Kaizen with Krystal

Look no further. Standing six feet away from my friend at his family-owned horticulture shop, he asked me if I picked up any new hobbies during our shelter-at-home order. I ruminated and said, “no.” “Really?” his tone and expression revealed surprised.   I told him I was spending my time doing more of the things I love like reading, doing yoga, running and writing this blog.  Indeed, many people have taken this time to reconnect to old hobbies. Others discover new ones.  a reminder to practice self-compassion ARE YOU LIVING THE LIFE YOU ENVISIONED? (ME NEITHER.) In the early days of the pandemic, my eyes were glued to the screen, turning my brain into mush.  Don’t get me wrong – I still indulge in the occasional binge-session ( Never Have I Ever 's second season needs to come yesterday).  But after 30 days and 30 nights as a bona-fide couch potato, I began questioning how my habits were forming my days.  Was I really spending my time the...

I never understood the power of a morning routine until my late 20s. Does this sound familiar? Your alarm rings. Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. It’s 9 already. You have class (or somewhere to be) in one hour. 9:20. Up and in the shower. 9:30 struggle with getting dressed. Now it’s 9:40 and it takes 15 minutes to get to school and an additional 10 to look for parking plus 10-15 minutes to walk. Okay seriously it’s 9:45 and now you’re late. You didn’t even have breakfast or coffee before you’re catapulted into your day. HUMAN TORNADO ALERT The morning struggle was real. A series of chaos and anxiety tornado-ing around my home and into the car and to the next destination haphazardly. I never liked feeling rushed and yet, I rushed myself. Every. Single. Morning. Why did I do that to myself? Even better, how do I stop and feel successful in the mornings?     My mom tried her hardest (and I mean her hardest - with clanging pots, banging on doors and yelling) to w...