I’m a sucker for anything that sparkles. As I was entertaining the idea of my dream engagement ring, which is a 2-carat cushion diamond ring surrounded by a seamless halo in case you were wondering, a thought popped into my head. Why should I wait for someone else to buy me a ring to symbolize their love when I could just buy myself one?
As much as I would’ve loved to buy myself a real diamond ring, I decided a sweet dainty ring from Etsy would be much more in my price range while I’m still on a college budget. Plus, I supported a small business.
By the time I received my adorable ring, I’d given myself a press-on mani and dressed in one of my favorite outfits. I was ready to take on my day and show the world how much I love myself.
I needed a reminder that I can still live a romanticized life even in a pandemic. Although this situation hasn’t been ideal for my senior year of college, I wanted to bring out the good.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gone on many thrilling adventures covid-friendly adventures with the love of my life, but there’s nothing like taking myself on dates. Here are some of the activities I did!
Coffee Love
There’s nothing like the taste of a fresh cup of coffee. I love my Starbucks runs, but I wanted to try something different than chai lattes.
I decided to stop by a local bakeshop I’d never been to before. By the time I’d left with my coconut iced coffee and apple pie cake ball, I wondered why I hadn’t gone here sooner!
Luxurious Yoga
Yoga is one of my passions. I love flowing on my mat and challenging my body to try new poses.
I’m used to keeping myself busy during the day and doing more energetic yoga flows, but I decided to slow down.
I grabbed my comfiest blankets, arranged my favorite crystals and put on a crystal singing bowl sound bath from YouTube. I spent 90 minutes on my mat doing slow Yin yoga holds and gave myself a really long Savasana.
I was beyond rejuvenated once I was done with my practice.
The Best Dinner Breaks
I usually pack my dinner when I go to work. If I have to buy food, I just grab chicken nuggets from Wendy’s next door to me.
But why should I settle for food when I have the world of food delivery services at my fingertips?
I’m so glad I decided to get creative with my food choices because I discovered that my favorite ice cream shop delivers! There’s nothing like a fresh scoop of raspberry chocolate truffle ice cream to brighten my day.
On another day, I allowed myself to indulge in ramen and bubble tea from a local restaurant. Dinners became so much better when I encouraged myself to explore other options.
Breaking My Normal Routines
My schedule is usually packed between school, work, babysitting, teaching fitness classes and balancing time with my boyfriend. When I have days off, all I want to do is hide underneath my blankets and never leave my room. I also try to sleep in any chance I get.
I strongly believe in relaxation and rest days, but napping all day isn’t always the most constructive way to recover from a long week.
When I was asked to go out for an early breakfast one morning before I had to head into work, my gut reaction was no. Why should I get up two hours early when I could be tucked underneath the covers?
But then I weighed my options. I’d still get enough sleep the night before and get to go to one of my favorite bakeries of all time with a loved one. I pushed myself to go out. I’m happy to inform you I had an incredible time!
Dance Parties with Myself
College has turned me into a podcast kind of gal. Sometimes, I just get tired of hearing the same songs on my playlist over and over.
I also enjoy being mindful by going about my activities in silence. I don’t even put on music when I do my makeup. I was curious what it would be like if I did the opposite.
I put on some of my favorite pump-up jams and danced around. I sang into my makeup brushes as I swept eyeshadow on. Doing my makeup is already fun, but making a dance party out of it brought it to a whole new level.
Lists Galore
Lists are the best; you can make them for anything! It’s one of my favorite ways to organize.
Since I’d been having so much fun on my latest adventures, I decided to finally organize all of the scattered adventure lists on my phone.
Once I sorted through everything, I had three whole pages worth of future restaurants and activities to do.
Now that the world is opening up more and more, I also created a separate list of drinks I want to try at bars. I missed out on that chance because of my 21st birthday being in the thick of quarantine. Cheers to me!
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Buying myself a promise ring was one of the best ways to remind me that I’m in charge of how exciting I want my life to be. I overlooked so many possibilities because I was living on autopilot.
Not only did my new commitment to myself make my days more meaningful and stimulate my creativity, but it also strengthened my relationships. I’ve become much more flexible with my routines and I’m much more willing to try new things. I also have more exciting things to talk about rather than just the same old.
If you’re reading this and feel that you’ve been stuck in a rut, I challenge you to make an intentional decision to commit to yourself every day. You’ll be amazed at how much your world shifts when you shake up your life and how much you’ll learn about yourself.
Lots of love,
Camryn