Sameena Bemat

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​When it comes to shopping for a formal occasion like a friend’s wedding, a gala (if you’re about that life), or even just a birthday dinner, it’s a little hard to find ethical options. This is why I’m so excited to share Lace & Scone with you- a truly unique brand that makes being ethical and giving back fun and luxurious. 

​The Detox Series is a project that focuses on detoxing a different aspect of life each month of 2017. It was born out of a desire to actually follow through on my resolutions this year by aligning around one goal- Detox. January’s topic? Detoxing your mind.

I have a lot of stuff. It’s no secret. My closet is overflowing, and I have a really hard time getting rid of kitchen and beauty products that I’m honestly never going to use – the “just in case” mindset. Since switching toward a sustainable lifestyle last year, I’ve found I am incorporating more and more minimalist approaches and mindset into my routines.
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That’s why I was super excited when I got the opportunity to review “The Art of Simple Living,” Minimalist Lifestyle Blogger Olivia Young’s brainchild. It’s a course on simple living- aka minimalism.  I love that Liv focuses on the benefits simplicity has brought to her own life. It makes minimalism seem much more approachable and attainable.

This year, I’m doing resolutions differently. Instead of a list I probably won’t follow through on, I’m focusing on one goal for the year- Detox. In all different aspects of my life. With the holiday stress and new year craziness, I've decided to first start with detoxifying my mind. 
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It's no secret that stress can have a big impact on so many parts of our lives, notably our health. High, uncontrolled stress can be linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. 
 
Plus, it affects our every day. I have a lot of trouble managing stress, so it manifests in headaches, stomach aches, fatigue, sleep problems and more. 
 
It's so easy for me to feel completely overwhelmed with everything going around me, and in the past I've tried all the common stress-management techniques. And though a good workout or yoga session or getting more sleep do absolutely help a ton, it was always hard for me to stick with these solutions as I didn't always see a direct, lasting impact on my stress level. 
 
Enter mindfulness and meditation. Like many others, I didn't always think these two m-words were for me. They conjured up images of pretending to escape (or actually escaping) to a remote mountain, emptying your mind of anything and everything to somehow be spiritually elevated past the craziness and unnecessary stress of the world. And though that sounded great in theory, I could never- and still can't- see my overactive brain becoming completely empty of thought. 
 
I now know my perception of meditation and mindfulness was dead wrong. It's not about emptying your mind and escaping. I would argue it's about doing the opposite- being fully aware and present in your world. 

I’m not usually one to make New Year’s resolutions, but this year I’ve got a list rattling around my brain with a common green theme. Before I tell you what my specific resolutions are, I want to share why I’m going in a direction of sustainability so intentionally this year…

I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t always been interested in sustainability or the environment. In fact, as a high school student I went out of my way to not be identified with anything too “green.” I had this misconception that environmental advocates must always care more for the planet than for people. I thought there was some sort of gap between social justice and environmental care and that I could only care about one of those two issues.

Oh was I wrong.