April: Life, Spring Nails, and How I Plan to Heal
April is the month where spring is feeling right at home, the flowers blooming and the birds starting to make their nests. It’s all about growth, blooming, and even fresh beginnings for everything all around. This month for me was definitely a very good month. A lot of stuff happened, both good and bad, yet there’s this really god feeling in the air I can’t quite explain.
The one thing I did learn in this month is how much I need to pay attention to myself in terms of wellness. This was the month where I did self-study to realize how much I need to do better. Being on the effects of burnout, I’m not able to fully do what I’m capable of because of this relationship I have with exhaustion. No matter how many Pinterest pins I save or things that inspire me to get there, I can’t find it within myself to find the strength to do it.
Trying to get out that rut slowly, my first baby step was to write a blog post. My approach with my blog or any content I create, I want to treat this like my online diary. Rather than keeping all my thoughts and memories in my head, I wondered how could I clean out my mind. So, here we are and my first entry to myself and the year! Here are a few things that happened in the month of April for me as my monthly recap.
Spring Sunbathing and Photoshoot
Where I live, the weather has been between being in the 40s and 70s. It’s been rare for it to stay consistently feeling like spring with its constantly slipping right back into post winter. I mean, April showers bring May flowers but it also brings Autumnal temperatures right when spring has just begun!
By no means am I complaining because I actually love it compared to when I used to live in Florida. It would be extremely hot where I was, but maybe this is truly what Spring feels like on other parts of the world?
Around the beginning of April, there was a beautiful day and my mom wanted to go out. Everyone had gotten off work early and was home from school. We both dressed in our spring dresses, grabbed a blanket, and went to enjoy the sun outside. The weather was precisely around 72 degrees that day, the sun was setting, and it was relaxing to be outdoors.
My mom and I needed some photos taken, so we also brought our cameras and got a few pictures in. So, I took some with my camera and my little sister helped my mom. Here’s how they turned out:
I have to admit that this looked really good once I got home to see them. It captured the afternoon very beautifully just how we enjoyed it that day. There’s nothing better than soaking in the sun even if it’s right before Summer.
First Hair Wash of the Year and Length
With the weather being warmer now, I decided to wash my hair. I’ve always kept my hair away, but still took care of it no matter if it was a protective style or wearing natural. Growing my hair and keeping it healthy is one of my goals that I wish to maintain.
Washing my hair felt really good and I kept my wash routine very simple: shampoo and conditioner. After, I blow dried my hair because I had work the next day. When I say I was surprised, I was absolutely stunned with my hair growth. Here’s a photo of what it looked like with one side being blow dried and the other side still wet.
A little story with my hair, it used to be very short when I was around sixteen. I was going through a lot and experienced hair loss and no hair growth. Now that I’m older, it helped me understand the link between emotions and how it affects us physically. Whether we see our effects or now, our body responses and my hair was one of the places it effected.
Seeing my growth now means so much to me and I’m thankful to God for how my hair is now. This is a beautiful process for me and it’s helped me appreciate my hair so much even where it was before.
White Cherry Blossom Trees Bloomed
The most beautiful thing I got to experience this year in the spring was the cherry blossoms trees blooming. It was such a beautiful sight to see, especially since I’ve never seen white cherry blossoms before. Where I work, it was like a field of trees everywhere and it made me happy leaving work.
Even after a long day of work, being able to see such beauty improved my whole mood. I realized how much we take nature for grant at times when we don’t sit and appreciate it. Or even when we are so busy with so many things, nature is there existing until we’re ready to give it the spotlight it deserves.
Little things like this makes a huge difference even it’s just something that happens all the time. I know for me, work is something that takes my attentions all throughout the week. So it’s hard to simply sit and admire the natural changes in the world that moves with or without me.
Seeing how I was able to capture such photo, it inspired me to really slow down, admire the small things, and take in everything around me. Even if it’s at work where a baby could be crying or outside as a car passes by. Little things happens when they do and if I don’t become more aware, I may just let life pass me by as I get older and older.
Tried Some Spring Nails at Home
As cheesy as it sounded, part of me wanted to change with the season even if it was minor things I did. I bought a cute pink shirt that was $7.99 from H&M and a matching scrunchie. Then, wore that to work on the first day of spring and it did make me feel very refreshed.
I literally only have the color black in my wardrobe going all the way down to my shoes. I’ve collected these black articles of clothing because I felt it was very versatile at the time and easier to wear. Now that I feel like I’m outgrowing such color, I want to wear different shades of colors and see how I like them.
It’s definitely been a struggle so far, only because I’m not used to seeing myself in such colors. Does it look good on me? Yes! Should I keep experimenting? Absolutely! Mainly because I found that when I pre-judged a color before wearing it thinking it wouldn’t look good on me, it made me hold my tongue!
Starting small with these color changes, I bought some nails from Ohora at Target. This brand has been my favorite and the color pink definitely made me feel very “spring.”
It was still very natural with my everyday looks even if I still wore black. It was my pop of color and I couldn’t be more than happy when I looked at them throughout my day. Wearing such a beautiful color for my spring nails made my everyday look and feel apart of the season for sure.
Found a $5 Notebook at Barnes & Noble
Lastly, I’ve been wanting to find ways to not be on my phone as much. I have so many journals, hobbies, books— I haven’t even used any of the things I’ve gotten! Part of me thinks its because of how reliant and easy it is to pick up a phone to scroll. Now, it’s my second language and my everyday habit!
I’m speaking for myself because I even tried to journal on my tablet. But there I was wondering like, “what if my tablet stopped working? Or what if I couldn’t log into my Good notes account? How was I going to get my entries if I wrote them digitally?” That’s when I realized I’m too emotionally attached to my electronic devices.
After making realization with myself, I stumbled in Barnes & Noble and found myself in the clearance section which I didn’t know we had. There was a book I wanted at the end of last year of a journal I wanted. I got it for $5 and I simply sped-walked my way to checkout.
If that wasn’t the moment I realized that I needed to start journaling. No, I didn’t just need to get that journal, but I couldn’t give up $5 when the book sells for $32! This was my chance to push myself to get back into writing an use this journal to document and write.
Unlike my other journal my mom got me for my novel project, this one is going to be different. Especially since I’ve learned I need to decompress and pay attention to my wellbeing, I couldn’t have been more excited to journal again.
Goodbye April, Hello May
As I bring my April recap to a close, I want to say I am more than grateful for the time this month gave. God gave me the opportunity to see each and every day to experience it and all it’s glory. For the month was too beautiful, going into May will be a exciting new chapter in this year long’s time.
Observing myself and seeing the different ways I need to be more conscious, I properly need to heal and get back to me. Even if that’s writing for two minutes in my journal or bible studying with God, I need to truly recharge and improve my overall wellbeing. I’ve collected all the necessary things, now it’s more or less putting into the work to make it happen.
I thank you so much for reading the few things I experienced in the month of April. May is going to be filled with so much ahead and I’m ready. I hope you too had an amazing April and that your May is too filled with happiness, contentment, and peace.
As always, take care until next time I share how my life has been lately!
LOVE, MYA
