Not All it's Cracked Up to Be

I know so far I've made it seem like being an adult student is somehow superior to being a traditional student, but today, I'm taking off my rose-tinted glasses. I'm not feeling well, friends. I have been having severe back and neck pain all weekend, and gone sleep deprived since Friday night, so today, instead of attending class, I went to the doctor. I was diagnosed with high levels of stress, anxiety, and a touch of depression stemming from baggage in my past. I was prescribed a muscle relaxer, an anti-anxiety medicine, physical therapy, counseling, and what my doctor calls the 2% rule.

If you all are like me, you know that this is the time of year when stress is at it's max. Teachers piling on the work, midterms, final projects and papers, resume updates, job/internship searching, financial concerns--all of it is at the max right now, especially if you happen to be graduating. I've worked in restaurants for about 10 years now, and I know without a doubt that I never want to work in one again.  In order to ensure that, I have been driven to always perform at the peak of my potential to make myself as attractive as possible to potential employers, especially when I know I am competing for jobs against students ten years my junior, with far more creativity and technical skills. It turns out that this has been a detriment to my health, as my doctor has informed me that while what I am suffering is common among 50 year olds, it is a rare occurrence amongst my own age group.

I have taken something away from this appointment that I think is good for all of us. I mentioned earlier that the doctor prescribed me to the 2% rule. If a day is 24 hours long, then we should all be spending 2%, that is half an hour, each day doing something we enjoy, just for us. That, he says, is what makes the other 98% of the day bearable. I enjoy sleeping and watching TV, but I'm sure those are not on the list of acceptable behaviors. What to do, what to do? And even more importantly, when to do it?

I was going to do some reading for History after this, but it's a beautiful day, so I think I'll take a walk instead.