Health, advice, and what's next...

 

Going forward I plan to work on my health. First off I need to work on my mental health a bit, I need to be able to feel confident about myself and my abilities again. I think that a good way to do this is just to jump right back into anything that is worrying me and deal with it head-on. Doing yoga this semester is helping me think more about my mental needs but also my physical needs which is the second thing I need to work on. I have been trying to get into better shape for way too long and my failure to accomplish this goal is most likely linked to my mental health. I don’t believe that I can work on one without working on the other. Part of my confidence is directly related to my contentment over my physical fitness so it makes sense to work on both in tandem. My career goals are still a bit up in the air, but I believe that I will most likely fall back into work that I was doing previously while I contemplate my next move, if I plan to go further with my education or not. My current position at the ASU herbarium will be ending in mid-May, although they are working on securing funding for me to stay through the end of June to work on additional projects that need attention. It has been really nice to get the experience that the herbarium has offered and I will be sad to leave it, but it is time to move on. My advice to fellow STEM students about persisting is that you are the only one who can do that for yourself, there is no one else who is going to stand in your place and do the work for you, it’s all on you. I may not be the best to give advice on health, but I do know something about dealing with stress. Slow down and take some time for yourself, sit down with some tea and watch the breeze move through the tree tops, listen to the sounds that come from nature and not from your phone, close your eyes and think simple thoughts, be kind to yourself and others, and… breathe. Take care.