It’s not unusual

Usually, it begins with a spurt of texts sent over to my best friend (all in caps, packed with non-verbal screams, sent with confetti for that extra pizazz). Usually, I spend the morning staring at my closet, as if the perfect birthday-night-out look will just come together itself. Usually, she rolls up into my driveway with Ariana Grande oozing out of the car speakers, as we yell at each other in the street complimenting each others’ outfits. Usually, we hit 3 (maybe 4, if we’re feeling extra saucy) restaurants in one evening, stopping in-between to grab some content for the feed. Usually, even after we’ve established that we’ve both had our fill, we stop at Starbucks on the way home. (Venti refreshers, always.)

Unfortunately, as we’ve been reminded over and over again, this is not like any other year. This is no “usual” September 23. This will be the first time in years that I won’t be able to celebrate my best friend in-person. And it stings a little bit.

Okay, a lot a bit. 

Ain’t no crying in the club

But we’re not gonna let this bring us down! We’re here to vibe, party, and toast to the absolute gem of a human being that is my best friend. How lucky am I to be in your orbit. 

So here’s a spunky mix dedicated to my bes fren, my hypewoman, my main! These are tracks that remind me of her, mark special moments in our lives, or are bops that I know I would’ve queued up in the car on the way into the city.  

Sound on & celebrate! Luh you, main.

Maybe you’ve got your favourite feel-good outfit on, are having the greatest good hair day of all good hair days, (and/) or have just caught a glimpse of yourself in the hallway mirror and let me tell you—you’ve got it so flaunt it!

Ain’t there no shame in any of it. That’s right, so go ahead and check yourself out again because this is the type of energy that you deserve to feel every day. 

Sound on & strut. 

There you are, just trying to mind your own business, and then your own body has to go and betray you like this? Rude. 

And just like that, it hits you like a semi-truck on the highway. Everything sucks. You’re bloated, breaking out, and incredibly emotionally distraught when it comes to the most minuscule of matters. mmHMM. You know how it is. You wanna laugh and cry and scream until you go numb and nothing can hurt you anymore.

Not to forget about the inherent NEED to eat everything in the world until you either: 

(A) Feel even worse (because that’s possible, apparently),

OR 

(B) Remember that you shouldn’t be putting all of this garbage into your body, so you slow it down until you remember that you can do whatever the heck you want and subsequently reopen that bag of chips.

We don’t judge around here.

So, to celebrate moon day here’s a mix that’ll reciprocate every sad, angry, and apocalyptic feeling that you’ve got boiling up in you right now. May you eat all of the chocolate that your heart desires. 

Sound up & hot-water bottle on.

I don’t know about you, but that’s what my disintegrating sleep schedule has been like during this final stretch of the semester. I mean, I haven’t travelled anywhere out of the 10km radius of my house for the past couple of days but I’m walking around like I’m jet-lagged. 

Thank you, term papers.

And hear me out, waking up is hard. Getting up while it’s still dark outside seems counterintuitive, my body clock believes otherwise, and it doesn’t seem fair to trade your warm bed for the cold touch of the bathroom floor. I did not sign up for this. 

But alas, another day, another morning. 

So here’s a playlist to ease your delicate self out of bed and into the world that seems to be throwing everything at you as of late. 

Sound on & wake up slow. 

I can see it now—walking down the street with your shoulders scrunched up to your ears, hands shoved all the way into the depths of your pockets (because you’re too cool or forgetful for gloves even though that sounds like such a good idea right about now), while the wind slides into your coat and goosebumps start to envelop your entire warmth-ridden body.

Geez, I had to slip on another sweater just while writing that. 

So here are some tracks to warm you up and give you that cosy feeling, no matter how cold it is outside. *Cue movie montage of you walking along a city street on a chilly evening, playlist on in the background.* 

Sound on & bundle up. 

And by “good cry”, I’m talking chest-heaving-tears-streaming-unable-to-form-coherent-sentences kind of cry. 

Maybe you’re so overwhelmed with everything on your plate that you don’t even know where to start, maybe someone’s done you dirty, or maybe you’re just emotional for no reason. Because, same. 

There’s just something about the catharsis that you get from shedding a few tears. As if once I’ve let it out, I can brush myself off and move on. I hope you can feel the same. 

So press play and let’s get in our feelings together.

It happens to me now and then—I crave listening to some music, yet nothing feels right. Nothing hits hard. Everything sounds, for a lack of better words, bland. 

Sometimes you just need to spice it up, and what better way to add a little oomph to your daily listening than with some remixes? 

So here’s a funky mix that’ll prick up your ears, catch you by surprise, and give you that music-fix you’ve been craving. 

Sound on and switch up. 

ADDITIONAL FACT: I look forward to working out. 

I know, I can’t believe it either. 

I BE UP IN THE GYM, JUST WORKIN’ ON MY FITNESS

Awhile back, working out would’ve been completely out of the question. Nothing would have been more off-brand. But, after factoring in an over-indulgent, food-tripping summer, a consistent need to get out of the house, and the residual effects of the freshman fifteen, I needed the gym. 

Yet, while I came for that, that’s not why I stayed. 

It’s something about the feeling it gives you—the brain break, the catharsis, the validation that you’re doing something good for your body. 

And as I’ve come to learn, sometimes, you just need to sweat it out. 

So throw that hair up, slip on those runners, and turn up these tunes!

Let’s get to werk. 

Payday is that one day of the (bi)week(ly pay period) that you are financially revitalized and feeling ~fine~. No matter how much green comes in, you’re on that Wolf of Wall Street high. 

Suddenly, money is no object, your wallet is just begging to be opened, and an echo of “treat yourself” can be heard in the distance. 

And then reality kicks in and you realize that that would ultimately be a bad decision, so you put it aside for a rainy day. Not before splurging on that $7 iced coffee, of course. 

So to anyone working that nine-to-five, taking advantage of that over-time, or putting in those hours after school, here’s to you! 

Sound on & spend wisely. 

• Extreme sleep loss
• Overbooked schedules (which you tend to forget the contents of, so praise be for push notifications)
• Accidentally skipping meals proceeded by overeating as compensation
• Remaining within a close radius to any caffeine purveyor
• Sudden weight gain
• Sudden weight loss
• Consistently high stress levels
• Symptoms that may be related to an oncoming cold (which you try to convince yourself are not cold-related because you don’t have time for that)

If so, you may be overworked, overwhelmed, and in need of a mental break.

That makes two of us. 

STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED

Whether it be because you’re knee-deep into midterm season, covering extra shifts to grow that bank account, or slammed with chores to do around the house—let’s hear it for the people who are out here trying to get the job done!

Sure, maybe you’re not (nearly) done with what you’d like to accomplish yet, but you’re putting in the work. And at times, that can be more than enough. 

I DON’T KNOW WHO NEEDS TO HEAR THIS, BUT IT’S OKAY TO CALL IT A DAY

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way encouraging you to quit. But, I am encouraging you to take a break. After all, we can’t do our best, if we’re not at our best. 

Believe it or not, this is an invite to clock out at a reasonable hour, put your feet up, and finally get that good night’s sleep you’ve been dreaming about. 

Hit refresh on you because we’re about to get back in the game, and this time, we’re gonna feel better than ever. 

So press play and let’s level up from rattled to recharged.