ariellalisan.org – Homeward Bound

NO, I am NOT depressed.

They say, if you don’t accept the fact that there is indeed a problem, you can never get it sorted out.  So, if I kept on saying to myself the first line if this post, I would have been in a mental asylum now.

Yeah, my past few days had been stressful. Let me enumerate what those stresses were.

• I had been busy with school stuff: I had to complete the grades of my students in the four classes I handle. I facilitated the hands-on phase of the screening for incoming freshmen and it was stressful. I was part of the panelist during the seniors’ thesis defense, it, too, was quite a pressure.
• I have just received my first salary and it is giving me stress, too, because I could not decide on what to spend it for. Because it was just a small amount and things today are very expensive, I had a hard time choosing the stuff I really need at the moment. I have bought some really important but inexpensive things thanks to the sale in the mall.
• My participation in the Davao Food Appreciation Tour was spoiled. I really wanted to go. In fact I was ready to go last Saturday. I was already in GenSan ahead of schedule to make sure I won’t be left–since I would only be sharing a ride–only to be told, I would be going alone. I decided not to go because: a) I don’t know Davao City that much; b) I don’t have a place to stay there; and c) There was not enough time if I would go home in the afternoon. But I really wanted to go. If there was just a place to stay there or if I had enough money for a hotel, I would have gone to Davao even if I was alone.

These are just a few of those stressful things I went through these past few days. And to cope with there pressures, the following things helped me:

• I watched movies with my college friends. That is hitting to birds at the same time. Going out with friends is already a relief. Plus, watching a movie is a way to relax that is effective for me. We watched Jumper, Juno, Kite Runner, and Spirewick Chronicles on different days. It was like a therapy for me. There were lots of conversations, laughter, and venting out of emotions.
• We also ate out. I use to eat when I’m depressed. Food seems to comfort me. I am just afraid I get fatter and fatter.
• I read books and bought more books for my mini-library. I read Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill, which I bought from a book sale at NDMU library last year. I was able to read a few more chapters of it. It’s really deep but I’m happy when I figure out what he means and I am amused by his ideas. I also read two of Maeve Binchy’s novels, Scarlet Feather, and Quentin’s, which involves restaurants and food. Binchy’s style of writing seems to relax me. In fact, I have a collection of her novels at home and I read them to relieve stress. I bought books by Stephen King, which I add to my collection: Dolores Claiborne and Hearts in Atlantis. I also bought Man With No Name: Tunr Lemons Into Lemonade by Wally Amos, and Censored, which talks about media censorship and it lists 25 news that were not printed in newspapers. Reading this stuff helps me cope with stress.
• I also changed the looks of my room. It’s a little bit more comfy now. I put a whiteboard on my wall where I will write the things I need to do for the day, my schedule for the month, and my weekly quote. My principal gave me an organizer where I can list down my tasks. I hope being organized will help me cope with stress.

I hope this is good start for the week. Have a great week ahead, everyone!