Personal Quiet Time

Posted on by Analise

 

I am my best self in the mornings. I get more done, I am more focused, and I just love the feeling that I have an entire day ahead of me. When I first started, it seemed like a natural fit for me to do my devotional time/quiet time in the mornings for this reason. I wanted to give God my best self, and I am simply not my best self after 5 pm.

These are the things that I do every morning that set the tone for the rest of my day. Doing this gives me encouragement to draw from all day long. It also gives me a scripture on my heart that I can share with someone who may need it. I love the way I am doing bible study right now, but it is not a rigid regimen. If I feel like I want to focus on prayer alone one morning, I do it. If I feel like I just want to focus on reading the word, I do that instead. Why not?

 

Here is what I am currently doing.

 

Jesus Calling

I have had this devotional for years now and have completely gone through it a total of 0 times. Embarrassing, I know, but I never committed to it until this year. I have been consistent with it this year, I’m happy to report. I love how every day in the devotional gives you biblical truths in layman’s terms or in the form of a letter! I also love that it points you back to the scriptures that the “love letter” is drawing from. Every day in the devotional is relatable for someone like me- a worrier and a person dealing with impatience amongst other problems. I recommend this devotional to anyone who is looking for something to read daily that points them back to scripture.

 

The Bible

This part of my quiet time is the crux of what I need. If I do nothing else, I try to get some bible time in (and since Jesus Calling has scriptural references, I sometimes use that if I am running late). I am a firm believer in interaction with the text. I feel like I am more focused on reading and less distracted if I am making sure that I am deriving points from the text every so often. Interaction with the text simply means that I am very daintily scribbling all over my Bible. I am highlighting, I am underlining, I am writing in margins, and I am referring to other scriptures as I read. I have a Bible specifically for this and I have more about how I scribble and destroy my Bible here.

 

My Prayer Book

I started doing this a couple of years back when I first was exposed to Heather Lindsey’s ministry. She recommends keeping a prayer journal. I don’t know what it is about me and blank notebooks and excuses to write in them, but I was sold. I do this informally and I have gone through about 4 notebooks in this manner. This year I have a larger notebook that may take a while to fill up, but I adore writing in it. My entries are all prayers to God. In them, I tell him how I feel, thank him for answering my prayers, ask him when he will respond to my prayers (David style), ask him for help, and pray for others. It’s basically my blood, sweat, and tears in a notebook. It is a big must for me because as a distractible person, I find myself getting distracted when I pray (I will forever keep it real with you guys). Writing my prayers down keeps me focused and engaged while I am talking to the Creator of the Universe. Doing this has honestly helped my prayer life and I am incredibly grateful.

Another benefit of doing this is that when I pray about something, I can go back and see that God has always answered my prayers in the past. I can go back and see that God has always been faithful. It really helps my faith because truth be told, he doesn’t fail me. It also halts some of my “God, why haven’t you responded to my prayers yet??” prayers.

 

This is what I do every morning, it takes maybe 30 minutes and I can see the dazzling effects of having intentional daily quiet time. If I forget to do it one morning (which happens sometimes, especially on weekends) I simply try to do it in the evening or get back to it the next day. Easy.

Another beautiful thing that I have added is a friend who also does her own devotional in the morning. She texts me to make sure I have had my quiet time and I LOVE the accountability.

 

What are some of your morning devotional habits? I would love to hear about them in the comments!

 

Love you guys!

 

Lise

Smell Beautiful

Posted on by Analise

Shortly after getting married, I realized that I would have to be very selective in who I allowed myself to get advice from. There were all kinds of people that latched on to me because I was young and married. I know that they meant well and wanted me to avoid the mistakes they made, but they tried to give me all kinds of foolish advice. If I listened to what EVERYONE was telling me to do in my relationship, I don’t even know where we would be. My hubby feels the same way about a lot of the advice he has received.

On the other hand there is a group of women in my church who took me under their wing since I joined the couples’ class. One of them is my mentor. I did premarital counseling with her and her husband of 30+ years and it was the best thing I could have ever done for my marriage. She has given me some of the best advice and I still ask her questions every time one comes up. I thought I would share one of the nuggets with you.

As an African – American woman, I ALWAYS wear a scarf to sleep. I have been doing this since I was a baby child. My husband knew who he was marrying and so didn’t expect anything less. I have been meaning to invest in a satin pillow, but I feel like the effect will be the same since I don’t sleep with my hair in all of its glorious fro-ness but in two buns on either side of my head or in two strand twists (I’m just being real).

I say this to say that I don’t go to bed how I go out into the world, but my hubby still has to see it. In fact, he is the only one who has to see it! I felt like it wasn’t fair to him since I knew how much he loved seeing my hair out and playing with it. I wanted to show him that I still cared about how he sees me when I go to bed (mind you, my husband always tells me that I look beautiful, even with sweatpants, hair tied, chillin with no makeup on)

My mentor gave me this piece of advice.

 

Always come to bed smelling lovely. THIS. This is something I can control. I can do this!

I bought some lotions and sprays  from Bath and Body Works to put on after my evening shower, and I have to admit, it feels decadent to get in the bed smelling like a cupcake. Even more, I make the entire bed smell like hot chocolate and vanilla pastries. Who doesn’t want to smell like a lemon tart when they go to sleep so they can dream of birthday cake and glazed doughnuts from Krispy Kreme? Success.

Plus, bae loves it. He noticed immediately (I mean how can you not when your bed smells like sweet potato pie?) and was sure to tell me that he loved it and appreciated all the effort I was putting into our marriage.

Yeah, all that from 3 sprays of something that smells like dessert. 100 points to Gryffindor!

 

Ladies, try it out and let me know if you utilize smell-goods to add some beauty to your sleep routine.

 

Fellas, ladies love it when you smell nice. Trust me. Try using a new cologne when you go out, I bet she will notice and compliment it. If you aren’t sure which one she will like, have her pick it out. I know I am super selective about colognes that my guy wears and I take a certain pride in knowing that he is wearing what I picked out because of my excellent nose.

 

Have fun in your marriages!

 

Lise

 

Tutti Dolce Collection – Body Crème and Fragrance Mist in Golden Honey Praline

Golden Magnolia Fine Fragrance Mist

A Thousand Wishes Fine Fragrance Mist

Match Week

Posted on by Analise

Every year in March, type A personalities all over the country find out where they are going to be spending the next 3-7 years of their lives. To say that this month is filled with tension, anxiety, and excitement is not quite wrong, but incomplete. It is more accurate to say that this month is all of the excitement from an entire year bottled up and being shaken to Coke+Mentos proportions.

 

This is the story of my experience.

 

On Monday, March 13, we found out if we even matched with a residency program. I was having breakfast with a friend for the first time and we spent the entire morning avoiding the topic that was undoubtedly on our minds- Did we match??? I found myself having the word vomit I always have when I am trying to distract or fill silence unnecessarily. She was forgiving and we are still friends because we have been through tough times like these together.

We got the email, which, cruelly had “Did I Match?” in the subject line.

Thankfully, we both matched.

 

Then ensued a weeklong celebration designed to distract us from the looming results of WHERE we matched, which were to be revealed on Friday.

First up was Karaoke night at Fenians Pub. We revisited 1st year memories of Med School Mondays, when we used to hang out after Monday exams. Monday night is a strange night for partying for normal people, hence, our #medschoolmondays tag. Our classmates crooned and swayed to the sweet melodies of “Thong Song” and “Hit Me Baby One More Time” this time around.

 

Next up was High Heaven, a trampoline park. My classmates insisted that this was a dangerous event, but most of them showed up anyway because the champions all walk across the Match Stage with a limp. Although most of us were careful, one poor guy did injure his toe.

 

After the bounce at High Heaven came the Crawfish Boil where we got to practice our “barbaric” eating techniques. My friend K, on eating crawfish, “You must rip the animal in half. Look it in the eye and throw its head into the garbage. Peel the exoskeleton off the tail for this small amount of tail meat. Then repeat x 50 at least because it takes forever to get full.” Love that K girl and her antics. She was totally eating the crawfish, in case you wondered.

 

Moving on, we attended a Happy Hour at Hal and Mal’s, a popular haunt for many of our medical school parties and a Jackson staple, to be honest. This one was full of tense giggles and encouraging elbow squeezes about the day that lay ahead.

 

Match Day started with a beautiful breakfast with our classmates and some family members. My stomach was in knots but I made myself eat because passing out on stage is embarrassing.

Walking up the many stairs of Thalia Mara Hall  in downton Jackson was surreal. I kept telling myself that this was just another lecture or random medical school event to keep myself calm. Before I knew it, someone called my name and I walked across the stage.

I read where I matched.

I matched in Internal Medicine in New Jersey.

I. Was. Thrilled.

I was so happy to be starting residency somewhere. Also, going somewhere my husband and I would both flourish was the cherry on top of my proverbial cupcake.

 

Match week was full of events trying to help us ignore the fact that it was match week. I had a great time participating in every single one of them and getting to be that young fun girl I imagine myself to be. I now get to be young and fun in New Jersey.

 

Adventures await.

 

Lise

 

Some friends and I at Fenians on Monday Night after learning that we all matched!

 

Rome and I pointing in the general area of New Jersey, where we will be moving!

 

 

Interval Running

Posted on by Analise

I first started running when my mother and I were training for a marathon together. Oh yeah, that happened.

I was new to running in general (I only ran when bears chased me) and we both decided that interval running would be the best option for us.  We did the entire 26.2 miles in intervals!

This method has shown to help you continue to burn calories for the rest of the day. It also can help you increase your stamina and keep you from falling asleep from sheer boredom. Maybe it’s just me, but when I am bored on the treadmill, I feel like I am dying much faster than usual. I suddenly feel like running wasn’t such a good idea, that my legs are falling off, and that I can’t possibly breathe while I am dying a slow painful death.

Why I love it:

Running in intervals keeps me excited on the treadmill and keeps my energy up while I am doing a set of 30- 60 mins on the treadmill. I need music and something vapid on the television (or I can watch the news, both programs are equally effective). If I’m feeling really motivated to achieve greatness that day, I’ll even have something to read during my walk intervals. Essentially, the idea is that the more distracted Lise is, the better.

 How Interval Running Works:           

Treadmills usually have interval options that will allow you to set a jog speed and a run speed. I set my jog to a comfortable run or walk speed – depending on how I’m feeling that day. This is probably 3.5 – 4 mph for a brisk walking speed and 5.5 mph if I am feeling like I am going to jog. For my run speed, I usually do 6.5 mph regardless if I am walking or jogging for my jog speed.

Then I switch intervals every 2 minutes. This gives me enough time to catch my breath if I need to and it gives me enough time as I am running to get into my stride.

As I run more and my stamina increases, I will increase both my jog speed and my interval time so that I will be running both faster and for a longer time (that’s the goal anyway!)

If you are running outdoors, you can set an interval timer on your phone. There are several apps that fulfill this purpose for HIIT. An alternative to bringing your phone on your run is using a gymboss, which is a clever, pager-like gadget that will time your intervals for you.

For those of you who are new to running or just want to try something new to spice up your workout, try this out! Let me know what you think!

 

Happy Running, friends.

 

P.S. The incline on the treadmill can also be used for intervals, for you adventurous people. 😉

 

Love you guys!

Lise

Overcoming Anxiety

Posted on by Analise

Anxiety- a state of uneasiness or tension caused by apprehension of possible future misfortune, danger, etc; worry (definition from dictionary.com)

I know you guys already know what anxiety is, however I wanted to highlight that this is fear of a FUTURE misfortune. This event that we are worried about hasn’t even happened yet! Still, we are controlled by this crippling fear of the “What If?”

I’m not going to lie and say that I am not prone to anxiety, because I absolutely am.

I had anxiety about the MCAT

About my First Year Classes

About my Second Year Classes

About STEP 1 and STEP 2

Currently, I am combatting anxiety about Match Day.

 

The problem with anxiety is that it absolutely shows a lack of trust in God. When we are anxious, we are saying, “God, you are unable to handle this situation that I am dealing with. It is out of your control and you are not strong enough to deal with this.”

When I found myself having anxiety about STEP 1, I was essentially saying, “God, although the bible says that the fear (respect) of you is the beginning of wisdom, and that you hold all knowledge, I don’t believe it. You are a liar, God. I am going to crash and burn and, well, fail because I can’t get this knowledge in my head.” I didn’t actually say that, but by showing so much unchecked anxiety about the upcoming exam, it was similar to saying these things.

Doesn’t that sound awful when I say it in that way?

 

Here are some things that I do to combat the anxiety that I will undoubtedly feel.

  1. Reread those things I said in the above paragraph by feeling anxiety. Remind yourself why this is absolutely necessary.
  2. Pray about this thing- seriously. Prayer is probably one of the most underutilized tools for this problem. The bible says – Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything! How often do we pray when we get anxious? All it takes is a simple- “help me Lord” and faith to believe that he will.
  3. Combat those lies in your mind with the truth. I read this wonderful Beth Moore Book called Believing God. I don’t want to give away all the goodness of the book, but in it, Beth Moore encourages readers to use some practical tools to make sure that we are combatting the lies in our mind with the truth. I still use the principles in this book to this day when I am feeling anxious.
  4. Have some scriptural references handy when you find the devil prowling around you armed with anxiety. Here are just a couple that have really helped me with overcoming anxiety.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

I love writing verses on notecards and stuffing them into random places in my day. I have notecards in my white coat, my planners, my books, my car, everywhere. Helps with keeping your mind filled with the word of God! I hope these help you as they are helping me to overcome anxiety!

 

Love you guys!

Lise

 

So I Started a Blog…

Posted on by Analise

I’ve been thinking about starting a blog for some time now, and I finally decided to do it! I am over the moon with excitement about this venture and I am hopeful that this is a relaxing and fun experience for me as well as for you.

I wanted to share some of my travels, my medical school experiences, my hair journey, topics on faith, amongst other things because some people were asking for me to share. I figured one of the best ways for me to share was on a blog platform.

I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and questions!

 

Analise