RELIGIOUS CoNfUsIoN

Being both: I don't consider myself to be a particularly religious person, so how did I wind up identifying as Catholic and Jewish? The answer is a little muddled...

Conversations, Adulting as A Millennial, Life Updates, JewishGretchSeptember 27, 2017catholic, jewish, lifestyle, religonComment

HALFWAY THERE: 50 Days into 100 Days Sober

I'm participating in a 100 Days Sober project. Some 50 days in, I've already developed a few opinions about my sobriety.

Life Updates, Health Fitness, Adulting as A MillennialGretchSeptember 20, 2017alcholism, alcohol, Gretchen tries stuff, mental health, soberComment

GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 6: The one with the makeup

I was pretty slow to the makeup game, never really advancing beyond tinted sunscreen until after I turned 30. Learning to apply makeup (and not look like a clown) has been a much tricker skill to learn than I ever anticipated...

Gretchen Tries Stuff, BeautyGretchSeptember 20, 2017beauty, makeupComment

LIFE IN CHINA AND WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

I never expected to move to China, but it became one of my most important experiences in life. Now that I've been back for a little over a year, I have the space to reflect on the whole thing.

Travel, Health Fitness, AsiaGretchSeptember 12, 2017asia, china, depression, Fitness, health, living abroad, mental health, running, travelComment

AUGUST FAVES '17

A short YouTube video of all my favorite things from the month of August.

Style, FavoritesGretchSeptember 5, 2017beauty, books, favorites, life lately, life update, lifestyle, media, musicComment

TRANSITIONING TO ZERO WASTE

I've gone Zero Waste for the month of September and this is what I've learned so far (I'm only four days in... eek!)

Lifestyle, Zero WasteGretchSeptember 5, 2017environmentally friendly, green living, lifestyle, zero wasteComment

THOUGHTS ON BEING A FREELANCER

After half a decade as a freelance writer, I've learn quite a lot of lessons the hard way. Here's some insights into the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of freelancing.

Adulting as A Millennial, Conversations, CareerGretchSeptember 1, 2017career, freelance, writer, writer's life, writing, mypick Comments

GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 5: The one in which I attempt to establish a personal style

I own too much stuff... In particular, I owned too much clothing and I lived in absolute denial about this. For many years my bedroom had a very small closet, and I naively believed that as long as I could fit all that clothing into my tiny closet, I had my clothing problem under control.

Gretchen Tries Stuff, Style, My StyleGretchAugust 17, 2017capsule wordrobe, fashion, lifestyle, zero waste Comment

SOLO: What Does It Mean to Be Single

Being single is not always as picturesque as a pint and a slice and an enjoyable movie. It's not a constant stream of horrific dates (though I've gone on quite a few of those), nor is it a life of constant partying and sexual adventures (of course that might just my experience). It is, however, a life choice that tends to be undervalued, particularly if you're female and older than, say 25? 27?

GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 4: The one with no sugar

I went without processed and added sugars for a month; here's what I learned

Gretchen Tries Stuff, Health FitnessGretchAugust 2, 2017diet, health, sugar, sugarless, weight lostComment

GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 3: The one with soft feet & all the Pinterest fails

I've scoured Pinterest, YouTube, and beauty blogs for some of the best tips and products to try. But as all things in life, sometimes even well-researched plans just don't pan out. Here's a round up of things I have tried to achieve the coveted baby soft feet that just kind of flopped.

Gretchen Tries Stuff, BeautyGretchJuly 26, 2017beauty, feet, Gretchen tries stuff, pinterest failsComment

ROUTINES: How I unintentionally started adulting (sort of)

An underline theme of mine for 2017 has been the concept of “adulting.” – If you are unfamiliar with the trend, I recommend picking up a copy of Adulting: How To Become A Grown-Up In 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Portland-local Kelly Williams Brown or Almost Adulting: All You Need To Know To Get It Together (Sort Of) by YouTuber Arden Rose

Conversations, Adulting as A MillennialGretchJuly 20, 2017adulting, depression, evening routine, Feature, mental health, routineComment

GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 2: The one with all the shampoo

If you've ever dealt with dry, itchy scalp issues, you're probably familiar with the wormhole of advice on the Internet: Special shampoos? Home recipes? Dry shampoo? No shampoo? The slew of advice usually makes me flustered, in which case I shut my computer and ignore the issue until the next time a "helpful" human points out that I "have fuzz or something" in my hair. Deep sigh.

Gretchen Tries Stuff, BeautyGretchJuly 20, 2017beauty, GretchenTriesStuff, hairComment

A PLEDGE TO MINDFULNESS: A reaction to the Trump administration

“Why not choose kindness?”

This is a question posed a while back by a blogger I follow, Tessa Violet (look her up if you have the time). With the Trump administration officially in office and the amazing support seen at the Women’s March this weekend, this question resonates a lot with me. Why not choose kindness?

Conversations, Life UpdatesGretchJuly 20, 2017america, kindness, musings, TrumpComment

GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 1: The one with the coconut oil

Okay, it's January and every year I attempt to follow a New Year Resolution. Traditionally I pick something very specific and doable, such as running at least one race every month (New Year Resolution 2013) or learning proper boxing technique (New Year Resolution 2015) or living abroad (also New Year Resolution 2015).

Gretchen Tries Stuff, BeautyGretchJuly 20, 2017beauty, coconutoil, GretchenTriesStuff, health, newyearsresolutionsComment