Starting Fresh

Some people feel that with each new year they have to completely start over. They make resolutions and then somewhere along the line, life gets in the way and those resolutions are forgotten about. Then, a few months later, spring cleaning hits and those resolutions magically reappear. No progress has been made whatsoever on what we resolved to do or change. Worry sets in because we have already failed at our fresh start and life has picked up- when will we find the time to make ourselves into better people this year?

Calm down. Breathe. We're going to get through this. If the only thing you accomplish this year is to stop worrying. A wise person once told me (and continues to remind me) do not borrow worries. After the first 20 or so times she told me this, it sank it. I slowly began to lighten up. Three tests and two papers in a week? In the past, I would have become so worked up about all of the deadlines for classes and jobs that I became legitimately ill. After one of the most stressful years I have survived, I was on more than ten different prescriptions (most that had to be taken more than once a day) and my esophagus was closing. Thinking about it now puts me back into the panic I lived in each day.

With guidance, I reevaluated my priorities and put myself first. This year, I live with a little less worry and fewer prescriptions. Work on your stress and see how it goes. I hope you'll join me in the world of new found clarity and air.