Spring break is over, it is. And I’m feeling pretty good about that. I got everything I wanted to do done, which is really rather surprising for a relaxing vacation. Garden was planted, much weeding and work accomplished, I decided on the gym to join, saw all my Ask friends (twice!), hung out a ton with Emily, baked goods, read books, got a new bookshelf moved in and filled, finished our taxes… amazing! I’m feeling very relaxed, my palpitations have been minor in the last few days, and I’ve almost entirely gotten rid of the elephant-on-my-chest feeling. I’m not feeling nervous about tomorrow, but rather looking forward to this week. It’s my easy week, with no sections to teach, and I’m hoping for a pretty smooth quarter.
I’ve had a long thing about this stress and my life, and I think I’ve made some headway. My mantra this quarter: “everything is optional”. As in, I take on only the stress I take. Everything in life besides basic function – food, home, pay – are entirely optional. School is optional, thus classes are optional. The gym is optional, biking is optional, blogging is optional. Reading is optional, assignments are optional, excelling is optional, research is optional. I choose to do these things, but they do not characterize my life. They are choices I make every day, because I like to do these things, and because I choose to spend my life this way. And there is nothing that says I must keep doing any of these things. I think keeping this in mind will help me keep from stressing out. I’m a lucky girl who gets to do what she wants to do nearly every day.