Something That Made Me Happy Today =)

03/29/2025

Ugh March is almost over, and it freaks me out😵‍💫 I feel like this is the first time I don't know exactly how things will go and how I can get through with all my work and wrap up my semester... Maybe I've been here before, but every semester is a blur at this point.

Take it one day at a time, one day at a time. I need to keep repeating this to myself so I don't feel so terrified of the unknown that I run away from everything. Anxiety and stress are no joke.

Anime atm 😍: Earl and Fairy

Completed

✅ Video call with a friend

✅ Breakfast

✅ Surprise party for friends

✅ Watch repair (it took me a year to take it somewhere to fix lol)

✅ Lunch

✅ 1 episode of anime

✅ Group project 1 paper

✅ Rewatch Skip Beat ep 19 (iykyk)

✅ Thesis (1 hours 😊) - I FINALLY DID IT!! SO PROUD!!

To-Dos

⏹️ Group project 2 paper

⏹️ Pay bills

I'm not letting myself go to bed unless I work on my thesis for 2 hours. My phone is locked away, so I know I can get it done. It really doesn't have to feel like a struggle every single day. I have finished harder things in the past 😤

Me with my thesis:

Another super cool post for keepsake 🩵

I’m always getting stressed out by things happening so here are some resources I find helpful

Music

I don’t know about you but I find piano music are really relaxing and soothing

Piano music playlist

Peaceful piano Spotify playlist by @spotify

Piano background music Spotify playlist

Rainy sounds

Burning fireplace sounds

Wave sounds

Videos, movies, dramas

Buzzfeed Celeb

Food

Buzzfeed Worth It Season [1/2/3/4/5]

Movies

Free movies/tv

Marvel movies masterpost by @girlintoomanyfandoms

Classic chick flicks by @jamescookjr

Cinemasins

Studytubes

Studytubes by @memorisu

AmandaRachLee

Cheyenne Barton (@studyrose )

Music

The Voice Kids [Australia/Germany]

Video games

Buzzfeed Multiplayer (eg. Until Dawn, Dead by daylight, Cooking Mama)

True crimes and supernatural

Buzzfeed unsolved

Comedies (old but gold)

Friends

Mind your language

Bewitched

Dr Ken suggested by @akydemics

Exercise

Fitness & health for student by @abby-studies-art

Deep breathing exercises

Sleep

Guide to sleep by @educatier

Tips for balancing sleep & education by @brbimstudying

The perfect night sleep by @paintitbright

How to go to bed early and actually fall asleep

Night routine and sleeping tips

Tips and tricks for getting enough sleep by @candydsgn

Meditation

Meditation and focus by @studyquill

Put a thought in the star

Treat yourself

Simple ways to treat yourself by @anitastudy

Guide to treating yourself by @pennyfynotes

25 No/Low cost self care acts by @gaygirlhustle

Water

How to drink more water ft printables

Hydration masterpost

Breaks

Use the pomodoro method where you study for 25 minutes and rest for 5 minutes to allow your brain to re-energise itself.

Take a break

Types of study breaks by @samsstudygram

Tips for getting better rest by @overstudies

9 things to do on a study break by @studyzine

Study break ideas by @gomedorgohome

What to do during a study break by @emmastudies

Things i do when taking a study break by @produitivity

Meals

Study break snacks by @gentlysoft

15 food to ease your study life by @studybowie

Easy recipes for students by @aestudier

Broke college kid masterpost by @dumplinghead-usagi

Bullet journal

Start a bullet journal

Apps

Apps that help me destress by @gracelearns

Forest

Overdrive

Positivity

My positivity tag

@chibird

@cwote

@lovelysuggestions

A website that compliments you

Who is the cutest

Quizzes

Buzzfeed quizzes

Pottermore quizzes

Others

Learn coding

All you need for high school

Math help and advice

How to take notes

Mental health masterpost

Ace your essays

Ace your exams

How to be productive

Free printables masterpost

Stationery masterlist by @architstudy

Other masterposts

Selfcare masterpost

03/24/2025

I updated my semester planner over the weekend and am ready to refocus my time and energy to finish my 4th semester in this program.

I was caught up with time-sensitive tasks and reworking my planner again for most of today, but I promised my accountability buddy that I would work on my thesis at least a little. I need to remind myself that:

It is never too late to start a task; it is never a failure to revise a plan.

I can't say for sure that I come back stronger each time. But I know I come back wiser and more rested with every setback.

Completed

✅ Scheduled medical appointment (finally!)

✅ Read all school emails and replied

✅ Updated semester planner for the next 1.5 weeks (for 2 group projects)

✅ Updated calendar to work on group projects and thesis

✅ Wrote a personal article

✅ Therapy session

✅ Did laundry

✅ Find PPT slide for group project

Thesis Tasks

✅ Updated thesis writing schedule for this week

✅ Review advisor's feedback on thesis draft

✅ Made 1 correction (I skimmed through an article for this so I'm calling it a win)

Today's study concluded at 1:24am.

Study Music 🎧:

"The House of Wind | Magical Night Under the Starts with ACOTAR Spring Court Ambience" - Prythian on YouTube

04/16/2025

Another day, another log ✨ It actually feels nice to have this check-in every day to see how I'm doing mentally and academically. Still not sleeping a lot this week because I call this month the "finals month" of PhD... Have a lot to finish, still have new tasks that get added each week, and I'm not even sure how many full days I have to take a break from it all after this month and in summer =/ Not the best situation, but at least I still get to do some things I like in the meantime 🩵

Current mindset:

Completed

✅ School ✅ Case presentation (woohoo!) ✅ Part-time job ✅ See clients ✅ Get an oil change for my car! ✅ Get gas for weekend traveling ✅ Phone call with partner ✅ Client plan ✅ Phone call with a friend ✅ Watch Everyone Loves Me ✅ Dinner ✅ Clinic notes x2

To-Dos

⏹️ Clinic report - results 6 part 2 ⏹️ Clinic report - results 7 ⏹️ Clinic report - results 8 or Thesis - bullet points ⏹️ Shower?

[End of study: 12:18am] I got frustrated with the cdrama so I ended up skipping through some episodes and stopped doing work for a bit... Ngl I'm getting tired so I think I'm gonna speed through one more episode and call it a night. Good night, lovely humans 🥱

03/17/2025

Proud of myself!

I started working on school stuff again after everything that's been going on. It was nerve-wracking at first, having to go through a lot of emails and reply to some from weeks ago. BUT... I got through them all!

Completed Tasks:

✅ Read (and organized) my school emails

✅ Research team meeting

✅ Review weekly task list

✅ Eat

✅ Take care of my dog

✅ Therapy session

✅ Finish 1 exam

✅ Added article summaries to class notes

What a relief! Now I can hop on Xbox to play with my partner and enjoy my dinner!!

~**~ Pinterest Inspirations ~**~

I noticed myself living in fear whenever I started looking at my semester planner and seeing how many things I had failed to complete thus far. It is an overwhelming feeling that keeps me frozen and stuck.

I don't know if I can get everything done before the end of the semester. And right now, this is my worst nightmare. I have always succeeded in higher education and I think I have feared failure to this extent.

But my partner is right, I can do anything I put my mind to. This is not about whether or not I can do these tasks, it is the fact that everything needs to get done so what will I do now to make it happen. This is not about whether or not I have faith in myself and how hopeful I am about this situation or hopeless about the current misfortune, but what would the adult part of me do now to make things work out without minimizing my needs and suppressing my emotions.

This is a lot. It feels heavy like I am carrying bags of stones on my shoulders while climbing a mountain. But this time I need to face my fears like a responsible adult instead of running away from my troubles and avoiding everything.

I can do this. I WILL do this. 💪🏻

Some motivation to start today =)

Even when you're tired, remember why you started.

Nothing better than having my dog next to me while I am working hard on my thesis 🩵

P.S. Technically I asked for a cat but got chosen by a dog. I call it fate.

04/01/2025

Today, I witnessed my growth. The same things no longer trigger the same reaction as I have learned to take a deep breath and trust in the process. I feel more in tune with myself, even though I did not get enough sleep the night before and the school day was long. Today feels like something finally shifted to the right direction, and I can hear my inner guidance clearly again. Today has been great so far =)

I think this is mostly thanks to my oracle card telling me to take "a day of silence." I haven't been alone with myself without music for a long time. I used to have evenings after work when I would unwind with chores and give myself time to process and express my inner thoughts. But grad school and living situations made it difficult. I didn't know how out of tune I have been with myself until I finally turned my thoughts and attention inwards today. It has been a wonderful experience so far. Awkward but meaningful.

Completed

✅ Group project 1 presentation 🎉

✅ School

✅ Part-time job

✅ Watch Kaichou wa Maid-Sama!

✅ Break time + nap

✅ Call my parents

✅ Dinner

✅ Watch Earl and Fairy

✅ Read and reply to school emails

✅ Group project 2 paper (1.5 hours)

To-Dos

Finished but I'm not too satisfied because I didn't get to finish more of the project paper than I had wanted. Guess it'll just need to happen tomorrow.

Trying to take it easy and not be so hard on myself today 🩵

04/27/2025

Good morning 🌞 I tried a new routine today and I love how I feel right now! Well, I didn't really change that much of my morning routine. I just decided to not cook and eat breakfast for an hour before I wrapped up my thesis work, which, to be honest, was motivating because I am starving right now and I finished revising my paragraphs in 1 hour (right?!!). I think I just saw that it was almost 1pm by the time I was able to cook breakfast, and I didn't want to drag on my day, feeling like I have my thesis dangling in front of me. So it was a BIG WIN!!! (if you haven't followed my progress so far, thesis tasks are the ones I procrastinate with the most lol)

Mood right now:

Completed

✅ Yoga ✅ Walk my dog ✅ Thesis revise paragraphs (guess I ate the frog this morning hehe) ✅ Breakfast ✅ Case study paper: do research (1 hour) ✅ Case study paper: writing (3 hours lol) ✅ Video review paper: read instructions ✅ Dinner ✅ Watch Love and Leashes (it's so good and very consensual!!)

To-Dos

⏹️ Shower (another reward!! most likely going to do this after the movie~)

SO PROUD OF MYSELF TODAY!!!