Cough, Cough

Growing up people has always told me, stop wording so much or you'll make yourself sick. I never really though anything of it and just figured it was on of those old wives tales, but did you know that being overly stressed can actually make you sick? Being under constant stress causes your body to suppress immune system response, making you more susceptible to getting an infection. One study even showed the individuals under stress were twice as more likely to catch a virus if they were under stress. Yet, as much as we'd like to avoid  it, we can't always keep are lives stress free. So what are we suppose to do? Basically, all the same old other silly wives tales our grandmas told us; Get lots of rest, drink your orange juice (the vitamin C will help your immune system), drinks lots of water, and eat balanced meals.

Expectations

As a teenager, one of the things that stresses me out most are the expectations that people have for me. My parents want me to be their perfect, AP, straight A student, while my friends want me to just be like them, carefree and fun-loving. All the while I'm just trying to find myself! Its one of the most stressful things I deal with on a duly basis. Whatever I do, I will end up disappointing someone, even if that someone is me! I try hard to be all these ideas, but they don't really mesh well. I just end up feeling like I'm getting stretched to fit all these different people, which I can never quite fit anyway. Unfortunately, I have yet to find any tips to deal with this problem yet, but I can say that balance has been working for me so far, at least part way. So, I have this theory that no one fits in a single box; you're not just a jock, or only a nerd, but you can have one foot in each box; you can be a nerdy jock. So, instead of just trying to be my parents perfect straight A student or my friends carefree teenager, I take my favorite aspects of each, and make it my own. Heres what I mean: While sometimes its nice to just go with the flow and enjoy time with friends, I defiantly not the type of person that can be completely carefree. I tend to over think the future if anything. And likewise, as much as I want to get good grades and be a good student, there's other things out there that are also important to me. So, I try to find the balance between the two, an aspiring to be a good student, who gets decent grades, but also enjoy the carefree time that I have now. No extremes for me!  I take the more "middle of the road" approach.

Hello? Its for you

As a teenager, I'm attached to my phone; I don't think there's a place I don't bring it! But, this got me thinking, how does being so connected to my phone affect me? Well after doing some research, I found some upsetting new, being heavily connected to your phone can actually increase your stress level! After several studies, researchers found that people who used technology frequently lacked sleep and were often displayed more symptoms of depression. ( You can read more about it here.)This news was startling to me, but after thinking about it, it made A LOT of sense. I charge my phone next to my bed, so its constantly there to distract, whether thats from notifications, calls/texts, or just an excuse to distract myself. No matter what it's there, disturbing my sleep. Likewise, one of the main things I use my phone for is social networking, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, and everything else. And while these sites can be great for catching up with friends, they can also be dangerous; they are often places of online bullying and  reminders of what were not, with all their displays of the "perfect" person. So, with  me always seeking ways to limit stress, that in mind, I've decided to limit my phone use by turning it OFF at night and to only check of social media to once every hour. Wish me luck!
P.S. I forgot to post it in my last post, but yes, I was able to stick with my goal :D… And I've kept it up!

VAY-K

Right now I'm on a beautiful (surprise) vacation in Hawaii, and other than enjoying my  time in the sun (and later the burn :( ) I got to thinking about stress and vacations. I don't know if its just me, but after a good vacation I always come back feeling recharged and de-stressed. I find that having time in a new place and on a new schedule gives me a change to really step back from everything going on at home and allow me to truly relax. Likewise, the extra time with family and friends, while it can get frustrating, always puts me in a good mood.  Also, I've noticed that it'd not just the bigs things, like having a change of scenery and a whole week with family, but the little things too; allowing yourself to get dessert, having extra time to get ready, the chance to wear your summer clothes, getting to eat out, buying souvenirs, etc. Something about these little things always lift my mood, and help me transition from "rush mode" to "relaxation mode". So, thats about it, just thought I'd share my little input about vacations. If anyone has anything they wanna share PLEASE feel free to add!

YUM! Dessert pleaseee