Briefly relocate

I am currently at junior in college at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Yes, these may very well be "the best years of my life," but that doesn't mean everything goes on without a hitch. Balancing the academics and social life offered at Lehigh is both a privilege and a feat. This, in addition to work, financial concerns, personal issues, internship applications, missing everyone studying abroad, thinking about the rapidly approaching future, etc., can definitely stress a girl out. My quick fix at school is usually something like a good work out or a long nap. 

With the vast majority of my close friends studying in Europe this spring, I correctly predicted that I would need a bigger pick-me-up than usual at this point in the semester. This is where I took the extreme measure of booking a flight home to Chicago, Ill. for a Thursday-Sunday weekend, and I couldn't be happier with my decision.

I am writing this from my bed in Chicago, and I don't know where to begin with my explanation of how my family, my neighborhood, my home, my childhood friends were the perfect stress relievers. Although I live in Bethlehem about nine months out of the year, my home is still my home. 

This type of stress relief might not be found in everyone's house or hometown. Maybe you just need a location away from whatever you're wrapped up in to think about yourself in the big picture from a different perspective. This is a place that offers a sense of comfort and belonging like no other place can, even if you don't know the other people in this place. I'm reminded of how I've changed, how I've stayed the same, the reasons I've become who I am, my monumental mistakes and achievements, and I can go on forever about what my home represents. Thinking space can be found anywhere you're comfortable, and I highly, highly recommend using it.

This is hard to do when you let things build up or fall into a stressful routine. And, sure, I'm not happy about the cost of the flights between Bethlehem and Chicago, but I just felt an impulsive need (very unlike me) to go home, so I did. The opportunity to step out of what has become my norm and think about things from a comfortable place was well worth the money. I will get on my flight tomorrow morning excited to get back to Lehigh with a solid sense of self, organized thoughts and a refreshed motivation. Thank you, home, for clearing my mind and curing my stress!

Tune out stress

For plenty of people, a go-to stress reliever is music. No matter your understanding or experience of it, music lets you listen to something other than your boss, professor, fighting kids or your own thoughts. You can pick the emotive sound you want to hear: blissful, angry, religious, loud, soft, etc. A ton to choose from. You don't even have to drop everything your doing to let music relax you. Turn it on while at work, while you're doing homework or before bed. And keep in mind: Reasearch from the University of Maryland shows that hearing music you love can relax blood vessels and increase blood flow. Music can keep you calm AND healthy!


Everyone has a personal taste in music, and maybe you can find yours at these helpful blogs:

http://adrianmusicandtheatre.blogspot.com/
http://jaclynulmanj198.blogspot.com/
http://thinkingmanhiphop.blogspot.com/


I've personally relied on music in many a stressful situation, and I will probably mention the magic of "tuning" out stress again in the future. Try it! It's too easy to pass up.

Being sick sucks.

Everyone around me seems to have been hit by the flu or some other illness that always seems to strike at the worst time. Unfortunately, it's now my turn to get sick. My intended Sunday of productivity was inhibited by fatigue and mucus (gross, sorry), and now I'm starting to stress about what I didn't get done due in part to my inability to stay awake. This is not a good feeling. It is a mental burden that I don't sense contributing to my recovery or will to get out of bed. The feeling I have right now is one I want you to avoid.

Some common sense (that your mom may have already shared with you):
1. Get sleep! I sleep like the college student I am, and now I feel the repercussions. Try to set a regular bed time so that you don't find yourself watching just an hour more of TV or getting a little more work done that can be addressed in the morning. Also, only nap when it's really necessary to avoid not being able to fall asleep at night. Unfortunately, I can't say I stay true to this nap rule...
2. Take vitamins. I do it every morning, and it can't hurt efforts to stay healthy.
3. Vitamin C. I love citrus fruits, but now that I'm sick I've upped my intake to Airborne status.
4. Stay physically healthy. Exercise, eat right, drink magical herbal tea, you know.
5. Stay mentally healthy. Too much stress will affect your immune system, giving you more to stress about and probably making it harder to get better if you do get sick.

Number 5 is something I'd like to dwell on. It may take some conscious effort, especially if you're really busy, but don't neglect practicality, even if you're under a lot of pressure! Habits that contrast with those listed above will pretty obviously be detrimental eventually. Then, when lack of sleep does catch up with you, illness probably won't be something you welcome. Then, that illness becomes another source of stress and enhances previous stressors you can't address because you're sick. Then you can't focus on getting healthy again. Frustrating cycle. There's nothing good about ignoring the simple common sense required to stay healthy!

Pay attention to what stresses you out. This blog offers some quick fixes to regular, everyday stress so that you can go to bed at ease. But if you need more than a quick fix, look for it! It should take just slightly more complicated common sense to stay mentally healthy. Your health will affect your emotions, like mine right now as I sit here frustrated with a blanket only half on in attempt to regulate my feverish body temperature. But the effect can be greater than that, which is why it's important to stay healthy and avoid the stress, sickness, more stress, more sickness pattern. You know how to stay physically healthy... just use common sense or ask a mother figure. Now think about how you personally stay mentally healthy.