Beach is Better: Do Not Disturb Travel Series

Apr 13

Apr 13 Beach is Better: Do Not Disturb Travel Series

Congrats! You’ve made it to your destination without selling your soul to the devil in exchange for the silence of the teething toddler next to you. Honestly, truly, you deserve a medal. You’ve arrived and it is finally time to get your Dora the Explorer on. 37 things to see, 54 places to go, and 105 dishes to taste, all in the next 4.5 days. I may not know much about algebra but I do know that it adds up to quite a time crunch. Holidays are the perf time to do all the unwinding and adventuring that you can’t normally do but unrealistic goals can leave you feeling worse stressed than the stack of crap you left on your desk. So remember, keep calm and relax responsibly.

Respect the routine- If there are any must dos in your day to day, make sure you carve time for it in your itinerary. Going away doesn’t mean throwing away the habits that keep you sane but it’s a great time to shake them up and take inspiration from your surroundings. Coffee addict? Ask locals where to find the best cup. Gym rat? A rock climb or a sunset run will give you a workout and awesome insta #views. Up and coming Gordan Ramsay? Get your MasterChef on and take a cooking class or even tour a local farm and learn what really goes into your fave dishes.
Write!-No matter where you’re off to, you could use a travel journal. It’s a great way to hold on to that travel bliss a bit longer. You’ll always have a pocketful of beautiful snaps to use as #tbts but photos can’t capture the smell of a fresh baked focaccia or the energy of a bar in Madrid after Real won the championship. Words can, so try and take a minute to write and reflect each day.
Take it easy- While I totally appreciate the people who have their lives together enough to wake up at 6am on vacation to fit every destination in, I am not one of those people. Don’t try to turn yourself in to a superhuman to see everything a new place has to offer. While you don’t want to sleep away the experience, you also don’t want to ruin it by being a cranky biotch. Ain’t no shame in my nap game. Especially when jet lag and time zones are concerned.
Be #Grateful-There are a million and one things that are going on during vacation. Your rando tour guide may also be a kindred spirit. A wrong turn or two may lead you to the best bakery you’ve ever in your life experienced. Breathe this in. Take a minute to acknowledge and appreciate all the little happenings that made you smile. Put it in your travel journal perhaps?
Unplug- One of my favorite parts of going on vacation is turning on my auto responder and deleting the Gmail app for a few days. Avoiding the evil that lies in your inbox during your time off is a form of self-care and no one would blame you for genuinely checking out for a few days. Set the expectation that you’ll be off-the grid, turn off your notifications and sip that Mai Tai in peace.

Do you hear that? That would be the birds chirping and the waves crashing into the sand. Feel the salty sea breeze on your skin. Inhale and ex- wait, just kidding, it’s Thursday and still at my desk. What are things that you make sure to do to keep your sanity during vacation?

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@TheEllery

My face when my coworker says he’s feeling ‘so ADD right now’.🙄 This happened a month ago but I see a lot of people saying it now that they’re working from home. Having ADHD means SO much more than not being able to concentrate. 💩, I wish that was my only problem 😭. Fun Fact: There is a movement to rename ADHD/ADD to Executive Function Disorder which encompasses way more symptoms of ADHD that people forget about. Like low impulse control, disorganization, trouble planning and prioritizing, low frustration tolerance, rejection sensitivity, hyper focus, etc etc. So if you’re struggling with #WFH consider its because you’ve thrown out of your normal schedule and are dealing with a lot of fear and uncertainty that’s making it hard to concentrate on the work in front of you! It’s a huge adjustment and we’re all understandably struggling with it (but it’s prob not ADD) #theellery #mentalhealthmatters #adhd

This post felt impossible to write. Grief is hard to talk about and no one wants to say the wrong thing, which usually means we say nothing at all. I don’t know if these were the right words to say but I hope this attempt starts conversations for those who feel like they don’t have the language to talk about #grief and #loss Link in bio ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ #theellery #mentalhealthmatters

How I plan to spend #blackhistorymonth Reading black books and black books only. And Heavy by @kieselaymon is a perfect way to start. And it is ‘heavy’ to say the least. His memoir runs the gamut of the types of pain that black people and black bodies endure but I think this is the first book I’ve read that includes a black man exhibiting disordered eating. These narratives are SO important because when we talk #eatingdisorders we tend to default to anorexia and the obsessive ballerina. Meanwhile #ednos is SO much more than that. BED or binge eating disorder is the most common #eatingdisorder and characterized by not being able to control eating large amounts of food at once. Up to 40% of people seeking weight loss treatment can be clinically dx’d with BED. Thank you for your narrative @kieselaymon and for helping fight the stigma around mental health. #theellery #noshamenostigma #mentalhealthmatters #ednos #blackbooks #blackauthors #blackwriting #blacknarratives

Wrote some words for those who need them. Linked in Bio or TheEllery.com/kobebryant #theellery #ripkobe

This means people, jobs, cities and situations. But for some reason people don’t acknowledge how difficult it is to cut off family members. Or quit. Or move. So I’ll preface this advice with this: protect yourself and your energy until you get that opportunity to extract yourself from what doesn’t serve you. Remember that it’s temporary and there’s no shame in making a plan first. Do it in your time and in your own way. #theellery #mentalhealthmatters ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ 📸by @blcksmth @amberruffin

I came I read I conquered 📚 ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ Crushed my goal of 100 books last year. What did I learn? Probably won’t look to stuff 100 books into 365 days any time soon. Too many words, too little time. As a research analyst I’m all about the #data and tracking so I’m letting my 2019 book list (link in bio!) inform my goals for 2020. This 113 book journey taught me that I want to read more #blackauthors more #fiction and more physical books. What are some titles I need to add to my must read list? 🤓 #theellery #bookstagram #goodreads

Self-advocacy•the action of representing oneself’s views or interest 🧵 by @badasscrossstitch ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ You’d think in being a mental health advocate I’d find it easy to advocate for myself (I wish). But just like everything else that’s important in life, they don’t teach you how to do this in school. Self advocacy is SO important to practice, because we deserve to be the one’s in the driver’s seat of our lives. In the same way that doctors, professors, and other authorities are experts in their field, remember that you’re the World’s Leading Expert in You. If you don’t feel that way, then spend some time getting to know yourself- your needs, wants, desires, dreams. Then understand the rights that you have as a human person in this world. You deserve to have your pain, safety, dreams, career, everything, taken seriously. But since that’s not the reality for most, advocate for yourself (and others!) early, and often. Maybe we can get a little more out of this life #theellery #advocacy #selfadvocacy #MLK

One of my 2020 goals is to read more physical books. Last year I read a ton, and it was achievable in part because of the convenience factor. No matter where I was I’d have easy access to e-books and audiobooks on my phone and my kindle fits in my parka pocket. But this year I want to read with intention- and get back the ability to put down my phone and justlose myself in a good story. I also want to read through all the gorgeous hardcovers that I’ve bought and haven’t read yet, meaning I’ll finally be reading @Kieslelaymon @eve.ewing @roxanegay74 @tressiemcphd and @wellreadblackgirl . But first, #queenie by @candicec_w #theellery #wellreadblackgirl #bookstagram

“People who are outed feel blindsided and forced to reveal a deeply personal part of their identity without their consent and under someone else’s terms. Coming out is a process and can be a difficult time for someone because of discrimination, homophobia, or potential marginalization from their families and community at large. People must choose for themselves how and when to come out.”- @thetaskforce ✨✨✨✨ ✨✨✨✨ @nikkietutorials was being blackmailed by someone threatening to out her by being #trans . Transphobia and homophobia is still alive and well, so not only is outing someone a MAJOR violation of their privacy, it can be incredibly dangerous. Many members of the LGBTQ community can face loss of relationships, jobs, healthcare, and overall safety when outed. So while @nikkietutorials is handling this with beauty + grace, let’s not forget that this didn’t happen on her terms and that’s pretty f*cked up #theellery #mentalhealthmatters

Happy and joyful ✨✨✨✨ Have you ever considered the difference? Happiness is caused by things and events, external stuff. Joy is something intentional and comes from within. It comes with sitting in and recognizing the little things. The things that are so easy to rush past when you’re running through life. It takes practice but you can start at anytime. And @mariekondo says ‘things’ count so this hat is my #joyoftheday #theellery #joyful

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