On the To-Do List: Breathe

A synopsis of the beginning of the school year: 

1. First-rounds

2. Sweating on the way to at 8 a.m.

3. A re-entry or orientation into the social scene

4. Big decisions

5. Sweating while making big decisions

I don’t know about you guys, but my mind is in 87 different places while I’m at school. All of these opportunities, activities, and the real world seems to be coming at you constantly. It’s a lot to handle.

However, as easy as it is to get caught up in the whirlwind, I’ve found that the best thing to do is step back and remember that your physical, mental and emotional health comes first.

No matter the size and chaos of your to-do list, it’s important to remember your humanity and celebrate your imperfections.

For example, sometimes I catch myself not breathing.

In most cases, I would attribute this unconscious self-denial of air to pure concentration on weightlifting form, perhaps, or, as it was in my artistic, balletic glory days, the alignment of my limbs (phalanges, eyelashes, etc) in the mirror as Balanchine would have liked. Elbows in, weights steady; head up, shoulders down, ribs tucked, hips even, spine extended, smile-activated, life together. And don’t forget to relax and have fun!

Sitting here at 11:46 p.m. on the brink of a Monday morning, a sophomore college student hoisting herself up from an eye-opening year, I was transported to a stuffy ballet studio as a gangly, sweaty high school sophomore when I found my lungs unexpectedly begging for oxygen. The glow of my computer screen became a fuzzy glint before I discovered that I was rejecting vitality.

I gasped: realization and air rushed to my brain and diaphragm.

Fellow humans, we are just that. We are not supremely precise machines. We do not have satisfyingly circular buttons (that click like elevator buttons–eep!) — first floor, second floor; an A on this paper, effortless bench press, triple pirouette — and we are not made of stainless, indestructible metals. No. We are earthy, fleshy, creatures, delicate and intricate, grey matter and grey area. Our protective layer can be severed with a dull razor, our very framework snapped by impact. We balance just so on the tightrope of life, two large feet, one narrow path.

But our hearts beat only if we breathe.  

Have a good weekend and week ahead :)

• school
• self-care
• stress