Even though I have been really busy with work I want to focus more on one thing I enjoy doing to keep my mind from becoming overwhelmed. Everyone has little things that they do to clear their mind. The most recurring example I have heard of is running and the runner's high. That feeling when you hit the pavement and nothing else is on your mind but that moment when everything begins to make sense in your world: the ultimate mind wiper for some. Some may describe it as pure euphoria, not me. I wish I liked running unfortunately it's probably my least favorite endurance. Anyway, what I am getting at is everyone has their "thing," wether it is exercising, reading, cooking, talking, listening to music, or watching their favorite reruns.
It is important to have something to do that can clear your mind during stressful times. It is no good spending your day worrying about all of the things you have to do when you don't have the energy, mentally or physically, to do it. It is especially easy to become mentally drained when studies are so demanding. It took me a while before I figured out my "thing" or what it was that cleared my mind and brought me mental stability. I went through a bit of a rough patch about 5 years ago during undergrad when I lost clarity of why I was there. I couldn't clearly picture where I wanted to go with my life (even though I have always known) and I was letting personal stress get in the way of my academic aspirations. That is when I started practicing yoga. More specifically, I started practicing Baron Baptiste power yoga. Which is really complicated and probably too hard for a beginner, but it didn't matter. Yoga brought me to my special place, it gave me the equivalent of a runner's high. Baron Baptiste is a long time yogi who says many inspirational things. Things such as...
"Two key elements in our lives are vitality and habitual patterns that block our vitality. As limiting perceptions and old patterns are given up and released out, we receive new vitality in our lives. In a state of vitality, things begin to open up and make more sense. We gain creative perspective, and previously unseen pathways come into our view for the taking."
and
Yoga made me feel strong and empowered. It made me proud of my body and what it can do. It made me realize that my mind was strong and I could do anything I wanted. Yoga gave me a release from stress and helped me organize my thoughts. It taught me that life is a progression, just like yoga. It can never be perfected but you can be proud of your abilities and capabilities and build upon them. It taught me to view my situations as if I were an outsider looking in so I could make more clear and better decisions. Most importantly, it became my outlet or you could say yoga became my "thing."
It is very easy to be hard on yourself or too critical of yourself. It's easy to become bogged down by your day. I can't stress how important it is to do something for yourself and your mentality every so often. UCD has a really great support system for those who may need help with their "social, personal, and emotional welfare." The campaign is called "Please Talk." I have not been personally involved with any of the "Please Talk" events hosted at UCD but I have classmates who have been and from what I understand it is a really good form of support.
Overall, what I am really trying to say, especially with finals being so close, is that you shouldn't forget about you or your own mental stability when studying gets really hard. Work really hard but don't feel bad about giving yourself a little "me time" when it's needed.
Namaste!
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