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Valparaíso

2 articles
So many aspects of our lives are affected by those we surround ourselves with. Did you know that our close relationships account for 70% of our happiness and 90% of our wellness?! I sure didn’t. And that stat doesn’t only include romantic partners, but also family, friends, roommates, mentors, bosses, coworkers… . But even though our relationships are so important to our wellbeing, so many of us struggle with them. We find it difficult to effectively communicate what we want/need, heck-- sometimes we don’t even know what we want or need. And if we don’t even truly know ourselves, it makes it pretty hard to form deep, meaningful connections with others. I started my path to self-discovery a while back, while living in Chile. And then when I started working with BBXX a few months ago, I actively started taking my relationships more seriously, putting an emphasis on improving my communication skills, and simply talking through things I once either “let go” or “put off.” Little steps and improvements really make the biggest differences! My relationships have never been healthier 🙃 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 = 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, my friends.❤ Go check out @bbxx.world-- we can’t change the culture and the conversation surrounding intimacy, relationships, and communication without you 😜 𝘖𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩- 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 $200 𝘈𝘪𝘳𝘣𝘯𝘣 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥! 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴!
It’s mental health awareness week.❤ Did you know that 1 in 5 adults, in the US, struggle with their mental health? I think that stat is important to share here on Instagram. . When sharing glimpses of our lives on this platform, I think we all feel the pressure to show off the best version of ourselves and “live our best lives.” We share fake laughing candids from our happiest moments and envy-worthy photos of our travels (like this one ⬆). 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕'𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝑷𝑱𝒔, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚. And no, I’m not suggesting we should all share more of those bun-on-top-of-head, no make-up, puffy-eyed photos. Our feeds would then be a pretty depressing sight. [𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝒆𝒎𝒐 7𝒕𝒉 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒏 🙅🏼‍♀] . All I’m saying is that it’s called “curated content” for a reason. We pick and choose what to share. Our Instagram feeds are not an accurate depiction of our lives. So, while scrolling through your feed- remember the above stat. 𝟏 𝐢𝐧 𝟓 adults. That certainly means you’re not alone.
Would you believe me if I told you this photo was candid?📸 . . [If I’m being honest] I can’t claim that the majority of photos you’ve seen on this profile of mine were “unplanned,” - I mean who has 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 candid photos anymore. But this one actually wasn’t, and I 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 it. 🙃 Thanks for capturing a true candid moment @lizzie.caplan ❤️
NUMBERS have had me really stressed lately. #⃣🙈 The numbers I see when I pay my credit card bill, my quarterly taxes, my visa expenses. The numbers left in my bank account after purchasing flights or putting down apartment payments. The number of followers I have on my Instagram. The number of visits I get to my blog. The number of likes I've been getting on my photos. These are the numbers I'm told over and over again are important. These are the numbers that detemine my "potential" and my "success." . But you know what, I say SCREW IT. 🙅🏼‍♀️ If I’m going to measure my self-worth, my happiness and my achievements by numbers, then I might as well focus in on numbers that mean something. Instead of the price of my travels, I should count the number of sunsets I've seen or the number of beautiful places I’ve been. Instead of the number of 0’s on my paychecks, the number of meaningful hours I put into my work this week. I should count the number of hearts I've loved, who have loved me back. The number of people I've made smile , or the number of good deeds I have done. . Maybe it’s not about ignoring ALL the numbers, but instead just focusing in on the numbers that really count. And if I measure myself by those numbers, I have to say, I ain't doing half bad ...
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to celebrate with two of my favorite people in the whole world as they pledged their love to one another and officially tied the knot. 💍 It was such a genuine ceremony and a true testament to the hard work, sacrifice and effort that goes into building a solid relationship, that goes into a love worth fighting for. Something that truly stood out to me- they vowed to make self-care a priority. They vowed to take care of themselves, their health and their own wellbeing, so that they could in turn be better partners and better care for one another. . Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your special day @charlottewald and @go_mene. Your love for one another is truly inspirational ❤ . Photo cred @theculturalstreets
Me gusta Malasaña, me gustas tú 🎶❤️💛 The permanent look on my face when wondering the streets of Malasaña. ⬆️⬆️ Madrid, me haces feliz 😘 . 📷cred : @theculturalstreets
Off to one of my favorite places in the world, to see one of my favorite people in the world TODAY. AND I just can’t stop SMILING 😬✈️ 🌍😱Does anyone know where this is?? . 📷 cred: to the amazing @theculturalstreets
These last few weeks we've been attached at the hip.👫 Between me working from home, and him being on vacation, we've pretty much spent every waking moment [and sleeping moment 😴for that matter] together. It was quite the adjustment from a long distance relationship based in Facetime dates and random whatsapp GIFs, so neither of us was sure what to expect. BUT we made it through! 🙏🏼 And now, we're on to our next chapter [international moves, new jobs, visas and more long distance sprinkled throughout]. 😱 Change and new beginnings can be scary, but having this one by my side [sometimes literally, sometimes not so much] makes all the difference! 😘
You are radiant. YES. YOU. 🌈✨[Needed this today, and who knows? Maybe you did too!] . REAL TALK: I've been feeling pretty stressed and overwhelmed lately. I thought I had it all under control, but turns out, it's catching up to me. Being my own boss has been a crazy adjustment. It's been going well for the most part, but it's a challenge. And not only have I been trying to navigate the world of freelance (including figuring out my own taxes, insurance, work schedule, etc.), but also balancing a ton of travel, a boyfriend who's on vacation for the month, an upcoming international move, parents who are gearing up to sell my childhood home, blogging and well, everything else that comes along with life. So, Instagram has been put on the back burner. Even though I've been dying to share all of my adventures and travels, I simply haven't had it in me. Insetead, I've been trying to be nice to myself, understand that this is an adjustment period, and not stretch myself too thin. . And so- to all my kickass freelancing friends out there- How on EARTH do you do it? 😜 Any and all tips are welcome- and hats off to you 🤩