life. I can't say I expect smooth sailing all the time. That would be boring! But I do believe I won't be so close to drowning anymore.

Keep Sailing,

-Seaspray

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you'll come back for more. And there will be more! I'll be starting a hair lightening treatment soon, it'sen a long time since the last DIY idea.
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