Author: Mady

Hello everyone, today I decided to write about preparing yourself mentally to leave home. Home is the place with your parents/loved ones and that’s all we have ever known. I personally am terrified to leave my parents and my home, but I’m also ready. We’ve been groomed and prepared for this moment for 18 years. Here are some tips & tricks to help you prepare for moving out.

1. Keep an open mind
2. Know that it is okay to ask for help
3. Know that it is okay to get homesick
4. You can always visit home on the weekends
5. Already know what you need for your dorm/place to live,  and buy it
6. Meet people online (using college group chats) before you go to insure that you have friends there before the move
7. Do research on the place you are going before you leave
8. Adopt time management skills before you move
9. Attend orientation to understand what you’re going to go through
10. Know ways before hand to get involved

 

Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope everything goes smoothly as we all transition into our new chapters of life. Enjoy time with family and friends as much as possible, and good luck with your future plans.

Lots of love,

Mady

We all need rules, it’s human nature to live by that strict guideline. It gives you a direction to go in, and overall makes the world a better place to live in. I created a list of all basic rules that humans should live by, and if you don’t then you should consider following them.

1. Be nice to every human, animal, insect, and beings on Earth
2. Don’t kill anyone, this is an obvious one
3. No matter what someone’s opinion is, don’t insult them. Move on.
4. Do NOT bully anyone, we cannot control what we look like
5. Believe and love yourself
6. Keep things in perspective
7. Live in the present but think about the future. Don’t stay in the past
8. Have an open mindset
9. Have a positive mindset
10. Don’t be greedy
11. Be yourself, don’t change because someone else wants you to
12. Use your manners (please, thank you, excuse me, pardon me, I’m sorry)
13. Wear sunscreen, nobody wants skin cancer
14. Wear your seatbelt, other drivers are not completely trustworthy
15. Mind your own business
16. Honesty is the best policy (but be nice about it)
17. Think before you decide to act
18. Take responsibility for your own actions
19. Save and or invest your money
20.  Be prepared for your day
21. Make time for your loved ones
22. Don’t be afraid to say “No”
23. ALWAYS do your best
24.  Learn from your mistakes
25. Don’t complain or make excuses, own up to things and move on

 

I hope y’all enjoyed this weeks post, always remember to spread happiness and be kind to others.  Make sure to leave a comment on anymore rules you think should be added to the list, or items you don’t agree with. Thanks for reading!

All the love,

Mady Cruse

“Your time as a caterpillar has expired, your wings are ready” -Donna Pisani

If you’re like a few of my friends, you need some help with the gathering of thoughts and taking action. If you’re like me, you’ve already applied and been accepted into college and have all the forms filled out. A friend asked me to make a post of some advice and a list of steps to take. If you’d like to be organized and prepared, continue to read.

Steps to take:

1. Take the ACT
2. View the colleges you’d like to attend website and schedule a visit
3. Visit the college’s website and apply
4. Fill out the application and pay the fee (it’s only like $10-$20)
5. Get accepted
6. Find a roommate (you can do this by finding the school’s facebook page and joining a GroupMe for the school or by random selection)
7. If not living there, find an apartment nearby or live at home
8. Sign up for orientation and fill out your FAFSA form
9. Gather a list of things that need to be accomplished before you move or begin
10. Think of some clubs you’d like to join
11. And the most important step, is to make sure you have fun! College is supposed to be very fun and you should enjoy yourself!!

Another great idea is to create a Pinterest and “pin” things you’d like for your dorm. This is a good way to have a better understanding of what you’d like and for you to know more of what you need to get. My roommate and I have found out our color scheme, and a few of the things that we need for our dorm.

Also, with your roommate you HAVE to discuss the do’s and don’ts of the dorm, what you two already have, and what you expect from them. This is important to ensure that you both agree and will have a good year.

College is a time of your life that is very different from what we’re used to, but it is supposed to be the best times of our lives. We will meet lifelong friends, and memories that will last forever. Don’t miss out on the chance to go because you procrastinated applying.

That’s it for this weeks blog, if you enjoyed it please leave a comment or follow me on instagram! The time for a new start is here my friends whether you can choose to begin it or not. Spread your wings and fly.

Hey everyone, sorry it has been awhile since I last posted. A lot has happened since then, and I was taking a break from writing. I thought for this post, I should write about something that a lot of people don’t talk about, which is mental health. This is something that is very close to my heart,I feel very passionate about it.

Mental Illness affects 1 in 4 people in the world according to the Mayo Clinic. 25% of the world has a mental health disorder. That’s a very high number and it’s not talked about a lot.

I myself was diagnosed about 6 months ago with anxiety and depression, and am currently on medication to control it. It has changed my attitude, my outlook on life, and my overall happiness in a positive way.

There are many types of mental disorders like schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, ADHD, Bipolar, Borderline Personality Disorder, eating disorders, PTSD, OCD, Psychosis, etc. Below, I’ll give a brief description of each at the bottom of this post.

Mental disorders are either developed or passed through genetics. My anxiety is hereditary but  became noticeable in the 9th grade. I think we’d all benefit as a society if people didn’t have to hide their mental disorders and could talk about them openly. Some act like mental disorders are contagious and prefer to stay away from the person suffering. Or, some of the people with the disorder are scared of talking about it with fear of getting judged or bullied. This needs to stop. Like, now. We need to be able to talk about mental disorders like we do physical injuries or physical illnesses.

Mental Disorders are not contagious, I promise. You cannot catch anxiety by being around someone with it. We are normal people too, we just have some things different in our brain. I’m a big advocate for talking openly about mental disorders because it is so important. It is something happening in our lives, whether you’d like to admit it or not.

Also, something that will tear a person down with a disorder is not believing that they have it. I have had many people tell me that I am okay, and it’s not real. My issue is just something that millennials think they have. Sorry, but you guys are wrong. You are absolutely, and completely wrong. Congratulations to you that you don’t have a mental disorder. You’re one of the lucky ones. But don’t try and put your opinions on other people that have the disorder. Also, if you believe that all the mental disorders are fake, please feel free to message me and we can talk.

I’m very open about my fight with anxiety and depression, and I just hope that eventually everyone will feel the same way as I do. If you do feel like you have a mental disorder or just need someone to talk to, direct message me or leave a comment and I will give you my psychiatrist’s and therapist’s phone numbers, or you can just talk to me about it.

I’m sorry again for not posting for a while, but I needed to take some time away. I hope you enjoyed this post, and stay tuned because my next post about college will be up next week.

Thanks for reading! Below you will find the mental disorders I was talking about, and a description of each. Thanks again!

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Schizophrenia is an abnormal social behavior and failure to understand reality, and hearing voices. Anxiety is characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities. Depression is a persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. ADHD is developmental disorder where there are significant problems with attention, hyperactivity or acting impulsively. Bipolar disorder causes dramatic highs and lows in a person’s mood, energy and ability to think clearly. Borderline personality disorder is characterized by severe, unstable mood swings, impulsivity and instability, poor self-image and stormy relationships. Eating Disorders are any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. PTSD is the result of traumatic events, such as military combat, assault, an accident or a natural disaster. OCD  causes repetitive, unwanted, intrusive thoughts and irrational, excessive urges to do certain actions. Lastly, Psychosis is characterized as disruptions to a person’s thoughts and perceptions that make it difficult for them to recognize what is real and what isn’t. (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions

A few days ago, my friend and I thought it would be cool to create a bucket list for me. Bucket lists are a list of things that you’d like to do before you die.

• Travel to Greece
• Backpack across Europe
• Become a youtuber
• See a shooting star
• Write a book
• Publish said book
• See the Northern Lights
• Float in the Dead Sea
• Go Ghost Hunting
• Have kids
• Attend a music festival with my best friend
• Get matching tattoos 
• Have a romantic date on a rooftop
• Let go of a floating lantern
• Watch the stars
• Experience Carnival in Rio
• Go scuba diving
• Explore a forest with my best friend
• See Big Ben
• Spend the night in a haunted mansion
• Sleep on the beach
• Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
• Be more like Marilyn Monroe
• Go on a roadtrip with my best friends
• Meet Tana Mongeau
• Meet Colby Brock and Sam Golbach
• Visit Rome
• Learn how to play guitar
• Learn how to surf
• Have a huge walk-in closet
• Own a husky
• Own 2 pit bulls named Lilo and Stitch

Bucket Lists are important because it’s a list of goals you’d like to accomplish before we pass. Making a bucket list, is also very easy. All you have to do is sit down, think or research what you’d like to do, and write it down.

 

***This post is going to contain some deep things that not a lot of people know, so if you wish not to read, then I understand. If you’d like to know more, feel free to keep scrolling. ***

I have been wondering for a few weeks now if this is one of the blog posts that I should make. I’ve been back and forth on the idea, but I have decided that it might help some people. Before I get into this story, I just want you to know that it does get better- I’m a living example. Also,  names have been changed for security & privacy reasons.

While I was growing up, I had a lot of friends and was constantly told I was pretty. Me being young and naive, believed that this was going to be how my life was going to be. Picture perfect and surrounded by my great friends and family. I had been best friends with two girls throughout elementary school, and they’ll come out to play later on. Their names are Sarah and Alyssa.

Things quickly changed for me in middle school. I was still surrounded by my family, but friends faded away- and quickly. I made some new friends my 7th grade year, named Quinn and Becca. I was still friends with Sarah and Alyssa, but they also found new friends. We hung out less, but we were still friends. Quinn, Becca, and I were friends were all of seventh grade year, until Becca told Quinn lies about me and tore all of our friendship apart. That was the first time I had experienced this, and it tore me apart.

While this was all going on, a new guy entered my life. Let’s call him Chris. Chris liked me, but I didn’t have the same feelings for him- this resulted in violence. Chris would call me names daily, punch, kick, bite, and pinch me every day in class. That continued on for around 6 months until I finally told my parents, and they called the school. I wish I could say that it was the end of Chris and I, but I cannot. We will come in later on as well.

Sarah, Alyssa, and their friends (Monica, Abby, and Jessica)  joined my new friend circle. We were friends up until my freshman/sophomore year of high school. One day, all of a sudden Sarah said that our entire friendship had been a lie, and she couldn’t actually stand me- she was using me this whole time. My world had come crashing down. After that day, Alyssa, Abby, and Jessica all abandoned me. All I had left was Monica. We became closer than ever up until sophomore year. Monica and I were supposed to go to the homecoming dance together, but she told me she had to work instead. I said that it was okay, and I went alone. When I arrived, I saw that Monica was there with Alyssa and all of her friends. I was devastated. I was alone.

My parents came home from vacation early, because I felt like everything was falling apart. I had no friends, except my sister. She stepped up when I had no one, which I am very thankful for. By this time, I now had another friend named Jackson. Jackson supported me at school, and made me feel like I wasn’t so alone. Jackson and I are still best friends to this day, and we’re going to college together.

After the dance, I had discovered that Chris and Abby were now dating- which is just great. My mom also suggested that maybe I should get back in contact with Quinn, which I did. That was one of the best things I’ve ever done, because we both came clean about what happened, and we built our new friendship off of that. She is my other half, and I’m so thankful for her.

Bullying creates either a physical and or mental pain. For me, it was both. I developed anxiety and depression from my past, but it defines me and pushes me to become stronger daily. I still have my struggles, but it is my beautiful and wonder family and friends who get me through it. Without them, I don’t know what I would have done.

Recently, I got a few anonymous messages from someone trying to break me down, but what they didn’t know is that I am too strong for their words. I have built up an armor from my past, and their words do not effect me. My friends, join me in building up armor because words do hurt. Let’s be the generation to end bullying for good, and only compliment others. Love, not hate.

Since sophomore year, I have gained 3 more best friends and I treasure them deeply. I have 5 amazing friends and I don’t know what I would do without them. One of them, Sam, always knocks me back on track when I get down. He encourages to me to youth group weekly, and his family is so supportive of me. All my friends and their families hold a special place in my heart- this includes my family. my mom, dad, and sister are so encouraging and loving.

If you or anyone you know has been bullied, please believe me when I say it is not your fault. Some people are just so angry that they wish to hurt others. It’s truly pathetic, but it does happen. Please tell a trusted adult, teacher, or friend. You are not alone, and you are so loved. My DM’s or comments are always open. My comments completely private unless you’d like me to post it.

As always friends, thank you for reading. I love you all so much, and you are all beautiful people.

1-800-273-8255 =National Suicide Hotline, open 24 hours a day. Do not hesitate to call, no matter how little you may think the problem is.

911 = Call the police if you are physically harassed because that is illegal.

If you’d like to talk to me, I can always try to help. My instagram is @madycruseee

This week, the topic of beauty has been on my mind. I see girls and boys being hated on for how they look on social media, and this NEEDS to end. It is not okay for anyone to be harassed for how they look. Girls- you are beautiful with or without makeup, never forget that. Boys- You are handsome, and never forget that.

Everyone is beautiful. Yes, every single human walking on this Earth. I have struggled with this thought for a very long time, because I didn’t  believe it about myself. For years, I was picked on and told how ugly and fat I was. It ruined my self esteem and my self confidence. This post is not about my self esteem, but all of yours. I promise you that no matter what, you are beautiful.

Looks don’t always matter either, your personality is what matters. As you age, your  look changes, but your personality will still be glowing. It is so important to be humble, loving, and kind to every person you meet. Whether you believe it or not, personality matters.

It doesn’t matter if you’re skinny or fat, freckles or not, dimples or no dimples, brown/blonde/black/red hair, short or tall. Everyone is beautiful or handsome.

Self image is a thing that multiple humans struggle with. Whether we were bullied or not, self confidence is very low in many individuals. For me, I know that I often compare myself to girls at my school, or on instagram or on magazines. They are so pretty, and I look like me which makes me feel worse about myself. This needs to change.

So many teenagers do what I do, which is not healthy for us. We think that is what everyone should look like, and we begin to hate the way we look. Please believe me when I say, that no matter what, you are good enough. You are enough.

A negative image of yourself can also lead to many physiological issues. My therapist is helping me develop a better love for myself, and I will share some tips that she has told me.

1. You are always enough, no matter what anyone says.
2. You don’t need boys or girls to tell you how pretty you are to feel good about yourself.
3. You are human and everyone is different
4. You are loved by so many, regardless of what you look like.

This post is for girls and guys, because both genders struggle sometimes with body image. I promise each and everyone of you, that I am always here to talk if you need some help, or just to talk about life. I believe that I have gone through all the crap that I have, to help people. Sharing my story to those who need it, can help.

If you’d like to hear more about that, I will be posting a video on my youtube channel hopefully next week sharing my experiences- which I will post a link in a new post.

My friends, I am here for all of you no matter what. Beauty is in everyone. I am here to talk, and I judge no one. You can reach me through Instagram DM’s or if you comment, they will be private. I will tell no one, unless I believe that you are in trouble.

Until next time my friends, thank you.

Fear is in everyone. Whether it’s snakes, spiders, clowns, the dark, losing a loved one, ghosts, or heights. Knowing myself, i’m scared of all of those; i’m what you call a scaredy cat or a chicken.

Fear is a natural instinct. We grow to be scared of a lot of things that we don’t know a lot about or are scared of what it might possibly do.

My fear of clowns for example stems from my childhood; on halloween when I was 6 or 7, I was chased by a teenager dressed as a clown. That memory has stuck with me and has made me fearful of people with a bunch of makeup on their face, big shoes, and a red nose.

My fear of ghosts comes from watching too many episodes of ghost adventures and horror movies- yes, I will still continue to watch both.

But mostly, my fear comes from not having enough information and not enough exposure. I don’t know much about ghosts, or the equipment to speak to these abnormal deceased beings. I don’t deal with them on a daily basis either. Whether you’d like to admit it or not- they’re real, even if you wish to not believe in them.

It is okay to be scared, but do not let this fear control your life. You must conquer your fears, and set yourself free. If your fear forces you to miss things, or not fully live, then you must conquer it. Your fear is just your brain typically overthinking.

If you have a fear of the dark, try sleeping one night in the complete darkness.

Ghosts- go on a ghost hunt & do more research.

Heights- go hiking and look at God’s beautiful creation.

Snakes- pet a nice snake at a local pet store.

You are in control of your life, and your fears. Conquer them and set yourself free to do whatever you please in life.

Thanks for reading another post! I love comments- feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the title and scroll down to the comment section.

Also, as I stated in my last post, i’m thinking about creating a youtube channel. Stay tuned for more info about that, later on.

Until next time my friends, thank you.

First, I’d like to apologize for not posting last week. I had other priorities I had to complete first, and I also left town. This week I thought with the holiday season, we should talk about love.

A few weeks ago, one of my friends and I were talking about our definition of love. Her definition of that word was very different than mine, which led me to think more deeply about it.

Merriam-Webster defines love as a “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties”.

In my opinion there are different types of love, although some would disagree. I believe there are types of love from parents to their children, or friend love. I may say that I love the beach, but I feel a different type of love from the beach as I feel for my mother.

Love is a word that is also thrown around by some couples or friends, but it is not the love some may wish to feel. Sometimes it’s said without the meaning behind it. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t tell your friends you love them, because I love my friends. They’ve stuck with me through thick and thin.

There’s also toxic love; love you shouldn’t feel but you do. There could be a manipulative significant other who only says it to keep you all together, but they don’t mean it. *If you’re in one of these relationships, please leave. You’ll only continue to hurt yourself. After it’s over, keep it over; please don’t go back to them.*

Love is also a very good thing (if it has the meaning behind it). The first time you tell someone you love them is a pretty big deal. It means you feel something very deep within you about this person, and you want to keep them around for a very long time, which is great!

I personally haven’t found the one for me yet, but I do love my best friends, my pets, and my family. There is no specific order for those, but I feel different types of love for them all, which is okay.

-Just a side note, if your partner tells you that they love you, it doesn’t mean you have to say it back. If you’re not ready, then don’t say it. Only do what makes you feel comfortable.

Also on the topic of pressure, don’t let your significant other take advantage of you or manipulate you into doing anything you’re not ready for just by telling you that they love you. That’s not a good situation, and you need to reevaluate that relationship.

Love is a fantastic feeling overall. Some may not believe in true love, but I do. I believe that once you find the right person, you will know. There is a person out there to balance out your personality with theirs, and will love you unconditionally. You just have to wait-unless you’ve already found that person, then congratulations! I wish you the best life together.

With all of that being said, best wishes my friends. Thanks for reading this weeks post. Feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the title, and scrolling down to the comment section.

Also, feel free to follow me on instagram @madycruse I may also be creating a youtube account, so stay tuned and alert for that. Thanks again for supporting my writing, and I can’t wait to see what you guys have to say.

 

With finals week coming up, students become more stressed daily. With knowing that we have to take a test worth 10% of our grade, over the things we have learned since August. That is 5 months of knowledge on one test.

Even if your not a student, adults have stress in their normal lives. With overflowing to do lists, bills and taxes need to be paid, and food needs to be bought for their families. Stress is something that is seen in every person sometime throughout their lifetime.

The question is: why do some allow stress to overtake their lives? I believe the answer is because many people do not know efficient stress management skills.

Here are a few things that I’ve come up with that helps me with stress.

1. Create a manageable to do list/schedule. Don’t create a list that is not manageable and overflowing with things that you will not have time for. You could make a 3 part list per day, including: necessary to do’s, kind of important, & can wait until later. This will help you be more organized and know exactly what you need to do.
2. Take breaks. Now don’t take a break every 5 minutes, but maybe every hour go relax and breathe for a few minutes. Get a drink of water and just breathe. Take a few minutes for yourself to stop studying or running around. Your health is most important.
3. Set certain goals for yourself. In order to be less stressed, you need goals. If you’d like to save $400 this month, create a list of things you need to do that month, you will accomplish your goals.
4. Give yourself the time you need to get it done. Don’t give yourself an hour only to study for finals. You need to take multiple hours to get it done. If you wish to save a certain amount of money, give yourself the time and ways to achieve that.
5. Don’t set unrealistic goals. If you set unrealistic goals, it will only hurt you from not accomplishing it. It will not help in anyway to set unrealistic goals.

Stress is avoidable. You must know ways to feel less stressed, and control your time efficiently.

“You need to be able to manage stress because hard times will come, and a positive outlook is what gets you through” –Marie Osmond. 

Good luck with finals, or with life in general. Feel free to leave a comment and express your opinion on stress, or any of my previous posts.

Until next week,

-Mady