Monday, September 26, 2011

Breathe, just breathe


My paid part time job has taken a back seat and my unpaid internship has become my job. I feel as though I have been doing well regarding stressful matters. I make sure to take time to gather my thoughts, I try not to get too anxious or overwhelmed. I remember to breathe and tell myself, “I can do this. I haven’t gotten this far…8 months to go”. Well when my presentation in class did not go according to plan I wanted to run away and cry. I suddenly felt a rush of being mentally drained. What happened was technology did not seem to be on my side. I just kept thinking: I have been working so hard how come this one little thing is holding me back? I was so frustrated I went into the hallway to pull myself together. In my cohort I am known for being organized, and always have projects and papers done well before they are due. There have been a few times when I over hear a conversation that sounds like this, “Hey, did you take a look at that project that is due?” “Nope, haven’t started it” “It’s a little confusing” “Ask Elyse, she is probably done with it”. Going back to class my cohort looked at me with sorrowful glances. It must have shown how upset I was. Class ended and I wanted to run to my car and just get off of campus. Two of my peers in class ended up having to walk the same way to their cars. They both gave me their, sorry’s about what happened in class. Sometimes I forget they understand. They are working just as hard as me. My entire cohort is. Their sorry’s sounded as though they were giving me their condolences. That’s when it occurred to me. Why am I stressing over this? It didn’t work as planned. Instead of dwelling on it I have to move forward. No one died, and I refuse to let my work fail. I just have to move forward, fix what needs to be fixed, and be done with it.

This past Wednesday was Peace Day. I wrote in my planner, “Breathe” with a peace sign, a heart and a smiley face. As I get older I understand myself more. I know how swept up I can become in my work. How my social relationships dwindle due to my consumption of my schoolwork. I need to remind myself of my ReVamped lifestyle. I need to remember that I am surrounded by love and support. I need to remember to breathe because I WILL get through this. I will surpass this stress; cleanse out the negative and push through the obstacles. And when it is all said and done I will smile and be proud. All I have to remember is to BREATHE.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Goal: "To Live"


Recently one of my professors asked the class: “What is your goal? What do you want to do?”  My immediate thought was, “to live”. Her questions were towards our careers, not towards our lives. And that got me thinking. I have felt so career driven for the past 5 years. Though there have been happy times, there are times when I look around and feel like I haven’t really LIVED. I just go through life doing what is expected of me and keeping up with my responsibilities. Its as though I won’t ever get a break from that; like I am in a box and I want to push out the corners to make a circle. Maybe that time is coming…

I have one year left of graduate school. I am hoping once I graduate things will be different. I hope to have a job but then again it’s bittersweet. Not working, my responsibilities have been cut and I enjoy making my own schedule and somewhat doing my own thing. Maybe I’ll have that chance to see different parts of the world, maybe I will have that chance to go on vacation and feel complete relaxation and freedom…even if it’s for 5 minutes.

The important thing to remember is to enjoy the small moments of fun. The moments when we smile, when we laugh, when we feel completely inspired; the moments when we do what makes us truly happy, its important to LIVE.