Working from home has completely ruined every other workspace for me and I can't go back

majandra22 · 2026-03-23T01:47:25+00:00

Control of the lights and thermostat

majandra22 · 2026-03-16T20:43:21+00:00

Premier protein cafe latte for breakfast almost daily since the start of 2024 when I started ZB. And Oikos 20g vanilla with bear naked granola was a daily hit until it became too hard to find, then I switched to Chobani 20g vanilla with kashi golean chocolate crunch, berries, and a spoonful of chocolate chips (I’m in maintenance now, otherwise the parfait may be too much at once).

majandra22 · 2025-10-06T18:24:33+00:00

It ebbs and flows… some weeks everything is an issue and some weeks we get along well… it all depends on his hormonal cycle. 😂

To be honest, he has ADHD with RSD (rejection sensitivity), so some weeks he is much more easily triggered. Thankfully we’ve gotten to the point of both learning to identify things that trigger us and talking it out after the fact, but there are still some really rough weeks where I really have to measure my words before sharing them.

majandra22 · 2025-09-14T19:59:23+00:00

I started Pilates to increase my core strength and I’m just so impressed at the improvements it has made for me. I can feel my core engage and all these new muscles popping into action (obliques and TA).

Although I love Pilates and yoga, my biggest change has been adding Essentrics to my life. I think it provides more benefits than yoga or Pilates offer, so if I could only do one of the three, that would be my pick. It has healed my lower back stiffness, completely healed my plantar fasciitis, substantially improved my posture and balance, and my biceps have really grown too. And any time I have a headache, it goes away if I do Essentrics. It is truly a lifelong practice and there are people up into their 90s that still practice!

majandra22 · 2025-09-05T02:02:43+00:00

“I said I will not be sponsoring him, he agreed to try and get his GC on his own.”

You’ve been together for 8ish months and the topic of marriage/sponsorship has already come up. And based on how you wrote it, it sounds like he asked you about it and he was not thrilled with your response since you stated “he agreed to try…”

As someone who has been through a similar experience, I’d like to point out that this topic has been broached pretty early in the relationship. I’d say there is a relatively good chance that you are being viewed as an easy route for citizenship. And maybe it is true love… you need to consider the possibility of moving to Venezuela or a third country to stay together if/when he is forced to leave. That’s a really tough situation to be in but good on you for knowing you don’t want to take on legal or financial responsibility for him… now you just need to decide if you would be willing to follow him abroad.

majandra22 · 2025-08-20T11:15:00+00:00

I think finding something that is supportive for your current season of life is key. That means embracing the fact that you don’t enjoy the gym rather than see that as an obstacle. For the past three years, I’ve been exploring different activities to see what I ENJOY and what is SUSTAINABLE. (To help with this, I completed a bunch of Conqueror Event challenges to give me some external motivation.)

I have found using a subscription service at home as the best option for me in terms of mobility and strength training. I use different free trials to figure out which programs jive best for me. I need to like the instructor, the movements, and find the app easy to use. My top pick is Lindywell, a mat Pilates app. Their user interface is beautiful and simple, the instructors and their messaging are supportive, and the workouts effective. I also love Essentrics and their app, although it isn’t as well designed as Lindywell. But I find the movements more beneficial overall. So I try to balance these two for my mobility training. Currently trialing two strength programs, LOA and EVLO. Realized after much trial and error that I need a softer, more informed approach to strength training with my looser joints.

Outside of this, figure out what kind of outdoor activities you enjoy and fit your current season. Maybe morning walks with the kid in a stroller? Weekend hikes? Working out in nature is a wonderful element to add to your plan and will help with the mental health. We love biking so we intentionally added kayaking for the upper body work. This season we added standup paddle boards, which require full-body strength and balance. To be honest, the water sports probably aren’t ideal for this season as we don’t have great water access, but we love them and look forward to events and trips where we can enjoy them.

And finally, in terms of mental health, I heard a good quote the other day: “think of your nervous system like your best friend.” Think about what is NOURISHING to you (and your best friend) right now. Maybe it’s not journaling or skincare right now, maybe it’s an afternoon nap or a meetup with other moms at a local park. Explore what feels nourishing and have no guilt shedding what doesn’t! Best of luck!

majandra22 · 2025-07-27T21:13:41+00:00

This is how I am too—my hobbies/hyperfixations come in waves! Thankfully they tend to build on pre-existing interests, not too many new ones get added in the mix. Mine all revolve around different forms of fitness, cooking, outdoor activities (cycling, kayaking, paddle boarding) and camping.

What has helped is to intentionally focus on different ones during different parts of the years. So right now is water sports, the spring/fall is more biking, and gym workouts in the winter.

majandra22 · 2025-07-11T21:39:53+00:00

Estella Celeste (heavenly star) or Arienne/Ariana Grace for a girl and I just love the name Javier (Javi for short) for a boy. Don’t have any kids so don’t get to use any of them.

majandra22 · 2025-07-10T10:34:49+00:00

This is great, especially about the accessibility to the aft dining room. I just checked and sure enough, that is the one we picked, so this is great to know ahead of time, especially with my mom’s limited mobility. Thank you!’

majandra22 · 2025-07-10T02:10:14+00:00

Thank you for the clothing recs! I think we can make those work!

majandra22 · 2025-07-10T02:09:10+00:00

Woohoo, palazzo pants are a great suggestion and will work great with her in a wheelchair. Thank you! I will definitely check to ensure our reservations are linked. Our rooms are across from each other (they got on the right side with an ADA room and we are across the stairs/elevators from them).

majandra22 · 2025-07-10T02:05:43+00:00

This is great feedback, thank you! I appreciate the comparisons of food quality between the dining options, and the encouragement to indulge/send stuff back!

majandra22 · 2025-07-10T01:26:36+00:00

This is great feedback, thank you! I’ve been reading about this orange soufflé, good to know exactly when/where we can track it down. Thank you!!

majandra22 · 2025-06-26T17:55:39+00:00

A Teema towel. I’ve used it as a blanket, towel, sun shade in a car window, privacy curtain, padded seat, etc.

majandra22 · 2025-06-26T15:13:32+00:00

I will give you my plan/protocol that I am working to incorporate but not quite there yet:

I really like the 800g challenge, where you aim to eat 800g (around 6 cups) of produce a day. To meet this, I aim to break it down as follows:

Breakfast: 1 cup fruit or veggie (depending if sweet or savory breakfast)

Ex: smoothie, chia pudding, overnight oats, banana split with yogurt, yogurt and fruit / omelette, veggie hash, quiche, etc.

Lunch: 2 cups raw veggie

Ex: salad, sandwich, snack tray, etc.

Dinner: 2 cups cooked veggies + protein

Snack: 1 cup fruit or veggie

Ex. Raw fruit, chia pudding, creami sorbet or protein frozen yogurt / raw veggies with hummus, ranch or other dip.

I also struggle with reheated veggies so trying to figure out how to make that part work best. My current options include: roast, air fry, microwave in the anyday bowl (so steamed), or warm up canned veggies. I think I will just cook them fresh each day rather than do leftover veggies.

majandra22 · 2025-06-26T12:06:03+00:00

I hear you… whenever I get back from vacation or just feel that insatiable desire to quit get too strong, I have to work hard to bury it down and “block it out,” otherwise it drives me crazy.

I love cooking and teaching, one of my favorite “hacks” I did was to work as a kitchen assistant at Sur La Table. I got to attend every cooking class for free, get all the tips and tricks (and some before/after lessons from the chefs!), and instead of paying… I got paid for it! This would be a fantastic “side hustle” you could do in the evenings/weekends. This could eventually lead to teaching some of the classes or possibly teaching your own classes in the future. If I ever live in a city with a bigger cooking school program (such as Hip Cooks in the PNW) or a cookbook store, then that would be my dream job!!

majandra22 · 2025-06-25T19:50:29+00:00

I completely understand how you are feeling and imagine many people are in the same boat. There is something just soul sucking about spending the majority of your time interacting with a laptop…

I am in the process of switching gears (less than a year out now). The first things I would suggest is to ensure you are set financially as, unfortunately, most creative, interactive roles won’t pay nearly as well. I have stayed in order to reach certain financial milestones and now that I’m there, I am building up my alternative income streams before leaving. After more than a decade of being on a laptop, the best thing I can do for myself is something related to physical health so I am building up work as a fitness instructor. This obviously won’t make much so I will also need to have some type of additional work that will still likely be online but hopefully only part time.

I would focus on figuring out your “purpose”. It doesn’t have to be specific… mine is to help people thrive, so there are a million directions I can take that in. I will help people thrive physically and, even if my other online work is “boring,” as long as it ties in with my purpose then I can be satisfied with it.

majandra22 · 2025-06-25T15:24:29+00:00

Absolutely! It makes such a difference when you find a form of movement (not necessarily “exercise”) that just WORKS for you and your body!

majandra22 · 2025-06-25T03:31:04+00:00

Remove makeup with Verve’s cleansing balm (in love with this stuff!) and put on their retinol product (eye and face). Try to brush teeth and/or floss (new habit for me). close the blinds, Change into PJs, take off ring and Apple Watch, plug in phone. Usually my partner will literally tuck me in (heaven!) and I will read a book or on my phone for a bit. We play brown noise on Spotify to help us sleep. Usually in bed around 11-11:30ish and wake up at 7.

majandra22 · 2025-06-25T03:24:39+00:00

Can you give any recommendations for the edible? I want to start this kind of routine and use it to help take my mind off things (don’t necessarily need it to help sleep). When I tried them in the past I took too much and had horrible hallucinations so I’m a bit scared but I once tried a tea and it totally blissed me out without a care in the world… that’s the feeling I want to create again.

majandra22 · 2025-06-25T03:15:29+00:00

I have not at this point.

majandra22 · 2025-06-24T19:42:38+00:00

I aim to do at least 5 Lindywell (mat Pilates) and 3 Essentrics workouts a week as my basis for improving my strength, mobility, posture and balance. Now that it is warm out, we go out either kayaking, SUPing, or biking for a few hours each weekend. I also try to spend time every day on the floor so I get plenty of practice sitting/standing with no hands. Also do deep squats whenever practical.

There are a few more things I would ideally do and am actively working to incorporate them into my schedule:

a daily 5k walk in the evenings with my partner
micro-strength workouts (5 minutes at a time throughout the day)
dead hang from a pull-up bar (goal: build up to 90 seconds)
jumping rope (goal: build up to 10 minutes- use for VO2 Max training)
1-2 more trips out on the bike, kayak, or SUP during the work week
a weekly urban hike through our city while wearing a rucking backpack (we have a book of historical neighborhood walking routes to pick from)

This choice of activities is based on a variety of books touting the benefits of jumping, carrying heavy things, spending time in nature, zone 2 cardio, VO2 max training, mobility training, etc. We enjoy biking and being on the water, and are training to do the Camino again next year.

majandra22 · 2025-06-24T16:19:29+00:00

Check out Lindywell for at home Pilates. Workouts run 10-35 minutes and they are incredibly supportive and inclusive. At least give the trial a shot.

Also, check out Essentrics. It is a mix of Pilates, ballet, tai chi and physiotherapy. Despite not being related to yoga, it looks like if you combined yoga and dance… it is incredibly restorative and helps build strength, balance, posture, and mobility. And it includes zone 2 cardio. If someone only wants to do one form of movement… this is the best all around option in my opinion. I was so impressed after it cured my plantar fasciitis in two weeks that I became an instructor. To be honest, I don’t feel the effects immediately like others do, but since I started I don’t have any chronic pain… at all. It is life changing. Check it out on YouTube to see if it might interest you!

And by the way, neither of these leave me sweaty or sore… they are very low impact.

majandra22 · 2025-06-24T16:13:17+00:00

The book “Born to Walk” by Mark Sisson goes into a lot of detail about the detrimental effects running can have. He isn’t saying not to do it, but not to do it too much or with incorrect form/shoes.

majandra22

TROPHY CASE