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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Fragile (noun) - Easily broken, shattered or damaged; delicate, brittle, frail

And so it was.


I'm kind of bored at the moment. Not bored, per se... I'm in a procrastinatory mood? I have to work on English and the temptation to write a blog post was too overwhelming for me to ignore. Ah, the horribleness.

Today was a fairly good day, all in all. Some people made it a worse day than it could have been, and the excruciating headache that I've had all day didn't really help. Not to mention one of my best friends wasn't in school today. *Sigh* Woe is me.

Homework is smelly, so I've decided. "Here, Siobhan! Write one journal entry every two chapters about your novel, False Memory, even though there are seventy six chapters!" Thirty-eight journals? Is that really necessary? I don't think so. I have to say; I really love reading. It's my favorite thing to do, well... one of them, but engulfing myself to in the text to find underlying messages and themes? That's just... not cool. If I were an author, I would probably kill myself when students had to delve deeper into my text. I'm on chapter twenty-nine of my book, and I'm halfway through writing the first of my thirty-eight journals. This is going to be fun. At least tomorrow's Friday.

That's something cool that I learned today in Health. Being positive. I have to say that I love that class as of right now. I think that it has more to do with the fact that I enjoy all of that psychology stuff. It's so cool. I really, really love it. Maybe I'll take Intro to Psyc. next year too... It seems like an interesting class. But, what would I do with it? Like, I wouldn't want to be a psychiatrist or anything, though the subject is interesting. Maybe a few classes in college wouldn't hurt.

Five Things That Don't Reduce Stress:
  1. Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, sodas and tea. A little can help you wake up and become more alert. Too much can cause nervousness and anxiety. Everyone has a different tolerance level for caffeine. If you think you might be drinking too much, try replacing some of your caffeine intake with decaffeinated coffee or tea, or caffeine-free sodas.
  2. Drinking alcohol can seriously disrupt sleeping patterns, making it hard to get a good night's sleep. Painful hangovers are another stressful side effect of drinking. To top it off, alcohol affects good judgment, which can lead to a host of stressful problems.
  3. Nicotine's poisonous ingredients raise the heart rate and stress out the body. Although tobacco users feel relaxed at first, they soon feel nervous again, leading to the desire for another cigarette or dip of chew. Nicotine keeps the body on a stress roller coaster at all times.
  4. Sugary foods raise energy levels for a short time. The trouble is that your body deals with high levels of sugar by releasing insulin, which reduces the amount of sugar in your blood. Insulin can lower your sugar level, even after your blood sugar has normalized. This is called a sugar crash. It's a cycle that is stressful to the mind and the body. Eating healthy foods and keeping sugary snacks to a minimum will keep your body running smoothly and feeling great.
  5. Being lazy is a stress factor that can sneak up on us. Napping, watching TV and playing video games are okay sometimes, but doing them too often can cause frustration and boredom, two things that can lead to major stress. Get out and enjoy the world, it's worth the effort!
Ten Things That Do Reduce Stress:
  1. Eat healthy meals with fruits, vegetables, and grains. These raw materials provide your body with energy that keeps you feeling happier and healthier, even during times of stress.
  2. Try to get the same amount of sleep every night, at least eight hours. Even though you may not realize it, feeling tired actually causes stress.
  3. Exercise on a regular basis. No single activity can lower your stress levels more than exercise. In addition to a host of health benefits, exercise releases chemicals into your bloodstream that fight stress, depression, and anxiety.
  4. Make a list of the things stressing you out. Change the ones you can. Accept the ones you can't change.
  5. Don't commit to things you can't, or don't want to do. Remember to think about yourself and save some time just for you, even if you only spend it relaxing.
  6. Have at least one friend you can talk to about your problems. Having a close friend requires effort, trust and sacrifice, but the benefits are well worth it. When choosing your friends, remember that no one is perfect.
  7. Have fun. It may sound simple, but having fun often requires planning and effort. Find a hobby, sport or healthy activity that you love, and do it as often as you can.
  8. Learn to express your feelings. Your feelings are important and you have a right to share them with others. If someone makes you angry or hurts you, don't keep it inside. Unexpressed feelings can quickly grow into huge stress factors. Respectfully telling someone how you feel has two benefits: it releases the bad feelings and it often prevents the hurtful problem form happening again.
  9. Learn to read your stress cues. Pay attention to clues from your thoughts ("I wish I'd never gotten out of bed!") and your body (headache). The more you learn to listen, the sooner you can spot stress and work toward reducing it.
  10. Find a stress buster that works for you. Listening to music, having time set aside for yourself, and any of these things will help.
Maybe I'll Google some more things and post them. We did that, and passed around balloons that represented different types of stress. Mine was "Fragile Fred" I kept the balloon until sixth period, then I let him free out the window. Wouldn't it be creepy if he ended up in my driveway or something? Like... because I live so close to my high school, it's eerily possible. I don't really like the idea of that happening. Maybe I'll write a short story (microfiction) about what would happen if it did, and post it here. It's possible. I don't really have a lot to say, but even just writing those down has helped me absorb some of the messages that they were implying to help me focus more. I think I'll go work on my English Journals a bit.

Confess to your stress.
-Siobhan

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