Every day I go past the Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop. It is in a really terrible place!! Right on Washington avenue in plain sight from the bus that I take every day! I have always had a terrible addiction to ice cream. Well, not just ice cream but also chocolate, and cookies, and brownies, mmmm.... Luckily I was raised to have some sort of an idea of moderation, but that goes out the window when it is placed right under my nose! I have decided, though, that my slight ice cream addiction is a pretty okay way to deal with stress. I am not smoking or drinking excessively (not anymore than an average college student anyway) and haven't even considered starting a habit even worse than that. It just got me thinking about vices, and ways that college students survive.
In my past four, almost five, years of school I have met quite a few people, and all with their own way of dealing. Many drink almost daily, some buy a new outfit every week. The really healthy nuts train for marathons. Unfortunately many of the ways that we deal with our stress actually creates more stress. For example, drinks (and ice cream) are expensive, shopping is time consuming and well, just crazy for a college student, and the intense training that is required for a marathon is just too time consuming (really... that is the ONLY reason that I'm not out there doing it). The fact is, in our high paced, stressed out lives, we can't take anything in moderation. In college, it's all or nothing.
Some of my scarier examples of students are more about how to get everything done that needs to be done. Possibly the most extreme case was that of a law school student. He actually started a regular coke habit it order to get all his homework done, and to keep up with his classes. I was really happy at that point that I have absolutely no interest in law. Then there are the less extreme people like me. I can't even begin to count how many girls I have met in the bathroom that are bawling their eyes out because they just failed a test... or if they are even more like me, that they just received a C on a test. I can't imagine that all this stress is helpful in any way. Is the real world this bad?
In looking at the people that I have met over the years, I realize that I am one of the lucky ones. Give me a bowl of ice cream and a good book, and I may just relax a little. That is why I am an English major. I find the literature of the past generations soothing or at times highly entertaining. The thing that I am still trying to get the hang of is just being okay with myself in school and with my grades. Jonathan gave me a big fat "told ya so" today when I got my philosophy test back. I was convinced that I had failed it, not just worried, but actually convinced. I was one step away from going down to registration and begging them to let me drop the class. Turns out, I got the highest score...
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Ice cream sounds good right now! Now you've made me hungry for some.
ReplyDeleteI would think that icecream is much better for you then speed or something like that.
I think there is always stress in life but I don't think it's as bad as when you are young, trying to learn at school and do well at it, plus work to pay bills so you can live and eat and actually have a life outside of that...good grief makes me tired just thinking about all that.
And I do think as you get older, things settle down some. I think after you get through school then you can make choices to live simple so that you don't have as much stress. Also then you can make choices like going hiking or for a run to deal with the stress because you actually have time. One thing that I've seen is that people that are involved and doing things they are passionate about are happier people and for the most part less stressed.
Ask yourself what you are passionate about? When do you feel the happiest? The most peaceful? What kinds of things energize you? And then try to include them in your life as much as you can...even if it's once a week. I also think writing and art are good vents too.
Way to go on the test! XXOo Lori