How important is your mental and physical health to you? How often do you think about what you really need and about how you find yourself in the reality around you? Aren’t these issues important to you? Or maybe your job and other activities fill your time to such an extent that you take a back seat to such matters?

Surely, it’s good to remember about oneself and to take care of the way we feel about ourselves, both in terms of our mental well-being and our physical health. If we don’t make sure that we feel absolutely well when it comes to these two spheres, we may not notice some alarming symptoms, which over time, may seriously affect not only the state of our mind, but also the state of our body. Then our coming back to normality will be more difficult, if not impossible.

Subjects such as wellness are frequently touched upon by public figures, as well as content creators, for example bloggers to name just a few. Thanks to such a state of affairs we are getting more and more interested in our own well-being, no longer considering such an approach as selfish. I’m truly pleased to introduce you to my today’s interviewee – Cosmina Manea – a blogger who devoted herself to the field of wellness, who will share her story and the reasons why it’s worth to visit her website.

Passion Piece: Could you tell my readers a few words about yourself?

Cosmina: Hello everyone, I am Cosmina Manea, a wellness blogger with experience as a geography teacher, urban consultant, and corporate social responsibility manager. I have always tried to discover my own path in life while changing the world around me positively. Through volunteering activities, I promote human diversity and its importance. I am left-handed, and in my country, it is seen as a disease. Therefore, I try to teach others about the importance of diversity and encourage its acceptance.

Other things about me: My favorite indoor activity is playing with my cat, and my favorite outdoor activity is traveling. So far, I have visited 15 other countries and have lived for a few months in three of them, namely Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic. I am currently living in Romania, enjoying each day as it comes.

Passion Piece: You’re a woman with a wide range of interests. How did you develop them and how did they shape you as a person?

Cosmina: I was blessed with a good memory and logical thinking since childhood. At the age of four, I was already reading and writing, so I got to lose myself in my grandmother’s astronomy books. Astronomy was my first passion, but I had to give it up when I got my first pair of permanent glasses a few years later. The closest thing to astronomy was geography, and that’s how I started going to geography competitions. I even managed to represent my country twice at the International Geography Olympiad. Both in 2013 in Kyoto, Japan, and in 2014 in Krakow, Poland, I won gold medals.

Then came college, and this is when I fell in love with land planning, especially inside cities. It was the perfect way to use geography in my proximity to improve the lives around me. Teaching was complementary and a result of my love for children and passion for sharing my knowledge.

Right now, I make a living through my blog. I was always interested in my wellness and tried to find ways to enhance it. I love taking care of my skin and applying makeup, doing my daily yoga exercises, and preparing my healthy recipes. I also love writing and sharing with people the lessons I’ve learned over the years. All these experiences shaped me as a person, and I got to explore not only my passions but also my limits. I made many friends along the way and learned how to be happy.

Passion Piece: You also run your own blog titled ‘Cosmina Manea – Wellness is a choice you make’. What can your readers find there?

Cosmina: I like to describe my blog as my own virtual living room. It’s the place where you can sit on a sofa next to me and participate in conversations about daily wellness topics. Some days we’ll discuss physical wellness, other days we’ll talk about emotional, social, environmental, spiritual, vocational, or even financial wellness. All my articles are written in a personal manner, based on my own experiences, and I love when my post comments section turns into a real conversation with my readers. Whether you want to learn about travel destinations, skincare routines, healthy recipes, or even oriental medicine, you’ll definitely find something that interests you on my blog.

Passion Piece: Your blog is divided into three parts: Lifestyle, Beauty, Healthy Eating. Why do you focus on these particular areas? Why are they so important for you?

Cosmina: All three parts of my blog are essential for enhancing personal wellness. The Lifestyle section draws inspiration from my past experiences, including travel, sports, art, and psychological traumas. Each article is written in a personal manner that highlights the lessons learned from those experiences.

My experiences with body shaming and bullying at the age of 10, as well as my family’s history of eating disorders, particularly anorexia, led to a lack of self-confidence and extra weight. I was never allowed to control my diet before leaving my parents’ home, which prompted me to educate myself on healthy eating habits. The Healthy Eating section of my blog is where I share my relationship with food and how to get the most out of every ingredient.

Lastly, the Beauty section of my blog is particularly dear to me. I enjoy shopping for skincare and makeup products and testing them out. What began as a monthly treat for myself has now turned into a passion. I review products I’ve tried and aim to assist others who are new to the world of beauty.

Passion Piece: Depression and anxiety are common problems faced by our society. Why is it so difficult to cope with them?

Cosmina: In my opinion, nearly everyone experiences depression or anxiety at some point in their lives. It can be challenging to deal with these issues because it is tough for those around us to comprehend the intensity of our feelings to provide support. It can be difficult to find the motivation and energy to get out of bed and participate in activities we enjoy, and it can be difficult to see the beauty in things around us. It’s also tough to see the purpose in things we once enjoyed. Depression ruined my social life when I was a child. After a bullying incident, I became frightened of interacting with others and instead took refuge in the library. Anxiety is something I experienced more recently. I quit my job as a teacher two months ago when my anxiety became so intense that I feared developing heart disease while still in my twenties. Although I was able to find my way out, I needed the support of others.

Passion Piece: Where should one look for help? Can we deal with such problems on our own?

Cosmina: Dealing with depression and anxiety alone is incredibly difficult, if not impossible. I saw a psychologist to completely recover from my depression and social anxiety. A support system of people you love and trust is also crucial. Sharing your feelings without fear of judgment not only makes overcoming mental difficulties easier but also prevents them. From my personal experience, the best way to avoid psychological difficulties is to express your emotions. Holding them inside only leads to accumulation until they no longer fit in your soul and mind, resulting in mental breakdowns and disorders. Finding people around you who accept and understand you without judgment is the best place to seek help every day of your life.

Passion Piece: What’s your favorite skincare routine? Can taking care of our skin improve our general well-being?

Cosmina: I began my skincare routine a few years ago with only a face soap and moisturizer. I was overwhelmed by the countless skincare products on the market and didn’t understand how they worked or why I should use them. Now, I have a very detailed skincare routine that includes removing makeup, cleansing, exfoliating, toning, applying face serums and oils, moisturizing, and applying SPF products. I have a comprehensive post on my blog about each step of my skincare routine.

I recommend everyone have a skincare routine because it has many benefits for our general wellness. It improves our physical wellness by directly benefiting our skin texture, brightness, and shine. At the same time, it improves our emotional wellness. Having a routine we can successfully follow increases our self-confidence and makes us feel empowered. Furthermore, it helps us love our bodies more.

Passion Piece: Living a hectic life leads to negative eating habits. How can we take care of our diet without spending a fortune on it?

Cosmina: I have experienced periods where I was away from home from 7am to 9pm, with no time for lunch or breakfast. I would only eat once per day when I arrived home. Additionally, I had periods where I had a lot of free time and was forcing myself to eat three meals per day and two snacks.

Last year, I started a new eating routine that I believe might be the secret to healthy eating regardless of how much time you have. Meal prepping is the key. I only cook twice per week, put every meal in a casserole, and it’s easy to take it with me on the go or enjoy at home when I have time. Investing in thermal casseroles that keep the food warm throughout the day is also a great investment to have the food always warm and ready to eat whenever you have a break.

Passion Piece: What’s your favorite recipe? Can it be perceived as healthy?

Cosmina:That’s a difficult question. I have so many foods I love, especially desserts. However, my favorite meal is probably one that I grew up with. My grandmother always prepared a tomato soup with noodles for me as a child. It’s my ultimate comfort food, and it’s also a very healthy meal that can be prepared in under 30 minutes. I can put any vegetables I find in the fridge as long as the base and main ingredient remains the tomato. To enhance the taste, a small egg mixed inside goes very well with the noodles.

Passion Piece: What do you love doing in your free time?

Cosmina: Right now, I consider every day as free time. I do not see writing on my blog or cooking as tasks I must do. That is the benefit of not having a full-time traditional job. Besides those activities, I also spend my time reading (currently, I’m reading “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Truman Capote), attending the opera, ballet, and theater, playing with my cat as much as possible, and doing yoga daily. I try to use all the time I have in a way that enhances my happiness and wellbeing while also trying a variety of activities.

Passion Piece: Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Cosmina: If you had asked me this question half a year ago, I would have said that I saw myself as a successful teacher and education expert in geography and urbanism. However, currently, I am in a period where I am trying to re-write my life path. Although I am uncertain where it will lead, I am aware of the directions I want to avoid. I do not want to have a job that will not permit me to have time for myself and my family in 10 years. As I expect to have at least one child by then, I would like to spend as much time as possible with them. Furthermore, I do not wish to work in a place where I do not enjoy what I am doing.

At present, I am focused on living in the moment and enhancing my emotional and physical well-being. Simultaneously, I am open to whatever life has to offer, as long as it aligns with my values and principles. I am on a journey where I can identify when it is necessary to alter my course, but I am unsure of the final destination. Nevertheless, I would love for my blog to be highly successful and to inspire a multitude of people through my stories, while also allowing me to make a permanent living out of it.

Passion Piece: Thank you very much for this truly inspiring conversation and I wish you continued success in the future!

See you around!

Yours,

Passion Piece

Photos by: Cosmina Manea