#HEYGRRRLFRENNN My brain is completely melted from finals but nothing could keep me away from my grrrls, especially when we have good news to celebrate! We are now entering our FOURTH consecutive month of restarting our radical self-care journey together! Commitment issues WHO?? I am soo proud of all the lil grrrly pops in the building! These past four months have felt like foreverrrrr and maybe it has been in grrrl world, I’m not that great at math, because I definitely feel a change in the air! The sun is shining brighter, and it’s starting to finally get warmer, and now I’m expected to wear my short sleeved tops and shorts. Uh-oh. I don’t want to detract from our super good mood, but you know I have been sworn to keep it all the way real. I was walking on campus the other day to my last class of the semester (finally!) and I couldn’t help but notice that everyone has already collectively decided that summer started right now, but I’m not quite feeling itty bitty teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini ready! *Cue internal panic!*

Outside of feeling the pressure to suddenly become a model, I feel like there is always this unsaid expectation to keep up with having “the best summer everrrrr”! You have to go to all the places, do all the things, and make sure you look #Amazing while doing them so that you can prove to Instagram that you exist. Pics or it didn’t happen! I know whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, I can count on my grrrls to be right there with me. So this week, instead of pretending summertime sadness is soo not a thing, I want to put it all on the table and discuss it! If this blog has taught me anything is that I don’t have to feel alone about anything, and that my grrrls have my back soo let’s get into some advice on how to overcome the inevitable anxiety that likes to come out and play in the summer sun!

The Dark Side of The Grid

*Deep heavy exasperated sigh* Sorry I just needed to let that out before we got into this one. I have a love and kinda hate relationship with social media that I am still trying to come to terms with. On one hand I love social media! Social media is what brought me to you grrrls, and will hopefully will continue to grow our lil community of grrrlies who like to keep it real. I also can recognize that social media plays a significant role in my life in other ways like making me laugh, distracting me from doing my homework, and teaching me how to cook. Bone apple teeth! But on the other hand, there is this other side to social media that I like to call “The Dark Side of The Grid” where life doesn’t exist outside of filters, trending hashtags, and the incessant need to go viral. Funnily enough, the dark side of the grid seems to grow stronger when the sun is shining at its brightest *aka summer* and the pressure to be perfect is at an all time high. I want to be the first person to tell you that if you feel this way, you are not alone and you also don’t have to participate in that narrative. This summer, I want to invite you all to join me in my decision to to opt out! I am trying to push myself to shift my perspective from prioritizing photoshopping pixel perfect moments to just living life and trying to be happy! This may look differently depending on the person, and I suggest you find what feels right for you! There is nothing wrong with feeling photo ready and want to capture your model moment. If you’ve got it flaunt it! But for my shy grrrlies who don’t want people all up in their biz, life does exist outside of the perfect online aesthetic and you can totally still have fun IRL!

The FOMO Is Real

Like really real. This is kind of a year long thing but I’m not gonna lie the FOMO monster grows stronger in the heat! For the grrrlies that don’t know, FOMO is short for “fear of missing out”, it’s that little voice in the back of your head that convinces you everyone’s life is soo much better than yours or that all of your friends secretly hanging out without you. What ever happened to grrrl code?? It’s an illusion of the mind, but when you’re actually experiencing FOMO, it can feel like the end of the world! In my experience, the best way to deal with feeling like you are missing out on something is to put things into perspective. First, if you’re not there is it really that fun? You’re the life of the party and everything revolves around you so wherever you are is thee place to be! Second, you have to set realistic expectations. You can’t be everywhere all at once all the time. There are going to be some moments that pass without you being a part of them, but don’t worry because what is meant for you will never miss you. And third, for my last piece of advice I would like to suggest replacing FOMO by embracing JOMO, aka the JOY of missing out! Stick with me grrrls, if everything that is meant for you won’t miss you… but you are missing out on something…. you are probably not experiencing that moment for a reason! A bigger reason that maybe you are not meant to know about right now, or an obvious reason like you just got your hair done and if you went you would’ve got caught in the rain. Tragic. Either way you can rest assured that you are always right where you are meant to be!

Every Body Is A Summer Body

Sometimes having a body blows. Ultimately I am thankful for having a body because without one it would be incredibly hard to do the things that matter, like walking to the fridge for a sweet treat. There is aaaalways room for dessert! But there is waaaay too much pressure associated with the rise in warm weather to achieve the perfect summer look. Now, there is nothing wrong with having goals to live a happier and healthier lifestyle, but I also want to make space to encourage all of you grrrls to feel comfortable having your cake and eating it too, if you so choose! One thing I have been trying to get myself to come to terms with is that every body is a summer body. It hasn’t been the easiest lesson to learn but giving myself grace is important. Also, reminding myself that there is no such thing as perfect has helped too. I don’t want to be in a constant state of self-criticism, especially when I am working this hard to achieve my greatest and highest good and create a platform for other grrrls to feel great about themselves. Beauty isn’t skin deep, and however you choose to show up this summer will be enough, I promise you.

We have to remember to be kind to ourselves, which includes being kind to our souls, our minds, and our bodies. Chasing this idea of the “perfect” version of yourself will have you running on empty before you ever get started. It is really easy to start to feel overwhelmed by all of the social pressure to prove that you are always living your best life by the standards of other people. The only thing that matters is how YOU feel. What YOU think. What makes YOU feel like the best version of you. We are creating lives that we can star in, not just simply exist in. In order to do that you have to treat yourself like the main character and forget the rest. Your life is completely in your control, and so is your summer! I am looking forward to celebrating more milestones with you grrrls over the summer and for the rest of eternity! Now go and be great you lil grrrly pop! TTYL!