The Art of Eating Your Feelings

In my world there is not much that a bowl of chocolate ice cream can’t fix. After a day of stress or disappointment you can usually find me in the kitchen concocting some sort of comfort food or dessert. I’m not sure what it is about baking but it’s a big comfort to me. It takes my mind off of the problem at hand, keeps me busy, and at the end of the day I have something delicious to eat.

These last few weeks have been pretty rough with work, school, and rejection after rejection from jobs I’ve applied to that “just aren’t hiring”. It’s kind of a scary time in my life. I’m only working a minimum wage job, can’t find a full time career, and yet the real world bills are starting to come in.

I know a lot of you reading this are in the same position as I am. And let’s face it…it down right sucks.      (Can I get an AMEN?) My advice to you is to find something you enjoy doing that will pick you up when you’ve fallen face down on the floor. I’ve got a feeling my journey of stress and rejection is just beginning and until I find the right job I’m going to need something to get me through. I also do Zumba…mostly so that I don’t feel guilty about eating my feelings when I need to! J

Today I made a homemade ice cream cake and after the first bite I was already feeling 100% better. Ahhh the power of chocolate! The best part is that they are super easy to make!

How to make a homemade ice cream cake:

     1) Buy any flavor pie crust that you like. I used an Oreo pie crust.

     2)   Pick out an ice cream flavor (or two!) that you enjoy.

     3)   Let ice cream slightly thaw and spread it out into the pie crust.

     4)     Freeze and ENJOY!

Remember friends, it's always darkest just before the dawn. And while you're in the "dark" phase all you might need is a good dessert to get you through! 

Rainbows, Sunshine, and Butterflies

It has officially been way to long since I have made a post in the blog. The reason is because I have just entered the magical time in my life where I begin frantically looking for full time careers because graduation is only two months away. Let me tell you it’s a plethora of rainbows and sunshine and butterflies! I’m going to use this post to jot down some of my thoughts that might be helpful for fellow or future graduates. This new chapter of life can be scary, nerve wrecking, exciting, challenging, empowering, and make you want to pull out all of your hair at one time. Here are a few things I’ve learned in the process:

   1)START EARLY – Start sending out resumes and job inquiries at least 4 months before you graduate. The hiring process can take a long time and chances are you’ll apply to 30 companies and only hear back from one. I am so grateful I started this process a month ago as I am just starting to hear back from places.

   2)SEND OUT EMAIL INQUIRIES - Just because somewhere you want to work doesn’t have a job posted doesn’t mean that they don’t have any open positions.  As a sophomore in college I sent out a random internship inquiry email and ended up with a fabulous job at an advertising agency. In my current job search I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback. Several agencies weren’t hiring but were happy to put my resume in a file for later down the road. One agency even set up an interview with me. I’m currently waiting for the second interview! It doesn’t hurt to ask. Let’s be honest … the worst thing an agency will do is delete your email because they aren’t hiring. So far in all of my experiences I have gotten nothing but positive reactions.

   3)   THANK EVERYONE YOU TALK TO- This is SO important. Once you finally get the opportunity to interview with somebody make sure they know that you appreciated the time they spent with you. Business people are extremely busy. Even taking 15 minutes out of the day to talk to someone can be a challenge. If someone makes the time for you a thank you card is a necessity.

      4) BE PREPARED- Have your business cards ready to go along with a nice dress suit. In the beginning things can move very slowly. But when things happen they happen fast! Always be prepared!

   5) CONNECT- If you are interested in a specific company and you send them a resume research their social media outlets. Follow them on Twitter or “Like” them on Facebook. Make professional comments on their pages. You never know who’s at the computer reading your messages. Get connected!

   6) FREAK OUT- It’s ok to freak out from time to time. You emotionally invest yourself into job opportunities. It’s normal to be anxious and excited about hearing back from a specific place. This week I went shopping twice, over indulged in chocolate truffles, got a new hair cut, and got my nails done just to keep myself busy and calm my nerves. It’s natural and everybody feels anxiety in these kinds of situations. 

   7)  RELAX- I have to believe that when the time is right I will be placed in the right work situation. I’ve had to remind myself that maybe some opportunities don’t work out because there are better opportunities down the road. Take a breath, relax, and continue to put yourself out there.