Hello lovely readers! As 2023 is coming to a close, this is a great time to start examining our health habits and honing in on the areas we can improve on. I find that starting this process early makes it more likely that we will stick to our new habits throughout the new year. I love to learn what tips and tricks others are doing to maximize their health, so I’m hoping I can offer you all some wellness inspiration that you can incorporate into your own lives. Each of these tips are straightforward and very simple to get started on. Read on for the 7 simple wellness hacks that I’m obsessed with right now that will create a healthier, happier you in 2024 (and the best part– most of them are completely free!)
1. Cold showers
Don’t underestimate the power of a cold shower! If this sounds like pure torture for you, don’t worry– it’s not as bad as it seems once you get used to it and the good news is, the whole duration of your shower doesn’t have to be cold in order for you to reap the benefits. I like to take my usual hot shower and then finish with freezing cold water at the end. I try to do between 30 seconds and 3 minutes of cold depending on how brave I’m feeling that day. The temporary discomfort is absolutely worth the myriad of powerful benefits that a cold shower will bring you. The benefits of a cold shower may include a boosted immune system, faster metabolism, improved symptoms of depression, reduced inflammation, pain relief, increased energy, stronger willpower, and more. This sounds like a pretty great trade-off for just a minute of being cold!
2. Facial massage
I recently discovered the facial massage trend and I’m obsessed. If you’re unfamiliar with facial massages, it’s simply using your hands or a tool to massage your face and neck to stimulate blood circulation, create a sculpting effect, decrease puffiness, and improve the skin’s overall appearance. Not only does it feel great, but after just a few sessions, my skin looked noticeably more glowy, dewey, and youthful. Facial massage has quickly become one of my favorite parts of my routine and is a great way to spruce up your skincare without spending any extra money.
3. Ice facial
Another skincare hack I’ve been loving is an ice facial. I practice ice facials by submerging my face into a bowl of ice water for 30-60 seconds. Similarly to the cold shower, an ice facial can offer incredible benefits for your skin, such as tightening, reducing redness and inflammation, and lymphatic drainage. It is a great way to depuff your face in the mornings and is also a lovely ritual to do before bed. I’ve also noticed that my makeup sets better after a quick lil facial icebath!
4. Walking after a meal
I absolutely love the ritual of walking after a meal, especially after eating a huge dinner. It’s such a nice way to slow down and spend some quality time with your family, or go solo and practice a moving meditation or prayer! One of the best parts of this routine is that it adds some extra time outside into your day, and in a culture where we spend 90% of our time inside, we need all the extra outdoor time that we can get. And of course, there are many benefits of walking after a meal, including improved digestion, reduced risk of heart disease, regulated blood sugar, weight loss, and better sleep. Plus it’s a great way to get you closer to your daily step goal.
5. Infrared sauna
This is the only potentially pricey item on this list, but trust me, the infrared sauna is worth the expense! I started utilizing an infrared sauna almost 2 years ago, and I’m such a big advocate for it that I’ve gotten all of my family and friends on board! Saunas are huge in other cultures and I’m hoping they will become more mainstream in the US because the health benefits are incredible. Benefits may include providing a detox for the body and flushing out toxins, weight loss, improved skin tone, improved cardiovascular health, pain relief, healing, boosted circulation, increased energy, and many more. There are many wellness spas now that offer infrared sauna sessions which is the best way to try them out, but my end goal is to build one in my house one day!
6. Drinking fresh-squeezed orange juice every morning
Drinking fresh orange juice every morning has become such an unexpected but lovely addition to my wellness routine. My local healthy grocery store has a juicer and it just squeezes the juice right out of the orange juice and voila– it produces some of the best orange juice I’ve ever had, free from any added sugar and junk. Orange juice in its pure form is an incredibly healthy drink and provides you with a nice healthy dose of vitamin C. Orange juice is rich in antioxidants and the benefits of drinking it may include improved heart health, boosted cognitive health, a stronger immune system, and decreased inflammation. I’ve noticed that it also gives my skin a healthy, youthful glow.
7. Practice gratitude
While this doesn’t directly contribute to your appearance, practicing gratitude is the most essential wellness tip I could ever give you. Not only does gratitude help you live longer, it also reduces depression, increases life satisfaction, lessens anxiety, relieves stress, and improves your sleep. I like to start each morning with gratitude and set an intention for the day, and then count my blessings as I fall asleep at night. Gratitude is a truly powerful practice and is an essential component to living a happy, well rounded life. If you only take away one key point from this list, take this one and I promise you, gratitude has the power to completely transform your life and the way you see the world. The benefits are endless.
Takeaways
Well there ya have 7 simple hacks for a healthier, happier you in 2024! These are just a few of my current favorite wellness tips and tricks that contribute to me living a healthy and happy life (and they help me look good while doing it. 😉 Most of the items on this list are free and are something that you can start doing today to live a healthier, happier life going into 2024. I hope you gained some inspiration from this post and walk away with some tangible ideas to add to your routine! Let me know in the comments what your wellness obsessions are right now, I would love to hear them! As always, thank you for reading and I’ll talk to you all again soon.
Xoxo Jensen
Hello babes! I am so excited for this blogpost because I have been diving deep into the topic of luxury lately and what it means to me. A few months ago, I began doing a life audit and decided that I want to live a luxurious lifestyle NOW. I was done waiting around for life to happen to me and telling myself that “once I achieve x, I’ll treat myself to y.” Nothing is promised in life, and there is no reason that we can’t start living abundantly right now. And no, loves, I’m not telling you to max out your credit cards and spend beyond your means to start living luxuriously. The truth is, luxury is so much more nuanced than we think and it is available to anyone and everyone, regardless of your financial situation. Read on for my seven tips on how you can start living a luxury lifestyle today on any budget.
1. Realize that luxury is a mindset
To start out, recognize that luxury is a mindset and means something different to each of us. If you want to live luxuriously, you have to define what exactly that means to you. You have to decide that you are going to live abundantly, and believe it or not, that mindset starts with gratitude for all of the blessings that you already have. Some of the things you want in life may not be within your reach right now, and that’s okay! Start by making a list of the steps you can take right now to get closer to your dream life. Now, take a step back and ask yourself which elements of luxury you can incorporate into your life now BEFORE you achieve x, y, and z. Maybe you finally book that vacation you’ve been wanting to take, or perhaps you light some candles, pour yourself a glass of red wine, and indulge in a bubble bath. Whatever the case may be, identify your priorities and take action, and I promise you there is something you can do to add luxury to your life today! Embracing a luxury mindset is the biggest way to achieve a luxury lifestyle on a budget.
2. Bring luxury into your home.
When it comes to luxury, I think we over-prioritize places and experiences outside of the home– first class flights, 5 star hotels and restaurants, etc. But the truth is, we are going to spend far more time at home than we do in those establishments, so shouldn’t we start there? The good news is, you can bring luxury into your home, whether you live in a 10,000 square foot mansion or a studio apartment. Some ways that you can bring luxury into your home are to make sure your home always smells amazing, swap out your fluorescent lights for something softer that really sets the mood, or invest in a piece of home decor that you truly love and feel proud of and that will last you for years to come.
3. Bring luxury into your routine.
Girl, give yourself permission to be extra! You have to jazz up and romanticize your life to truly achieve that luxurious feeling that we all crave! Take that extra 5 minutes and make yourself a delicious latte with whipped cream instead of your boring old keurig coffee. Sip it slowly out of your favorite mug while you set an intention for the day ahead. Slip into a silk robe, play some calming music, and light a candle while you do your nighttime skincare routine. Wear a matching set to the gym and throw on some mascara and lip gloss before you head out the door just to feel a little bit more glamorous. There are endless ways that you can bring luxury into your routine, get creative and get excited about it!
4. Spend time in luxurious, high-end places.
I find that many luxurious places have such an intoxicating energy that I just can’t get enough of! I feel inspired while I’m there, and I refuse to exclude myself from something that has such a positive effect on my wellbeing just because I may not have x amount of money in my bank account. For example, you may not be able to afford to stay at a $1,000 per night hotel, but that doesn’t mean it has to be off limits for you. Most hotels are open to the public. Get dressed up and go into your favorite boujee hotel for an espresso martini or a creme brulee– I guarantee you will feel the luxurious energy oozing into you. And it may just motivate you to work hard so that one day you can stay in places like this whenever you want. Don’t let fear or negative thinking hold you back from doing this. The key is to get into your luxury mindset and act like you belong because you do belong!
5. Declutter and get organized.
You may present yourself as a glamorous, elegant woman to the world, but if your life is a disorganized mess you are going to know it and you are not going to feel luxurious at all! Luxury is a state of mind and a big part of that is having a clean and organized home and lifestyle. There is nothing luxurious about clutter, honey. Go through your belongings and get rid of anything and everything that isn’t serving you. Your home is your sacred sanctuary, but it’s only going to feel that way if it is organized. This doesn’t mean you have to go full Marie Kondo and strive for perfection, but this is definitely something we should always be striving to improve on.
6. Take the time to get ready everyday.
I can’t stress how important this is. You deserve to feel your very best every single day, for you, and let’s face it, that’s not going to happen with your go-to gray sweatpants and messy bun uniform. This doesn’t mean you have to roll out the red carpet everyday, but you should absolutely be putting effort in and taking pride in your appearance on a daily basis. At the very least, do your skincare, make sure your hair is clean, and give yourself a spritz of your favorite perfume. Put on a clean, presentable outfit, even if it’s just something comfy– and I highly recommend investing in some nice loungewear for around the house! I guarantee you are going to feel so much better about yourself, you’re never going to want to go back to the old ways!
7. Understand that luxury is a lifestyle worth pursuing because you’re worth it.
You may need to do some inner healing and work to build your self-esteem back up. You are not going to give yourself a luxurious life if you hate yourself. Remember babe, we treat ourselves to the good life well because we love ourselves and we know that we deserve the best. You are going to have to stay strong in your self-love in the face of criticism, too, because unfortunately when others see us living our best lives, they can feel threatened and try to discourage us. If this is a lifestyle you want to achieve, don’t let the naysayers issuade you by making you feel silly, shallow, or materialistic. Anyone who acts that way is projecting their own insecurities onto you and their negativity isn’t worth a second of your time.
Final Thoughts
Thank you all for reading, loves. I hope you gained some inspiration from this post and are walking away with some very attainable ideas to incorporate luxury into your lifestyle, regardless of your budget. Pursuing luxury and abundance has changed my life and I only hope to help others do the same. Remember that life will always be full of mundane and unglamorous moments, but it is up to us to bring the luxury and the magic in. Let me know in the comments the ways that you live an abundant life! I would love to hear. 🙂
Until next time,
Jensen xoxo
Hello lovely readers! It’s been way too long since we last caught up. I’m here with a major life update. After spending nearly four years living in the peach state, we have decided to move on and have embarked on our next journey. We are staying with family in California at the moment. We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we are excited for this next chapter in our lives and are trusting in the Lord to guide us through the uncertainty. But what I can say for certain is that we have finally left Georgia for good!
It has been a really tough year for our family full of lots of ups and downs and disappointments. We have been humbled, challenged, and tested beyond anything we could have anticipated. We have actually been trying to leave Georgia for a long time (more on that in a future blog post) but were struggling to do so due to our careers and all of the not-so-fun logistics that come with adulthood.
As I am sitting here writing to you today, I am looking out at the Pacific Ocean and enjoying the lovely 73 degree breeze that is so specific to Southern California. It has been a few weeks since we left Georgia and while I can’t say for sure where we’re headed, right now, in this moment, I am just so grateful to be home in California. After spending the last four years as a transplant in a state I had never been to or had any prior connections to, the familiarity of being back in California feels like a warm hug from a long lost best friend. The smog, LA traffic, and insane gas prices don’t even phase me right now because I’m just so happy to be here!
While it can feel scary at moments to not know where we’re headed, we’re embracing this very unique season of being so untethered. For the first time since graduating from college, we have no lease or mortgage tying us down and no commitment that we have to be somewhere for. We are able to just be and take a moment to regroup and be nomads for a while. We have the rest of our lives to settle down, take on responsibilities, and establish roots, but right now we have the privilege of being able to dream and make a home out of wherever we lay our heads down at night. It feels good to be free.
I can’t tell you how fulfilling it feels to be writing again and allowing myself to dream about what I truly want out of life and my career. I have spent the year hustling and bustling in corporate America, and unfortunately that meant that my writing and my website have taken a backseat role, but I’m back and am committed to building this into something beautiful and meaningful. I also created a new instagram account @jetsetjeni that will be fully dedicated to all things travel and lifestyle. I am excited to grow that account and see where we end up!
If you’re still here, I appreciate you and can’t wait to venture into this next step together.
Xoxo,
Jensen
College is undoubtedly a privilege and a time in life that is unlike any other. Maybe you’ve been having the time of your life in college and are struggling to come to terms with it ending. Or maybe college has been difficult for you and you’re counting down the days until you get to walk across the stage. Chances are, you’re somewhere in between. Whatever the case may be, the transition from college into the real world is a big one and it can certainly feel daunting. Read on for six tips that will help you make this transition as smoothly as possible.
1. Utilize your school’s career center
Most colleges have a career center and career counselors that are available for their students for free. This is a great resource and something you will not have immediate access to anymore after you graduate. Take advantage of it! Whether you need help with choosing a career path, fixing your resume, preparing for an interview, or submitting graduate school applications, the career center is there for you.
2. Make sure your LinkedIn is up to date
Now is the time to spend less time on TikTok and more time on LinkedIn. Many jobs nowadays ask for your LinkedIn profile when you apply. It’s a good idea to make sure it’s up to date and is painting you in the best light possible. Make sure you have a professional headshot done for your profile picture. You’ll also want to write a strong bio to share your skillset and what you are interested in doing. Go on LinkedIn every few days and add people that you know or are interested in working with. LinkedIn has thousands of job postings, so it’s a good idea to check out the ones in your field to get an idea of what is out there.
3. Get a letter of recommendation from your favorite professor
Do you have a professor whose class you particularly excelled in? Did you have an on campus job where you formed a good relationship with your supervisor? Start thinking about the faculty on campus who have seen you at your best and can speak to your value and what you could contribute to a job or a graduate school. It’s a good idea to ask for a letter of recommendation before you leave because faculty can be difficult to get ahold of once you graduate. Even if you don’t yet know where you’ll be applying, it’s always helpful to have a general letter of recommendation on hand.
4. Reach out to people who have been in your shoes
The transition from college to the real world is scary and intimidating for just about everyone, especially as we are navigating these unprecedented times. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Start reaching out to people who have been in your shoes and ask them for their advice. If you have some friends who are a couple years older than you who have landed great jobs, ask them how they did it and to share their advice with you. Ask them if they made any mistakes and what they would have done differently. Reach out to your family members as well. Remember that you have a lot of people in your circle who want to help you and share their wisdom with you.
5. Make a clear list of your goals
A lot of people leave college with no clear next steps. Many choose to move back home with their parents while they figure things out. Others want to go out on their own right away and dread the thought of moving back home. Identify what your goals and expectations are for yourself. Do you want to move back home and save money to buy a house? Do you want to move temporarily until you get a job? It is important to have clear goals so that you don’t end up in a rut. It is not uncommon for people to think they’re only moving back home for the summer and end up still living with their parents 5 years later. Don’t let this be you. Set timelines for yourself and have the discipline to stick to them. It’s okay to take a little time off to travel or spend time with your family, but you should know what your general plan is and when you would like to be financially independent.
6. Take time to reflect
Think back to the person you were when you first started college and how much you’ve changed since then. Be proud of yourself and how far you’ve come. Think about the friendships you’ve made and which ones are important to you. Many of our college friendships will fade as we go our separate ways, but other ones can last a lifetime if you put in the work. Identify who matters the most to you and prioritize staying close to them, even if you end up living thousands of miles away. Take the time to reflect on who has had the most influence on you during this transition time. One great way to do this is with a gratitude journal. Make sure to reach out to your mentors and tell them thank you. Tell them about how they positively changed your life. They will appreciate you taking the time to tell them this and may even be able to help you find a job in the future.
Conclusion
The transition from college to the real world is intimidating for everyone. It’s always important to remember that you’re not alone and it’s okay to embrace this period of uncertainty and change. It’s okay if you don’t know exactly where you’re headed yet. Just make sure you take the time to acknowledge this huge achievement you just accomplished. Have gratitude for the opportunities you’ve been given, and keep moving forward one day at a time.
Note: I have included a few affiliate links on this post, and I may receive a small compensation if you purchase any of the items mentioned using my links.