happiness – jordana lee bennett

Simple Ways to Spend Quality Time Together

I always see cute date night ideas on Pinterest, but so many of those require money or living in a bigger metropolitan area than we do. It’s easy to feel like you have to have more money to have a good time, which isn’t true. We decided this weekend that we’re not going to do the same routine: Friday night dinner date, Saturday errand running, Sunday cleaning. We still did those things, but found new ways to throw in some quality time together.

When you’ve been with your partner for most (or all) of your adult life, it’s so easy to fall into a routine. We spend more time together than ever before: we’re 300 miles away from most of our friends and family, and we finally both have a standard work schedule. But we’re both definitely guilty of spending that time together sitting on our phones, watching TV, or bickering because both of us feel the other person isn’t listening. When we were younger, we almost always had opposite school and work schedules and the time we spent together was precious. I always see cute date night ideas on Pinterest, but so many of those require money or living in a bigger metropolitan area than we do. It’s easy to feel like you have to have more money to have a good time, which isn’t true. We decided this weekend that we’re not going to do the same routine: Friday night dinner date, Saturday errand-running, Sunday cleaning. We still did those things, but found new ways to throw in some quality time together. Continue reading “Simple Ways to Spend Quality Time Together”

Fifteen of My Favorite Feelings (As Told by My Instagram Feed)

1. When I wake up too early on a Sunday, but there’s soft light filtering through the blinds, so I get up to watch the sunrise, drink coffee, and listen to the silence before the rest of the world wakes up.

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25 Goals for My 25th Year

Last night, my husband and I were discussing our future. (Casual, I know.) He suggested we each make lists of goals we want to accomplish within the next ten years. Not going to lie, the idea of that freaks me out. Ten years is such an intimidatingly long time. And the idea of writing down things like, “buy a house” or “have babies” gives me much more anxiety the older I get. But since my birthday is a little less than two weeks away, I figured setting mini goals for my 25th year of life wouldn’t be the worst idea. I started my quarter-life crisis at 24 so I’m hoping turning 25 will be slightly more graceful.

The most random blog post you’ll probably ever read.

So, elephant in the room: it’s been awhile…

I’ve noticed I do this thing where if my life isn’t going well, I shut down. I’ve heard of fitness bloggers or people who are dieting that do something similar when they have a bad week. They fall off the wagon, don’t workout for a week, splurge on pizza, and feel like giving up on their diet altogether. I take that to an extreme. If everything in my life isn’t going well, the voice in my head decides, “Screw it. Why bother chasing any dreams at all? Oh, you don’t have your dream job yet? Forget your diet or travel plans. You feel behind in life? What’s the point of finishing this book you’ve been wanting to read for months? Don’t write in your journal. Don’t blog. You have nothing worth writing about anyway.” It snowballs. The longer I wait to workout or write in my journal, the longer it goes on.

Negative thoughts and actions are contagious. But so are positive ones. Continue reading “The most random blog post you’ll probably ever read.”

I am my mother’s daughter.

In honor of my mom visiting this weekend, I thought I’d reflect on the life lessons I’ve learned from her in my life so far. It’s funny how things we learned in childhood become stronger as we get older. I appreciate everything my parents did to shape me now more than ever before. I am my mother’s daughter and proud of it. The following are the most important lessons I’ve picked up from her: Continue reading “I am my mother’s daughter.”

How I Stay Positive

Let me say right off the bat that I can only speak about my own experiences. I’m not a fan of articles with lists that tell people how to BE happy, as if there were some magical formula for happiness. I’m not here to preach religion or exercise or some new age book that you need to go out and buy. This is what works for me. If anything, this post is more for me, because sometimes I forget how to be happy. I’ve struggled with mild to moderate depression and anxiety since I was thirteen. Continue reading “How I Stay Positive”