#LiveForTomorrow Photo Challenge: Day 5: Beauty in My Community

I've decided to jump on the bandwagon halfway through the #LiveForTomorrow Photo Challenge from To Write Love On Her Arms.

In this case, just like many others, I say: better late than never, especially when the message is so incredibly important.

According to a recent study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, suicide rates have steadily increased from 1999 through 2014, up by 24% than the rate in 1999.

The Live For Tomorrow Photo Challenge encourages participants to celebrate life from September 1-10, leading up to World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10. This year, TWLOHA's theme is: "And So I Kept Living"

Day 5: Find Beauty in Your Community

Self-care tip: buy yourself flowers! They not only brighten your house, but also your mood. Plus, you deserve it!

There is beauty everywhere we go, if only we could open our eyes a bit wider, put our phones down a bit longer, and silence the rambling thoughts simultaneously ravaging our minds long enough to appreciate it.

Regardless of what city you live in or your current circumstance, challenge yourself to go on a walk and look around.

Use your five senses while you walk, this will help you appreciate what is around you in entirety and encourage you to notice things that have been in front of you all along that you have been overlooking.

Here's some ideas:

-Walk barefoot through the grass... how does it feel rubbing against the bottom of your feet? Is it rough? Is it soft enough to lay down on?

During one of my walks, a mother duck ran in front of me, leading her baby ducklings back to the lake. 

A quiet walk in nature is a great way to reconnect with your surroundings on a deeper level without all the white noise we are often bombarded with throughout the school or work day.

-Do you hear the birds as they fly from their homes up in the trees? Do you hear the neighborhood dogs barking, waiting impatiently to go on their afternoon walks?

Stepping out of the car allows you to slow down and notice things you wouldn't normally notice on your morning commute, as you become accustomed to your surroundings, you tend to take the beauty you pass on your everyday route for granted.

-What flowers were planted in your neighborhood? How do they smell? This is a great way to appreciate the changing seasons and all the wonderful smells that come with it: fresh cut grass in the summer, fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market, freshly planted tulips in the spring, etc.

I drive by this bush of flowers every day on the way out of my apartment complex, but have never appreciated the sheer beauty until I got up close, and leaned in to smell the fresh aroma. 

I make it a habit every night to look up at the sky as a grounding exercise. I close my eyes, reach up to the sky, take a deep breath in, then open my eyes to experience all of the beautiful colors the sky has gifted me with at the end of a long day.


What beauty can you discover in your own community? Get outside and take a walk; you'll notice it's all around you. 
Join me for the remaining five days of the #LiveForTommorow Photo Challenge to raise awareness about World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10. 
For more information on TWLOHA's mission, visit: twloha.com/blog/welcome-to-national-suicide-prevention-week-2016/