Thanksgiving.

This year has been one of the hardest that I have ever experienced. I have moved away from my home in Carlisle, I left some of the most amazing people in the world at Lycoming and I have been struggling in Indiana until recently. I have never questioned any serious decision that I have made until this semester, and I have never been so close to just packing up and leaving. Slowly I am learning that I belong in the psychological field and I am finding my passions. So even though things have been fairly lonely and painful I have so much to be thankful for this year. The wonderful thing about being in a new place alone is, you get to know who really cares. I have called my sister countless times bawling my eyes out and she would stop whatever she is doing just to listen to me. One of my favorite parts of this time of year is the fact that we can all take a pause and be thankful for our crazy, busy, stressful and hectic lives. We have a day to just pause, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. We realize (if we are students) that we have to work full time and go to school because we want to follow our passions, or at least get a job that would be better than if we did not go to school. We realize that even in our busy lives there are still people willing to listen to us, love us, and spend time with us. We realize that even though we fight with our families sometimes, for the most part, there is always someone there to support us when we need it the most. Now I know that this doesn't account for everyone, and I am learning more and more the more I work at the Guidance Center, that some people aren't so lucky. Even though I have seen people at their worst I tell them at least they are taking a step in the right direction. So even if you feel that you have nothing to be thankful for, I hope that these people will at least be thankful for the fact that most of them have an opportunity to take a step in the right direction. Hopefully some of us can look back on our most painful experiences and realize the lessons that we have learned, or at least be thankful that we are not currently experiencing those events. It is in our nature as humans to take the next best road, and we should be thankful for that. So as cliche as it is, I feel it is necessary to write out a list of things that I am personally thankful for:

My family: I know. VERY cliche, but I know that they will always be there for me. My mother and sister especially. I know if I ever need to call someone they are the first on my list. My mother always knows what to say and my sister will always back me up and never make me feel that I am stupid for feeling the way that I feel. The older that I get, the more I realize how lucky I am to be born into a family full of such wonderful people. I hardly ever fight with any of them and I respect their morals and views. They also have let me be my own person. I was encouraged to find my own views (but I agree with them usually haha).

My apartment: Yes even though it is in Indiana Pennsylvania and costing me and arm and a leg every month, I truly am enjoying living here. I have been so independent and I am loving it! I love coming home to my place, lighting my favorite candle, cooking whatever I want, watching whatever I want on TV or playing whatever music I want and not having to worry about anyone else other then myself. (Selfish much? Haha). I can also decorate it any way that I would like (even though I can't really afford to right now...). My bed is amazing. I have a 4 inch thick memory foam/fiber pad that I am thankful to sleep on every night. I have all the furniture that I need and I am very comfortable in my apartment.

My friends: Old and new. Suz especially has been amazing this year :). She really is my best friend! We have been on many adventures together this year and I cannot wait for more :)! I have met many amazing new people. It takes a certain kind of person to be a counselor, and I have met so many compassionate and caring people and I am loving it. As for my Lyco friends, I miss them so much sometimes. I miss the connection and closeness that we shared, and I hope to keep in contact with the people that matter to me the most. I also am so thankful for the friends that I have at home. I absolutely love Erin and Ashley and Suzie. Suzie and Ashley kept me sane for the months that I have worked at Members 1st and Erin has been so good to me for years :)

My kitties: I almost resented my cats for awhile, because I thought I was going to be the crazy cat lady (well, ok I am.) But I felt for awhile that was all I could talk about, because I did not have my job for awhile and I had nothing to do but just hang out in my apartments with my cats. I do realize that I love them very much and they have brought joy to my life (and agony sometimes... For instance, I came home today and someone ATE MY NEW IPHONE HEADPHONES!  >:( ) but they are so entertaining and loving. Well Amos is loving. Andy will sometimes show me love but usually I am concerned if she only pretends to like me because I feed her. Still she will visit me in my bed and make me feel loved on very rare occasions. The fact that they bring joy to my life makes me very thankful for the both of them.

My education: Even though as a counselor, I am understanding that I will never make any money, I LOVE learning about counseling and learning about myself, because with counseling you really have to figure yourself out too. I find it so interesting and the more I spend time with clients as an intake specialist, the more I wish to be on the other side, helping them through their issues, instead of helping them on their next step in treatment. I do not think I can be a counselor forever, but I learned about Happenstance theory in one of my counseling classes and I found great comfort in it. Happenstance theory means that we shouldn't plan for a career for the rest of our lives, but just keep taking the next best path and never stop looking for something better. This made me feel so much better about everything! I am so grateful for my time at Lycoming as well. I feel very well prepared for graduate studies and I value what I have learned at Lycoming everyday at my job. I am so happy to be where I am at, even though the fact that I will be poor is always lurking in the back of my head. I am looking into other programs as well... So maybe I will not do counseling and switch to Public Health. We will see! I am thankful that I have these options :).

My iPhone and iPods: as stupid as this sounds I LOVE MY IPHONE!! Haha! I use it for pretty much everything and it makes me so happy. I also am so grateful that I have an easy, efficient way to organize what is most important to me: MY MUSIC, all in one area :).

My job: Even though I have been very discouraged for a few weeks I am learning so much, and I have been meeting some really interesting people. Everyday I get to hear another story that makes me feel so grateful to have my own life. It is rewarding to see someone who was not smiling when they came in, smile for a little bit when they are with me. I try to keep things light and I try to make them happier than when they came in. Sometimes this is not easy or impossible, but when it happens it is wonderful! I also love that I can sneak some counseling skills in and see them in action. I do realize that my job is not to counsel people, but this opportunity is so wonderful to at least try a few. I also make about a bazillion mistakes a day, but it is good to know that people can trust me with difficult tasks, such as learning how to use the Credible program. I also am so thankful for the doors that this job will open for me in the future.

My gifts: I am in no way a talented musician,  but I love to teach people how to play music :). I would say this is a gift. I also am becoming an excellent cook! I love to find new recipes and try different foods. I also have an ability to listen to people very intently. This is a great gift to have as a counselor. I am also learning to trust my gut.


There are many more things that I am thankful for, but of course I should really start working on my homework. Thank you and please sit back and think about how wonderful your life is, for AT LEAST tomorrow :)


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

And I am thankful that you read my blog post ;)

Good Music.

Yesterday I was in the car with Erin, on my way to see Flogging Molly (A band that I primarily listened to in high school) and Erin was searching around on my iPod and pulled up the BEASTIE BOYS! I forgot how many good CDs I have acquired over the years... I just felt like compiling a list of "Must Listen To's" that I have come across over the years.....




Across the Universe Soundtrack has modern remakes of famous Beatles Song from the Movie Across the Universe. I was not at all disappointed in these remakes at all and I feel that it was a respectful and tasteful way to redo them. The vocals are amazing, and very powerful. Even if you werent a Beatles fan to begin with, or you have never seen the movie, you might even enjoy it!


Regina Spektor, Begin to Hope



This is such an obscure, but beautifully done album. You have probably heard the song "Fidelity" and if not you should listen to it. It is one of the cutest, most cautious love songs I have ever heard. There are songs about good times, and not so good times. "On the Radio" has one of the simplest descriptions of the  human life cycles, but it captures it perfectly. This album brings back great memories for me.


Blood Sugar Sex Magik, The Red Hot Chili Peppers



This album is so RHCP!! From the crazy sounding rap like lyrics, to the talented and very appropriate sounding instrumentals, this album encapsulates everything that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are all about: Insanity! This album does have very famous songs such as "Suck My Kiss", "Under the Bridge" (Written by Kedis in a very difficult time in his life) and one of my personal favorites "Give it Away" which was written on the philosophy that you will be happier if you just give things away instead of keeping them.



Bright Side of Life, Rebelution



 From the second I heard Reb, I loved them. The guitar skill is especially impressive, and if you ever feel like just chilling out to some reggae music, Rebelution is perfect. Some of their lyrics can be a little cheesy, but I have always really enjoyed them. Again, the guitar blows me away, especially for a reggae band.


Come Away With Me, Norah Jones



This is one of my favorite albums. I am a huge Norah fan, and I have many reasons. She has one of the most beautiful voices that works with soft music (like this album) but she also does very well with blues, which I LOVE! This album is so romantic and I love to listen to it when I am relaxing. Everything about it is simply beautiful.


Disco Heaven, Lady GaGa



If I wanted to bore you I would put up all of the GaGa albums, but I am not going to do that. Instead Ill just say that this is my favorite of all the GaGa albums. It is an earlier one, but it has so many catchy and ridiculous tunes. To list a few that you SHOULD check out are: "Fashion", "Fancy Pants", "Big Girl", "Christmas Tree" and "Kaboom".


Dookie, Greenday



This is when Greenday still was interesting for me to listen to (Sorry, NOT a newer Greenday fan). This album is all about just dinking around and smoking pot. (Thats what a "Green day" is). This has so many hits on it you should just listen to the whole thing.


Drunken Lullabies, Flogging Molly


In no way am I putting this album here because I saw them in concert last night. They have always had such wonderful music to put it simply!! The Irish in it is just amazing, and it reminds me of my high school days.


Dude Ranch , Blink 182



No matter how old I get this album never gets old. I have been listening to this since middle school, and it still makes me laugh, and I love the music. This really is Blink at their best: Simple, hilarious and fun.


No Doubt, Greatest Hits



Forever (and ever and ever) will No Doubt be up on the top of my list of favorite bands. They are in the pop genre but they are so good at bringing different sounds in. Gwen is such an individual in the best possible ways and I will always look up to her. I would put every one of their albums on here, but this one has the best songs that they have ever written. I LOVE THEM.


Norah Jones, The Fall



I know I have mentioned Norah before, but this album is AMAZING. The feel is so different from any of her other albums, and it was a little experimental, but it worked. This one is more upbeat than usual and she did a really good job of mixing a little teeny bit of other genres into it.



John Prine, Great Days Anthology

I grew up with this album playing in the background, not fully understanding the lyrics, but now that I am older I understand his humor, and the more adult things he sings about (mainly drugs). My father claims that he is better than Bob Dylan and I hate to say it but I agree, but I am not the biggest Dylan fan.. I was also lucky enough to catch him at Bonnaroo 2010. It was so amazing and the crowd was very enthusiastic. 

Love. Angel. Music. Baby, Gwen Stefani 

This is Gwen's first solo album and I was really impressed. It was so funky, crazy and poppy. She really did a great job (at first) by herself. I also really enjoyed the way that she brought fashion into it using her Harjuku Girls, which still exists now in the form of perfume, bags and clothing. I cant really pinpoint songs that I love on this album because I love them all!!

The Blue Album, Weezer

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I love Weezer and this album is hands down my favorite (Raditude a close second) but I will always love the garage rock band style. This album has "My Name is Jonas" (Yeah I know everyone loves that song.. But for a good reason!) and "The World has Turned" and of course "Say it Aint So". This is just something that I love listening to when I feel like a whiney teenager again, or just because its fun!! 

To the Five Boroughs, The Beastie Boys

Im going to end with this one. I have been in love with the Beastie Boys since High School and this is hands down my favorite album. It has the song "Ch-Check it Out" which is amazing. They also did a wonderful tribute to New York City and they also have a political song in the mix as well. I love ALL of the songs, and the one thing that always brings me back to the Beastie Boys is their technique of mixing humor into their albums! This is such a beautifully mixed album as well. If you haven't checked it out yet I seriously suggest you get on it!! 

There are more, but I am currently on vacation, and my laptop is at home with my complete iTunes library on it. Plus I dunno how much longer I could have gone without readers getting bored.

Blogging news:

-Well this summer is QUICKLY coming to an end. I flew into Gainesville on Saturday and me and Suz worked our way up to Charleston. I LOVE IT HERE! Suz not so much.. But we are having a great time! The first day we chose to go to the beach. This was a great time until we got BURNT! REALLY REALLY burnt. It was really bad for me yesterday and Suz is still in a considerable amount of pain.. We did meet some very cool people and went out later to go explore the night life of Charleston (It was on a Monday night so it was kind of dead. I think this was a positive thing). We went shopping as well, but the two of us were so burnt, trying on clothing would have been something that is painful so we ended up not buying anything, except a great sushi lunch. And later that night we went out with two guys and drank beer and wine on the rooftops of Charleston :). Today we visited a plantation. I thought it was very interesting and a great way to experience history. The house wasnt too big but it was so beautiful. I thought the most interesting part were the slave houses. Tomorrow were going to watch the sunrise and take an 11 hour drive to the D.C area. Should be a long day, but we will survive. Well only an hour until the hotel pool closes. I think Im going to take a dip. Thanks for reading!!

Saving $$$

Ok so I have discovered a way to blog at work. Just write it up in a word document and email it to myself. And speaking of work… I feel like I should blog about saving some $$. I will be heading to graduate school in almost a month, and as shown on The Simpsons in the following video

, graduate students are the epitome of the “starving college student”. For this blog I am going to surf the net and see if I can find anything useful about saving money, especially for graduate and college students.

These are a few of my own money saving tricks:

Again with my iPod touch I found the app called Mint. This application shows you where you are spending your money and allows you to create a budget for different categories. It is also available online at www.mint.com. I would seriously recommend this website for anyone who is starting their first budget, even though it is far from perfect.

I have also started “thrifting” on eBay. While again, this isn’t perfect due to shipping costs, it does allow you to have more selection on used clothing. Two more issues with this is, you don’t get to try on the clothes before you buy them and you could get bidding happy and spend more than you wanted. It IS still a ton of fun and I have found the perfect LBD for only 10.00 (including shipping).

-www.half.com is my favorite textbook website! Or chegg.com works also if you want to rent a book. Sell your textbooks back ASAP. If you wait the price diminishes. I really loved selling mine back at amazon.com, where you get a Amazon gift card to use on next semesters books.

-www.ebates.com  A great way to save when you shop online! It really does add up!! Create an account TODAY!

On getrichslowly.com they did have a wonderful list of cheap, but healthy foods and here they are:

-Vegetable stir fry with rice (Rice and frozen vegetables can’t be too expensive)

-Do not drink soda, drink water

-Pasta with marinara sauce

-Smoothies

-Cheese and crackers

-Nuts (ALMONDS for me J which also help BURN FAT. Yay.)

-Beans

-Fruits and veggies.

Even though the food choices were quite obvious one thing that was in common with all of these: NONE OF THEM ARE PROCESSED FOODS. A goal of mine is to really start cooking for myself, and eating more fresh fruits and veggies. I am actually very excited for this. I even bought a Crockpot for myself! Also oatmeal is fast filling and freaking affordable. It may not taste the best, but it is healthy.

More tips on eating and saving:

-Quit the takeout habit. Keep plenty of healthy snacks at home. My favorite is soup! It doesn’t go bad, and if you buy it on sale you can buy a TON of it for really cheap. It is also easy to make and if you buy the right kind (Progresso is my favorite and it is really healthy. The French Onion soup is 0 Weight Watchers points!!) it can be a great diet food too. Takeout and fast food tastes ridiculously good, I know, but your also paying the price of usually eating unhealthy as well as paying somebody to make your food for you! And if your driving your also going to use some gas.

-Before you go grocery shopping collect coupons.. I know I always feel like a jerk when I whip them out, but it is so easy and it can eventually add up.

-Take a frugal friend with you (AKA Ashley Freeby) You two can hunt for sales and convince each other not to buy expensive foods! This also works well with clothes shopping.

-Do NOT shop hungry. Have a snack before you go.

-I am a bottled water addict, but this habit can seriously add up as well. I honestly never really liked my Brita filter, but I guess you could try it. Now that I have a real fridge I am going to start buying store brand gallon jugs. Sometimes these can only cost 99c and you are not hurting the environment as bad as you would be if you were buying a ton of smaller bottles.

Dating:

Are you thinking of dating in graduate school? (I have heard from many graduate students that this is a no no, but I never take dating off of my list of potential things to do.. Just in case haha). I remember not going out on dates very much at Lyco, even though I was not single for some of it. Money was also an issue, which makes sense. And men if you want to ask someone out I am sure they wont be terribly offended if you say that you are on a budget but you have a creative idea. Actually, I would be flattered that they weren’t embarrassed by being in the situation that most college students are in (being broke I mean). Well on youngmoney.com they had a few great suggestions:

1. Take advantage of Mother Nature. Go for a hike or a picnic or a walk or something. If you still are the unfortunate people with a meal plan, steal food items from the cafeteria to save even more money. And you can really get to know someone on a quiet hike, AND also get a workout. Sometimes this beats eating extremely unhealthy, expensive food, in loud restaurant.
   
   
2. A coffee date. Coffee is not really my favorite thing, but I do really enjoy a latte from time to time (or a macchiato… YUM!). These dates are relatively inexpensive and they have the same feel as an actual restaurant. Again this is also a fun way to get to know one another.
   
   
3. Use www.citysearch.com. I checked this website out and it is LEGIT! It will show you great deals on restaurants, bars and shopping places. A deal or a coupon or a discount never hurts!!
   
   
4. Do things on campus. Lyco students: Remember the free movie every weekend? It may not be glamorous but it could still count as a date.

Also some date ideas that I came up with by myself:

-If you think the starving artist type is sexy, ditch the museums and hit up galleries. You will not actually buy the art because it is usually very expensive, but you will still get to discuss art, which can be really fun.

-If you two are into gaming, both of you should put 10 dollars in your pocket, change those dollars into quarters and hit the arcade. Make it a competition to see who can win the most “romantic” gift with the tickets you win. (Yeah, yeah I am lame. Give me a break haha. I think it would be fun at least.)

-Make your date homemade food. Invite him or her over for dinner at your place. This is cheaper than going out and you might get help with the clean up. Also, you can set the mood by lighting candles and putting down a nice table cloth. You can also figure out drinks to make or grab some cheap wine beforehand. Men: Most women find it sexy when you cook. Self sufficiency is HOT. Living in a dorm? One of my favorite things that me and an x used to do is hit up a grocery store, grab a rotisserie chicken, some instant mashed potatoes, vegetables and something like ice cream for dessert. We would find an empty lounge to cook and eat in and have we would have a nice dinner that was not the cafeteria. Also whatever minimal effort it took to cook the food, was very entertaining to do it together. On top of that it was a nice romantic dinner!

-Look for open mic nights if you and your partner are into music. This is a great way to critique music, and talk about it. Plus you only really need to buy a cup of coffee or the like.

Drinking:

 I have never seen my bank account number drop so quickly before I turned 21. I am sure most of you have learned these by now.. But just in case…

-Sorry guys but buy the freaking cheap stuff :/. Always remember natty isn’t the worst thing in the world, and a case is so cheap. You will save so much money if you don’t splurge all the time on good beer or liquor. “Vodka is vodka” my old marketing professor used to always tell us. My personal favorite is cheap wine. I am obsessed with Moscatto! St. Genevieve doesn’t taste the best but boy will you have a fun night (and a not so fun morning..) Barefoot Moscatto is even cheaper, but the buzz isn’t as strong. I also look for sales and stock up.

- Buy in bulk. I never ever buy fifths unless they are a specific flavor that doesn’t come in a handle. Beer is the same.

-Only drink when the specials are. Lyco students… Wednesday nights.. haha. Bars can get SO expensive and it really really adds up. Also look for no cover charges.

-Only bring a certain amount of cash to the bars so you will only spend that much. Also you won’t drunkenly lose your credit card.

-PREGAME.

Cheap ways to decorate your apartment:

-I found this FANTASTIC website with so many creative and interesting ideas! It is http://www.rentaldecorating.com/Budget%20Decorating.htm. I cannot stress how awesome this website is. They have so many great ideas from decorating small spaces to spicing up your bathroom cheaply!! Unfortunately after reading it, it really makes me sad that I cannot paint my own apartment. Oh well, maybe next one.  

-Again, eBay has been a life saver for cheap and very unique posters as well as other crazy household decorations. You can also find very interesting vintage wall decorations that no one else will have! Another plus is you can look for a category that you like and you can pick themes. It is so much fun to shop too because you never know what you might find. I recommend wall stickers as well. The ones that I find in American stores are so cheesy compared to the ones that can be shipped to you from other countries such as China. CAUTION: Watch out for shipping prices!!

-If your like me and love bright colors shop NOW. All of the summer stuff is on clearance. My kitchen is going to be so bright and happy and I am very excited!!

-Tis the season for yard sales. Look for interesting one of a kind wall decorations to save space.

-Accents with different textures add a funky feel, and this can also be cheap!

-Keep your apartment clutter free!! This adds extra space and makes you feel better. (Plus its free).

-One word. Ross.

-And here is another website for all you apartment first timers:http://interiordec.about.com/od/firstapartments/Decorating_Your_First_Apartment.htmThis has wonderful links to many things!!

Just other tid bits that I found on getrichslowly.com:

-Spend less than you earn. (REALLY watch your budget. Even if it is only 10$)

-ALWAYS ASK “Do I need this?” If you don’t put it back! (This is a tough one for me)

- KEEP TRACK OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT (which I previously mentioned)

-Graduate students: I would not recommend getting cable. We are probably going to be wicked busy and I have lived without cable most of my life. It is not so bad.

Blog news:

Well my biggest news as of last time I blogged, is that I got a new KITTEN! She is such a brat but she is so freaking CUTE! (See Facebook for pictures). She will be coming with me to my apartment and I am trying to make her become a well behaved kitty. She is so curious about everything and she is so outgoing! I love it!

I have started doing Weight Watchers to look sexy on my vacation and things are working out WONDERFULLY. I am finally starting to lose some weight and I am feeling much better about myself. My Wii Fit was even proud. I have also been doing interval training which works so much better than cardio!! (Well it IS cardio, just a different type). I have to remember to always go back to the Weight Watchers points if I am having trouble controlling what I eat.

I am SOOOO EXCITED FOR MY VACATION WITH SUZANNE!! We are planning to stay at Myrtle Beach for two days, we are going to see Louisa, AND WE ARE GOING TO SEE SOJA AT THE END!! They are so amazing and I have heard many many MANY good reviews on their live performances. We also have/are making plenty of other plans JJ. So much excitement!! I really, truly need a break from this cubie!! Hopefully after this summer this is it for the cubicles J.

Everything is really falling into place with graduate school. I have my own place to live, where I can have pets and there is a pool and a fitness center are also on the premises. I have also been putting my resume online, trying to find something to do during the school year and I did get a call back from a place that helps families with children who have psychological disorders. I hope I get this job because it sounds challenging and in my field, which would be wonderful! I am also very excited to move into my apartment, even if it is in Indiana PA. I thought about it and I am happy that I am going to school in a not so exciting place, simply because I can focus on work and studying. I will have plenty of opportunities to move AFTER I graduateJ. I am of course getting a little nervous. As some of you know I do not do well with change at first, but I am confident that everything will work out just fine. I am really in the mood for a fresh start and I would love to meet some new people!! I also got my financial aid reward, and I will be A OK until I graduate and I have to pay it all back :/. But I had a HUGE sigh of relief when it came. I am also happy I picked a cheap state school!!

Well the day is almost over. Happy hump day!!

Ohhhmmmmm

Earlier this summer I bought an iPod Touch (which is amazing and I really really REALLY recommend them.) and I downloaded an App called Silva Relaxation (again this is a FREE App! I would also recommend this app!) and I am using it every night to help me fall asleep and calm my mind. Basically it will tell you to breath and relax. It will then tell you to focus on certain parts of your body and if I don't fall asleep it will then tell you to think of a pleasant peaceful place and focus on that. It puts me straight to sleep and it calms my mind. I also love to do a ten minute yoga segment called Reflection. It really relaxes me and I get much deeper sleep. Also at work we had to do this weird relaxation thing at work, and he mentioned that stress kills. I knew this fact already, and it is one of the reasons why women tend to live longer than men. It is a social norm to keep emotions inside and not really talk through much. It considered wimpy  to get upset over things and talk them out. Women, on the other hand, usually talk out their problems with their girlfriends, which helps relieve stress.. So during this seminar, while everyone was looking like they had their "this is bullshit" faces on, my ears perked and I did pay attention (while to fit in I had my "this is bullshit" face on too.. for all you social psychologists this is preserving positive face.). He talked about the importance of just letting go and not getting angry or stressed about things that do not matter. I also watched a documentary on stress (thank you Netflix) and they have done studies on monkeys where there are hierarchies in their clans. The monkeys who were at the bottom of the hierarchy basically got treated like crap and  had an increased level of stress hormones in their blood. They also did not live as long and had problems with atherosclerosis. I would like to know how bad is stress for the human body? And what can we and what should we do to relax our bodies?

At psychcentral.com I found an article called "The Physical Effects of Long-Term Stress" by Jane Collingwood. She states that the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight, not rest and digest) deals with stressful situations. When a stressor occurs we react and then later we relax. This is supposed to be the normal balance, but in many people the sympathetic nervous system stays on guard and people are unable to return to relaxation. When this happens many illnesses and physical problems can occur. Here are a few:

Heart Problems

        -People who react more to stress have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This is linked to personality traits such as competitiveness, impatience, hostility or if you tend to move and talk very quickly. 

         -Another trait related to stress and that causes cardiovascular problems is people who relax by eating comfort foods. This is not beneficial to the heart unless your comfort foods are carrots or something. And usually they are not... 

High Blood Pressure (Aka hypertension)

         -People who are under high levels of stress tend to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can increase your risk of heart failure, kidney failure and heart attack. 

           -Stress increases blood pressure in the short term, so if you are stressed out all the time you are more likely to have a permanently high blood pressure level. 

Susceptibility to Infection

         -Stress suppresses the immune system, which in turn makes you more susceptible to diseases. 

          -Not only does being stressed make it easier for you to be sick, but it also makes it harder for you to recover. :(

Skin Problems

         -Stress is known to aggravate skin problems such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. Stress has also been linked to inexplicable rashes. This is a personal one for me. My skin breaks out when I get stressed and I also scratch legs in my sleep which is not good for your skin. This usually happens around finals or very stressful and busy sections of my semesters in college. (Sorry if that was TMI) 

Pain

        -Stress causes backaches due to a continued stimulation of muscles (which one of the things stress does to your body) If you have bad posture and have a sedentary lifestyle this can cause back, neck and shoulder pain, which in turn causes even more stress. Awesome :(. 

        -If you have an underlying condition such as fibromyalgia and RSI stress can aggravate these conditions as well.

Diabetes

         -There is some evidence that points to the fact that chronic stress may lead to insulin dependency. This may be possible because stress can cause the immune system to destroy insulin producing cells. 

Infertility

         -Normally stress does not cause infertility, but they have been linked on many occasions. It has been found that people are more likely to conceive on vacation. 

So none of that sounds like a good time. Stress can be detrimental to your health!! It is extremely important to unwind, relax and give your sympathetic nervous system a break! What are some of your ways to unwind and relax? Here are a few of mine.

-I love to clean. Cleaning is not particularly relaxing for me, especially if I don't have the energy, but the second I get in my newly made bed and look around my clean room I feel amazing and I also feel more motivated to complete the tasks that I need to do. 

-As I had mentioned in my previous blog, working out is one of my favorite ways to deal with stress. Not only do I feel the hormonal benefits, I feel better about my appearance (which gets rid of stress). While I work out, I organize my thoughts and I fantasize about things (which is fun haha). It just gives me a chance to shut out the world and only focus on my music. Every night after work I go to the gym or go for a walk or a run or something. My favorite activities include running, walking, weightlifting, YOGA, pilaties and dancing.

-I am obsessed with lists. In school before I would stuff all my books into my backpack and hit the library, I would make a list of all the things that needed to be taken care of. In these lists I would break it down, step by step, on what I exactly needed to do. It helped me make sure I got all my necessary work done as well as allowing me the satisfaction of crossing off my completed tasks. Now with Windows 7 they have the postie that you can place directly on the desktop. Mine is packed full of things that I need to take care of so if I am ever bored I can reference it. 

-I have a relax playlist on my iPod and if I am ever feeling sad, angry or upset I will turn it on, 

-This is a new one for me, but meditation is also a way that I unwind at the end of the day. I do not really know much about it but its working well so far.

Here is a how to video on how to meditate. I know its a little weird but if you close your eyes and ignore the accent, its really not so bad.

So I would recommend giving that a try! Or just take a few minutes out of your day to just be alone and clear your mind. It is important.  

I also checked out some tips on goodhousekeeping.com. (I love this website, don't judge haha) and they had some really cool ideas that I would have never thought of! The first thing that attracted me to this website was one of the suggestions is to "Uncork a bottle of wine". Here are just a few that I thought are easy to do and they sound kinda fun too!

"Take a Mental Vacation"- To do this you basically close your eyes and think of a relaxing place (i.e a beach a lake, a cozy room). Think about what you see, what you smell what you hear. The more detailed the picture in your mind, the better. Its so simple and it helps! This is something I can do just sitting at my desk if I need a little break.

"Mindful Meals"- Take ten minutes to eat mindfully. Smell your food before you chew and savor the taste as you chew. Just by doing this you can give your mind a break.

-"Do Less" (This one is hard for me haha) Basically you make a to do list and cross off three things. You will have more time!

-"Celebrate the Small Stuff"- Write down all the little things that make you happy!! (Maybe Ill write a blog about this..)

-"Breath Deeply"- Inhale deeply, exhale deeply. Just by doing this you cue your body to relax, and you can do it anywhere. Breath deeply before you respond to negative stimuli and see if you react differently.

-"Bless Their Hearts"- The next time someone cuts you off, or you get a rude email, or you trip over your sisters shoes try saying "Bless their heart." It is just saying that the person that pissed your off is a human and probably deserves your forgiveness.


Tadaahh! Those are just a few SIMPLE ways to reduce stress in your life. :) Put them in your pocket and use them sometime :).


And I did my own stress relief the other day..

Here is STRESS:

And this is better:

        

         

Anyways.


Blogging news:

Well I went to DAVE MATHEWS BAND CARAVAN TOUR, which was amazing. Minus the first day. I have never in my entire life have had worse luck. All in one day I dented my car, bent the rim on the tire, broke the hubcap, was hours late to the concert which in turn meant I missed one of my favorite bands Rebelution, got a picture with my celeb crush and then LOST my camera and then realized that we forgot pillows... Not the best day. But I did get to MEET Eric Rachamy!! He is so talented!! :) I enjoyed the rest of my time there, although I would not recommend going to a festival where there is no onsite camping. Im shooting for the Roo again next summer. I am also planning a road trip with one of my bestest friends EVER Suzanne. I am trying so hard to save for it and tomorrow is pay day so I think Im going to buy a plane ticket. We are planning on driving up the coast and I think it could be a serious adventure!!! :) Oh and I DID get my very own apartment in Indiana!! I am so excited. And I bought a ton of stuff for my kitchen.. AHH! I can't wait to start decorating. I bought other stuff on eBay to decorate my walls and my mom is giving me a ton of furniture. The next step is finding a job :). For now I am just working for what feels like all the time and I am watching that 70's show in between work. This weekend Ill take care of some business.




This blog took me two weeks to write so I am so sorry if it is long. And I apologize for any typos

FINALLY: Cardio vs. Strength Training

As some of you know I have been sick the past twoish weeks. ( I had strep throat, but a false negative test prevented me from getting the right treatment until a week later. Not fun.) And I have not had the energy to go to the gym. I had been lifting weights and doing cardiovascular exercise (Such as running, stride machines ect.) Last summer when I signed up for the gym they sat me down to create a workout plan. The trainer seemed very very interested and enthusiastic about strength training and less so about cardiovascular workouts. When I was in undergrad I did cardio workouts religiously, not only to lose weight, but working out kept me sane when I was just about to snap. I did not enjoy the weight room because honestly I was intimidated by some of the people in there and there were rarely any females doing strength training workouts. One of the disadvantages to cardio workouts (according to the trainer at Planet Fitness) was that once you stop doing the cardio, hello, here comes back the weight. I have experienced this before. Fall semester I got sick and I did not work out for almost five days and I gained five pounds! Not good! Tonight I am going to just dig a little deeper and see what I can find on the matter.

On bodybuilding.com they list 5 benefits of cardiovascular workouts. They include:

-Improved condition of your heart. (Well duh haha. But in no way is this a bad thing!) This will help you not become winded when you climb stairs, or when you are running ect.

-Cardiovascular workouts increase your metabolism. The more intense your workout the better the benefits are. Intense interval sprints are the best way to increase metabolism. (This is when your on a treadmill, for example, and you RUNRUNRUN until you cant run any longer, and then you go down to a resting walk until you can do it again, and then you speed it up and RUNRUNRUN.) The trainer at the gym recommended this to me, but honestly I do not particularly enjoy doing it.

-Improved hormonal balance. Cardiovascular exercise releases your "feel good" hormones. (Hello endorphins!!) These can help ease the symptoms of depression and fatigue, and a hormone is released that decreases appetite. (Yes please!)

-Improved recovery ability. If you have just done an intense session at the gym weightlifting, getting on the treadmill can help remove by-products that were created during you lifting session.

-Forum thread. Building muscle mass is a combination of an overloading stimulus and a sufficient rest period to allow the muscle to heal itself. If you work out too much or too little you wont benefit much from your workout. The more frequently you are able to work a muscle the faster new muscle will be added. Cardio can help you do this. So mixing cardio in with weight training is important.

-Management of diabetes. Those who exercise more tend to have better control of their blood sugars and see less blood sugar swings.

I also found on Circulation Journals that...

-People who exercise regularly were shown to be better adjusted, to perform better on tests and they have shown to experience less cardiovascular responses to stress.

-Your heart rate is lower when resting if you do regular cardio workouts.

-Your lungs become more efficient at delivering oxygen.

-Blood cholesterol levels decrease

Very cool.

Ok. Honestly a lot of that I already knew... But cardio IS really good for you. They did not mention weight loss too much actually, which surprised me. I definitely love the mental benefits. I feel more energized and happy when I do work out. Lets see if I can find disadvantages of cardiovascular workouts...


I did find an article on Toronto-Health.com (A Canadian wrote this article so I dunno how legit it is.. Haha I AM KIDDING. Promise.) and this article was about the disadvantages of cardiovascular exercise. They state that cardio is a true way to lose weight, but not the best. Here are some of the reasons:

-Cardio is a process that takes up a great deal of time and it can be exhausting depending on your intensity.

-Cardio is great for your heart but it can do terrible things to your joints. Cardio can increase your chances of getting arthritis later in life and can cause joint pain. Also if you do an intense cardio workout your muscles can get sore, which means that there will be a longer time that you need to rest before you can workout again.

-To see results you have to work out DAILY. (I dont know if this is true or not. I have seen results without doing it for an hour, 7 days a week).

-If you become accustomed to cardio you can gain more weight if you stop cardio. :(

-When your working out you need to get in the fat burning zone to get results. It is nearly impossible to burn excess fat doing low intensity cardio.

-Cardio doesnt really build muscle, and if it does it is usually only on the lower half of the body.

And then the author states that turbulence training can give you the benefits of a cardio workout without all the disadvantages. And yet he doesnt say what it is!! So... Im going to research that now! Basically it is a book that has a workout that is designed to keep you out of the gym. It involves a five minute body weight warm up and 25 minutes of dumbbell training and then 20 minutes of interval training. While this sounds nice I spent 50 bucks for planet fitness and I am using it! Plus I do mix weight training and cardio so I feel like my plan is fine.

OK. Now that were done with that, I am going to talk about resistance training. On emedicinehealth.com I found some reasons why you should do strength training. Here they are:

-It builds strength and tone. (Um yeah.. Haha)

-From age 30 to age 70 we can lose 25% of our strength fibers and resistance exercise can slow down or even reverse the aging process.

-Muscle has been shown to build bone and by doing this it can prevent Osteoporosis (which for those of you don't know it is a condition in which the bone mineral loss is accelerated.) Strength training has been shown to increase bone mass even in the elderly.

-There is some evidence that resistance training can lower moderately high  blood pressure.

-More strength can lead to fewer falls in the elderly.

-Resistance training can raise metabolic rate (UM YES PLEASE :)! ) It prevents yo-yo dieting (you gain and lose weight constantly) and it helps long term fat loss. Also intense workouts elevate metabolism several hours after you workout. :)

-You can have a more toned appearance when you do strength training. It can increase physical attractiveness :)

-Strength training can improve posture and it provides more support for joints. (this can be good when doing cardio!)

-Strength training can improve flexibility.

-You can have increase levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine which improve your mood!! :)



So it seems that strength training has great benefits especially if you are aging! I will keep this in mind for later in life. Now lets take a look at the disadvantages.

- I saw a video on ehow.com and they say that one of the biggest problem is improper form can cause injury.

-They also mention that if you don't stretch you can lose flexibility.

On healthlylivingworld.com I found an article that says...

-If you throw dumbbells once you are done you can cause muscle damage. You can tear muscles if you do not have good control over your body. Start small and work up.




-Safety is a big issue. Getting stuck under a barbell is one of the biggest problems, but it is easily preventable if you just have a spotter or a buddy to help you workout and save you if get trapped.



It was much more difficult to find anything negative about strength training and most of the disadvantages are preventable with proper instruction and form.

This man on youtube basically calls cardio the devil haha:

I am honestly not sure if what he is saying is true or not but if it is YOWZA! I still hate to say it but I really do like doing cardio sometimes. I love the way it makes me feel and it is a great way to get my Cosmo reading in.   I really do feel a mental difference when I work out so I am going to continue to do it. But I will keep this in mind.

Lastly I found an article from the Washington Post Called "Cardio vs. Weights: The Battle is Over" stating that its best to have a combination of the two. They did state that you actually burn more calories when you lift weights, but you take breaks during your your resistance training workout so the actual number of calories burned during your strength training will be less. Strength training is something that you cannot really do very much because you need to give your body ample time to rest. You should only do resistance training 2 to 3 times a week to allow your body enough time to rest. Cardiovascular workouts are something you can do everyday. The best workout is a combination of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise and moderate intensity strength training. They also mention that if vigorous strength training and vigorous cardio went head to head cardio would win for the most calories burned. They also mention that you cannot really lose weight unless you watch your diet! The fact that you may be working out counts but all movement during the day matters. They recommended circuit style strength training because your moving around more and you burn more calories. (This is how I do it! Yay!) 

So to conclude: BOTH CARDIOVASCULAR AND STRENGTH TRAINING ARE IMPORTANT. I will continue my routine which includes 3 days of strength training and intense cardio and two days of regular cardio and core training. :) 

 vs            

its a TIE! 

In blogging news: Ok I need to complain a little bit. My job is a banking job, so obviously its not very exciting...  I found out that we can get 5 hours overtime which is awesome.. but I feel like I have no time for ANYTHING anymore. I am gone from my house from 8-6 PM. Never has my drive been such a bother for me, but I feel like I could really use that extra hour. My room is a freaking train wreck, I need to get stuff done for grad school, I just started apartment hunting now and there are just so many things on my list right now but I just cant take care of them. On the brightside I have been sick for almost two weeks and things are FINALLY starting to look up. I mean I am actually posting a blog :) and I did actually look for apartments today and I finally feel like I have the energy to do something. I honestly have no clue how I am going to find the time to study in grad school, pay for grad school, have enough time to do my practicum in grad school.... I was thinking about it and I might be working a job like this AND have classes on top of it!!! I have no freaking energy now :/. Ill work it out. ONE DAY AT A TIME  :).

In music news: If you are a hip hop enthusiast I REAALLY suggest Lupe Fiasco's album Lasers. It is so so so good!! I am so impressed!! 

also the new GaGa album of course freaking rocks!! 

I am so in love with almost all of the songs! Check them out!! :) 

Productivity??

Well first things first... I AM OFFICIALLY A LYCO ALUM! I am actually very proud of this! Wednesday night through Sunday were some of the most exciting times of my life. They included Baltimore, in which I partied and the rest of the nights (and days) in which I spent time (partying) with the people I care about most. I will miss Lyco and the people there like I have never missed anything else! So many memories!! Maybe Ill write a blog post about that later... Anyways. I need to get to sleep.. Soooo I gotta just update my life (sorta) right now.

Diet/Exercise:
-I need to lose weight. Its inevitable. I just got my gym membership and I worked out (HARDCORE) today. I think later on I am going to write a blog about cardio vs resistance training. I know I am not in pain today but I will be tomorrow. Greatly. Its worth it though, except working out is not as fun as it used to be. Before I was 21 I would work out and I would feel absolutely AMAZING afterwards. I felt like nothing could bug me or anything, and now its I basically think "Ugh. Gym.". Hopefully Ill get over this because I really wish to have an amazing body just in time for grad school!! Its also SO hard to diet at Members 1st. I know this sounds awesome but there is food EVERYWHERE. I was leaving today and snagged a sandwich from the break room.I am doing weightwatchers (very loosely). Tomorrow I will try harder. Later Ill blog about my new book about volumetrics, but that will be after I read the book. Also I found an awesome list of fat burning food.

Grad School:
Finally got my packet!! I got into the Webadvisor thing for IUP. I gotta email my advisor about registering for classes along with a million other things. I want to also go apartment hunting online soon. I need to GET PRODUCTIVE. IUP will be tomorrows goal, along with selling back textbooks. I am extremely excited about this program. Even though the location is not ideal, my mom may be right: at least I wont get distracted. I feel like its really time to grow up a little bit and I am trying to be a little more mature (a little). I almost cant wait to get back to school already!!

Work:
They keep moving me around. Or they will be. Ive been in Marketing this week. I really like it but they are moving me to Central Files. Definitely not as fun. :/

Feng Shui

I have been packing and unpacking and driving all day. I am exhausted and my room is a freaking mess!!! One of my goals for this break is not only to GET SHIT DONE scholastically, but to get everything unpacked and pretty in my room. In order to get excited about rearranging and unpacking and laundry... I needed to think of something fun. Sooo I decided to look up Feng shui. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese systems of aesthetics believed to use the law of both Heaven and Earth. Its meant to help improve a persons life by receiving positive qi.(A qi is an active principle forming part of any living thing.) Ok, I understand this sounds a little weird and jsut plain hokey. But why not?? Ive heard very positive things about this and I am too tired right now to look up pros and cons and blah blah blah. Annyways, I found all this awesome info on how to feng shui your bedroom! Here are just a few tips:

1. Let go of the TV, computer or exercise equipment in your bedroom.
                -This one will be difficult. I dont think I will do this one because its all I do in the summer is kind of lock my self in my room and play the Sims and watch Its Always Sunny. Maybe AFTER this summer, and when I actually have my own place I will do this. Actually I WILL! But since I have to hide away in my room all summer, I can suck it up for one more season :).

2. Open the windows often or use a good quality air purifier to keep the air fresh and full of oxygen.
      -Ill be able to do this in the summer (sort of). I do like my air conditioner though and I checked eBay and air purifiers are not cheap. Soooo I might not be doing so well on this one either. Maybe when I have money some day Ill buy one.

3. Plants are not good to have in the bedroom, unless it is a large room and they are far from the bed.
     - I guess Ill just keep Lucky my bamboo plant far far away from my bed. I love it so much, and I wish to have it in my bedroom.

4. Good scents for the room are rose, ylang ylang, and jasmines.
            - Ill keep this in mind when buying my summer candle!

5. Have several levels of lighting in your bedroom, or use a dimmer switch to adjust the energy accordingly.
              -I do have a desk lamp for the night and a regular light so I hope its good enough!

6. Use soothing colors to achieve a good feng shui balance in your bedroom.
             - My rooms is YELLOW. I find it to be so relaxing and mood boosting. Light yellow and beige are for stability and nourishment, which sounds nice to me! They also say that skin tones are the best colors for a bedroom. Ehhhh... I guess I could go with a light pink for the next time I get to choose a color.

7. Choose the images for your bedroom wisely, as images carry powerful feng shui energy.
           - You should choose images that you want to see happening in your life. I do this, I have my RHCP energy, with my palm trees, Norah Jones, but I might want to take down Hendrix.

8. Bed guidelines
      -Have your bed easily approachable from both sides
      -Have two bedside tables
      -Avoid having the bed in a direct line with the door
      -A good looking and well balanced bed is very important and high quality sheets with natural fibers
 -This is going to be difficult considering my teeny tiny room :/

9. Keep all bedroom doors closed at night