We’ll categorize this post under “taking care of yourself after finals week” or “restoring sanity”. Both, I think, are terribly appropriate. The fact that currently working at two internships for the summer, and am enjoying the break/relaxing gives you some indication of how insane this past semester was.
For the record, I know now not to take 19 credits, have 2-3 major leadership positions, and present at 4 conferences all in one semester. My advisor has been warning me of overloading myself for the past three years (I am a chronic overbooker/overachiever), but it was this semester when this habit caught up with me. For the record, it did not catch up with my grades, and for that, I am forever grateful.
To top it all off, I managed to dislocate a rib during finals week while I was simultaneously studying and moving. So after finals, my first stop was at the chiropractor (mine is basically a miracle-worker). Now, I’m housesitting in a gorgeous local home – with a kitchen all to myself. At some point during finals, when I’d gotten so sick of sugar/not eating well that I couldn’t actually enjoy eating anymore, I decided to do something about it post-semester.
As I remarked to someone last week, going back to healthy food as a detox is a bit reminiscent of my roots as a farmgirl (see the title of this blog), where health was a way of life. I don’t miss some parts of living on a farm, but I definitely miss the ability to eat well all the time. It’s easy to make the choice to eat well when you have the resources to do so, but for those of us whose access to clean food/kitchens/more than 15 minutes for meals is limited, choosing healthy food is often impossible.
So this week has been for detoxing, and getting over a sugar addiction. With the exception of a meeting at the local bakery (cannot stay away from raspberry croissants, ever), I went sugar-free and pescetarian. It’s been incredibly successful, and I feel far more energized (*also because I’m getting more than 5 hours of sleep per night). I’ll probably go back on some other meats throughout the summer, but I wanted to start by getting myself used to eating mostly-vegetables again.
Finally, I’m trying to use my free time doing things that are both productive and mentally healthy. That means trying to stay away from Lord of the Rings Online (my guilty gaming pleasure) and wandering aimlessly around Facebook for hours. I’ve pulled out my camera again, and am trying to put aside time for devotionals or quiet contemplation every few days. Every few days because I have a really bad habit of starting something “daily” for a few days, and then getting off track (and guilting myself into not restarting it). So every few days to get back into the mode of spending time peacefully with God, and outside of my own head. I also picked up a copy of the Common English Bible this semester, which is helping immensely. (Reading Ezekiel is actually really interesting when it’s in simple English.)
So here’s to self-care and rejuvenation.
Farmgirl Writes 