Visiting Ann Arbor this past weekend made this a perfect day to finally share what I’ve been working on for so long! Hope you all enjoy me getting back at it with blogging in a new way:)
So I started this blog about two years ago, graduated one year ago and have been pretty much MIA for the past 8 months.
This past year has been one of the most stressful years of my life. Even though I received such a valuable diploma from Michigan in April 2017, it did not feel like I had actually graduated. I had a lot going on during my gap year and feel like I have never worked this hard in my life–and I’m incredibly proud of myself and my growth (I’m writing posts updating all of you about what’s been going on in my life for the past year, so stay tuned!).
However, because of that, I was unable to keep up with my writing and blog. And I hated that.
But, at the same time, I kind of needed that.
As I was getting overwhelmed with everything I had going on, I decided to have a mini social media cleanse (even though I’m already horrible with social media as is). I deactivated Facebook for a while, stopped posting things, and stopped checking other people’s posts.
I wanted (and needed) time for myself–which I think is so important for everyone to have. By only having to focus on me, my needs, my goals, and my health, I was able to learn so much about myself. I always say that I feel like I’ve grown so much over the years–and it’s experiences like this that contribute to that growth.
I’ll admit, it got lonely at times. I went from being so involved on campus to living pretty much in my room or coffeeshops for an entire year. But I always had so much to do that the loneliness never really bothered me.
I quickly turned that “loneliness” into moments for self-reflection and more time spent with my family.
Living back at home and being with my parents everyday has been a blessing. They always joke about how when I’m gone for a few days the house gets so quiet now because I’m always “yelling and arguing with them” (with love, of course). I have grown to love and appreciate my parents to a whole other level. The “yelling” that they joke about is me just nagging them about taking care of themselves, their health, and their values. I am able to say what is on my mind without holding back; and I love how open we are (even though it can lead to arguments at times 😜), because we have definitely even gotten closer because of it.
Just as importantly, I have taken this time to figure out what I want in life. I spent months after graduation preparing for my educational aspirations. This preparation allowed me to mold together my future career goals in a way that I can explain to others without feeling frustrated. I have also figured out what makes me genuinely happy–whether I’m alone or with people.
Any hatred I may have had has transformed into love. Regrets have manifested into lessons. Problems have turned into opportunities. And I continue to become stronger as a warrior.
I still have difficulty accepting some aspects of my life, don’t necessarily always say what’s on my mind, and have trouble with accepting change at times. BUT…we’re all learning and growing together! I definitely have improved in these areas, but there is always room for becoming an even better version of ourselves!
2017 was one of the most stressful years of my life. I thought it was one of my least favorites as well; but clearly this year has taught me a lot! I am grateful for having the strength to step away from the rest of the world and focus on me.
I hated that stepping away meant stepping away from this blog. But, I’m back and ready to be fully committed! I am a big proponent of staying committed to something I start–especially if that commitment is helping others!
So after those crazy few months, my cousin Kishan started redesigning my blog (he’s a self-taught designer–check him out on Instagram). After he got super busy, I tried working on it on my own (MAN designing websites is harder than I thought!). There’s still some work left and I might have him mess around with it a little later too. However, this is the best I could do for now, because I really wanted to start posting without pushing it back every week like I had been!
There are going to be more categories aside from Mental Health (even though that will be the primary topic), I’ve connected the website to new blog social media accounts (follow me for updates!), you can subscribe to a newsletter, and there will be videos!
One of my closest friends and I used to be considered “the dancers” in high school, but over the years we haven’t been dancing as much as we wish we had been. Since the name of my blog is Come Dance in the Rain, I knew it was time to incorporate dancing (which is a passion I let slip away) into the blog. We’re going to try making dance videos–some for fun and some with meaningful messages–so let me know if there’s a message you want us to address!!
So take some time to explore the new design, read some old posts and look out for new posts (the goal is 1 per week now!) about my past year experiences!!!
As always, I’m here to talk about anything and everything! Thank you to everyone who keeps encouraging me to continue writing and spreading some positivity❤❤
