​If you did not know, Demi Lovato has a new Youtube documentary about her life. It is seriously inspirational. She has turned her struggles into wonderful music. Not only has she made wonderful music but she has made mental illness, addiction and eating disorders human. When it comes to our deepest darkest struggles, we always feel like we are alone, yet she exposed her darkest struggles for the world to see, giving everyone a celebrity to identify with. Her story has given people a light to look at, letting them know they are not alone.
 
It takes incredible courage to be a celebrity and share so much information about yourself that isn’t always pretty. Demi is an inspiration. Her story shows people that even celebrities face the struggles we do. Her story shows that good can come from bad situations, I mean have you heard her new album!
 
Not only has she inspired and encouraged many others struggle with mental illness or eating disorders or addiction, but she encouraged and inspired me. I have struggled with PMDD since I was 14. PMDD is a PMSing disorder. Pretty much I’m extra crazy around that time of month. I have been on medicine for it for 6 years now and I have been lucky to find medicine that has worked for me, yet for some time I didn’t not like the fact I was on medication. I felt like I was crazy. But I am not. Being on medicine does not mean I am crazy. Medication has actually helped me feel normal and in control of my emotions.
 
Recently I had to adjust my medicine, just because over time that sometimes has to happen and I got to feel what it feels like to not have control of my emotions. It was awful. I didn’t understand what was going on or why I acted certain ways. It was extremely hard and I didn’t want to admit I had very little control of what I felt.
 
I wanted to share my story because I know what it feels like to be ashamed of something you cannot control. It doesn’t make you weak or crazy. It makes you human. Plenty of times I have felt out of control and I had to reach out for help. It is okay to reach out for help. Trust me you are not alone. There are plenty of people who get help and it actually benefits them. Being on medication helped me, but I have also been to several councilors throughout the years. Being able to talk to someone who is trained to help has been incredibly beneficial.
 
It may not be easy, but it is worth it to feel in control of your emotions. Thank you guys for reading part of my story, of course my story is filled with 20 years and I cannot spill it all out to you here. I just want you to know that you are not alone in any of your struggles, especially mental illness.
 
Love Always,
Mikala

​Recently I have started to get significantly more interested in recycling and reducing waste. The people who know me are going to think I am crazy or might think I sound like a nut, but honestly, we are filling landfills at a crazy rate, especially as our population keeps increasing. I don’t think I will ever go zero waste, but I definitely would like to reduce my waste as much as possible. It may take some extra effort but I think it is a good start to helping keep our planet amazing.
I have always been interested in reducing my carbon footprint. When I lived at home I always recycled paper. That step to me was huge, but there is so much more that can be done to help reduce waste as well as reduce your carbon footprint. Now that I live in Houston, there is so many opportunities to recycle, but even if you can only recycle paper, there are a few things you can do that can help reduce waste.

1. Reduce

One step to take is reduce the amount of energy you use. Turn off lights when they are not needed, turn up the air when you leave. These steps help reduce the amount of energy that is used when it is not needed.
Another thing you can do is carpool or use public transportation. In Houston, public transportation is very common. It may not be convenient but it does reduce the emissions that are released into the air. Also you don’t have to drive! Which means you aren’t the one driving in Houston traffic. You just sit back and enjoy the ride. Carpooling is a great option as well. My friends and I try to go to the store together, that way we are not taking multiple trips. This reduces emissions, but also makes grocery shopping so much more fun.

1. Reuse

A big thing that can help reduce waste is to use reusable products. Some examples are reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles or coffee mugs, or a new thing I have found which is unpaper products (unpaper towels and other items). I found this Etsy shop that has some really great unpaper products here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Remiusables?ref=l2-shopheader-name
*This link is not an affiliate link*
With all the trash we continue to put in landfills we need to find ways to reduce it. By using reusable products we are not putting waste into landfills, because let’s be real if we keep going at the rate we are, eventually landfills will over flow or we will run out of land to put our landfills in and then where will our waste go? I rather not get to that point so it’s a good idea to start now.

1. Recycle

Before I lived in Houston, I lived in a small town that only had places to recycle paper and cans. My family didn’t drink soda or really use any canned products so we only really recycled paper. Now I have realized there are other ways to recycle. Instead of trashing your old clothes, donate them. Definitely bring your paper to schools to help them raise money, if their recycling bins are used to raise money. If you live in Houston or a city with a recycling center, sort your items and bring it to the center.
Sometimes I think that I am just one person and I cannot make that much of an impact, but reducing my waste does make an impact. Every little step we make ultimately makes a difference, even it is small.
 
Love Always,
Mikala