Have you ever tried to replicate a moment that gave you the same feeling of excitment and exhilaration as the first time? Was it ever truly the same? The first time I experienced this was back in elementary school. My friends and I had played a great game of four square on the blacktop at recess and I remember the sun at golden hour, the way the air felt, being on top of my game and just having a great time with friends. The next day, I came back to school, thinking recess wo

One of my favorite movies from my childhood is Kiki's Delivery Service, the classic Hayao Miyazaki film (of which I believe is part of the "core four" along with My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle). I recently watched the film in Japanese to improve my recognition of Japanese words since I know each beat and line of the movie so well, but I found myself getting emotional at certain points. Not only did it remind me of simpler times when I used to watch

It seems like productivity has become the most valued thing in society and in our daily lives. We always have to look like we're keeping busy and cram our schedules with stuff that either needs to get done or just because we're so used to constantly doing something that we get anxious without it. Maximizing our time has become a big issue of not being able to live in the present by always looking towards what's next on the agenda. I'm not one to judge though. I do have a prob

I would not be surprised if almost everyone didn't battle with their body image. Most of the time, we're not even in our own bodies and only pay attention to it when there's something to criticize. I have to admit, after I had a child, I didn't consider my body mine anymore and a lot of the comments I received after I had a kid was a version of, "Wow! You really snapped back!" instead of my actual newborn. Of course, it's a compliment, but a part of me hated that it's the fir

Sisterhood has been something that I've really struggled with all my life. I always gravitated having more guy friends, and my relationships with women in the past have been messy and rocky. I don't think many of us are surprised to know that a lot of daughters have strained relationships with their mothers. I am not an exception. My mom and I were very close up until I was 16. Then she got a boyfriend, one who was an incredibly bad influence on her and that I created boundar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYUB3hruvDE&list=PLkQFNhNzetpGKzpj9tD8PJjeDhOS6u9QV&index=141 If the video comes up as unavailable, please try clicking on the link to take you directly to the video. I wanted to share a video featuring comedian Atsuko Okatsuka because she talks about a wide range of topics that have to do with well-being, including how she discovered to be more herself, the hardships of adjusting to life in America as an immigrant, her familial dynamic, and be