Stresssssss

I have spent a good portion of this summer stressing out. Not a good look. Even though I did have a lot on my plate, it would be completely unfair to me to let this summer pass me by without really enjoying it.

What with my research, my 2nd job, the pipeline programs/ mentoring, and the fact that I now have 2 papers to write as opposed to just one, I was pretty overwhelmed. And that’s okay because that does happen at times. However, I would work throughout the week and end up coming to the weekend drained, and just when I thought things were going to get better, my mentor assigns me another project to work on.

At first I started to stress out and tell myself that I would relax next week, but I realized I’ve been saying that since the beginning of the summer, and we’re halfway through already! That’s when I just decided to just chill…. even if I don’t end up submitting both papers for publication by the end of AUgust (WHATTTTTT??!), I am going to look at this as a learning experience and take what I can from it, WITH THE MOST RELAXED ATTITUDE POSSIBLE.

I had this “epiphany” Tuesday, and I just pushed the anxiety away. And even without all the stress and hypertension (lol) I have had a fairly productive week.

Anyways, I just felt like sharing.

Tata for now.

Whew… nice to just sit down and take a breather. Its funny having time to sit and post a blog in the middle of the day again. These last few weeks have been sooo hectic!

The coordinator on the project I’m working finally came back from vacation so I don’t have nearly as much work to do. I’M SO HAPPY. Really, the stress associated with my job just pretty much cut in half almost. I can now focus a lot more energy to writing my paper, which is good. I also will have more time to just relax and have a real summer!

Good times.

Wow… its July already?

Yeah, so…. wow.

Its July. June like… flew by.  Lots of things happened.

I’m doing a summer research program at my school. Its going well. I’m researching patient-level barriers to participation in smoking cessation programs, specifically in low-income African-American smokers. I am well on my way to getting published, which was my major goal for the summer so I’m happy. Even though I’m working hard. 

I’m getting started on the data analyses this week, which will end up being the meat of the paper. Unfortunately, I don’t know very much about advanced statistics so its a little bit of a challenge, but I think I’ll be alright.

Also, I’m helping out with a couple of pipeline programs. I help out with 2 programs, in addition to my summer research, which was actually supposed to be a 40 hour/wk commitment. I have the bad habit of over commiting myself. Sometimes I feel like I’m being stretched a million different directions, but I like what I’m doing. My research has a health disparities focus and the whole mentoring thing is a lot of fun. The students are pretty cool, and so SMART. It blows me.

So, I’m yeah a little bit busy, but also I’m gettin paid, which is nice. Its nice to have some money that isn’t loan money lol. Its also nice to not be bored. I had some classmates who’s projects didn’t exactly pan out for them, and I’m glad that that didn’t happen to me.

I’m also moving this month, which is exciting for me. I found a great deal on an apartment. Its so cute, and I really think I’m going to like living there. I’ve been searching for a spot for a couple of months now, so I’m really happy I found one. I took the house search really seriously because, honestly, I don’t want to have to move again, so I want to make sure I’m somewhere where I can be HAPPY.

Its such a cute little spot! Its got hardwood floors throughout, lots of sunlight, A DECK, and most importantly its very, VERY cheap. I really don’t feel like its lacking for quality due to the price. The living room is a little bit small, but its got a good sized kitchen, lots of light, lots of closets, and a really good sized bedroom.The size is like… perfect for me though. I’m excited.

My landlord speaks very limited English. I don’t know if that’s going to be a problem or not, but he calls me “Fruit”. Long story how that came about, but it makes things awkward sometimes.

But umm… yeah. That’s my life. In a blog post.

Tata for now!