Adjusting Focus

On July 29th, 2014, my sixteen year old self sat at my old laptop and began writing my first post as an amateur "blogger." I'd been wanting a blog for a while, mainly because I love writing, and because I had so many thoughts in my head-I wanted a place to express them. This blog was a way for people to look into my mind, my heart, and discover a part of me they didn't know much about. The only real problem was, I was sixteen and pretty clueless about the world, and I had a mother who I thought needed to approve of the idea first. I remember rehearsing how I would bring it up to her, how I would make it seem like a worthwhile thing. I was nervous about talking to her about it. When I did, she thought it was a good idea. So, I began taking the first steps. I looked for something to inspire me, something that would be the theme of this blog. In my short sixteen years I'd faced a lot and was starting to overcome my seemingly never-ending battle with anxiety and depr...

Recently, I've been typing out some of my favorite poems I've written as I've finally filled another notebook and moved on to a new one. I've been reading some good poetry books and decided to type one up from my own works just to have. As I was going through and typing them up, I came across one that is one of the most near and dear to my heart. It was written on July 26th, 2016. It wasn't that long ago, but it was definitely a time where I was struggling a little. It's titled "dear anxiety," and was recently submitted for one of my rough drafts in my creative writing class. It was anonymous, so I felt much better about sharing it there. This is a much more public space, but I thought I would share this poem because my long and grueling journey with anxiety is something I (very personally) feel I want to share with those of you here. So, here it is: dear anxiety,  you came knocking on my door the other day i did not want to see you you showed u...

Two days ago, Adjusting Focus had it's two year anniversary! And though I am somewhat disappointed in myself that though the date was in my calendar and I forgot to write a blog post, I'm going to forgive myself because I'm writing one now. Over the past two years, I have been able to express a lot about myself through this blog. As someone who tends to be very quiet, introverted, and anxious when it comes to talking and sharing my thoughts and feelings to others, this blog has been an extremely helpful way for me to let people in on what goes through my mind sometimes. Adjusting Focus has, in all honesty, had a ginormous impact on my life. It's changed the way I think about things, and I'm always finding myself trying to think of what I can share with all of you, as well as how I can express myself in written word. It's been an outlet for me. There's always been some part of me that's wanted to have a blog. I didn't think I had anything particular...

I wrote a little poem last night after stake conference. The theme was the atonement, and during the meeting I thought of the first part, and after it was over, I wrote the rest. Hopefully you like it! Through Him   I have stepped on shards of glass And been healed Only to step on a thousand nails  I have walked with the sun shining And I have walked in the midst of a storm  I have taken the wrong path When I thought I was right  I have lost something precious along the way Even though I held it close to my heart  I have sinned And been forgiven Only to have sinned again Because I am quick to give in  I have had joy Only for it to be taken away by something out of my control  I have messed up Because I have let my pride get in the way  I have experienced loss of family and friends Even though I have loved them  I have traveled for many miles And I will travel for many more  I have lived for many years ...

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Adjusting Focus! I can't believe that a year ago I started this little blog. It all started because I saw other blogs and thought that it would be cool to start one of my own. I love writing, and I wanted to share my ideas and thoughts about things with other people. I wasn't sure what I was going to write about, or what I wanted my focus to be. I Googled ways to start a blog. I thought of all all these ideas, but I just needed one thing for my blog to focus on. I even looked at my Pinterest quote board to find some inspiration there. I finally settled on the quote, "When life gets blurry, adjust your focus." It was then that I decided to have my blog focus on finding the good and positive, even when life gets a little 'blurry'. I turned it into a Personal Progress project and now... Here we are. I have used the quote as a reminder to find the good in the bad. It's helped me stay more positive. When something ...

Well I feel like it's been a while since I've written anything (yet again) so I was trying to think of something meaningful to write about. Or, at least, decently meaningful. It was either that or perhaps something funny as I found I've had the recent urge to write something funny (I started a new book to try and solve that), but I've discovered that I'm really not that funny. I attempt to be but when it all comes down to it, I really just say some things that people occasionally laugh at and I can't be funny on command. It's just not a natural thing. I can write a sad story or a dramatic one. When I tried to write that funny book based on... well I'm not going to tell you... but when I tried to write it all I thought was, "This is the worst attempt at humor I have ever read." So, naturally, I went back to writing another book I've been working on. That all being said, today I decided to write to you all about writing. It's decently m...