Sometime between millennials being labeled "lazy" and "entitled," and the growing trend of entrepreneurship, rest was out and hustle was in. Then, unsurprisingly, came the burnout epidemic. 

I saw a quote on Twitter the other day that said "Rest is not a reward. You don't have to earn rest. You need rest. You deserve rest. You are worthy of rest simply because you are a living being. And don't ever feel guilty for taking time to rest." As a millennial myself, and one that despises the lazy title, I found myself working until 2 or 3 am every night. I say "found" like it's past tense, and I have gotten better, but I'm still guilty of overworking myself pretty frequently. So this blog is as much for me as it is for you. 

But the truth is, you can't pour from an empty cup. We'll actually get more done if we let ourselves rest properly vs. trying to work incessantly without a break. Research has shown that with regular breaks, productivity actually increases and more is accomplished. 

Re...

Environment is everything. It impacts how we feel, the way we work, and even how productive we are. I've learned this the hard way: from a series of less than ideal living situations that negatively affected me in many ways, only to make me appreciate my current environment that much more. 

Let me take you back. After graduating from high school, I moved to the Twin Cities to attend a private college. Even though my roommates were amazing, living in such close quarters with 3 other girls in a big city, which has never been my thing anyway, was pretty terrible. Then I transferred schools and moved in with my boyfriend and his parents. He traveled most of the year, so at the time, it didn't make sense to pay on his own place when he was hardly there. Again, his parents were great, but that's no one's ideal situation. Next came a rental that was always meant to be short-term, even though it ended up being longer-term than we had planned. The common denominator with all these places? I co...

Mental health. Let's talk about it. I don't actually want to, but I feel like it needs to be done because I know others are feeling what I'm feeling, and I don't want you to feel like you're alone in this.

I don't have mental health issues because I'm an entrepreneur or because I have big aspirations, but they do exacerbate them. I've struggled with anxiety all my life. There was no name for it when I was little, I'd just have seemingly random tantrums for reasons my parents couldn't figure out and I couldn't find words for. I'd get overwhelmed and upset about things others typically wouldn't. It would often manifest as anger and we all just joked it was "that Italian temper." It was anxiety. All along, it was anxiety. 

As I've grown older, and dealt with hardships and trials just as everyone does, depression reared its ugly head. I didn't realize what it was at first because it's not like I was suicidal, but I couldn't sleep at night and then slept all day, I wasn't eating, drinking...