Holly: Holy smokes, we're already halfway through January!!!
In the midst of basically going non-stop since this year has started, and also because I've had quite a bit of time to myself these past couple of days, I've been thinking quite a bit about rest. Which I guess is exactly my point...Anyway. We are a society that thrives on activity: we're going from one place to the next, we're juggling 221 different things at once, we've throw phrases such as "on the go" and "I'm so busy" into our vocabulary without even thinking twice, and before we know it, it's time to get just enough hours of sleep in order to function, only to wake up and do it all over again. Hey, I get it. That used to be me...and to a degree, it definitely still is. But one thing I've really striven to incorporate into my daily routine is quiet time, that time to just...rest. I've really grown to appreciate that just in the past few months- back when I was working as a lab coordinator I would get emails and phone calls constantly, most of the time well after hours, and sometimes I felt as if I was shackled to my cell phone. I couldn't really relax. But now that I've really adopted the mindset of "leaving work at work" (mostly now because I actually can!!), I savor those precious moments of rest. For me, I try to set aside a few minutes in the morning, usually while I'm waiting for the coffee to finish brewing: I typically read a verse from my Bible app. I also incorporate about 10-20 minutes into the evening, as I'm ready to go to bed for the evening. Again, I read something from the Bible (usually a whole chapter) and sometimes I write in my journal. My cats are usually there with me, so even then it's not entirely...restful, so to speak. But lately I've found that if I don't get those few minutes in the morning, I'm really edgy and frazzled when I get into work in the morning, even though I know what I have to do and it isn't terribly stressful.
I guess the point to all of this is that taking time to rest is extremely important. It's foolish to expect yourself to just go go go all the time! So go ahead, read an extra chapter (or two) in that book. Watch one more episode of that Netflix show you've been binging on. Turn that alarm off (but please still go to work on time!). Write, pray, whatever you need to do. Heck...even God took a day off!
Kelly: In the midst of writing this, I'm actually quite tired. This is my on-call weekend at work and I've worked 18 hours total this weekend...which actually isn't too bad compared to the last one I did. But it's been a long few days and I'm ready for it to be over. The constant driving to and from is what's killing me. Anyway, so rest sounds like a really good thing right now. My take on rest is different from what Holly described. Lately, I've had this itch of wanting to do "something more" with my time. I've juggled about a zillion and one different ideas of how to scratch this itch, mostly to the tune of finding another job. Not leaving mine, rather finding another job on top of what I already do. I kept telling myself "I want more experience" or "I just need a change," but I think what it is is that I'm just used to being this go go go type of person and when my time off comes I'm just like "why am I just sitting here? I need to be doing something else." And while I've ruled out finding another job, I haven't ruled out like volunteering or something to that nature...if I can just find the motivation. The thing of it is I just...enjoy my off time so much. And you know what? I am finally realizing that that's ok!
I think sometimes we get so stuck in this perpetual trap of having to fill our time with anything and everything because if we have down time then we're missing something. Yeah, I take some time out of my day to read a devotional, journal, pray silently (or out loud), but I enjoy my me time. My me time to read, watch something on Netflix, whatever. I understand that we have busy lives and all, trust me. We have busy lives. But don't forget that God doesn't want us all running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Take some time for YOU.
Showing posts with label coping with stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coping with stress. Show all posts
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Thursday, April 10, 2014
On being 24
Holly: 23 was a rough year for us. I found myself, at 23, in various up and down stages of my life: I watched my sister graduate from Berea, all the while celebrating my first (whole) year of being a Berea alum and not a college student. We moved again, and don't see ourselves moving for a long time. I started my first full-time job. We allowed an alien time traveler from Gallifrey to enter our lives and take us to places we'd never imagine. And then there were the downs: a friendship coming to an end, some difficult family circumstances that I'd rather not mention (God knows and things are great now, but will never be the same), working multiple jobs and struggling very much so financially, to the point of almost moving back home, and losing Grandpa.
I woke up at my usual time this morning, but with a bit more pep in my step, so to speak, as I am always grateful for my birthday. It's suffice to say that birthdays are usually a lot less exciting when you still have to go to work, but I digress. This year, I'm 24. 24 is my favorite number. And while I'm another year older and I celebrate that and thank God for that, the day didn't go without its share of sadness. Today also marks the one year anniversary of Grandpa passing away. One of the things that inspired me the most about my grandpa was his faith; Jesus was at the center of his life and he lived, breathed, spoke that reality every day of his life, right until the end. I was driving on the interstate, praying and thanking God for my grandpa, listening to K-LOVE and an acoustic version of "I Can Only Imagine" came on. Knowing that my grandpa was with Jesus and his family, living out what I can only dream of (being with Jesus eternally), I started crying and wasn't sure I would stop. It was a mixed moment: I miss my grandpa more than words can express, but I rejoice that he is with the One whom he loved more than anything.
24. Another year older, and the first year without my grandpa. I'm looking forward to being 24, and I'm open to new possibilities and opportunities. I'm praying for clarity; God has a plan, and He knows my heart and my desires. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not where I used to be; God has brought me through so much and I find myself craving more time spent with Him. I pray that God will open doors and strengthen my faith as I start my 24th year. I truly believe the best is yet to come.
Kelly: I don't look it, but some days I do feel myself getting older. Woke up this morning with a few aches, but I woke up. God has been very good to me. This past year of being 23 years old was without a doubt one of the hardest years of my life. Some very good things happened though; I finished nursing school, graduated, moved again, took/passed the boards, got hooked on Doctor Who and started my job that I am currently holding. However, I also endured my fair share of hard times; losing my Grandpa (on this day of all days), said goodbye to an almost 10-year friendship, saw my family be (almost) ripped apart, struggled with a lot of anger and frustration and at one point or another thought about throwing my potential career away. 23 was a very difficult time, but out of those difficulties God really taught me a lot about not only His grace but showed me how much through Him I could handle. And let me tell you, I can handle a lot now. He made me a stronger, better and happier person because I got to a point where I let things fall into His time. If it wasn't for His time I'd still be holding onto a toxic friendship and a lot of other things. I'd be miserable. But today, as I sit here and write this, I am far from it.
I'm not sure what being 24 will hold, but I know God has a plan and that it will be good. And the year 2014 in of itself is already promising to be a good and interesting year. I've found myself starting to think about things I normally didn't have the time to think about while I was in school. I know it's a rubbish excuse, but being out of school really does free up so much of your time. You think about things you don't normally, you do things you used to do but couldn't (I've been READING so much more!) and you get to see and enjoy yourself more. Seriously. But one thing I've been finding myself thinking about is the idea of relationships. I'm at that point I believe in my life that God is planting a seed that could potentially blossom into either a really great friendship or something much more beautiful than that. Either way, I'm very happy. And this person knows that I'm happy he's in my life....and no I don't feel the need to constantly broadcast it all over every social media site every single day. But our relationship...is a very unique one. God is up to something, but I'm just not sure what it is yet. Anywho....yeah. A year sure goes by fast. I'm not the same person I was, thanks be to Him. I am so blessed and pleased with where I am right now. I'm thankful that this past year has taught me to grow despite of my struggles. I'm also thankful for new places, faces and experiences. 24 will be better than 23, I am determined to make it so.
I woke up at my usual time this morning, but with a bit more pep in my step, so to speak, as I am always grateful for my birthday. It's suffice to say that birthdays are usually a lot less exciting when you still have to go to work, but I digress. This year, I'm 24. 24 is my favorite number. And while I'm another year older and I celebrate that and thank God for that, the day didn't go without its share of sadness. Today also marks the one year anniversary of Grandpa passing away. One of the things that inspired me the most about my grandpa was his faith; Jesus was at the center of his life and he lived, breathed, spoke that reality every day of his life, right until the end. I was driving on the interstate, praying and thanking God for my grandpa, listening to K-LOVE and an acoustic version of "I Can Only Imagine" came on. Knowing that my grandpa was with Jesus and his family, living out what I can only dream of (being with Jesus eternally), I started crying and wasn't sure I would stop. It was a mixed moment: I miss my grandpa more than words can express, but I rejoice that he is with the One whom he loved more than anything.
24. Another year older, and the first year without my grandpa. I'm looking forward to being 24, and I'm open to new possibilities and opportunities. I'm praying for clarity; God has a plan, and He knows my heart and my desires. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not where I used to be; God has brought me through so much and I find myself craving more time spent with Him. I pray that God will open doors and strengthen my faith as I start my 24th year. I truly believe the best is yet to come.
Kelly: I don't look it, but some days I do feel myself getting older. Woke up this morning with a few aches, but I woke up. God has been very good to me. This past year of being 23 years old was without a doubt one of the hardest years of my life. Some very good things happened though; I finished nursing school, graduated, moved again, took/passed the boards, got hooked on Doctor Who and started my job that I am currently holding. However, I also endured my fair share of hard times; losing my Grandpa (on this day of all days), said goodbye to an almost 10-year friendship, saw my family be (almost) ripped apart, struggled with a lot of anger and frustration and at one point or another thought about throwing my potential career away. 23 was a very difficult time, but out of those difficulties God really taught me a lot about not only His grace but showed me how much through Him I could handle. And let me tell you, I can handle a lot now. He made me a stronger, better and happier person because I got to a point where I let things fall into His time. If it wasn't for His time I'd still be holding onto a toxic friendship and a lot of other things. I'd be miserable. But today, as I sit here and write this, I am far from it.
I'm not sure what being 24 will hold, but I know God has a plan and that it will be good. And the year 2014 in of itself is already promising to be a good and interesting year. I've found myself starting to think about things I normally didn't have the time to think about while I was in school. I know it's a rubbish excuse, but being out of school really does free up so much of your time. You think about things you don't normally, you do things you used to do but couldn't (I've been READING so much more!) and you get to see and enjoy yourself more. Seriously. But one thing I've been finding myself thinking about is the idea of relationships. I'm at that point I believe in my life that God is planting a seed that could potentially blossom into either a really great friendship or something much more beautiful than that. Either way, I'm very happy. And this person knows that I'm happy he's in my life....and no I don't feel the need to constantly broadcast it all over every social media site every single day. But our relationship...is a very unique one. God is up to something, but I'm just not sure what it is yet. Anywho....yeah. A year sure goes by fast. I'm not the same person I was, thanks be to Him. I am so blessed and pleased with where I am right now. I'm thankful that this past year has taught me to grow despite of my struggles. I'm also thankful for new places, faces and experiences. 24 will be better than 23, I am determined to make it so.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
I want that!/I really need that: Two girls struggling to learn the differences
Holly: The other day I was thinking of this very question, and it's really struck me ever since: If you had everything you wanted, everything you REALLY wanted...would it change anything? What struck me the most is that, for me anyway, the answer would probably be no.
Sure, if I had a million dollars, it would change my financial situation, but it wouldn't change me as a person. If Martin Freeman walked into my apartment and said "Holly, be my wife", it would change my relationship status, but it wouldn't change me as a person (Ok, maybe that's not the best example). But do you understand what I'm saying? Think about it: When you finally get something you really, really want, how does it make you feel? Probably ecstatic, at first. But feelings fade and change over time. Eventually, it just feels like another routine, another brick set into a growing wall. Something I've learned is that things don't change me: time does, experiences do, God does. I've done a lot of growing up since being on my own...probably more so in this past week alone. Eventually, when it's all said and done, I think at some point you say everything that can be said and do everything that can be done. It has to be enough. Our society is so selfish: let's see what we can do to get everyone desiring bigger, better, faster, stronger, damned if we do, damned if we don't. What's wrong with being satisfied with what you already have? Right now, there's a lot of unknowns in my life, but I'm the happiest and the most at peace I've been in a long time. I have everything I need...even if it isn't everything I necessarily want.
I think of Bilbo Baggins in his sweeping quest: something "Tookish" awakes in him and he's suddenly longing for adventure, thrills, a rip-roaring good time. But look what happens: he's attacked by trolls, spiders, elves, almost drowns, is caught in a humongous battle, among other things. Is what you REALLY want really worth the possible repercussions?
Kelly: Often the scream of protest when something goes our way, or you didn't get what you wanted...again. Life is cruel sometimes, ain't it? As a result of some events that have happened this week, I've done a lot of growing up. I suppose I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was. For the sake of privacy I'm not going to go into detail of the events, but all is well. Eventually you get to a point in which you can't say anymore or do anything else, for it has all been said and done already. You win some and you lose some. I've prayed and made my peace with the situation. Anyway, as I was thinking last night about the events of this week and other things, I realized that one thing that I needed was some sort of closure. But the more Holly and I kept talking, the more I realized that it wasn't something I needed; just something I wanted. But we continued to talk more, and I realized that I didn't even want it at all. I was somehow trying to justify something that simply cannot be. Like I said, it's all already been said and done.
Last night as I was wrapping up my daily quiet time, I wrote in my journal, thanking God for how He has blessed me lately. I closed by writing that I was thankful for always having everything that I need, and thanking Him that He did not give me everything that I wanted. That would be quite scary; me having everything I wanted. I feel if that were so, I would completely lose dependence on God...sometimes I already feel like that. It's like I feel like a child who has lost her mom in a crowded shopping mall. I then though of something else; and yes, you can't have an H and K blog post without some sort of reference. When the new Hobbit movie trailer was released, I was quite pleased with the fact that Smaug's voice still remained hidden. Leave room for a little bit of mystery come December. That's what it's like with living with God; if He granted us everything we wanted, we'd all be stagnant. The mystery that is Christ Himself would no longer be. So I'll close with this; do you really NEED what you are seeking, or do you just want it?
Sure, if I had a million dollars, it would change my financial situation, but it wouldn't change me as a person. If Martin Freeman walked into my apartment and said "Holly, be my wife", it would change my relationship status, but it wouldn't change me as a person (Ok, maybe that's not the best example). But do you understand what I'm saying? Think about it: When you finally get something you really, really want, how does it make you feel? Probably ecstatic, at first. But feelings fade and change over time. Eventually, it just feels like another routine, another brick set into a growing wall. Something I've learned is that things don't change me: time does, experiences do, God does. I've done a lot of growing up since being on my own...probably more so in this past week alone. Eventually, when it's all said and done, I think at some point you say everything that can be said and do everything that can be done. It has to be enough. Our society is so selfish: let's see what we can do to get everyone desiring bigger, better, faster, stronger, damned if we do, damned if we don't. What's wrong with being satisfied with what you already have? Right now, there's a lot of unknowns in my life, but I'm the happiest and the most at peace I've been in a long time. I have everything I need...even if it isn't everything I necessarily want.
I think of Bilbo Baggins in his sweeping quest: something "Tookish" awakes in him and he's suddenly longing for adventure, thrills, a rip-roaring good time. But look what happens: he's attacked by trolls, spiders, elves, almost drowns, is caught in a humongous battle, among other things. Is what you REALLY want really worth the possible repercussions?
Kelly: Often the scream of protest when something goes our way, or you didn't get what you wanted...again. Life is cruel sometimes, ain't it? As a result of some events that have happened this week, I've done a lot of growing up. I suppose I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was. For the sake of privacy I'm not going to go into detail of the events, but all is well. Eventually you get to a point in which you can't say anymore or do anything else, for it has all been said and done already. You win some and you lose some. I've prayed and made my peace with the situation. Anyway, as I was thinking last night about the events of this week and other things, I realized that one thing that I needed was some sort of closure. But the more Holly and I kept talking, the more I realized that it wasn't something I needed; just something I wanted. But we continued to talk more, and I realized that I didn't even want it at all. I was somehow trying to justify something that simply cannot be. Like I said, it's all already been said and done.
Last night as I was wrapping up my daily quiet time, I wrote in my journal, thanking God for how He has blessed me lately. I closed by writing that I was thankful for always having everything that I need, and thanking Him that He did not give me everything that I wanted. That would be quite scary; me having everything I wanted. I feel if that were so, I would completely lose dependence on God...sometimes I already feel like that. It's like I feel like a child who has lost her mom in a crowded shopping mall. I then though of something else; and yes, you can't have an H and K blog post without some sort of reference. When the new Hobbit movie trailer was released, I was quite pleased with the fact that Smaug's voice still remained hidden. Leave room for a little bit of mystery come December. That's what it's like with living with God; if He granted us everything we wanted, we'd all be stagnant. The mystery that is Christ Himself would no longer be. So I'll close with this; do you really NEED what you are seeking, or do you just want it?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
A Bad Egg
Kelly: On the way to campus this morning, Holly and I were talking about bad days. Like I said in an earlier post from Facebook this week, it had been no surprise that I have been sort of a grump these past few days. That has since changed and I'm not a grump anymore, but I found myself wondering why I was grumpy. Well, I had a lot to do in a short amount of time, things at work were a bit hectic as we were trying to get ready for our open house tomorrow night, and of course my clinical schedule. That in of itself is like having an additional job on top of my already job. Anyway, I soon realized that it was a lot of little things that were happening throughout the week but not on the same day. Murphy's Law kind of week I suppose. This morning I was a bit on edge as well, as I haven't been feeling the greatest all day. Going to the doc tomorrow. But I was talking to Holly and I said "you know, despite all that's going on, I can't even remember the last time I had a bad day." Then it had me thinking...what constitutes a "bad day?" Is it the whole day or just a part of the day?
For many I know, it's a part of the day. For a while that was my definition too. There's one tiny part of the day that goes sour and then boom. The whole day suddenly sucks. After a while though, again, like many of these posts with the label "perspective," mine changed. Why do we always let one moment ruin our entire day? WHY? It's like getting feedback on a paper or presentation; there's one negative comment and a lot more positive comments. But what one do we always focus on? The one negative. And then we dwell on it and dwell on it...or at least I do. What is it about negativity that attracts us? So what I'm trying to do is not let the one negative thing constitute as a bad day in my book. Why let one small bad egg ruin the rest of the batch? It doesn't have to!
Holly: Trust me, this used to be me. One thing would go wrong and I'd be all "well that's it now today just sucks!" Life doesn't have to be that way. We are not in bondage to all those stupid little things that go wrong in life; we are in control of how we deal with them, and I think the way we deal with such things says a lot about our character. You can completely lose your crap, or just take it in stride, let it go, and move on. Because in the grand scheme of things, we really don't have it as bad as we think we do.
Why are we so ingrained on focusing on the bad, but not the good? It's like you get a review at work or something, and you can have 32345 GOOD things said about you and then ONE bad thing, and what do we immediately focus on...the ONE bad thing? Bad things are usually not personal, they're usually someone on the receiving end out to get you. Seriously. Trust me on this one.
I'm with Kelly on this one...I honestly can't remember the last time I had a "bad day". Want my advice? That one thing someone says/does that gets under your skin? Forget about it. That little snide remark someone made about you? Laugh it off. That person you're holding a grudge against? Let it go. Negativity is POWERFUL...I believe any time that we are mulling in our negative junk we are being robbed of time that we could be spending laughing or spreading positive energy to others...or just simply being freaking happy! Don't ever let anything or anyone steal your joy in life! We are so much more than that!
For many I know, it's a part of the day. For a while that was my definition too. There's one tiny part of the day that goes sour and then boom. The whole day suddenly sucks. After a while though, again, like many of these posts with the label "perspective," mine changed. Why do we always let one moment ruin our entire day? WHY? It's like getting feedback on a paper or presentation; there's one negative comment and a lot more positive comments. But what one do we always focus on? The one negative. And then we dwell on it and dwell on it...or at least I do. What is it about negativity that attracts us? So what I'm trying to do is not let the one negative thing constitute as a bad day in my book. Why let one small bad egg ruin the rest of the batch? It doesn't have to!
Holly: Trust me, this used to be me. One thing would go wrong and I'd be all "well that's it now today just sucks!" Life doesn't have to be that way. We are not in bondage to all those stupid little things that go wrong in life; we are in control of how we deal with them, and I think the way we deal with such things says a lot about our character. You can completely lose your crap, or just take it in stride, let it go, and move on. Because in the grand scheme of things, we really don't have it as bad as we think we do.
Why are we so ingrained on focusing on the bad, but not the good? It's like you get a review at work or something, and you can have 32345 GOOD things said about you and then ONE bad thing, and what do we immediately focus on...the ONE bad thing? Bad things are usually not personal, they're usually someone on the receiving end out to get you. Seriously. Trust me on this one.
I'm with Kelly on this one...I honestly can't remember the last time I had a "bad day". Want my advice? That one thing someone says/does that gets under your skin? Forget about it. That little snide remark someone made about you? Laugh it off. That person you're holding a grudge against? Let it go. Negativity is POWERFUL...I believe any time that we are mulling in our negative junk we are being robbed of time that we could be spending laughing or spreading positive energy to others...or just simply being freaking happy! Don't ever let anything or anyone steal your joy in life! We are so much more than that!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Crisis Mode!!!!!
Kelly: This morning sis and I had somewhat of an interesting conversation. We were talking about really really stressful situations and what we did to get over them. Our responses were typical; we did the usual "short term" relief efforts to combat our stress. Here's what I mean.
Last year when I was in the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) after watching a patient go through a seemingly routine surgery, her BP shot through the roof. This was related to several factors, but anyway it escalated pretty quickly. I noticed that the nurse kept IV pushing two medications that I had never heard of. I later learned that they were anti-hypertensives but were very short acting. So every few minutes the nurse would have to give just a little bit more. While this was going on, I was thinking "well shouldn't somebody be trying to figure out what the problem is or look for a more long term solution?" Eventually they did and the patient was transported to intensive care.
"Wow! Great story Kelly! Now what in the heck are you talking about?" Well I'm getting there. In a crisis situation, when you feel like there's no way out, often times we turn to short term solutions just to temporarily take the edge off. People do this in many ways; post about it on Facebook browse a few recipes on Pinterest, or turn to more harmful measures such as drinking or smoking. And sure, those measures make us feel good and block out the world for a bit, but the minute you turn off the web browser, or put that bottle down or put that butt out, what you were trying to avoid is still right where you left it. It didn't go away, so we keep going back to those temporary measures. But like the patient I saw, until a long-term solution was reached, the nurse was going to have to keep pushing those medications. So here's a challenge for you all (and for me as well), instead of seeking temporary relief when stressful times hit, look into the root of the problem and come up with a long-term solution. That way, you won't have to be standing over yourself self-administering that temporary fix.
Holly: Ugh....now that I'm older I am so over these "quick fixes" to life situations. My philosophy is if it ain't a permanent solution then I'm not even going to waste my time! I used to be a horrible procrastinator. Still am, I suppose. But while I was busy all aboard the procrastination express, I had the mindset of "Oh, well, God will provide this and that, etc." Which is VERY true. I'm not mean to be sacrilegious. But yesterday Kelly and I were doing our LoTR devotional and a topic similar to this one came up, and it dawned on me: Yes, God DOES provide, and He is faithful, but sometimes He might want us to change something about our lifestyle, a nasty habit we have, etc.
Think about it this way: Say you have a monster deadline/paper/project/major life stressor due in a short amount of time. You've known about it for a while now, but now it's getting down to the wire and you realize you've barely put a dent in it. As that time you thought you had so much of comes to a halt, you remember your thinking something along the lines of "Oh, I've got time, it'll get done, I'll finish it..." (Sounding a little familiar yet??????)
When you say you want to stop procrastinating, or stressing yourself out, or whatever you need to fix, say the words and PUT ACTIONS behind them. With me, I combated my procrastination by doing my work, REALLY DOING my work, DISCIPLINING myself to do my work, and I set a goal. If I reached that goal, I would spend 15 minutes or so indulging in mindless internet culture. After my 15 minutes (I timed myself...seriously!!!!), it was back to work. Ask Kelly what she does. Seriously. She is ON TOP of her game this semester, y'all!
One more piece of advice: if you KNOW of something coming up that you have to do, take the necessary steps to prepare it. If you're a slow reader, start your reading earlier. If you have a paper due in two weeks, write a little bit every day, even if it's just a paragraph or two. Be diligent with your time and LIMIT yourself if you have to (Which, let's face it....YOU DO!!!!!!!!!!!!). If you just do a little bit of planning, preparation, and extra work and initiative, then you will avoid crisis modes for a long time to come.
Last year when I was in the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) after watching a patient go through a seemingly routine surgery, her BP shot through the roof. This was related to several factors, but anyway it escalated pretty quickly. I noticed that the nurse kept IV pushing two medications that I had never heard of. I later learned that they were anti-hypertensives but were very short acting. So every few minutes the nurse would have to give just a little bit more. While this was going on, I was thinking "well shouldn't somebody be trying to figure out what the problem is or look for a more long term solution?" Eventually they did and the patient was transported to intensive care.
"Wow! Great story Kelly! Now what in the heck are you talking about?" Well I'm getting there. In a crisis situation, when you feel like there's no way out, often times we turn to short term solutions just to temporarily take the edge off. People do this in many ways; post about it on Facebook browse a few recipes on Pinterest, or turn to more harmful measures such as drinking or smoking. And sure, those measures make us feel good and block out the world for a bit, but the minute you turn off the web browser, or put that bottle down or put that butt out, what you were trying to avoid is still right where you left it. It didn't go away, so we keep going back to those temporary measures. But like the patient I saw, until a long-term solution was reached, the nurse was going to have to keep pushing those medications. So here's a challenge for you all (and for me as well), instead of seeking temporary relief when stressful times hit, look into the root of the problem and come up with a long-term solution. That way, you won't have to be standing over yourself self-administering that temporary fix.
Holly: Ugh....now that I'm older I am so over these "quick fixes" to life situations. My philosophy is if it ain't a permanent solution then I'm not even going to waste my time! I used to be a horrible procrastinator. Still am, I suppose. But while I was busy all aboard the procrastination express, I had the mindset of "Oh, well, God will provide this and that, etc." Which is VERY true. I'm not mean to be sacrilegious. But yesterday Kelly and I were doing our LoTR devotional and a topic similar to this one came up, and it dawned on me: Yes, God DOES provide, and He is faithful, but sometimes He might want us to change something about our lifestyle, a nasty habit we have, etc.
Think about it this way: Say you have a monster deadline/paper/project/major life stressor due in a short amount of time. You've known about it for a while now, but now it's getting down to the wire and you realize you've barely put a dent in it. As that time you thought you had so much of comes to a halt, you remember your thinking something along the lines of "Oh, I've got time, it'll get done, I'll finish it..." (Sounding a little familiar yet??????)
When you say you want to stop procrastinating, or stressing yourself out, or whatever you need to fix, say the words and PUT ACTIONS behind them. With me, I combated my procrastination by doing my work, REALLY DOING my work, DISCIPLINING myself to do my work, and I set a goal. If I reached that goal, I would spend 15 minutes or so indulging in mindless internet culture. After my 15 minutes (I timed myself...seriously!!!!), it was back to work. Ask Kelly what she does. Seriously. She is ON TOP of her game this semester, y'all!
One more piece of advice: if you KNOW of something coming up that you have to do, take the necessary steps to prepare it. If you're a slow reader, start your reading earlier. If you have a paper due in two weeks, write a little bit every day, even if it's just a paragraph or two. Be diligent with your time and LIMIT yourself if you have to (Which, let's face it....YOU DO!!!!!!!!!!!!). If you just do a little bit of planning, preparation, and extra work and initiative, then you will avoid crisis modes for a long time to come.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Change thinking to change feelings
Kelly: The last few weeks I have noticed a change in myself. And no, it's not just the 8 pound weight loss. This again is another change for the better. I have been happier. Much happier than I was this time last year. I remember thinking about this time last year; I was so on edge. About everything! The littlest things set me off and it was because I was just so...burned out, stressed out, worn out, worn down, and exhausted. Getting up at 4AM on Tuesdays was extremely draining and it was just go, go, go 24/7. No rest for the weary. And now? I'm not stressed (as much), I'm not tired, and I can't even remember the last time I had a genuinely bad day. What does that even mean anyway, to have a bad day? It's all relative. Anyway, but everyone keeps asking me what my secret is? How did I lose 8 pounds? Why am I so happy and cheerful?
It's GOD.
It was, it has been and it will be. Every morning when I wake up I consciously think in my mind "God, I'm here now. I want you to shine so brightly through me that people notice. I want to have a smile on my face and pass it on." Those thoughts vary daily, but for the most part I start my days with God just changing and transforming my mind. And let me tell you it is AMAZING how good I feel!!!! I smile more, I laugh more and I think positively more. This is also benefiting me because I have more time to PRAISE instead of PLEAD. Not that pleading to God is bad, but I can think of more times when I've said "Dear God, thank you for now" instead of "Dear God just get me through this!" There have been times when some troubles have come my way but I've learned (and am still learning) to just deal with them as they come. And I pray ALL the time "God have Your way in this situation." I don't ask to take it away because we might miss something if we just lock up all our stresses and worries in boxes and pray that they just disappear. I've EMBRACED those challenges and saddled up the courage to face them. Finally. Now bear in mind, these changes I've made have taken many many months of pre-meditating, thinking and praying. But also these changes have come from inside me as well. I've had to pluck up courage from my strength (which comes from God) to just GO. To just go and live, because it is not God's will for me to live in bondage of all that holds me down. And here's something else; words are just words. Make a plan, pray about it, think about it, and follow through.
Holly: But God...
I am speaking from experience, as well as in concordance with Kelly, but every single word she says is true. This way of thinking has completely revolutionized my day-to-day ways of looking at things, situations, bad drivers, work issues, scary bills, crappy attitudes, cats that won't chill out, etc etc etc...But ever since I've taken the focus off of me and MY schedule, and MY current feelings, and all that I have to do for the day, and turning it into "Hey, God, um, thanks for EVERYTHING, I'm not sure what's going to happen today, but I totally trust You," things have just gotten better. By all rights I should be having a conniption fit. I don't have a job in two months, I have student loans to pay off, we're getting zero help from the college in terms of living expenses next semester...there's just a lot stacked against us. I have hardly zero anxiety. Seriously. Because I rest and stand firm in the simple fact of all that God has brought us through, and I strongly believe He will not have brought us to Berea, to here right now, only to just be like, "Well, just kidding." No. That's not the God I serve and love.
The thing about faith, though, is that even though God has more than enough faith for you and me, sometimes we have to have faith in ourselves. I've had lots of conversations with people about how stressed they are, how they're not sure they're going to make it, and they trust God, I can see that....but maybe it's themselves that they don't trust. Let me tell you: there were plenty of times in my last semester of school where I wasn't sure if I was going to pass this one class. I decided to shift my focus on GOODDD, saying, God, you've brought me through four years of school. I'm giving this class to You! I did that, but I also just kept telling myself, Holly, you're going to make it. You are. You have to! You have so many people rooting for you!!
If you haven't been reading a word of this, please read this: YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE. Someone out there is rooting for you. Someone has faith in you. Please know this. :)
My challenge is this: just try to shift your perspective, the way you think. It takes time, believe me. But it's worth it, I promise. Let us know if you need encouragement, prayer, etc.
"You have to change the way you THINK in order to change the way you FEEL." -Robin Roberts
It's GOD.
It was, it has been and it will be. Every morning when I wake up I consciously think in my mind "God, I'm here now. I want you to shine so brightly through me that people notice. I want to have a smile on my face and pass it on." Those thoughts vary daily, but for the most part I start my days with God just changing and transforming my mind. And let me tell you it is AMAZING how good I feel!!!! I smile more, I laugh more and I think positively more. This is also benefiting me because I have more time to PRAISE instead of PLEAD. Not that pleading to God is bad, but I can think of more times when I've said "Dear God, thank you for now" instead of "Dear God just get me through this!" There have been times when some troubles have come my way but I've learned (and am still learning) to just deal with them as they come. And I pray ALL the time "God have Your way in this situation." I don't ask to take it away because we might miss something if we just lock up all our stresses and worries in boxes and pray that they just disappear. I've EMBRACED those challenges and saddled up the courage to face them. Finally. Now bear in mind, these changes I've made have taken many many months of pre-meditating, thinking and praying. But also these changes have come from inside me as well. I've had to pluck up courage from my strength (which comes from God) to just GO. To just go and live, because it is not God's will for me to live in bondage of all that holds me down. And here's something else; words are just words. Make a plan, pray about it, think about it, and follow through.
Holly: But God...
I am speaking from experience, as well as in concordance with Kelly, but every single word she says is true. This way of thinking has completely revolutionized my day-to-day ways of looking at things, situations, bad drivers, work issues, scary bills, crappy attitudes, cats that won't chill out, etc etc etc...But ever since I've taken the focus off of me and MY schedule, and MY current feelings, and all that I have to do for the day, and turning it into "Hey, God, um, thanks for EVERYTHING, I'm not sure what's going to happen today, but I totally trust You," things have just gotten better. By all rights I should be having a conniption fit. I don't have a job in two months, I have student loans to pay off, we're getting zero help from the college in terms of living expenses next semester...there's just a lot stacked against us. I have hardly zero anxiety. Seriously. Because I rest and stand firm in the simple fact of all that God has brought us through, and I strongly believe He will not have brought us to Berea, to here right now, only to just be like, "Well, just kidding." No. That's not the God I serve and love.
The thing about faith, though, is that even though God has more than enough faith for you and me, sometimes we have to have faith in ourselves. I've had lots of conversations with people about how stressed they are, how they're not sure they're going to make it, and they trust God, I can see that....but maybe it's themselves that they don't trust. Let me tell you: there were plenty of times in my last semester of school where I wasn't sure if I was going to pass this one class. I decided to shift my focus on GOODDD, saying, God, you've brought me through four years of school. I'm giving this class to You! I did that, but I also just kept telling myself, Holly, you're going to make it. You are. You have to! You have so many people rooting for you!!
If you haven't been reading a word of this, please read this: YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE. Someone out there is rooting for you. Someone has faith in you. Please know this. :)
My challenge is this: just try to shift your perspective, the way you think. It takes time, believe me. But it's worth it, I promise. Let us know if you need encouragement, prayer, etc.
"You have to change the way you THINK in order to change the way you FEEL." -Robin Roberts
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
College student confessions; yes, you can do it too!
Kelly: My name is Kelly Korb. I am a fifth year senior. I have never pulled an all nighter and have never skipped a meal. I have also remained relatively low-stress this year. Want to know how I did four years of that as a nursing major? I will tell you.
Set a limit of when to "shut-off": My cut off is midnight. After midnight I stop doing homework and go to bed, even if I still have work to do. Absolutely nobody is forcing you to stay up all night. Your body needs rest and the ability to recharge. You're not doing anybody any favors by overworking yourself. Also, we are not all as busy as we say we are. Are you really doing homework the ENTIRE night you're up? Doubtful. Turn off the computer, the cell phone and SLEEP.
Just EAT. Plain and simple. I hear the excuse "I don't have time to eat." Sure you do. Again, this goes back to the we are not as busy as we say we are. If you can't make it to food service, carry snacks with you to have during the day. Again, speaking from a future health care provider's stand point, your body needs food to keep you going. So like I said, you're not doing yourself any favors by skipping a meal. However, I do know some people who skip lunch just because they can function on two meals a day. Did that a lot in the summer. But if you NORMALLY eat 3 meals a day but find yourself skipping one, two or all 3 periodically, you might want to do some minor adjustments...
MOVE IT! Since May, Holly and I have been walking every night, just to do it. Neither one of us need to lose weight, but we were tired of sitting around the apartment all day. Remember hearing those kid commercials "get up and play an hour a day?" Well....do it. Again, I hear the "I don't have time to exercise" or "I can't find something I like to do." WALK. You want to know why walking is easy? Because we do it all the time! I find that ever since I've started walking every night I can't sit for longer than an hour. Nobody's doing anybody any favors by sitting around all the time. I have read study after study after study that says sitting for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to your health.
Examine your daily schedule...and re examine as needed. This relates to the theme I've been saying. How busy are we really? Think of a typical day for you. How often do you spend doing homework? Or housework? Texting/calling people? Spending time on Facebook? You'll be surprised at what you find when you actually sit and think about it. Yeah, now that you've thought about it, you realize you're not as busy as you say you are. I'm not as busy as I say I am. But like I said: never skipped a meal or pulled an all nighter. Those were a result of choices I made, and I'm not trying to brag. I'm just saying you can make those choices too. Anyone can.
Holly: Hey...is this thing on? Ok, big college-kid lesson:
ABSOLUTELY NO ONE OR NOTHING IS FORCING YOU TO PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER!
You hear me? Need me to spell it out for you? Do an interpretive dance? Ok...good.
So stop it.
Pulling an all-nighter is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. You're screwing with your sleep schedule, you're putting unnecessary stress on your body, and if you're studying, there ain't no way in Hades that you're going to remember everything you studied. Chances are you'll be more concerned about how freaking tired you are. You don't have to. Straight up. I went through four years of Berea and never did. You know why? Because I prioritized. I made a plan of what I needed to do and I did it. Now, that goes without saying that I never didn't just DO it. Of course I procrastinated. But I goofed off when I needed to and I buckled down when I needed to. But I think more often than not, I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
Sometimes prioritizing includes making sacrifices. That's just the way it goes. You get a text from your bestie asking to go out, but you know that you have a test on Monday and you need to study this weekend. Sometimes you have to be the big responsible grown up kid and say no to fun, your friends, etc. Bottom line: You NEED to say no to your friends sometimes. Contrary to popular belief, school is more important than hanging out with your friends. Yeah, it stinks, but when you get all your stuff done, then reward yourself. Worked wonders for me...sort of like extra incentive to trudge through all the academia.
Another thing: Listen to your body. If you've been working on homework for hours on end and you feel like you can't read another word or keep your eyes open for one more second, put the homework away and go to BED! Don't push yourself. Sometimes being a good student is knowing your limits, knowing when enough is enough. Even if you have to do more work the next day, at least you won't be falling over exhausted. For me, even just doing something small every day was enough. At least it was something!
Hey, sorry to lay on the tough love, but if you want to survive somewhere as tough as Berea, you have to work your @$$ off. Take it from someone who survived: You have to do the work. But I still had plenty of time for fun. It's all about balancing. Or drinking obscene amounts of coffee. Whichever you prefer. :)
P.S. Get some sleep. Just do it.
Set a limit of when to "shut-off": My cut off is midnight. After midnight I stop doing homework and go to bed, even if I still have work to do. Absolutely nobody is forcing you to stay up all night. Your body needs rest and the ability to recharge. You're not doing anybody any favors by overworking yourself. Also, we are not all as busy as we say we are. Are you really doing homework the ENTIRE night you're up? Doubtful. Turn off the computer, the cell phone and SLEEP.
Just EAT. Plain and simple. I hear the excuse "I don't have time to eat." Sure you do. Again, this goes back to the we are not as busy as we say we are. If you can't make it to food service, carry snacks with you to have during the day. Again, speaking from a future health care provider's stand point, your body needs food to keep you going. So like I said, you're not doing yourself any favors by skipping a meal. However, I do know some people who skip lunch just because they can function on two meals a day. Did that a lot in the summer. But if you NORMALLY eat 3 meals a day but find yourself skipping one, two or all 3 periodically, you might want to do some minor adjustments...
MOVE IT! Since May, Holly and I have been walking every night, just to do it. Neither one of us need to lose weight, but we were tired of sitting around the apartment all day. Remember hearing those kid commercials "get up and play an hour a day?" Well....do it. Again, I hear the "I don't have time to exercise" or "I can't find something I like to do." WALK. You want to know why walking is easy? Because we do it all the time! I find that ever since I've started walking every night I can't sit for longer than an hour. Nobody's doing anybody any favors by sitting around all the time. I have read study after study after study that says sitting for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to your health.
Examine your daily schedule...and re examine as needed. This relates to the theme I've been saying. How busy are we really? Think of a typical day for you. How often do you spend doing homework? Or housework? Texting/calling people? Spending time on Facebook? You'll be surprised at what you find when you actually sit and think about it. Yeah, now that you've thought about it, you realize you're not as busy as you say you are. I'm not as busy as I say I am. But like I said: never skipped a meal or pulled an all nighter. Those were a result of choices I made, and I'm not trying to brag. I'm just saying you can make those choices too. Anyone can.
Holly: Hey...is this thing on? Ok, big college-kid lesson:
ABSOLUTELY NO ONE OR NOTHING IS FORCING YOU TO PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER!
You hear me? Need me to spell it out for you? Do an interpretive dance? Ok...good.
So stop it.
Pulling an all-nighter is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. You're screwing with your sleep schedule, you're putting unnecessary stress on your body, and if you're studying, there ain't no way in Hades that you're going to remember everything you studied. Chances are you'll be more concerned about how freaking tired you are. You don't have to. Straight up. I went through four years of Berea and never did. You know why? Because I prioritized. I made a plan of what I needed to do and I did it. Now, that goes without saying that I never didn't just DO it. Of course I procrastinated. But I goofed off when I needed to and I buckled down when I needed to. But I think more often than not, I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
Sometimes prioritizing includes making sacrifices. That's just the way it goes. You get a text from your bestie asking to go out, but you know that you have a test on Monday and you need to study this weekend. Sometimes you have to be the big responsible grown up kid and say no to fun, your friends, etc. Bottom line: You NEED to say no to your friends sometimes. Contrary to popular belief, school is more important than hanging out with your friends. Yeah, it stinks, but when you get all your stuff done, then reward yourself. Worked wonders for me...sort of like extra incentive to trudge through all the academia.
Another thing: Listen to your body. If you've been working on homework for hours on end and you feel like you can't read another word or keep your eyes open for one more second, put the homework away and go to BED! Don't push yourself. Sometimes being a good student is knowing your limits, knowing when enough is enough. Even if you have to do more work the next day, at least you won't be falling over exhausted. For me, even just doing something small every day was enough. At least it was something!
Hey, sorry to lay on the tough love, but if you want to survive somewhere as tough as Berea, you have to work your @$$ off. Take it from someone who survived: You have to do the work. But I still had plenty of time for fun. It's all about balancing. Or drinking obscene amounts of coffee. Whichever you prefer. :)
P.S. Get some sleep. Just do it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Knee Socks and Beef Jerky
Holly: This blog post has absolutely no pertinent significance to life, the universe, and all its profound mysteries. It has nothing to do with anything going on right now in our lives. This is just merely a post about things that make us laugh.
For me, since I'm a biology major, I have compiled a list of science terms that sound like (bad) band names. Here goes. Feel free to add more. Enjoy:
*The Hydrophobic Effect (my personal favorite)
*The Michaelis-Menten Equation
*Central Dogma
*Topoisomerase
*Renin
*Lagging Strand
*The Genetic Code
*The Bohr Model
*Glusatory Pleasure
*Fluid Mosaic Model
*Competitive Inhibition
*NMR
*G-6-P
*Breaking Glycogen
Kelly: For me, today I was going through my Twitter account and looking at some of the tweets that I retweeted. Most of them are very humorous, but some are serious and actually thought-provoking. Listed below are some of my favorite "retweets."
Brad Sherwood: Herman Cain giving his endorsement to another candidate is like a restaurant that gets closed for health violations telling you where to eat. (sorry if I offend anyone...)
Colin Mochrie: Hosting the Oscar Meyer awards where everyone is a wiener. Thank you...thank you very much.
Colin again: Just won an Emmy for "Most Likely never to win an Emmy" Eat it Kardashians!!!
Jeff Davis: I just discovered a long-forgotten jar of pickled eggs in my fridge. I'm terrified. And intrigued
Brad Sherwood: Daily thought; the world will always be full of people & ideas you disagree with. Relax. Things will never be just 'your way.'
Brad again: Daily life choices: cruelty or kindness, exclusion or acceptance, selfishness or generosity, judgment or tolerance. #BeNicer
Michael W. Smith: Religion is boring. Life with God is an adventure!
and the best for last....
Lord Voldemort: FINALLY! There is a cure for stupid. It's called; shut the hell up.
TA-DA!!! Hope we all brightened your day with some laughs. We're plugged into our last week of classes, so we could use all the laughs we can get. Share your funny stuff with us if you want, or just divulge into ours! Thank you faithful readers! Cheers!!!
For me, since I'm a biology major, I have compiled a list of science terms that sound like (bad) band names. Here goes. Feel free to add more. Enjoy:
*The Hydrophobic Effect (my personal favorite)
*The Michaelis-Menten Equation
*Central Dogma
*Topoisomerase
*Renin
*Lagging Strand
*The Genetic Code
*The Bohr Model
*Glusatory Pleasure
*Fluid Mosaic Model
*Competitive Inhibition
*NMR
*G-6-P
*Breaking Glycogen
Kelly: For me, today I was going through my Twitter account and looking at some of the tweets that I retweeted. Most of them are very humorous, but some are serious and actually thought-provoking. Listed below are some of my favorite "retweets."
Brad Sherwood: Herman Cain giving his endorsement to another candidate is like a restaurant that gets closed for health violations telling you where to eat. (sorry if I offend anyone...)
Colin Mochrie: Hosting the Oscar Meyer awards where everyone is a wiener. Thank you...thank you very much.
Colin again: Just won an Emmy for "Most Likely never to win an Emmy" Eat it Kardashians!!!
Jeff Davis: I just discovered a long-forgotten jar of pickled eggs in my fridge. I'm terrified. And intrigued
Brad Sherwood: Daily thought; the world will always be full of people & ideas you disagree with. Relax. Things will never be just 'your way.'
Brad again: Daily life choices: cruelty or kindness, exclusion or acceptance, selfishness or generosity, judgment or tolerance. #BeNicer
Michael W. Smith: Religion is boring. Life with God is an adventure!
and the best for last....
Lord Voldemort: FINALLY! There is a cure for stupid. It's called; shut the hell up.
TA-DA!!! Hope we all brightened your day with some laughs. We're plugged into our last week of classes, so we could use all the laughs we can get. Share your funny stuff with us if you want, or just divulge into ours! Thank you faithful readers! Cheers!!!
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