My thumb became addicted to scrolling. My mind couldn’t rest knowing social media wasn’t meeting my fingertips. Every second, Instagram and TikTok crossed my mind. The doomscrolling begged not to be stopped. The algorithms sucked me in, my attention became poor, and I started getting blinders to what I should actually be paying attention to.

Sadly, I became a victim to something I hate to admit after doing so well with it for so long.

I became addicted to my phone and social media.

Granted, it was somewhat bound to happen given the industry I’m in. I work in public relations, media, and marketing. But that’s exactly why finding balance and having boundaries with yourself is so important.

That was nonexistent for me.

I was exhausted 24/7. My mind was restless, trying to keep up with pointless trends, stupid drama, and tiring algorithms that ultimately left me uninspired. My thoughts became something I hated. My words were cluttered. The constant anxiety of trying to keep up became too much.

JUST EXHAUSTED!

So… I decided to do a detox.

Last week, one morning at 6 a.m., I picked up my phone and immediately opened Instagram. The anxious feeling I started to realize wasn’t normal hit me as soon as I woke up.

I questioned myself:

“Why is Instagram the first thing I’m looking at in the morning? Why do I feel like this?”

After those questions came up, I stared at my iPhone home screen and deleted my two enemies: Instagram and TikTok.

Once I deleted them, I was like, let this detox begin.

I knew I needed it for a while now, so the time had finally come.

It’s crazy to admit, but as soon as I deleted them out of bad habit and addiction, my thumb went to find Instagram. It’s embarrassing to admit. I found my brain trying to figure out what to do.

No lie, I laid in my bed and stared at my ceiling, trying to regulate myself again. My thoughts came rushing in, and I couldn’t believe how caught up I had become with social media.

To the point that it was deleted from my phone, and I still tried to click where it used to exist on my home screen to scroll.

That realization was wild.

After a few hours of reflection and going about my day, I realized how much better I felt after just a few hours without social media.

Now, granted, I still kept up with Substack and YouTube, but I became more intentional with what I was consuming. On YouTube, I watched more podcasts. On Substack, I read more pieces and scrolled to look at everyone’s creativity and inspiration.

I wasn’t necessarily consuming less.

I was consuming differently.

What I Realized During My Social Media Detox

After only a week off Instagram and TikTok, I realized my mind had calmed down. The first thing I did in the morning was allow myself to actually wake up and not eat algorithms for breakfast.

My mind feels slower, and my brain feels happier and calmer.

I started to become curious about the things around me again.

I think the constant consumption gave my mind a tiredness I wasn’t acknowledging before. It led to me not being curious about the actual world around me, just the digital one.

I started looking up again.

Questions started racing through my mind that allowed me to begin teaching and educating myself again. That’s something I promised myself I wouldn’t stray away from, and I sadly did.

I stopped reading, too.

My writing was affected. Nothing was appealing. Nothing made me think.

And I think that was largely due to how I was spending my time: endlessly scrolling and consuming media that didn’t intrigue me or make me think.

Substack went from a friend to my best friend.

My current book, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, hasn’t left my hands.

I’m journaling more. Finding new things. Asking new questions. Having more meaningful conversations.

All in just a week.

It’s beyond refreshing, and I feel less suffocated.

For work purposes, I downloaded Instagram on my iPad. But since it’s for work and on my iPad, I don’t scroll through it. I think it’s going to be a while until social media makes its way back onto my phone.

I enjoy it being away from me.

I enjoy having limited access.

It’s that balance I didn’t have just a week ago.

I can’t remember the last time I wrote a full article without looking at my phone until now. I just realized that as I was writing this sentence.

And maybe that says everything.

With all this in mind, please don’t be afraid to step away.

Don’t let FOMO reel you in.

Let go.

Step away.

Your mind, spirit, and body will thank you.

Take a break.

Let your mind breathe.

—Riss
August 8, 2026

A silent tick passes with every second. Every heartbeat, breath, and blink unfolds in quiet coordination. A clock we can’t see, yet somehow always feel.

Time has always been something that scares me. Some people say we have so much of it, while others insist we don’t. It’s that contradiction that makes my hands sweat a little. It’s what makes me believe the saying, “Time is an illusion.”

Time is just one word, yet it shapes what we do, how we do it, and when we believe we’re supposed to do it. It’s strange that something so invisible can hold so much power. We can’t see it unless we’re watching the sun rise or the moon take its place but we feel it everywhere.

Maybe that’s why it confuses us. It quietly convinces us we’re falling behind, even when there’s no finish line in sight.

Time is a thief for that reason. It tricks us into believing we’re in a race against it, when in reality, we aren’t. It distracts us with deadlines, comparisons, and the small things that don’t truly matter until we forget to notice what’s right in front of us.

Maybe it’s not about how much time we have. Maybe it’s about how intentionally we choose to spend it.

It’s funny how time can feel like an illusion, yet we constantly say, “Time goes by so fast.” I don’t think time can ever be defined by one word such as “illusion” or “fast”. It asks for many: scary, sacred, beautiful. Maybe that’s because time is all of those things at once.

Maybe time isn’t our enemy after all. Maybe it’s simply a quiet reminder that nothing lasts forever and that’s exactly what gives a moment meaning.

So perhaps the question isn’t whether we have enough time. Maybe the better question is: Are we paying attention to the time we already have?

Success has two hands.

One is named Fear.
The other is named Growth.

Sometimes Success wraps a hand around my throat.

Fear steals my breath,
keeping my feet planted where they are,
convincing me that standing still is safer than moving forward.

Other times,
Success reaches for my hand with Growth,
guiding me toward the version of myself
I’ve been too afraid to become.

When Success leads with Growth,
we move together.

When Success leads with Fear,
we both freeze.

Some days,
Success struggles too.

It uses both hands
Fear tightens its grip,
while Growth reaches for me
but can’t quite pull me free.

My throat closes.
My chest pounds.
Fear outruns every thought
while Growth waits for room to breathe.

Success and I know this fight well.

Just when I begin walking beside Growth,
Fear interrupts,
and I mistake hesitation
for failure.

But eventually,
Success loosens Fear’s grip
and finds my hand again.

That’s when I realized
Fear and Growth were never enemies.

They’ve always belonged to the same pair of hands.

Growth doesn’t arrive
after Fear disappears.

It arrives while Fear is still holding on.

Since Success and I understood that,
our grip has softened.

Now, when it reaches for me,
I don’t choose between its hands.

I take them both.

Because every time I hold Fear and Growth together,
Success walks beside me.

A mind where every thought races the next. Thoughts circle endlessly, competing with a blank canvas, each trying to be the first to reach the page.

A blinking cursor begs me to begin.

My mind can’t understand why I can’t write when there’s so much inside me desperate to get out. The words are there. I can feel them pressing against the edges of my mind, but somewhere between thought and page, they disappear.

As ironic as it sounds, I love writing because of this, yet I can never seem to just write.

I can have an entire essay living in my head—every sentence, every feeling, every idea—and somehow, the moment I sit down to write, the block appears. It’s as if my thoughts want to stay inside, hesitant to reveal themselves.

It’s one of the most frustrating feelings, and I know I’m not the only one who experiences it. How is it that we can have so much to say, yet nothing seems able to make the journey from mind to page?

But when I finally find that rhythm, everything changes.

The words begin to pour out faster than I can type them. My shoulders feel lighter. The pressure I’ve been carrying dissolves, and the creative process takes over. For a moment, it feels like my mind and my hands are finally speaking the same language.

Ironically, I had planned to write about something completely different. But writer’s block found me first. After staring at a blank page for far too long, I gave in and decided to write about the very thing standing in my way.

Maybe that’s what writer’s block really is. Not an absence of ideas, but too many of them arriving all at once, each one fighting to be heard.

If you’ve ever experienced this, you’re not alone. It can make you question yourself, your creativity, even whether you’re a writer at all. But I’ve learned that the words always return. Eventually, the noise quiets, one thought steps forward, and the rest patiently wait their turn.

Those are almost always the pieces I’m most proud of.

Drowning in a sea of algorithms, curated highlights, and fleeting trends. A small brick of technology that quite literally places the world in my hands, arguably one of the greatest inventions of our time: a phone.

The constant notifications. The endless scrolling. The texts, calls, and updates. With a single click, someone can access you. Social media has made it easier than ever to build communities, stay connected, and meet new people. But on the days when everything feels overwhelming, the urge to disappear becomes hard to ignore.

Suddenly, deactivating every account feels appealing. Deleting every trace of yourself from the internet sounds peaceful. Leaving your phone on Do Not Disturb indefinitely starts to feel less like avoidance and more like self-preservation.

As hypocritical as it may sound, considering I work in public relations, media, and marketing: a career that revolves around social media, I need to stay connected. Keeping up with trends, platforms, and conversations is part of the job. Yet some days, I wish I could pretend social media doesn’t exist. Not just for a few hours, but for days at a time.

Don’t get me wrong, I think social media can be an incredible tool. It gives people access to resources, opportunities, and communities they may have never found otherwise. I’ve witnessed firsthand how connections are built and how communities grow through these platforms. But that doesn’t make them any less exhausting.

Part of that exhaustion comes from the endless stream of content. Every second, we’re consuming new information, opinions, stories, and updates. There’s rarely a moment to pause and process before the next post appears.

What makes it even more draining is the emotional roller coaster that comes with scrolling. One moment you’re laughing at a funny video. The next, you’re crying over someone’s loss. Then you’re celebrating a friend’s accomplishment, feeling anger over a headline, and moments later, smiling at a heartwarming post. Within minutes, you’ve cycled through a range of emotions without ever leaving your screen.

Without realizing it, your brain is working overtime processing information while constantly shifting between emotional states that don’t always have time to settle. That invisible labor builds quietly in the background until it doesn’t feel invisible anymore. It just feels heavy.

At least for me, that’s what often sparks the urge to disappear for a while. To log off. To close every app and reclaim a little bit of quiet that doesn’t ask anything from me.

On days when that urge feels like it’s sitting on my shoulder, waiting for me to make a decision, I remind myself that what I’m really craving isn’t disappearance, it’s balance. Especially in a demanding industry like the one I work in, where being online isn’t optional, it’s part of the job.

And I try to believe that with balance, that urge might get quieter. Not gone, not erased but softer.

Because I genuinely love what I do. I love creating, telling stories, and sharing content that actually connects with people. I love being part of conversations that shape culture in real time. And because of that, I don’t think disappearing is ever really the answer at least not for me.

Most of the time, balance is the trick. And I’m still learning how to find it.

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My pillow kisses my cheeks while my blankets wrap around me in a warm, tight hug. My alarm is blaring, but my brain negotiates for five more minutes. What’s the harm in a little extra rest?

Five minutes turns into ten. Ten turns into fifteen. Before I know it, an hour has passed.

I blame the bed, as if I’m trying to pull myself away from a comforting embrace I never wanted to end.

That comfort quickly transforms into anxiety.

Suddenly, my morning routine becomes a race against the clock. In moments like these, I’m grateful to my past self for laying out my clothes the night before. I throw everything on, rush through my makeup, and glance in the mirror one last time to make sure I look somewhat put together.

Then I check the time.

Panic sets in.

I need to make this train, or I’ll be late.

I grab my bag, my keys, and everything else I can carry. The front door swings shut behind me as I rush to my car, pressing the gas pedal a little harder than I should.

At that moment, the train feels like everything. Miss it, and the entire day changes.

But during my morning commute to work, I couldn’t help but wonder how often life works the same way.

There are more mornings than I’d like to admit when I’m rushing out the door after a restless night, my thoughts moving a hundred miles an hour. (Ironically, I’m writing this at 11 p.m. on one of those nights.)

Those sleepless nights turn into rushed mornings, and those rushed mornings make an already time-sensitive commute feel even more stressful.

But somewhere between running for trains and checking departure times, I realized something: there’s always another train.

Maybe it’s not the one I wanted. Maybe it’s delayed. Maybe my original train was canceled. Maybe I have to take a completely different route. But eventually, another train arrives.

Life isn’t all that different.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to catch the “right” train, the right opportunity, the right career move, the right timeline. When things don’t happen the way we planned, it can feel like we’ve missed our chance entirely.

But most of the time, we’ve only missed one train.

A different route may take us where we need to go. It might take longer than expected. It might be less convenient. It might even force us to change direction for a while. Yet somehow, we still find ourselves moving toward our destination.

It’s funny how a daily commute can become a lesson about life.

Sometimes I make the train with seconds to spare after sprinting from the parking lot to the platform. Other times, I watch the doors close right before I reach them and have no choice but to wait for the next one.

And while waiting is rarely my first choice, the next train always comes.

Maybe that’s the lesson.

Life doesn’t always move according to our schedule. Things get delayed. Plans get canceled. Opportunities pass us by. But that doesn’t mean the journey is over.

Sometimes it simply means another train is on the way.

Sometimes it’s just a different departure time.

Note:

Truthfully, with everything happening across New Jersey and New York lately, my experiences riding NJ Transit inspired this article. LOL!

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Snapple was onto something when they printed facts inside their bottle caps. There was something satisfying about knowing you were about to be refreshed and learn something new at the same time. It made opening a bottle feel like a small event. You’d twist off the cap, curious about what random piece of information was waiting for you. Somehow, that little fact made Snapple more interesting. It made a bottle more interesting. Knowledge made a bottle more interesting.

The more I’ve learned, the more interesting the world has become, not just my conversations, but my life. Knowledge has a way of transforming ordinary things into something worth paying attention to. The more you understand, the more connections you see.

Knowledge makes you more observant of the little things. It helps you recognize patterns and notice details you might have overlooked before. One of the reasons I’ve come to appreciate learning is because of the conversations it has allowed me to have. I also appreciate when people share new facts, ideas, or perspectives with me.

To me, knowledge creates opportunities for people to build on one another’s thoughts rather than simply trying to prove who’s right. That’s what separates knowledge from arrogance. Knowledge requires curiosity, humility, and a willingness to learn. Arrogance assumes there’s nothing left to learn. Sharing your knowledge shows a willingness to be curious, to be wrong, and to embrace new ideas. What’s more attractive than that?

The best conversations are the ones that challenge me to think differently and introduce me to information or perspectives I may have never considered before. Those conversations are rooted in knowledge. In a world where doom-scrolling seems to be taking over, meeting people who genuinely take the time to learn, explore different viewpoints, and consume thoughtful content is refreshing. It’s becoming increasingly rare, which makes it feel even more like a breath of fresh air when you encounter it.

One way I’ve been building my own knowledge is by listening to podcasts, reading articles on Substack, diving into books, and watching documentaries. Each offers a different way to learn something new, whether it’s a fresh perspective, a deeper understanding of a topic, or a fact that completely changes how I see something I’ve encountered a hundred times before.

Picking up these habits has rewired my mind in a way I didn’t realize I needed. I had reached a point where I was mindlessly scrolling and consuming content that didn’t add much value to my life. I wasn’t thinking deeply about anything or challenging myself to learn beyond what was immediately in front of me.

That’s when these became part of my daily routine. I fit a podcast or article into my commute, listen to podcasts while driving or working out, and watch a documentary or two throughout the week. What started as a way to pass the time became a way to invest in myself. Instead of endlessly consuming content, I started intentionally consuming knowledge.

I know finding content that genuinely sparks your interest can be difficult. There are thousands of podcasts, newsletters, books, and documentaries competing for our attention. But once you find a few that resonate with you, learning stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like a hobby. Here are some of the podcasts that helped me get started.

The Diary Of A CEO

One of my favorite podcasts for learning how successful people think. The conversations go beyond business and explore mindset, relationships, psychology, and the habits that shape success. I almost always walk away with a new perspective.

Founders

Hosted by David Senra, this podcast breaks down the biographies and stories of some of history's most influential entrepreneurs. It's a masterclass in learning from the successes, failures, and obsessions of people who built extraordinary companies.

David Senra

Whether through Founders or his interviews and talks, David has a unique ability to make history feel relevant. He connects lessons from great builders, creators, and leaders to the modern world, reminding listeners that success often leaves clues if you're willing to study it.

These three podcasts are my top three. They consistently deliver content I find intriguing and thought-provoking. The conversations in all three are engaging in a way that sticks with me long after they end.

Another outlet for me has been documentaries, whether they’re about crime, history, culture, or politics. They’ve become a go-to for me. I’ve always loved the art of documenting; the power it holds is remarkable, so picking documentaries back up has been really grounding. I find great ones on YouTube and Netflix. Here are some documentaries I’ve watched recently.

Some of the documentaries I’ve been drawn to recently include 60 Days In and Worst Ex Ever, which both explore real human behavior under intense and emotional circumstances. On YouTube, I’ve also been watching documentaries like The Angel of Death from the American Veterans Center and segments such as How Crime Works by Insider. What I like about all of these is how they break down real situations in a way that feels raw and unfiltered; they make you think more deeply about people, choices, and the systems behind them.

At the core of all of this, I think it comes back to curiosity. Whether it’s a Snapple cap fact, a podcast episode, a documentary, or a conversation with someone who knows something I don’t, knowledge has a way of making life feel more alive. It turns everyday moments into something worth paying attention to and gives you more to bring into the world when you show up in it.

To me, that’s what makes knowledge “sexy.” It’s not about being the smartest person in the room, it’s about being open, engaged, and willing to keep learning. The more I lean into that, the more I realize how much there is to discover, and how much better life feels when you’re actively paying attention to it.

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Some despise it, others yearn for it, and many chase it endlessly, like a dog chasing its tail. Love can bring a kind of joy you never knew existed. It can also hurt so deeply it feels as though your heart is being torn from your chest.

It’s one of the strongest emotions a person can experience, whether it comes from something beautiful or something painful.

Yes, love can be overwhelming, complicated, and messy, but it’s still a drug we all need.

The Chemistry Behind Love

Modern psychology and neuroscience suggest that love affects the brain in ways surprisingly similar to addiction. According to recent research published by the Cleveland Clinic and Stanford Medicine, feelings of love activate the brain’s reward system by releasing dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin, chemicals associated with pleasure, emotional bonding, trust, and motivation (Cleveland Clinic, 2024; Stanford Medicine, 2023). This explains why love can feel euphoric, consuming, comforting, and even emotionally painful when lost.

Love does not only affect us emotionally; it affects us biologically too.

Why Self-Love Shapes Every Relationship

First, there’s self-love. Self-love is the foundation for finding and accepting love beyond what you thought was possible. When you truly love yourself first, it reflects back into your life in ways that feel like a hug to your heart.

Research in modern psychology continues to show that self-love and self-compassion are directly connected to mental wellness. According to the American Psychological Association, practicing self-compassion can lower stress, reduce anxiety, and improve emotional resilience (APA, 2023). Researchers have also found that people with higher levels of self-acceptance tend to build healthier relationships because they are more likely to establish boundaries, communicate effectively, and seek emotionally safe connections.

In many ways, the relationship you have with yourself becomes the blueprint for the relationships you accept from others.

How Family and Friendships Teach Us About Love

Love also comes from relationships, friendships, and family. For many of us, this is where we first learn what love is supposed to look and feel like. This is also where love becomes complicated.

As we grow and try to understand love, we are often being taught by imperfect people who are still learning themselves. That journey can feel fulfilling, but it can also feel lonely, confusing, and painful. Sometimes family and friends unintentionally teach us the harsher sides of love, inconsistency, criticism, emotional distance, or abandonment. These experiences shape how we view connection and how willing we are to trust others.

The Psychology of Attachment and Emotional Connection

Recent studies on attachment and emotional development show that early childhood relationships strongly influence how adults experience intimacy and emotional security later in life. According to research published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2022, emotionally supportive caregiving is linked to healthier attachment styles, stronger self-esteem, and better emotional regulation in adulthood. In contrast, unstable or emotionally neglectful environments can contribute to anxiety, fear of vulnerability, and difficulty trusting relationships later in life.

Friendships also play a major role in shaping our understanding of love. A 2021 study published by the Society for Research in Child Development found that healthy adolescent friendships are strongly connected to emotional intelligence, confidence, and long-term relationship satisfaction in adulthood. The people around us become mirrors, reflecting back what we believe we deserve from love.

When Love Hurts: Lessons From Heartbreak

But even when love hurts, it still teaches.

It teaches us boundaries. It teaches us what we want and what we no longer want. Sometimes painful relationships become the beginning of self-love because they force us to recognize the difference between being loved and simply being tolerated.

Heartbreak can alter the brain in ways similar to grief and withdrawal. According to a 2022 study from The Journal of Neurophysiology, emotional rejection activates the same pain receptors in the brain associated with physical pain. This may explain why heartbreak can feel physically exhausting, emotionally consuming, and difficult to recover from.

The Healing Side of Love

Still, love is not always painful. Sometimes family and friendships show us the gentler side of it. Sometimes love is warm, patient, thoughtful, and selfless. Sometimes it’s the friend who listens without judgment, the parent who sacrifices quietly, or the partner who makes you feel safe enough to fully be yourself.

Healthy love can become a form of healing. Studies from Harvard Health Publishing in 2023 found that emotionally supportive relationships contribute to lower stress levels, improved mental health, and even longer life expectancy. Love, when healthy, creates emotional safety and emotional safety allows people to grow.

Why Humans Are Wired for Connection

According to a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General on loneliness and connection, strong emotional relationships are essential to both mental and physical health. People with healthy social connections are shown to experience lower rates of anxiety, depression, and chronic stress.

Human beings are wired for connection. Without it, loneliness and emotional distress often grow. With it, people feel understood, supported, and alive.

Love exists in heartbreak and healing alike.

Maybe that’s why we continue searching for it despite the risks.

Love’s Lasting Impact on the Mind and Heart

Love may not always save us, but it changes us.

And no matter how complicated it becomes, love remains one of the most powerful drugs we will ever experience.

He delivered one of the most defining runs of the 2010s (yes, I’ll stand by that) with Channel Orange (2012) and Blonde (2016). Both albums have not only received critical acclaim but have aged with a rare kind of grace. The emotion, the production, the introspection—each element feels intentional, layered, and deeply human. Frank isn’t just making music; he’s building worlds within it. Blonde’s legacy continues to hold strong, also earning the #5 spot on Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list in 2024

By 2019, at the height of his cultural influence, he stepped into a different role at the Met Gala. That year, Vogue invited Frank to capture the behind-the-scenes moments of the night on a film camera. Dressed in a simple Prada jacket, he moved through the spectacle not as the center of attention, but as an observer, documenting it.

What he captured became something special: candid, unguarded images of celebrities in a space where phones are prohibited and moments are meant to be fleeting. There’s an intimacy to film photography that digital can’t quite replicate. It slows things down. It asks you to be present.

That’s what makes this moment in pop culture stand out. It’s not just about who attended or what they wore; it’s about how it was seen. Through Frank’s lens, the Met Gala felt quieter, more human, more real. And every year, as these photos resurface ahead of the event, they remind us of that.

It remains one of my favorite Met Gala moments, outfits aside (we can save that conversation for another time).

Here are the photos Frank Ocean captured at the 2019 Met Gala for Vogue, shot on film camera.

We’re a society that loves labels—boxing ourselves in, sticking to the plan, following the path we think we’re supposed to take.

A lot of us fall into that trap, myself included. It’s not always obvious when it’s happening, either. At what point does passion turn into limitation?

When I graduated college last year, I was “the writer,” “the journalist”—the girl who loved storytelling and envisioned herself writing entertainment and culture pieces for major publications. And don’t get me wrong, I still do. I still love the idea of sharing insights and stories with an audience. I’m just doing it in a way I didn’t expect.

This early in my career, I never imagined I’d pivot the way I did—from journalist to publicist.

The shift feels ironic in hindsight. When I switched my major from business to communications in college, my original intention was to pursue public relations. I was drawn to the creativity of it all: the event planning, the outreach, the storytelling behind the scenes. But writing pulled me in. I’ve always loved shaping ideas into something people could connect with, especially when it comes to entertainment and culture.

So I leaned into journalism. I interned at magazines and digital publications, covered a music festival, and eventually became a managing editor. On paper, I was doing everything I had set out to do. But over time, something shifted. The passion that once felt so clear started to fade.

As cliché as it sounds, when one door closes, another opens.

While interning as a writer at a company connected to a public relations firm, I was unexpectedly offered a role as a Public Relations Assistant at The Now PR. Despite my background, I hesitated. It felt like a big pivot. But there was also something exciting about stepping into the unfamiliar—especially since it still lived within the world I love: entertainment and culture.

So, I said yes.

And honestly, it felt refreshing.

It wasn’t the version of my career I had originally imagined, but it felt right. The work still aligns with who I am—just expressed differently. I’m still telling stories, still shaping narratives, still contributing to the culture I’ve always cared about. The difference is, now I’m doing it from behind the scenes.

And maybe that’s the point.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to follow a specific version of success that we forget we’re allowed to evolve. A pivot doesn’t mean you’ve failed or lost your way—it can mean you’re getting closer to something that fits you better.

So don’t be afraid to take a path that looks different from the one you planned. You don’t know what opportunities are waiting, what connections you’ll make, or what kind of community you’ll build along the way.

If anything, I like to think about it this way: artists reinvent themselves all the time. Look at Rihanna and Solange—they’ve never allowed themselves to be boxed into one identity or lane.

Rihanna started as a pop and R&B artist, but she didn’t stop there. She expanded into beauty with Fenty Beauty, disrupted fashion with Savage X Fenty, and stepped fully into entrepreneurship—all while maintaining her cultural influence. She didn’t abandon who she was; she evolved it.

Solange took a different, but equally intentional path. She moved beyond mainstream expectations and carved out her own artistic world—blending music, visual art, and performance into something deeply personal and culturally impactful. Her work isn’t confined to one medium; it’s an expression of creative freedom.

Both of them pivoted—multiple times—and yet, nothing about their evolution feels off-brand. If anything, it feels more aligned.

Why shouldn’t we do the same?

No more 8 a.m. classes. No more casual catch-ups, living within walking distance of your friends, or grabbing drinks just because. No more showing up to class hungover and laughing it off.

Before I graduated, people loved to warn me: “Those first few months post-grad are going to be miserable.”

I didn’t believe them. I was ready to go.

Of course, I knew I’d miss parts of it, my campus, my friends, the routine. But I didn’t feel attached in the way everyone said I would. And hearing those warnings over and over again started to get in my head.

Am I supposed to miss this more?

Will I regret not doing more?

Why do I want this chapter to end so badly?

At some point, I realized what was actually happening: I was being made to feel guilty for wanting to move forward.

So let me say this clearly…

You can appreciate your time in college and still be ready to leave it behind.

Ironically, my cap read “And My Story Goes On,” a phrase that perfectly tied into my degree in Communication, with a focus in Journalism and Public Relations but now ties into my current feelings.

For a while, I thought my eagerness to graduate meant I wasn’t “present enough.” Like I was doing something wrong by counting down the days.

But let’s be real: I’m surprised college didn’t give me gray hair.

I was taking six classes for four semesters straight, working two jobs, juggling internships, commuting, and trying to maintain some kind of social life. It was exhausting.

And while college is supposed to be this time where you “find yourself,” I sometimes felt like I was losing myself instead.

Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot, met incredible people, and made memories I’ll always hold onto. But in between those moments, I felt lost more often than I expected.

My entire identity became “college student.”

I was either doing homework or working, because the workload demanded it.

I watched other people join clubs, go to events, and stay social. Meanwhile, I felt stuck under the weight of everything on my plate. If I wasn’t in my room or sitting in my college house, I was at work.

It felt like I was running in circles, like a dog chasing its tail, putting in all this effort but not really understanding where it was leading me, or why I felt so off.

Then graduation came, in May 2025

Now I’m 11 months out.

And yes, life still gets stressful. That doesn’t magically go away. But for the first time in a long time, I feel like I actually know myself better than I did during those four years.

That’s the part no one really talks about.

Life after college isn’t the end of something, it’s the beginning of finally having the space to figure yourself out on your own terms.

How I wanted to walk up the aisle to get my degree at graduation

The color gray. It’s not white or black. It’s the in-between. The shade that doesn’t quite pair with anything. It feels dull. Flat. Uninspired.

Sometimes life feels like that too. Gray.

Stuck in the middle, unsure of which direction to go. Nothing quite clicking. Nothing quite fitting. It’s like you don’t pair with anything either. Everything looks gray. Sounds gray. Feels like it’s missing something.

That’s the feeling I’ve been trying to shake.

Lately, music has been my way out of it. The one thing that’s slowly bringing color back into my world. Song by song, it’s starting to shift how things feel, how things look.

Here are a few tracks I’ve been listening to that are helping me see in color again.

“Georgia On My Mind” Ray Charles

This song feels like a deep breath. It holds a kind of longing, but also warmth, like remembering a version of yourself that felt more certain. Even in its sadness, it reminds you that feeling something deeply is still a kind of color.

“I Found My Smile Again” D’Angelo

This one feels soft and quiet, like something slowly coming back to you. Not all at once, not in a big moment, just little by little. It sounds like the weight starting to lift without you even realizing it.

“Forest Gump” Frank Ocean

There’s a vulnerability here that sits right in that in between feeling. It doesn’t try to fix anything or give answers, it just lets you feel it all as it is. Sometimes that honesty is exactly what you need.

“I Just Don’t Wanna Be Lonely” Blue Magic

This song feels really human. It taps into that simple feeling of not wanting to be alone, which can make everything else feel heavier. Hearing it put so plainly makes your own feelings feel a little less isolating.

“calvera” Fyodor

This one feels like movement, even if it’s subtle. It doesn’t pull you out of the gray all at once, but it shifts something. Like color slowly starting to come back, even if you can’t fully see it yet.

The Current Soundtracks Of My Life

I recently found two playlists on Spotify that have been making me feel curious again and slowly bringing inspiration back. The songs remind me that not everything is bland, or dare I say gray. They’ve been adding color back into how things feel for me. Here they are, on repeat.

I don’t think the gray fully disappears overnight. It lingers, fades in and out, shows up when you least expect it. But I’m starting to realize it doesn’t have to stay that way. Sometimes it just takes small things shifting, a song, a moment, a feeling, to remind you there’s more than just the in between.

Listen to these songs and playlists and you’re going to start feeling like him.

Crust in my eyes. Cold morning air hitting my face. My body still tired and my mind still hitting snooze. The only thing that can fix this is coffee.

I take a few sips before suddenly kissing the cup goodbye as the floor takes the rest.

It’s 10:00 a.m. I always drink my coffee on the train before work to get my day started.

Instantly irritated, all I wanted was my coffee. I never drop my drink.

“F***,” slips from my lips as the cup falls.

The stranger sitting to the left of me on the bench quickly says, “It’s Friday the 13th. Shake it off. It’s going to happen. You can always get a new one. You have to think positive in life. That’s the only way I think.”

I paused for a second and let the words sink in. I realized I was really about to let a spilled coffee ruin my morning and set the tone for my busy day.

Almost instantly, the irritation faded.

Relieved by this stranger’s unexpected positivity, I laughed and said, “You’re right. I can always get another one. It honestly wasn’t that good anyway.”

We both laughed. For a moment, we talked about where we were heading and how staying positive is sometimes the only way to get through life.

It was a small interaction, but it has stuck with me.

When the train doors opened, we went our separate ways. But it felt like this stranger had just taught me a lesson I had been struggling to understand.

Do not get discouraged by the things you cannot control.

Things will happen. Cups will spill. Mornings will start wrong. And that is okay.

All you can do is control how you respond and keep moving forward.

I walked away learning something new and hoping that stranger had the best day.

It reminded me that you never know who you will come across in life or the positive impact you might make on someone else.

Being kind and staying positive goes a long way.

And sometimes, the person who reminds you of that is a stranger waiting for the train.

The urge to keep building and moving can be hard to ignore. Even after a win, the mind quickly shifts to the next big thing to achieve, turning life into a never-ending cycle of wanting more. Why does it often feel like we can’t fully enjoy life until we reach that one “big goal”?

Let’s remind ourselves to celebrate where we are right now. In a world where everything moves so fast and everyone is sharing highlight reels on social media, it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough. It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come and not realize that you’re achieving goals you once only dreamed about.

It’s not healthy to constantly feel like you should be doing more.

Ambition is a good thing. It’s good to envision yourself in higher places and actively work toward your future goals. But let’s also remember to celebrate the now.

While you’re building new goals, remember to celebrate the ones you’ve already achieved. It’s okay to pause and take in what you’ve accomplished. These days, everyone seems used to immediately asking, “What’s next?” after something good happens.

I understand that getting too comfortable can hold you back or make you feel stuck. That’s not the point I’m making. Growth is important, and staying motivated matters. But there’s also value in learning how to feel content and enjoy the life you’re currently living.

When you’re chasing something, especially something you deeply want, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision. You focus so much on reaching the destination that you forget to enjoy everything happening along the way.

But life isn’t only about the milestones. It’s also about the quiet moments in between them. The small wins, the lessons, the growth that happens while no one is watching. Those moments matter just as much as the big achievements we’re chasing.

Maybe feeling content isn’t about losing ambition or settling for less. Maybe it’s about learning how to appreciate the present while still believing in the future. It’s about recognizing that the version of you today is living a life that a past version of you once hoped for.

So keep building. Keep dreaming. Keep working toward everything you want.

But every once in a while, pause for a moment.

Look around at the life you’re creating and allow yourself to feel proud of it.

Doom scrolling.

The enemy of attention spans, boredom, and hobbies. It’s how we pass the time now, how many of us start our mornings and end our days.

Read that again.

It’s how you start your day and end your day. Scrolling through endless media, consuming content that ultimately means nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m guilty of getting lost in doom scrolling too. But over the past few weeks, I’ve started to realize I need to spend my time differently. Which is honestly why you’re reading this article. I needed to stop scrolling. And since you’re reading this now, maybe you needed a break too.

But here’s the thing I keep thinking about: no one seems to be bored anymore. No one is just doing something for the sake of doing it.

Everything is content now.

And don’t get me wrong, content isn’t a bad thing. It builds communities, informs people, and inspires creativity. But somewhere along the way, we forgot that it’s okay to simply put the phone down. To consume something slowly and meaningfully instead of endlessly scrolling.

Instead, journal.

Read.

Watch a movie or documentary.

Stare at the ceiling for a while.

Find a hobby.

Color.

Go for a walk.

Draw.

Write an article.

Read one.

The options are truly endless.

I feel like no one talks about hobbies anymore, or about allowing themselves to be bored. The second your mind starts to wander, the instinct is to reach for your phone. But boredom isn’t a bad thing. It’s space for ideas, thoughts, and creativity.

Give your mind room to think.

Put the phone down and look around. You’d be surprised what you notice when you actually look up for once. Let your mind breathe. Take a break from constantly consuming information through endless scrolling.

Even if it’s just two hours a day.

Finding different outlets and ways to spend your time can change how you feel more than you realize.

Now that you’ve made it this far, put your phone down and let your mind breathe.

You’re in an Uber, and the driver takes a wrong turn. Your only thought is, “Where am I going?” Panic starts to set in. You try to make a decision, but you can’t. You scan your surroundings, trying to figure out if you’re being taken the right way. Minutes stretch on, and you feel lost, anxious, and curious all at once (feeling a little like Michael Scott in that picture above). But after wrong turns, moments of panic, and uncertainty, you finally arrive safely at your destination.

Life can feel a lot like a scary Uber ride; you just have to trust the journey.

And yes… I did just compare life to a scary Uber ride (I thought it was clever).

Think of it this way: the driver took a detour you didn’t know about. You panicked, thinking it was the wrong way, feeling lost… until you realized the outcome was actually good, and now you’re happy you discovered a new route to take.

That’s why feeling lost can still mean you’re finding your way. Along the journey, we learn things we never expected, discover new potential, and uncover interests about ourselves we didn’t know existed.

Sometimes, feeling lost is life’s way of telling us to slow down. To pause, take a breath, and appreciate where we are, because it might just lead us to something new. Not everything will go according to plan, and that’s perfectly fine. Embracing the idea that there’s more to see and discover along the journey can make being lost feel less scary.

So the next time you feel lost, whether it’s in a car, in a job, in a relationship, or just in life, remember detours aren’t failures, and wrong turns aren’t the end of the road. They’re part of the journey, full of lessons, surprises, and discoveries you wouldn’t encounter otherwise. Trust the ride, embrace the unknown, and know that every moment of uncertainty is leading you somewhere meaningful, even if you can’t see it yet.

There are so many different perspectives in this world that people gain through artistry, whether by creating their own work or being inspired by someone else. Art creates a free space for expression, curiosity, and knowledge.

Not to be cheesy, but we were all born to create. When there’s no room for self-expression or nothing to inspire you or feed your knowledge, it’s easy to feel suffocated. Everyone deserves the time to express themselves in different ways, whether it’s writing, art, music, or reading. The list can go on. These are all forms of artistry that connect us while also allowing us to grow individually.

They offer new perspectives while feeding us knowledge that takes us to different worlds. That kind of passion makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger. And that’s the point, creating and learning bring passion and purpose.

If you’re feeling a little down, pick up a pen and paper and jot down a few ideas. Journal, write a poem, read a fun article, create a random collage, start a coloring book, paint, or try a writing prompt. In short, these are all ways to free your mind and brain through creativity. You’ll feel lighter once you get your ideas out and start working through the fantastic thoughts that are locked up, just waiting to come to the surface.

For you and for me, please start creating. Trust me when I say the world wants to see it!

xoxo

2025 was a year that quietly reshaped many of us. It tested us emotionally, mentally, financially, and physically; the list could probably go on forever. Some moments felt heavy, confusing, and isolating. And if you ever caught yourself wondering, “Was it just me?” know that it wasn’t. You weren’t alone in feeling this way. Now it’s important we take those hard moments, turn them into lessons and have the best rebrand ever for this new year, 2026!

Statistically, 92% of adults will not follow through on a resolution, but this year, you won’t be one of them. Sticking to your goals isn’t easy, especially when life feels overwhelming and nonstop. That’s why this 2026 rebrand isn’t about perfection; it’s about finding balance, building consistency, and showing up for yourself in ways that actually feel sustainable.

Creating a vision board has always been a powerful starting point for me, and a tradition I’ve kept for the past five years. About a week before the new year, I sit down and create one. The key to a vision board is choosing images and ideas that genuinely reflect what you see yourself achieving and experiencing. Whether it’s fitness, mental growth, travel, new hobbies, or fresh experiences, include everything you can envision for your life.

Seeing your “vision” laid out in front of you makes your goals feel more real, more motivating, and easier to commit to. It pushes me to keep going as the year unfolds, even when life gets hectic. There’s something powerful about realizing you’re checking things off the board and slowly becoming a better, more aligned version of yourself, your own version of “that girl.”

Another essential tool for any rebrand is journaling. I’m a big advocate for it; it helps regulate emotions, process life’s chaos, and provides a meaningful way to manifest goals. Alongside writing, don’t hesitate to pick up a book. Nourish your mind through reading, writing, and creative hobbies; growing mentally is just as important as taking care of yourself physically.

Self-help books, in particular, have been transformative for me. Hearing the author’s perspective and learning from their growth has helped me reflect, evolve, and implement new habits in my own life.

With all of this in mind, take the new year as a fresh start or simply as a chance to keep moving forward and becoming the best version of yourself, on your own terms. Create the vision, honor your growth, and step into the version of you that feels most aligned. Wishing everyone a happy, blessed, and successful new year.