Language & Pain Issues

      Have you ever experienced any type of pain -mental or physical- that you have never been able to explain to anyone? Sometimes our language doesn't fully encompass everything we want to say, to tell others exactly what we want them to know. Using language to communicate to others is taking what you see in your own head, and transmitting that idea, or that image to another persons' head. If you think about it, it's a type of telepathy. We take something that only we have felt, or experienced in our own unique way, and get others to experience it in a similar fashion.
      But back to the first question, how do we describe pain? How is it that we can feel mental pain in our bodies, and physical pains in our minds. It seems as if the two should be mutually exclusive, when in reality, they aren't. In some complex way, our physical and mental pain have found a way to merge together and create one large writhing mass of discomfort. Right now, my back hurts, but how can I explain the difference between the ache of my upper back from doing homework for 6 hours straight in a wooden chair, and the pain in my lower back from my newly formed stress fractures? Both ache, and are causing me unreasonable amounts of discomfort, and are in very close proximity with one another.
      I am not exactly sure what the point of this post is. It might be that I am unsure of how to express my discomfort, or it may be just a fake-deep way of complaining about the aches in my back. All I'm saying is that it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between small differences using the limited words that are contained in the English vocabulary.

12/2 What I've Been Learning About Social Justice

I’ve been learning a lot about social justice and taking a stand. My eyes have been opened to the many different groups that are fighting for social justice. Why do they have to fight for equal rights? Why cant they just be treated fairly? Ive been thinking about this a lot lately. I don’t understand why it has to be this way. Everyone is equal, so why cant why just treat each other that way? I know this isn’t the way it is, but what’s keeping it from being this way? The quote that we were taught during the beginning of the year really fits in this situation. “Just like me, they want to happy.”

Thomas and I have had an interesting conversations about this last week.  We wrote for a few minutes in class like we usually do, and I shared my thoughts with Thomas about what I wrote. I wrote in my journal about racism and where it comes from. Where does racism come from? How did it start? Why don’t humans just accept and love each other? These are some of the questions that I shared with Thomas. He told me that he has also thought of these questions before, and we had a interesting and enlightening  conversation about the questions I mentioned. Thomas and I both agreed that we couldn’t really think of how and where racism started, and we couldn’t think of how to stop it either. We figured racism has always been there, and it will probably always be a problem. What does racism come from? What things , in todays society and societies of the past, elicit racism?

Emptiness

Why do we look for things of this world to give us security, self confidence, and fulfillment?

I think it's because the message that worldly things can fulfill us is all around us. It's on TV, countless magazines, many songs, and it dominates advertisement. We can't even go to the store without being bombarded by empty promises for a more fulfilling life.
A better husband, boyfriend, wife, car, house, clothing, job, body, etc.
Our thought process becomes distorted and we truly start to believe that if we only have _________ then our lives would be better.
I'm here bring you back to reality: every single thing that this world has to offer is temporary. No person, possession, profession, or position can fill the cup of a wounded, broken, insecure heart.
It is an emptiness only God can fulfill.

In a world where it is so tempting to believe these lies, I urge you to find happiness in yourself.

Affirmations

I find it a little bit unfair that we had to choose just one person to talk about that has inspired us this semester. I understand that specifics are good, but everyone has inspired me in different ways. I also know that had it not been for us being in this University Seminar together, I probably never would have talked to any of you. We are just all going down such different career paths that we probably wouldn't have even known each other. So I’m glad we do!

All of us clearly have things that we stand for, and those things have shown through multiple times throughout the semester. The fact that we were all able to talk with each other freely and openly disagree with things in our discussion-based class is inspiring to me. It is also inspiring to see what fires everyone up and the things that everyone is passionate about. 

One of my favorite class periods was the entry about everyone’s gifts and talents that we later shared with the class. It is important to recognize what we are good at and it gave everyone, or at least me, insight into who you all are as people. 

I hope that everyone feels that they can take away something from this class and getting to know everyone a little better, because I feel that I definitely have. 

We learned this semester that disagreeing with something is okay and that the things that make you mad should make you want to do something to change it, and talking with some of you about what you did your projects over and hearing about what y'all care about is inspiring to me. 

You all  have inspired me in one way or another with something you have shared either from your notebook or with the whole class. 

I hope we are all able to stay in touch and share the things that matter to us with each other, and I hope we keep taking stands for the things that matter to us. 

Thank y'all for a great semester! 

P.S. sorry this is really cheesy

Staying Focused and Calm

Such is easier said than done... But during the final week of the semester it is imperative to stay focused and de-stressed!

There are a number of ways to to accomplish this. Recently, my design professor introduced our class to a time management method called the "pomodoro technique" - named after the tomato shaped kitchen timer. The idea behind the method is that periodic breaks can stabilize and improve mental agility. Personally, this method is helpful to me as it allows me to focus because I know I will soon have a break. Balancing your time, staying focused and distressing are vital to ending the semester successfully!

Small, quick activities are beneficial to taking your mind off of demanding final projects. To help myself unwind, I like to paint my nails, talk to a friend (either down the phone or down the hall), or sing to my favorite songs. To help me chill out, I also like to clean. When my environment is clean, I feel like my head is clear. Organizing my surroundings helps me mentally organize my mental thoughts.

Because we all de-stress in different ways, I've complied some helpful calming methods. Above all, deep breathing is considered essential to relaxation. Breathing deeply calms the body and mind - relaxing both are equally important. The practice instantly elevates your mood as well. Simply draw air from your nose and exhale through your mouth. Practicing simple meditation, yoga or stretching relaxes your muscles aids in relaxing. Taking a quick jog or walk is helpful as well. After relaxing it is easier recollect, and recognize needed to be done and how to go about accomplishing such. If you're in need of a boost - eat a small light snack like nuts, a banana, popcorn! Fix yourself a cup of tea or coffee! Light an incense or candle to awaken your senses (this may not be acceptable if you're in a dorm room)! Likewise, listening to music is a great de-stressor. There are thousands of relaxing, classical, and mellow music playlists. Singing along to a few of your favorites tunes is an instant mood booster! If you enjoy comedic relief, watch a viral video on youtube for a laugh!

Maryville University is aware of our stresses and several events will be held on campus this week. On Monday the 7th, there will be a Serenity Relaxation Station from 10 AM until 4 PM in the DUC. The event is equipped with massage chairs, calm music, and soothing scents! Later that night in the Functional Exercise Room there will be zumba from 6:30-7:30 PM and yoga from 7:30-8:30 PM.
On Tuesday the 8th, there will be puppies on campus from 10 AM - 1 PM!! Cram Jam will be held later that night from 9 PM in the dining hall. There will be snacks available and chances to win free prizes, On the 9th, zumba and yoga will be held again at the same place and time. Furthermore, from December 4th until the 11th, there will be free food for finals located in the Hutting Chapel!

My friends, I hope this post encourages you to stay focused and calm during this tough week! Good luck to you all!

Just A Class

We’ve made it (almost). After next week, we are officially free from the chains of our first semester classes. No more of that dreadful anatomy, or biology, or math, or whatever it was that stressed you out. We can finally stop worrying about our school work (at least, until next semester hits).

When our Usem class ends, will we move on with our lives as if we never took the class? Will we forget the mindfulness bell, the books, the discussions, and videos, the songs, the experiences within a year? Probably, although I wish it weren’t this way.

I’m not sure if you all have the same sentiments as me, but when I finish a class, I drop it from my life fast. I throw my notes away, all the required readings go on the shelf never to be read again, and the knowledge immediately starts seeping out of my brain. It was just a class, another check mark on my way to graduation.

But there is something wrong with treating classes like tasks on a checklist. I don’t want college to be a quest to merely complete courses. I want college to be a quest to expand my mind. Too often, though, I forget that I go to Maryville to expand my mind. I go into my “default” frame of mind: I’ve got to get this done, then that, then I’ll go there, and finish that. Just a bunch of check marks on a list.

As this semester closes I am going to try my best to not let the things I’ve learned this semester evaporate from my mind. I am going to celebrate that my success and knowledge, not all my classes finally being over.

And going into next semester I am going to try my best to look at all my classes not as chores, but as opportunities, explorations, and challenges.