About

Heya, I’m Nicole – a post-health sci undergrad navigating her next season of life.

📧 I write about life musings and developments in my mental health journey.

🧠 I enjoy Notion a lot, and share Notion Templates that help me process life here.

🎥 (coming soon) I talk about life as a 20-something in current times on YouTube/TikTok.

Imperfectionism?

Imperfectionism is a way of living that embraces one’s own imperfections and also acknowledges the real impact of the imperfections present in the world. This is the best foundational mentality for personal growth and mental wellness.

What is this lifestyle?

In a nutshell, it is trying to find a wise balance between “omg I’m a perfectionist, how do I change my mindset for the better”, and “well, capitalism made me this way, so it’s understandable really”.

With imperfectionism, you practice feeling your emotions when everything in you wants to shelve it for another life. You practice self-validation, because it’s not easy to navigate a life that came with no manual, and to work through all the chaos and struggle that comes with needing to figure things out on the fly in today’s society. 

BIG disclaimer: I am no imperfectionism guru. It is something that I myself am working toward. In fact, you might say that I am currently embodying the opposite of imperfectionism. I have been a perfectionist ever since I was a small child. This perfectionism grew and was a major catalyst in what I now call my big crash and burn.

In January 2017, I was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety disorder. After a depressive episode, I decided to pause at my second term of 3rd year undergrad to work on my mental health. I maintained a journal for some time following my discharge. There, I wrote about all my thoughts, musings, and experiences throughout my days.

Soon enough, I realized that writing is something that I loved to do from when I was younger and not yet caught up in this rush rush perfectionistic society. Somewhere along the line, I lost this part of myself (as I did many other hobbies in the name of a 4.0 GPA)…well, no longer!! Here I am, and here you are!

My current life season is post-undergrad, where I’m learning all the ways that education has prepared (and more notably, not prepared) me for the realities of unstructured life. I take solace in knowing that I’ve cultivated good habits in attending therapy, trying my best to speak more kindly to myself, and practicing finding the wise mind within. It’s never too late to start this journey!

Practice self-compassion…be kind to yourself!

As you’ll find out very quickly on my site, I want you to always remember to embrace imperfections and be kind to yourself. It’s tough out here! Whatever season of life you are in, you deserve love – especially your own.

This blog definitely helps me to reflect on my own journey, but I also want my words to help you. Whether or not you are also struggling with mental illness, if the idea of imperfectionism is appealing to you, I hope that my experiences and thoughts can help you on your path. And remember – I am learning with you! So feel free to reach out if you want to talk about this difficult but rewarding journey called life 🙂

Always remember to BKTY (be kind to yourself),

Nicole (nicomochi)

P.S. If you were wondering about my blog name & logo, I’ll provide some deets below.

nicomochi

“Nico” is my nickname amongst my friends. “Mochi” comes from one of the first steps that I took after high school to regain my fizzled/thrown away love for the arts. Back in the summer after grade 12, I watched this Youtube video on how to make a mochi plushie and began making plushies for my loved ones. I remember how delighted I felt from seeing their happy faces. It was freeing, because I began to see that the beauty and art that I create does not have to be perfect to be a) fun and b) appreciated. Art is something that I let go of long ago and I am slowly building up the skill and habit again (by slowly I’m talking really slowly). It is a great avenue to practice imperfectionism, because art can never be perfect, and being kind to yourself during the process is often a difficult practice.

Geometric heart logo

So, I am a big fan of pixel art. I love to create my own designs and use perler beads to bring them to life. I also swoon over all the amazing pixel art on We Heart It and Pinterest. So this is why I created my logo as a pixel art design – purely to pay homage to this little hobby of mine. I used a heart to represent love, whether it be self-love or love for others (both are important). I liked the idea of a geometric design because I could illustrate that our lives may not be perfectly intact and smooth, but they are beautiful nonetheless. It’s also chaotically coloured, which is life in a nutshell.