Cassie DeNisco

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Balancing it All

balancing it all

My life these days just feels like a hamster wheel. I’m just constantly running from one thing to the next and having trouble figuring out balancing it all. Often we feel like we need to be doing something 24/7 in order to prove something to ourselves or others. For me, I know that I have to be doing something or else I just feel lazy. I don’t know why but I literally will beat myself up if I treat myself to an after internship nap. Even writing my last blog post took forever to get through because I was juggling so much.

Having that mindset though isn’t healthy. It’s okay to treat yourself sometimes to a little you time. Balancing it all means you’re balancing everything, including your mental health which is often so neglected. I’ve recently found that on a busy day, I need a few minutes to myself to gather my thoughts and get it back together. Living life in the fast lane is fun but can lead you to burnout which is not something you want to go through.

Burnout for me means I don’t want to do anything at all. I don’t want to be bothered by homework, or work from my internship, or even choreographing dances (which is something I love to do). I become uninspired and unmotivated which is a seriously dangerous path to be on. Once you’re uninspired and unmotivated, nothing will get done and you be in a worse position than you were before just trying to balancing it all.

Overcoming burnout can be difficult, but I give myself whatever necessary time I need to recharge. I get myself back into the headspace that I need to be in to get things done and I just get to it. Being your own pick me up is a serious skill that will take a lifetime to develop. Knowing your limits and what you can handle is also something you need to develop.

I believe that a huge component of balancing it all is learning to say no. It’s absolutely okay to tell someone you can’t do something for them. You have to focus on your own life. You need to do for yourself before you can do for others. Now of course, you can’t say no to work or homework. But you can reach out if it is really getting too tough for you. Unless your boss is totally awful, they probably understand what you’re going through and know that balancing it all in life sometimes gets tricky. The same goes for professors.

If you find yourself struggling when trying to balance it all, reach out to friends and family. Just talking through your problems will already help to combat them. It’s so important to keep yourself together when it might feel like you’re being pulled in a thousand different directions. Let me know in the comments below if you have any times to balance it all!

Follow me on Instagram: @cassiedenisco

Major Announcement: Chit Chats with Cass!

I am so excited to finally share this secret that I have been hiding for months now…. my very first podcast Chit Chats with Cass is now LIVE on SoundCloud and iTunes!!!!

Having a podcast has always been a dream of mine but I was never sure when the right time to start it would be. After having my blog for a few months now and growing steadily, I felt like it was the perfect time to be able to connect with all of you on a different platform. I could not do this without all of your love, support, and kind words so seriously THANK YOU for following me on this journey.

Chit Chats with Cass will have a new episode each week talking about a different topic.In the weeks ahead, I will be covering everything from boys and relationship drama to navigating college and healthy living. My first episode is all about inspiration and getting inspired. I thought it would be the perfect topic to start with because getting inspired was the key to launching this podcast. This podcast will be a way to continue our conversations and make it easier for us to connect on another level.

So, you might be wondering what will happen to my blog and my answer is, nothing will change. Right now, I still plan on posting twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays. Also, check out my new page dedicated to the podcast here on cassiedenisco.com. The only change is you’ll be able to hear me any day of the week once a new episode of my podcast is live!

Again, thank you all so much for your love and support! We have created such a cute little community and it feels like you all are turning into my best friends. I’m so happy that we now have another platform to connect on and continue to grow our friendships!

Be on the lookout for a brand new Chit Chats with Cass on Monday September 23rd!!

My Favorite Apps to Edit Instagram Photos

Everyone knows that the key to a great Insta feed is having uniformity in all your pictures which is best achieved with a photo editor. This might be easy if you want to keep reusing the same photo but an easier way to make pictures look the same is in how you edit them. I seriously go back and forth with if I liked edited photos or if I prefer them more natural but recently I’ve found a hack that makes all my photos look so great!

My secret to editing photos starts with the apps you use. For the longest time I was just using VSCO but found that it was hard to save the changes I made so that I could reuse them later on another picture. I’d always have to go back in and try to remember the exact numbers I had used in brightness and contrast so that the pics would look the same. I still like VSCO for the presets but now that I really have figured out what I like with my photos my latest obsession is with 2 apps that I doubt I could live without.

I initially decided to purchase the Afterlight app because I loved the presets that they had. When creating my blog, I wanted my photos to be bright, clean and maybe have a hint of pink in them and I found that the Lumen preset makes my photos look exactly how I want them to if I’m taking blog photos for just objects.

My holy grail for every photo I take of myself is actually Lightroom. I use the free version for the iPhone but I do know that the desktop version does have a monthly subscription. Lightroom is awesome because it does have some great presets but it is seriously SO easy for me to save the settings that I love as my own presets. I usually will pick one of my presets and then just adjust as needed and it gives my Instagram feed the same vibe.

Another app that I love but don’t use that often is the Unum app. This app is actually used to plan out your feed so it really helps you pick and choose which photo should go where. I also love this app because there’s a whiten feature that helps brighten up and make my white wall photos really pop.

I seriously understand how scary editing Instagram photos can be but the apps I have shared with you seriously help make life easier. The key to a great Instagram is of course the actually photo but having all these tools and resources to help enhance those photos is so helpful. Let me know in the comments below if you have any photo hacks or editing tips that you can’t live with out!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco!

Boy, Bye

I’ve definitely had my fair share of relationships in my lifetime and I’ve seen enough to know that a huge problem in relationships is not knowing when to call it quits. For a lot of people, they realize that the relationship isn’t doing what it is supposed to anymore but continue to hold on to it. Other people let relationships run their lives and stop them from pursuing the things important to them.

Whether it’s the fear of being alone or fear of not having that person in your life anymore, you need to realize that relationships should be happy and then need to contribute positively to your life. My post Babe, Stop Apologizing, touched on the idea that you shouldn’t leave toxic people in your life just because you love them and that absolutely can be applied here. When the relationship isn’t what it used to be and you’ve tried everything in your power to make it work, you need to just walk away. You might be thinking, well that’s easier said then done but believe me there is so much more to this world then your crumby relationship.

I watched a lot of my in both high school and college just long for a boyfriend. They seriously would do anything to just have someone to call their own. I mean if you’re starting out a relationship with your history of being desperate for a boyfriend, it can’t end well and yet my friends somehow made it last. Basing your relationship off the idea that you don’t want to be lonely isn’t the healthiest start to one. A huge question that you need to ask yourself before getting a boyfriend or girlfriend is why am I doing this? Is it because I’m lonely or am I secure enough in my own skin that I can add to someone else’s life? You need to have yourself established before you can give anything to anyone else. You need to have your self-love and confidence in your own skin so that you’re the best version of yourself for someone else. You can’t pour into someone else’s cup if your own cup isn’t that full.

In the world we live in today, relationships look so different than they did in the past. If you look at statistics, people are waiting to get into relationships or not getting into them at all. Reasons vary but the general trend is anti relationships, and personally I’m all for it. Girls today have so much more freedom in what they can say and do, and to be honest most relationships hold girls back. In thinking about my own experiences, there were countless times that I didn’t pursue something because of the relationship I was in at the time. I look back now and ask myself “Was it worth it?” and considering I don’t even talk to that person anymore, it wasn’t.

Why do girls have to lose their identities when they’re in relationships. I wonder that a lot and think that the answer lies in the insecurities of the person they’re with. Most guys can’t handle girls that know what they want and where they’re going in life, especially if they have no clue where they’re going themselves. Girls shouldn’t worry about what their significant other is going to think. Relationships definitely should not run your life to the point that you lose all ambition for the dreams you had. This ties into my earlier point that you can’t get into a relationship that’s going to be happy and healthy until you are secure with who you are.

Now, I’m totally not advocating going out and breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend if you’re the slightest bit unhappy but if any of these scenarios I’ve mentioned fit you, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate somethings. You need to consider why you got into the relationship and how the relationship makes you continue to feel. Relationships are there to make you happy and to add to your life, they aren’t there to stop you from doing what you want to do in life or make you miserable.

Something else I want to touch on is that it is totally okay for you to communicate how you feel to your partner. I feel like a lot of people are afraid to make the first move in conversations because they’re worried it might come off the wrong way. You have to get comfortable enough with the person you’re with so that these types of conversations are easy and painless. It’s good to step back and reevaluate where you are in relationships from time to time so that you make sure you’re on the same page.

It took me a long time to get as comfortable and confident as I am now to even be talking about knowing when to leave a relationship or what not to do to get into one. I for so long hated being alone but now realize I’m better off alone then miserable with someone else. In my life right now I am so content with where I am in my relationship and I know that we both work to better each other and our relationship. If you’re not in a partnership with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you’re not in a good relationship and that when it’s time to say Boy, Bye.

A Day in My Life as a Blogger

Recently, I’ve been getting so many questions about what exactly I do as a blogger. A huge misconception about blogging is definitely that all bloggers have to do each week is write a blog post, upload it, and share it on social media. While that is true, it’s literally only a fraction of what I do each day, let alone each week.

A lot of people have different views towards bloggers and what exactly they do. From an outside perspective, it might seem like an easy hobby that you can make some money off of but I was seriously shocked when I started blogging and realized how much work actually has to go into it for your blog to be successful.

From brainstorming blog ideas to dealing with SEO tools, blog posts will typically take me at least 3 days to be completely finished. I constantly think back to when I started my blog and wonder how I thought uploading a blog everyday would be a good idea. After almost 3 months of consistent blogging and website traffic, I feel like I can share my typical day and maybe inspire one of you to start a blog of your own!

Just putting it out there that this day in my life is geared more towards the summer. I haven’t gone back to school yet and I haven’t started teaching dance again every night so I definitely see this routine drastically changing once September rolls around. Also, I decided to choose a Monday because I absolutely love Mondays. (I know you probably think I’m crazy)

Monday August 12th

7:30 am: I wake up every morning at 7:30 am, now this might not mean I’m out of bed but I am definitely awake and starting to check my social media accounts. I know how bad of a habit it is but I just like to get it over with first thing so that I kind of know what I need to do for the day.

8:00 am: I’m an avid morning workout person but lately I’ve been opting to stay home and workout instead of going out to a class or the gym. I like to go on walks or runs around my neighborhood or use the gym equipment that I already have at home. I try to at least do an hour and then hop in the shower, brush my teeth, and do my skincare routine.

9:00 am: By this time, I’m ready to sit down and get to work. I start every work day with checking my emails to answer back brands or people. I also make sure I’ve responded to any comments on my social media account or dm’s. After that, Monday’s I write my blog post for Wednesday’s so I usually get to work on that. Blog posts can take me anywhere from an hour to 3 hours to write based on what they’re about or if they’re a lot of images to include. Once my blog is written, I send over the pictures to my graphic designer and he puts together all of the promotional pictures for my Pinterest or my Instagram story. He works super fast so usually I’ll have them back that day. I wait a day to schedule and edit my blog post so I move on to researching keywords that are trending for my next blog post. Using more trending keywords from Google helps to boost your post on Google when people also search that term. I also like to schedule Pinterest pins using an app called Tailwind. It basically will automatically repin your posts which is good to help get more views on your content. I like to schedule my Instagram posts and stories for the week on Monday so that I have them all set and don’t really have to think about them during the rest of the week. Generally, I finish off my work day interacting on social media by liking and commenting on posts. This helps to boost your engagment numbers which helps brands want to work with you.

5:00 pm: As you can tell I usually work for like 7- 8 hours a day on my blog. It’s never just a quick and easy day for me. By this time I plug everything in and put down all of my electronics. I LOVE going to Starbucks to grab some sort of drink to reward myself after a long day.

6:00 pm: I start making whatever I’m having for dinner and begin to unwind for the night. Since it was a Monday night, I watched Bachelor in Paradise from 8-10pm. I really try my hardest to not be on social media during this time and just like sign off for the night by doing my night time routine.

10:00 pm: Any day of the week you will find me in bed at this time. Sleep is like my thing and if I don’t get enough of it I can’t function the next day.

As you can see, I have a pretty busy schedule and most of my days look like this. I’m currently doing a lot of preplanning and scheduling of blog and social media posts so that once my life gets crazy again I am not missing out on any of my obligations. For awhile, a lot of my friends thought that I was just wasting the day away not really doing much but I seriously have something to do every minute of the day as a blogger.

I think a key takeaway to this blog post is that you will get out of your blog what you put into it. If you’re spending as much time a day on your blog posts and website as I am then you probably will be pretty successful. I’ve only been blogging for 3 months and I’ve seriously already surpassed where I thought I would be when I started so for me, I must be doing something right.

Blogging is really rewarding and I am seriously so happy I got into it because getting to share my life and my ideas with all of you is so cool. I hope you got a little glimpse into the life of a blogger and that it’s not the sunshine and rainbows that people always think it might be!

Kissing Toxic People Goodbye

In case you need a reminder, people should be in your life for only one reason and that is to add to your happiness. But, I think for so many of us we have those people in our lives who we love so much but they don’t add to your life, they only take away from it.

For so long, I was allowing people to be a part of my life because of the idea that I “couldn’t live without them”. Here’s a new flash: you don’t need to rely on anyone to live. Without getting into details or naming names, just know that I have seriously lived through so many friendships that I held on to because I believed that the person meant well and that whatever they were doing wasn’t on purpose, but boy was I wrong.

When you’re going through hard times in relationships with anyone, there’s always the person that longs for the nostalgia that is associated with that person and that always is me. I constantly long for how friendships used to be or how people used to make me feel. I would let that constant fear of letting someone go who was once a huge part of my life dictate how I would act and react in situations.

I’d like to think of myself as someone who’s pretty assertive and doesn’t take bullsh*t but like I seriously have a soft spot for people that I genuinely care about at love, which I think we all do. I swear that this constantly leaves me upset and heartbroken because I never can let go, no matter how awful a situation is. Toxic people come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and personalities so not every situation will feel the same but just know that if someone isn’t constantly there for you and helping you better yourself, then they probably aren’t the best people to surround yourself with. They’re the friends that ghost you for months or the boys that try to control you and not allow you to live your life. They’re also the family members that don’t accept who you are or try and manipulate situations.

A huge reason why I know I let toxic people stay in my life longer then they’re welcome is because I have a fear of being alone. Crazy, right? It’s something so stupid but it seriously made me allow so many people to be in my life and treat me horribly. It’s hard to realize that people are toxic when you’re actively being their friend but afterwards you can see all the red flags you should’ve seen beforehand. Toxic people have no place in my life anymore so it’s time you cut them out of yours as well.

I always tell my mom I want this quote on my headstone when I die: “No matter who the toxic person in your life is, you cannot justify how they treat you because you love them”. This is the serious message that I want all of you to take away from this blog post. You deserve better and you are enough. I know it’s seriously so hard to believe that, especially when you are all alone but just know I believe that for you and I am routing for you. I’ve been through this myself and it all gets better. You have to believe me when I say let’s just get rid of the toxic people in our lives so that we can start living our best life in 2019.

Babe, Stop Apologizing

Here’s a little PSA: it’s 2019 and if you’re still apologizing to other people for their bullsh*t, then you need to cut it out.

From dealing with immature people to fake friends, I’ve seen and lived through it all. I’ve had my fair share of drama and fake apologies and I’ll gladly be the first person to tell you that apologizing to appease someone is a huge mistake. My biggest take away is that everyone just automatically expects an apology, regardless of the situation. Band-Aids just don’t fix bullet holes.

 Now, if you’re definitely in the wrong, just apologize and own up to your mistakes but don’t EVER feel like you’re backed into a corner to do it. What the heck is the point of apologizing if someone forced you to do it? And if you’re forcing people to apologize in the form of an ultimatum, reevaluate yourself. People who expect you to right their wrongs generally feel insecure, inferior, intimidated and threatened by you. I mean at the end of the day, that’s all that basically what bullies are. They feed off your poor self-image to fill up their own.

And you know what, while we’re on this topic of that let’s be real with each other. In the world we live in today, apologizes from women are handed out like candy on Halloween. We apologize for everything from girl drama to what we wear to how we act. Let’s stop saying “I’m Sorry” and let’s start cutting to the chase of what’s actually going on. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but they don’t have the right to act on it if it’s negative or toxic. It’s seriously time that you stop apologizing for every little thing and start handling situations head on.

This to me really is the key to growing up and starting to live your life unapologetically. Being unapologetic means that you’re making the best decisions for yourself that will positively impact your life both now and in the future. I am in no way advocating for making crazy life changes but I am saying you NEED to start standing up for yourself if you ever want people to stop taking advantage of your kindness and your complacency.

I guess all I’m really trying to say here is just be unapologetic about who you are and own the decisions you make. Not everyone in this world is going to love you, you only need to love yourself.

4 Ways to Get Your Shit Together

We all get to a point where it feels like everything is falling apart. Whether it be a bad grade, rough day at work, or just an all around hard week, it’s so important to get yourself out of that negative head space and into a positive place to get yourself together. People always tell me that they wish that they were as together as I am but I’m here to tell you that I often find myself reevaluating where I’m at. Here are my top 4 favorite ways to get my shit together:

  1. Address the Negativity but Don’t Dwell on It!

I know that for me, I tend to focus on the negativity in my life and make it control my actions. If I’m having a rough day, I let it consume me and that is just not healthy. It’s important to address whatever is upsetting you but you can’t let it just control you. It’s not a good habit to have and it will only lead you into a bad place of negativity. I think an important lesson for everyone is to just go with the flow, we can’t control every aspect of our lives so don’t get upset about something going wrong.

2. Do Something that Makes You Happy

Whether you’re a guy or a girl, just doing things that make you happy falls under this pampering umbrella. Go get your nails done or go out and buy yourself your favorite snack. Pampering yourself doesn’t even have to be related to rewards, maybe just spend sometime with some friends or a loved one. In times of stress, treating yourself with kindness and not more blame for situations is the best remedy.

3. Make a Plan

This is probably my biggest tip, if you’ve had a rough and stressful week plan to make sure your next week runs smoothly. Of course things come up but as long as you have some sort of direction for the week ahead, it’s sure to be a good one. I always feel better knowing that I have at least a list of things that I am doing or want to do so that I don’t just head into a new week having no idea what’s going on or what I’m supposed to be doing.

4. Stay Motivated

This is probably the hardest to follow. I know that when things go wrong all I want to do is go curl up in my bed and forget about the world. DON’T DO IT! You have to use this trying time in your life as a way to motivate you into being better. The only way you can grow as a person is to take what life gives you and turn it into a positive. Just keep going and know that negativity is a trick your mind plays on you, even if something sucks you have the power to make it better.

Sometimes I feel like I give great advice but actually never follow it myself. I hope that this post inspires you to get your shit together and know that you’re totally not alone if the people around you always look like they have it together.

Subscribe down below and let me know if you do anything different when you feel the need to get your life in check!

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