365 Days of Gratitude

November 26, 2018 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration

Exactly a year ago I nervously hovered my cursor over the “publish” button, eventually mustering up the courage to finally unveil this blog of mine. After years of using writing to heal and capture memories, feelings, and thoughts, I realized that a lot of my emotional battles would have been less destructive had I felt like I wasn’t alone in my experiences. I felt ready to be completely vulnerable, letting my heart and mind be an open book, with the hope that even one person would feel more connected in this overwhelming world as they resonated with the feelings I expressed.

Within just the first 36 hours, I had over 200 views, and a tremendous amount of love and support filling up all communication outlets. I couldn’t believe it; here I was, putting my most raw self out into the public eye, and what came back was the strongest feeling of care and belonging that I had ever sensed. And for that, I am indescribably grateful. From that moment on, no matter how low of a day I had, or how invisible I perceived myself to be, I could not ignore the amount of genuine love that still existed around me, even if it remained tucked away in secret crevasses of people’s hearts. While my goal with this blog is to inspire others, I am completely indebted to everyone who reads these words that I sputter out and to everyone who has encouraged me and unwaveringly stood by my side. Without such an amazing network of souls, I would never have been, nor would I remain, inspired to pursue my endeavors.

In honor of this one-year mark, as well as the season of gratitude, I wanted to share my appreciation and urge you all to reflect on your own sources of gratitude. So much of this journey has revolved around being my most honest identity, learning to accept all aspects of myself and recognizing the people in my life who embrace me unconditionally. With that in mind, I wanted to focus this post on emphasizing how important it is to live authentically, and how when you guide your life from the purest form of yourself, you magnetize so much genuine love and positivity. It is okay to be scared and to feel uncertain, but being truthful about these feelings allows you to seek and welcome whatever it might be that will make life a little easier and happier.

Sometimes the world can be daunting, the uncertain future anxiety inducing. There will be times where it is hard to smile, or you can’t quite peg what is getting you in a funk. We are human. But humans need connection, and despite every ounce of your being telling you that it is best to just hole yourself up and remain isolated for a while, keep in mind that there are people near you who either have felt your feelings, or are currently feeling the same way, and that they can help you through. It is beginning to be the time of year where traditions and family gatherings are at the forefront, and whether you end up expressing your appreciation or not (though I highly encourage vocalizing your thoughts!), reflect on how those close to you have impacted you as an individual, and how your presence has affected them in return. Maybe the person who has had a large influencing in shaping you isn’t even very directly active in your life, maybe it was some tough criticism that helped spark your now positively-attributed personality, or maybe you are fortunate to always have been filled with a loving warmth. Whatever it is, positive or negative, try to find the silver lining, give thanks, and appreciate all of what makes you uniquely you.

Don’t be afraid to let the walls of your heart down, to be honest with your thoughts and share them with others, and to acknowledge all of your experiences that have brought you to this position you currently find yourself in! Happy Monday, wishing everyone a week full of gratitude and light! Words cannot express how grateful I am to have such incredible support and such loyal readers!

What I’ve Learned About Love (+ Things Related to It)

February 02, 2018 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration

Happy February! In honor of it being the month of love, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss a few of the insights I’ve gained in the relatively short twenty years that I have been a part of this world. I feel like naturally February is associated with the romantic love that comes with being in a relationship, but there are so many other forms of love that deserve recognition too! Today’s culture has cultivated this trend of looking forward to Valentine’s Day if you are in a steady partnership, while the rest of the world holds feelings of bitterness and makes self-deprecating jokes about loneliness, but I am here to encourage us all to embrace love generally no matter the time of year.

1. Loved Ones Deserve Love – Since coming to college, I have realized that loved ones, like family members, often serve as our emotional bounce board since we take their love for granted. They are often the ones we feel so safe with, that we dump all of our negativity, rants, stress, etc. on them. Usually, it isn’t under after we’ve cooled down and recovered from whatever situation we were dealing with, that we realize the majority of our time talking to our beloved was spent hashing out everything but what should have been the focus of the conversation. Moral of the story here: although it is healthy to express your emotions in a safe space, remember to reach out to loved ones during times when its not just because you need a shoulder to lean and cry on. Express your appreciation and love for those that are close to you, and challenge yourself to reach out to people just to see how their days are or discuss something that is making life great at the moment!

2. Love Can Heal The Wounds It Causes – Referring back to the various levels of love, sometimes we find ourselves in a position where the love we had for someone is forced to retreat into the cavities of our hearts as we are no longer able to love that person in the capacity that we previously did. These instances can often make their mark by leaving a substantial scar on our hearts, which then arouses many questions, feelings of doubt and paranoia, and potentially, deep pain and sadness. However, unlike salt, if we add love from other areas of life to the wound that love itself created, we find that new happiness and growth appears in our lives. Self-love, love from family and friends, and healing love energies from nature can all help to not only mend a gash of love, but to also thrive and blossom into more loving, powerful, and tuned-in individuals. Moral of the story here: love isn’t easy, it can inflict just as much pain as it can intense comfort, but the important thing to keep in mind is that love is everywhere. There is not ever just one sole source of love, so there should never be a lack of healing love to act as a cure for times when you are searching for the antidote to heartache.

3. Love is Ever-Present – Like I said above, love is everywhere and in everything. Sometimes though, our love levels vary, not just for different things, but for one thing in particular. I think this most strongly applies to self-love, where one minute we are feeling good and empowered, and the next we are beating ourselves up over something. It is in these times, when we feel defeated and feel a bit lack luster in our outflow of love for something, be it ourselves or a life passion, that we must keep in mind that just because we don’t feel the same strong intensity of love that we have felt before, doesn’t mean that there is no love left. Sometimes outside factors or unnamable forces drain our current love (along with other emotions!) and we find ourselves in a funk. This does not mean that for instance, if you are an English major you should go rethink your entire life the second you just aren’t feeling motivated to write an essay! Instances of low love and deficient motivation only mean that we need to sow and tend to the flame of love that still burns within us, regardless if it is currently very dim. Moral of the story: as humans, our existence is reliant on the presence of love and we always have it coursing through us even in the times when it feels absent. Essentially, we need to remember to take a few steps back and listen to our souls in an effort to get an accurate census of our fluctuating feelings.

I know I am still a student of this Earth and that I still have a multitude of lessons to learn in my lifetime, but I hope that these small pieces on love have either resonated with you, provided you with some insight, or at least inspired you to continue to spread love. This month, I challenge you to elevate your love and reach out to an old friend or someone you appreciate, give a stranger a compliment, dedicate time to enriching yourself, or partaking in some sort of gratitude/love practice that you do not already consistently do in your everyday routines. Remember that the love you pour out into the world will be returned to you! Here’s to a fresh month dedicated to the driving force of our universe!

Emphasizing Expression

December 20, 2017 by Alannah Paren in Inspiration

One of my favorite quotes comes from Maya Angelou who once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” During this time of the year that has a large focus on gift-giving, I wanted to recognize the fact that it is important to “give” in a sense all year long, and that one of the best ways to do so is through expression. This means actively expressing your feelings for those around you, reminding people that they are loved for and appreciated.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco, CA // April 2017

I think that a lot goes unsaid in our daily lives. For instance, we might really like someone’s style or really enjoy talking to someone, but we don’t always vocalize these feelings, leaving them as unappreciated thoughts. However, if we were able to acknowledge our thoughts and let people know how loved and respected they were, not only would they benefit in multiple ways, but we would benefit by opening up our own doors to positive energy. It is a natural tendency for people to be concerned with how they are being perceived by others, and I am sure we have all wondered at one point what someone else thought of us. In an effort to move towards a more accepting and loving universe, it is important that we begin to manifest our feelings into words and openly express them. This leads to people feeling more content as they receive the acknowledgement that plays an important role in our souls’ wellness.

It is unfortunate that most of the time, the things that we think to say are usually when we are in opposition to something, or strongly dislike a certain aspect, leaving the things we feel as positives as mere individual contentment without putting it out in the world. While you can still voice your opinions when you feel like something should be changed, we should try to match our adverse comments with an equal amount of positive comments about things. So the next time you find that you are thinking to yourself how great someone is or how much something meant to you, try to formulate your feelings to words and share them with the person that they apply to. Complimenting people and making your appreciation known is one of the most meaningful (and easiest!) practices we can do as individuals, and they often have a larger effect than material gifts. Letting people know how you feel when you have the chance is an opportunity that should never be passed up. Happy Holidays! Make sure to be in the present and let the people around you know how much they are cared for!