New Things in Store for Me…

Nursing School

I have some big and exciting news to start off 2022. I was accepted into Nursing School and am starting my first semester. This has been a long time coming and it has definitely been a journey along the way. I first started looking into Nursing programs when I graduated high school in 2011. Due to the budget crisis in California way back in the day, the program I was looking at was cut and almost all nursing programs were turned into lottery based systems. So now fast forward about 10 years and I am officially in Nursing school. I am beyond excited, nervous and definitely stressed. Sometimes I think that it isn’t real, but it is. There is so much to learn and I am excited to learn and soak in all this knowledge.

Goals:

Some goals that I will be continuing to work on are my studying techniques and organizational skills. This semester I am doing a big personal change with how I organize. When I was going to school for my Associates in Fire Technology I wrote EVERY single down in a notebook or a planner. I also had assignments and due dates randomly tacked up to my board or laying on a counter top. I decided this time I can’t do that because that was so hectic, even though it worked. I bought a few new items for studying and organizing, one of them being the new Ipad Pro. This thing is amazing so far, I’m still learning as I go because it is a steep learning curve for me. One of the things that I love about it is the Digital Planner aspect. Instead of carrying around a paper planner (which I kind of miss because I love them), the digital planner is much more efficient and accessible. When I go to work I only have to carry around a small notebook, my Ipad and my Apple Pencil. It’s convenient, not bulky and works great off of wifi.

Another goal that I gave myself is: not to set myself up with too many goals. Everybody is different and I know how I work. If I give myself too many goals I will stress myself out and over worry. That is something I don’t want. Lastly my end goal is I want to pass school. Easier said than done.

“You treat a disease: you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win—no matter the outcome.”

—Robin Williams in Patch Adams

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Bullet Journal

Progress:

Writing in a journal and keeping up with it is no easy task. I tried out the Bullet Journal idea last year in 2020 and made it about halfway through the year. This year for 2021 I decided that I wanted to prove to myself that I can in fact keep up with a project. This isn’t just any kind of project either. You have to stay determined to keep up with it and want to continue with it. I love how I am able to be creative and find another way to express myself and decompress. It’s also fun to look back through the year to see what you have done, what you’ve read, watched and completed.

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Below are the first four months of figuring out how to actually create a “bullet journal.” I definitely don’t think I am very creative but this led me to tap into that unknown territory. If you look at January, it is very basic, very beginner. Over the months of doing this, I’ve noticed that I am more comfortable around art and trying to express my art on paper. It has been frustrating but it also has been rewarding too. My penmanship has gotten slightly better, my drawing skills have increased and I am more free with how I write and draw.

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I chose to only show the first quarter of this ( 4 months) because, we just finished the second quarter and I am still finishing up some of the pages. I hope you enjoy these, I know they are a little new and basic but, it’s ok. If you have a creative thought or want, put it down on paper and see what it manifests into. Happy writing, and happy reading 💚

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“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”

— Annie Proulx

August 6th 2020

“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.”

– Benjamin Franklin

How to Combat Stress

Stress comes in many ways, shapes and forms. No one is the same, and that includes how we deal and how we handle stress. You may question if stress is a daily part of your life. Stress can appear in a multitude of ways. A handful of things to look out for are:

• Rapid weight gain/ weight loss
• Exhaustion/lethargy
• Excessive eating/ not eating at all
• Working out but with no satisfaction after
• Anxiousness/ irritability
• Find more signs here.

Sometimes you may ask yourself how can I start dealing with this? How do I figure out how to combat this? Our beautiful souls are all different. This is why we are unique as people, and different things help each one of us. Always though, if life feels like its getting too much for you to handle on your own. You should seek professional help and advice. Having someone you don’t personally know to talk to can sometimes help more than you think.

For myself stress is constantly in my life. However, I can usually thrive off of “chaotic stress.” Working in the EMS field can be hectic everyday but having a passion for it can help fuel your efforts for it. I use this fuel to the best of my ability and push myself more so I can get the best outcome in a situation. I am also currently in school to become a Navy Hospital Corpsman which is another level of a chaotic environment. From working on ships, to hospitals and being in combat zones, the stress will never stop. For some reason though I thrive working in chaos. Doing something to push myself every day. I know it sounds crazy, but I love it and honestly wouldn’t change it.

Update: My Stress in School

Navy Corpsman school like all schools is …wait for it…stressful! I knew, who knew? Sometimes I think it has been more stressful than a deployment or working in the EMS field. Being thrown into this new boot (newbie) environment was a shock to my system, all the way down to my core. Being a fleet returnee (someone who has prior service in the military), I had to follow the same rules as everyone fresh from boot camp. Thank goodness I wasn’t alone in this process though. There are other fleet returnees here too. We became each others sounding boards to help us make it through school. Being 26 years old and treated like an 18 year old is so hard to wrap your head, but we had to do it to a point. We also were put in charge of our class and have to make sure they don’t get in trouble and show up to everywhere they are supposed to be. Talk about being stressed. There have definitely been moments when I wanted to have a meltdown and just leave and go back home, but I didn’t. I didn’t allow this type of stress to get to me and here were some of the things I did to cope:

• Worked out at the gym with my roomie. Did yoga and meditated.
• Wrote in my journal about my emotions and what made me upset. Happy or sad, I basically recorded my day.
• I read some books that I brought from home while sipping Yogi Stress Relief Tea.
• Listened to music that would calm me down and allowed me to find my zen again.
• Talked and talked AND talked to my family and friends that understood what was going on.
• Shopping therapy! I have no shame, sometimes it helps when you can wear something you feel good in. Like comfy pajamas.
• Friday movie nights, with popcorn and snacks included.

I know this seems like a random list of things, but for me it isn’t. Its what helped me when I started bottling up the stress. I’m still learning and trying out different things to help de-stress and get back to feeling light and airy. It may take trying different techniques, and different things to see what really helps and speaks to you. Don’t allow stress to win and take hold of your life. You can get through anything if you try. We are all stronger than we think.

“Appreciate yourself, and honor your soul.”

-Yogi Tea

Shout out to my family and friends who deal with me when I am a crazy stress ball. Love you ❤

March 15th 2020

“We all have problems. Or rather, everyone has at least one thing that they regard as a problem.”

― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

November 3rd 2019

“The reason many people in our society are miserable, sick, and highly stressed is because of an unhealthy attachment to things they have no control over.”     

-Steve Maraboli