Posts in Personal
5 Stupid Self Help Tips I Now Follow and Practice Every Day
5 Stupid Self Help Tips I Now Follow and Practice Every Day

Self-improvement is hard. The good news about it is that there’s no direct real answer for how someone can improve their lives. Here are five seemingly stupid self-help tips I used to think were ridiculous or just straight up didn’t understand until I started practicing them and found that they actually greatly improved my life. 

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Fun Stuff, PersonalMaddie Gudenkaufself-help concepts, self care, how to self care, self care tips, self help books on how to be happy, self help tips, bad self help tips, self care tip, how to self develop, good self care tips, stupid self care tips, easy self care tips, list of self care tips, self-help, self reflection, self love, self improvement, self development tips, self development, self-love, self-trust, self, self help books about happiness, self care routine tips, how to create a self care routine, decluttering tips, social media, social media is bad, how is social media bad, good self care help, self care is more than bubble baths, avoid social media, practice gratitude, gratitude practice, how to practice gratitude, how to improve your life, how to make my life better, how to make your life better, you have to love yourself before you can love others, bad advice, bad singles advice, bad love advice, how to declutter life, how to declutter Comment
The Happiness Project and How Happiness Doesn’t Always Make You Happy
The Happiness Project and How Happiness Doesn’t Always Make You Happy

Happiness is a funny thing. Once we have it, we can’t seem to have enough of it. We always want more and fight to have as much of it as we can. The desire to be happy seems to be an endless ambition of humanity. But as “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin taught me, happiness doesn’t always make you feel happy.

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Personal, BooksMaddie Gudenkaufhow to be happy, self reflection, self improvement, self development, self development tips, happiness project, happiness, happiness doesn't make you happy, gretchen rubin, gretchen, rubin, self help book, self help book review, self help book reviews, self help books about happiness, self help books on how to be happy, how be happy, discomfort, book thoughts, the happiness project book, the happiness project book review, project, book blog, book review, book lover, book analysis, book, booksComment
"How to be Authentic" and the Performance of the Parasocial Persona
"How to be Authentic" and the Performance of the Parasocial Persona

Authenticity is hard to achieve. You not only have to recognize the personal qualities that build your sense of self without external intervention, but you also have to be honest with accepting them. It can be a difficult journey that requires work to uncover and practice your true values through the mess of external values imposed through your environment.

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Social Media, Personal, BooksMaddie Gudenkaufhow to be authentic, philosophy, book review, media analysis, social connection, social media influencer, social media, social media bad, fame, is being famous good, how to be famous, parasocial, persona, parasocial persona, para social, parasocial relationships, online parasocial relationships, how to, skye cleary, simone de beauvoir, fulfillment, how to have a fulfilling life, how to handle fame, performance, is leaving social media good, fake, is social media fake, how to be a social media influencer, arguments against being a social media influencer, why to not be a social media influencer, why to not be famous, should you be famous, famous bad, is fame bad, how is fame bad, online persona, online parasocial relationship, online, internet famous, internet celebrity, good or bad, is it bad to be an internet celebrity, how to be an internet celebrity, self, self-trust, self love, self development, self reflection, self development tips, self-love, self improvement, self-help, self growth, self-help concepts, how to have a good life, what makes life good, is social media bad for you, how is social media fake, authenticity, de beauvoir, simone, cleary, skye, how to be authentic book, social media and philosophy, philosophy and social media, existentialism, feminism, feminist philosophy, content creation, content creatorComment
I Learned How to Cook and Now I'm a Better Person
I Learned How to Cook and Now I'm a Better Person

Can learning how to cook make you a better person? Maybe. For me, learning how to cook has become reflective of my self-growth journey to becoming a better person. I also get to enjoy delicious meals along the way that's not just butter on my TV dinners so wins all around, honestly.

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How My Anxiety Medicine Changed My Life
How My Anxiety Medicine Changed My Life

My anxiety has been a consistent monster I’ve hidden away for most of my life. For the most part, this monster was hidden because I didn’t recognize it existed.

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PersonalMaddie Gudenkaufmental health, anxiety, anxiety medicine, mental health awareness, awareness, self development, mental illness, how to cope with anxiety, how to deal with anxiety, anxiety medicine aversion, should I take anxiety medicine, anxiety medicines, hydooxycine, anxiety stories, anxiety diagnosis, how to overcome anxiety, how to tell if you have anxiety, panic attacks, anxiety attacks, softball, mental illness awareness, best coping mechanisms, best anxiety coping mechanism, do i have anxiety, how to tell if i need anxiety medicine, mental health awareness month, how to deal with panic attacks, how to cope with panic attacks, how to handle panic attacks, how to handle anxiety, how to handle mental health, how to handle mental illness, do i have a mental illness, do i have anxiety problems, anxious, how to get anxiety prescription, hydroxycine, mental health medicine, prescription, mental health prescriptionComment
Why I Can't Escape Social Media
Why I Can't Escape Social Media

Is social media really a way to connect with other or does it isolate us further by forcing social comparison on us? Reflecting on my own history and relationship with social media, I contemplate why I can never escape the platforms.

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Personal, Social MediaMaddie Gudenkaufsocial media, social media influencer, facebook, twitter, instagram, content creation, consequences, healthy connection, self-help, connection, social connection, social comparison, is social media good for you, is social media bad for you, how is social media, how does social media affect people, how does social media affect millenials, millenials, history of social media, dangers of social media, good side of social media, what is social media, social media bad, social media good, good and bad of social media, escape, can i leave social media, how to leave social media, leaving social media, is leaving social media bad, is leaving social media good, escaping social media, can't escape social media, escape social media, remove social media, why can't i quit social media, why i can't quit social mediaComment
Thoughts on Wintering
Thoughts on Wintering

Inspired by Katherine May's “Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times” novel, I reflect on the concept of wintering and how going inward, using introspection, solitude, and self-care helps me endure the season of winter.

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Personal, BooksMaddie Gudenkaufrandom thoughts, wintering, winter, seasons, season, seasonal, thoughts of maddness, book review, book thoughts, katherine may, self-isolation, mental health, retirement, mollie, mourning, isolation, how to winter, how to do wintering, power in wintering, thoughts on wintering, cold, thoughts, advice, always reading, break, books, best reading practice, seasonal depression, endurance, thoughts onComment
The Bittersweetness of Grief Through the Death of a Laptop
The Bittersweetness of Grief Through the Death of a Laptop

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki explores the concept that items hold importance in our lives as humans do and thus the death of my beloved laptop invokes a reflection on grief and the personal self-growth I have experienced with this object.

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Personal, WritingMaddie Gudenkaufgrief, personal, laptop, technology, death of objects, death of laptop, can objects die, can you grieve items, can you mourn items, mourning loss, loss, mourning, how to mourn, how to mourn a laptop, loss of a laptop, grieving death, death, can items die, can i be sad if my laptop dies, laptop dies, how to handle death, how to grief, how to moutn Comments
The Story of How to Survive a Ghost Story
The Story of How to Survive a Ghost Story

The story of how the YA paranormal comedy novel "How to Survive a Ghost Story" was developed from the initial novel inspiration to the self-publishing process.

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Writing, Personal, BooksMaddie Gudenkaufghost story, how to survive a ghost story, behind the book, writing, story, behind the scenes, how to write, how to publish, self-publishing, self-published, should I self-publish, how to publish a book, self-publishing YA books, self-publishing tips, publishing, writing advice, writing how to, writer, debut novel, random thoughts, indie author, indie books, indie bookstore, writing community, writing help Comment
When a Content Creator Retires (without being "cancelled")
When a Content Creator Retires (without being "cancelled")

There’s few things more ironic than creating content about retiring from creating content. I’m aware of this. But two years after retiring from content creation, I have some thoughts about my previous “career” in content creation and how retirement has treated me so I hope you don’t mind if I share them.

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YouTube, PersonalMaddie Gudenkaufyoutuber, youtuber problems, retirement, content creation, can you retire from content creation, influencer, retire, how to retire as an influencer, quit, quitter, youtube, youtube creator, creator, social media, instagram, blogging business, blog, twitter, personal, how to make your goals, social media influencer, downsides, downside, negative, consequences, pros and cons Comment
My Favorite Things of 2020
My Favorite Things of 2020

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Boys, Dolly Parton, Mexican Gothic, Buzzfeed's Worth It, and more all make my list of my favorite things that made the trash fire year 2020 bearable. Did your faves make the cut too?

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Fun Stuff, Personal, BooksMaddie Gudenkaufanimal crossing, best of, the boys, worth it, music, fall guys, playstation, nintendo switch, video games, riverdale, PVRIS, books, bookworm, recommendation, buzzfeed worth it, television, mexican gothic, gone girl, circe, book review, spotify review, 2020, the chicks, carrie underwood, dolly parton, brooklyn-99, TV shows, youtube Comment
Writing Quirks! I have them.
Writing Quirks! I have them.

For as long as I can remember, one of my biggest pet peeves has been people reading over my shoulder while I write. I don’t know where it came from. Maybe my perfectionist nature caused the peeve, knowing fully well that the first draft should never be seen by any eyes aside from my own let alone while I was actually writing said first draft.

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Writing, PersonalMaddie Gudenkaufwriting maddness, writing, writing advice, writing community, writing and music, writing quirks, how to write, writer, writer quirks, best writing practice, writing helpComment
Why I Chose to Self-Publish
Why I Chose to Self-Publish

One year ago, my first book How to Survive a Ghost Story was published. One year ago was also when I vowed to never self-publish again because good lord self-publishing is tough.

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Writing, Personal, BooksMaddie Gudenkaufself-publishing, self-publishing tips, how to survive a ghost story, ghost story, self-publishing YA books, YA books, writing, books, self-published, traditional publishing vs. self-publishing, should I self-publish, publishing, publishing tips Comment