Carissa Mae Whaddya Say

Good morning, and happy Sunday, everyone! Today is another amazing day to be thankful for, which is what Sunday Sunshine is all about. There are plenty of things to be thankful for on any given day, but I wanted to dedicate a special day of the week where we can all share the things that we are grateful for and maybe give others some inspiration in case they are having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for. Life is meant to be lived, and it's meant to be lived to the fullest and with all of the gratitude that we can muster up. Gratitude will always change your life and your mindset for the better. I know I'm thankful for all of the gifts that being alive has given me, but we should also take some time to slow down and really appreciate all of the little things as well. The sun's warmth, a cool breeze, being able to see, hear, smell, and taste, the refreshing feeling when you get out of the shower, or a warm blanket. All of these things are just some of the...

Happiness is a relative thing. What makes you happy might not make the next person happy; it might even upset them or anger them. The trick is to not let someone else dull your feelings of happiness. It doesn’t matter what someone else feels about the things that make you happy; it only matters how you feel about them. Life is full of things that are going to make you happy, so if you’re currently feeling like there’s nothing to be happy about, I’m going to politely ask you to stop and take a look around your life. What was the last thing that made you happy? It could be anything! From a kind comment from a passing stranger to a simple drink of water when you’re thirsty, there is no limit to what can bring you happiness. Today, I’m challenging you to think of all of the things that make you happy. I can name a few: the beach, my friends and family, good music, and hot days with the windows down. There are good things all around us to be happy about, even if we need to stop and look a l...

Happy Friday! Y'all know what time it is! It's that time of the week where we list the things that we look forward to; it's Fire It Up Friday! There is so much in life to look forward to, so let's help each other out by naming the things that we're excited for. I'll start us off by saying that I'm excited to go to the beach tomorrow. Beach time is always a good time. I'm gonna have ice cream for lunch and hopefully hit plenty of waves! Life gives us so much to hope for; it's hard to see the bad when you're so focused on all of the good things headed your way. There's always something to be excited for, even if it's not your next concert or your next beach day; it can be as simple as waking up tomorrow morning to spend a relaxing day at home or being excited for your next cup of coffee. If it makes you happy, it's worth being excited for. Let everyone know what you're looking forward to in the comments. Have a great weekend, everyo...

Good morning, and happy Thursday, everyone! It's Friday Eve, which means that we are just one more day closer to the weekend! I'll be spending my evening catching up on some shows and then getting some much-needed sleep after last night's concert. I'm happy I went, though. There is always something good in every day, which is something that we should all be focusing a bit more on instead of all of the bad in life. Having a mantra or an affirmation that you say to yourself is one way that you can pull yourself out of a downward spiral. When you start to feel yourself getting stressed out or frustrated, you can always bring your mind back to your mantra to help center yourself and to calm you down. You can use one that I have listed in the pic, or you can look up some, or even create your own! It's all about shifting your mindset towards more positive thoughts rather than dwelling on the negative. Anything that you can do to move yourself to a more positive, happy lif...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! We've made it to the middle of the week; we are halfway to the weekend! This week has probably already thrown so much your way, that you might be wondering how you can deal with it all for a few more days. I'm here to remind you that you can handle anything that comes your way, and that no matter what happens, it's your own reaction to the things that happen to you that truly matter. Everyone is going to have their own way of reacting to situations and stress, but as long as you are able to control yourself and your stress level, you will be able to accomplish anything that crosses your path. I understand that sometimes a bunch of little things get piled up and it can turn into one big thing in the end, but you have to learn to react to everything individually as they come to you. Don't let a stressor from this morning carry over into your evening, and don't let something from yesterday bother you today. Learn to let everything go once it ...

Good morning, and happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, I want to go over six simple tips that you can enact today to help you live a more positive life. Number one is pretty easy, and that's simply doing the things that you enjoy. Find hobbies that you love doing and spend time doing them! Not only will you feel happier, but you will also feel more productive after doing something that you enjoy. Number two is limiting your time on social media. Did you know that in the United States, the average person spends about two hours and sixteen minutes on social media per day? That's a lot of unneeded screentime! Cutting down on the time that you spend on social media can have a positive impact on your overall mental and emotional health. Number three is moving your body or working out. You don't need to run a marathon, but getting a quick five-minute workout every day is a lot better than simply doing nothing. Find a workout routine that you enjoy and that works for you, and stick to ...

Happy Monday, everyone! Another week is here, and we all have our jobs to do, but don't forget to set aside time to take care of yourself as well. Use your breaks wisely; instead of scrolling through TikTok or Facebook, you could get outside and go for a walk to stimulate your body and mind. If you work a more physically demanding job, maybe that option doesn't quite work for you, so instead, sit down with some cold water and relax your muscles. Use your time outside of work to further your self-care. Have a nutritious breakfast in the morning and take your time with it; get up earlier if you have to. I've been on an egg and toast with fruit kick lately, myself. After work, I get in some yoga, which helps me to stretch out my body since I work an office job and sit a lot. Incorporate gentle stretches into your routine; I promise that you will feel better afterwards. The changes and habits that you make today will set the tone for the rest of your life. We all want to be hap...

  Happy Sunday, everyone! Happy Cinco de Mayo to you as well! I don't know what y'all have planned, but my plans today involve nothing with a chance of drinking. I'll probably make my way down to Taco Mundo later this evening for tacos, of course, and for one—or two—of their margaritas, which are absolutely incredible. I'm just going to take today to relax and count the things that I'm grateful for, which is what the Sunday Sunshine series is all about! Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, there are so many things in life that we take for granted that we could be thankful for. I'm going to kick off this Sunday Sunshine post with something that I'm thankful for that I'm sure we all take for granted if we have it—the ability to have a relaxing day without worries. I'm not homeless, I'm not starving, and I pay all of my bills on time—I'd say I'm pretty well-off! While there have been things and situations in my life that have been hard,...

Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! I hope the 4th treats you well today; it's a brand new day full of new and exciting opportunities! I don't know about y'all, but I'll be taking the opportunity to head down to Black Rifle Coffee this morning to enjoy a delicious cup of joe. There's something so refreshing and invigorating about that first sip of coffee in the morning, and that's just one of the little things that I'm grateful for each day. There is so much in this life that we tend to take for granted, so remembering all of our little blessings every day—no matter how small—can have such a positive impact on your health and wellbeing that it would be foolish not to give thanks for them.  Let every day, every sunrise, and every breath you take serve as a reminder that you have been given the most wonderful gift of all and that you should take each and every opportunity to enjoy your life to the fullest, to live every day at peace with yourself, and to enjoy your...

Happy Friday, everyone, and welcome to the second edition of Fire It Up Friday! Today is all about ringing in the weekend with the things that we are most looking forward to! I’m going to start us off with the things that I’m looking forward to, and they are dinner tonight at my favorite place with my favorite people celebrating my sister’s 21st birthday. I’m also looking forward to going back to the beach, going to my next concert, and what the rest of today has to offer! What are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments! There is always something to look forward to, and there is always something to hope for. 💜🩵

We all get into bad moods sometimes, but when that bad mood turns into an all-around bad attitude, that’s when you have to change it into something better, something more positive. You can’t live your life in the negative all of the time; it will get you nowhere in life. No matter what situation comes your way, if you can have a positive attitude through it all, then you have won. You’re going to find yourself in so many different situations, and some of them are going to be bad, but that’s when you need to keep a positive attitude the most; that’s when you need it the most. If you find yourself always thinking about the negative while you’re in a negative situation, it’s going to make the situation seem much worse than it really is. When you can find something, anything, even something to small, that’s positive and that you can focus on in the midst of all of the negativity, then you will be well on your way to overcoming the situation, no matter what it is. A negative mindset will ne...

Goodbye, April, and hello, May! We are nearly halfway through the year already; can you believe it? We have a few things going on this month, which, by the way, is named after the Roman goddess Maia, who was in charge of the growth of plants—fitting for this month and this time of year, I think. This month, we have May Day, which is today, in case you didn’t know. May Day has astronomical roots as a holiday, being the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. May Day is one of the Celtic cross-quarter days, which are days that mark halfway points between equinoxes and solstices. Cinco de Mayo is coming up soon as well. The Fifth of May commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862, when the Mexican army defeated the French army. Cinco de Mayo is not to be confused with Mexico’s Independence Day, which is when Mexico was freed from Spanish rule. The Battle of Puebla actually happened over half a century after Mexico gained independence. Mother’s Day is fast approachin...

Happy May Day—or, if you’re in Hawai’i, Happy Lei Day—to everyone! Today is the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice; we are halfway to summer, y’all! Spring has fully kicked in, and we’re well on our way to hotter days and cool nights filled with the sounds of crickets and frogs. Beach days are here, bees are buzzing, birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and there are a plethora of good things happening out there in the world right now, so remember to take some time to slow down and appreciate all of the good in your life. Life is good in so many ways. There is always something out there to be thankful for, to look forward to, or to simply admire because it exists. Take a step back and think about all of the good things that you have going on in your life or something good that you heard about going on in the world. Shift your focus away from the negative energy and negative vibes that others may have or that you may have acquired from watching the news....