Let’s talk napping!

Are you a napper? I never have been and am always jealous of those who can magically go to dreamland whenever and wherever their head hits the pillow. In fact, now that I think about it, the only time I ever sleep during the day is if I’m sidelined by the flu or some other annoying illness. My cousin Mona, on the other hand, is a Master Napper (and yes, I just coined that awesome phrase…). She can catch some Zzzzzz in the middle of the afternoon and wake up totally refreshed. I’m beginning to think that there’s some sort of art to napping — or at the very least, I never inherited the napping gene.

But! We’ve heard for years that napping is good for us. “The United States appears to be becoming more and more sleep deprived,” according to the National Sleep Foundation. “And it may be our busy lifestyle that keeps us from napping. While naps do not necessarily make up for inadequate or poor quality nighttime sleep, a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance.”

Still not convinced? Maybe these six nap facts will help…

*There are three basic nap styles: Planned napping, emergency napping and habitual napping.

*Naps are most beneficial when they’re taken with intention. You choose the nap. The nap does not choose you.

*Short naps can be just as effective and rejuvenating as longer ones.

*Research has shown that the Ultra-Short Sleep Episode (just SIX minutes long!) aids our ability to recall facts and knowledge.

*Some companies, realizing the benefits of napping, have even begun to set up “sleep spaces” to allow workers to take a nap on the job. For example, MetroNaps has installed sleeping pods for companies like Google and Huffington Post.

*And, sorry, coffee lovers: Research has shown that naps are better than caffeine when it comes to improving verbal memory, motor skills and perceptual learning!

Well, are you sleepy yet, friends? Are you a napper? What kind are you? Any napping rituals — or are those not even a thing? Enlighten this napping newbie, please! HAHA! xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

One simple tip for journaling

What are you journaling about these days, friends? Sometimes, I swear I was a historian in a past life. Back in the day when I kept a journal the old-fashioned way, I was obsessed with sharing every single little detail. What restaurants we went to. What I ordered. What hotels we stayed at while on vacation. How many of said hotels had indoor pools.

In fact, it sort of became a running joke in my family. Anytime my mom was trying to remember something, she’d say, “Melissa, check your journal for me!”

Well, it looks like I’m ahead of a trend! It looks like those mundane moments aren’t so mundane after all, according to new research from Harvard Business School. Ting Zhang, a doctoral candidate and lead author of the four-part study published in Psychological Science, looked at the inherent “unexpected value of rediscovery.” She took 135 undergraduates and had them create time capsules, full of things like their most recent conversation, their most recent social outing, three songs they had just listened to, a photo they had recently taken and a recent Facebook status they had posted. The students also rated how interested they thought they’d be about seeing this time capsule in the future — the average rating was a three out of seven. Fast-forward three months, and the students answer the same question before opening their time capsules — the average had jumped to a 4.34.

The Atlantic writer Cody C. Delistraty put this theory to the test during a family car trip over the holidays. His plan of attack was perfect…

I had five days with my family over Christmas and each day I spent 10 minutes writing about what we had done—what I had seen, eaten, touched, and smelled—and then collected an object to mark the day. When we went to the movies I brought home my ticket stub. When we went to a seafood restaurant I brought home a dolphin figurine that came with our bill. After we opened gifts on Christmas morning, I saved a swatch of wrapping paper to remember not just the gifts but the pleasure of opening them.

I also love how he describes these seemingly mundane events becoming part of his identity — something that he will carry with him long after he’s thrown away the mementos from those mundane days…

Surely, I will throw these items away some time or another. I can’t hoard trinkets forever. But I want to wait to revisit them after I have forgotten the moments they represent. Within the year my grandparents will likely move to an assisted living home. My father, brother, and I will no longer make the cross-state car trip. I won’t see Tuesday morning movies featuring “Cary” and “Bogey” at the Galaxy Multiplex with my grandparents. The family won’t sit around in the living room eating cinnamon rolls and talking while my grandfather adjusts his hearing aid and tells everyone to quiet down when Meet the Press comes on.

YES!! This is definitely one of the 65621551845 things I love about blogging. Even blogging about those little things is an act of making a memory, you know? It’s creating something that I can look back on years from now and think, “Wow, it feels like that was only yesterday!”

Do you do something like this in your own life, friends? Scrapbooking is another activity that comes to mind as a good way of capturing life’s mundane magic! Get out there and start creating, friends! xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

Tip: 10 Things You Don’t Owe Anyone

Let’s face it: We live in a “yes” culture. A “should” culture, if you will. “No” is a horrible word, something we must never, ever utter — we must never say it to people for fear of a heavy dose of side-eye and possible whispers or gossip.

But that sort of life can end up being exhausting, can’t it? Before you know it, you’re saying “yes” so often that you feel like you’re living life on auto-pilot — or at the very least, you feel like the Energizer bunny who is merely going through the motions. In a word: It’s most definitely not fun. And in no way is it any sort of way to live. Because in trying to be everything to everyone, you’ve neglected the person who’s most important…

YOU.

You’re putting yourself last in everything, and honestly, it’s not fair — to you or anyone. Now, this isn’t to say that you should neglect your obligations or the people around you. I’ll be the first to say that there are just some things you have to do in life — paying bills is one that comes to mind, for examples — but other things? Well, there are some things you just don’t owe anyone. Period. Here are 10 of my favorites…

1. How close you are with your family: There’s nothing better than being surrounded by the ones you love, so why should that be something you have to apologize for or explain?

2. Where you are in your career: Now, assuming you’re not involved in any sort of illegal activity or job, if you love your job, embrace it. Life is too short to be doing something you hate for eight hours a day.

3. Why you’re single, divorced, don’t have kids, etc.: You know the awkward question — the one that inevitably comes up at every family get together and makes you blush about a million shades of red. Well, STOP blushing! Hold your head high and be proud of where you are because that’s all that really matters in the end.

4. Your choice of music: Case in point — I’ve been on a country kick for the last few years. My mom and sister constantly tease me about it. Do I care? Heck no — I just turn up the music!! :)

5. Your priorities in life: So maybe some of your friends have aspirations of moving to Europe and go on grand adventures. But your biggest goal right now is just to enjoy each day and be happy. Don’t ever give anyone the power to make you feel like your dream matters any less.

6. Your introvert personality: I’ve never been the type who loves to go out on a Friday night; I’d much rather enjoy a quiet night in. And that’s OK. I simply like a lot of alone time, while others I know would much rather spend their time around people.

7. Your scars: These could be both literal and metaphorical. I have a constellation of surgical scars and I’ve learned to embrace them; they’re nothing to be ashamed of and have helped me become the person I am today.

8. An apology for your singing voice: Enter that karaoke contest, even if it’s just for fun, and sing loud and proud!

9. Saying “It’s OK” when it’s really not: If someone hurt your feelings, it’s OK to say so and not back peddle. I can be easy to just brush things off to avoid conflict, but that doesn’t really solve anything in the long run, does it?

10. Having the second piece of pie: Everyone should be able to experience the wonderful goodness that is pie. Fully and without judgment.

Anything you’d add to this list, friends? Have you ever had that “Ah-ha!” moment when you realize you don’t owe anyone an explanation? How did it make you feel? Freeing? I’d love to hear! xoxo

P.S. 10 (fun!) things it’s OK to obsess over, 10 reasons your thirties is your breakout decade and 10 upsides of the common cold. :)

[Photos via We Heart It]

Tip: 10 ways to enjoy a snow day as an adult

Remember when you were a kid and you’d sit around the radio or TV during a blizzard? You’d cross fingers and wish with all your might for a snow day. And then the big announcement would finally come.

No school for you! You’ve got the day off — a lovely unexpected treat — and you’ve got absolutely nothing planned. The whole day stretches before you with visions of wild abandon coming clearer into focus.

The real world (read: adulthood), though, rarely offers those sorts of surprises. We’re so used to having every single minute of our day planned out, plotted and strategized that we’re sometimes rendered helpless when an unplanned day off does present itself. We may even be left speechless. What are we to do? How shall we pass the time? We have to be productive, don’t we? We have to be responsible, right? That would certainly be the most logical thing to do.

Well, if you ask me, snow days aren’t meant to be logical. And I suppose I should know. My mom’s been home for the last two days, on account of the winter weather barreling through the Midwest, and truth be told, it’s been sort of fun living vicariously through her. It’s taken me back to my elementary school days of fun times at home watching the snow fall outside my window and listening to the fierce wind howling at night. Plus, I realized something: You can have fun on a snow day. At. Any. Age. Based on my own scientific research (wink..wink) over the last few days, here are 10 ways to enjoy the day off as an adult…

1. Bake something warm and winter-appropriate, like cookies or chili — and then cozy up by the fire in the evening to enjoy it!


2. Binge-watch TONS of shows on your Netflix queue — we’ve been binge-watching The Big Bang Theory and catching up on Downton Abbey.


3. Rock out to some ’70s rock on Pandora and smile right back if you spot the neighbors giving you a strange look.


4. Play a competitive game of Yahtzee — remember, take NO prisoners!


5. Slum it in your favorite oversized sweater and comfy socks — in desperate times, warmth trumps style, remember?


6. Take picture of the Arctic Tundra outside — we did this last year, and it’s fun to have photographic proof of your adventures!


7. Do some retail damage — online, obviously, since you’re practically trapped by Mother Nature!


8. Take a cat nap — Harry and Stella have mastered it, so I’m taking my cue from them.


9. Read that stack of magazines on the coffee table — that counts as cleaning, doesn’t it?


10. Spend the afternoon chatting with an old friend, just like you did in high school.

What would you add to the list, friends? When was the last time you had a “snow day”? Go ahead and take one the next time the weather gets bad. I dare you — after all, you certainly deserve it! xoxo

P.S. 5 essentials of the perfect staycation and 10 upsides of the common cold. :)

[Photos via We Heart It]

Tip: 10 upsides of the common cold

My mom gave me a nice little gift a couple days ago. And, as I’m quickly learning, it’s the kind of gift that just keeps on giving. It started in the form of an itchy throat, and before I knew it, my throat was on fire and my nose was all sorts of stuffy! Thanks, Ms. Bear!

So I’m taking it easy today and letting my body recharge itself. But while I do, I got to thinking about all the upsides of being semi-sidelined by a cold. Here are my top 10…

1. Sleeping as long as you want. In the middle of the week, no less. 

2. Watching shows on your DVR and not having to feel the least bit guilty about it. 

3. Having to keep up your fluids. Translation: Any type of soda pop is fair game. 

4. Ice cream to soothe your throat. Enough said. 

5. Wrapping yourself in warm and cozy blankets. 

6. Getting to read magazines all day and calling it medicine. 

7. Putting your phone down. For once, it’s not chained to your hip. 

8. Three words: PJs. All. Day. 

9. Comfort food for when you start to feel better. I’m thinking macaroni and cheese! 

10. Knowing that you’ll start to feel better as the days go on. It’s all about positivity, people — or at the very least, trying to stay positive.

To my fellow cold sufferers out there… hope you’re feeling better! Any cold remedies you swear by? What’s worked the best for you in the past?

P.S. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a warm bed and a regular pop calling my name… :)